TABLE SETTING

From a single glass dining plate to a vessel, this study in cold working glass was a transformation of singular elements to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The vessel was formed from both additive and subtractive processes and simple geometrical transformations.

As the lines blur between mother and child in the anatomical structures of pregnancy, so the lines blur between inside and outside in double skin facade architectural systems. Studying the two together results in rich poetical and structural comparisons.

The technology of a double skin was developed to add another layer of protection for the internal environment from the external climate. It creates a more comfortable space to be in while requiring less energy to do so. The space between inside and outside is neither here nor there, defined by being in between. Might this space be expanded to play additional roles?

The womb protects and nurtures the baby throughout pregnancy. The placenta acts as the interstitial space between mother and child, delivering nutrients to the baby from the mother’s bloodstream and taking away its waste. The placenta forms from attaching itself to the mother’s uterine wall and the baby’s umbilical cord arises from it. I was inspired by this layered organ and the applications to architecture that may arise from studying its formation and functions as they may apply to double skins. Some consider the placenta an “alter ego;” that every baby may be considered a twin. People have buried their placenta next to trees, or held it around their waist throughout their lives. It is a sort of shadow presence, yet all important to our lives.