Dark Earth

Cooper Union Bachelor of Architecture Thesis

Ceramics studio in Zografos, Athens, Greece 

Fire is both a constructive and destructive phenomenon. The act of burning is a transformation; it has the ability to perish, renew, degrade and then repair an object.  The name wildfire was once synonymous with Greek fire, but in recent history, Greek forests have seen “accidental” wildfires annually since 1995.  Amidst these conflagrations, I look for a new possibility for architecture.  Architecture can use fire to construct. The architectural project equips an unburned forest (just east of Athens suburb, Zografos) with kilns.  Scattered around the perimeter of the forest, the kilns re-introduce control by implementation of a system of  ‘drying and coaling.’   Each set of kilns relates to a zone from which excess forest fuel is collected and burned to produce charcoal. This charcoal would then be planted to fertilize the forest ground.  While cleaning the forest of excess leaves, branches and other organic matter, the kilns establish an active ‘fire wall’ that reclaims and protects the territory of the forest.  The proposal works with fire, allowing for a transformation rather than destruction.

 

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