Inspiration Presentation

Carlo Scarpa was an Italian designer born in Venice.  Although Scarpa never sat for his exams, and was never recognized as an architect, his work focused mostly on architecture.  He was very influenced by Japanese architecture and spent much time abroad in Japan, and his Venetian heritage gave him a sensitivity to the idea of place, and an idea of craft that didn’t exist in industrial cities.

His Canova Plaster Cast Gallery in Possagno, Italy was an addition created onto an existing museum to the plaster and terracotta models created by Antonio Canova.  Scarpa introduced natural light directly into the gallery without providing the distractions that come with typical windows.  This bright light visually extend the whiteness of the sculptures to the wall surface.  The light was intended to be dynamic in the space, and intensify contrast.

About Nancy Cheng

Univ. of Oregon Architecture Department head Nancy Yen-wen Cheng, RA, LEED AP researches how design tools and approaches shape outcomes, with a specialization in how craft and computation can stimulate the creative process. She has developed expertise in manipulating sheet materials to create light-modulating structures and has researched how surface relief patterns can increase convective cooling. She has developed fold and slot joints that give structural rigidity to foldable sheet structures and is eager to apply them to rapidly deployable refugee shelters.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.