Professor Nick Gelpi Master Project Studio: From a Formal Basis to a Material Argument 
This studio explored new material concepts for architecture derived from deep investigations into the tectonics of trees, and the particular behaviors of wood as an organic building material. Beginning with early examples of mass produced steam-bent furniture, we analyzed the relationships between forms and this novel fabrication process. Steam-bending was explored in the context of hands-on exercises to demonstrate the “intensive” properties of wood tissues, shifting the typical considerations of materials, from the extensive properties of wood into the intensive realm.