“Beyond text, beyond image, there is a craft of making with masonry.” - Franca Trubiano
This funded seminar and workshop organized and led by Associate Professor Franca Trubiano introduced students to the subject of masonry tectonics by investigating new design opportunities made possible by clay brick and terracotta tile materials. Innovation was channeled via this most ancient of materials and the seminar was focused on the art and science and the construction and modeling of masonry structures. In reviewing the history and theory of masonry construction, students acquired fundamental knowledge on the materiality of tiles, vaulting techniques, form finding, and its associated labor. The seminar was supported by expert consultants who, with first-hand knowledge of masonry techniques, led hands-on masonry workshops for students to engage the material reality of masonry. Students worked alongside University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design alumnus Jonathan Dessi Olive (MArch’15) and union-trained masonry apprentices from the Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers (BAC) Local 1, in Northeast Philadelphia.
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