• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Photo

A student examines the work of architecture students showcased in the exhibition in Perloff Galle

For six days last quarter, UCLA students carefully sliced away at the tendrils and vibrant petals of rich tropical foliage on the garden island of Kauai.

The students, however, were not majoring in botany, but instead, all were intent on applying what they learned about plants to architectural principles and design.

Bridging the gap between botanical mechanics and architectural forms, students in Professor Jason Payne’s technology seminar last quarter took advantage of a unique opportunity when they traveled to Hawaii last quarter. From the graceful curve of orchid petals, the students extrapolated and tweaked plant composition until their own designs only vaguely reflected the plant’s basic form.

“The main thing is that we totally immersed ourselves. The colors, the smells, the sights, everything,” said Jason Locke, who participated in the seminar and is pursuing an advanced masters-of-architecture degree. Now the end results of the knowledge they gained and the skills they applied are being showcased in Perloff Gallery in an exhibition titled “Manifold Destiny II.” Running throughout most of February, the show tracks the progress the students made last fall through drawings, photographs and models. The School of Arts and Architecture at UCLA offers three types of seminars and Payne’s was one devoted to the use of cutting-edge technology to solve one-of-a-kind dilemmas in architecture. Focused on the technical problems associated with “edge conditions” in plastics, students were, at a basic level, asked to think about how the edges of plastics could be combined and melded in new ways, Payne said.

Plastics have been used in everything from water bottles to medical supplies, and for decades have been a critical component in architecture. With this seminar, Payne wanted his students to add to the discourse in plastics.

“I wanted them to think about how to get edges and think about new edges, ... but instead of opening up textbooks, we decided to do something different. Going to Kauai immediately made sense,” Payne said.

For students, the trip was an exciting way to step outside the conventional realm of architectural principles.

Instead of thinking about plastics as a simple material for tabletops, students were encouraged to think about how the material could be manipulated and put together in exotic ways, Locke said.

For example, one simple way to piece together the edges of two plastic sheets is to place the sheets against each other and lock them into place. After examining the intricate composition of tropical plant life, however, some students were inspired to come up with a comb-like mechanism for putting together the sheets that mirrored the look of plant ridges. The ability of Locke and his fellow students to experiment was largely facilitated by the wide range of experiences and experts they encountered on their trip. A main highlight of the trip included access to the Kauai National Tropical Botanical Garden, where scientists were willing to “chop up” any specimens students saw on their walks through the gardens and wanted to study in further detail, Locke said.

In addition, students received lectures from a wide range of experts, including ethnobotanists and plant physiologists.

At one point, a rugged-terrain biologist – someone who searches for exotic species in hard-to-reach locations such as the undersides of cliffs – took the class on a guided tour of the rainforest.

The whole trip was financed in part by the UCLA Charles Moore Traveling Studio Fellowship, according to the UCLA architecture school Web site. The 20 or so students in the class received $4,000 to share.

Two such grants are awarded every year to UCLA architecture faculty. One grant allows a faculty member to take their class anywhere in the world to study architecture, while the other limits the class to outings within the U.S.

Originally, Payne considered applying for a grant to visit Timbuktu and study Malian mud temples, whose heavy slumming and interplay of weight and gravity makes for “incredibly beautiful” architecture. But the proposal was ultimately drawn up for a trip to Kauai, which is internationally renowned for its lush rainforests.

Payne said he was pleased with the “great results,” and plans on teaching the course again next year if he doesn’t come up with something even better.

The Perloff Gallery is located on the first floor in Perloff 1318. The exhibition is free and open to the public weekdays.

9 a.m to 5 p.m through Feb. 24.

Comments

Post a comment