Last semester in ARC 107, our studio class was tasked with creating a dwelling inspired by spatial logics of a precedent house. From my precedent, the CIEN House, I utilized ideas like a processionary circulation path to develop the design for a dwelling for a man and his daughter situated diagonally on a hill. Throughout the semester I put in place a rational, logical based approach to my design where all design moves fit together like puzzle pieces. The puzzle piece of aperture placement was connected to the puzzle piece of views which is connected to the puzzle piece of the procession, which in turn is connected to the puzzle piece of the hill. Architecture is like a puzzle, there are a vast amount of different systems and puzzle pieces and apertures that need to be integrated together into one cohesive system that makes sense. This semester however, I have become more aware of emotion-based architecture. It’s an architecture that has more spontaneous material, lighting, or sectional-based moments. Although it still forms what seems to be a puzzle, that puzzle is more fluid, and almost dissolves in certain places. The logical puzzle has a strong material quality while the fluid one contains a presence that can’t really be dissected. Although the two types seem to be disparate, they both are critical for creating truly amazing architecture. An architecture that is financially, structurally, spatially, and sustainably feasible, yet still has special moments that make it unique.
