Le Stair, 2018.
Tasked with building a cantilevered platform at the end of a set of stairs, all of which meet code standards, our team sought to push the envelope. Our design attempts to be very light and slender, almost flexible in appearance. Using a single uniform material, steel rods welded together, permitted for a near transparency of the volume, and an ability to explore the articulation of structural and design elements more thoroughly. Some challenges included the size of the members and the precision of welds. Using such a thin metal rod as the material all around forced us to be very meticulous with structural decisions. We also had to make very rigid and exact welds, such that crucial connections would not fail. In order to preserve the strength of the structure, we attempted to make as many members as possible continuous, rather than cutting them short at each point of connection. Looking at the final design, the fluctuating and repetitive form of the hand rail creates an illusion of imbalance, in juxtaposition with the concise structural support below the treads. The stark orange color allows this slim and opaque mass stand out against its surroundings.
Brenda Delgado-Barajas
B.A. Architecture, 2018
David Musa
B.A. Architecture, 2018
Elizabeth Romo
B.A. Architecture, 2018
Jonathan Solis
B.A. Architecture, 2018