greg castillo - uc berkeley college of environmental...

Thanks to the folks who helped in the development and production of the thesis:

Advisors:Neyran TuranGreg Castillo

Ron Rael

Colleagues:Marc Rios

Santiago ValesJaekyung Han

Pablo HernandezAdam CardenasElizabeth Romo

Elizabeth Leonardo LagardeCarlos Ramirez Esquivel

Special thanks to Jonathan Solis and David Ferreria

Content

abstract...

many thin buildings...

the mcmansion...

a slice of home...

semaphores of thin...

4

6

34

60

138

A Slice of Home by Albert Orozco

We are in an era where we no longer associate a home to what is closest or most familiar to us. When we think of a home we think about room sizes, comfortability, luxury, and an overall aesthetic of wealth. We can say that we have grown accustomed to a certain living standard and a certain size criteria in American homes. The McMansion, the giant and excessive single family home, is the clearest example of what I am trying to describe. We often see these homes designed and sold through a pristine lens, creating pictorial -gorgeous interiors, when in fact they are full of ugly errors (veneers covering assembly disconnections, the convoluted use of roof systems, material assembled in awkward ways, frames hot glued to the wall, and the list continues. The McMansion is intrigu-ing because of its size, dimension, ornamentation, and aesthetic to perpetuate a superficial thinness within these types of homes.

My thesis takes thin slices out of the McMansion to hyper-expose these superficial aesthetic elements through a series renderings, models, and obliques. I am specifically interested in the thinness of wainscoting, window frames, moldings, columns, floor & wall tiles, railings, and especially wallpaper because these are elements that contributes to an overall deception of these McMansion interiors. This thesis is an exposure of the general superficial aspects of this kind of living.

abstract 5

Many thin buildings

In this thesis I cataloged many different types of thin buildings. These thin buildings ranged from commercial, residential, to institutional buildings that were defined as thin by their virtue of

size

dimension

aesthetic

& a judgment of how thin form is perceived to the eye.

These buildings are thin due to a necessity to fill space within urban cities and residential suburbs. In telling of all these thin buildings the underlying understanding is that these buildings challenge the culture of living by creating thin space.

6 many thin buildings

many thin buildings 7

Pet

Arc

hite

ctur

e #4

5, A

telie

r B o

w W

ow, J

apan

Res

iden

tial

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

2’-6”

10’-3”

15’-9

”19

’-9”


Ker

et H

ouse

, Jak

ub S

zczę

sny,

War

saw

Res

iden

tial

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

2’-9”

18’-2

”34

’-1”

4’-7”


久梅園

, Jap

anR

esid

entia

l

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

49’-11”

32’-0

”4’

-0”


Oud

e H

oogs

traat

22,

Am

ster

dam

Res

iden

tial

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

3’-0”

7’-0”

38’-0

”16

’-0”

4’-0”


7’-4”

15’-1

0”35

’-3”

scul

p(IT

) Liv

e/W

ork,

Pie

ter P

eerli

ngs

and

Silv

ia M

erte

ns, A

ntw

erp

Res

iden

tial


7’-6”

24’-0

”43

’-10”

Slim

Hou

se E

xten

sion

, Alm

a-na

c, L

ondo

nR

esid

entia

l

many thin builings 13

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

7’-7”

11’-9

”47

’-0”

Toro

nto'

s Li

ttle

Hou

se, A

rthur

Wee

den

Res

iden

tial +

Ret

ail


Pla

nEl

evat

ion

47’-0

”11

’-9”

7’-7”

Toro

nto'

s Li

ttle

Hou

se, A

rthur

Wee

den

Res

iden

tial


7’-9”

31’-7

”33

’-7”

Toky

o H

ouse

, YU

UA

Arc

hite

cts

& A

ssoc

iate

s, J

apan

Res

iden

tial


11’-1”

38’-1

”52

’-7”

Gur

o D

ong

Min

i Hou

se, A

IN G

roup

, Seo

ul, S

outh

Kor

ea


11’-10”

35’-4

”36

’-2”

4 M

eter

Wid

e H

ouse

, Ate

lier H

AJO

Arc

hite

cts,

Tok

yo, J

apan

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iden

tial

11'-10"


Pla

nEl

evat

ion

29’-2

”15

’-7”

12’-0”

404

Sho

tgun

Hou

se N

ew O

rlean

s


St.

