Opportunities in architecture often stem from a myriad of sources: from sciences, to technological advances, to natural disasters, to global warming, and the list goes on. Such opportunities result in new potentials for the practice of architecture and layer it with further depth and breadth. One such potential is the advances made in the area of fabrication. Meet Wendy Fok, atelier//studio WF, and their interest in research-based design projects, which are interwoven with the principals of mathematical processing, material studies, fabrication, and arts.


 

When asked what gets her creative juices flowing she replied: “Travel, while I’m sitting on the plane, when I have no internet connection and forced to be isolated for long periods of time.”


 

Atelier//studio WF is part of the WE-DESIGNS.ORG, LLC creative group, and is dedicated to her design-research work. In addition to her practice, Wendy is Assistant Professor / Lead, Digital Media & Design Program at Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture in Houston, Texas. Wendy goes by the official title of designer / spatial installation artist. She considers architects as innovators and true to an (x)architect’s nature she sees a vast array of practices and theses that can, and often do, rise from a professional degree in architecture. I have found Wendy to be a designer / artist who has developed her own unique understanding of mutually approximating seemingly dissimilar practices, such as mathematics and arts.

Her answer to the question of “How malleable or rigid do you consider architecture to be?” offers a glimpse into her design thinking:

“Architecture is a vast profession; it really depends on what type of designer you are. One could go into the field looking for the technical spectrum, yet, still be able to explore the artistic nuances.”