This project explores architecture as the tension between homogeneous architectural rationality and heterogeneous shapes and geometry derived from nature.

This project was started by looking at found rocks with qualities of mass, shape, and materiality. They have been ‘shaped’ over time by various natural forces. When a rock is cut or chamfered, it reveals sharp edges and smooth surfaces; in contrast to the original, bumpy mass and texture, the cut reveals a silhouette or quality that we might not otherwise see. We might say that the rock is a found, natural object, and when we cut or shape it, it is becoming rationalized. I want to explore how to reconcile these two conditions.

I’ve also begun exploring the natural stone qualities as an aspect of resolution and tectonics. I’ve transformed the original shape and volume into different sizes of voxels.

The overall architectural mass is sloping into the ground. The mass also has a visual relationship to the Vitra Haus and the Gehry museum in the background. Contextually, they share the same sort of massing strategy; a heterogeneous aggregation of volumetric parts.

The cut volume is translated into the smaller voxels while the larger, chunky volume is rendered as a rougher, lower resolution object. A Series of vertical louvers cover the cut face in contrast to the rest of the whole. In addition, each voxel is replaced by various architectural frames, which make the appearance of the volume fuzzier.

This project addresses the dichotomy between architecture and nature. Nature is not rational; it is ecological, whereas architecture is a rational act. The system of voxels is a rationalized geometry of the natural shape. The mass is retained, but it is constructed as rational tectonics. This architecture is neither merely the imitation of nature nor the relentless implementation of architectural rationality but a combination of the two.