Advanced Option Studio (AOS): Post-Industrial in Reverse — Deconstruction, Reassembly, and the Tectonic Afterlife Along the Rust Belt
In this studio, students develop a projective architectural proposal rooted in the systematic harvesting, reassembly, and reprogramming of an abandoned or underutilized industrial typology within a chosen Rust Belt context.
Water Towers by Bernd and Hilla Becher, 1967-80.
In this studio, students develop a projective architectural proposal rooted in the systematic harvesting, reassembly, and reprogramming of an abandoned or underutilized industrial typology within a chosen Rust Belt context. Rather than beginning with a blank site and a predetermined program, the design process starts with a rigorous archival and forensic analysis of a selected structure, such as a concrete grain silo, water tank, or masonry warehouse. Students map its locations, analyze its typological characteristics, quantify its embodied energy, and identify its harvestable components, treating the existing building as a physical catalog of raw material. Working fluidly across scales, students operate as both forensic examiners and projective designers. The final proposal presents a plausible, regionally-grounded architecture that demonstrates how the ongoing act of reconstruction can substantially reduce construction emissions while producing radical new spatial possibilities.