Gallery Conversation

Questions surrounding aesthetics, recyclability, and resilience inform the research of Laura Briggs, Critic, and Jonathan Knowles, Professor both in RISD’s Architecture Department. Looking for answers to obsolescence, they explore contrasting ideas of durability and reconfiguration as concepts for conserving natural resources. Understanding repair as an economic and ethical consideration, they work to reconceive waste as part of an ecosystem, using recycled and natural materials in the context of historic buildings and in their experimental constructions. Join a conversation about their collaborative projects, 44 East Street and From Horizontal to Vertical in the exhibition Repair and Design Futures.
Free with admission.
Rescheduled from April 17.
44 East Street – Ongoing
The restoration of a 100-year old home in Fox Point updates a historic building to the highest energy standard. The home will be 90% more efficient than typical construction. The existing shell and finishes has been preserved to fit the existing context, while the inside meets the Department of Energy’s “Zero Energy Ready Home” benchmark and will supply all site energy demands from renewable, solar energy. The house will be a net producer of energy, and utility costs will be eliminated. The inside has been carved to allow for the play of light and view.
From Horizontal to Vertical – Spring 2018
This Advanced Studio included the Departments of Interior Architecture (INTAR), Textiles, and Architecture. Students focused on the articulation of interior acoustical surfaces – the design and prototyping of ceiling and wall partitions. These surfaces were made from materials that are interchangeable and easy to replace and repair. We examined the design processes and thinking that comes out of re-use and we designed for a process of evolution. We proposed the configurability of space over time – the possibility to assemble, disassemble and reconfigure components at will. The final projects were full-scale spatial prototypes, assembled and displayed at the Domaine de Boisbuchet in Southwest France, within an unfinished 18th century castle.