Frames & Finders

This project rethinks conventional applications of wood in type IV construction, tackling boxes, squares, and rectangles. This project investigates the concept of geometric blankness through euclidean form, glulams, and cross-laminated timber. An art foundation for Corita Kent is realized through a series of timber stacks and framing systems atop an art studio and public commons. The building structure serves as a framework, expressive of the (view)finder used by Corita Kent, rather than an entity concealed by its envelope. Frames and finders—for art, timber structure, and view-finding—become compositional tools that determine the formal language and spatial quality within the foundation. The architecture synthesizes processes of production—mechanical and structural processes that take place inside the building—with Corita’s artistic processes to highlight the clash of institutional and humanitarian agencies demonstrated in her artwork and throughout the pop-art movement.