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The message of the 'pop': warm and fuzzy

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This project is a play on the idea of learning from 'pop' and the possibilities of what that can do architecturally. To start, the studio took a personal approach to define what 'pop' means by studying objects ,and by the process of drawing, model making and redrawing, we took those objects of personal interest and explored their qualities and extracted the material quality and tectonics that made the object. This way the definition of ‘pop’ was diverse and personal and the process defined the function of the project as well as the material quality, program and scale.
The “warm and Fuzzy” is a biomorphic network of ski shelters that started with the concept of the quality and tactility of hand-made objects. A ceramic fish bowl and a fabric key chain , objects that were handcrafted in Iran, were the objects of study. The layering of bright colors and the patching of parts created a unique material quality that was the drive of this project.
This project questioned how this rather traditional way of object making could translate into architecture and what is the relationship of the handmade craft to the digital. We did studies of digitally woven 3D models to create objects that would replicate that affect and have interesting spatial qualities. The portrait of this object was patches of fabric that layered with thousands of different colors, which introduced "fuzziness" as the material study for the project. These studies, the fuzziness of the material, the layering and patching, lead to defining an environment for this site . A network that was formed by the void spaces of the trees of the side of the ski tracks.
The proposed project is made up a track and a foundation system that is the most permanent part of the project, whereas the rest of the project is meant to be an ephemeral shelter made of a prefabricated part system that would create flexibility in the geometry. The outer-layer ‘fuz’ acts as a snow-catching elements that freezes and creates a layer of insulation for the space. The scale of the network has a direct relation with the slope. The lower and easier trails result in 1 or 2 person covered seating area, and the higher trails result in more programmatic areas such as cafe, lounge and shops. The unit can create a temporary and adaptable urban forest. The site of the project is any type of mountain snow-scape. Mammoth Mountain is a contextual example that is used in this project, however the flexibility of the structure is meant to adapt in any mountain type context, particularly the ski environment.
This process driven project was designed sequentially through a series of drawings and modeling exercises. Studying the objects brought up bigger questions relevant in the design field . Is there a relationship between the handmade and the digital? How can the authenticity of a handmade material be recreated by digital fabrication and computation? Can the imperfection of the handcraft be recreated through digital computation? These are the questions that came up while drawing a spatial alchemy that was derived from the qualities of those objects. The interactive ski tent is the spatial object that was studied, which lead to the ideas of the relationship with the environment, geometry, fabrication, distribution, and contribution of the project to contemporary pop culture

Temporary ski shelter

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