- an Undergraduate Architectural Degree Project -
During my initial thesis research in Architectural Ornament and a study of 18th and 19th century field expedition manuscripts, I developed a deep interest in the integral part-to-whole relationships of tectonic components rather than the representational adornment of pre-modern constructions. I also developed a sincere fascination in the emotive power of the ruin, and its instrumental facility in architectural education for centuries.
We can’t ignore the fact that we exist in a post-post modern world that’s experiencing a digital and technological renaissance - One where tectonic newness and programmatic efficiency dominate. Through curiosity more than resistance, I chose to employ the digital tools and means of our era as a way of opening a dialogue about the past. More specifically, to pry the humanistic and cultural significance of buildings as they live, age, and die in our cities- removed from the theories of their conception.
Choosing an aged mid-century modern building in San Diego, I striped it of its context and executed a field analysis and excavation as if the building were lost in time. Through the process of field observation and isolation of tectonic fragments, I was then able to reimagine the building as something new – the emerging typology of the contemporary ruin.
