The View Funnel
An asymmetric masonry-unit study that controls sightlines and daylight through a repeated screen.
A repeatable block with an asymmetric aperture and two distinct surface profiles.
Developed with Ariana Yang in the Vibrant Blocks course, the proposal studies how unit geometry affects a larger screen. One face has pronounced relief; the reverse approaches a continuous plane. Rotation and repetition produce variations in visibility and shadow at the scale of a room.
- Context
- Pratt Institute · Vibrant Blocks
- Semester
- Fall 2022
- Collaborators
- Siyue You & Ariana Yang
- Focus
- Unit geometry, aggregation & light
- Status
- Block design & spatial proposal
Aperture geometry
The aperture’s asymmetric depth gives the two faces different profiles and sightlines. Projecting edges articulate one face, while adjacent units create a flatter surface on the reverse.
As the observer moves alongside the screen, openings align or overlap. The study uses these changing sightlines to control views between adjoining spaces.
The front and reverse have different relief, changing both the surface and the line of sight.
Isometric study of the individual block’s asymmetric aperture.
Unit aggregation
Rotating a repeated block changes aperture orientation while retaining a consistent component geometry. Isometric drawings describe the relationship between individual units and the assembled screen.
Interior renderings locate the screen between structural bays and existing brick edges. Projected shadows show how aperture depth and orientation affect daylight on the floor.
An interior test of the screen’s relationship to light, structural bays and the floor.
Digital development
Rhino models, aggregation drawings and interior renderings test the unit and assembly at different scales. Successive model versions and STL files document preparation for block and 3D-print tests.
The course examines digital geometry in relation to cast-block fabrication. The work shown comprises the block design, assembly studies and proposed interior application.
Siyue You and Ariana Yang, Vibrant Blocks, Pratt Institute, Fall 2022. Presented as an academic block-system proposal and digital spatial study.