Thom

as S

treet

, Jon

atha

n Ta

te, N

ew O

rlean

sR

esid

entia

l

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

13’-2”

35’-2

”45

’-3”

10’-4”


Pet

Arc

hite

ctur

e, A

telie

r B o

w W

ow, J

apan

Res

iden

tial

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

17’-6”

55’-0

”70

’-0”


Pla

nEl

evat

ion

54’-6

”

24’-2”

31’-9

”

Hou

se W

illim

ann-

Lots

cher

, Bea

rth &

Dep

laze

s, S

evge

in S

witz

erla

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esid

entia

l


Pet

Arc

hite

ctur

e #7

5, A

telie

r B o

w W

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apan

Com

mer

cial

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

40’-0”

140’

-0”

25’-2

”

1’-0”


Yam

ada

Udo

n , A

telie

r B o

w W

ow, J

apan

Com

mer

cial

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

32’-0”

6’-9

”1’

-6”


Pet

Arc

hite

ctur

e #4

5, A

telie

r B o

w W

ow, J

apan

Com

mer

cial

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

2’-6”

3’-2”

6’-2

”20

’-5”


Kos

uge

Sho

p , A

telie

r B o

w W

ow, J

apan

Com

mer

cial

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

8’-0”19

’-6”

25’-2

”

3’-3”


Cof

fee

Sal

oon

Kim

oto,

Ate

lier B

ow

Wow

, Jap

anC

omm

erci

al

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

11’-9”

3’-4

”

4’-3” 10’-1”

11’-3

”

many thin builings 27

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

52’-0”

27’-6

”5’

-0”

The

Ski

nny

Bui

ldin

g, P

ittsb

urgh

Com

mer

cial


Pla

nEl

evat

ion

25’-3

”

94’-0”

6’-0

”

Sam

Key

Bui

ldin

g, V

anco

uver

, Brit

ish

Col

umbi

aC

omm

erci

al


Bar

Sus

hi, A

telie

r Bow

Wow

, Jap

anC

omm

erci

al

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

6’-9”

21’-8

”24

’-6”


Bar

Per

Mus

ica

Sou

l, A

telie

r B o

w W

ow, J

apan

Com

mer

cial

Pla

nEl

evat

ion

52’-0

”21

’-9”

8’-9”


Pla

nEl

evat

ion

16’-6”

27’-4

”43

’-10”

Jose

p Fe

rrand

o's

Ski

nny

Hou

se, J

osep

Fer

rand

o, S

ant C

ugat

(Spa

in)

Com

mer

cial


Pla

nEl

evat

ion

73’-1

1”94

’-4”

18’-0”

The

Hei

nem

an B

uild

ing

130

Bus

h S

t SF

Gov

ernm

ent


Luck

y D

rop

Hou

se T

okyo

Rel

igio

us

The McMansion I approach this problem of size through the McMansion which represents to me the biggest home for a person. I have taken the McMansion and analyzed it through a method of slicing, to create a variety of thin plans out of the McMansion. These slices are not all the same in width dimension, they vary in width because they are specifically cut to create program variety, a richness in building components, sectional opportunity and more importantly a registra-tion of the remnant walls left of the McMansion in these new homes. By slicing the McMansion out of a typical 6,000 sq ft McMansion I produced 19 slices, 8 that are showcased in model form and four that have been rendered and designed.

34 the mcmansion

the mcmansion 35

lobby

garage

laundrymud

kitchenstairs breakfast

dining

closet

living

toilet wash Hallhallhall

family

study

hallcloset

library

mcmansion first floor 81.14

36 the macmansion

toilet

shower

toilet

closet

master bath

bath

bed

closet

master bedmaster den

linenhall

open to below

open to below

sitting

bedroom

closetbath

bathcloset

bed

mcmansion second floor

78.3

4

analysis of cuts through the mcmansion showing first and second floor

the mcmansion 37

38 the mcmansion

bed

clos

etsi

tting

bed

bath

25'-3

1/4

"5'

-4 3

/4"

16'-1

0"13

'-10

3/4"

66'-2

1/4

"

5'-8"

stud

yTo

ilet

libra

ryliv

ing

5'-8"

66'-2

1/4

"

19'-4

1/2

"6'

-11"

35'-1

1/2

"

the mcmansion 39

stud

yw

ash

livin

glib

rary

6'-3"

66'-2

1/4

"

35'-9

1/4

"6'

-5"

19'-6

1/4

"

bed

sitti

ngba

th

clos

etbe

dcl

oset

bath 5'

-4 1

/2"

15'-0

3/4

"10

'-3 1

/4"

31'-2

"

66'-2

1/4

"

6'-3"

40 the mcmansion

stud

ylib

rary

livin

gha

ll

was

h

8'-0 1/2"

76'-1

1/2

"

8'-4

3/4

"13

'-2 3

/4"

9'-1

1 3/

4"23

'-5 1

/2"

14'-6

1/2

"

sitti

ngbe

dba

thcl

oset

bed

hall

14'-3

1/4

"16

'-6 1

/4"

5'-5

"14

'-7"

7'-1

1"

76'-1

1/2

"

8'-0 1/2"

10'-9

"

the mcmansion 41

hall

18'-1

1 1/

4"15

'-5 1

/4"

