Conceptual Tower: From Jenga Blocks to Studio ApartMents

In four sequential steps, this project aimed to foster students creativity in perceiving stability, structure, scale, skin, and space functionality. Using wooden pieces of a Jenga box with no glue a structural core should be made to be covered with a building skin and a flesh of furnished space in between the skin and core. The steps of the project with an emphasis on both physical modeling and drawing include: 1. Internal structure form aiming at a higher height with one Jenga box, 2. External skin form/pattern in relation to the core, 3. Detail enlargement of the skin showing material, pattern, and if applicable movement mechanisms, and 4. Furnishing the in-between space with respect to the notion of scale both as an architectural and an anthropometric feature. Lack of students awareness in each step about the next step made this project more challenging and exciting.

The images and plans show how the form of the structure is inspired by the idea of rotation and change. A pentagonal shape initiates the structural system, which transforms into a rectangular shape as the height increases. The skin following the same concept, begins with five sides, rotates, and changes along with the structure as it decreases in size in order to properly fit the structure. The skin made with a triangular module, is flipped, rotated, and angled in different ways to create an asymmetrical form which provides new view points on every angle for the viewer.

Above: the implication of movement can be insinuated through the irregular arrangement of the skin and core. This movement is more emphasized through the dissimilarity of the triangular shapes and the shift of directions in the core block from the bottom to the top. The triangles contain hinges and cut out arches to define the movement mechanism of the triangles as they overlap. The peaks of the triangles whenever desired can move to the side which provide different opening sizes.

The skin has been defined through playing with square modules which make a sense of illusion through reflection, rotation, and transparency.

Lauren James

Left: from the core structure to the kinetic building skin Right: the movement mechanism of the building skin

“The whole concept behind my new idea was the word growing. Not only because of the way the blocks and skin alternate and twist, but because I am growing as an individual while refining my design learning and technique.”