This first issue posed a simple call for submissions. We wanted to see who was out there, and what was out there. We asked for current work, recent projects or experiences, on-going thoughts, sketches, models, photographs, and academic papers. As Alums, we were expecting a wide response. What we received did not disappoint.

Alum Lauren Crahan (BArch ’96), a Principal at Freecell with John Hartman and Peter Dorsey, Adjunct Faculty at the Department of Architecture submitted “Lighthearted”; a community engagement piece sited in New York City’s Times Square. The work represents the broad spectrum of projects RISD Architecture Alums are engaged in.

We are also taking the opportunity to feature the Department outside of the studio in what we hope will be a reoccurring column or article. Following the tragic natural disasters in Japan earlier this year, Architecture Instructor Aki Ishida’s Wintersession studio of twelve RISD students installed a collaborative work at the Japan Society in New York City during a 12-hour benefit for the Earthquake Relief Fund.

In the inaugural print edition of WIP, Professor Gabriel Feld proposed “a more open exchange with the larger community.” This digital platform intends to propose new and continue established connections among alumni of the RISD Architecture program. Simultaneously establishing a relevant archive of creative alumni work and experience it is our intention that WIP will foster conversation and maintain an ongoing dialogue.

Andrew Liebchen
Chelsea Limbird
Will McLoughlin
Editors

Library

A new 2,000 square foot round library is a welcoming nest in the middle of a large open plaza, sweetening a lonely space with new planting, benches and whimsical text stenciled on the site. The cedar wood wrapping shades the building and warms the large asphalt play area.

The interior of the library uses birch plywood wall panels, and exposed glulam beams to create a tempting haven. New study areas, benches tucked within book stacks and a storytelling corner complete the space. Computer stations are provided throughout along with a generous reception area.

Library Courtyard

Surrounding the new Library building is the new Library Courtyard, a hybrid play yard, library garden and public art project. Located within a large, existing asphalt play yard and operating with an extremely limited budget for landscape and paving, the project designer saw an opportunity to work with the existing asphalt by saw cutting out new planter beds for shade tree’s and using the remaining asphalt surface as a blackboard for a public art project. Collaborating with the students and faculty to create a series of words and phrases that were inspiring to the students, the selected text was then painted onto the existing asphalt with conventional playground striping paint and commercial stencils. The text can be read from both an existing second floor balcony overlooking the library courtyard or played on under the shade of new olive trees at ground level. New wood benches and platforms provide informal seating to read, lounge or play. The linear text and planting beds help set off the cedar clad, drum shape of the new library building and a new path of words playfully lead students from the play yard to the library entrance.

Pending completion, this new, 2,000 square foot construction will house a library in the middle of a large, open playground. New exterior planting, benches and a whimsical stretch of text across the landscape, intertwine the structure and program into a previously lonely and empty space. Cedar wood wraps the building, providing shade for the library while warming the adjacent asphalt play area.

This newly built Arts & Crafts home sits on a quiet street a short walk from Silvershell Beach. It replaced a 1950s ‘Gunnison’ prefab ranch house that was the first house on Cove Street and had served the original owners, the Long family, and subsequent residents well for over 50 years. When Robert (BArch 1973), an architect, and Sharon decided to update and expand the ranch house, the prefab construction presented many obstacles, so the building was razed and a new 2 story design was developed to sit on the same foundation.

The goal was to use salvaged architectural objects, rich custom detailing and strong colors to bring a sense of history and romance back into modern home design. The inspiration was the summer camps, carriage houses and shingle style homes of coastal New England. The home is compact enough to be energy efficient yet has enough space for large family gatherings and reunions.

Special features include a double height glass conservatory, a 25’ high living/music room with custom matchstick board ceiling, a cupola at the top of the stairs; a salvaged Eastlake mantelpiece, recycled leaded glass and entry window and custom built Mission style staircase and balustrade. Extensive stained woodwork and robust Windsor trim complement Sharon’s rich southwestern color palette and eclectic collection of art objects for a warm and welcoming effect.

