Year 4

Semester 1: Greenlandic Lodging/Research Center

Trifold

For this design studio, students were tasked with designing a lodging center and geological common house facility in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Each student was assigned to a specific site along the Arctic Trail, providing variability in programmatic needs. I was assigned to the Russell Glacier Camp, characterized by a large expanse of open land situated directly across from a glacier wall. The focus of this site was on scientific research surrounding the icecaps and the area’s geology. There were to be zones for a small library, exhibition & studies, lectures, food preparation/eating, laundry and bathing facilities, general storage, and areas for sleeping, working, and communal living. The program was designed to cater to both tourists and scientists that may frequent this location.

Professors: Dorte Mandrup and Marianne Hansen

Semester 2: Grand Canyon Mineral Exhibition

Naive Intentions

At the start of the semester, each student was asked to compile a collection of 12 images and trace the outline of a form within each image. These found geometries were then to be intersected by a more regular shape (circle, square, hexagon, etc.). From there, the student was to extrude the form into one of three proportion typologies: the block, the plate, and the tower. This resulted in an inventory of 12 models that possessed four representatives of each typology. Soon after, the students were grouped into pairs. Each pair was to choose a form for each typology from their collective inventory of 24 models. These forms would become the fixed outline and proportions of the final proposals. The given program was a building sited along the rim of the Grand Canyon that housed an exhibition of rocks and minerals from the National Park. The building was also to have living spaces for two distinct inhabitants: a permanent residence for the curator of the space and a temporary residence for a guest (tourist, lecturer, geologist, etc.).

Professors: Mauricio Pezo, Sofia Van Elrichausen, and Diego Perez