Between the Blocks
Cornell University Freshmen Annual York Prize: Winner
Within a week period of time, the prompt was to create a hybrid between the precedents by analyzing with a series of diagrams. By looking at the precedents given, the Comlongon Castle and Therme Vals, I was able to analyze the core function of the precedents studying the thickness of the walls, the density of the program, the structure, circulation and the verticality of the planes that provide different spatial opportunities.
I wanted to create a free standing model or a “solitary” structure. By treating the whole model as the volume of one object, which was then hollowed out to create spaces in between the blocks, I was able to create fragments of different spatial conditions but remaining monolithic in appearance and endeavored to assert itself as a singular block of objects.
The final model, between the blocks, aimed to design negative spaces between the blocks and connect everything as it flows throughout the entire model, creating a peacefully pulsating rhythm. A restorative experience was created through the combinations of light and shade, open and enclosed spaces and the linearity of the vertical elements. Moving around in this space meant making discoveries, starting a new beginning or getting lost in the realm of the blocks. The underlying informal layout of the internal space is a carefully modeled path of circulation which leads the explorer to discover interesting areas by themselves. The walls are cut with precision and always controlled that either ensures or denies certain experiences.
