This project begins with the premise that ornament is spatial. Rather than existing as a layer on a facade,
ornament is explored as a volumetric condition that organizes space and choreographs interaction. The
project investigates ornament as a medium of engagement, where people encounter and negotiate
material through a sequence of soft threshold conditions. Bulging and contracting forms create moments
of compression, expansion, and tactile proximity, encouraging users to move through, around, and against
the architecture. Through these interactions, ornament becomes an experiential interface rather than a
purely visual device.
ornament is explored as a volumetric condition that organizes space and choreographs interaction. The
project investigates ornament as a medium of engagement, where people encounter and negotiate
material through a sequence of soft threshold conditions. Bulging and contracting forms create moments
of compression, expansion, and tactile proximity, encouraging users to move through, around, and against
the architecture. Through these interactions, ornament becomes an experiential interface rather than a
purely visual device.
View from Butler Street
The project draws its initial inspiration from the Union Trust Building in downtown Pittsburgh, whose richly
detailed facade and distinctive roof form sit like a crown atop the structure. In the precedent, ornament
is concentrated on the building’s surface, producing a sense of visual heaviness and layered articulation
while remaining largely confined to the facade.
detailed facade and distinctive roof form sit like a crown atop the structure. In the precedent, ornament
is concentrated on the building’s surface, producing a sense of visual heaviness and layered articulation
while remaining largely confined to the facade.
Crown atop - skin and bones of the Union Trust Building
