Persephone’s Becoming explores the conceptual underpinning of the diptych through the didactical relationship between form and content in architecture. The design envisions the process of two binary programs, the cemetery, and the bathhouse, coming together and representing both the synthesis of these different programs and their separate natures. The cemetery is a space of reflection and mourning but also celebration. In contrast, the bathhouse is a space of pleasure and relaxation. United, these conflicting programs, with two distinct users, create new relationships between life and death, somberness and celebration, and reflection and perception. By creating a dialog of difference, the architecture mediates the solidness and tectonic nature of the spaces for death and life. The design, therefore, represents two becoming one, capturing the moment of coalescence, or the hinge of the diptych, as the meeting point of these different forms.

Yale University School of Architecture
2022 Fall
Critic: Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Daisy Ames
Collaborated with Max Kronauer

Published on Retrospecta 46, Yale University︎︎︎

*Retrospecta catalogs activity at the Yale School of Architecture. Each volume is a snapshot of evolving architectural and graphic design trends. The book demarcates events such as lectures, publication releases, and outstanding circumstances that have uniquely impacted the academic, social, and political environment at the school. Volume 46 covers the activities of the Yale School of Architecture 2022-23 academic year.