House Demolition

The primary concern with the House as Thesis was the fallacy to distinguish a unique focus. The House dealt with wide-ranging sustainable/ecological tactics, but for no greater good than composing a responsible space around the notion of thermal delight. Unfortunately, this is not the intended focus or the sole target of my ambiguous thesis. The House was supposed to raise questions on synthetic versus natural systems and spaces. It was intended to explore the relationship of these opposites and propose a new integrated approach or hybridization in which the building did not only incorporate green spaces, but that the green spaces were responsible for the well-being and functionality of the synthetic living quarters in which we have all grown accustomed. Why much of this failed to reach this pinnacle lies in the fallacy to determine or at the very least speculate a method of such integration. Is it through built green space or mechanical systems? Is this through site integration? Or is it through bio-technologies?



Site was also an issue. The landscape chosen for its conception was the sandy shores of Holland, MI. This coastal area played an insignificant role in the beach house development. The design was intended for universal applications as a more internally focused project, but this made it too narrow. It should have been more contextually reliant, especially since the coastal location was such an original fascination. Additionally, water should have played a larger role in the project as this is a personal fascination and the role of which I wish to explore deeper during my thesis. But, alas, with the House demolished I am free to start again...

River Plant Aquarium

The River Plant Aquarium by Mathieu Lehanneur is an ecosystem study as it relates to basic human needs. Lehanneur, a French designer with an ecological agenda, examines the concept of the aquarium as a source of food and lifestyle influence beyond eye-candy. He utilizes the aquarium as a fish hatchery and introduces simple agriculture through small vegetable gardens.


The refrigerated aquarium houses the fish which produce waste into the water column. This waste is extracted as a nutrient source by the plants which in turn purify the tank water encouraging fish development and growth. This cyclic method does not work without the addition of food for the fish or natural sunlight for the plants, but is essentially a minor maintenance living artificial environment. The small footprint and multiple intent of the River Plant Aquarium enriches the urban experience for those who lack private outdoor space.

[photo from duendepressrelations and inhabitat]

House as Thesis

Examining the present state of the world and the role we as humans have assumed, the House as Thesis acknowledges the bare necessities of what defines a living quarters for a family, but moves beyond this role to conceptualize a new, dynamic structure in which to not only encapsulate and shelter life, but enrich it.


[Bio-core of the housing construct]

A current issue with the majority of single-family homes erected throughout North America, as well as much of the world, has to do with its relationship to the surrounding environment. Instead of utilizing natural energy sources (progressive blue measures) -- wind, hydrological, geo-thermal, or solar -- these homes sit as exposed monolithic entities, parasitically feeding on the planet and fouling the world around them. House as Thesis explores relations of the natural and the synthetic world. It raises questions on the overbearing demand of mechanical systems and seeks to provide alternative solutions, if not entirely, at least in assistance to those we have grown accustomed.

Opening Gambit

To be revealed soon... the first "sacrificial" embodiment of the thesis animal. This is likely only one of what will surely be many in the long process to uncovering the focus/truth.

Eidetic Operations - James Corner

LANDSCAPE(topic-based):

Expanse of natural vegetation or exposed earthly formations, the result of an everchanging planet.

The topography of intellectual activity specific to a given area or focus.

The alteration of an existing natural features by creating contours, usually complete with plantings.

PROJECTION(active/descriptive):
The reproduction of an object by optical means on a surface.

Act of conveyence from sensory organs to a source of stimulation outside the body.

Communicating distinctly or forcefully to an audience.

Attribution of an individual's emotional state onto another people or objects.

"Landskip (landscape as contrivance, primarily visual and sometimes also iconic or significant and Landschaft(landscape as a an occupied milieu, the effects and significance of which accrue through tactility, use, and engagement over time)."

"Both terms connote images, but the latter comprises a fuller, more synaesthetic, and less picturable range than the former. Furthermore, the working landscape, forged collectively and according to more utilitarian demands than anything artistic or formal, has been more the traditional domain of descriptive analysis by historians and geographers than of speculation by landscape architects." Corner

Identity Crisis

Beijing has seen incredible changes in recent years. It has gone from a rural landscape of farmers and fishermen to an industrious region; the epicenter of the world's production. Chairman Mao is said to have surveyed Beijing from atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace and proclaimed his desire for "the sky to be filled with smokestacks." His wish has come true as production facilities multiplied like rabbits. People came from the countryside to work the newly available and higher paying jobs that these factories offered. Makeshift housing was erected adjacent to the factories to eliminate daily commutes and increase productivity. Traditional structures, such as the hutongs that previously adorned Beijing, began to disappear overnight.


Since the Olympics in 2008, the issue of transit to and from the city center has greatly improved. The air is still filled with soot and smog that form a noticeably thick and palpable haze through the streets. Great efforts are being made to remedy this which include the planting of dense vegetation, pushing manufacturing to the periphery, and the instigation of an evening electrical curfew at ten o'clock. En lieu of the makeshift housing that was erected alongside factories, new and "affordable" alternatives are being built [this was a heated topic of debate as many Chinese feel the issue is unfairly addressed and are essentially being evicted from their current place of refuge without appropriate compensation or access to the new facilities]. These new projects utilize very simplistic but universal methods of construction. This is resulting in a cultural identity crisis. The traditional Chinese elements have been either eliminated or reapplied as purely motif. Beijing is quickly being reduced to stereotypical thrift store decor and foreign techniques. If this does not change it will be interesting to see how quickly a city can lose itself.

Air/Condition by Peter Sloterdijk
ATMOSPHERE(topic-based):
Gaseous envelope or medium at a given place, such as the one surrounding the earth.
A unit of pressure (14.7 lbs per square inch is the atmosphere of air at sea level).
A surrounding mood or emotional tone embodying either a work or situation.
A distinctive quality given to a subject, such as a place, for descriptive purposes.


UNCONSCIOUS (descriptive/active):
The part of the mind containing psychic material influential to behavior, but goes without awareness, sensation, or cognition.

Discovery of the unconscious through psychoanalysis - How Dali saw his art.

Down six fathoms, my fins firmly rooted on the bottom of Lake Michigan, I stood surrounded by an alien environment. The deep blue waters were enlivened by the shimmering sun in a hopeful attempt to penetrate the depths and have a peek itself at what lay ahead. The wreck, distinguishable only as a ghost form, lay in two pieces; its hull pointing upwards forever frozen in its last attempt to clutch to the world it knew before plunging into the abyss and the stern horizontal in acquiescence. This skeleton, now a haven for zebra mussels and gobies--both invasive species from afar--creates a surreal world in a changing environment. As I inhale and exhale from my supply line, a series of bubbles--a reminder of my being a visitor to this place--rise up and away, frantically racing towards the faint light above. I am truly immersed in another atmosphere, like Dali in his dive suit, both with limited air supply, but mine remains clearly indicated. I instantly feel more self-aware in this environment around me and realize the odds at which I am with my world.