Architecture of Animation and Aesthetics
A Shifting Paradigm of Health, Beauty, and Decay in the Body and the Building
Concept, Independent, Laboratory
American Institute of Architects (AIA) 1st Prize Medal
Arthur Spayd Brooke Gold Medal - excellence in design
Exhibited at the Seoul Architecture Biennale
This ongoing research investigates the interplay of health, beauty, and decay in both the human body and architectural structures. The human body's relevance in architecture has been a persistent topic since Vitruvius; however, its interpretation has evolved, and its role in contemporary architectural discussions on beauty has become almost imperceptible, suggesting its potential dissolution.
Traditional frameworks for beauty and ugliness, once informed by the idealized metrics of Vitruvius, Alberti, and Le Corbusier, no longer resonate within the shifted paradigms of the modern world. This thesis interrogates these changes by redefining the human body and its aesthetics for the present day and examining their implications for architecture.
Through speculating on these transformations, this work critiques the artificial and transactional nature of the modern body and architecture. It proposes alternatives that replace interactive approaches with transactive ones and analytic methodologies with synthetic processes. By doing so, it aims to inspire a radically new architectural perspective, offering fresh opportunities for innovation in form and meaning.