Campus News

Students to unveil ‘Ritual Space’ architecture installation

Freshman architecture students from the University at Buffalo install their studio project, titled Ritual Space, at Artpark in Lewiston, New York. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

 Freshman architecture students from the University at Buffalo install their studio project, titled Ritual Space, at Artpark in Lewiston, New York. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

The installation consists of 10 wooden structures — each measuring 64 square feet — called ritual spaces meant to capture one of five common daily rituals: gathering, food prep, eating, bathing, sleeping. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

 The installation consists of 10 wooden structures — each measuring 64 square feet — called ritual spaces meant to capture one of five common daily rituals: gathering, food prep, eating, bathing, sleeping. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

UB's freshman architecture studio seeks to teach students about key principles in material joinery and developing unique structural systems. "The students weren’t allowed to use screws, either for their models or for the Ritual Spaces they worked on. It’s all 100 percent solid wood with no metal fasteners," says Matthew Hume, clinical assistant professor of architecture. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

 UB's freshman architecture studio seeks to teach students about key principles in material joinery and developing unique structural systems. "The students weren’t allowed to use screws, either for their models or for the Ritual Spaces they worked on. It’s all 100 percent solid wood with no metal fasteners," says Matthew Hume, clinical assistant professor of architecture. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

"We’re trying to shift these young students from thinking about architecture as an object they design and then drop somewhere to thinking about how the body occupies space, that we have an experience when we occupy a space,” says Karen Tashjian, adjunct assistant professor of architecture at UB who co-leads the studio. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

 "We’re trying to shift these young students from thinking about architecture as an object they design and then drop somewhere to thinking about how the body occupies space, that we have an experience when we occupy a space,” says Karen Tashjian, adjunct assistant professor of architecture at UB who co-leads the studio. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Students spent the fall semester learning basic principles and developing small-scale wooden models. Ten of those models were selected to be incorporated into the final built project at Artpark. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

 Students spent the fall semester learning basic principles and developing small-scale wooden models. Ten of those models were selected to be incorporated into the final built project at Artpark. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

 Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

First year architecture students install their studio projects, 'Ritual Space,' at Artpark in Lewiston, NY. Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

 First year architecture students install their studio projects, 'Ritual Space,' at Artpark in Lewiston, NY. Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Ten ritual spaces were built and grouped to form two ritual houses on the site, which is accessible from Artpark's upper entrance off Portage Road. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

 Ten ritual spaces were built and grouped to form two ritual houses on the site, which is accessible from Artpark's upper entrance off Portage Road. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
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By DAVID J. HILL

Published May 7, 2018 This content is archived.

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“We’re trying to shift these young students from thinking about architecture as an object they design and then drop somewhere to thinking about how the body occupies space, that we have an experience when we occupy a space. ”
Karen Tashjian, adjunct assistant professor
School of Architecture and Planning

Freshman architecture students are ready to unveil the wondrous wooden structures they created this semester, which will be on display at Artpark in Lewiston.

The project, called Ritual Space, is the culmination of the yearlong freshman design-build studio in the School of Architecture and Planning. Members of the university community and the public can check out the installation during an opening reception from 4-6 p.m. May 7 at Artpark. Visitors should enter Artpark via the upper entrance, off of Portage Road. The project will be on display in the park indefinitely.  

The installation is composed of 10 “ritual spaces” — each measuring 64 square feet with a maximum 10-foot height — that are grouped to form two ritual houses. Each structure captures one of five common daily activities, or rituals: gathering, food prep, eating, bathing and sleeping.

Ten small-scale models created during the fall semester were selected to be further developed for the final project. Students then worked in teams to refine each model, ultimately building larger-scale structures that were installed on site at Artpark last week.

“It’s really exciting. We’ve come so far from where we were earlier in the semester,” says Andrew Griffin, one of 88 students in the class. “We learned to keep pushing, to keep experimenting and building models, even if we weren’t sure if they were going to amount to anything. The whole process of going from concept to sketch to construction documents and the models was really beneficial.”

The freshman studio is led by Karen Tashjian, adjunct assistant professor of architecture, and Matthew Hume, clinical assistant professor of architecture. The course teaches students about principles in design and building in a way that rattles their preconceived notions about the discipline of architecture.

“We’re trying to shift these young students from thinking about architecture as an object they design and then drop somewhere to thinking about how the body occupies space, that we have an experience when we occupy a space,” says Tashjian.

That’s where the idea for “Ritual Space” originated. “We wanted to challenge the notion of the way we live and say we’re not just going to do a house and you need a kitchen and a dining room, etc., because then the students rely on what they know about those things and you get these very conforming spaces,” Tashjian adds.

During the fall semester, students designed and created small wooden models that served as lessons in the key principles of material joinery and developing unique structural systems. There was a catch, though. “We were very adamant about not using any metal fasteners,” says Hume, who has extensive construction experience. “The students weren’t allowed to use screws, either for their models or for the ritual spaces they worked on. It’s all 100 percent solid wood with no metal fasteners.”

In addition to building a beautiful project, the studio places great emphasis on developing supporting materials. Toward that end, each team had to create a set of construction documents, a video detailing the construction process, a written narrative and a variety of presentation drawings and diagrams using multiple mediums that encourage the students to further explore and experiment, as well as a series of study models.

“It gives the students a certain level of dexterity in how they represent their work,” Hume says of the emphasis on hybrid drawings. “As a designer, it’s helpful to be able to switch mediums if you’re feeling restricted by one, or if you feel more inspired by another medium.”

Students will present their work during a final studio review Monday morning in Crosby Hall on the South Campus before heading to Artpark to formally unveil the project. As part of the review, each team also had to create a performance showing how the body engages with the structure they built.

The beautiful backdrop that Artpark affords only adds to the allure of the installation. “It’s a wonderful environment for their work to be situated in,” Hume says. “You have this amazing view of the Niagara River, the gorge, you can see Canada across the way.”

The project has already attracted plenty of attention this week as students were installing their structures on the site. “About 50 people, mostly dog walkers, stopped by the other day to check out what the students were doing,” Tashjian said.