21'-1

1/4

"

71'-3

3/4

"

7'-4 1/4"

hall

Clo

set

lobb

yfa

mily

7'-4 1/4"

71'-3

3/4

"

22'-6

1/2

"11

'-5 3

/4"

6'-1

1 1/

2"14

'-2 1

/2"

42 the mcmansion

hall

21'-1

1/4

"15

'-5 1

/4"

18'-1

1 1/

4"

61'-1

1 3/

4"

7'-7 1/2"

fam

ilylo

bby

hall

7'-7 1/2"

26'-4

1/4

"7'

-8"

20'-6

3/4

"

61'-1

1 3/

4"

the mcmansion 43

hall

21'-1

1/4

"15

'-5 1

/4"

18'-1

1 1/

4"

7'-4 1/2"

61'-1

1 3/

4"

hall

lobb

yfa

mily

clos

et

20'-9

1/4

"14

'-0"

6'-7

"13

'-8 1

/2"

61'-1

1 3/

4"

7'-4 1/2"

44 the mcmansion

dini

ngbr

eakf

ast

stai

rs

14'-5

"8'

-3 1

/4"

25'-1

1/2

"

61'-1

1 3/

4"

7'-2 3/4"

stai

rsha

llbe

droo

m

19'-0

3/4

"13

'-11

3/4"

14'-9

1/4

"

7'-2 3/4"

61'-1

1 3/

4"

the mcmansion 45

dini

ngbr

eakf

ast

22'-5

3/4

"25

'-4 1

/4"

10'-11 1/2"

51'-1

0 3/

4"

den

clos

et

linen

clos

et

20'-2

1/4

"18

'-7"

51'-1

0 3/

4"

10'-11 1/2"

9'-0

3/4

"

46 the mcmansion

kitc

hen

mud

gara

ge

22'-4

1/2

"8'

-6"

39'-6

1/2

"

6'-3 3/4"

73'-8

1/4

"

mas

ter b

edcl

oset

bath

11'-0

1/4

"9'

-1 1

/4"

18'-5

1/2

"

73'-8

1/4

"

6'-3 3/4"

the mcmansion 47

kitc

hen

mud

gara

ge

19'-1

0 1/

2"10

'-11

1/2"

39'-7

1/4

"

7'-3 3/4"

73'-8

1/4

"

mas

ter b

edcl

oset

show

erTo

ilet

clos

et

32'-0

3/4

"7'

-2"

6'-7

1/4

"6'

-0 1

/2"

18'-7

1/4

"

73'-8

1/4

"

7'-3 3/4"

48 the mcmansion

gara

gem

udki

tche

n

19'-1

0 3/

4"10

'-11

1/4"

39'-7

1/2

"

5'-2 3/4"

73'-8

1/4

"

mas

ter b

ath

clos

etm

aste

r bed

19'-8

1/2

"32

'-1 1

/2"

18'-7

3/4

"

73'-8

1/4

"

5'-2 3/4"

the mcmansion 49

kitc

hen

laun

dry

gara

ge

19'-1

1"10

'-11

1/4"

39'-7

1/4

"

73'-8

1/4

"

10'-0 1/2"

mas

ter b

edm

aste

r bat

h

20'-2

3/4

"18

'-4 1

/4"

10'-0 1/2"

73'-8

1/4

"

analysis of room sized and squarefootage within a mcmansion

50 the macmansion

the mcmansion 51

master bed

bed

master bath

bedroom

bed

6'-8

"

14'-9 1/2"

19'-3

1/4

"

16'-9 1/4"

18'-1

1/2

"

16'-2"

14'-2

"

13'-0 3/4"3'-7 3/4"

12'-3

"

16'-11 1/2"

16'-4

"

24'-4"

17'-1

0 1/

2"

52 the mcmansion

hall

hall

hall

hall

stairs

hall

hall

hall

hall

11'-5 1/2"

7'-3 3/4"

7'-7

"

10'-6

1/2

"

4'-2 1

/2"

13'-6

3/4

"

3'-10 1/4"

11 1/4"

2'-8

3/4"

3'-7 3/4" 3'-0 1/2"

11 1/4"

3'-11 1/2"

4'-0 3/4"

11'-1

1 3/

4"

5'-8 1

/4"

7'-6 1

/4"

13'-9

1/4

"

4'-2 1/2"

3'-8 1

/4"

9'-4 1/4"

4'-9 3/4"

6'-3

1/4

"

23'-7 1/4"

9'-9

1/4

"

7'-3

1/2

"

9'-1 3

/4"

10'-0 3/4"

8'-9 3/4"

5'-10 3/4"

4'-6 1

/2"

9'-8"

5'-10 1/2"

7'-7"

