Water Damage
WP / 2020
From Undergraduate Elective Seminar with Jack Hymowitz
Through the development of the drop ceiling as an architectural assembly, the design examines the dereliction of the ceiling as an elemental barrier, in the form of a catastrophic failure of a leak. Beginning with a flat dry surface, three iterations of panels range in increasing dampness that culminate in a drip. This panel incorporates a light fixture, which shines through a translucent membrane in the extremity of the drip. At the perimeter of each panel, contours smooth down to the base to facilitate a continuity with adjacent panels, fastened by the frame.
The coloration of the modules directly relates to its presence in the environment: in the Mikvah, a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism, the panels mimic the condensation which occurs in the small, steamy space, whereas the panels in the subway station evoke a dank environment, where mold flourishes amid the leaky ceiling.