Site Ideas

in choosing a site, one idea I have been thinking about is placing my project in
an urban context that contains a large amount of imagery.  this being signage,
flashing lights, advertisements, and an overall multi-sensory overload.
in contrast, I was thinking of choosing a rural site that would be in a defunct
quarry, with the intentions of placing the building directly into the earth.  I think
it would prove difficult to maintain the individual's attention because they are
so accustomed to being bombarded with information from the society we live in.




Filene's Basement Boston:

Quarry in New Jersey:

Quarry in Ludlow, VT:

Current Thesis

We live in a society where the individual becomes so enthralled with
what is happening in their direct view, both physically and mentally,
that they do not contemplate their surroundings.  This has stemmed
from living in a world where the material items grasp our attention
and we become solely focused on those objects.  The objects are
presented as having simple meanings so the ideas behind them are
easily understood, resulting in the individual to only see the superficial
qualities and to not have to further examine the object.  Creating
architecture that engages the individual's deeper thoughts and does
not reveal its identity on the surface will allow for contemplation to
occur and pushes the individual to think critically.




current ideas on the above statement: I think I have to find a specific
part of architecture to pair this idea with to create my thesis project.
I have been reading about the sublime, and I'm currently starting to
read about the contemporary ideas of the sublime.  in addition, I'm
trying to sort through the many areas of architecture and find a path
that I would like to travel down in my development.

proGRAM

the idea for program is to mesh what is thought to be two separate

and supposedly irrelevant programs into a single program. this would

find the common threads between the programs, in addition to

creating new connections that are not initially viewed as being relative.

this conceptual series of photos is relative to my point of view of what

I think the program will be.  through the use of food coloring in water it

is a display of how the two separate colors begin to cross with one

another and blend into the color green.  there are different opacities of

each individual color and the blended green, as well as richer more

concentrated areas of color.

these photos focus in more closely on a specific area and this series

began by using the colors red, blue, and yellow.  the colors began to

mesh with each other producing overlaps and showing adjacencies

to one another.  I then began searching for key moments within the

photograph that displayed different shades of the original colors,

the colors meshing with each other to form a new color, portions

where there was white space adjacent/cutting into the colors, and

threads of a distinct color that were placed over the blended colors.

this iteration is a display of the relationship between activities and

how the individual would circulate through the different areas of

interaction.  there are a variety of shades of blue, yellow, and green

that relate to the idea of the variation that would occur in the program.

I focused on placing the circulation [orange] using a hierarchy and the

thicker bands are over-layed onto the very deep and rich colors.  this

was done to show that these would be the areas of highest interaction

and movement, and the thinner bands being of less movement.

abstract un deux

this abstract is based on the ideas of blending and manipulating
boundaries.  after reviewing my thoughts from the word map and
discussing with peers, it was concluded that I was speaking of
architecture and illusion.  the intent being that what you are
seeing does not have to be the actual physical thing you
believe you are viewing.  this statement was developed
after I had jotted down in my sketchbook my thoughts, which
said that the current interaction that the user has with existing
building typologies is not conducive to the society we live in.
the constant transformation in our environments and incessant
change of our surroundings, is not represented in the built
environment.  the built environment does not maintain the same
speed as the fast-paced world we live in.  its not the idea that I
want the building to change as rapidly as an itunes playlist or
how quickly we think or receive the constant barrage of images
that are thrown at us on a daily basis.  I think that if the building
can change to adapt to our needs, alter our moods and give us
the ability to create a space that we desire to be within without
having to leave would be what I am after.

mappage un deux

this idea map came after doing intensive reading on the creation

of earthwork art from acclaimed artists Robert Smithson, Michael

Heizer, Walter de Maria and Andy Goldsworthy to name a few.

the major theme behind their work was that the works were

produced outside of the "system" in the natural landscape.

I began to think about how as individuals we are caught up in

our digital world and that we should be placed back into our

natural environment.  another theme was that the works

were created in the open landscape, stemming from the idea

that america was built on the ability to expand and as a culture

we thrive on this idea.  I began contemplating the idea that we

need to not physically or mentally limit the individual in their

home, office, studio, etc.  we need to have the ability to be free

and allow ourselves to wander visually, physically, and mentally.

without this freedom we will be stuck in the confines that we

currently exist in.  in the simplest way, I want to develop a way

for the individual to escape without having to leave their

present physical space.

andy goldsworthy

one of the best films I have seen and most inspiring.

goldsworthy expresses his love for nature that and

the interaction of people within that environment

that leaves me in awe.