Prototype Armature was later used by a fellow thesis student in the spirit of reuse.
Material Matters
THE NO WASTE ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL College of Architecture, Art and Planning, Ithaca, NY Advisors Andrea Simitch & Aleksandr Mergold Since the industrial revolution, humans have been consuming, building, and continuously polluting in the mindset of overcoming nature. Today, the construction industry requires more than one-third of the natural resources we extract from the earth. Buildings and construction account for nearly 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, more than any other single sector. The planet runs via water-, mineral-, oxygen-, and nitrogen-cycles among many others, but humans contribute minimally and disturb maximally. What if the building industry could operate in a closed cycle? Architects have been enablers in the pillaging and wasting of earth’s resources. MATERIAL MATTERS proposes implementation of a cycle of borrowing, employing, collecting, and cataloging materials both as an educational tool and a way of life. In a closed cycle, students borrow “stuff” from the resource library to utilize in their projects. Containers for surplus material collection float throughout the studio, enforcing a conscious consumption. Once full, these depositories travel into Rand Library so their contents may be re-shelved and the cycle may begin again.