Part 1: The System Strategy

The system strategy is the common ground from which the suite of optic devices for a particular project is born. Though significant, it is the least prescriptive component of the proposed methodology. The architect develops the system strategy by first considering the overarching concepts and tectonic moves of the project. Because this methodology is not intended to produce projects whose entire conceptual basis lies in an exploration of light effect, the system strategy must function as the working tool that the architect develops to focus their selection and tuning of optic devices.

The thesis posits that deliberate and nuanced effects of light can help architects to communicate various concepts and ideas. In order to develop a system strategy, the architect should consider which archetypes of effect will most effectively communicate the larger concepts or produce desired conditions. Then, the system strategy can be grounded in a certain material, geometry, utility, or any combination of the three options.

The architect can easily select a category of system strategy by considering the parameters that are integral to the production of the desired archetypes and then refine the scope of the strategy as desired or necessary. For example, if many layered specular images (archetype) are desired, the architect will require optically smooth surfaces (relevant parameter). Many materials will satisfy this requirement, including polished stone (opaque or translucent), glass (opaque to transparent), and some metals (various degrees of reflectivity). The architect can select a material based on the concepts or materials that are driving the project as a whole, and use it as a system strategy. The material then becomes the common element and point of experimentation in the deployed mirror devices (optic devices that produce specular images). The system strategy then acts as an intermediary between the architect and optic devices and their parameters. It alleviates confusion on the part of the architect and promotes cohesion within the suite of optic devices and seamless integration with the project.