Models from architecture design studio

[Tones]

Desert, final model for design four:

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The desert project is kind of a foil to the tower project. Instead of thinking primarily in terms of section (a vertical cut through a building), we are designing primarily in terms of plan. The expansiveness of the desert allows movement in practically any direction.

The program that our professor assigned us was as monastery. We could take this constraint at rigidly or as loosely as we wanted; I kept it in the back of my mind, but didn't make it too much of an emphasis early on.

When I began, I wanted my project to emphasize two ideas: approach (how one would view the structure from afar and upon entry) and an embedding within the landscape. I decided that I wanted the ground to be solid and cast, and decided on plaster for the material. The hard part was discovering the right casting technique.

I finally decided on carving away from a thick piece of foam, maybe 2", with the face dimensions of my cast (18" x 28" IIRC) in mind. I tried to create a variation of textures to show the different conditions of the desert. When I was done, I poured the plaster over it (probably about 30 pounds of it), and allowed it to cure for a bit. Of course, the foam is embedded in the plaster, so I used acetone to "melt" away the foam and kill some brain cells. Using a drill, I then carved away the semi-wet plaster until the intervention fit (a nice six hour process).

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And here's a picture of my studio. It's a huge mess, because we just had our final models due and another huge presentation right after. We're also trying to move out; we have to be out by 5 pm today.

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