Above and top: Dim House (2012) - "a depiction of a blind building, as it has no windows on its dormers"

Building on the themes of his first sketches from 2009, Tom Ngo imagines fantastical structures that reinterpret the architectural vocabulary of common building typologies.

Above: Minotaur (2013) - "a building of a maze of stairs"

One image shows a house-like structure that appears to stretch in every direction, while another depicts a gothic shelter with a collection of houses contained inside.

Above: Haunt of Limbs (2013) - "this building expands upon itself, each extended piece creates duplicates parts of the whole"

The series began as Ngo was completing his master thesis, which was based on the theory that absurd alternatives can help find the answers to contemporary architectural issues.

Above: Pomegranate Gothic (2012) - "this building imagines an neo-gothic building as a receptacle for houses"

"Architectural absurdity playfully transgresses within the rules of building formation to create valid alternative assemblages while scrutinising regulation," wrote the artist.

Above: The Crucible (2012) - "a drawing of a 'perfect community' in all its flaws"

He continues: "The resultant architecture redefines the rituals of program and questions the notion of typology. Unbound by strict conformity to logic, the liberated architect breathes new life into architecture."

Above: Jackalope (2012) - "a totem/monument to redundancy"

The latest images focus on the notion of "architectural redundancy", a concept based on embellishing and repeating elements to "blur and alter the purpose of the original structure".

Above: Semi-Detached (2013) - "a building of a semi-detached house even further detached"

Jackalope is therefore a drawing of a roof without anything to shelter and Semi-Detached is a house that has become separated from some of its own structure.

Above and below: Chalky Bones (2012) - "a play on the lighthouse typology"

Six of the images are on show at the Nancy Margolis Gallery in New York from 14 February 14 to 23 March, as part of an exhibition named Fun and Whimsy.

See Ngo's first collection of drawings in our story from 2009 or see more architectural illustrations on Dezeen.

Captions were provided by the artist, plus here's a description that accompanies the exhibition:

In his 3rd group show at Nancy Margolis Gallery, Tom Ngo continues to expand on his ideas on the architectural absurd. Within this selection of work, Ngo focuses on the theme of redundancy as the main thrust of his new structural follies. By taking typical buildings, embellishing and repeating elements, Ngo blurs and alters the purpose of the original structure.

This act of creating redundancy is, for Ngo, a means of disrupting the common perceptions of the built form. More specifically, these works show experimentation with the fine line that defines the regular and the peculiar. Producing his absurd structures by transforming the ordinary, Ngo reveals a unique perspective of the normal and implores that the ordinary should not be left undisturbed at the risk of being redundant.

The post Architectural Absurdities
by Tom Ngo appeared first on Dezeen.

Toronto-based artist Tom Ngo has sent us some of his drawings depicting scenarios he refers to as Architectural Absurdities.

Ngo's imagined structures include a monument for people with eight arms, a park for carpets and a house designed for a collector of meat grinders.

Top image: Ghost Town Precious. "This construction combines the themes of permanence and the ephemeral. Shoddily constructed with hints of integrity, the structure has a ghost-town quality".

Above: The Swing-Set Houses. "A pair of houses are attached to a large swing-set structure. The houses share a communal circulation core and next door is an individual swing for one person".

"These drawings are created through fracturing rules of concept/design and then obeying them ad absurdum," says Ngo. "The result is a nutty and whimsical brand of social commentary."

Above: No Other Way. "A dream house for a meat grinder collector. The above building is constructed of four like facades presenting him a new home every time he arrives by balloon. The structure below is a mental retreat from his constantly changing everyday".

Above: "A Small Monument for People With 8 Arms. A design in tribute of people with 8 arms. It comes complete with waving platform, monkey bars and a hall of hand cranks."

Here's some more information from Ngo:

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Architectural Absurdity

After receiving his Masters of Architecture at Carleton University Tom Ngo stumbled upon a gouache paint set in a neighbour’s trashbin. By merging the medium with technical drafting Tom Ngo embarks on an exploration into the architectural absurd.

Common sense and conventional practice prohibits the evolution of architecture. Through reproducing past models for efficiency and economy, routine thinking preserves the flaws of the standard model. Using different frameworks of thought, architects can create new solutions, which rectify the faults of the norm, and distance themselves from making habitual design decisions.

Above: Namby Pamby. "The repetition of word endings in nonsense poetry creates phonetically appealing words to pronounce. Phrases like Humpty Dumpy and Hey Diddle Diddle are examples of this nonsensical operation. Namby Pamby is an attempt to translate the operation into form."

Built on the foundations of Victorian Nonsense, Alfred Jarry’s ‘Pataphysics, and Absurdist Theatre, Absurdity expands the limits of human reason by presenting a paradoxical solution. By allowing solutions which would normally have been ruled out due to irrationality, absurdity provides non-linear alternatives which interrogate contemporary logic.

Above: The Grass Grew There Mythically Tall. "This drawing was constructed on the premise of altering the properties of grass and exploring the architectural implications. In the spring when the grass grows long, the house peaks through the top of the greenery. As the grass recedes in the winter, the underlying structure is revealed".

Above: The Carpet Park. "This is a park where all carpets gather — Persians and Orientals alike."

Thus, absurdity is a rhetorical device aimed at questioning (architectural) conventions. Architectural absurdity playfully transgresses within the rules of building formation to create valid alternative assemblages while scrutinizing regulation. The resultant architecture redefines the rituals of program and questions the notion of typology. Unbound by strict conformity to logic, the liberated architect breathes new life into architecture.

The post Architectural Absurdities by Tom Ngo appeared first on Dezeen.