Believed to be the first programs of their kind anywhere, the Minor in Morphology and Concentration in Morphology at Pratt leverage the long history of morphology study at the Institute dating from the early 1970s. Morphology is the study of form, and has applications in many disciplines, including architecture. The Morphology Minor (open to undergraduate students) and Concentration (for undergraduate architecture students) were established within the School of Architecture Undergraduate Architecture Department in fall 2014 and are coordinated by Professor of Architecture and Co-director of Pratt’s Center for Experimental Structures, Dr. Haresh Lalvani.
Students explore the atoms of form as well as how simple forms generate complex ones, studying morphology through generative rules and codes, and the combination of three fundamental physical phenomena: space, time, and mass. They are exposed to a formal rigor that is combined with digital tools and new technologies to enable hands-on discovery and invention in making physical structures. The program permits students to engage with faculty on a continuing basis for three or four semesters. Instruction and research are combined in working with Lalvani and the rest of the faculty team. The team includes Adjunct Assistant Professors of Undergraduate Architecture Ajmal Aqtash (B. Arch. ’01) and CheWei Wang (M.Arch. ’03), and Visiting Assistant Professors of Undergraduate Architecture Patrick Donbeck (B.Arch. ’11) and John Gulliford (B.Arch. ’05).
This short video offers a brief introduction to the Minor/Concentration in Morphology and some of the work being done by students in the program. It features works in progress and showcases some of the striking structures resulting from experimentation with form and structure.