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Almost Nothing
Almost Nothing
Detroit, MI, United States
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Almost Nothing
Detroit, MI, United States
This project was the result of a
two-stage invited competition done with Ply Architecture.
Mies went to great lengths to create
smooth, polished surfaces of large stone slabs in many of his projects. When
used on exterior terraces, the slabs are spaced such that water falls between
them and is discarded below. In contrast, our proposal renders water visible,
conflating the material and the functional, while playing off of Mies’
signature elements: the plinth, the grid and the “book-matched” slabs of stone.
By “extruding” the rectangular pattern of concrete, we created a bas relief.
This slightly modulated and thickened surface, comprised of
custom-fabricated concrete tiles, was placed symmetrically within the plaza yet
asymmetrically in its “z” axis. This simple modification allowed one end
to be elevated above plaza grade for seating. At its terminus, the
surface continues vertically, under a grove of trees, forming a wall.
A series of ten CNC-milled forms were
used to cast 192 concrete tiles. The custom tiles that comprise the surface
are made from five forms and their mirrored counterparts. Pairs are set end to
end within the plinth, drawing on Mies’ trademark of cutting stone slabs
symmetrically across their dominant pattern. The bas-relief strategy of both
the overall plinth figure and the concrete tiles are seen in contrast to the
uniformity of the surface visible in the Lafayettetower’s façades that sit within view of our
project. In order to accommodate vegetation within the field of concrete, each
tile has one non-parallel edge and one corresponding shallow corner, thereby
creating “openings” within the field of tiles and directing water into the
openings. This simple modification to the form creates infinite variety in the
overall pattern of the openings. These are planted with five species of
drought-tolerant plants.
two-stage invited competition done with Ply Architecture.
Mies went to great lengths to create
smooth, polished surfaces of large stone slabs in many of his projects. When
used on exterior terraces, the slabs are spaced such that water falls between
them and is discarded below. In contrast, our proposal renders water visible,
conflating the material and the functional, while playing off of Mies’
signature elements: the plinth, the grid and the “book-matched” slabs of stone.
By “extruding” the rectangular pattern of concrete, we created a bas relief.
This slightly modulated and thickened surface, comprised of
custom-fabricated concrete tiles, was placed symmetrically within the plaza yet
asymmetrically in its “z” axis. This simple modification allowed one end
to be elevated above plaza grade for seating. At its terminus, the
surface continues vertically, under a grove of trees, forming a wall.
A series of ten CNC-milled forms were
used to cast 192 concrete tiles. The custom tiles that comprise the surface
are made from five forms and their mirrored counterparts. Pairs are set end to
end within the plinth, drawing on Mies’ trademark of cutting stone slabs
symmetrically across their dominant pattern. The bas-relief strategy of both
the overall plinth figure and the concrete tiles are seen in contrast to the
uniformity of the surface visible in the Lafayettetower’s façades that sit within view of our
project. In order to accommodate vegetation within the field of concrete, each
tile has one non-parallel edge and one corresponding shallow corner, thereby
creating “openings” within the field of tiles and directing water into the
openings. This simple modification to the form creates infinite variety in the
overall pattern of the openings. These are planted with five species of
drought-tolerant plants.
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