Presenter: Zachary Sherrod
Faculty Mentor: Barbara Mossberg, Terry Hunt
Presentation Type: Oral
Primary Research Area: Design
Major: Architecture
Ralph Waldo Emerson, a poetic individualist, and Albert Einstein, a spiritual physicist, both sought meaning and discovery within their minds. Consider a room that transforms the values of Emerson and Einstein into a space designed to evoke genius. Contemporary architectural rooms like the study, library, and office perform rudimentary functions but often inadequately house the intellect and spirit. My concept of a “room for thought” would function as a home for the mind—a space that symbolizes the imaginative process like a kitchen symbolizes the preparation of food. I explored this possibility with diagrams and modeled a stand-alone gazebo encased in a dodecahedron. This twelve-sided Platonic solid has symbolized the universe for millennia and bespeaks self-reliance with its centralized form. Moreover, its multifaceted surface empowers the spirit of imagination, for each side frames a view into an aspect of reality. While this form effectively captures the spirit of Emerson and Einstein, the “room for thought” is most meaningful as a cultural symbol, which could take any number of forms. Whether a separate structure, a bridge between spaces, or a jewel breaking through a conventional façade, this concept defines a sacred space in accordance with the philosophies of Emerson and Einstein.