Transstudio

Within the continually shifting territory of material selection and application, several important trends have emerged that indicate dramatic changes in our future built environment. These trends highlight the imminent transition from an industrialized, hydrocarbon-based global economy to a regenerative, carbohydrate-based system. Climate change, peak oil, food shortages, water conflicts, and pervasive pollutants are all global [...]

The cover article of the November/December 2010 issue of Architectural Lighting magazine features experimental light and material installations created by graduate students at the University of Minnesota School of Architecture. The students participated in two catalyst studios taught by Blaine Brownell in collaboration with 3M scientist John Huizinga and materials specialist Margaret Vogel-Martin. These one-week [...]

While the trajectories of minimalist light art and assemblage art have been historically distinct, these movements seek to produce similarly charged atmospheres that transcend common material associations. A marriage of these traditions employing programmable light nets and reused beverage containers seeks to capitalize on this similarity, shifting deeply-embedded cultural readings of a ubiquitous consumer product [...]

The following projects are proposals for installations composed of repurposed ubiquitous consumer objects. These immersive constructions intend to define space with a minimal means of resources, achieving strong structure via weak materials. PET Orb Like the PET Wall, the PET Orb is another potential manifestation of the PET-based light curtain, in this case a segmented [...]