Architectural Design & Build | Gordon College
This design-studio is grounded in site specific observation, community engagement, and ancient building technologies to creatively solve problems for the built environment. The students began by interviewing the client (LaVida Outdoor Education) and documenting the site to ascertain the needs and desires for the build. After a process of iterative design, students learned architectural scaled hand-drafting and advanced hand building skills: mortise and tenon joinery, wood milling processes, layout techniques, tool use and sharpening, and joinery cutting methods. This process culminated in the building and raising of the small timber frame structure.
Students learned how to timber frame and attain the skills, sensitivity, knowledge and language of timber framing such as: the historical context, contemporary issues, wood technology, and practical skills (e.g., sharpening, reading plans, and joinery).
