Student Name: Heinrich Schwartzman Email Address: [email protected]Date: 1 July 2012 1. Title of Thesis (CON)TEXTURAL VISION A Center for the Study of Textiles in Philadelphia 2. Thesis Statement: Can the process of creating textiles influence the design process? a. The loss of manufacturing jobs and urban decay led to the decline of the inner city. Current studies indicate Americans are returning to cities as centers of culture, recreation, and affordable housing. New jobs are needed to provide working class neighborhoods with viability. b. Philadelphia was known as the Workshop of the World in the late 19th century- leading the industry in textile and garment manufacturing. Home to three of the top programs in fashion and textile design, the Fabric Workshop, and The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the City has immense resources to support a new Center for the study and development in a private/public resource center. c. The combination of academic resources with industrial innovation will allow a new form of cooperation to generate transformative ideas. Philadelphia can once again become a leader in the textile industry by drawing experts and tourists alike to study and visit at the Center. 3. Program a. I am personally interested in the craft of textiles- both in development and design of actual fabric and the transformation of materials into useful objects. Specifically I’m interested in the potential for fabric as an inexpensive and beautiful means to provide temporary shelter. b. Preliminary building program includes • Museum, curatorial and storage space, for both public exhibitions and for intensive scholarly research • Resource Library • Visiting Artist Center including fully equipped studios and fabrication workshops and residential accommodations for artists and designers • Small auditorium and lecture halls • 200,000sf total, including exterior site development 4. Site Broad Street and Washington Avenue 1917 The large building on the right was a clothing factory for the Wanamaker department store. SAMPLE THESIS PROPOSAL 2 2012-2013
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Student Name: Heinrich SchwartzmanEmail Address: [email protected]: 1 July 2012
1. Title of Thesis (CON)TEXTURAL VISION A Center for the Study of Textiles in Philadelphia2. Thesis Statement:
Can the process of creating textiles influence the design process?a. The loss of manufacturing jobs and urban decay led to the decline of the inner
city. Current studies indicate Americans are returning to cities as centers of culture, recreation, and affordable housing. New jobs are needed to provide working class neighborhoods with viability.
b. Philadelphia was known as the Workshop of the World in the late 19th century- leading the industry in textile and garment manufacturing. Home to three of the top programs in fashion and textile design, the Fabric Workshop, and The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the City has immense resources to support a new Center for the study and development in a private/public resource center.
c. The combination of academic resources with industrial innovation will allow a new form of cooperation to generate transformative ideas. Philadelphia can once again become a leader in the textile industry by drawing experts and tourists alike to study and visit at the Center.
3. Programa. I am personally interested in the craft of textiles- both in development and
design of actual fabric and the transformation of materials into useful objects. Specifically I’m interested in the potential for fabric as an inexpensive and beautiful means to provide temporary shelter.
b. Preliminary building program includes• Museum, curatorial and storage space, for both public exhibitions and for
intensive scholarly research• Resource Library• Visiting Artist Center including fully equipped studios and fabrication
workshops and residential accommodations for artists and designers• Small auditorium and lecture halls• 200,000sf total, including exterior site development
4. Site
Broad Street and Washington Avenue 1917 The large building on the right was a clothing factory for the Wanamaker department store.
SAMPLE THESIS PROPOSAL 2! 2012-2013
Site, continueda. I selected the site for it’s proximity to Center City, easy accessibility, and high
visibility. b. The site is flat and is currently surrounded by the High School for Creative and
Performing Arts; the former Rock School of Ballet, a condominium in a former factory building, and an empty former railroad depot site. Residential investment remains strong, as does the commercial corridor of Washington Avenue.
5. Technologya. Concepts of textiles in architecture are to be explored, with regard to both
structural and envelope systems. b. Lightweight and portable building materials offer great potential for the future of
building technology. “ High-strength, high-modulus textile fabrics are increasingly being used in the building and construction industry as a replacement for more traditional materials, such as wood, concrete, masonry and steel. As a result, the current global market for “Buildtech” technical textiles is estimated at US$12.7bn.”1
c. I hope to explore new technology by employing three-dimensional software such as Rhino as a means to develop the design of this project.
6. Cultural Contexta. The proposed site is a crossroads of commercial, cultural and residential land
use. In addition, the ethnicity of the neighborhood, once primarily an enclave of Italian and Jewish residents, has evolved through the mid-twentieth century influx of African American residents, to a new blend of southeast Asians and Hispanics in addition to the gentrification of young white residents on both the east and west sides of Broad Street.
b. The important position of Philadelphia in the history of textile production is mentioned above. In order for Philadelphia to thrive economically, new paradigms of manufacturing must be developed. Job creation through the advancement of technology is key to the future. Both white collar and blue collar employment opportunities are possible.
c. This project will attempt to cross traditionally independent cultural boundaries- as textiles are a common “thread” throughout many ethnic groups. Exhibits in the galleries will provide exposure of various traditions and conferences will foster academic research.
7. Resourcesa.Three sources
• Ollenhauer, Claudia Textiles in Architecture, Textile Media Sources, 2011• Kruger, Sylvie Textile Architecture Jovis Verlag 2008• Interviews with representatives of Philadelphia University, Drexel University
and Moore College of Art programs in fashion and textile, as well as the Fabric Workshop will be conducted.
b. Inspiration• FiberPhiladelphia, an international biennial festival brought artists from
around the world to Philadelphia in 2012. • Textile Creativity and Invention, a blog by Elisabeth Heimdal http://
newtextiles.wordpress.com• Maison Folie, Lille France, http://architettura.it/architetture/20040330/
index.htm8. Biographical Information
I am an intern architect at WORKsau Architects in Fishtown. I am taking the Programming course this summer. My firm is very supportive of my work at Drexel, and I have been accumulating vacation time to work on my thesis.
