For this assignment, I wanted to learn something about a local designer. I had heard Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture speak and I appreciated the depth of understanding that he attempts to achieve in each project. So I selected his book Allied Works Architecture / Brad Cloepfil: Occupation, 2011 (ISBN: 9780980024258). It’s a large monograph and I was able to digest half of it in about 6 hours. I very much enjoyed his insights into process. The book is not about process necessarily, but much process can be picked up in it. The three areas I tried to highlight in the attached presentation were his deep focus on Discerning the Site (physical, political, historical, etc.), his use of Media as a choice making tool to help him Edit what to include, exclude, and amplify. I reviewed two projects for each of these three areas (Maryhill Overlook and Sun Valley Residence). Then included a picture of the Clyfford Still Museum for the ceiling’s strength in editing light and shadow, as well as a picture of the Weiden-Kennedy Headquarters for its use of a restrained material palette (concrete and wood). I moved on to compare another designer I respect for his work and skill in discerning the essence of a project, Renzo Piano. Piano’s sketch of the California Academy of Sciences may be more about capturing and communicating an inspirational idea than about searching for what to Edit, but nonetheless he uses the Media to discern the essence of the project. I concluded by looking at some of my sketches from my first quarter as a design student and was able to see an early attempt at discerning the site and how to respond. It was encouraging to see my early attempt at doing what these successful designers also do.
