Stereotomic v. Tectonic | Wentworth Institute of Technology

2019 (Fall)

Institution:

* Wentworth Institute of  Technology

Course:

* Studio 03 – ARCH 2000 (Sophomore Level)

Teaching Staff:

* Ignacio Cardona / Instructor

Group of 15 students of architecture.

Conceptual Models in the Board:

1. Richard D´avella, 2. Orea Plocci, 3. Salvatore Gentile, 4. Gillian Valanzola, 5. Emilia Polanco, 6. Brian Valerio, 7. Ludny Thelisma, 8. Esther Bahati, 9. Ryan Estremera, 10. Paul Rudolph, 11. Toni Cornhill, 12. Isabelle Morris, 13. Oz Perez, 14. Sarah Stefaniak.

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This Studio explores the dialectic between stereotomy and tectonics. Stereotomy refers to the solidity and constructive continuity of heaviness. On the contrary, tectonic explains filigree and constructive articulations of lightness. Working with pre-determined color coding in the models is a teaching tool for understanding this dialectic.

The semester consists of two projects: School of Art and Boat School. The first one is located in the Fenway area and Mission Hill neighborhood (Boston) and is a School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA). Working with the residential + atelier program, the project explores the importance of promoting interdisciplinary creative exchange and community partnership.

The second project is A Wooden Boat Building School located in a rural land of Brooklin (Maine). This proposal uses local materials (wood), craft, historical tradition of boat building, technology, and environmental responsiveness. The use of wood as the primary building material exemplifies the process of “making” on both educational and ecological levels.