Akshay Vishwakarma

AT4000

This studio serves as the foundation for the MAT program, focusing on the interplay between structure, construction, and space. It emphasizes how construction mediates the expressive qualities of structure while reflecting the meaning and purpose of the space. Departing from conventional approaches, this studio employs an inverse strategy where structural systems are designed to support the program, rather than the program adapting to pre-determined structural systems. This ensures that the structural and constructional elements retain their expressive significance within the architectural design. Mastery in architectural detailing relies on understanding the impact of forces on building systems, the behavior and form of materials in response to these forces, and the conceptual clarity of the building system as a force-distribution network, rather than a collection of independent stable components. Through drawing, prototyping, modeling, and full-scale building, students cultivate a foundational understanding of tectonics and their role in architectural expression.