[april 2026 studio talk]
notes on process: a collection of works as internal conversation
[rebuilding salvage]
Lately, i’ve been following a niche bit of design theory; a surge toward a design-enhanced aesthetic of reuse. Salvaged material demands attention from its maker, as opposed to design demanding a specific material. There emerges a contemporary vernacular of local material availability. The products of urban mining (harvesting material from the build enviornment), comprehensive architectural reuse, as-found objects, and byproducts of linear waste streams become not only structural elements, but an aesthetic driver.Reused design works may limit themselves of functionality or comfort qualities - do we really need these? Have we evolved to expect being cradled by our design objects?
The notes and images below are a collection of resources that i constantly referto as the the context of the work i create. Each is part of my internal critical conversation.
[notes on design-enhanced material]
Design-enhanced character: Bernard Tshumi’s criticisms of modern architecture, Soren Pihlman’s reuse of all existing building components as comprehensive adaptive reuse, Gordon Matta-Clark’s reemagining of monotonous spaces B+ architects ANTIVILLA - architecture as an arguement
Design-enhanced cheap - Frank Ghery’s early work with plywood, corrugated steel, chainlink,+ cardboard
Design-enhanced natural - Soren Pihlman’s extractions of site-excavated earth as concrete, Soil Lab urban-sourced rammed earth
Design-enhanced hyperlocal - Soren Pihlman’s reuse of all building components, charlotte maltre barthes building assembly diagram
Design-enhanced waste - Javier Guzmán Ex_Soup upcycled e-waste and industrial objects.
[materials + methods]
Design objects thoughout history have been defined by the technologies that allow them to exist. Similar to reused material demanding the attnetion of a creator, technology, tools, and alternative processes, can drive design outcome far beyond a sketch. I like learning diffenrent tools, mterials, and methods of buildng to inform what i create. The works shown on the right are those admire and seek to leran more about though my own expeirences with the mediums.[Example]: There is very little documentation on Gordon Matta-Calrk’s process of slicing buildings. Some methods may be obvoius, then I remeber that he didnt have 18v milwaukee tools, damn. That said the best method i could think to cut a wood roof was a chainsaw. I also didnt know how the structrure would react to me standing on it while cutting it away. I managed to cut what i wanted and the structure remaind stiff. I also felt a bit closer to Matta-Clark, sweaty and covered in dust, seeing natrual light pour into the dark space, glory hole. The hole only lasted a weekend until the structrure was demolished.
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04.03.26