Material Investigations A Student Exhibition
Material Investigations showcases selected student work from the ARC 435 Materials & Methods of Construction course during the Fall 2025 semester. The exhibition foregrounds material inquiry as a critical mode of architectural thinking by investigating traditional building materials in non-traditional ways.
The work is organized around six material categories—Clay Masonry, Concrete, Glass, Metal, Stone Masonry, and Wood—with students working in pairs within each category. Rather than treating materials as conventional building components, the projects investigate their fundamental properties, behaviors, and spatial effects. Through experimentation, fabrication, and design thinking, students engaged materials as generative elements capable of shaping form, perception, and experience.
Each project begins with a physical model that explores the effects and behaviors of a material through hands-on making. This three-dimensional investigation is then translated into digital drawings at the same scale, alongside photography, challenging students to reconsider how material qualities such as imperfections, texture, patterns, opacity, and assembly are understood and communicated across different mediums.
Contributors:
Katie Adams / Charlie Angeles Garcia / Hayden Arthur / Ellie Avery / Madison Bergin / Ashton Billingsley / Sawyer Broeking / Kelton Brown / Preston Cale / Veronica Childers / Hunter Clark / Emily Comer / Laura Copeland / Kate Corcoran / Josh Crawford / Braden Dant / Landyn Despain / Cameron Dougherty / Campbell Downs / Kevin Espinoza / Sid Fitzer / Jillian Freeman / Tucker Gillispie / Jeongyun Han / Spencer Hays / Emily Hernandez-Pachon / Cameron Holmes / Ashton Huber / Lynzi Huggett / Maxwell Jaggers / Andrew Justice / Matthew Kramer / Dylan Lamberth / Rebecca Leber / Nicole Linsenbardt / Mark Llanes / Jack Loik / Kevin Lopez / Mia Lowe / Chase Lynch / Katherine Maxwell / Jordan Moseley / Brayden Nichols / Eniola Olaleye / Mary Parrill / Smit Patel / Chloe Peppeard / Bradley Quenemoen / Leah Raley / Peyton Ray / Kelsey Rhea / Emilie Rice / Chase Richardson / Gregory Richardson / Cole Roby / Nova Schack / Lydia Schneider / Anna Schroll / Kauner Shacklette / Hailey Skiles / Jack Sleet / Ethan Smith / Shae Stephens / Emily Strahl / Cora Szymanowski / Ashlee Taylor / Haydee Camila Torres Alcantara / Seth Williams / Skyler Wilson / Carmen Wood / Skyler Young.
Teaching Assistant: Magnolia Cornett / Instructor: Jonathan MacGillis