Myles Richter Design

Three Questions

Being that this is the first entry in to what will become a year-plus long series of writings documenting my process of developing a Capstone Project, I see it fit to do some introduction. The Capstone project is a design-research synthesis project which “caps” off the Fay Jones Honors College curriculum. Starting with this post, I will be writing weekly updates regarding my development of a research question, called a Prospectus. If all goes well, this Prospectus will become the subject of my project, to be written about here as well.

My journey into creating a Prospectus begins with an interest study, where I delve into what peaks my own interest in the field of design. I initially looked into two primary subjects. Woodworking, which has its own page on this site- feel free to take a look, and running. You can read more about my running career in the “About” page, as well. These two interests of mine each form two branches from which I extrapolated some further interests.

On the woodworking side of things, I am very interested in the ways in which recycled building materials or scraps could be reused for furniture, like the pieces I do this with already. On a similar note, mass timber architecture is an emerging field in architecture which enables novel tectonic capabilities. Could these capabilities, enabled by mass timber’s material properties and the capabilities of modern CNC machinery allow for a return of traditional woodworking techniques in architecture?

Looking in to running on the other hand, I am interested in two aspects of design and planning, as I have experienced firsthand how they effect me in my daily life. Firstly, a plethora or a lack of pedestrian friendly infrastructure like trails, sidewalks, bike paths, footbridges, etc. are integral in my day to day life as a runner, and many others who get around by foot or bike. How might the availability of these elements in a city plan influence lifestyle habits and health? Secondly, how could good design in athletic buildings like dedicated sports facilities for teams, public gyms, and stadiums influence the performance of those using them?

These interests informed these three questions, regarding a return of traditional woodworking techniques, the effects of design in athletic contexts, and the effects of pedestrian friendly infrastructure and planning. As I continue, I will further refine these questions and begin looking in to what work has been already done on the subjects.

Myles Richter

January 30, 2022

Architectural Studies

3 responses to “Three Questions”

Samantha Hernandez

January 30, 2022 at 4:30 pm

I love that both of these two areas of study come from passions in your life directly– woodworking and running. Not only do they interest you, but they are also beneficial topics to study when combined with ways they can help others or the environment, like recycled materials and spaces of well-being. I am excited to see which area you will lean to more, but I think there are a lot of good ideas here. I would love to see what a return of traditional wood technology would be like in today’s society, or at least a conjecture. I really enjoy the parks and systems in Fayetteville that are friendly to biking and running, and would love to see how it could evolve even more to other areas or as a connected system.

LikeLike

Reply
jackson09harris1

January 30, 2022 at 9:51 pm

I like both of these topics. It is interesting to think of both of these. With the woodworking and mass timber question and in thinking about the Greta Thunberg TedTalk, this is a very prevalent and necessary issue to face and it is also one of materiality and sustainability; there is more to it than it as just a construction technique. The third question about good design and the performance of users prompted this initial thought: it’s about drive. it’s about power.
Mainly in the first part of that last sentence, it’s about the user’s drive to actually use the gym or what have you. However, there is something to be said about good design. Good design promotes activity and desire. People want to use good spaces. I haven’t researched it but the main reason some people have unhealthy habits is that it is easy. With easy-to-access spaces and well-maintained spaces like bike paths and sidewalks more people would use them.
– Jackson Harris

LikeLike

Reply
Maddox Townsend

January 30, 2022 at 11:46 pm

Hello!

I thoroughly enjoyed your blog post. I share your interest in woodworking, although I have to admit my furniture is not nearly as well designed and beautiful as yours. One interest I do not share with you is running. Although I do run, I do not enjoy it in the slightest. However I am very intrigued by the focus of urban design and park design through the lens of a runner. I am from Bentonville Arkansas, and it seems the entire city was designed by a group of bikers, runners, coffee drinkers, and craft beer enthusiasts. Enjoy these things or not, it creates a homogenous city with an interesting and unique design. I think it is important to look at design through the way in which we interact with it. I brought this up in my most recent blog post, but looking into Bernard Tschumi’s Manhattan Transcripts might be interesting. He creates fictional narrative events and diagrams them in abstract way. He does this to look at how we interface with spaces. He looks at design through the lenses of interaction, events, and moments. I think that while the events he explored are dissimilar, he shares the interest in design through unique interaction and usage. I am excited about both of these topics of interest, and if your research is as good as your furniture pieces from the presentation, I am sure to be a follower!

Best,
Maddox Townsend

LikeLike

Reply