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Of the thesis entitled:��Erosion |��Designing��with Materiality in Impermanent Landscapes


Abstract:

Using the Buddhist��notion that we conceive of time through observing change, this thesis attempts��to answer the question ‘how can we create the sensation of time in��architecture?’ It is important to acknowledge the fact that buildings will��change over time. No building is��above aging. “The transformation of a building’s��surface can... be positive in that it can allow one to recognize the necessity��of change, and to resist the desire to overcome fate.”

To the modern movement, water stains��and eroded edges are a tragic vandalism of the original design. Alternatively,��this ‘destruction’ of architecture reminds us that materials are alive and��changing. What we see is the impermanence of all things. A material will��eventually��return to its source. The death of one body is essential for the��birth of another.

The thesis investigates impermanence in architecture through a four part��studio: ��Studio 1 ‘Beginning Again’ recounts the thoughts and theory��behind the thesis. Studio 2 ‘Studies in Process’ explores the balance between��control and surrender through experimentation with��the casting process. Studio��3 ‘Studying Site’ engages with the Cheltenham Badlands through aerial��photography, site sketches, and scientific studies. Studio 4 ‘Building on an��Eroding Landscape’ concludes the thesis with the development of a design��methodology and a��final proposition for the badlands. The architecture attempts��to engage visitors with the materiality of the landscape and the ongoing��processes which form it.��

Designing through process rather than form, the thesis challenges the ego of��the architect. I have found that letting go of some control and thinking��through making has informed and inspired an approach to design that��decentralizes the desires of the architect. Submaking��(where willful control��and surrender occur in the same place and at the same time) has revitalized my��desire to make with time.