Previous Competition
Repeat
Compete
TEX-FAB COMPETITION SPONSOR

We are extremely pleased to announce the WINNING ENTRY for the TEX-FAB APPLIED: Research through Fabrication competition. A total of 68 entries from across the globe representing 17 countries on 4 continents were narrowed down to 4 finalists of which the jury consisting of Nader Tehrani, Andrew Kudless, Branko Kolarevic, and Vlad Tenu conferred and decided the winning project that is to be built for the TEX-FAB Event in Dallas next Spring, 2013.

CAST TICKET
Christine Yogiaman and Ken Tracy

The final jury convened at the ACADIA 2012, Synthetic Digital Ecologies conference in San Francisco to deliberate over the 4 finalists whose work was exhibited in the expansive nave of the California College of the Arts building. The jury, made up of preeminent members in the field  comments on the potential of the 4 designs suggesting that all the design proposals represented thoughtful and meritorious research.

The work by Christine Yogiaman and Ken Tracy, Cast Thicket, received all around agreement from the jury that it in the words of Branko Kolarevic, developed ‘geometry that is compelling’. Vlad Tenu, winner of the previous competition with Minimal Complexity, whose work was exhibited at the University of Houston College of Architecture added, ’I think the principal is really good’. Andrew Kudless’ suggestion that at this stage the work was a ‘proto-prototype’ or in Nader Tehrani’s words is in a state of ‘pre-mock-up mock-up’, the jury concluded it needed additional work and would ’benefit from another series of iterations’, per Branko Kolarevic. Strong opinions resounded in favor of the proposal with Nader Tehrani stating ’that Cast Thicket is the only one I would be interested in seeing in that context’, given the overall goals of the competition brief, he continued, ‘I believe that the Cast Thicket can be calibrated to succeed and incredibly well.’

FULL PRESS RELEASE OF WINNER

Over the next 4 months, Christine Yogiaman and Ken Tracy will further their proposal in collaboration with TEX-FAB to be installed in February at the University of Texas at Arlington, School of Architecture.

DESIGNER BIOGRAPHIES

Kenneth Tracy is a designer and fabrication specialist teaching at Washington University’s Graduate School of Architecture.  In 2010 Tracy co-founded Yogiaman Tracy Design with Christine Yogiaman. With ongoing projects in Indonesia and the US yo_cy leverages digital techniques and contextual influences to create culturally reflexive spaces.

Currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at WashU, Tracy coordinates core studios and integrates digital technology into the curriculum. In 2009 Tracy established WashU’s Digital Initiative Lab (DIL), a facility for large-scale cnc prototyping and fabrication research. He has previously taught at the Pratt Institute, Columbia University, and NJIT.

Tracy received his Master of Architecture Degree from Columbia University, and Bachelor of Design Degree from University of Florida. Formerly Tracy was founding partner at Associated Fabrication and 4-pli Design in Brooklyn, NY. Previously, Tracy worked as an architect with Carl Abbott Architects and for Imrey Culbert LP.

Christine Yogiaman is a founding partner of Yogiaman Tracy Design, with Kenneth Tracy.  yo_cy is currently designing projects in Indonesia, focusing on the utilization of digital techniques along with contextual influences to create culturally embedded, affective work. By combining labor intensive acts in craft culture with rule-based, digital frameworks these projects multiply the everyday to intensify space.

Christine is an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design at Washington University in St Louis. She develops and coordinates the graduate Core studio sequence and digital representation coursework. She has most recently received Honorable Mention for 2012 Steedman Fellowship international design competition.

Christine completed her BS in Architecture from Taubman College at University of Michigan and her March from GSAPP at Columbia University. She has worked with Dean/Wolf Architects in New York on the Queens Hospital EMS Station, which was awarded excellence in design by New York City’s Art Commission.

