Explorative Making

Abstract

This thesis asserts the notion of play and intuition are valuable resources within architectural design. The thesis further proposes a conceptual model of making that harnesses and integrates play, intuition, and other visceral evaluations into architectural design as well as other creative endeavors.

This approach to making consists of four primary characteristics which influence each other throughout the development of a project. They are an artistic vehicle, iterative experimentation, visceral evaluations, and a playful mentality. An artistic vehicle is the variety of tools, materials, subject matter, techniques, mediums, and methods employed in the making of tactile forms. Iterative experimentation typically manifests itself as some form of trial and error where new iterations are somehow influenced by previous experimentation. Visceral evaluations are judgments rooted in feelings, instincts and other gut reactions. A playful mentality involves trusting these visceral evaluations, embracing mistakes as learning experiences, testing ideas just to see what will happen, being open to surprises and demonstrating a willingness to be unconventional.

All of these characteristics come together to form explorative making. This approach entails the shaping, changing, and combining of material for the purposes of exploration and discovery while integrating visceral evaluations and a playful mentality into creative activities.

Five galleries made up of case studies and my own speculative projects illustrate how explorative making can evolve and be adapted for the purpose of creating architectural form.