Our proposal for the 2010 addition of DesCours in New Orleans. We are proposing to fabricate a contoured landscape utilizing EPS foam cut by a computer controlled robotic hotwire. The landscape would be covered in sod and is designed to facilitate public gathering and lounging. Luminaires are installed and eminate light from select slits in the surface. The final proposal would conform to the specific constraints of an assigned site. EPS foam – and not to mention sod are 100% recycleable materials. The competition will be decided in mid-august. Our complete proposal can be viewed here.

Following our Triangular Blooms competition entry earlier this year – we decided to develop the script from that project a bit further and produce a few physical study models. Some pics of the first attempt below. The scripting was created in Rhinocerous with Rhinonest used to do some of the labeling and flattening of the pieces. Parts were then laser cut and assembled. The plan is develop and eventually build a full scale proposal – but in a different configuration. The value of using the script is that it can be applied to almost any form – In addition we can vary the number of parts and thickness of the material by simply changing the variables in the script.

Two recent publications that feature the work of area.. middle_out: practices, geographies and the near now, ed. Jason Young and Fellowships in Architecture, ed. Janice Harvey. Both books are collections of the work of University of Michigan fellows and faculty over the last 20 years or so. The fellowships book is available through Amazon.

Just a few images of a recently printed 3D model of an older project – ‘mediascape.’ Full description in the project section of the site. This is an ABS plastic print – which was essential in getting the thin edge of the form. We are pushing the maximum thiness with the edge being only 0.04″. The first time we tried to print this was on a starch printer and the model just disintegrated. A future plan is to do a ribbed structural model at a larger scale. This model measures about 8″ x 5″.

Below is the board for our most recent competition – the Atlantic City Holocaust Memorial. No luck in this one – it was a stretch with 715 entries – but we were happy with what we came up with and thought it was appropriate for the site. Still waiting to see the boards of the first round finalists – not sure what they were looking for. Here is our explanation for our project:

Based on the assumption that the horrific events of the holocaust are too incomprehensible to be characterized through symbolic representation, our memorial creates a condition that orients and dis-orients the viewer – creating an experience that is at once contemplative and disturbing. The design aim is to construct a series of spaces that visually collapse into each other, activating and implicating traditionally passive viewers in their memorialization of the Holocaust. Conceptually, we imply that we are all responsible for each others’ well being and violations. Our memorial asks viewers, through reflection, to see other in place of themselves.

Our memorial creates a wall that is at once there and not there. The wall is composed of a series of wedged shaped pillars whose inner faces are polished mirrored surfaces – creating a periscopic see-through effect – dematerializing the wall and in the process reflecting the viewer, others, and fragments of the context – relationships that constantly evolve as one both passes by and engages the monument. Upon the outer surfaces of the pillars are embossed in raised letters all possible combinations of one, two, and three letter initials – demarcating all people that are lost, present, and to be.

This was a project we did last summer as part of an ongoing house renovation – that we hope to have more images and drawings of – in the future – in the ‘project’ section of the site. This particular part of the renovation involved an existing stair and the design, fabrication and installation of a new railing. The technique utilized the development of a gradient image ‘rasterized’ into a dot pattern. The pattern was subsequently used to CNC mill the plywood for the railing.

area’s competition entry Triangular Blooms awarded top ten in the 10up Atlanta design competition. Rhinoscripting was utilized in developing the design and for connecting it directly with fabrication technologies. The proposal was for a thin shell vault composed of over 500 different plywood and steel elements. The competition brief asked for projects under a $5000.00 budget that could be built in several weeks and assembled on site in 24hrs. We wrote the script with the aim of randomizing the ordering grid of vault – creating variability of the parts – within a certain range. Our friends from UMich Wes Mcgee, David Pigram, Brandon Clifford, and Matt Johnson won with their outrageous 60 foot foam tower – which they are constructing – as I write this. Our boards below:

Inflatable monument project ‘hot air’ to be installed in public square in Timisoara Romania next week. Check out project details, images, videos at the project blog site here. Project was also just featured on the designboom website here.

This was certainly the summer of the inflatable. A few pics of our ill-fated entry into the 2009 DesCours Competition - but we aren’t bitter…Would have been constructed out of poly-ethelene with a sub-structure of fiberglass rods – similar to modern tent construction. The plan was to explore the use of arduino controllers to manipulate multi-colored led lights imbedded in the inflatable ‘units.’ Cheap – high impact – portable on a plane. Well – it was a great opportunity to explore Rhinos new kickass version of paneling tools.

So we finally got around to designing a new site. One thats a little more user friendly – we had been admiring the usabilty of many blog based sites like mos, and matsys and decided to go that route. Wordpress took a bit of time to set-up but the community, plug-ins and customization are great. We are still updating the projects page and will continue to add some of the recent stuff to the news.