Water. We are all made of it, consume it, and need it to survive. The qualities of water can be inspirational if observed with intention. For my FL18_Arch311 project I started looking at caustics and projecting through water and the patterns that can be created. This has allowed me to extract form, volume, and a system of organization from a single device.
As the semester progressed, I used these initial studies to envision a hostel that would be integrated with our site: Chain of Rocks Bridge. Removing the traditional ground plane and learning how to create a space that has to instead integrate with a structure completely changed the way I had to think about what I had defined architecture as.
Water and light device elevation and plan drawings.
The analytical drawings of light density in projections from my device were used to inform the shapes used in a micro-dwelling we had to design before moving on to the larger scale hostel on the bridge.
Model photos of the dwelling created by extracting crescents from negative space between intense light paths.
Site visit photos for the final project: a hostel engaged with the Chain of Rocks bridge on the north edge of St. Louis directly south of I-270
Site map studying various conditions and contexts of the crossing of Historic Route 66 and the Mississippi River—two major American passageways. The site I have settled on for the final project is a 125x125' portion right where the bridge transitions from land to water on the Illinois side.
