Benjamin Carstoiu

Material Fluidity: Sense ? Will ? Form Benjamin Carstoiu

This work is an exploration in how a building can sense and react to change in its environment. The research examines the substance of water, in particular, as an example in nature which continually redefines its physical make-up in response to external forces, while maintaining equilibrium throughout its internal make-up. In this work, the principles found within the movement of water are then applied to a building's form. The study focuses on a building's reactions to its environment and its ability to sense change, absorb impact and redistribute energy or forces applied to it. Initial studies culminate into a building project that borrows from the boundless energy found within tidal fluctuations at the site chosen for study. The building's movement is always choreographed to maintain balance and equilibrium by returning to stillness at the end of each tidal cycle. By forming a direct connection to the events and cycles of nature around it, this study is meant to explore a type of building that helps people reconnect with nature, and to become more involved in the changes that take place in the environment.