What can be learned about design through the process of building?
The intent of this thesis is to learn about building; to gain a true understanding of the way design decisions are realized through built components. If by knowing what is to come in a project's future, does the designer change their way of working? A disconnect exists between imagined and realized design. As an idea moves closer to reality, much of its' initial spirit can be lost in translation.
This thesis was conceived as a design-build project, in an attempt to answer these questions. The intent was to consider a small-scale, built addition to an existing structure with a program simply focused on providing a place to vew from. By limiting the scope of building to a simple structure, it inherently forces a complete understanding of the nature of its connection.
Through this consideration, one also must consider the limitations of assembling the work; that is, what are one or two people capable of making? The limits of solidarity result in a design that requires modularity; something that is able to be broken down into small, manageable pieceswhich are assembled to produce a whole. Therein lies both the challenge and the value of this thesis, as well as the lessons learned in building architecture. / Master of Architecture / What can be learned about design through the process of building?
The aim of this Thesis was to take fundamental theoretical knowledge about building, acquired through my architectural education, and apply it through building a small structure.
A freestanding concrete staircase, located at a research facility on Virginia Tech's campus, was chosen for the structure's site. The intent was to add an additional set of stairs to it, allowing visitors to reach a higher viewing point to look out over the hills of Blacksburg.
The project was conceived as something small enough to be built quickly and with few people. By using primarily wood and simple hardware store materials, the project would be easy to work on and relatively inexpensive.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/99379 |
| Date | 17 July 2020 |
| Creators | Wolf, Collin Benjamin |
| Contributors | Architecture, Galloway, William U., Edge, Kay F., Becker, Edward Gentry, Hindman, Daniel P. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
Page generated in 0.0015 seconds