a balanced ground
A Thesis Proposal for an Exhibition Site
Design Studio Project Spring 2020
Architecture is bounded with nature as an object that lies between the natural ground and the sky. It is overshadowed by natural boundaries. When such an unbalanced relationship between architecture and nature is challenged, it is possible to create a field with boundaries that are not limited by nature but defined by nature and architecture as a balanced set. Architects gain power by redefining a world where architecture becomes one of the two critical boundaries instead of being a ubiquitous spatial content. An exhibition where people wander between a balanced field created by natural and architectural elements is a design solution to create a spatial condition that exhibits this new relationship.
The collection for this exhibition is the matter for this project. The objects are totems created to represent nature and architecture as two types of abstract forms. These natural and architectural elements can be conceptually classified into four categories: ground, structure, form, and sky. The natural elements are generic icons that are commonly associated with the four categories. The architectural elements are extracted from two existing architecture, the Forbidden Palace and Archigram’s Walking City.
Balance is the key concept that defines the program. The program is reflected in the design of the display set that always has two parts, one floats above to create the top boundary, and one sits below to create the base boundary. The space between the two parts is inhabitable spaces for people to wander.
In this project, I would like to propose a new relationship, where man, architecture, and nature is treated equally. Architecture and nature are symbolized at a human scale to achieve an equilibrium. Representational elements become totems at the object scale. Conceptually complemented totems with equal numbers of units become display modules that are in equilibrium stages.
There is no real site associated with this project. Instead of relying on an existing condition, this exhibition aims to create a field condition that implies a well-defined contextual atmosphere. The site is the inhabitable intermediate spaces that are generated by the two parts of the display sets. The boundary of the site is defined by collections that convert nature and architecture as two types of totems, decontextualized but aggrandized with the same conceptual meanings.
