5th year 4th year 3rd year 2nd year 1st year Other
CHRISTINE BILSKY SPRING 2010
Thesis Work (overview) Research Studio
Architecture as Life: Systems for Interaction The Wissahickon Valley, Philadelphia PA Fall 2009-Spring 2010 8 months Abstract: Imagine an architecture that walks the line between object and entity. Architecture embedded with characteristics of life would allow the cultivation of mutual respect between user and structure. To be alive, architecture needs to merge with its surrounding environment. This thesis lives by burrowing, climbing, and inhabiting its site. Four interventions in the Wissahickon Valley function as collection points for human, animal, and landscape interaction. Using game theory as an organizational strategy, trails and architecture form a pulsating network of life across the site. Interventions occur at points of overlap, such as the meadow, the creek, the tree canopy, and under the ground. Each responds to its own site conditions. Materials come from the valley itself, but natural systems are preserved. These structures create destinations within the valley for users to discover and explore, creating opportunities for true connections both with other users and with nature.