Here’s a few choice cuts from today’s presentation boards. I combined a few SketchUp/Kerkythea workflows to create a really interesting (graphic novel esque?) feel. 
Should be a great discussion today about ir/rational programs/spaces, chapels in alleys, and whatever else the absolutely stellar panel our studio professor rounded up from across the U.S.
More to come post Dead Week! Thanks for reading
-Matthew
Yesterday was our schematic design review for the 302 SoHo housing project. I’m still struggling with programming the 1st floor public access space, and have just recently decided on an interfaith community center. I am arguing for a humanistic ‘inside out’ approach to the project, designing 2-3 small affordable units that can then be repeated in various configurations to allow for complexity and individuality. Light, niches, nooks, wind and materials (aediculas?) are becoming phenomenological footholds, as I defiantly try to combat the hyper consumerist abstract division of space capitalism creates. Somewhat ironically I will have to ‘sell’ my project on the basis of: 1)each unit being a corner unit, which means it’s more valuable, 2) Money continues to be donated to churches despite other building production slowing down, 3) each unit is designed with the human body in/and mind. My architectural strategies will probably have to come from basic Japanese metabolism theories of ‘infrastructure’, plugging units into that infrastructure based on highly designed systems. There is much to do….
Here are some photos of the site model which I can’t take much credit for at all, since I was heavily involved in the Hansen Competition at the time of it’s completion(which I am happy to report that I tied for first place in!).
Thanks for reading,
-Matthew
A week long project for studio dealing with the conversion of concept and information into graphic design. Tower 25 is located in Cyprus a very divided country in the Mediterranean Sea. The three concepts trying to be communicated in this poster are ‘Re-Unification’, ‘Built Heritage of Cyprus’ and ‘Cyprus on Display’. I worked with Eric Neuhaus. We used some bas relief techniques with laser cut cityscapes and the building design. We then began to weave the streets into the porous building masses.
-Matthew
My mother and I stopped in Fairfield, IA on our way to St. Louis. We stopped at the Raj (the spa and resort that uses alternative healing practices) and the Vedic Observatory, finding the place extremely bizarre and interesting, even without the sun out to ‘activate’ these spaces during the day. Basically these are all tools to read the heavens (think modern day Stonehenge…same knowledge, new building practices), in some there are steel rings held in tension, their shadow depicting the altitude and azimuth of the sun (Goche’s corn crib installment is starting to make a lot more sense now..), in others there are pegs whose shadows reveal the equinox, solstices, etc. The site it was placed on was beautiful and open.
In Vedic Astronomy, the cosmos are discovered by traveling inward…it’s said that simply by viewing the instruments, one’s physiology begins to align with cosmic physiology, individual knowledge with cosmic knowledge. I have to say the entire experience was bizarre and uplifting….(something about spiritual reconstruction tying into our landscape meditation project?)
-Matthew
Just wrapped up our 301 Final Review. I ran into a few unanticipated issues at pin up, but overall it went as expected. Conceptually I had a very rich exploration, unfortunately by the time the reviewers could really ‘enter’ and discuss the review was all but over.
The project was centered around our semester long explorations of landscape, our evaluation of the Medical Community, our site analysis and previous ideas about meditation – all to design a Rural Retreat Center. My project was based around the idea of reconstruction, of both the landscape and the body/mind. It became difficult to enter because by the time the review came around I was working with many filters and lenses that all needed introductions in order to understand the decisions I had made.
My focus is shifted toward catching up with sleep, organizing a 301 studio portfolio, and taking a daunting sci-tech final.
Thanks for reading,
-Matthew
 | Rachel on SoHo Housing Schematic Design… |
 | Rachel on Tools of Spiritual Reconstruct… |
 | Tim Darmour-Paul on Light as a Medium |
 | tonygonzalez545 on Skin |
