Rhythm, Grid and Collage: Building a Design Business Incubator

• Main Author: Smith, Robert David
• Format: Others
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2008
• Subjects: interiors; hermitage road; interior design; business incubator; design business; grid; rhythm; collage; Art and Design; Arts and Humanities
• Online Access: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/1539; http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2538&context=etd

The idea of rhythm as applied to interior space is the basis for this thesis. The site is an old warehouse with a structure that contains a repetitive rhythm in the form of a columnar grid and a corresponding fenestration pattern, yet the building also has an atypical wedge shape. The program is a design business incubator, a place where design business startups, recent graduates of Virginia design programs, can begin their design careers and find their rhythm in a cooperative and supportive environment, a collage of design businesses, if you will. Rhythm is essential in our lives, from the beating of our hearts to the rising and setting of the sun. Rhythm is also essential to spatial design. Our built environments require some form of pattern in order to help create a sense of stability and familiarity with our surroundings. Whether in music or painting, poetry or design, rhythm starts with simple repetition. But rhythm moves beyond mere repetition to include a diverse assortment of elements. The more complex a rhythm, the more we can become involved with that rhythm and consequently with the object that provides the rhythm. How does rhythm translate into space and time? How is it possible to develop a more complex and expressive rhythm in a particular space? What might be considered more expressive? How can this old warehouse function as a design business incubator while new rhythms are introduced into the mix of old rhythms through the fulfillment of this program and thereby create a collage of space?