Semi-nonstandard construction and its application in post-squatter İstanbul

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2011.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-112).Prefabricated buildings have long played a role in providing inexpensive, yet high quality dwellings for the multitude. However, such structures are typically standardized in nature and poorly suited for deployment within a crowded urban fabric. In Istanbul, where redevelopment projects have displaced many residents to standardized mass housing units built on the periphery of the city, another possibility for prefabricated housing may be possible. In an age when CNC fabrication is becoming commonplace, the solution may appear to be nonstandard construction, whose potential in architectural discourse is frequently seen as an enabler of novel form making. Yet by strategically utilizing nonstandard tools in an otherwise mass-produced housing system, these techniques can provide variation within an industrial process while still taking advantage of the efficiencies of standardization. This project proposes a method of construction that is based on a lightweight composite panel, into which have been collapsed the building's functional requirements (structure, insulation, weatherproofing). As part of their manufacture, the panels are modified utilizing this "semi-nonstandard" fabrication method. This process, which enables a far greater range of geometries and configurations than standardized construction, allows the construction of safe and efficient housing within the city center. This project proposes this system as a topic of architectural research and also as a social project, enabling Istanbulites whose homes are currently under the threat of expropriation to remain in their communities.by Stephen Form.M.Arch

Reimagining a home for Architecture at MIT

Thesis: S.B. in Art and Design, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2005.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (page 28).The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is home to the oldest architecture school in the United States, yet curiously, this department has sat in the shadow of the other programs at MIT for much of its history. Today, however, the Department of Architecture is one in transition, between presidents, deans, and department heads. At this point it seems crucial to reevaluate the direction of this program. This project is meant to address three problems regarding the identity of the Department of Architecture: a lack of identity as seen by our students, identity as seen by the Institute, and identity as seen by the world of architecture. The goal of this thesis is to redesign the spaces which comprise our home at MIT. Specifically, the project seeks to house entire school together on MIT's main campus. Expanding and transforming the current structure of Bosworth's neoclassical buildings, this new School of Architecture provides for itself, the Institute, and the world, a visible new home for a neglected portion of MIT.by Stephen Form.S.B. in Art and Desig