Material Tectonics (2E)

The methods in material Tectonics (2E) rely on the art of building, which we define as a synthesis between an artistic approach to design and the technical knowledge of building construction. This method brings together workshop-based learning with an emphasis on the architect’s drawing and modelmaking explorations as tools for design, engaging with materials, construction, and sculpting architectural space and place.

We believe architecture needs to go beyond scuntinising function and technical performance alone. A future sustainable building culture must rely on architecture’s ability to touch us emotionally and elevate our spirits, to serve and touch us in ways to promote long-term architecture of endurance and permanence, creating frameworks for future generations – in short, an architecture that sustains.

As the architectural idea and its making are inseparable, we focus closely on materials, structure, construction and technology. This includes knowledge and curiosity of new and old materials, technologies, and the conditions of production, examining them haptically and visually to uncover new potentials relevant to architecture. Toward these ends, we engage with historical perspectives and history of construction, current theoretical concepts, design typology, atmosphere and regional site context, each time from the point of view of a building’s making. We subsequently embrace a sustainable building culture marked through a long lifespan and aesthetic quality.

Method

Material Tectonics (2E)’s teaching methods bring together workshop-based learning with an emphasis on the architect’s drawing as a tool for designing through materials and construction. In the workshops, we design and construct to reflect the complexity of larger architectural designs. Thus, tutoring may often take place in the workshop areas. Within the studio space – at the drawing tables – we engage larger architectural ideas through construction and materials. The drawing practice informs the making, where the working drawing is to be celebrated. Architectural projects will be proposed at a smaller scale, drawn at 1:20 to 1:200, to maintain the studio’s core focus. Making is the end goal for any design process in Studio 2E, and the set of drawing materials will reflect this.

Building programs and sites are normally given, with a connection to current concerns, having an emphasis on public/institutional activities or important activities in the private sector.