Monuments to Nature

Aimed to complement nature by contrasting its delicacy with massiveness, fluidity with rigidity, and everchanging qualities with permanence, these Monuments to Nature act as a blank canvas for nature to grow, change, and weather for the rest of time. They seek to outlast the human experience and survive well into a post-human future. The paradoxical narrative is an expression of how we as humans have still not found a way to design architecture that can resiliently and responsibly withstand nature's forces while still using natural materials. The only 'building' on site is designed to decay.

Samuel Bager is an NYC-based designer from Toronto, Canada. His design philosophy and approach is centred around the idea of designing spaces, moments, and experiences that solve more problems than they create. Samuel is currently pursuing his Master of Architecture from Columbia GSAPP. He graduated SCAD with a B.F.A. in Architecture in 2020.

Pier 5810, 2022 Exhibition Selection.
The Architects Newspaper: 2020 Best of Design Award, 1st Place.
The Architects Newspaper: 2020 Best of Design Award, Honorable Mention.
2020 IDA Design Awards: Gold (Mixed-Use).
2020 IDA Design Awards: Gold (Hotels & Resorts).
2020 Regenerative Futures: Top 25 (Final Results Pending).
SCAD 2020 Chair's Senior Design Achievement Award.
SCAD Achievement Honors Scholarship (2016-2020).
SCAD Academic Achievement Scholarship (2016-2020).