Students: Clay Matter(s)

Thesis: Folding (and Unfolding): A Site-Responsive Strategy for Reusing Construction and Demolition Waste

From the abstract: “My design [proposes] a network of walls and paths that operate... as an on-site waste collection-curation strategy while simultaneously articulating the historical and material processes that have produced each of these sites in their current conditions... .“

Thesis: landing: body, site, material

From the abstract: “Within this ongoing project... I conceptualize my body not merely as an instrument but also as site and material that resonates and vibrates with the forces and processes of the landscape. ... Starting with immersing my body in the landscape, I seek to synchronize my rhythms with those of the land before translating these experiences into material explorations involving clay, glass, textiles, plaster, and experiential drawings that abstract certain encounters.”

Thesis: Revitalizing Decay

From the abstract: “The thesis reimagines brick design... to introduce a crafted brick integrated with flora, [aiming] to breathe new life into buildings facing advanced decay by embedding flora within the very structure of the brick. [...] With a primary focus on enhancing air quality, ensuring cost efficiency, and offering a temporary solution for urban public spaces in post-industrial cities, it offers a comprehensive approach to sustainable building regeneration.”

Thesis: Thickness of Place: Urban Stratigraphy and Rammed Earth Construction in Cambridge, Massachusetts

From the abstract: “Through a careful approach to site analysis, this thesis explores the intricate strata of Danehy Park... [and proposes a] new topography, ecology, and materiality [that] invites visitors to revisit their relationship with this forgotten edge.”

Thesis: Migrating with the Salt Marsh

From the abstract: “Using a combination of straw clay with wattle frames, and dug channels as the main design language, this thesis investigates... ways to enhance marsh migration by exploring design methods with site-specific issues and opportunities [and] proposes a holistic and sustainable design system that can be applied to other drowning marshes in New England.”

Thesis: Settling Dust, Unsettling Ground

From the abstract: “It is through [a] cyclical process that I... understand dust as a material system that blurs the line between ground and atmosphere. [I have] developed a dust machine as a tool for bridging [human and planetary] scales [and] produced visualizations of how dust operates at a human scale, with the aim of ‘uncoupling’ ground ‘from the physical and conceptual strangleholds of [the] merely solid.”

Thesis: Conspicuous Repair: Drawing Attention to Brokenness in Public Landscapes

From the abstract: “[My thesis] investigates clay as a suitable material for the repair of masonry in urban landscapes that has the potential, through visible and tactile engagement, to draw attention to and reactivate forgotten or fallow spaces. [It] considers a middle road, one that recognizes the impermanence of materials, even durable masonry materials, and takes small, deliberate steps to highlight and address brokenness.”

Thesis: Space Between: Navigating Openness 

From the abstract: “Questioning sustainability through the limitations of terracotta clay, while introducing a passive, bioclimatic design, I explored how a fragile, rounded, hollow-fired system impacts its structural integrity and its ability to embed nature-like qualities in modular form. [These structures] are... self-supporting in exterior and interior contexts, using either artificial or natural light, designing complex patterns and gradients. [They] allow for ambiguity, and... encourage creativity and individuality.”

Thesis: Clay Weaves – Soft Nature: Reimagine the Sustainability Use of Clay + Fabric in Interior Panels

From the abstract: “Weaving in clay has the qualities to be applied in interior spaces as an acoustic control factor by paneling and layerings. The panels are easier to make with sustainable, easy sourcing and affordable materials that allow for easy production.”

Thesis: Exploring the versatility of clay in double curvature surface formation

From the abstract: “With the ability to be manipulated in terms of fluidity and softness, as well as its hardening properties when fired, clay holds more possibilities in similar construction processes than liquid gypsum. By comparing the performance of the two materials in terms of efficiency, ease of operability, production process and final aesthetic effects, the thesis explored if clay can be a potential replacement for glass-reinforced gypsum in building double-curved surfaces.”

Thesis: Waste Illuminates Worlds: Printed Modular Lamp Design Based On Brick and Clay Tile

From the abstract: “This thesis explores the use of various biocements for the adhesion of brick and clay tile grains, examining their bonding mechanisms under scanning electron microscopy. The material application of a modular lamp that incorporates digital printing technology not only minimizes waste... but also creates special textures and reminds users of the importance of protecting our planet. The creation of this lamp [diverts] still-usable materials away from landfills, reduc[es] the energy required in the manufacturing process, and decreas[es] the demand for clay extraction.”