Perforated Defenses

UG4 Vertical Studio “Professional Secrets” with Professor Jeff Kipnis both the fragility of this arrangement and it’s importance in our everyday lives. The architecture of empire and industry is perforated, penetrated, and pulled open to allow for vulnerability by creating transparency in everyday life to encourage interrelationships and trust which helps build community.

The duplex is born of the factories of the industrial revolution with its ugly twin recalling the star forts of colonialization. It is set on a stylobate and approachable from all sides, as the green spaces of the neighborhood are open to all. The units are accessed through the central dogtrot which also allows entry to the shared interior courtyard.

The twin residences penetrate and wrap each other and open fully to the interior courtyard. The large sliding paned panels allow the inside out and the outside in; though as with many events in this neighborhood this sometimes occurs as the supercomputer wills it, not the inhabitants. The courtyard is available to anybody who requires a place for quiet contemplation.

The intertwining of the two abodes places residents in close proximity to each other at times where they might feel most vulnerable. This might not be immediately apparent due to visual obstruction but is hinted at through the play of light, hints of sound, or the eventual familiarization of self in relation to the form of project

The pentagonal abstraction was limited to create an illusion such as at Caprarola with Villa Farnese. This gentling of the sloped wall also greatly erodes its defensive nature . These forms are subtracted to create a palazzo-like shell, promising security and shelter but perhaps not fulfilling these as well as an inhabitant might wish.