The Spirit of Building

Abstract

What can be learned about design through the process of building?

The intent of this thesis is to learn about building; to gain a true understanding of the way design decisions are realized through built components. If by knowing what is to come in a project's future, does the designer change their way of working? A disconnect exists between imagined and realized design. As an idea moves closer to reality, much of its' initial spirit can be lost in translation.

This thesis was conceived as a design-build project, in an attempt to answer these questions. The intent was to consider a small-scale, built addition to an existing structure with a program simply focused on providing a place to vew from. By limiting the scope of building to a simple structure, it inherently forces a complete understanding of the nature of its connection.

Through this consideration, one also must consider the limitations of assembling the work; that is, what are one or two people capable of making? The limits of solidarity result in a design that requires modularity; something that is able to be broken down into small, manageable pieceswhich are assembled to produce a whole. Therein lies both the challenge and the value of this thesis, as well as the lessons learned in building architecture.