How it all started: Owen's Memories Notes and Sketches

Project Outline: Microstructure

One area of our education that we feel we have not explored to its potential is the beauty, craft and design of architectural details.  We wish to acquire not just an understanding of “standard” details/joints/connections, but an understating of the building logic that underpins those details, and to develop a detail based way of thinking.  Although, we understand that there is a precedent for this type of design with in the field of architecture, we believe that by executing this practical design build based project we will develop a working knowledge of detailing.  We want to design and build a small structure.

We will work with one other student on this honors experience / independent study.  By working in a small team we will greatly expand the potential for the project in terms of scale and quality.

We will build a small performance space, designed in collaboration with a playwright, in which the details relate to the structure as a whole and also reinforce the themes of the play.

The project is based around the idea of developing new ideas based on experiential research (through practical carpentry exercises) and an extensive continuous literature review.  The research problem is a direct response to a perceived gap in our education.  It comes from a understanding, developed during my time on co-op, that a lack of understanding of good architectural detail results in problems at all levels of the building project.

My goal is to be able to develop my own details to meet situational needs that will be elegant with their simplicity and creativity.

I would continue to develop my craftsmanship, specifically in wood construction. I would learn not just the mechanics of detailing but also their underlying logic to allow me to create appropriate details for non-standard conditions.  By building the details I was drawing I would gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the difficulties of construction and how to design so that the building can be made in a cleaner, more efficient, and practical way.

Project Outline: Theater Collaboration

Architecture and theater have a surprising amount of commonality when explored on a theoretical level. Ideas of narrative, experience, and sense of place, both emotional and physical, are central to both.  Both can act as symbols of their time and place.

To explore these commonalities, we will work directly with a playwright to design a space for a play, while he writes a play for a space. Rather than one responding to a finished product from the other, the two processes, designing and writing, will take place simultaneously. A continuous exchange of ideas and information will allow us to develop a product that is unique in its complete holistic exploration of concepts common to both theater and architecture.

The play will explore the ideas of intimacy, comfort, and the line between public and private. The first and most obvious hurdle from a design standpoint is how to tempt someone into such a space, and then from the plays perspective, how to hold them there until the concepts are fully explored by the space and the play. Learning how to tackle these challenges on a small scale will better prepare us to deal with similar issues in later work.

Their exists an intellectual challenge of direct collaboration in which neither party is the “client” or “boss.” How the lines of responsibility and control are drawn will be a fascinating experience and the documentation of this could potentially be a worthwhile experience in its own right.

The independent study will be based on conducting design research through a cross disciplinary dialogue. In the discussion and collaboration with a playwright, standards or customary methods of our known design experience will change. Approaching the design process through methods of a constant exchange of built and theoretical discussions and questions, it is hoped that a unique process of design will produce a unique result.

Our goal is to be able to develop an understanding and experience of a collaborative, holistic design process. In working in tandem with a playwright, the standard methods of design will come into question, allowing for an exploration unique to my educational experience.

The development, realization, and documentation of the microstructure theater space and corresponding play will provide a set of tangible results as physical objects, lending themselves to a critique and commentary on our process of discovery and comprehension. Taking part in a process that requires collaboration, discussion, review, and guidance, the project will constantly cause us to reflect on decisions made, and with tangible results at hand, rethink actions and thoughts.