Studio 2A

Instructor: Teddy Slowik

Fall 2019 | WSOA

Housing units

Partially Similar investigates symmetry in architecture through a study of part-to-whole relationships present in centrally planned architecture. Students begin with the study of precedents, developing and expanding their understanding of symmetry and polygonal geometry. While the whole building remains a key figure throughout the semester, special attention is paid to the part, as an attempt to situate contemporary discussions of computational variation within the historical context of the centrally planned building. In response to the Woodbury University School of Architecture’s Year of Housing, partial similarity is used to interrogate the modern notion of the housing unit.

This semester, the focus shifted to the edge of centrality—exploring centrally planned buildings inscribed within four-sided figures. The external forms of the works are simple rectilinear shapes that transition to curved geometries as the building’s form rises toward the center. This process of formal inversion creates sometimes radical discrepancies in section as the form shifts from rectilinear to curvilinear. It also introduces complex structural challenges, which lead to unique formal solutions connecting the curves back to their rectilinear bases.

Programs used: Rhino and Grasshopper were utilized for 3D modeling and parametric scripting to explore the formal variations and structural solutions.