Seán Fogarty - Thesis

Inspiration and Intent

My aim for this thesis is to understand the limits to which Scully's work can be transcribed into architecture.

Research

My analysis started with an in-depth look at Scully's work and philosophies.

At its most elemental his work is a narrative of duality and coexistance: of colours, of textures and of orders. Nothing is singular or pure, the first gesture is never enough. Everything relates either to what preceded it (what colour went before it on the canvas) or what is beside it. And within these relationships lie infinite possibilities for the expression of contrast, harmony, supremacy, domination, subordination, conflict, collaboration and order.

I knew that whatever I was to design would have to resonate with the same intensity of complex inter-relationships if it were to come close to emulating Scully's work.

Starting with the fundamental relationship between architecture and its context I was drawn towards the work of O'Donnell and Tuomey Architects. The attraction for me was in the charged atmosphere which some of their projects exude when seen in relation to their contexts. In my experience, the bold assertion of their form and materiality creates a similar magic/tension as that which abides in the asymmetrical rhythms of Scully's work.