Constructing the Gestalt - Studies

Undergraduate Thesis - Virginia Tech (2016)

Advisor: Aki Ishida

Gestalt (n): A physical, biological, psychological or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts.

The formulation of new architectural objects is explored through a composition of elements that constructs a gestalt architecture. The elements, composed in a symbiotic relationship, create a network of interdependent, unique characters that form an implied whole. The qualities of this unseen whole, or perceived ‘wholeness’ define a stronger sense of place in the built environment. The whole is constructed as a result of the elements’ position, form and response to the condition in which they are placed.

The gestalt is not the result of a chance arrangement of the elements, but a designed order between a set of characters. This order, conceived in a capacitative nature, describes a potential arrangement of elements that can unfold within a given condition. A position against the immediate formulation of an architectural object is proposed, and that the nature of the object is implied through a composition of elements. The resulting composition is one that maintains an order within itself, as well as an order within the place it creates.

The studies below were generated in the formulation of the thesis. These ideas were tested across three separate projects: A Workshop / Gallery / Apartment, a series of hiking / fishing shelters, and finally an intervention at Maryhill Loops Road.