assembly of: architectrure: of assembly

Abstract

The thesis project was the vehicle for an investigation of prefabrication, assembly, and the design of a lived space. Elements are separated from the building and from each other. This separation is both physically and functionally significant. This separation of elements is presented as the architecture of a joint. The wall is divided into two parts: exterior and interior; creating a wall that is analogous to a double wall system. The exterior wall is the weather barrier, while the interior wall houses the functional necessities for a building, and the extremities of lived spaces. The gap, or joint, is exploited for its ability to be a transportation system. The joint is both vertical and horizontal, separating inside from outside and one unit from the other. The clarity of elements and the method of construction articulates the joint. A well designed element is fabricated and brought to the site. Its independence in construction is a metaphor for the element's ability to stand alone with its architecture, and when assembled underlines the strengths of the unit. The unit presented is one investigation of the varying possibilities of assembly.