Sculptor Issamu Noguchi writes in a foreword to “Hisao Domoto: solutions continuite”: “Art, that chameleon mirror of the human heart, flashes its changes… Where is art—that great answer giver, that resolver of riddles?”1 And with this, I look for my architectural philosophies in fashion, food, and the ceramic arts.
I
The process of Asian cooking, for instance.
Fish (material) quality is the most significant characteristic of great sushi; preparation and careful, inventive assembly the second, serving to highlight the naturally beautiful qualities of the fish, the beauty of the flavors never invented, only orchestrated by the creator. As with architecture.
We feel our way through dishes, experimenting, seasoning to taste. We sit down at the dinner table and rise again for more Ponzu, more togarashi. Through this food culture of focused editing, Chef Ohara says “I feel the right balance is meals that are enjoyed for their taste while eating but are then forgotten about the following day.”2 The balance of flavors, the richness of umami by nature in the background. As with architecture, the backdrop to our lives. A great building sings in its unspoken, inconspicuous successes of silently submitting to the momentum of our lives and daily activities. The organization of a building should be solid, logical, and… forgettable.
II
Architecture, like clothing, should shelter us, comfort us, and serve as a communication tool. In both artforms, material quality, silhouette, and attention to detail are crucial. The better the quality, the more likely clothing (and buildings) will pass through multiple cycles of resale and avoid landfill. In the spirit of sustainability, it’s our responsibility to produce high-quality clothing and buildings.
A building’s response to its’ site is akin to a garment’s response to a person’s body; a cornice is to a collar as the sky is to one’s face. Proportion and scale are integral to an outfit and a building’s success. Layering, texture, opacity, contrast, light and shadow – these are tools we can use to enrich experience.
Issey Miyake said of his pleated clothing that “[t]he idea was to let the air flow without cutting the fabric as much as possible. Thus it became a ‘piece of cloth…’ To create your own space between the body and the cloth.”3 The spaces between the building skin and the site, the bodies of air that exist in those spaces, are the responsibility of the architect. A building’s response to its surroundings is a significant contribution to the world.
III
Loewe Craft Prize Finalist Hyejeong Kim says that her ceramic process “remind[s her] of the similarities between the skin/pods and [her] pots. Kim, “born with a congenital venous malformation,” strives to “embody life” in her work which “exudes a simplicity and calmness, punctuated with asymmetric elements.”4 Like Kim’s ceramics, architecture should allow us to see reflections of ourselves within it.
As Kim’s ceramics physically “divide the outside from the inside,” they connect the opposing realms by “allow[ing] both sides to communicate.”5 Buildings are, like pots, in their essence: objects. Objects that by nature divide space into the inside and out. Buildings should orchestrate the communication between to mend this division of space.
Philosophy: Mending the Division of Space and Other Ideas
I II III
In examining the interests I have chosen to reference in formulating my architectural philosophy, I am confronted with core similarities:
The interests I have identified are all of objectproduction. Buildings, just like food, ceramics, and clothing, are three-dimensional, tangible objects. The models I have created as design and final representation tools have continuously informed me about structural integrity and construction logic. I charge myself with continuing design exploration through model-making, and letting the ideas captured in my process models become references for determining the success of the final products.
Perhaps the most surprising flash of my heart’s “chameleon mirror” - the creators I have chosen to reference are all of Asian descent. This was not premeditated; I suppose this unintentional tessellation is evidence of a subconscious affinity and gravitation towards the Asian arts… How does this underlying Asian perspective in my interests differ from those of the Western world I’ve grown up in? And what are the cultural values and phenomena that have survived despite the Western majority of my life?
I’ve always felt the practice of delicately handling food with ohashi, poised with good form, to be elegant and respectful of the food. And the practice of sitting on the floor to eat is beautiful; it feels humble and intimate when contrasted with the Western norm... In examining the values I most cherish, I can identify core qualities that I wish to embody through building. I am chasing after elegance, sophistication, and humility through my work.
