The intention of “Assemblage,” my fifth year thesis project, is to create architecture based in discovery, connecting with existing environments and materials. I hope to create a beautiful convolution of stories, histories in material and space—evoking the aura and spirit of a place and inviting thoughtful human interaction. Instead of starting with new, raw material (often energy-intensive to make/transport) I want to pick up on the richness left behind on existing material (maybe discarded, left behind, forgotten). I want to work from existing lines, taking cues from what is already there. There is something special about old, used material. It has a story to tell, and when it is reused, it clues to its previous life as it begins its new life. Our physical surroundings can express the touch they have felt. That is why I want to use the leftovers, the odd-sized remnants, the weathered, warping material—we have plenty of it. I hope my thesis can become one of many ways we can become alchemists, transforming scraps into art, using waste creatively.

The site of my thesis project is the Tin House, an abandoned building at the top of the ridge near Mcway Falls in Big Sur. It is a special place, covered in marks of those who have visited before and begging to be re- used. You can reach the Tin House by hiking up the Tanbark trail, a 3 mile one-way route switch backing through redwoods (trail head off Highway 1 at Partington Cove) or up the fire road just north of Mcway Falls on Highway 1, a 2.5 mile one-way route along the ridge. The full loop is around 6 miles, but is fairly steep, with 2,oooft elevation gain. The story of the Tin House is curious: it was built in 1944 for a wealthy couple, former New York Congressman Lantrop Brown and railroad heiress Helen Hooper Brown. They decided to built the Tin House up on the top of the ridge in order to escape the fog (their first property in Big Sur was closer to the ocean). The Tin House was built in 1944, when building materials were scarce because of WWII. The materials they were able to find were from two gas station buildings that had been disassembled and brought up to the site. It was a difficult task, but the rich couple hired an architect and builders to see it through. Rumor is, the couple only spent a few nights at the house and left because the metal walls and roof creaked all night in the wind.