Concrete and Comfort, Urban Firehouse

Material and structure, being indivisible, provide the basis for this thesis exploration. The material of choice was concrete, inspired by the use of cast objects made in the studio. Through the act of form making and casting tectonic material integration developed. Intrinsic structural qualities of the material were affirmed with repeated drawing, form making and casting, while exploring the phenomenon of the transferred surface. An open urban site in Washington, DC was chosen before a building type was determined. Neighborhood and site analysis identified the potential need for a Firehouse. This building type allowed the opportunity to explore the use of concrete for vehicles as well as people. Can concrete, maligned for being cold and harsh, hold a building and its uses in comfort and beauty?

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Architecture

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Architecture

Department dc:contributor.department

Architecture

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Cooke, James Long

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Holt, Jaan

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Emmons, Paul F.
• Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C.
• Wheeler, Joseph H.

• Concrete
• Firehouse
• Materiality
• Tectonics

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:38260

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/116030