Cubes in Space

Study of Spatial Elements and Materials
Paper, Wood, Plaster and Metal
2016

This study of materials begins with paper and understanding the material properties as a surface or plane. Compare architects today to those practicing in earlier periods and we are at a disadvantage in terms of hands-on knowledge of materials. Consider that Michelangelo sculpted for fifty years before setting out to design the facade for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome - a half century of wisdom and understanding regarding the material he would employ in one of his most significant architectural works. As Blaine Brownell states, the architect of today is removed from the materials with which he builds. It is no longer the job of the architect to make buildings. We now create information about the making of buildings, and our hands-on understanding of the materials we employ may be limited more today than possibly any time in the history of our profession. This study focuses on the basic materials that architects use to make both representational models as well as the built environment of today. This is not only the study of materials but also the study of spatial elements.