The Nonchalant U

Restrospecta 45

In collaboration with:
Brandon Smith

This project studies the transformation of the contemporary U-Shaped plan from its genealogical predecessor: the formally composed U with a center of 2:3 proportion along a symmetrical central axis. A diagrammatic analysis of axis and circulation, segmentation, geometric alignment, and visual extensions of the contemporary U-Shaped plan reveals a conscientiously nonchalant strategy in which asymmetrical forms compose encounters with both internal and external context. The explicitly proportional and symmetrical center has evolved into an informal, misaligned composition with multiple centers. The nonchalant U engenders an architecture with irregularities, overlaps, and slippages, each fostering and choreographing a nuanced spatial occupation.