site and environment
site This fourth studio in the design sequence focuses on the relationship of building and site, place and environment, topography and architecture. Building on the foundations begun in the site planning and environmental systems classes, this studio will explore how site and building are interrelated and how the simultaneous consideration of both creates design opportunities, improved building performance, and more meaningful relationships between humans and our environment.

The course is structured around a series of problems that will introduce concepts and tools of site design along with increased complexity through the semester. The semester begins with a two-stage design project that focuses on the interrelation of interior and exterior space with the design of interrelated small interior and landscape spaces. The final project, lasting roughly eight weeks, will be a more complex building located on a local site and will focus on site circulation and site planning issues, and the interrelationship of interior and exterior space. All work shall be documented in a portfolio due at the end of the semester.

The focus of the semester will be on the performance of a museum for performance art.

Lui Jon Stras: UnderGround
My intervention to the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is a continuation of the original intention of the museum – that is as a place to wander and find art. This installation, however, continues the exploration of the site underground and through a series of openings, found upon the site. The tunnels intersect and offer a new means of experience both under and above ground.
li lieu Corey Gibbons: Missing Link
Project Brief: Design a museum for performance art at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, MA.
Site: An existing parking lot primarily used by museum staff perched on a hill adjacent to the existing museum.
Design: Reacting to the site’s isolated nature, the building connects to the flanking entrance parking lot and park to create a previously missing link.
lo m Mat Maggio: A Room with a View
This project aims to utilize the site of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum as the medium and content of the museum itself. The building acts as a frame that collapses interior and exterior views. Each Gallery space provides a distinct way of looking into the landscape beyond through a series of shifting apertures, ultimately allowing the visitor to see the familiar in a unfamiliar sort of way.