KOMOREBI - MASS TIMBER
A MAP, A DOOR
EAST BILOXI CULINARY SCHOOL
CHICAGO GENKAN UNITS
A SMALL ART MUSEUM
EMMETT TILL MEMORIAL DRAWINGS/WATERCOLORS
The Sustainable Bioproducts Department at Mississippi State University is outgrowing its current facility. Komorebi is a proposal for two new buildings designed with goals of unifying the site and creating a greater sense of imageability to the campus. The mass timber material strategy was chosen to celebrate wood and encourage a more sustainable building alternative to steel and concrete structures. The tectonics define the architecture. A brise soleil hovers over the roof, creating an open-air event space on the top floor of Building A. The above image depicts the view up into a light shaft at the termination of the Timber Gallery in Building A.
いわかがみ the sun shining through the trees and the rock mirror forming a flower woven mat
1. the sun shining/filtering through the trees こもれびや
- Toyosen Ohga
Komorebi 木漏れ日
BUILDING B
TIMBER GALLERY
THE MAIN ENTRANCE LEADS INTO THE TIMBER GALLERY WHICH IS EMBEDDED IN THE CHANGING TOPOGRAPHY. THE TIMBER GALLERY CONNECTS BUILDING A AND BUILDING B AND IS DESIGNED AS A SPACE TO SHOW OFF STUDENT FACULTY WORK.
BUILDING A BUILDING B HOUSES CLASSROOM SPACES ON THE GROUND FLOOR FOR EASY STUDENT ACCESS. THE UPPER LEVEL HOUSES THE ANALYTICAL LAB AND SUPPORTING SPACES, GRADUATE STUDENT OFFICES, A BREAK ROOM, AND TWO FACULTY OFFICES.
BUILDING A HOUSES THE COMMON SPACES AND WOOD SHOP/FABRICATION LAB ON THE GROUND FLOOR. THE UPPER LEVELS HOUSE THE TERMITE LAB, PATHOLOGY LAB, WOOD ID WET LAB, KRIBS WOOD REFERENCE COLLECTION, OFFICES, AND SUPPORTING SPACES. PLENTY OF BALCONY SPACES ARE PROVIDED FOR VENTILATION PURPOSES AND BREAK AREAS. THE ACCESSIBLE ROOF SERVES AS AN EVENT SPACE AND FACULTY BREAK AREA.
I began designing with process models that expressed different building tectonic strategies. While the form of the brise soleil system started as an idea about structure, it evolved into an idea about light. During my light study pursuit, I was inspired by a Japanese word “Komorebi,” a word for describing the phenomenon of the sun filtering through the trees and creating dappled shadows on the earth. I chose to cover the central part of campus with a blanket of light and shadow to unify the existing buildings.
ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS: PASSIVE & ACTIVE SYSTEMS
The site offered many opportunities for beauty and celebration. Naturally quite steep, it was both a challenge and an advantage to work around. The image to on the opposite page depicts a view from the courtyard facing the main entrance of the building at the center of the Timber Gallery. The Timber Gallery is embedded into the changing topography, and its cor-ten weathering steel walls draw visitors inside. The Timber Gallery is a space for students and faculty to showcase their work to encourage youth interest in Sustainable Bioproducts studies and recruit new faculty members and graduate students.
STARKVILLE, MS: CLIMATE REGION 9
CLIMATIC DESIGN PRIORTITIES:
• Keep the heat in and cold temperatures out during the winter.
• Let the winter sun in.
• Use natural ventilation for summer cooling.
• Protect from the cold winter winds.
• Protect from the summer sun.
• Avoid creating additional humidity during the summers.
PASSIVE STRATEGIES: ROOF OVERHANGDramatic overhang blocks direct sunlight in warmer months, reducing solar heat gain, while permitting sunlight entry in colder months.
PASSIVE STRATEGIES: BRISE SOLEILBrise soleil helps regulate solar heat gain by shading the building envelope from the sun.
PASSIVE STRATEGIES: SLIDING SCREENSSliding wooden screens on the facade help regulate solar heat gain by shading interior spaces. These devices can be moved as the inhabitants wish.
PASSIVE STRATEGIES: DOGTROT/BREEZEWAYBreezeway promotes passive cooling in humid climates by facilitating airflow, dissipating heat, and reducing indoor humidity levels.
