Sweating Details: Labor of “Los Constructores del Valle”

Abstract

“You should always be grateful for the work you can find, so make sure you prove you deserve it.”- Commonly heard growing up amongst the Builders of the Valley in Orange, NJ. The necessary attitude that fuels the built environment.

This thesis proposes a dialogical method of tectonics through exploring the embodied experiences of those who physically build the city and its architecture, positioning architectural design as fundamentally tied to the labor that makes buildings possible. It centers on two primary questions: “Who builds this architecture?” and “How does this design impact a builder’s occupational livelihood?”

To challenge professional standards that perpetuate a disconnection between designers and builders, this thesis reconnects me, as a designer, with my educators from Orange, NJ. These individuals—professional construction workers—shaped my earliest understanding of the built environment and how to navigate it socially and professionally. Through this process, learning more about who they are, how they entered construction, and how the work has affected them over the years.

This education with ongoing dialogue pushes towards future opportunities of working together, focusing on designing better for the act of building by prioritizing the physical, mental, and financial longevity of my Educators. The culmination of this research and communication is materialized through four architectural details within a workspace, designed to showcase my Educator’s expertise and affinities as professionals. These details reimagine occupational choreography, opening up for future workflows that think through both lessening and healing the musculoskeletal disorders that many builders face after years of laboring across the tristate area.