I created a quick PDF presentation of some of the key concepts for my studio project. This includes a volumetric model of the building itself, as well as an illustration of passeggiata and continuous street wall.

Download the PDF (1.8mb, print and web quality).

Photo-stitched view of the site.

For this week’s media assignment, I used SketchUp to arrange rooms as defined by the program we received. The main level didn’t change much in any of the three schemes I created and I spent more time thinking of the arrangement of studios. Once I had three different studio layouts, I printed them and quickly outlined them freehand. These provided me with some quick and dirty plan/section/elevation diagrams that made more sense to me than a 3d jumble of boxes. I scanned in the sketches and added some color in photoshop to indicate where the studios were in plan and section.

The task for this term was to design a community center/hostel/pub for fishermen in Newport, Oregon’s largest commercial fishermen’s port. The site was located directly across the street from the dock, so this was to be a center of activity for fishermen and their families. Accommodating their needs proved tricky; we needed to create spaces for retail, offices, laundry, gear storage, chapel, meeting space, game room, living space, etc. And to make the task even more difficult, we had a steeply sloping site.

With all the complexity, I tried to simplify where I could. I positioned most of the building on the front part of the site where the ground was flat. This also helped the building engage the street front and continue the fabric of Bay Boulevard. Instead of expressing every different space in the façade and shape of the building, I made the building a simple “L” shape and positioned important spaces at the elbow of the L. I liked picking a simple shape and using its inherent hierarchy.

My reviewers were helpful, especially with giving me ideas for the front façade. They appreciated that I tried to create an orderly system and then break it at key places (the entrance, at the elbow of the L), but they thought I could’ve went even further. I agree, the façade is okay, but boring. I’m still playing it safe because I’m new to this and just trying not to screw up (design-wise). I hope that will change next term.

Final model

Building construction model of my chapel

Section/perspective of my chapel

Sections (I need to scan these)

My desk during this term

My first term of graduate school is over; I had to design a guest house, main house, and a tower. We were given a site on Mt. Baldy, a large hill in southwest Eugene. It’s on the Ridgeline Trail network, and the only access is by trail. We had to build our buildings for a family of four (plus a dog, Millie).

The site I chose was at the fork of the Ridgeline Trail, so people are walking along both the east and west sides of the property. There are no trees nearby, so if someone veers off the trail, they could be on the property without even knowing it. Because of this, I created a semi-protected courtyard space for the family.

I’m most proud of the floor plans; I think I made a narrow house feel pretty spacious (we were required to keep it under 16 feet). I had some helpful reviewers during my final review, and I picked up some tips on how to get even more out of such a narrow space. I’ll have to keep that in mind for next term.

I don’t really like how the exterior facades turned out. I tried to keep the facades clean and simple, but I think I got boring and unadventurous instead. Despite my aim for simplicity, I have too many different window systems at work. The boring facades had company: the flat roof was pretty bad too. I’d probably do a gabled roof if I could get a do-over.

If you’d like to see all of my drawings for the final presentation, as well as some work from each week before the review, download this (rather large) PDF and take a look.

Final Presentation PDF (20mb)

Final Presentation on the wall