PASSIVE STRATEGIES: OPERABLE SKYLIGHTSHot air rises. Operable skylights harness convection currents to move hot air upwards and out of a building, effectively cooling indoor spaces while minimizing reliance on mechanical cooling systems. The doubleheight space further aids in heat expulsion.
PASSIVE STRATEGIES: OPERABLE WINDOWSOperable storefront windows hinge from the bottom to release hot air, naturally cooling indoor areas and decreasing reliance on mechanical cooling. Low-e glass also minimizes unwanted heat transfer.
these are the materials that define this project. Wood is what this building is about, and in turn, this building serves the wood industry. Steel strengthens the wood, and glass leaves visitors without visual obstacles. Wood is to warm as steel, brick, glass, and rock are to cool... a balance is struck. Local sourcing is key, and a sense of humility in material selection is sought after. Needless to say, wood is in abundance. After all, the strength of wood comes from its redundancy.
1,2 Glulam Column, Beam3 River
The building is designed to filter sunlight during the day and appear to glow like a lantern at night (above.) (Opposite) Note the steel joints on the exterior of the building. Detail 2 depicts the connection between the soffit of the underside of the second floor and the sliding wooden screens that exist inside the matrix of wooden columns and beams.
Process sketch (above left.) 1/4” = 1’ section model (above right) with authentically weathered steel to represent core-ten veneer on retaining walls.
A MAP, A DOOR BUEGE STUDIO 5A
Fall 2024
JACKSON, MS
DOWNTOWN OF THE CITY OF JACKSON
SOLO
As a departure from their first four years of school at the main campus in Starkville, Mississippi State University architecture students spend their 5th and final year in Jackson, MS. At the start of the Fall semester, students were tasked to imagine and design Downtown Jackson 200 years in the future. We were encouraged to design courageously. The deliverable was one hand-drafted overhead site plan on 22” x 30” Arches watercolor paper. Our allowed tools were lead pencils, drafting equipment, and one Prismacolor pencil.
As a simultaneous assignment, students were tasked with designing a door. There were no parameters, just that the elevation of the door had to be drawn and rendered by hand. I was inspired by Alvar Aalto’s copper and glass clocks. I wanted to design a door that exposed the beauty of the mechanics just as Aalto exposed and celebrated the mechanisms behind his clocks. The plan of the door is overlayed onto the elevation with the poche shown in pink.
EAST BILOXI CULINARY SCHOOL
HERRMANN STUDIO 4A
Fall 2023
BILOXI, MS
1 CITY BLOCK @ 6,000 sqft
SOLO
East Biloxi is in danger of devastating floods in the face of a hurricane which are unavoidable for people living in the area. Culinary School is designed at an urban scale as opposed to the existing rural scale of East Biloxi to encourage pedestrian traffic and reconcile the challenges posed when buildings have been lifted for flood resilience.
Flooding shown 17’above grade. The physically elevated design of the East Biloxi Culinary School protects the most financially significant spaces. All of the cooking, learning, and living spaces remain untouched by the water, even in the case of heavy flooding.
Development of the City Block: After visiting the site, it was easy to conclude why people did not want to walk around East Biloxi - it was uncomfortable. Since walk-ability is crucial for a college campus, it was a driving force in the design of East Biloxi Culinary School. The building masses hug the edges of the site to help pedestrians feel safe. The alignment of the Culinary Learning Center and the Dormitory provides a strong axis across the site, encouraging people to walk from one end to the other. The plentiful shade, resulting from the need to elevate the buildings, provides relief from the heat and sun of a Biloxi summer.
EAST BILOXI CULINARY SCHOOL
SECOND FLOORPLAN
FIRST FLOORPLAN
WEST ELEVATION
EAST ELEVATION
Physical model view of atrium
Physical model view of lobby stairs
A major design feature of the EBCS is in the underside of the buildings. The wood slats on the ceiling shown touch the floor to form the stairs and elevator shaft, encouraging people to go upstairs and providing warmth to the lobby.
The view of the sky-walk is framed by trees and planters. As one walks toward the lobby, the triangular shape of the extension building draws one inside the shell of the existing Inez building.
