infatuations in makkasan
University of Michigan
Travel Studio, Spring 2015
Instructor: Francios Roche
Infatuations of Makkasan explores the limits of architecture and fabrication by integrating the digital realm of scripting and robotics with the analogue pouring construction method. A script was written using Grasshopper to control the movement of a robotic arm for the production of clay tiles. The tiles were then assembled on site to provide a small shelter/library for the local community.
In addition to the construction, a short film was produced to open up a dialogue surrounding the library’s construction and its surrounding context. Sited in the slum of Makkasan, the film exposes the dichotomy between two worlds- the privileged world of the highway, or “hi-so”, and the underbelly world of the slum. This commentary touches on a variety of subjects that goes beyond architecture, such as politics, economics, and societal norms in the city of Bangkok.
Project Team: Beth Carliner, Te-Shiou Chen, Linnea Cook, Po-Jen Huang, Stefan Klecheski, Salam Rida, Peter Sapassi, Tracey Weisman, John Yoon, Min Zhang, Wei Qi Zhang.