Abstract
Can the use of found materials enrich the quality of architectural experience and design education? This paper investigates an exploration of historical material artifacts in design build pedagogy. In spring 2022, students in the school of architecture began designing a house for visiting researchers at __. We saw the use of materials saved following the renovation of the oldest building on campus as an opportunity to connect with the university’s legacy while creating opportunities to enrich the work of the design build studio. The use of reclaimed materials can be challenging, as historic materials may have unique properties and may resist conventional methods of assembly. It is precisely this “resistance” that gives them potent qualities, requiring students to reconsider their preconceptions. These inherently non-neutral characteristics are what makes them invaluable opportunities to discover new possibilities. The need for shade at the house’s entry is constructed with retired dormer shingles from __. The resulting composition becomes far more interesting precisely because of the constraints the reclaimed material makes necessary, resulting in a design that would not have happened otherwise. It is precisely the unexpected conditions that the use of reclaimed materials enabled that challenged students to integrate non-linear cognitive leaps into their design processes. Several additional opportunities presented themselves over the course of this project; the paper will describe them in detail, identify how they were developed, and offer insights on how one might develop a pedagogy responsive to the uncertainty inherent in working with found materials.
Presenters
Eric WeberAssociate Professor, College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, The University of Arizona, Arizona, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Architectonic, Spatial, and Environmental Design
KEYWORDS
Design-Build, Pedagogy, Found Objects, Materials, Tectonics, Memory