Shown is the atrium space above the dining area. Ample windows let in plenty of natural light. The folded plate ceiling is shown, adding to the structural stability of the Culinary Learning Center. The columns shown transition from concrete to brass plated steel. The concrete provides visual weight and water protection while the metal column caps allow for more light and an illusion of weightlessness.
EAST BILOXI CULINARY SCHOOL
CHICAGO
GENKAN UNITS
GINES STUDIO 3A
Fall 2021
CHICAGO, IL
35,000 sqft
SOLO
Students were tasked with designing a mixed-use residential building within the West Loop Gate / Fulton River District of Chicago - 640 W Randolph Street. The site was being used as a parking lot at the time of the assignment. This apartment complex is designed to serve members of a young professional community.
The design process began with a series of parti models. From there, students were to design a single unit under 700 square feet that would be repeated exclusively throughout the entire building. The unit design was conceived from the idea of providing each resident with a personal genkan space.
The site exists within the West Loop Gate/ Fulton River District of Chicago - 640 W Randolph Street. As shown above, the lot is near a busy section of interstate, the “L” Train, and the river. The area is currently being used as a parking lot.
The genkan is the welcome pit just inside the front door that serves as a gathering place for shoes, spiders, and guests. When you enter a Japanese house, you leave your shoes in the genkan and proceed into the rest of the house in slippers. Unless you live in an apartment...
-The Japan Times
The idea of a double-skin facade with a floating screen presents itself in the final design through a fritted glass screen that hovers in front of the east and west facades. The screen determines the private spaces of the dwelling units, visually protecting the bed and bathroom from the outside world. Light passes through the glass facade through the frosted bathroom wall, through the clerestory bathroom windows, and finally through the genkan window, allowing natural light to penetrate throughout the entire unit. A mirror wall at the end of the kitchen bounces light within the apartment.
The front door to the unit opens to the genkan defined by a window to the hallway which is surrounded by built-in storage space. 3 shallow steps up to the rest of the unit separate residents from the hallway through vertical movement, providing residents a physical routine that marks the cominghome experience. A desk and a walk-through kitchen prelude a glass room that provides a view to the city. The private areas of the apartment are visually protected by a fritted glass screen.
Intended for use through every season in Chicago, the enclosed balconies provide climate-controlled outdoor living all year.
Genkan Space: In a traditional Japanese home, the genkan space is part of the sacred ritual of coming home. This space has been defined by a large window that opens into the hallway, providing an opportunity for residents to show off a meaningful artwork or a houseplant to the passing traffic in the hall. The window is surrounded by built-in storage space suitable for shoes and bags. The 3 shallow steps up that lead to the rest of the apartment give residents a physical motion that separates their dwelling space from the outside world.
The schematic design process began with a series of exploratory parti models. “Second Skin” is the final parti model in the series of 16. It represents the idea of a second skin sandwiching two sides of a tall, skinny main building form. The public and private spaces of the balconies are distinguished by coverage provided by the floating screen.
A SMALL ART MUSEUM
MALAIA STUDIO 2B
Spring 2021
STARKVILLE, MS
1 1,000 sqft
SOLO
A Small Art Museum is designed to interact with its sloping site and provide indirect, natural lighting in the gallery spaces. A series of ramps take visitors through each of the galleries until they arrive at the sculpture garden. By looking through the many windows in the museum, visitiors should be able to experience the artwork and sculptures through different points of view.
At the beginning of the project, students were given a series of rectilinear shapes and told to arrange them over a section of the project site. The compositions were to inspire our designs for an art museum located on a sloping hill in North Farms, Starkville, MS. Window placement is inspired by “Linear Composition,” shown above. Some windows connect interior spaces to exterior spaces, while others connect interior galleries to each other.
Students were to begin designing individual galleries by exploring natural lighting techniques through a series of process models.
The skylights are placed between the walls of the museum. Each portion of wall acts as a viewing easel, and each wall is designed to perform as a backdrop to a single piece of art. The placement of the skylights is designed to provide indirect lighting in the viewing spaces.
SECTION
MICKEY
EMMETT TILL MEMORIAL
POWNEY STUDIO 1B
Spring 2020
TALLAHATCHIE COUNTY, MS
600 sqft
SOLO
This project began with a visit to the bank of the Tallahatchie River where Emmett Till’s body was found. Students were tasked with designing a memorial that would honor Emmett Till’s memory and family. The memorial would serve as a reminder to those who were familiar with Till’s story and an educational tool to those who had never heard of him.
