The studio began with investigations into geology, ‘the science that deals with the earth's physical structure and substance, its history, and the processes that act on it.’ At Cornell, we are within the geology of the Finger Lakes, a region carved from glaciers during the Pleistocene glaciation. The resulting landscape is characterized by processes of transformation within unimaginably large timeframes. Architect and author Bernard Cache describes geology as delineating a complex territory shaped by hydrological flows and forces where time, gravity, and existence endlessly fold together to create our reality.iii In an expanded understanding, geology is about processes of transformation and environmental interrelationships–large or small–at the intersection of landscape, society, culture, and ecology. This broadened understanding of geology also acknowledges that the Finger Lakes and Cornell University are located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (Cayuga Nation).

At current rates, global building floor area is expected to double by 2060, and buildings are presently responsible for nearly 40% of annual global CO2 emissions.iv Architecture must evolve to consider the object as interconnected, as what Timothy Morton has called a hyperobject.

As architects, we are interested in analyzing and understanding the inner workings of geology and geological processes because this knowledge can teach us to become better and more sensible designers. Geological formations follow natural laws of efficiency and organization. By studying geology, we can learn a lot about the interrelationships between architectural formations and their natural surroundings, how the two interact with each other, and how the two could become mutually beneficial. However, when translating geology to architecture, one cannot follow a literal adaptation. Translating geological mechanisms of marking and erosion into architectural analogues requires substantial physical testing and exploration. Through a series of iterative design studies that follow the logics of geological processes, the studio will re-think architectural spaces and their environmental interactions from the ground up.

Geological processes and the effects of environmental forces upon an environment are inherently linked to their material characteristics. Carefully exploring and distilling sequential and rule-based transformations rooted in geological systems will allow us to develop unique material assemblies and spatialize part-to-whole relationships.