Development through material investigation and prototype, Richard Bush, Tyler Chan and Alastair Powell
‘To be an architect, means of course a desire to build’, Jean Prouvé.
Since 2005 a workshop based studio has been running for senior students of Architecture.
Aim of the project :
- To produce a series of prototype architectural components that take full advantage of the technology of fabric casting and which are then re -presented to demonstrate fully the material qualities of surface and form. The prototype architectural component may be any element or arrangement of elements that form the fabric of a building at half or full scale, For example column, wall, beam, entrance, step etc.
- To carefully document and represent both the investigative and production processes in a manner that has clarity and is indicative of further development and application. This normally takes the form of a report that describes the aims, development strategy, investigation and construction processes. The report then becomes available for future students
The studio runs for six weeks, with students working in teams. The project culminates with the construction of a major piece at as large a scale as possible.
Important themes include:
- appropriate use of the technology
- expression of surface and texture
- connection
- accuracy and precision
In 2010 the workshop was incorporated into a new 2 semester programme led by Remo Pedreschi and Chris Speed entitled Disruptive Technology
Here are the students accounts of the project: richardbush.com