Graduate Research Group: Material Culture
material
- the substance or thing from which something is or can be made
- of matter, of substance; relating to or consisting of what occupies space
- of the body or bodily needs; corporeal, sensual or sensuous
culture
- intellectual and artistic activity and the works produced
- the products of human work and thought
- the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively
The history of the city of Buffalo and the Niagara Region is indelibly tied to the history of material innovation. Buffalo has been at the forefront of material, architectural and technical explorations during the past century. These range from infrastructural experiments in moving goods and people by inventing a method of flow through the Erie Canal to conveyance systems and sea legs; and from slip-forming for the construction of concrete silos to Sullivan’s innovative steel frame construction and terra cotta cladding for the Guaranty Building, which contributed to the development of the high-rise building and the curtain wall.
MATERIAL CULTURE projects forward from this history and the research group explores ways in which the culture of materials shapes our environments and contributes to our constructive sensibilities. Our research scrutinizes the transformation from idea to artifact. We seek to advance the process of design through full-scale fabrication, assembly and installation; critical exploration of design and production; and study of the potential of materials. In these investigations, the conceptual premises of architecture are consistently tested through making.
Fall 2008 Curriculum
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