William Massie- Physical Delineation.

William Massie is highly influenced by film and production. Much of his work is conceived and produced through the use of digital production.

His firm came about through a series of prefabricated homes, but ones that were put together through digital production. Those initial ideas have further developed his building approach.

The firs project he showed was a simple little house set into a hill in New York State. Digital fabrication and design was used for developing the systems of the building directly. “I’m really fascinated with the making of buildings.” He is less interested in ideas that reference other ideas, but instead a more conceptual hardening of policy, no longer simply speculation but policy. “We are the authors, primarily of space.”

The house is situated in a wooded setting. William used previous ideas regarding the use of glazing systems that could bring light into the very assembly of the building. Laser cut steel, plywood and orange acrylic begins to bind the building to not only a specific location, but also a specific time. “I’m fascinated at the ability of a building to contain memory.”

The building is composed of insulated concrete panels with a special cladding element. The building form itself is a bit unsettling, but William was interested in this quality. He carved space that it would challenge conventional experiences, and begin to expand the language of the home, the language of memory. It is a simple building with roots in the mid-century sensibilities, but the technologies employed bring the form making into a new era. William’s firm designed and constructed all elements of this house. Even the making of the sinks was a dedicated study in digital exploration and fabrication.

"Your only responsibility to your kids is to create good memories. Nothing else matters. I bring this idea to my work."

William also spoke about his exhibit, one in which he challenged the traditional notions of display. His solution is a single element that is both sculpture as well as a means by which to display information. “In a weird way, this was like a TV. A TV showing what I have done.”

William’s work at Cranbrook is highly conceptual, but also applicable in the sense that they fabricate these ideas into unique and intriguing forms. Memory, theory, poetry. “I try to influence the students to think about the structure of their work as policy, not in romantic isolation.” William urges his students to create a thesis project that is not so academic that is unusable after graduation, but instead to create actual built concepts that can easily translate into meaningful works.

The next project William discussed was his home and studio, located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The space is large enough to build even fully completed projects within. The studio is exactly 1,720 feet from both a Lowes in one direction and a Home Depot in the other. “I knew this was the perfect location and had to have it.” William uses materials from both stores to create complete structures within his studio space. He can test ideas, rethink those ideas, and retest at will.

Memory is important to William. He continued his presentation speaking about the relationships in his life, his interests and the elements he has constructed to bring those memories to life. He is constantly looking for ways to instill memory, to have his buildings instill memories. Anomalies in a know system can allow memory to occur, to strengthen that memory and to bring it into future situations and recollection.

He employed these ideas into another house project, one that at first is nothing more than a simple box. To activate the space William installed two anomalies that begin to activate the psyche. These elements, mainly dipping and sweeping moments of changes to the massing, bring light into the building, facilitate ventilation and begin to foster memory of, for, and about the space. The anomalies were fabricated from sectional cuts of SIPS, all fabricated in his shop, and all digitally conceived as well as produced. The final product is a building whose memory depicts the passing of time, the specifics of place and the individuals who worked to construct the home.

Thank you, William, for sharing with us your unique processes, your innovative work, but also your very personal journey regarding memory.