Shih Hsuan(Alvin) Lo
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Assembling Atmospheres

Material Studies / INT-635 / Spring 2024

Assembling Atmospheres traces a semester-long investigation into how light, color, and material construct spatial experience. The work begins with charcoal and watercolor observations of a domestic interior, then translates overlapping geometries through plaster casting, timber joinery, and soft fabrication.

The final study examines Carlo Scarpa’s Olivetti Showroom through Venetian plaster, considering seasonal perception, material aging, embodied impact, and a 5-to-100-year life cycle. Together, the projects move from close observation to physical making and long-term material speculation.

Cast plaster model showing layered voids and textured surfaces

Assignment 01

Perceiving Atmosphere

Observational drawings record how afternoon light, shadow, color, and hue transform the atmosphere of a domestic interior.

Selected perspective for the Perceiving Atmosphere study
Charcoal study recording afternoon light and shadow
Watercolor study recording changes in color and hue
Developed watercolor atmosphere study
Sequential watercolor atmosphere studies

Assignment 02

Thinking Through Making

An eight-inch cubic constraint translates overlapping rectangles and negative space through cast plaster, interlocking timber, and soft fabric structures.

Process Poster

The complete assignment documents the shared geometric study and its translation across plaster, timber, and fabric.

Thinking Through Making presentation poster documenting all three model studies

Plaster Model

Hard-edged volumes preserve the impressions of corrugated and folded casting materials.

Complete cast plaster model
Close view of texture and negative space cast into plaster
Vertical profile of the layered plaster model
Front elevation showing the model's overlapping rectangular volumes
Close study of the fabric-cast plaster surface
Detailed view of grooves and voids in the plaster casting

Wooden Model

Interlocking frames and slotted connections translate the same overlapping geometry without glue.

Complete interlocking wooden model
Overhead view of the overlapping wooden frames
Close view of a slotted timber connection
Disassembled timber frames showing the construction system
Detailed view of the interlocking wood joinery

Soft Model

Padded fabric volumes test compression, flexibility, and softness within the same cubic boundary.

Complete soft fabric model
Front view of the padded fabric volumes
Angled view showing overlapping soft forms

Assignment 03

Material Futures

Carlo Scarpa’s Olivetti Showroom becomes a case study for Venetian plaster, seasonal perception, embodied impact, material aging, and long-term stewardship.

Base sketches mapping the Olivetti Showroom across seasonal conditions
Spring and summer atmospheric sketches
Autumn and winter atmospheric sketches
Olivetti Showroom stair and typewriter display photographed on site
Upper lounge and glass display photographed inside the Olivetti Showroom
Interior circulation and display sequence in the Olivetti Showroom
Stone stair geometry and mosaic floor detail
Venetian plaster, stone, and brass junction photographed on site
View from the Olivetti Showroom toward Piazza San Marco
Material Futures study of Carlo Scarpa's Olivetti Showroom
Venetian plaster material and life-cycle research
Environmental and embodied impact study
Study of Venetian plaster's effects over time
Venetian plaster aging across 5, 10, 50, and 100 years
Venetian plaster sustainable design strategy

All Olivetti Showroom photographs shown here were taken by Shih Hsuan (Alvin) Lo.