Skewed Undulations
Skewed Undulations, 2016. Digital drawing, 36 x 24 in.
My work explores how an object that begins with an ideal and pure condition becomes morphed and manipulated as constraining elements that are bound to realistic conditions are introduced into the design. In the case of this high school project, located in downtown Los Angeles, a consolidated box sitting in a perfect and siteless grid is broken up and distributed across an open field to conform to the programmatic needs of the design. These cube and cuboid forms then become bent and kinked as the grid that regulates these objects skews to accommodate needs such as entryways into the site. These individual and distinct elements are then sculpted and unified through the creation of a continuous landscape and roof that becomes the connective tissue and glue that brings together the entire project. As the ideal condition of the individual flat roofs morph into a single continuous slope, the gradient and form of this slope is made to conform to the rules established by the skewed grid, while ensuring that there is the least amount of deviation from the building's ideal height condition. My study brings forth the concept of making meaningful decisions, where every design decision is not simply made out of willful whim, but is an essential move that needs to be made given a preexisting and unavoidable premise of the project.