January 30, 2026 - Surjan Super School Weekly Newsletter

SURJAN SUPER SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

WEEK OF JANUARY 30, 2026

Theme: The Golden Scale & The Vertical Cottage

INTRODUCTION: THE ERA OF "MACRO-CRAFT"

Happy Friday, Super Schoolers!

Can you believe we are already one month into 2026? As I look around the studio today, I don't just see "buildings"—I see jewelry. I see armor. I see quilts.

For the last 30 days, we have been asking a radical question: Why can't a skyscraper feel as warm as a cabin?

The obsession with "sleekness" is over. We are entering the era of Macro-Craft. This week’s output is a celebration of texture so deep you can almost feel it through the screen. We are stacking bricks, hammering copper, and layering wood shingles until the city skyline feels less like a machine and more like a living, breathing organism.

We are designing for the fingertips, not just the eyes.

01. THE GOLDEN SCALE

(Ref: The Copper Shingle Studies)

The hero of the week is undoubtedly the Copper Shingle.

We have zoomed in to the millimeter scale. In the "Hammered Copper" studies, we see facade panels that aren't perfectly flat. They are dented, textured, and reflective.

• The Warmth: Look at how the "Cedar Shakes" meet the "Copper Flashing". It is a conversation between two natural materials—one that turns silver-gray (wood) and one that turns green (copper).

• The Curve: We aren't just cladding flat walls. We are wrapping curves. The "Copper Base Detail" shows the metal flowing like fabric around the building's geometry. It catches the light in a way that flat aluminum never could. It glows.

02. THE VERTICAL COTTAGE

(Ref: The Stacked Village Typology)

If the material is the "what," the form is the "how."

We are rejecting the monolith. The "Stacked House Tower" reimagines the skyscraper as a vertical neighborhood.

• The Composition: Instead of one seamless extrusion, we see distinct "House Modules" piled on top of each other. Some are clad in "Wood Shingles," others in "Patinated Copper," and others in "Yellow Ceramic".

• The Joy of Complexity: This creates a skyline that looks like a pile of toys. It is playful, human-scaled, and incredibly complex. It breaks down the intimidation factor of the high-rise and replaces it with the charm of a hillside village.

03. FRAMING THE CITY

(Ref: The Porthole & The Arch)

Windows are the eyes of the building, and this week, our buildings are wide-eyed.

We have moved away from the "curtain wall" strip window. Instead, we are punching holes.

• The Fisheye: The "Oversized Porthole" acts as a lens. It doesn't just let light in; it frames the Empire State Building like a painting. It turns the chaotic city outside into a composed piece of art for the resident inside.

• The Brick Frame: In the "Red Brick & Shingle" study, we see the juxtaposition of rough masonry against soft wood. The "Lozenge Windows" soften the grid, proving that even a brick wall can feel friendly if you round the corners.

04. AGING WITH DIGNITY

(Ref: The Verdigris Staircase)

Finally, we must talk about the color Green.

In the "Roofscape Studies", we aren't hiding the age of the building—we are accelerating it. The "Copper Chimney" and "Staircase Flashing" are rendered in full verdigris patina.

This is a joyful statement: This building is organic. It reacts to the rain. The "Green Patina Arches" at the base of our towers ground the project in history, while the polished gold stacks above reach for the future. It’s a beautiful timeline built into the architecture itself.

FINAL THOUGHT: ZOOM IN

As you head into February, my challenge to you is to Zoom In.

Stop designing the "massing." Start designing the "joint." How does the copper meet the brick? How does the sun hit the shingle? Does your building have a texture that makes people want to reach out and touch it?

Let's make 2026 the most tactile year in architectural history.

Stay textured,

Surjan

Professor of Practice, ASU

Founder, Surjan Super School