The memorial design focuses on manipulating light and providing a clear circulation path. It was designed to serve as a filter to the landscape: the memorial columns are shaped to control light, shadows, and views. The contrast between the curving columns and straight columns represents the contrast between the land and the river. As one begins to move through the memorial, the view to the road and the land remains open, and the view to the river is concealed. As ones moves further, the view to the river is revealed while the view to the rest of the land disappears.
A SECTION B
SECTION C
DRAWINGS / WATERCOLORS
PERPETUAL
STUDY
VARIOUS SUBJECTS
VARIOUS MEDIUMS
SOLO
art /ärt/
noun
the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
“the art of the architect”
DRAWING FROM AN ORIGINAL CHISWICH HOUSE - LONDON, UK
FALL 2020
CHICKEN POINT CABIN
HAND DRAFT FROM AN ORIGINAL BY OLSON KUNDIG FALL 2019
WATERCOLOR PLAN FROM AN ORIGINAL PAINTING FROM VILLA BARBARIGO DONA DELLE ROSE, VALSANZIBIO: PLAN OF THE VILLA AND GARDENS BY SHEPHERD & JELLICOE SPRING 2022
suki ga kirei desu ne?
[Isn’t the moon beautiful?]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
¹ Noguchi, Isamu. Foreword to “Hisao Domoto: solutions continuité,” Hiroi Domoto. New York: Martha Jackson Gallery, 1967. ² Shinobu, Nakai. “Special Interview ‘Chizuru Ohara.’” comforts.jp, October 7, 2022. https://www.comforts.jp/english/15775/.
³ ISSEY MIYAKE: The Human Inside the Clothes. Documentary Film. Documentary 360. Accessed November 26, 2024. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/3016153/.
⁴ Woodcock, Victoria. “Welcome to K-Craft – Meet the Artisans Gaining a Global Fan Club.” Financial Times, October 8, 2020. https://www-ft-com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/content/6965ab4a-0f6e-46d99346-d8405af39688.
⁵ “Hyejeong Kim.” Objects With Narratives. Accessed November 26, 2024. https://objectswithnarratives.com/pages/hyejeong-kim.
grace kotomi owens
GRACE OWENS
STARKVILLE, MS 39759
901.288.8507
GKO15@MSSTATE.EDU
WORK EXPERIENCE
Pfeffer Torode, Nashville, TN
Full-time Architecture Intern May-July 2024
• Prepared foundation plans, interior elevations, and wall sections in AutoCAD.
• Created Revit and SketchUp models for design study and redering production.
Kligerman Architecture & Design, New York, NY
(Formerly Ike Kligerman Barkley)
Full-time Architecture Intern August 2022 -July 2023
• Prepared documents and renderings for Architectural Review Board (ARB) hearings.
• Created renderings using Lumion and Photoshop for client meetings and ARB hearings.
• Modeled furniture and architectural designs three-dimensionally in Revit.
• Prepared drawings in Revit and AutoCAD.
• Produced interior mill-work drawings for construction.
• Attended internal and external office meetings.
• Attended site visits to help create punch lists and oversee construction.
Hart Howerton, New York, NY
Architecture Intern July 2022
• Drew interior elevations in AutoCAD.
• Attended internal meetings with team.
44 Prime, Starkville, MS
Server
March 2022 - June 2022, August 2023 - October 2023
• Learned key customer service skills in serving a high-end clientele.
• Used up-selling techniques to best serve both the restaurant and the guests.
Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS
Sustainable Bio-products Department Student Worker June 2020-July 2020
• Collected data for Assistant Research Professor Frederico Franca and Graduate Student Marly Carmona for Marly’s research project on Cross Laminated Timber.
• Organized data into spreadsheets for analysis.
EDUCATION
Mississippi State University Architecture Student
Classification: 5th year
Major: Architecture
SKILLS / EXPERIENCE
Revit - 3.5 years and 1 year of professional experience
Lumion - 2.5 years and 1.5 year of professional experience