3'-7 1

/4"

the mcmansion 53

closet

closetcloset

linen

closet

closet

closet

closetcloset

closet

linen

4'-6

1/4

"

4'-9 1/2"

4'-5"

9'-0

1/2

"

2'-3"

9'-1

1 3/

4"2'-5 1/4"

31'-4

"

11'-7 1/4"

9'-0

1/2

"

2'-3"

9'-1

1 3/

4"

2'-5 1/4"

6'-3

1/4

"

5'-1 1/4"

1'-6

1/4

"4'

-11

1/4"

3'-8 1/4"

6'-3

1/4

"

5'-1 1/4"

1'-6

1/4

"

4'-11 1/4"

3'-8 1/4"

8'-6

1/2

"

10'-7 1/4"

4'-6

1/4

"

4'-9 1/2"

4'-5"

2'-5 1/4"

9'-1

1 3/

4"

2'-3"9'

-0 1

/2"

3'-8 1

/2"

3'-3"

6'-0"

4'-1

1"

5'-9"

5'-0

"

5'-9 1/2"

54 the mcmansion

toilet

wash

toilet

bath

shower

bath

bath

toilet

5'-1

1"

6'-6 1/4" 3'-5 3

/4"

4'-11 1/2"

3'-8"

5'-1

1"

1'-1

0 1/

2"8'

-0"

5'-11 1/2"

9'-1

0 1/

2"

6'-4 1/4"

9'-1

0 1/

4"

6'-1 3/4"

5'-4

1/4

"

5'-4

1/4

"

3'-7 3/4"

5'-1

1 1/

2"

5'-7 3/4"

10'-3

"

5'-9"

6'-8

"

3'-10 3/4"

the mcmansion 55

sitting

study

living

family

breakfast

kitchen

library

dining

6'-0 1

/4"

8'-7"

5'-11 3/4"

20'-0

3/4

"

17'-1 1/4"

20'-0

"

6'-11 3/4"

7'-0 1/2" 7'-0 1

/2"

8'-5

3/4

"16'-10 1/4"

8'-5

"

19'-2 1/2"

19'-2

"

7'-2 3

/4"

5'-8"

9'-0"11

1/2"

9'-10

"

19'-2

"

19'-1"

13'-1

1 3/

4"

4'-11 3/4"

20'-7"

19'-9

3/4

"

19'-1

1 1/

2"

9'-3 1

/2"9'-2 1/2"

7'-3 3/4"

20'-1

0 3/

4"

16'-11 1/2"

10'-10 1/2"

9'-5 1/2"

9'-4 1/4"

13'-9

1/2

"

9'-2 3

/4"

12'-6

1/2

"

18'-1

0 1/

2"

16'-2"

6'-11 3/4"

16'-10 1/4"

8'-5

"

7'-0 1

/2"

7'-0 1/2"

8'-5

3/4

"

56 the mcmansion

lobby

master den

laundry

mud

6'-7 1/2"

12'-10"

13'-9

1/2

"

19'-10 1/4"

10'-5

1/2

"9'-11 3/4"

15'-3 3/4"

3'-1

1 1/

4"

9'-5"

8'-6 1/4"

10'-5

1/2

"

the mcmansion 57

garage

38'-1

0 1/

4"

25'-9 1/2"

58 the mcmansion

the mcmansion 59

A slice of home

60 a slice of home

As mentioned earlier the project consist of 8 models and 4 building designs. These buildings have been labeled as marble, decor, plaster, and travertine (wallpaper materials that have been applied to each of the buildings). The drawings speak to the design of the interior and exterior of the building with a hint of site context, while the models speak about an attitude to site, suburbia, and form.

a slice of home 61

marble Marble wallpaper was chosen as a material as it is commonly used as counter-top material for

McMansion interiors.

The thin slices out of the McMansion were not enough to talk about thin space. I’ve programmed the space by arranging furniture within the extracted slices. I’ve then taken the poche of the slice and moved it to meet the edge of furniture, reminiscing walls, columns, stairs, etc. I included furniture as part of the design process because to me the details that make up a home are the kitchen table, books, paintings, bed, a toilet, a couch, and a kitchen.

64 a slice of home

a slice of home 65

66 a slice of home

3'-0"

2'-4 1/2"

2'-5"

1'-10"

2'-1 3/4"

1'-8"

2'-0 3/4"

9'-9

3/4

"7'

-3 3

/4"

2'-1

1 3/

4"8'

-8 1

/4"

stai

rsst

udy/

dini

ngen

tranc

ebe

d

first floor

a slice of home 67

3'-0"

18'-7

3/4

"9'

-10

1/2"

3'-0 1/2"

1'-11"

1'-3 1/4"

2'-0 1/2"

2'-9 1/2"

hall

bath

second floor

68 a slice of home

13'-0

"

3'-5 1/2"

37'-9

3/4

"

width

heig

htle

nght

a slice of home 69

7.55

8.34

10.2

56.

