Designing Across Time: C. Jacob Payne’s Vision for the Future and the Past

C. Jacob Payne pushes the boundaries of traditional design. His work traverses over a vast spectrum, fluctuating between modern, cutting-edge space gear and a deep delve into showcasing the rich Black architectural heritage. Whether he’s innovating zero-gravity footwear for astronauts or enhancing everyday objects using artificial intelligence, he emphasizes the potency of design in linking the future and the past.

It’s this distinctive, broad appreciation for design that has shaped Payne’s academic path. Currently, bending the curriculum into a shape close to his heart, Payne is a student at MIT’s Master of Architecture (MArch) program. “The academic freedom to carve out my own path has been invaluable,” Payne asserts, highlighting his rendezvous with diverse learning at MIT.

Nurturing his Passion: From Yale to MIT

Payne’s passion for architecture and environmental studies took root at Yale University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He compared notes between major architecture firms in New York and Los Angeles, dotting his young career with valuable experiences. It didn’t take him long to realize his desire to plumb the depths of his chosen discipline. To add more layers to his educative perspective, he subsequently joined MIT’s MArch program in 2023, projecting his graduation to take place in January 2027.

As an MIT student, Payne straddles different scales of design, reaching out for creative opportunities to stalk his interests. From the fine intricacies of product and industrial design to the vast canvas of urban planning, Payne has found a way to deepen his skills. He’s simultaneously contributed to enriching MIT’s community as a teaching assistant in the university’s architecture wood shop and woven fruitful ties with the Design Intelligence Lab, amalgamating the best of digital design and practical fabrication.

Preserving Past, Designing Future

While Payne’s fascination for future technologies is impressive, his dedication to preserving the past strikes an equilibrium in his creative pursuits. His academic research brings to light the vernacular architecture of Black communities in the American South, honing his respect for cultural identity and heritage. His fervor for past restoration took a definitive form when he embarked on an academic project to reconstruct the original Tuskeegee University Chapel, a revered structure, destroyed in a fire in 1957 and originally designed by Robert R. Taylor, who holds the distinction of being MIT’s first Black graduate and the first licensed Black architect in the United States.

Payne refuses to leave any stone unturned in his mission to illuminate hidden aspects of history. His research related to “juke joints”, secret meeting spots for Black communities during the Jim Crow era, signifies his determination to give due recognition to unrecorded structures. He deftly uses modern design tools to actualize his passion, creating a visual narrative of their historical importance.

Of course, Payne’s prodigious curiosity won’t let him limit himself to earthly confines. Taking a class on space architecture turned into an intriguing opportunity to conceptualize a footwear solution for space. His design featured a rotating sole for magnetic anchoring and inflatable ankle supports – merging pragmatism and imagination for a lifestyle beyond gravity.

Next on his outlier design catalog is the Kitchen Cosmo, an AI creation that unites digital intelligence with domestic comfort. Along with his team, Payne designed this nifty tool which scans ingredients available and generates recipes per the user’s tastes. He further broadened his innovative horizon by designing a lamp in collaboration with Associate Professor Marcelo Coelho, using geopolymer materials — a sustainable alternative to conventional ceramics – paving the path for smart product design.

Jacob Payne indeed manifests the ‘mens et manus’—’mind and hand’ ideology inherent in MIT’s ethos. Equally adroit at understanding the cultural implications of artificial intelligence and honing the technical and craftsmanship endeavors, Payne creatively redefines the meaning of a designer in this era. His work, an engaging synthesis of innovation and heritage preservation, reminds us all that design is a tool to understand the roads tread before and to tread the roads yet to come.