In the Arts & Crafts tradition local craftsmen including Greg Sullivan of Sippican Cottage Furniture, the McGuigans of NE conservatories and the Devlin brothers of Central Construction of Cape Cod lent their considerable talents (and wit) to the project.

Since moving in this April 2008, Robert and Sharon have enjoyed living in their dream house and hosting family and friends. Grandchildren in particular enjoy the playroom on the second floor and the tree house created especially for them.

Submitted to Boston Globe House of the year competition 2009
Selected for Marion house Tour December 2008

Artisans and the Restoration of Fez, Morocco

What role does decoration play in architecture? As architects we are taught to think beyond surface, to create space using solid, void and threshold. We are encouraged to use an abstract or limited representation of materials so that models and drawings express the third dimension. But what happens when materials that make up the ‘skin’ of a building, transcend the role of surface to become ‘something that adorns, enriches, or beautifies’ [1] — and does the act of decoration matter?

While on a Fulbright research grant to Fez for one year, I have been exploring the role of artisans in the recent effort to restore the 1200-year-old city. Known as the spiritual and cultural capital of Morocco, Fez has a vibrant architectural crafts tradition. Colorful tile, intricately carved woodwork, and detailed plaster relief fill the medina and its more than 3,000 monuments and 10,000 traditional courtyard spaces. Artisans are important keepers of the time-honored craft tradition, and their knowledge of how to manipulate local materials plays an important role in keeping the city in-tact. The decorative architectural elements they create are not merely ornamental, but reflect values of Moroccan society and important religious tenets of Islam. The spaces they define are emblematic of the way people live and how the city has functioned since its founding in 789 AD.

The courtyard space is the dominant building form used in Fez. While responding to climate, the form is used for a variety of programs, including dwellings, mosques, madrassas (schools), and funduqs (caravanserai hotels). “An Islamic building need not be designed to serve a particular purpose, but is, in most cases, an abstract and ‘perfect’ scheme that can be used for a great variety of functions.” [2] In addition to flexibility of program, the struggle for perfection in architecture is also displayed by the floral, geometric, and calligraphic textures that permeate building surfaces. Artisans use visual principles of repetition, symmetry and continuous generation to achieve visual harmony within a façade and create the illusion of depth of field. Consequently, the load-bearing earthen walls and cedar beams beneath are often concealed. “Space is defined by surface and, since surface is articulated by decoration, there is an intimate connection in Islamic architecture between space and decoration. It is the variety and richness of the decoration, with endless permutations, that characterizes the buildings rather than their structural elements, which are often disguised.” [3]

The emphasis of architectural decoration in Fez is also revealed by its elevated rank in the building design process. A maalem, or master craftsmen, visits the site during the design phase of a project to determine finish patterning, composition and color. Tiles are drawn, carved, and placed one-by-one to fit the dimensions of a room. Plaster artisans carve patterns directly into gypsum before it dries, and wood artisans paint elaborate motifs in situ. This hand-made, custom-built process is being threatened, however, by the replacement of traditional building materials and methods with mass-produced facsimiles. While imported materials are cheaper and faster to install, their use has led to a declining artisan population, whose wisdom is in danger of being lost.

The integral relationship between Fez and its artisans can be seen throughout the medina not only in monumental architecture but in the thousands of small workshops that line the narrow streets, where craftspeople of all types can be seen working. One of my favorite things to do when out exploring is to visit workshops and ask people what they are making. My curiosity is always graciously received and I am shown how the latest goods are made, from leather slippers to metal teapots. Keeping the hand-made craft tradition alive is essential to the survival of Fez’s architectural legacy as well as its economy. Fez’s artisans must continue to pass down their knowledge future generations so that their heritage can continue to be celebrated. Their contributions prove that architectural decoration is not an afterthought, but a way to link Fez’s historic past with its future as a sustainable 21st century city.

[1] Merriam-Webster Dictionary, definition of ‘decoration.’

[2] Michell, George  Architecture of the Islamic World: Its History and Social Meaning (London: Thames and Hudson Ltd. 1978), 12.

[3] Michell, George  Architecture of the Islamic World: Its History and Social Meaning (London: Thames and Hudson Ltd. 1978), 162.