By: Amelia Velez & Brianny Estevez
During term 1 of Architecture & Design, Juniors researched utopian ideas and concepts in media and literature. Using what they had learned from the research, students created small and simple sketches, eventually leading to the culminating project of the term: create their own utopian models. Students created bubble diagrams, paper models, and any other form of planning to plan an idea for their project. They learned new ways to use everyday objects, such as scoring and manipulating cardboard or manipulating paper, to create new and organic forms. They also learned how to use tools such as CARL, a tabletop paper cutter, as well as proper and safe usage of X-acto knives. Teachers allowed students access to materials that many hadn’t used before, such as paper mache and clay. They even encouraged students to paint the final model of the project and use materials such as fairy film to add color and texture to the projects, fully allowing their sketches and ideas to come to life.
All in all, Juniors learned not only about the creative value of the items they had around them on a day-to-day basis, but also about the technical skills involved in creating professional-looking and experimental models and how to bring their ideas into the real world.
Student Profiles & Project Titles:
James Glover-Enclosed High Schools
My project, Enclosed High School, is pretty self explanatory- it is a high school in an enclosed area. Utopia to me is being “As One”: multiple people with one objective. This structure is going to be used by people who are struggling with decision making in life and is going to be located in New York because it’s a popular area in the US.
Schools are a place for people to learn, socialize, and get ready for life. The concept of an enclosed school is so everyone can find what they like doing and stick with it. The idea is to find how they can contribute to society with the things they like to do on a daily basis. In order to turn daily activities into a job, people need to find a way to make money off of their hobbies in hopes they aren’t doing anything wrong. This school is not meant for everyone, mainly for people who are struggling to find a career but anyone can still attend. This school should in theory help people who are having a hard time finding what they want to do in life.
During this assignment, I learned lots of important aspects of design. The thought process of this project was all over the place; it went from buildings based on objects to a very simple enclosed area. The thing I struggled with the most was the beams like making support for the walls on the right side of the wall so as to not disturb the main area. I enjoyed using different styles to create this building. I used scoring to make curved walls and outer structures. The curve shows lots of movement on how people will circulate in the school. If I could redo this project, I would make it much easier to navigate the outer part of the building and make more entrances and exits.
Jonathan Caban-The Illusion of Triangles
We were assigned to create a structure or building of some sort that helps show and spread the belief of a utopian society. Basically a utopian society is an ideal society that does not exist in reality. Utopian societies are often characterized by benevolent governments that ensure the safety and general welfare of its citizens. The illusion of the space is created through light and shadow, made by using different sizes of triangles and different openings in the shapes of triangles. My structure shows a utopian society by showing different uses of different shapes and sizes to create an illusion that has openings built and cut out with triangles. My structure is basically a site of futuristic components that creates a utopian structure. This will most likely be located in some sort of open area like in a park or waterfront, somewhere that aids the illusion.
What influenced my design during the different stages of the project was a building that I’d seen in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico a couple years ago. The house was inspired by a flying plane and made it seem like it was coming straight at you. It was pretty cool. But the house was never finished, which is pretty unfortunate because I think it would have come out really well with it being so different. What visual elements highlight the inspiration/purpose of my structure were that I created my structure to look like it is coming towards you and creating a cool illusion. The building site given to us wasn’t too big. I was able to turn that small area into a pretty nice sized structure. This structure will impact our environment by bringing in something unique in different shapes and sizes instead of making everything a basic square building. I could turn it into an illusion of triangles built on eachother. If I were inside my structure, the impression the building would make on me is a structure closing in on you as you progress through it.
Jordan Dove-Ausdruck
The name of the project is Ausdruck, which means expression in German. I was asked to design a Utopian structure. I believe a Utopia is a world where instead of working against, humans would work with nature to produce by sustainable means. In a world like this people would be able to express themselves in many ways, one of which being the house that they live in. This structure was made as an example of what it is like to interpret something from a creative lens and express what is seen.
The purpose of this structure is to promote and encourage expression. It would sit on a waterfront and be made to bend light and shadow in an abstract way. Although it is meant to be a home, it would be used as a museum to display art. This adds to it being a “home of expression”. The rigid and round oddly placed shapes that make up the structure make it so that the structure has no definite circulation. Walls are straight, curved, bent, and supported by triangular braces. This play with elements is unique and also complements each other while creating the effect of an explosion. I start with a line; the type of line determines the direction of the project. As the line grows, it becomes a shape. When one shape is placed, the project becomes an endless puzzle. When the puzzle is complete, it becomes a beautiful collage of different textures, techniques, and stories. If I were to be inside of my structure, I would feel vulnerable since I’m in such an open space but I would also feel secure knowing that nothing terribly bad can come about in this utopian world. This structure allows one to be free to express without consequences.
“Naked”
No concrete to run off the grass and the trees
Just green
She dances eats drinks and paints the color green
naked in a transparent home
Wind blows and rain falls on this nonfunctional shape
It grows
Out
In
Side left and right
Up and down in circles and in squares with rigid lines