Material Strategies

Innovative Applications in Architecture

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Author Archives: ktkngs

Draw on the (Parabolic) Wall

December 14, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

Precedent: Winery Gantenbein (2006) Architects: Gramazio & Kohler, Bearth & Deplazes Architekten Location: Fläsch, Switzerland Process: This project uses a robotic arm to precisely place 20,000 bricks according to programmed […]

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Mineral

Please Play: the art factor

December 7, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

Playing the Building, a whimsical expression for an art installation that exposes the dignity of the old Jeune Lune Theater for the masses’ pleasure.  The artist, David Byrne strips the ornament […]

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Metal, Mineral, Uncategorized

Adaptive Reuse: Istanbul Salt Repository

November 29, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

“Great architecture has a global language, which can minimize differences of taste resulting from local cultural factors.” -Erginoğlu & Çalışlar Architects  Project: Tuzamban, Used by Medina Turgul DDB (2009) Original Use: Salt […]

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Metal, Mineral

Suspended Stone

November 21, 2012by ktkngs 1 Comment

We live with the assumption that anything stone or brick should be directly connected to the ground. In class this week we proved that doesn’t have to be true. In […]

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Mineral

Defying Gravity

November 17, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

What is gravity? We may think we know it, but some, like Werver Tscholl, like to test those conventions. The Pass Museum in the Timmelsjoch, a high mountain pass between Austria […]

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Concrete

Dematerialized Facade

November 16, 2012by ktkngs 1 Comment

The dematerialized façade of the Q4 office building ads layers that seem to defy gravity. The cedar planks are suspended from steel cables. They shade the building from the sun […]

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Light, Wood

Frozen Blur

November 2, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

In Minnesota, one sculptor uses the water expelled from his home’s geo-thermal system to create large ice sculptures. Roger Hanson started this project in the winter of 2007. The geo-thermal […]

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Uncategorized

Candyland for Vampires

October 26, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

In the popular game Candyland, Hasbro presents children with a wonderful world constructed entirely of Gumdrop Mountains, Lollipop Forests, and Molasses Swamps. This project theorizes a different type of material […]

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Biomaterials

Design Sells

October 19, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

Material innovation can come from a variety of motives. Recently Starbucks, the world-known coffee shop from Seattle, hired an architect as their president. Now some Starbucks stores exhibit their vision […]

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Metal, Wood

Parabolic Framework

October 11, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

The Kilden Concert Hall may not appear to be a typical parabolic surface, but each of the wood strips on the underside of this cantilevered roof.  Each piece of wood […]

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Wood

From Skate-park to Siding: Composite Paper Offers a Sustainable Alternative

October 5, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

In the push towards sustainability many companies turn towards new and recycled materials. One such company offers a composite material made from 50 percent post-consumer recycled paper (100%) and 50 […]

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Living, Wood

Low Tech Construction Doesn’t Limit Design

September 28, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

Not all of the world has ready and affordable access to manufactured materials. In Bangladesh, Anna Heringer & Eike Roswag designed the Modern Education and Training Institute (METI) using the […]

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Mineral, Wood

Wooden Textile: Challenging the Expected

September 20, 2012by ktkngs 2 Comments

When perusing the internet this innovative use of wood caught my eye.  This is the work of Elisa Strozyk, a Textile and Surface Designer from Berlin.  She has effectively questioned […]

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Fabric, Wood
Municiple Building, NY

Guastavino: Innovations in Tile Vaulting of the Twentieth Century

September 20, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

The question was asked: Is brick construction obsolete? There are so many masonry buildings in the fabric of our cities that I have trouble accepting that brick is obsolete.  Within […]

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Concrete, Mineral

Islamic Cemetary: Modern interpretation of Islamic ornament

September 14, 2012by ktkngs Leave a comment

The Shingle Mihrab is an Islamic Cemetery in Vorarlber, Austria. The design by Bernardo Bader officially opened in June of 2012. Below, you see the detail of the Qibla wall, […]

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Metal, Wood

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Course

ARCH 5541
Material Strategies
University of Minnesota School of Architecture
Fall 2012

Location and Time

35 Rapson Hall
Mondays 9:45 am—12:30 pm

Instructor

Blaine Brownell
Assistant Professor
Rapson Hall 151P
612.626.1040
brownell@umn.edu
Office Hours:
Tuesdays and Thursdays
11:00 am­—12:00 pm
or by appointment

Source Text

Blaine Brownell, Material Strategies: Innovative Applications in Architecture (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2012)

Syllabus

Download the complete course syllabus for print here.

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