Designing for endlessness:
sameness makes the difference

There's nothing like the color beige to conjure up images of sameness in people's minds. Yet people continue to favor the color. "Color is incredibly important to us. It's the first taste. There's also a psychological aspect, there's a reference to it as well…" That's according to Thom Faulders of Beige Design, Berkley, Calif., whose April 2 lecture was grounded on the concepts of "sameness" and "endlessness."

Presenting a series of slides to portray both of these ideas and introduce several of his own design projects, Faulders gave the last of the 2003 UD-M architectural lectures, sponsored by the Great Lakes Fabricators and Erectors Association.

Faulders explained that the notion of endlessness, "defined as being positive, ever-changing and therefore always new," was explored by the architect Frederick Kiesler (1890-1965). It was particularly visible in Kiesler's 1950s "Endless House" proposals. Though this work was never built, it continues to influence today's form-generative explorations, Faulders believes. What are commonly understood as separate entities, "floor, wall and ceiling, were suddenly ambiguous, creating an opportunity for user exploration and re-invention… It was perceptually complex and though organized as a relatively simple structure it was endless in its presence of unbounded inter-connectivity."

Endlessness could be understood negatively, as monotony, repetition, lack of distinction, even sameness. "Yet I would like to argue that it is precisely this sameness where a residue of difference can be found… the presence of a constant allows for the legibility of variation," Faulders said.

Moon Dog, a 1964 sculpture by Tony Smith (1912-80), rebuilt in 1997, is another work that stands out for its simplicity. Three irregularly shaped static objects, all the same, joined together around a centre point, create the impression of variety and endlessness. "A brilliant study in the interplay between constant and variation," said Faulders. "Symmetrical in plane about three axes, the piece takes on a seemingly endless number of configurations when viewed in space, yet it's a simply a combination of sameness… as one navigates through it in space, it is continually changing, it's always different."

Exploring these ideas of sameness and difference, Faulders admired a 1988 sculpture of Michael Jackson and monkey, Bubbles, by Jeff Koons, where the expected differences between the two are blurred. He also talked about a smoke ring, where each particle is unique, separate, yet together forming a network or body, which has its own uniqueness.

Faulders went on to explain the particular focus of his own work: "From objects in inventive material networks, furniture prototyping, build to conceptually proposed architecture, urban incisions, and in through the forum of exhibitions. I am interested in architecture that explores the potential of responding to response. Where materials sometimes behave as verbs as opposed to nouns and space is transformed in the presence of participants…" His projects are influenced by limited budgets, and he uses "relatively simple and ubiquitous materials."

An installation project he completed at Cranbrook Academy was a series of four separate square panels, the same as each other, connected by electric cords. The accumulation of horizontally hand-drawn lines across these plaster cast panels produces a reflective quality; passing electricity through the graphite allows the drawing to do its own drawing - of electricity through the surface. The representation of activity, in a drawing, actually becomes the activity.

Faulders also spoke about his listening room project, inspired by "Dr Scholls," a bandaid becoming an interface, seeing it as a larger environment. He considered the presence of sound and the idea of trying to capture the physical phenomena in architecture, create the sense of "linger" in a space. He came up with the idea of creating an environment with intelligent memory. "It was really meant to be a trip-out space… where you can kind of just get lost in the music and some kind of seamless environment." The budget did not allow for the total encapsulation of the room, so Faulders decided on "a kind of an amalgamated pinkish, orangish, brownish color," the color that you see when you close your eyes looking at the light.

Using what he described as almost a "boat-making type of technology," Faulders built a plywood three-dimensional matrix across the floor, creating a hump on the surface. He experimented with types of materials to create a skin, a layer like a bandaid. It was important that the skin keep the impression of what has been impressed into it for an interactive space. "Memory foam" was chosen, something that is used by hospital beds, earplugs, and, not surprisingly, in Dr Scholls products. This space was designed for a person "to take your shoes off and dive in." Faulders worked with the ceiling lighting to form patterns - asymmetry of ceiling gives light variation and idea of shifting patterns of footprints.

With a similar idea of a skin surface, Faulders designed a hypothetical parking garage in downtown Cincinnati, "to create an exchange between automobiles and pedestrians," he said. A flexible membrane between people walking past, and the cars parking provided interaction between the two. As cars pull into parking spaces the membrane would noticeably deflect towards the pedestrian walkway.

Faulders went on to discuss another idea for parking, using the technology and vocabulary of parking space balls to tell you when the car is in the right place. He wanted to give some identity to a parking structure - that was the main function of his project, and to tell cars when to start and stop. But the design, while intriguing, had limitations. Only sedans could be in this parking building. That's because the balls had to be hung at about the four and a half feet level, to accommodate both visual and walking safety, adjustments. Even so, walking through the space gives a wonderful parallax, from different views, created from the sameness. There is a constant closing and opening. And while the parking garage may be too impractical to build, the effects that result from Faulders' design can greatly influence the interior designs of ceilings and public spaces.

Faulders went on to display unique designs for a table designed to protect people during earthquakes while providing storage space accessible from the bottom of the table platform for a variety of resources, some for everyday life and some for emergencies. He discussed an interior space design he developed for an internet company, influenced by web site designs, and highlighted by an intriguing use of clear acrylics to connect and separate spaces. (The conference room for the office uses fabrics and transparent panels that make it resemble a handbag.) A house addition in San Francisco also provided Faulders with the opportunity to consider the urban context of wood ornamentation.

Faulders told his UD-Mercy audience he was interested in the exploring of processes, the porosity between inside and outside: "The final configuration certainly wasn't necessarily what this exploration it was all about… But it could take on a number of configurations."

An entry façade for a gallery at the California College of Arts, where Faulders teaches, was another of his projects. It would be two facades that could work simultaneously, and perpendicular to each other. Being in an old warehouse converted to instructional use, it is an amazing but harsh space. He wanted to bring a touch of softness to it.

Although the facade itself is made of hard materials, it has both fin and feather inspired sections designed to provide a softness, a perception of opening and closing. He considers this piece a small architectural element, not a sculpture, although it has sculptural qualities.

Faulders is very close to his projects, not just at the design level. "Almost invariably there are pieces of the projects that we do fabricate because nobody else will," he said. "Or we cannot afford to have it done, or we're not sure how it will be done. We do what it takes to get the work to happen. We try to rely on outside sourcing, but we're open to getting our hands dirty when we have to."

With this lecture the Spring 2003 architectural lecture season of the University of Detroit-Mercy and Great Lakes Fabricators & Erectors Association came to a close. But the program will continue. The schedule for the upcoming fall season is under development and probably will not be finalized until September.