Welcome to Gypsonia: In Defense of a Contemporary Vernacular of Generic Materials

In the built environments of the West, the totalizing success of mass-produced building materials and assemblies has led to a homogenization of interior space. This condition is exemplified by the pervasive use of drywall and acoustic ceiling tiles that have, since their widespread implementation in the 1950s, become ubiquitously unavoidable materials. These materials and assemblies constitute a type of contemporary vernacular that has resulted in spaces that are variable and yet indistinguishable from one another.Implicated in the widespread use of standardized materials, assemblies and details raise questions of control, authorship and agency in architectural practice. Positioning these wall and ceiling assemblies in relation to their modernist origins and investigating their current implementation, this thesis aims to highlight the significance of drywall and drop ceilings using a series of installations that draw attention to the use and implications of this disregarded set of materials.