Studio E/10

OFFCUTS

William Cassell

Studio Description

“Offcuts” will explore both the pragmatic and poetic value of construction waste, and by-products of the built environment. While traditional recycling considers waste as a raw material to be fed back into industrial systems, the studio explores how design and architecture can become the system by which waste materials retain value or even become more precious than their original products.

The philosophical goals of the studio are equal parts architectural and environmental. We will explore texture, atmosphere, colour, form and space, through the lens of discarded materials, extracting beauty and intrigue from the rough edges of things supposedly ready for landfill. You will develop a new language, derived from the intrinsic character of materials that have been produced, used, weathered and then extracted.

As the next generation of architects it is incumbent upon us to move past accepted systems for designing and constructing our environments; away from using raw, extracted resources and towards reusing the materials already embedded within our cities.

Studio Outcomes

Students will be required to imagine, research, and design a cohesive piece of architecture. This will be explored in a process which utilises a variety of physical model making and drawing techniques. The final outcome will also be represented in a 2D/3D, digital/analogue mix to meaningfully communicate an understanding and expression of the offcut as building fabric and architecture

The pragmatic

Through research into materials and their usage, we will gain a better understanding of the causes and nature of waste generated by trades and industries of the built environment. We will explore in detail novel ways to re-use materials and systems for architectural gain.

The poetic

We will explore the derivation of an architecture through scale models, using offcuts as both media and muse; details, interior spaces and a whole building will be developed throughout the course of the semester. The final project is proposed to be a mixed-use building, including a culture and/or arts programme to be defined by the student. The studio has the support of COX Architecture, and focused workshops will be provided by expert guests on topics such as facade, urban design, drawing and construction systems.

Studio Leader

William Cassell is an Associate and Architect at Cox Architecture where he has worked since 2014. William completed his studies at Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Music Performance (VCA) and Master of Architecture. He was the co-founder of Inflection Journal and continues to contribute to the broader architectural discourse through research projects with Monash University and tutoring roles at the MSD. William has a particular interest in tectonics and architectural craft as fundamental to the design of considered, beautiful and responsible buildings. He continues to experiment with craft in practice with the establishment of the Cox Guild in 2017; a dedicated workshop and resource for the development of models, objects and building components.

Readings & References

• Goldsworthy, Anna.  (2022, June). Slow Fade: An Elegy for music, education and impoverished culture. The Monthly
• Arup & University of Leeds. (2019, June). The Future of Urban Consumption in a 1.5° World: C40 Cities Headline Report. Arup Research Perspectives. https://www.arup.com/-/media/arup/files/publications/c/arup-c40-the-future-of-urban-consumption-in-a-1-5c-world.pdf
• Arup & University of Leeds. (2019, August). Building and Infrastructure Consumption Emissions: In Focus. Arup Research Perspectives. https://www.arup.com/-/media/arup/files/publications/b/building-and-infrastructure-consumption-emissions.pdf
• Writings and work of Kazuo Shinohara
• Works of Peter Zumthor, Carlo Scarpa and Richard Leplastrier
• Diller + Scofidio (1996). Flesh: Architectural Probes
• ACEHUB https://acehub.org.au/
• The Living Building Challenge https://living-future.org/lbc/

Schedule Mondays 18:15-21:15 and Thursdays 15:15-18:15 in MSD Room 238

Contact Handbook