An Open Call for Pod Designs

Mercurial Architecture Needs You!

Brief:

Your task, should you choose to participate, is to design an architectural pod. Design your own program, be it a dance studio, professional gaming clan training camp, YouSchool dorm room, or anything in-between – and create a space to facilitate that person/community.

Your contribution doesn't have to be a fully rendered design with construction documents, no. What is valued from this charette is your initial design instincts. It can be a sketch on a napkin, a 5 minute SketchUp massing model, or a collage of Google images. Spend only what time you can easily afford to donate; and let your imagination run wild!

The only true constraint for this charette is eight locations by which they will connect to the more permanent structure. Another thing to keep in mind is the extrusion of the hexogonal section. For dimensions of the hexogonal module and locations of connection points, refer to the charette graphic (above). You are not limited to the hexagonal section, new forms may be designed provided there is adequate justification. Your module may be used as a stand-alone unit, or as part of a composition of modules – it's up to you and your program. Here is a (Skechup) massing model of the module and structural system to get you started. The idea is that modules can be prefabricated and plugged into towers ascending into the New York City skyline. When change is required, they simply unplug and get retrofitted or recycled. The hope is to create an amorphous edifice where large quantities of individual users can plug their customized spaces into the greater community with efficacy and affordability. For more information about the thesis behind the charette, please read the Abstract on my Graduate Thesis page and feel free to explore the process materials including the current stage of design development.

Any contribution to this charette is to be considered open-source. The GNU GPL license serves as a model from which the proprietary standards of this collaboration will follow. Any content shared in this forum may be reproduced or shared with citation of its contributor.

Due Date:

I hope to receive several designs by Tuesday February 19th. Submit it to mlee.arc@gmail.com. This gives me time to organize your ideas and integrate them with my thesis design for critique on Thursday and Friday (22, 23). Submissions will be accepted all the way up until April.