Sphere 2 explores the transformative realities and potentials of lively materiality. The buildings, infrastructures, and objects featured in this issue treat design practice as a collective, open-ended negotiation between human and nonhuman actants, testing new approaches to adaptation, durability, living archives, and cycles of use.
Contributors chart how temperature extremes within the former artillery sheds of Marfa, Texas, are being moderated through the implementation of a closed-loop geothermal system; how new methods of biofiltration were used to regenerate Venice’s marine ecosystem at the scale of a temporary installation; and how the documentation of building construction sites casts a light on local economies and labor conditions. Aging infrastructure and its reuse is a recurring topic of investigation, from the redesign of the Erie Canal in Upstate New York, to the outdated sports stadia documented in this year’s Houston Archive Project, to design-research methodologies that focus on neglected and overlooked landscapes of urban sprawl.
Editor: Nathan Friedman
Managing Editor: Christopher Davey
Graphic Design: Experimental Jetset
Contributors: Alexander Jamu, David Van Severen, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Experimental Jetset, Georgina Baronian, Ghazal Torkamaniha, Igor Marjanović, Interboro Partners, Isabeau Andrews, Jelena Pančevac, Kersten Geers, Liang Wang, Maristella Casciato, Nathan Friedman, Nemanja Zimonjić, OFFICE, Ognjen Krašna, Reto Geiser, Rory Gardiner, Schaum Architects, Scott Lloyd, and Tolila+Gilliland Atelier d’Architecture
Sphere is an annual print publication produced by the Rice School of Architecture. The contents celebrate the life of the school over one academic year—fall through spring. A succinct print archive of public events, research, and design initiatives, the publication charts the transitions taking place in our studios and seminar rooms, the city of Houston, and the world at large.