EMBRACING
DECAY
EMBRACING
DECAY
By incorporating the ecological process of decay in the design of building materials, this research attempts to formulate and develop a method for planning the obsolescence of earthen structures through material strategy and construction. The goal is to explore how materials’ tectonic and inherent capabilities affect the structure's durability by implementing controlled structural and material porosity.
Doctoral Research
Penn State University
In Progress
Contemporary environmental challenges of architecture can be addressed by focusing on decay and its appreciation in practice, and also studying existing architectural typologies/vernaculars that are cyclical such as Iranian pigeon towers. Designed as environmental infrastructures, Iranian pigeon towers were built to systematize the collection of pigeon droppings to be used as agricultural fertilizers. The process of decay and planned obsolescence does not ignore these natural strategies. It tries to incorporate them in the design process to achieve an ecological design aligned with the ongoing flow of life on Earth.
The design and exploration of decay-informed compressed earth blocks in this research is approached through material exploration and a routine of extensive sampling. These experiments propose a method of prototyping earth blocks for planned obsolescence to address contemporary challenges caused by exaggerated/excessive durability in the built environment.
