The Smooth and the Chunky
SCI_Arc Design Studio / Fall 15'
Instructor : Andrew Zago
The Concept
Objects can be thick or thin. They can be a collection of thick bars intersecting with each other or smooth squiggles floating freely. Grids can be continuous and infinite or cut and transformed into objects. The Smooth and the Chunky was the theme of this vertical studio, which took Jonathan Lasker’s paintings as its primary precedents. In studying these paintings, we extracted different components. Each combination served as a rich case study of the relationships between objects, fields, and grids. This project tries to establish a schema through which to investigate and interpret these relationships.
After studying the different possibilities of the relationships between objects, fields, and grids within a flat medium, introducing the third dimension to each component provides a challenge. One of the approaches I took to thickening the drawings was to interpret its shapes as being alternately in elevation and in plan. Looking at each object from a plan view while thinking of its volume in elevation produces many different types of relationships between the objects. For example, some objects cast shadows on others; some appear to be resting on a shelf; and some prevent visual access to other objects in the background. The objective was to achieve a reading of the fields, grids, and objects as elements on the same three-dimensional canvas, with each element influencing the behavior of the others in space.
The program is a sports complex in the Jamsil district of Seoul.
Objects, Grids and Fields
Objects, grids, and fields were the fundamental elements with which this project was constructed. As in the painting, objects could be thick or thin; they could be clear or messy. Grids could be limited by clear boundaries, thereby making them into objects, or untrimmed, extending throughout the canvas or the site, in our case. The tectonic aspects of each object served as a starting point for the interweaving of functions. In the painting, the thickness of the paint or the texture of the brush were significant characteristics of the object or field. This differentiation became a driver for the reading of the hierarchy of space and the relationships between these objects.
The translation of each of these elements from thick drawings to a building required the translation of the painting techniques used to the tectonic aspects of building elements. The volumetric mass and object façade must work to amplify the effect of the thick painting. The first technique I used to create mass was revolving by ninety degrees, followed by straight and perspectival extrusions. These operations mimic the systematic language of Lasker’s painting while creating additional volume. Programmatically, thick squiggles create private spaces for commercial and hotel program, while thin squiggles became circulation and articulated tectonic façade elements. Grids served as public program elements such as a convention center and the marina.
Drawings and Diagrams
Object Studies