91

2.38width

first

floo

r hei

ght

ceilin

g he

ight

leng

hth

a slice of home 79

decor

Decor wallpaper was chosen as a material as it is commonly used in McMansion hallways,

bedrooms, and living rooms. In both the renderings and obliques you will notice that the stairs, column, and other building elements become part of the poche, aswell as everything else that touches the poche. Every home was attributed “essential living spaces” that a home generally has.

80 a slice of home

a slice of home 81

15'-5

3/4

"

6'-2"

3'-8 1/4"

2'-4 3/4"

4'-0"

5'-8"

12'-8

"18

'-6"

14'-1

1/4

"13

'-0 1

/2"

2'-9"

foye

r/en

tranc

eliv

ing

dini

ngst

airs

/hal

lki

tche

n

first floor

82 a slice of home

20'-8

1/4

"

6'-2"

5'- 11 1/4"

2'-8 3/4"

3'-0"

38'-1

1"13

'-7 1

/2"

5'-11 1/4"

stai

rsha

llba

th

second floor

a slice of home 83

40'-7

"

6'-1 1/4"

25'-8

3/4

"

4'-7 3/4"

4'-5 3/4"

4'-4 1/4"

6'-2"

bed

stai

rs/h

all

third floor84 a slice of home

width

3'-0"

14'-3

1/4

"

first

floo

r hei

ght

12'-3

"10

'-3"

12'-5

"55

'-4 3

/4"

seco

nd fl

oor h

eigh

tth

ird fl

oor h

eigh

the

ight

leng

hth

a slice of home 85

width

6'-2"

12'-5

"17

'-8 3

/4"

31'-9

3/4

"55

'-4 3

/4"

leng

thhe

ight

leng

thhe

ight

86 a slice of home

plaster

Plaster wallpaper was chosen as a material as it is commonly used throughout the interiors of

McMansion walls. It was important to render these interior as elevations to give a deception of space within these thin homes. These interior eleva-tions use a similar concept to how McMansion’s are photographed and showcased to buyers. The details in the renderings are meant to give a sense of home and place to these buildings. The interior elevations are accompanied by rendering that show thin space to exaggerate and expose the stage sets of these interior elevation renderings. These rendering are deceptively thin.

96 a slice of home

a slice of home 97

2'-9 1/4"

2'-7 1/2"

4'-0 1/4"

1'-10 1/2"

3'-8"

2'-3 3/4"

3'-0"

4'-4 3/4"

3'-0 1/4"

7'-2

3/4

"12

'-6 1

/2"

9'-1

0 3/

4"7'

-8 3

/4"

15'-1

1/2

"10

'-0"

4'-5"first floor

entra

nce

Livi

ng

dini

ngki

tche

n ha

ll st

airs

98 a slice of home

4'-2 1/4"

3'-6 1/2"

1'-7 1/2"

3'-9 1/2"

1'-6 1/2"

4'-2 3/4"

1'-11 1/4"

4'-6"

4'-5"

14'-7

1/2

"11

'-10

1/2"

10'-3

3/4

"26

'-0 3

/4"

bed

bed

bath

ha

ll/st

airs

second floor

a slice of home 99

24'-3

"11

'-5"

12'-9

1/4

"14

'-7 3

/4"

4'-10"

bed

stud

yba

th

hall

stai

rs

third floor

100 a slice of home

11'-9

1/2

"22

'-10"

28'-0

3/4

"

2'-6"

8'-2

1/4

"

width

first

floo

r hei

ght

seco

nd fl

oor h

eigh

tth

ird fl

oor h

eigh

tle

nght

h

a slice of home 101

68'-9

1/4

"28

'-1"

4'-6 1/4"

width

heig

htle

nght

102 a slice of home

travertine

Travertine wallpaper was chosen as a material as it is commonly used in McMansion flooring.

I have taken photographs from Lewis Baltz, Robert Adams, and from Frank Golhe from their exposition titled New Topographic, I’ve modeled those scenes and imagined-modeled the rest of the scenes, and rendered them in the windows of my interior images. Like them, I think that there is a reality to the edge of suburbia that is not depicted in these McMansion photographs. The realities of suburbia are the endless cookie cutter homes, homes that meet industrial sites, and heavily dense suburban sites. These images were rendered with the implication that a people were once in the space, to bring the viewer into the scene. An uninhabited picture has the possibility of the viewer projecting him or herself into the picture as the renderings are full of person-made environments.

My thesis if full of traces of people, there presence is in their absence. Similarly the sense of absence is also brought into the depiction of site as home and site are not disconnected, they are complimentary as placement realities of suburbia.

