The Problem: Architectural Surface, From Skin to Hide First principle: surface (hide) comes first, form (body) comes second. This is akin to coming upon the hide of an unfamiliar animal laid flat, trying to imagine how to reconstitute its original form. Second principle: how the surface feels texturally and effectually. This is a cosmetic problem rather than a semiotic one. Ultimately, then, the resulting composition of surface and underlying form is evaluated not so much in terms of formal reading but in terms of things like posture, disposition, luster, and character. The product, then, will be a cast of modeled characters - a menagerie, if you will - meant to support the impulse to imagine architecture first through its surface, and only secondarily through everything else. Which is not to say that these other elements of building design are not important, but rather to explore how their subjugation to a dominant surface might play out.
