SITUATION
GRADUATE STUDIO
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN3G3 - ARCH 422 - WINTER 2024COORDINATOR
Meredith MillerPROFESSORS
Meredith Miller, Peter Halquist[MATERIAL] Vistor's Center
Arch 422, the final studio in the first year of the M.Arch program, introduces a range of design methods and representational techniques that interrogate materials up close and within the distributed contexts of their life cycles. From part-to-whole logics of assemblies to the cultural and ecological impacts of building materials, students make connections between the physical qualities of architecture and what they tells us about the world.
Throughout the semester, students work between physical making & material experimentation and life cycle research on a material of their choice. Students develop individual positions on their material–from societal impacts to unseen labor practices, from end-of-life challenges to alternative uses, and other insights that inform their designs. Meanwhile they use drawing and models to test tectonic approaches to configuring space and program through specific qualities of their materiality.
These studies culminate in a proposal for a [Material] Visitor's Center next to the Cuyahoga River, surrounded by Cleveland Ohio's steel industry. While visitor’s centers typically create a space for people to learn and appreciate sites associated with traditional ideas of nature, beauty and human history, these projects reimagine the visitor’s center as a place that produces and maintains knowledge of material processes that underpin contemporary life, as well as the people and landscapes involved in those processes.
STUDENT
Xinlei "Sean" Chen
PROFESSOR
Meredith Miller
Cardboard Outlook is a visitor center and public library located in Cleveland, Ohio. It is dedicated to exploring the potential applications of cardboard in architecture while showcasing the city's industrial history. At the center, visitors can observe how cardboard assemblies are utilized in various scales and forms. These assemblies serve as objects, structural components, and other functional elements that are either visible or interactive. This interaction helps visitors gain a deeper understanding of what cardboard can achieve and encourages them to recognize that cardboard is more than just a common everyday material.
STUDENT
Ngoc Minh Dang
PROFESSOR
Meredith Miller
The Guastavino Visitor Center explores the duality between process and product through clay's journey from malleable medium to fired form. In its unfired state, clay embodies endless possibility—being eternally reusable and reformable—demonstrating creation as cyclical rather than linear. This stands in stark contrast to the irreversible moment of firing, where clay undergoes permanent transformation. Rather than focusing solely on production efficiency, our space embraces experimentation and serendipity, rejecting traditional manufacturing models to celebrate the full creative spectrum—from missteps to breakthroughs. Here, works-in-progress coexist with finished pieces, presenting a holistic view of creativity that values both exploratory journey and final achievement.
STUDENT
Ruixue Yang
PROFESSOR
Peter Halquist
This visitor center focuses on the recycling and reuse of discarded Low-E glass. Low-E glass is a sustainable material that reduces energy loss through a special coating, but its 15-year lifespan makes recycling challenging.The center engages the public through workshops and artistic creations. The main entrance on the west third floor leads to an 10 meters high exhibition space showcasing a large-scale hanging installation made from recycled glass.The east second floor houses an art sales area and offices, the third floor features a mezzanine exhibition space, and the ground floor is dedicated to glass cutting, crushing, and burning. The design uses fractured Low-E glass shapes for window openings, embodying the theme—rebirth through fragmentation.
STUDENT
Jordan Lindberg
PROFESSOR
Peter Halquist
Zinc’s life cycle is both extensive and captivating, traveling from deep underground to widespread uses throughout the world.
At the Zinc Exploratorium in Cleveland, Ohio, visitors delve into the challenging and intense stages of zinc production. A combination of educational and hands-on zones throughout the site enlighten people about the history of the city’s Cuyahoga National park and its transformation from mine to recreational landscape. Through massive rock walls and interactive exhibits, visitors witness zinc's raw form and molten properties.
The Zinc Exploratorium fosters a deeper appreciation for zinc's multifaceted role in life and its rich historical significance.