The most interesting architectural enhancement of NC State’s east campus is certainly not the new Mathematics and Statistics building (presently underway in what used to be the Riddick parking lot). Instead, the buzz is about the surprising design/build study in the heart of the College of Design, erected in the past two weeks by a class of junior architecture students.
The Metacube—as it is dubbed by its creators—was designed, fabricated, and constructed by Assistant Professor of Architecture Paul Battaglia’s studio class. Originally intended as a quick, stress-relieving project, the cube rapidly grew in project scope and scale as the students brought classmate John Williard’s drawing to life. The final construction of steel studs, plates, bolts, cables (and yes, a little bit of wood), measures 22’ per side, or 10,648 cubic feet. That’s like four dorm rooms. And a bathroom.
All of Battaglia’s students originally created drawings to address the problem of suspending two metal objects at different heights over the Kiva, a brick “room” at the south end of the College of Design’s sunken outdoor plaza (which students affectionately call The Pit). Battaglia then invited Louis Cherry, of Cherry Huffman Architects, to join him and the class in judging all of the designs.
“It started out as a synthesis of what they’d been reading: Kenneth Frampton, Walter Benjamin, Max Bierbaum...but it turned into a lesson about what it means to achieve something through building it,” Battaglia said, describing the process from original, theoretical assignment to final, constructed outcome.
After Williard’s concept was selected, the class received permission to build and a modest budget from the Department of Architecture (the class covered the rest of the costs out of their own pockets). They also sought advice from Clancy + Theys, the construction company assembling the aforementioned Math and Stats building. The students’ interaction with Clancy + Theys yielded more than just building tips: excited about the project, the construction company provided more than half the scrap stud material used in the Metacube. They also donated some labor, including a crane from the construction site, invaluable for lifting and rotating the cube into its final position atop the Kiva.
“The Kiva just didn’t seem as alive as it could be,” said Battaglia, who regularly passes through the outdoor room on his route between classrooms. “We weren’t really setting out to do something notorious and spectacular, I just thought this was a good opportunity for the students to activate the space.” He also through it would be a good way for them to investigate scenography, tectonics and aura, all while gaining some firsthand building experience.
True to the College of Design’s ethos, the students explored their design through the process of making it. “This is the first thing we’ve ever built on a one-to-one scale,” said Kevin Wade, a student on the project. The cube was so compelling that Wade’s roommate, Luke Short, who studies mechanical engineering, was inspired to participate. “He’s a member of the class now, as far as I’m concerned,” Battaglia said. “This was a very collaborative project.”
Williard, designer of the Metacube, agrees. “It’s so cool to see it actually built, but I don’t really feel like it’s ‘mine,’” he said. “This really required a group effort, everyone in the studio made it possible. And it changed so much between drawing it and building it. I learned a lot about flexibility and the process of adapting the design as the project progressed.”
“The theme of this class may be tectonics, but this project is really about poetics,” Battaglia said. “If you learn how to bring materials together, it doesn’t really matter what the individual ingredients are.” The ingredients of scrap metal, cables, collaboration and sweat worked well for his students. “You set the ball up on the tee and see what the students do with it.”
If projects like these are tee-ball, let’s hope the College of Design continues to provide opportunities for their design students to hit one out of the park. The College should encourage projects like the Metacube, which foster collaboration between students as well as promote interdisciplinary dialog and provoke public interest in design. In less than three weeks of work, these architecture students “activated a space,” as well as many minds.
Visit the Metacube at NC State’s College of Design before it is removed this Friday, April 25. It is located between Brooks and Kamphoefner Halls, in the heart of the Design campus.
http://ncsudesign.org/content/index.cfm/mode/1/fuseaction/page/filename/directions_2.html
Studio Professor
Paul Battaglia
Students
John Williard (designer/project manager)
Kevin Wade
Petr Kasal
German Martinez
Josh Wells
Mary Englund
Meredith Jurgensen
Paul Forrest
Keith Golde
Mandy Spisak
Julie Wiliams
Beth Nooe
Skyla Stuckey
Nikhil Shah
Special thanks:
Luke Short, junior in Mechanical Engineering
Clancy + Theys Construction Company
Louis Cherry, Cherry Huffman Architects