112 a slice of home

a slice of home 113

15'-1

1 1/

2"7'

-5 1

/4"

2'-1

1 1/

2"5'

-5 1

/4"

4'-9"

5'-2

1/2

"

first floor

kitc

hen

side

ent

ranc

eha

lldi

ning

stai

rs

114 a slice of home

8'-9

"10

'-8 3

/4"

14'-8

1/4

"

4'-9"

bed

bath

stai

rs

second floor

a slice of home 115

3'-2"

1'-9 3/4"

16'-3

3/4

"10

'-5 3

/4"

width

first

floo

r hei

ght

seco

nd fl

oor h

eigh

t

116 a slice of home

20'-5

3/4

"28

'-10

1/2"

4'-9"

leng

hthe

ight

width

a slice of home 117

the models Which brings me to my proposition of forms in these types of sites. I definitely have a problem with the size of the McMansion, the con-voluted aesthetic of the exterior, but more importantly the place-less-ness of how the McMansions have been represented to us all. In the end, I am proposing a disconnection between actualities to the Mc Mansion, and Making a new cultural reality with these thin homes.

a slice of home 127

A perception of thin: semaphores of thinness

Introduction:

Today we live in an era where thin has become the trend of contemporary living. Objects such

as phones, laptops, furniture, paper, and other typical everyday items have been made thin to mark a

presence of this new era. Rooms have been re-designed as thin to increase occupancy and make

space appear bigger. Buildings have been designed thin to maximize the use of space within a city

grid and create a less intrusive approach to building in heavily populated areas. Lastly, people such

Loana Spangenberg, the skinniest model in the world, is one of many models who have become the

image of the thin body in this new period. There’s the fundamental question when an object, a room,

a building or a person become thin.

Thin becomes repurposed at every scale, but what encompassed these things is the

perception of thin. How an image is translated by the eye, then by the retina, to the optic nerve, to the

optic chiasm, into the lateral geniculate nucleus, to the primary visual cortex, and lastly into the visual

processing zone of the brain that determines whether that image is thin, thick, or neither. Is thinness a

virtue of literal dimension or a representation of size? Do dimensions play a role in defining thinness or

is thin just a visual representation of space?

Mark Wigley says that there is no thin without thick. But there is also a space between thin and

thick, a zone that is neither thin nor thick in which dimensional qualities are so contrary that they are

not even perceived1. Thin becomes a question of perception encountering dimension and the

1 Wigley, Marc. How thin is thin? El Croquis N. 179/180, 2008-20015. Print.

threshold when object, room, building and person are read as “thin.” By examining the Loos café

museum chair, the McMansion living room, SANAA’s 21st Century Museum, and Atelier Bow Wow’s

pet architecture, I will try to hyper-define various templates for thinness of perception and scale that

communicate “thin.”

138 semaphores of thinness

Loos Café Museum Chair

Typical McMansion living room

SANAA’s 21st Century Museum

Atelier’s Pet architecture in Tokyo, Japan

semaphores of thinness 139

The Loos Café Museum Chair

We can start by looking at an object: the chair. The chair is an object that we use in everyday

life. On a global average people sit about 7.7 hours every day, architecture students sometimes 19

hours a day. Not only is the chair something we use in everyday life, but when we enter a restaurant,

museum, living room, kitchen, and other rooms we always encounter chairs as artifacts that shape the

character and manner of space. The chair is compelling when describing thin because it is an item in

a room used by the body which gives an overall aesthetic to a space.

The Loos Chair was design by architect Adolf

Loos, a person known for designing solid, white houses

with simplified exteriors, while creating interiors to be

spatially complex through his use of materials.2 The

Loos Chair can be interpreted to have this very

complexity in its form. The bentwood frame with its

exaggerated linear form make this chair thin. We can

say that this 1899 chair has withstood time: the object

can still be perceived as thin today. This chair has

elements of thick, thin, and neither when seeing the

overall form of the chair, but the pieces that make this chair are thin members that contribute to the

overall thin aesthetic of the chair.

“Elegance, nostalgia, and color,” were the three concepts used to create the chair.3 To be

more specific, thinness in this chair are achieved through the curved pieces of wood and their way of

joining them. The joinery is seamless, hidden from the human eye. The thin elements and the

2 Frampton, Kenneth. Modern architecture: a critical history. London: Thames and Hudson, 2006. Print 3 Frampton, Kenneth. Modern architecture: a critical history. London: Thames and Hudson, 2006. Print

manifestation of the chair gives a perception of this chair being thin. Seeing this chair proliferate

through a space, more commonly in a café, adds a layer of transparency; a quality of thin.

