College - Author 1
College of Architecture and Environmental Design
Department - Author 1
Architecture Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BArch in Architecture
College - Author 2
College of Architecture and Environmental Design
Department - Author 2
Architectural Engineering Department
Degree - Author 2
BS in Architectural Engineering
College - Author 3
College of Architecture and Environmental Design
Department - Author 3
Architectural Engineering Department
Degree - Author 3
BS in Architectural Engineering
College - Author 4
College of Architecture and Environmental Design
Department - Author 4
Architectural Engineering Department
Degree - Author 4
BS in Architectural Engineering
Date
6-2021
Primary Advisor
Edmond Saliklis, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, Architectural Engineering Department
Additional Advisors
Meredith Sattler, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, Architecture Department
Abstract/Summary
This project started with an analysis of the Core House or 50x50 House by Mies van der Rohe and Myron Goldsmith. Through many iterations and obstacles, we arrived at the 49x49 house. We looked into some literary influences that affected the social interpretations of glass, the most notable one being Zamyatin’s “We”. These factors influenced our main design process as we asked ourselves, what can we do with glass? When we were imagining our initial ideas for what would become of our house in the future, we took inspiration from another master’s work, New Babylon by Constant Nieuwenhuys, which correlated to our nomadic clients and nomadic structure. And for the final fantasy part of the project, the lawless, off-the-grid Slab City was a large influence that led to our Sands of Time project seen in the year 2121.
As we moved to the design phase we were hit by the question: who could voluntarily and knowingly choose to inhabit the dynamic and unsettling place that the glass house is and, even more so, embrace its spatial character and qualities?
With a bit of research, we stumbled upon the concept of a modern nomadic space, formulated by Constant Nieuwenhuys, a Dutch painter, who was deeply concerned with the nomadic way of living, dreaming of a world as a global system of temporary dwellings. One of his famous quotes being:
"The environment is created by the activities of life, not the other way around."
Following this ideology, the transparent living space of a glass house, in contact with the user of space, becomes a place for those who choose to live in transit, embracing the activities and rituals of a nomadic lifestyle. That was the point, when we came to a conclusion who could be the perfect client for a Mies'ian glass house.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/arcesp/145