TWENTY

Here are the latest sketches of what the Scottish Rite Cathedral will look like. I've been slowly building it in Sketchup. It looks amazing, but its definitely taking a VERY long time. If I can pull it off and get it rendered, its going to look pretty sweet though!

NINETEEN

Here are some preliminary sketches of project number two!
Since the meeting places of "The Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite" are called cathedrals, I thought it fitting to design a building similar to a Gothic cathedral. Parallels between the Masons and cathedrals can be found in abundance. For example, it would have been a group of stone masons (most likely belonging to a guild) who built each cathedral. Also, The many forms of cathedrals mimic masonic symbolism.
A cathedral is also one of the most complex and comprehensive studies of masonry construction, so, in keeping with the goal of learning about masonry and its nature, I thought a cathedral would be a great building to help me learn.

Experimenting with different forms 

Evolution of a final form. The bottom drawing will be very close to the final front elevation. The colour scheme will be pretty close too. The building is being constructed of white and black marble.

preliminary layout of spaces. plan view.

The super secret ritual room! I've changed the traditional square layout into a proscenium stage with a circular apron, and thrust style seating. The role of fantasy and theatricality is very important for these rituals. I wanted to create a space that was more removed from a traditional theater to do away with preconceptions of a typical theatrical experience. This is a RITUAL. it is not a performance (actually it is, I just don't want it to feel like a performance)

Behold the ritual room! Never before has the public been privy to such secrets... Not. Actually, thousands of books about the Freemasons have been published and are freely available to the public. Most people just prefer to keep this "secret society" abnormal and mysterious. Thats ok with me. I WANT to design a place of ritual and mystery!

Different details of the building

metaphor sketches

EIGHTEEN

The following are selected slides from my powerpoint presentation on the masonry project.

This is a zoning map of the city of Proctor. The red areas denote commercial lots- obviously, this is an incredibly small town, despite its renown as the marble capital of the world. Though the project specified a specific site, we've since been given leeway about site selection. I will choose a larger city to facilitate a larger, more ornate building. Right now, I have my eye on Quebec city.

An aerial view of the city of Proctor. It has some nice plots of land, but its population is less than 2000 inhabitants. Any Mason lodge built her would be little more than a one room building.

This is the marble quarry in Proctor. You can see the tiers of marble cuts in the side of the rock face. Marble is taken out of the ground in large stratifications, which are then cut into smaller (though still quite large) blocks. These large blocks are removed with machinery to various finishing sites. 

These are the three main marbles of Proctor, Vermont. Although I love the serpentine patterns of the Vermont Verde Antique Green marble, I think the contrast between the black and white marble would be the most dramatic on the outside of a building.

This is an example of how beautiful marble can be on the exterior of a building. This is marble cladding- it is not structural, its just attached to the side of the building in thin sheets.

Building with stone does not limit you to orthogonal shapes! This is the Baha'i Temple in New Delhi, India. Its Lotus form is created with white marble cladding. 

This is a case study of Ladd Hall. Note the hierarchy of architectonics. I like to think of the hierarchy as a vertical pattern that becomes less substantial the higher you go. With a more substantial base, the building appears more grounded. This vertical hierarchy is repeated horizontally. Rules about windows and other elements are put in place to create consistency and harmony. Deviating from this pattern can create unique features, however. The diagonal pilasters that frame the central part of this facade are a good example of this. They are also a good example of the diminishment of architectonic elements the higher you go- notice the "layer cake" effect.

Masonry is ripe for expressive possibilities. This stone carving embodies the traditional gargoyle of gothic cathedrals: the pinnacle of masonry construction. This stone carving also expresses the function of the building in an artistic way. Ladd hall is the old chemistry building. This dwarf is holding a mortar and pestle- an allusion to the processes of chemistry. Its an appropriate expression- a dwarf in a lab coat holding a laptop would upset the socially learned vocabulary of masonry construction that makes masonry buildings look and feel "old" or "old world".

