Principal Investigator John Fernandez
This workshop is offered for the purpose of exploring important issues and becoming more familiar with a vast array of contemporary materials that constitute the making of responsible architecture today. While delving into material properties relevant to the making of architectural assemblies, we will also investigate the emergence of forces that have driven the physical artifact of contemporary buildings. We will especially, but not exclusively, address issues pertaining to the continually evolving idea of "responsible" or sustainable architecture and design. While there has been substantial work accomplished toward the definition of the environmental impact of construction materials, there is significant work still to be accomplished. We will also become familiar with materials that are simply untested in an architectural assembly but hold a certain promise for the performance of a particular architectural construct.