140 a slice of home

The McMansion Living Room

We can say that we have grown accustomed to certain living standards and a certain size

criteria in American homes. The McMansion, the giant and excessive single family home, is the

clearest example of this. It can be evaluated by its size, dimension, ornamentation, and aesthetic to

perpetuate a superficial thinness within these types of homes. I take the McMansion living room as a

point of analysis because it is the room where guest and inhabitants enter at some point in the day. It

can be said that it is the room that is the most ornamented and detailed as it represents the home.

The wainscoting, window

frames, moldings, columns, floor

& wall tiles, railings, and especially

wallpaper are just a few of

elements that contributes to an

overall deception of thinness

within these interior. Wallpaper for

example gives depth and richness to a space at first glance, but its superficiality comes through when

light enters the room and this wallpaper no longer seems to fit in space. Columns are placed in these

living rooms as ornamented features and even bookshelf filled with empty plastic books. The image of

these composed superficial aesthetic elements make these rooms seem as glamorous-spacious

spaces, but the actuality is that you become surrounded by thin elements that make space seem

paper thin.

Thinness in these interiors is perceived through the ornamentation and presentation of these

decorated walls, but another factor that contributes to this are the double height ceilings that make

these rooms appear as endless space. There is no indication of how walls meet because joints are

covered by the over excessive use of moldings. Thin is achieved in the McMansion due to the

fakeness of these interiors. It can be almost juxtaposed to how steel construction might be covered by

concrete to make a deception of the material usage, “you see something, but it smells like something

else”.4 Thin in these interiors is not a formal expression, but a material one that contribute to a notion of

thinness.

Krumwiede, Keith. An Atlas of Another America: An Architectural Fiction. Zu ̈rich: Park , 2016. Print

a slice of home 141

The 21st Century Museum by SANAA

Louis Khan said, “Consider the momentous event in architecture when the wall parted and the

column became”.5 When we think of a wall material as a means to achieve a transparence between

space, division, and space, the division becomes the line in space that separates two things. We can

look at the 21st century Museum as both an interior and exterior that talks about thinness in their use of

materials.

The 21st century is round in form and is

surrounded by a pane of glass that makes a

transparency between outside and inside. That

glass uses very thin mullions or connectors that

accentuate this transparent division. The interior

further contributes to this transparency as

volumes are situated within the round form that

take you once gain outside.6 In order to get

privacy between inside and outside or inside

and access paths they use a thin curtain that still

communicates the usage of thin materials to achieve this transparency. Lastly, the thin white columns

further help to experience this notion of transparency within the building to the outside.

I use this example because this transparency is due to a process of selecting thin materials to

achieve an experience of thin. Thin becomes layers of transparency that help takes the person in

moments of being outside while circulating the interior of this space. Both dimension of the material

5 Hays, K. Michael. Architecture theory since 1968. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2002. Print 6 Poveda, Paloma. El Croquis 155. SANAA 2008 - 2011 ( Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa ). Madrid: El Croquis, 2011. Print

and its properties contribute to a notion of circulating through thin space, meaning “Thinning the

building thickens the air.”7

7 Wigley, Marc. How thin is thin? El Croquis N. 179/180, 2008-20015. Print.

142 a slice of home

4

Pet Architecture

We live in an era of exuberance and catastrophe, but we can also say that we live in an era of

residue because the laws and regulations in our system are always flawed with errors. More and more

we are finding these errors in moments in detail in our urban cities. These errors are lots that have

been abandoned or rendered useless because of their narrow size. Pet Architecture are a series of

thin buildings that have been extruded from the foot print of these abandoned plots. These buildings

captivate the experience of living and walking through thin space.

Atelier Bow Wow designed these buildings in Tokyo to talk about the misappropriation of urban

development in large populated cities. These buildings range from

department stores, to homes, to apartment complexes, to

restaurants, galleries, and any typical building you would see

developed in cities. These type of spaces are less about the thin

material, thin objects, or a thin look, they are about connecting an

experience with the body to the building. They appropriate to a

new culture of living within a building and a new way of perceiving

space in urban cities.

The example in the image, Pet Architecture 29, is a

restaurant that was developed between two spaces. The lot

measures approximately 2.5 feet in width and 33 feet in length.8 It has all the utilities of a kitchen and

bathroom. It has seating for its guest. The interaction between cook, waiter, and guest must be entirely

different as moving through this type of space requires collaboration and precision between

individuals.

8 Imai, Kesaharu. Pet architecture guide book. Tokyo: World Photo Press, 2003. Print.

a slice of home 143

This and all other Per Architecture models are examples of literal thin space. Perception of thin

is real, non-imaginative, and part of a bodily experience that requires people to cope with the building’s

form. These compact spaces have been built from abandoned lots, to maximize space within an

existing grid, but the reality is that these type of spaces challenge the building standards and code to

push for more compact spaces9. We see an excess of people in both suburbs and urban cities.

Rather than build up, it might help to examine ways to design compact, thin spaces for people to use.

