The thesis of this project focuses on the defining of an edge of the university; thereby denoting a limit as to how far the university can extend. The wall is proposed to define that edge. The tower is a result of a visual dialogue between the wall and the light well that cuts through it. / Master of Architecture

What is architecture and to what does it aspire? It is the human endeavor which creates places that stimulate the senses. A touch, a scent, a sound, a sight (light and darkness)—each serves to make one more keenly alive. The senses, too. can arouse memories. In this house there are three paths. Each path captures a particular part of the natural environment to arouse sensations. The path that goes through the family rooms is the path of light and darkness. Two light-wells above channel the sun onto the path. As one walks down this path, one sees bright spots coming from the light-wells, marking the entrance to the living and dining rooms. Once one arrives at either entrance. one can also feel the warmth of the sun. The path to the bedrooms is the path of smell and sound. In the spring, one smells the wild flowers as the breeze carries their fragrance across the path through the windows on either side. In the summer. one hears the birds play among the long stems of the flowers. In the fall, the dry stalks brush quietly against each other in the wind. The path to the studio makes direct contact with all parts of the natural environment. On this path, one smells the air of the different seasons. The orange light gently glows on the walls and the path as evening approaches. In the fall,showers of leaves cascade in the wind. / Master of Architecture

To establish the in-between is to reconcile conflicting polarities. Provide the place where they can interchange and you re-establish the original twin phenomena. Aldo Van Eyck The thesis of this project focuses on the transition between a town and campus. The proposal is made for a shared urban room or plaza space that demarks the meeting place of the inherently different orders of the town and campus. Here a tower is proposed to better define the existing plaza space between four academic buildings. Finally, a wall reaching towards the town from the plaza space is proposed as an element of connection that defines a unique place between the town and campus. / Master of Architecture

A simple element that is repeated in a thoughtful, organized manner, can generate a whole that is greater than the sum of the individual elements. Conversely, a large ungainly project can be generated out of the repetition of smaller more manageable parts. This principle is explored in this thesis on a range of scales from town blocks to details. / Master of Architecture

The School of Homeric Studies is thing apart; a numbered artifice of pieces, and this is a place apart: a place of song, a place of anger, a place of prayer. / Master of Architecture

Architecture can be made from a memory, an image that has embedded itself in the mind of the maker. This image cannot, however, be invoked without commitment and investigation. For, unless its tectonic manifestation is made credible, it remains forever unreal, existing only in a subjective, referential realm, never becoming architecture. / Master of Architecture

"The immeasurable is the one thing that captivates the mind: the measurable makes very little difference.” Kahn Transition could be thought of as the only constant—life being in itself a transition, composed of a myriad of inseparable transitions—a continuum of events "taking place." This work imagistically explores the evocative nature of transition place as it is manifested in architecture, art, and poetry, and prepares an architectural place for the transitions of life. / Master of Architecture

We may rattle our tongues and cold we may rattle our bones; It is our actions that will haunt them. / Master of Architecture

The imposition of boundary at many scales is an essential part of Architecture. Boundaries define enclosure. An architectural philosophy must control these boundaries. / Master of Architecture

The roles of the individual elements and their constituent pieces that form the basis for the language of architecture were investigated. Walls, stairs, floors, beams, and other elements are the primary means necessary for the expression of ideas in architectural terms. To effectively use these elements, an understanding of their material properties and characteristics is essential. The role of the wall in architecture was especially important in this thesis. Walls have been considered primarily in response to their physical and material properties. Other elements were dealt with according to how they react with the wall. The project is a complex of multi-use buildings to be shared by the university and the town of Blacksburg and is located on the site of the current parking lot of the Continuing Education Center at the corner of College Avenue and Otey Street in Blacksburg. / Master of Architecture