Karl Frantz // THESIS

Karl Frantz

The thesis began as an investigation into the history of ornament and structure. Throughout the development of principle concepts through the construction of physical constructs, it evolved, picking up attributes throughout history, and becoming an exploration into how architectural form, building technology, and construction can begin to be informed by developing material and structural functions of ornament. NYC: In order to understand how ornament performs at the urban scale, the thesis must embrace the role of architecture as a cultural mediator communicating externally with the public. The content of this expression is based internally on the building’s structure and organization, and this idea of ornament is carried across scales as a unifying link of the internal properties/forces with the external architectural expression.
Ultimately, the built form of the thesis involved the development of a structural wall system capable of bearing the necessary functions of a wall within a certain program: the urban marketplace.

Karl Frantz © 2014