Works of Friction
Bank & Pool
Fall 2022 - Rhode Island School of Design
Instructor: Christopher Bardt
Instructor: Christopher Bardt
The goal was to discover relationships (friction) between two randomly chosen programs primarily through physical model making explorations and hand drawing. Those relationships would then inform the architecture of the building and site. The site includes a 100 foot square area for the programs and an additional 100 foot square area (South) to be landscaped in accordance with the design.
While working through the problem of harmoniously integrating a bank and community pool, I identified key words that blur the line between program and architecture: liquidity, reflection, vault, stability, weight, branch, waves, and immersion. While the design evolved and took different forms, my early sketches (at left) are an echo of the final design that incorporates both the wave and the grid.
While working through the problem of harmoniously integrating a bank and community pool, I identified key words that blur the line between program and architecture: liquidity, reflection, vault, stability, weight, branch, waves, and immersion. While the design evolved and took different forms, my early sketches (at left) are an echo of the final design that incorporates both the wave and the grid.
Physical Model Progression
The works of Frie Otto and Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia funicular model served as inspiration for how to find a balance between the weight and depth of the pool and the need for a high ceiling banking hall.
Drawing Progression
Discovering a key graphic, or “thumbnail sketch”, that captured the essence of the project was an ongoing effort.