Masonry Design | 37
M.D.M.: Wow.
A.R.: It can really be intimidating. It’s a lot of
pressure when you realize the importance of the
role. It’s nothing short of amazing.
M.D.M.: Tell me about some of the classes you
took while in school.
A.R.: I took a host of courses at Carnegie Mellon,
obviously all of the primary curriculum for typical
architecture students. I took everything ranging
from materials and assembly to architectural
history and theories, to issues of practice, as well
as a range of studios. I personally pursued two
different theses in my Bachelor of Architecture.
I
did a thesis on exploring gender with regards to
architectural space. I challenged architecture in
a sense. I did a lot of research on clear space, I
used ballistics gelatin as a medium for
interactive spaces where humans can actually
impact their immediate surroundings. Where they
could almost embrace comfort and difference,
and start to push what architecture is. I kind of
accused architectural fundamentals and
methodologies as being incredibly masculine and
aggressive. I tried to dispel gender altogether and
find something that was much more human. Kind
of going back to the animalistic aspects of
humanity as well as a home in general.
In my masters, I pursued a thesis in urban water
management in Pittsburgh, PA. This was while I
was pursuing a Master’s Degree in Sustainable
Design. I’m especially passionate about water
management. Given how people should cherish,
not waste our environmental resources. Water
management is incredibly important, given that
it’s a depleting resource and Pittsburgh, PA. is in
a unique location because it’s actually predicted
to not have a drought or water shortage in the
next 40 years.
I liked the idea of being able to take advantage of
the intense topography of the area. As well as the
green infrastructure and making it more of a
cyclical urban environment, that really is a
network of productive entities. Those are my
two passions, they’re very disparate but I’m very
committed to creating spaces that are resilient
with regards to both social and environmental
aspects.
M.D.M.: Where do you see yourself in five years?
A.R.: Great question. I’ve sort of set a game plan
for myself and try and stick with it. So far, I’ve
done that pretty successfully. After this position,
I plan to move to New York City, I never like to
stay in one place for too long. I’m sort of a nomad
in that regard. I intend to challenge that urban
space in particular because it has such a unique
relationship to water. As well as having a dense
and unique urban environment compared to
anything else in the country.
I
really want to design public places, I want to
blow the boundary between the public and
private realm in whatever way that I can. While
still making everything as sustainable as
possible. Eventually, I’d like to have my own
practice or start a collective along with my fellow
classmates from Carnegie Mellon. We had an
optimistic goal to start a collective and I’m
determined to make that happen. We all just have
to be licensed first. I’m trying to get my
architecture license by 2020 and I’ve committed
to doing so, by the deadline.
In five years, I’m hoping to have the groundwork
for that collective started, and I’m also playing
around with the idea of moving to the
Netherlands one day. The architects and
designers in the Netherlands inspire me mainly
because of their exceptional urban water
management, and the ability for those urban
areas to be scaled so appropriately to human
lifestyles. I find that the US is often scaled for
vehicular transportation. They don’t feel