Bridging

Abstract

Bridging is considered as a formal, spatial, referential, and tectonic articulation of connectedness between architecture and context. The question is probed through a mixed architectural program situated in the interstice of an urban downtown and residential neighborhood.

The architecture originates from singular or hybridized combinations of these characteristics:

whereas formal defines the compositional relationships through, for example, orientation, grids, scales, proportions, and contrast or balance among the parts;

whereas spatial indicates a gradient of boundaries established through anchoring, intersecting, overlapping, projecting, interlocking, and parallel elements;

whereas referential draws connections through an interpretation of distinct characteristics from the present, past, and future environmental context; and

whereas tectonic consists of the underlying structure, frame or mass, and materiality without which the formal, spatial, and referential concepts cannot become physical.