This project was born from a photo essay that I started at the beginning of the semester where I took a series of photos starting in downtown Lexington and ending in rural Kentucky which focused on the reflections within the photos (glass on buildings, lakes, etc.). This then spurred several studies on reflection and how to control it and eventually manipulate it to create a formal language. I became fascinated with both the physics of light and the aesthetic capabilities of reflected form and reflective material.
The final program was to build a spa or recuperation center on a 30X210 foot urban site using this discovery from the photo essay. The form of the spa was instigated by the discoveries that I made in the "Mirror Box" study model, where I sought to understand the spatial properties of reflected light and eventually manipulate those reflections to create moments of intention. My design for the site features reflecting ponds that both react to, and interact with the spa building language. The play between the spa, the studio apartment at the end of the site, and the reflecting ponds is integral to the design of the project. This is the final result of the semester's work.
Professor: Michael Barry
