.
The Epitecture Studio
architecture that relies upon
Nature Frame Projects
The diverse natural world provides a tremendous amount of visual material from which one can draw inspiration. By placing interpretive frames within it directs attention to its potential and allows for a deeper understanding of it. This material also increases the complexity and interest of the frame. These nature frames have the potential to produce something that is more visually stimulating then their distinct elements. The exploration is an attempt to understand what connections exist between the designs produced by nature and those derived from the human mind. Although something may be inspired by nature, when divorced from it there is a lack of dialogue. The key to each frame is to reinstate this dialogue and listen to what it tells us.
Creeper fence Molding, 2008
Bordering two empty voids, this concrete, brick, and steel fence becomes an oasis of life. The fence provides the oppurtunity for the very hardy Virginia Creeper plants to prosper. Do to their reliance on ths fence the plants become integral to their character. They add visual depth, spatial variety, and even a sense of time due to the changing leaf color. Despite it's seemingly fragile existence the biological material dominates its enviroment. The steel becomes a backdrop or armature, and the brick and concrete help to frame the individual sections of growth. Ultimately, the repetitive elements provide structure for the natural ones to "go wild."
Cornstalk Wall, 2008
Arranged in evenly spaced rows a field of corn provides a very repetitive landscape that is in many ways a direct contrast to the unplanned landscapes that are allowed to grow up around them. The monoculture depends on these natural remnants for its health, and in return provides a visual counterpoint to its diversity. The trees and plants edging the fields help to retain moisture, reduce erosion via wind and water, and provide a home for birds that eat the insects that eat the crops. On the other hand the blandness of the field of cornstalks focuses our attention on the varying heights and species that nature produces when left to its own devices. Change in emphasis from a field of plants to a single row or group of plants breaks down the sense of blandness. At this scale individual plants become unique with each providing a distinct character. Leaves project at different angles; bugs eat the tissue in different places; the green coloring is of different values.
Bleachers Viaduct, 2008 This particular set of temporary bleachers was found at the "famous pig races" at the Wisconsin State Fair. It was the largest and tallest of four sets and faced the east. They were divided into four sections of seating and two aisles (sec1-aisle1-sec2-sec3-aisle2-sec4) arranged horizontally. They had twenty rows of seating, with the first nineteen being of identical length and the twentieth extending through the aisle. Sequicentennial stump Cathedral, 2008 Forest edge Gallery, 2008 The Gallery boxes in one of these pockets in the wall of foliage along the forest edge. It helps to define and call attention to the opening and serves as a surface upon which to view growth patterns and the effects light has on them. P. peltatum Boardwalk, 2008
Equal to the great diversity in design material present in the natural world is the diverse body of material present in even the most bland and unassuming of human created settings. A simple set of bleachers provides a great example of this. Seen as merely utilitarian, a means for providing a large number of people a view of an event, they have a great deal of nuance in the detail to tell an interesting story. The simple set of bleachers are comprised of three basic elements: wood (pine) planks, steel (galvanized) connecting plates, and steel (galvanized) tubular frames. The frame was assembled using carriage bolts with the plates fitted onto the tube ends and the planks slipping into these.
The 150+ year old sugar maple in its former glory. This large tree offered many benefits to the land it occupied. Its size provided a large area with shade. Its rigid structure helped dissipate strong wind helping surrounding trees. Its outstretched arms provided highways for the squirrels. In addition to the direct physical benefits it was also visually stunning. Its trunk and branching structure provided a counterpoint to the straight lines and massive qualities of the brick walls of the house less than 10ft away. Its brilliant green/yellow leaves contrasted with the subtleties of the grey trunk.
When it was cut down in July 2007, due to rot, its trunk was laid across the ground. Along with a smaller maple that once stood next to it, the towering tree became nothing more than refuse to be disposed of. The trunk became firewood, branches became wood chips, and leaves became mulch. All that was left was a lonely shagbark hickory, a massive stump, and a visual and physical void. Although the physical grandeur maybe hard to replicate its visual counterpoint provides an interesting opportunity. I can’t bring it back from the woodpile, but I can explore and celebrate what is left.
The dense growth of vegetation along the edge of a forest acts as a wall that hinders ones access to it. Separating the shaded interior of the forest from the sun-drenched exterior, this wall is always in a state of flux or change. This change is brought on by the forces of trees and plants trying to grow towards the available sun and their death brought on by natural and human actions. Due to this uneven growth/decay the wall of vegetation is irregular with many open pockets that penetrate it.
The umbrella-shaped Podphyllum peltatum L. or May-apple plants when grouped together in dense patches visually elevate the forest floor. They change the ground plane from one consisting of decaying leaves to a vibrant undulating green plane. Reaching sizes of 18" high and 12" wide they create another forest canopy and another spatial zone. P. peltatum Boardwalk was built to explore this zone. The Boardwalk consists of 7 rooms oriented along a main axis. Each room is unique with its uniqueness derived from the combination of the arrangement of windows/openings and the dimensions of the floor. The number of windows ranges from 6 to 8 and is based on the number of leaves the plant has. The dimensions of rooms are based on locations of individual plants.
view flickr set: Nature Frame
view documents: The Epitecture Studio
contact: kautzerm@gmail.com