ARCH_500-600 Options Studio: ‘Dwelling On Climate and Use’

In architecture, objects and beings pass through openings, but so do other phenomena such as light (therefore vision), cold and heat (therefore energy), air, rain, smells, and sounds pass from one side to another.

 

When designing openings, architects must establish priorities for what they will allow to pass through and with what degree of intensity it may pass. This set of priorities may be informed by, among many other things, the envisioned uses of the spaces to be connected, the level of involvement the users may have in the manipulation of such openings and the devices within them, and the climate and sociocultural context they are connecting to or shielding users from. The choice of priorities ultimately affects occupants’ thermal comfort and sense of shelter, as well as how the space on either side might be used and appropriated.

 

Establishing priority filters is not always a clear and straightforward task because multiple contradictions arise, for instance, favoring ventilation but desiring acoustic privacy. This is when architectural features such as doors, walls, heights, gaps, and distance—and the endless combinations for manipulating them—comes into play. Layers of openings, space, and devices may be expanded and multiplied to form ambiguous territories and thresholds that negotiate how things are filtered from one side to another.

 

This studio investigated the careful calibration of layered space, climate, and use. Through the design of a grouping of two or three dwellings, students discussed how spatial scenarios can accommodate changing family compositions and new opportunities for shared living and working. Open to students interested in construction and art, this studio aimed to contribute to the ongoing discussion and vision of Puerto Rico’s built future in light of recent catastrophes.

 

The site was a typical residential street somewhere in Puerto Rico. The first two weeks were devoted to research about the city and strategies for energy and water autonomy. Students worked in small groups to conduct research on sectionally rich precedents in a similar climate. During the third week, students visited Puerto Rico to experience firsthand its climate, culture, and urban forms, from the colonial city and sugar company towns to mid-century modernism.

 

As a process for understanding and critiquing the current construction system and its impact on domestic life, students took a subdivision house and stripped it of its walls, its windows, its gates, and its systems. The bare concrete structure was then reused as a base for a new lightweight construction with increased density. The new freed ground served as social space, gardens, and for water management. New roofs afforded opportunities for solar energy and increased natural ventilation.

 

The studio was developed mainly through large models investigating sectional space. Students were also encouraged to represent their projects’ aspirations through photography, animation, and printmaking,  resonating with Puerto Rico’s print poster tradition from the 50s and 60s, as well as with two exhibitions at the St. Louis Art Museum.