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 [...]

Material Territories features investigations of innovative material applications in contemporary architecture that disrupt conventional thinking about material processes, design, and construction. The essays were contributed by the following students for the graduate seminar Arch 5541: Material Strategies, led by Blaine Brownell at the University of Minnesota School of Architecture in 2009 and 2010: Solomon Atta, [...]

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 [...]

Tokyo University of Science professor Kaori Ito co-taught a collaborative workshop with Blaine Brownell at the University of Minnesota School of Architecture from August 26 to September 1, 2010. Students from both universities formed five multi-national teams in order to investigate the nature of public space in the Twin Cities. Using the short film as [...]

“Japan is a test, a challenge to think the unthinkable, a place where meaning is finally banished. Paradise, indeed, for the great student of signs.” – Edmund White Sixteen graduate and undergraduate students from the University of Minnesota School of Architecture set out on May 24, 2009 for Tokyo. The Japan traveling studio—led by Blaine [...]