ARCH 102A
Cube Studies
Digital to Physical
Fall 2024
ARCH 102A marked my first semester in the USC School of Architecture and introduced architectural form-making through a series of iterative cube studies. The project focused on understanding how complex spatial relationships can emerge from simple geometric constraints, using the cube as a generative starting point.
Digital studies were translated into numerous hand-built chipboard models, emphasizing precision, material logic, and craft. Constructing the forms physically allowed for a deeper understanding of scale, edge conditions, and spatial depth that could not be fully captured on screen. The iterative process between digital and physical modeling informed subsequent refinements.
After exploring multiple individual cube studies, selected forms were recombined digitally to produce a more complex unified structure. From this synthesis, one final cube was chosen and scaled up to become the culminating object of the project. The final work includes both a completed physical model and a sectional model, revealing interior spatial relationships and highlighting the dialogue between solid and void.
The work began in Rhino, where I produced a wide range of cubic compositions through Boolean operations and geometric transformations. These studies explored subtraction, intersection, and aggregation, incorporating curves, cones, planes, and volumes to challenge the rigidity of the cube while maintaining its underlying logic. Each iteration tested how form, void, and surface interact within a constrained volume.
