Study Models and other novelties to my design process

These first few weeks of design have been very interesting in terms of my evolving design process (and it is always evolving, isn’t it?)

Typically, I do not use models to design. I am an incredibly slow model builder, to the point that by the time I get something built, my mind has already moved on to the next stage. The process is not fluid enough to be useful for me. However, over the past two weeks I have been experimenting with making forms out of paper, which (as an avid origamiist) is an easily manipulatable material that can be used to create a huge variety of forms and textures. While it does not easily represent mass or thickness, it is excellent at creating spaces and catching light. At a scale of 1″=100′, it is a fantastic medium for design.

[click to enlarge]

Here are four of the models I created (there are many more littering my desk).

In addition to working in with models for the first time (well, for the first time it has actually been useful), I have taken a different approach to my design. I am typically very program-oriented, and this is often this biggest driver in the form of my building. However, my primary concern for this project is not creating the optimal arrangement of classrooms, but exploring the relationship of  the built form to the surrounding landscape. The results are very interesting; I feel more engaged and more confident in my design than with any project previous.