Professor Terry Boling | Fall 2017 Travel Studio | Europe
A group of 18 students and three professors travel across four regions in Europe to explore the design concepts and architecture native to the areas. The group engages with the local customs and cultures while also learning the historical importance of buildings and art styles. Sketching as well as a focus on the materials wood and stone are important elements to the trip. Once they return home, the group designs an exhibition that accurately displays their experiences and learned designed concepts.
Detail Machines - For each region, the group constructs a detail machine that is meant to emulate the ideas and theories absorbed throughout the travel seminar. Each one is made completely from the ground up and through an iterative process, becomes the very essence of design in that region.
Switzerland Detail Machine - Swiss building and construction relies heavily on the available materials in the forested areas of the country, namely weathered wood, cross-laminated timber (CLT), and layered wooden screens. Our group constructed a structural armature using Douglas fir reinforced with custom steel turnbuckles, and an exterior cladding of thin walnut strips - articulated both as CLT panels and as perforated light screens, which recall the layering and stacking of materials seen in building facades in Switzerland. The dark walnut wood is reminiscent of the weathered wood seen in the country, while the Douglas fir was used to articulate the lighter interior construction.
