1988 Master of Architecture
Julie Evans

A chasm between the first eleven pages and the twelfth page divides my portfolio into the conceptual studies represented on watercolor paper and the construction drawings represented on mylar. The division between my conceptual work in the classical language and my work with the building materials of today leads to the questions: Where does the classical reside? How authentic is the classical language with today's use of material? Learning to assemble materials authentic today as eloquently as my conceptual projects employ the classical becomes my next goal.

Designing the classical work in this portfolio required suspending disbelief. Indeed, I was able to develop the Mal du Siecle" project as long as I refrained from drawing a wall section. The act of cutting through these elevations would have forced pragmatic and temporal concerns to the surface, kindling my doubts about the veracity of building in this manner today. The "Navi Pier Retrofit" on mylar, my closing page, speaks fo my Chicago-bred concern for assembly and detail. To my benefit, ignoring these constriction concerns helped bring clarity of idea and conceptual freedom to "Mal du Siecle."

In my travels I will scrutinize the contrast between machine-age and post-industrial object buildings, both in the ancient core of the city and on its modern fringe. This criteria will be used in the next six months to locate sites in, and prepare visits to Italy, England, Holland, France, Berlin, Hong Kong, and Japan. I propose to start traveling in early 1989. Each site.visit will have at least two components: personal observations and sketches, and a discussion with the architect. My fellowship report will offer both objective information, through photographs and sketches, and subjective commentary, an analysis informed by interviews with the architect.