The Fullness of Ornament - Master's Thesis

The Fullness of Ornament is an exploration of ornamental structure using natural site context, material properties, and new technologies, founded in design principles based in enchantment, material craft, and elaborated structure.

This outdoor structure designed for the San Francisco Botanical Gardens seeks to apply the seven design principles of the fullness of ornament in an exploration of what ornament can begin to look like in the next age of architecture. Synthesizing both the traditional and contemporary perspectives, the purpose of this ornament is enchantment, a symbolic affect brought about through metaphysical stimulus. Inspired by nature, the provenience, or source of ornament, is material craft, bringing together nature and technology through principles of abstracted natural order, formed by material properties, and shaped through innovation. And the practice of ornament is elaborated structure, a synthesis of decoration and structure that uses scaled intricacy, parts to whole, and integrated elements. These principles can be used to create numerous diverse designs according to the material, site context, natural context, and new technologies. This structure is an exploration of one way to integrate beauty and intricacy in design, sparking transcendence.