Teaching : MASONRY TECTONICS
Beyond text, beyond image, there is a craft of making with masonry.
This seminar was funded by the IMI - International Masonry Institute and Boston Valley Terra Cotta
As featured by the Weitzman School of Design
The seminar - workshop introduced students to the subject of masonry tectonics by investigating new design opportunities made possible by clay brick and terracotta tiles. Innovation was channeled via this most ancient of materials and the seminar was focused on the art and science and the construction and modeling of masonry structures. In reviewing the history and theory of masonry construction, students acquired fundamental knowledge on the materiality of tiles, vaulting techniques, form finding, and its associated labor. The seminar was supported by expert consultants who, with first-hand knowledge of masonry techniques, led hands-on masonry workshops for students to engage the material reality of masonry. Students worked alongside University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design alumnus Jonathan Dessi Olive (MArch’15), Prof. Russell Gentry of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and union-trained masonry apprentices from the Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers (BAC) Local 1, in Northeast Philadelphia.
The seminar is grateful for the support of Roy Ingraffia from the International Masonry Institute, Boston Valley Terracotta, and the Building and Applied Craftworkers of Philadelphia (BAC).
Masonry in the World
Thin Tile All Compressive Vaults
collaboration with Jonathan Dessi-Olive, Assistant Professor Kansas State University
Composite Structural Brick Masonry Cantilevers
collaboration with Russell Gentry, Associate Professor Georgia Institute of Technology
