OZARKS RESEARCH STATION | Cantilevered over an abandoned granite quarry in Elephant Rocks State Park, MO, a building is imagined as a projection of the land. It takes on the form of a lost piece of fissured topography following the shape of the land that existed before the quarry was excavated. Three researchers collaborating on a publication about the Ozarks share the live-work dwelling—a geologist, a photojournalist, and a conservationist—who represent the past, present, and the future, respectively.
site photomontage | domes + fissures
site photomontage | granite displacement
SITE | The rock formations at Elephant Rocks State Park have eroded and cracked over time, creating distinctive ’domed’ and ‘fissured’ volumes. A 19th century quarrying operation left further scars in the land, echoing the morphologies of the geological fissures. Further intervention at the quarry is designed using the datums of existing fissures and man-made cuts to guide the revival of an imagined/lost topography.
site transect collage | surfaces + light
quarry topography model | foam board + bristol paper
collage | form studies
massing concept perspective
PROJECTION | Further intervention at the quarry is designed through adding and subtracting volumes, using the lines of existing fissures and man-made cuts.
site map
from left to right: site plan, main level plan, lower level plan
CAMOUFLAGE | Clad in layers of granite, the building blends into the surrounding landscape. The building’s ‘fissures’ allow for light penetration and the collection of water, and they morph into partitions that divide space.
section