SPANCRETE  STUDIO

The thrust of this design studio is to explore the relationship between technology and design in contemporary architectural culture. Through the focused lens of the technology of prefabrication in concrete, this studio will seek to reconcile the role of the architect, not simply as the arbiter of aesthetic organization, but as the deliberative force who can effect integration of construction, product engineering, and materials science.  This studio is teaming up with Spancrete, one of the premier national purveyors of precast concrete systems, located in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for a close examination of architecture and material.  This studio will focus on mastering the specifics of precast concrete in order to “push the envelope” of our understanding of these systems, both as constructive processes and as architectural design.  The studio will provide students an opportunity to blur the lines between architect, builder, engineer, and scientist with the express intention of foregrounding the means and methods of building in the sphere of the architectural project. It will be supplemented with a focused discussion about industrial processes in a close reading of manufacturing and its impact on surface development.