thomas schmidt

Arising Tension is the name of the first major project of my architecture school career. In the first year of the program, we were instructed to create a form based off of a metaphor, and I chose to base mine off of the feeling of a tennis serve. Visitors walk under three vertical members which represent the ritualistic bounce of the ball most servers do. They then travel up a tall, encompassing structure which represents the toss of the ball into the air. Finally, visitors are propelled in a blast of spontaneity which either lands them before the path (a good serve) or past it (a bad serve). Through model making and many drawings, Arising Tension taught me that the projects I face in the future will require the upmost attention to detail and the thoughtfullness to make my projects stand apart from the rest.