Mies van der Rohe’s Chicago buildings “Between those buildings, the Structure Systems book, and the inspiration I take from Sol Lewitt, I’ve been fascinated with open cube forms that can hold weight but are also filled with air. The way the Mies buildings were built, with a hollow steel frame and glass windows, the architecture world has taken that concept and run with it, and I like trying to take this mud from the earth and replicate that. These structures wouldn’t normally be able to be made out of clay, and the challenge in producing them is why I like it.”