Throughout the semester we were learning about the complexities of Object Oriented Ontology and the implementation of Post-Digital Joints, and thus were primed to put them into practice. Futurist techniques should then be utilized and hybridized to the point that the building becomes its own entity among otherwise logical building forms. The task set for us was to create a “machine”, a form that does not rightfully match the function of the building but rather supersedes it. The exterior should be a statement and should give a glimpse into the building techniques of the next generation in a current context like Houston.

The Menil Collection in Houston features a building designed by Renzo Piano, and the task was to utilize our research on post-digital joint work to create a building to replace it, we opted as a team to adhere to a comic book aesthetic and to have walls act as part connective bandage and part protective shell, maintaining the tenuous integrity of the structure The actual programmatic language of the building is a space to house artworks, complete with auditoriums, a gift shop, gallery spaces, cafe, and other spaces to accommodate exhibitions and artistic endeavors. Our machine has a sunken courtyard and logical and illogical placement of exterior objects either exposed or hidden by the wrapping walls.

Partners: Alondra Aguillar, Kalle Bentson, and Tommy McCormick

Instructor: Gabriel Esquivel | Fall 2019