Twentieth-century philosophy was driven by either/or: Modernism with the abstract and pragmatic, Postmodernism with the material and poetic. Either/or is no longer sufficient. Architecture necessitates a both/and condition, bringing together the abstract and material, the pragmatic and poetic, and the object and field into a cohesive whole creating dialogue with context and disseminating meaning.

In Columbus, Indiana this both/and proposition exists through the patronage of J. Irwin Miller. It is a belief that architecture “reflects what a city thinks about itself and what it aims to be”. Columbus’ Modernism responds to previous generations, bringing together pragmatic and poetic. This thesis aspires to create an architecture depository, a record of Columbus’ material history. In combining Eero Saarinen’s Irwin Union Bank with a pragmatic-poetic addition, the project engages in praiseworthy competition with it’s architectural ancestors.

Website Link: www.joshuamings.com/thesis.php / Project PDF