SUPPORT

TEX-FAB would like to thank our institutional support: University of Houston, College of Architecture; University of Texas at Arlington, School of Architecture; and University of Texas at San Antonio, College of Architecture who were involved throughout the development of the competition.

 

 

 

 

Second Round Jury

NADER TEHRANI, Head of Jury
NADAAA

BRANKO KOLAREVIC
BRANKO KOLAREVIC

ANDREW KUDLESS
MATSYS DESIGN

VLAD TENU
V. TENU

Finalists

Spin Valence
Emily Baker

The jury’s comments ranged over time from disinterest to support as this underdog, with just one initial vote, gained more appeal and finally was narrowed down as a finalist. Noted during the deliberation as having a thorough understanding on the means and methods of its potential, despite its overtly ‘simplistic’ process, Spin-Valence ultimately garnered quite a lot of praise in its ‘technique not developed to rationalize a complex form, rather the technique imposes an advanced structural integrity of a flat surface without cost implications of additive structural members’

FAB POD
Jane Burry and Nicholas Williams

Fab Pod proved to be a clear choice for the jury as little deliberation was needed to narrow down its strengths as a finalist. Noted by the jury, ‘the use of the digital tools to create a true performative surface, that is not about shading, is refreshing. Acoustics in architecture is highly mathematical, often understood by only those in the discipline of acoustic sciences, and often the expressions of performance are lost in the overall design of acoustically performing spaces. This project is one of a new breed of digitally related expressions where form and performance are seeking equal ground.’

Cast Thicket
Christine Yogiaman and Ken Tracy

In the initial conversations about Cast Thicket, the jury found that it ‘offers a promising example of hybridizing contemporary means of representation and production with more traditional means of construction.’ Upon further review and some inspired deliberation issues arose that warranted some pause. Being that the proposal did not necessarily require being cast as inherent to its formal articulation, as the design could be realized in metal or other. The jury however, given the thoroughness and potential in Cast Thicket’s development, sided on enabling the exploration, underpinning the desire to support the role of basic research in the competition brief, where an outcome is not known.

Latent Methods
Eli Allen

With broad and open support, Latent Methods was chosen for its ‘clear as well as critical framework for the exploration of contemporary surface effects through the reevaluation of the shingle architecture vernacular. Another juror summed up their thoughts with no uncertain resolve, ‘one word – Architecture. With roots dating to the middle ages in Europe, nothing digital is needed for this project at all, yet, it is by far the most purely architectural of all the speculative entries.’ Ultimately the jury chose Latent Methods over the other entries with minimal deliberation as noted above that it presented a direct connection to past that informed by an intelligent use of digital means, would greatly benefit from further exploration.

Mentions

Curved Die | Creased Structure 
Brigette Borders and Justin Fabrikant

With deliberation noting its interesting formal development that is generated from the ‘process’, Curved Die | Creased Structure, ‘presents a clear and well articulated proposal for an extremely promising research agenda.’ Additionally noted the, ‘The coupling of computational design methods with traditional means of fabrication provides a robust platform through which to interrogate the peculiarities of each within the context of the other.’ Ultimately the jury felt that the project, ‘shows innovation in material and fabrication logics’ that elevated it above other entries warranting its place as an Honorable Mention.

RE-FLEX 
H. Molina, J. Kepsel, B. O’Grady, A. Shenefelt, M. Cagle, J. LeMaster, H.Y. Mok, S. Y. Kim, D. Wekesser, R. Crum and R. Ting

The inherent beauty and elegance of RE-FLEX led the jury to comment that the proposal with intelligent performative ‘digitally fabricated joinery has built in flexibility/ capacity to take-on or influence formal characteristics.’ While its ‘aperture informs form/light transmittance and resultant structural proposition’, finally suggesting that the proposal would benefit from further work as the ‘surface thickness provides potential for sustainable structural system – compression of joinery at highly compressed moments in mobius band must be studied further.’

OTHER COMPETITORS
Continuing Research

Speculative Proposal