Make/Shift proposes a system that takes advantage of the non-standard lengths of the recovered wood stock to defy orthogonal norms and create a structural system that embraces variability and flexibility, enclosing a space for storing second-life materials and hosting educational workshops. In a world of finite resources, it is increasingly important to give materials a second life. When building materials are reused, they are typically forced into conventional forms and assemblies, resulting in downcycling, damage, or underutilization. Design strategies with dimensional lumber rely on long pieces, complex joints, and don’t always use the elements optimally , often compressing them against their grain rather than along it. Instead of forcing unconventional building materials into status- quo forms and assemblies, Make/Shift proposes a system that takes advantage of the non-standard lengths of the recovered stock to defy orthogonal norms and create a structural system that embraces variability and flexibility, enclosing a space for storing second-life materials and hosting educational workshops. To minimize waste and maximize the structural and spatial utility of the existing stock, the design process is preceded by the development of a cutting logic to extend the available inventory, creating thinner and lighter wood elements. The elements are cut along their length into smaller cross-sections, while the existing lengths are maintained to preserve the compressive strength of the material. This stretches the inventory from 1,400 elements to nearly 8,500.

The inventory is transformed into studs, battens, and shingles, allowing the originally homogeneous stock to serve diverse architectural purposes. To form the building structure and envelope, we break from the standards of conventional stick-framing: multi-part “stud” frames are nailed together and transformed into arches, battens are forced out of horizontal alignment due to the set lengths of the stock pieces, and shingles register the underlying variation on the exterior.

This project was shortlisted for a design competition.

Team: Kiley Feickert, Keith J. Lee, Inge Donovan, Jenna Schnitzler, Juliana Berglund-Brown, and Caitlin Mueller