Peel
As an exercise for a larger adaptive reuse project for abandoned Streamline Moderne Substations throughout the Seattle area, we were assigned to work in pairs on small sections of the substation, that would eventually come together to create an ‘Exquisite Corpse.’ We were also given the stipulation that our design concept must be one or two words, and a verb. My partner and I chose peel, as we were both eating oranges at the time of the assignment, and the thought of ‘peeling’ concrete is fascinating. As we worked, we found that we needed to make our moves smaller than in usual architectural design projects. We started iterating furniture and fixtures instead of walls and windows. As we honed our designs through observing how materials responded to different versions of ‘peeling,’ we coordinated with other groups to make sure our exquisite corpse would connect as intended.
Our ‘showroom’ after we peeled on a finer scale. We used these to then plan our programming for our final model.
My partner and I explored forms using small parti models and experimented with different materials.
After exploring iterations to emulate this ever changing envelope of space, I found inspiration in a few forms that were sitting on my desk as I played with some plain paper models. This led to the designs of Orbital, a circular structure nestled into a wall, made of concrete movable walls.
A model that allows the movement of walls and exploring the possibilities of this movement.
The true beauty of this project comes through when the intended space to be used for 2-3 people at a time, can be also utilized at times to host large groups for different uses. A maze for two can open to a theatre stage.
