Victoria Hatsenko
Fluid & Obstructed
From the third-year undergraduate studio This Is Not a 22-Carat Styrofoam Casino*, Spring 2020
Faculty: Barbara Materia
About the studio:
What happened to the compulsive and prolific design experimentation of casinos? After a century of impulsive production of new architectural and spatial models, newer casinos have become more appealing, entertaining, and accessible—but also more banal. Emotional experience has taken over spatial complexity: architecture has been reduced to massive sheds embellished through superficial makeup, articulated envelopes, themed settings, and exotic atmospheres. The studio aimed to stimulate the investigation of the casino type and challenge the old and new models that seem to have evolved in the absence of important typological alternatives.
About the project:
The concept is to have a continuous fluid space that is interrupted by volumes. The casino space is composed of three organic floor plates where the program is distributed. The program is defined by shapes that are embedded into organic floor plates. Circulation in the casino is controlled by obstructions and a topographic floor and ceiling, which are meant to encourage undefined pathways, lead to diverse interactions, and promote individual and dynamic experiences. The absence of solid physical boundaries creates a completely open space, where every action is on display.