Academic Interests

1. Statement of Research Objectives Michael Carroll
Design/Build
As part of a design/build philosophy, I am a founding partner of atelier BUILD that
since 1995 has designed and built a series of urban infill projects that include among
others: Thin House, Box House, and Super 8. As a form of architectural research, the
projects are an opportunity to investigate innovative and sustainable design solutions
for marginal and interstitial lots that reduce urban sprawl through high-density urban
development. Because the projects are developed without a client and built on
speculation there is a constant negotiation between generic, cost-effective construction
practices and design innovation that incorporates ‘off-the-shelf’ domestic and industrial
grade products. The work of atelier BUILD will be the subject of a monograph published
by TUNS Press of Dalhousie University in Winter 2009. Vertical Vegetal Wall, Fernhill Project
Sustainablility
In recent years, issues of sustainability have become central in projects such as Eco-
Cité Habitat I, one of the first ‘eco-condominium’ projects in Canada, it incorporates
geo-thermal heating/cooling, heat mirror films, green roofs and ‘low toxic’ material
specifications. More recent projects include a zero-carbon house for a reality TV show
for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The project’s objective is to develop a
house that produces as much (or more) energy than it consumes through the use of
passive solar design, geo-thermal heating/cooling, wind generators and photovoltaic
Borneo-Sporenburg, Amsterdam
cells. Another project in process is the design and production of a vertical vegetal wall
that incorporates stainless steel netting, fiber optic lighting and an irrigation system to Urban Infill, atelier BOW-WOW, Tokyo
create a ‘living’ screen in the middle of an passively-ventilated central atrium.
Urban Infill
The Canadian Prix de Rome enabled me to travel to Japan and the Netherlands and
expand my research on innovative, high density, urban infill projects. I interviewed such
critically acclaimed architects as atelier BOW WOW and Klein Dytham Architects in
Tokyo and Kiyoshi Sey Takeyama in Kyoto/Osaka. In the Netherlands, research focused
on recent developments in the industrial docklands of Amsterdam and Rotterdam
designed by groups such as West 8, MVRDV and Heren 5 Architects. As a product of
my Prix de Rome research, this past summer with the help of a Syracuse Architecture
Faculty Research Grant, I made two fifteen-minute videos entitled: In-Between: the
Architecture of Ma and Double Dutch: Urban Housing in the Netherlands. As a
continutation of my research on Japan architecture and culture, I hope to bring a group
of students to Japan in May 2009 as part of Syracuse University’s Studies Abroad
program.
Eco-Wall, ICF, Fernhill Project
Materiality
As part of my ongoing material research, an insulated concrete formwork system
is currently being used in two houses under construction in Montreal. This system
dramatically reduces erection time and eliminates the need for an interior vapor
barrier and an exterior waterproof membrane. The result is a robust insulated
concrete shell that provides superior insulation. Research also includes consultation
with Material Connexion in New York and a proposal for the formation of a materials
library at Syracuse Architecture. I also presented a paper entitled: Thinking + Making
Architecture: New Paradigms in Contemporary Practice at the ACSA Fall 2008
Conference at USC in Los Angeles that focused on the intersection between digital
fabrication, design and materiality.
atelier BUILD > lean infill > montreal
eco-cite @ mentana Super 8 Fernhill Urban Cottages

2. Statement of Teaching Interests and Objectives Michael Carroll
“Architecture is ‘hyper-physical” Jacques Herzog, Lecture, 2002.
Thinking+Making Connection
My pedagogical approach, in general, is centered on the belief that thinking and
making are integrated activities. It is only through drawing, making and building (at
various scales) that architectural ideas take effect and qualities are explored.
Within the design studio, students are encouraged to find connections between design
concepts and their architectural (formal, spatial and material) expression founded
through drawing and modeling (both physical and virtual). Emphasis is placed on the
qualitative aspects of a work of architecture, its physical character and its relation
to it immediate and extended context – that includes a critical and holistic grasp of
ecological, cultural and urban sustainability.
Tectonics Studio, Rammed Earth Wall
Holistic Technology
Given the current pre-occupation with issues of sustainability and the call for architecture
to be more responsive to the environment, the integration of building technologies is
a primary pedagogical objective in my teaching. At Syracuse University, I teach a
mandatory third-year undergraduate technology course that focuses on the integration
of passive and active systems for buildings. Emphasis is placed on a critical approach
to technology so it can be effective in the improving the well-being of the building’s
occupants without increasing the building’s ‘environmental footprint’. The course
includes case studies of recent buildings that integrate a range of passive and active
technologies, as well as, a survey of smart materials and developments in nano- Thinking+Making, 3-D Printer
technology. These pre-occupations also form the basis of discussion within the third-year
undergraduate comprehensive design studio in which students are asked to resolve a
design project to a high level of detail. This studio is particularly important in fulfilling the
accreditation requirements for the School of Architecture at Syracuse University.
Material Phenomenology
Beyond technology, my teaching interests are also informed by a philosophy centered
around phenomenology, particularly the writings of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Gianni
Vattimo and my graduate school professor, Alberto Perez-Gomez. The design of a
physical and a ritualistic environment that embraces the senses beyond the visual is of
prime importance. Within this mindset, architectural ideas are not just abstract principles
but are embodied within a concrete reality - materiality, with its inherent tactile and
haptic qualities, becomes an essential component of architecture.
In recent years, issues of materiality and fabrication have become central to architectural
discourse. While respecting traditional materials and craft, it is also the onus of
architectural schools to look forward and embrace an increasingly diverse array of
materials and digital fabrication strategies. From CNC routers to robotic arms, the digital
has increasingly infused our material realities. I encourage my students to investigate this
new territory with the objective of diminishing the thinking and making divide.
atelier BUILD > design/build > montreal Urban Infill Studio, Syracuse, NY
Thin House Tower House Back House Box House