9 Ross, Benjamin. Dead end: suburban sprawl and the rebirth of American urbanism. Oxford: Oxford U Press, 2014. Print

144 a slice of home

The Line, the Poche, and the Conclusion

The line or the poche is what determines the threshold between thick, neither, or thin. Much

recent architectural productions have elaborated on the potentials of the thin line. For example Stop

City uses the thin line as a boundary definer by using eight thin

walls. In plan they represent thin lines that encase a region of the

urban fabric. In perspective, these encasement causes two

properties to differentiate between two spaces. The US- Mexico

Border uses the thin line as a barrier that divides two countries.

This border line is just a fence with slight aperture that manages

to barrier two great landscapes. Lastly, a grammar for the city

uses thin as a space creator; creating a figure ground condition in

plan.10

The experience of the thin might be perceived as just a

line that creates a condition between two or more things, but a

line is more than just a condition. It is a space that has not been

explored and it’s an architectural proposition for thin space.

These and the above examples are all propositions of how we

experience a perception of thin. There is a perception of thin

through the concealment of joinery, a perception of thin through

the usage of superficial aesthetic, a perception of thin through

the use a material, and a perception of thin through literal thin

space.

I mention the line because it is a poche that talks about

thin in its truest form. A line without association to something else

10 Hays, K. Michael. Architecture theory since 1968. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2002. Print

a slice of home 145

becomes neither thin nor thick. There’s always a factor or that image that contributes to a person’s

perception of thin.

In conclusion perception is mostly an association with distance from something. For example,

the Loos Chair is a thin object, but when seen from a 10 foot distance, the chair becomes so thin that

it becomes part of the bigger whole. An array of these chairs gives depth and thin richness to space.

Thin becomes part of an aesthetic that pushes space to become serene, elegant, and beautiful. The

McMansion Living room is thin as in fake. Everything you see in these type of spaces are a

combination of superficial elements that make space appear thin; as if there was a large, thin, empty

box. This type of space is intriguing because there’s an association with distance when standing in

this type of living room. When standing at the entrance you are seeing everything from a 20 foot

distance. Everything looks together, full, and even beautiful. As you get closer to all its detail, all you

imagined begins to disappear. When you realize the true superficial nature of these interiors, your

perception of this space becomes thin. SANAA’s museum is the opposite of the McMansion interior.

The farther you are from the glass, everting seems so transparent, light, and thin. What is even more

fascinating about distance in this building is the image that it captures through the usage of glass.

View becomes part of this thinness. The farther you are from the glass the more vivid the image looks,

but the closer you are the more surreal the image seems. There’s a thinness to edge of nature,

suburbia, and our cities. Thinness is an association to how we built and perceive this type of edge and

it is best captured through view. Lastly, there’s a relationship between distance and perception of thin

when looking at buildings like Pet Architecture. From a 300 foot distance this building form might be so

thin in relation to the other building elevations, that when you step closer to the building, that thinness

becomes associated with thickness. When you walk through these spaces, space is thin, but the

146 a slice of home

experience of walking through this space is full. Partially because you become a filler of this form and

experience literal thin space.

These semaphores of thinness contribute to a conversation of perceiving thin. Thin carries with

it size, distance, beauty, aesthetic, detail and ornamentation, which are all anomalies that are

perceived in thinness. This manifesto has been an exploration of tensions between the avant-garde

historical culture of architectural thinness and banality of everyday materiality of thinness. How does

representation explore the clash of profound and superficial cultures of thinness? These examples

mentioned in the manifesto contribute to a conversation of thinness within the architectural black box.

a slice of home 147

Works Cited

1. Evans, Robin. "The Rights of Retreat and the Rites of Exclusion." Notes Towards the Definition of Wall 1989: 335-39. Print.

2. Frampton, Kenneth. Modern architecture: a critical history. London: Thames and Hudson,

2006. Print.

3. Hays, K. Michael. Architecture theory since 1968. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2002. Print.

4. Imai, Kesaharu. Pet architecture guide book. Tokyo: World Photo Press, 2003. Print.

5. Krumwiede, Keith. An Atlas of Another America: An Architectural Fiction. Zu ̈rich: Park , 2016. Print.

6. Masheck, Joseph. Adolf Loos: the art of architecture. London: I.B. Tauris, 2013. Print.

7. Poveda, Paloma. El Croquis 155. SANAA 2008 - 2011 ( Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa ). Madrid: El Croquis, 2011. Print.

8. Ross, Benjamin. Dead end: suburban sprawl and the rebirth of American urbanism. Oxford:

Oxford U Press, 2014. Print.

9. Wigley, Marc. How thin is thin? El Croquis N. 179/180, 2008-20015. Print.

148 a slice of home

a slice of home 149

greg castillo - uc berkeley college of environmental...

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