In this studio, we will be investigating “imperfections” in our surroundings as inspiration for bringing new contexts to a particular site.

The nuances and imperfections of a place are often what make it so delightful and engaging. A strangely-shaped crack in the hallway, a sign with a missing letter, a bench with a missing arm rest – each provides a new lens into understanding the school, its history, and its present.

Imperfections are also opportunities for designers to critique the environment: to exaggerate, distort, exploit, manipulate, or alter an existing condition into something new and playful. Through the slightest material change in the environment, design can modify the narrative of a place.

In this studio, students will create non-destructive, temporary installations on a public site to transform spaces through elements of delight, play, wonder, and surprise.