SEVENTEEN

     The second project of the semester is a lodge for the Freemasons. "Freemason" is a broad term which describes a group of fraternal organizations based on the masons guild of the medieval ages. I've chosen to build a guild for the American Scottish Rite guild of Freemasons. The Scottish Rite appeals to me because of their theatrical rituals. While most people think that the rituals of Freemasons are impenetrable secrets, they have actually been published and are available to the public, granted, copies of these are difficult to find. The Scottish Rite hold themselves to a high moral standard. Their are 29 levels that can be achieved within the organization. These levels are not levels of enlightenment or power, as most people think. Instead, the levels indicate a comprehension of morality, much like high school measures intelligence with grades. All rituals within the Scottish Rite involve an individual Mason, or a group of Masons passing from one level to the next level. Similarly, high school and university graduation is celebrated with a ceremony, though these can be elaborate, they lack significant metaphor. A Scottish Rite ritual is both elaborate and filled with metaphor. Simply stated, the ritual is an elaborate theatrical production which TEACHES a moral value or lesson to the successor- one that they must exemplify to be truly successful within their newly assigned level. Calling these rituals theatrical productions is no loose term. These rituals (in the early 20th century) were just that! The rituals took place in theater-esque auditoriums inside Cathedrals (the name given to a Scottish Rite place of meeting because of their visual similarity to cathedrals, and the traditional marriage of stone masons and middle age cathedrals) complete with stage, proscenium arch and tiered seating. These theaters were often better equipped than the any other theater. Elaborate lighting, special effects, backdrops, set pieces, music and staging were among the highest quality of live production of the time. The extent of these production was such that exclusive Mason theatrical production companies were created, and they thrived! It was the entertainment value of these rituals that drew so many men to the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Public theater was becoming the realm of women, something that was usually dominated by a group of boisterous men. The Rituals and social programs of the Scottish Rite gave men an arena of entertainment and social interaction that was being taken away from them outside the walls of the cathedral. Cathedrals, therefore, were male-exclusive social clubs, often having smoking rooms, billiard rooms, libraries, outdoor gardens, exercise rooms, elaborate dining/banquet halls, and, of course, the theater. From my research, "One way to think about fraternal organizations is as alternative environments, fantasy worlds for men, by men, and about men. The increasingly theatrical quality of the rituals of the Scottish Rite drew new members by the thousands precisely because it heightened the affective powers of a fantasy world that had considerable appeal when it was established and that increased over time." - Kenneth L. Ames, 'The Lure of the Spectacular' (1996)

While conflict about the impersonal spectator nature of the rituals plagued the Scottish Rite, its explosive growth in popularity in the early twentieth century is almost solely credited to the theatrical rituals. Traditionally, these dramatic rituals would be performed BY the masons achieving a higher level, instead of the higher level masons who were closer to actors with moral convictions than any kind of authority figure. The equality of the fraternal brethren was an important part of the rituals, something that was lost with the transition to performance ritual from the more traditional and personal "floor work" which would take place in a small rectangular room with the observing masons seated around the edges facing each other.

    Though the above is only a small fraction of the research I've done so far, it gives a good idea of the direction in which I wish to take my design. I want to design a men's social club with a ritual room that hearkens to the glory days of the elaborate theatrical rituals of the early twentieth century. The exterior will be built using all configurations of marble stone. It will be elaborate and reminiscent of the cathedrals of the middle ages. The interior will be equally elaborate. A challenging aspect that I wish to address is the de-masculinization of society that Freemasonry seeks to counter. Though this borders on sexism, I'd like to clarify that I want my structure to embody masculinity, possibly regaining something that was lost. I am not attempting to establish a precedence of masculine superiority over femininity.

     All in all, the masonry project has piqued my interest, and I am finding designing a Scottish Rite Cathedral to be fascinating! Lets hope this thing turns out well!