Terracotta Bricks

Unfamiliar with many of the properties and methods of working with ceramics—armed only with a knowledge of the material research process and a substantial collective design background—the goal of this project was to unite a large-scale architectural agenda with an existing vocabulary of techniques from the ceramics realm. With a focus on light, visual permeability and the use of digital tools to aid in the design process, Celosía Cosída began with the idea that we wanted to create an adaptive, architectural screen with a large number of potential functions and configurations. The idea of modularity quickly came to be another key point of the research as the process of slip casting and creating a series of “molds and multiples” presented itself as the obvious choice for integrating digital fabrication and ceramics.

The hypothesis of the research phase ultimately became that with a single mold, varying only the perforations that allowed light and air to pass through the module, we could create a highly-versatile, visually-elegant screen that incorporated lighting elements and even ways of conditioning a space through radiative heating or evaporative cooling. Though the spatial conditioning was deemed to be an unreasonable endeavor with ceramics at this scale and with the given timeframe of the research, the question of how to do it remains an interesting problem and is explored — though not to any full extent — in this document.

From the beginning of the design process, we were intrigued by the possibilities offered by a cylindrical shape. We wanted to explore the different results that are made possible by the inherent flexibility that rotation offers in relation to creating visual permeability. We experimented with both vertical and horizontal stacking patterns, starting with a simple cylinder and addin curvature as we moved on. Our final component consists of a 90-degree curved pipe, with the dimensions as shown above. Aside from the curved component, our formation required a T-shaped piece, that would connect the end points on the floor and on the ceiling.

Student team

Alexander Jacobson, Josh Schecter, Christina Papadopoulou, Annapurna Akkineni (MDes EE ’16)
Sponsored by ASCER

Horizon House

First Prize Winner of the 3rd LIXIL International University Architectural Competition

Designed by a team of eight GSD students, Horizon House was awarded First Prize in an international student competition sponsored by LIXIL Corporation in April 2013, and finished its construction in November 2013. The competition asked students to consider the future of sustainable living in rural Hokkaido (Japan), based on the theme “Retreat in Nature.” Horizon House was conceived as a process for embracing local and seasonal qualities of place, providing a 360 degree view to the landscape, and reflecting an expanded understanding of ecological boundaries. Sourcing, lifespan, and energy implications of construction materials were incorporated by using salvaged or locally harvested wood products, even in the foundations system, reducing to a minimum embodied carbon impacts. In Horizon House the thermal experience of the inhabitant is linked to the surface of the floor, which provide both radiative heating and cooling using a wood stove in winter and underground pipe and thermal mass storage in summer.

Student Team

Carlos Cerezo Davila (MDes ’13), Matthew Conway (MArch I ’15), Robert Daurio (MArch II ’13), Ana Garcia Puyol (MDes ’14), Mariano Gomez Luque (MArch II ’13), Natsuma Imai (MArch I ’15), Takuya Iwamura (MLA ’14), and Thomas Sherman (MDes ’14)

Real Estate Field Study: East Chicago

Instructor: Rick Peiser

In this field study course, the students worked with both The Community Builders  and City Officials to create a development plan for three areas in the city, a new education district, and the waterfront.  East Chicago (In.), located 30 miles south of Chicago, is an industrial town that has suffered recent decades through de-industrialization and disinvestment. The students’ plan proposed creating high-quality affordable housing, attracting new businesses, and revitalizing the city’s downtown and waterfront. The project involved heavy coordination with the client—including a site visit, and several visits to Harvard by city officials— with the end result being a pragmatic development plan that looks to re-envision the city’s future.

The project was covered in the Northwest Indiana Times and the Chicago Tribune .

Young Ae Chung (MUP ’15), Christopher Colley (MUP ’14), Wei Li (MUP ’14), Yani Li (MUP ’15), Zhiping Liu (MDes ’15), Susan Nguyen (MUP ’14), Ning Pei (MUP ’15), Thomas Skwierawski (MUP ’14), Simon Willet (MAUD ’14), Tianyi Yang (MUP ’14)

Spring 2014