Assignment 4: Garrett Rauck and Matt Porter

Our design for studio project 1b hinges on the utilization of the mudroom as a central, communal space for socialization between the hikers and bathers, catalyzing conversation and encouraging ethnographic discovery. At the center of the space sits a fire to provide warmth and attract conversation. Due to these conditions and the importance of the mudroom/fire, we chose to study our chimney as our furniture piece. Another concept we were exploring in the bath house project is the effect of parallax as it relates to circulation. This idea came through in the way we detailed our furniture.


Theoretically constructed of heavy timber, the chimney vertically penetrates the aluminum roofing to establish it's presence within the subterranean mudroom as well as along the trail above. Slats of timber are cut into trapezoidal shapes and then bowed to ultimately form a hollow truncated cone for steam ventilation (for our detail, we used MDF and CNC-ed the bow rather than physically bending it). As shown below, steel 'fins' are attach to either side of each slat, allowing each module to be attached using nut and bolt connection. The gap between modules originates from the decision that this chimney would be suspended above the fire by tension cables running to the circular concrete wall around the mudroom. The lines suggested by the tension cables, which radiate out from the chimney/fire, created a set of geometry for us along which we could articulate reveals on the chimney, across the aluminum roofing and down into the interior spaces as well. This articulation of detail beginsthe experience of parallax that we are trying to achieve, creating rhythm as you circulate around the chimney, through the mudroom, as well as around the mudroom.