The Atrium
In this Studio 2 project, we were asked to create housing in the Capital Hill neighborhood of Denver. This project was a team effort between myself and Matty Epperly, we called it The Atrium. Our project was nominated to be featured in Dezeen Magazine and it also helped us win The Studio Excellence Award.
The Atrium housing project encompasses a heavy focus on community and sustainable practices. Communal kitchens on the first floor encourage residents to get to know their neighbors through cooking and eating together. Exposed circulation inside the atrium leading to the units and bifold doors used to enter each apartment facilitate opportunities for connection and openness. The building was designed to allow for passive cooling through the bifold doors mentioned previously as well as large sliding windows on the facade and operable skylights in the lofts. Openings from the facade leading to the atrium allow for additional cooling and lighting. For the Atrium project we focused on the things that make commercial living feel more like a group of friends living together and on the aspects of a building that can allow the residents to let the fresh air in and relax.
The Common Ground Axon showcases the community aspect we strived for with this project, by allowing the ground floor to be a space to cook, work, play, and meet other tenants of The Atrium.
Heiligdom
For this Studio 3 project, I was asked to design a pavilion for the Chatfield Reservoir in Colorado.
Heiligdom, meaning sanctuary in Dutch, encompasses the concept of this pavilion. The desire to design a space where user's could escape from the noise of everyday life and from the busy areas within Chatfield Reservoir. Heiligdom is positioned offshore with an approach that is at water level to allow those walking to the pavilion to experience walking through the water while staying dry. The long approach enables the structure to be far enough away for user's to enjoy the peace within the Cottonwood trees while disconnecting from what they're leaving back on shore. As the user emerges out of the water they cross over the first of three platforms, encouraging them to move through the thresholds which bring them higher out of the water. To the user's left as they make their way through the space, there are recycled fishing nets suspended over the water used to encourage lounging and relaxation. Once the user makes their way to the terminus of the pavilion, they encounter a large opening in the roof as well as the final platform. This aperture surrounds a Cottonwood tree to establish a feeling of being within the tree canopy which also contributes to the atmosphere being one of ease. The water reflects onto the white concrete, birds are singing, and those who enjoy the quiet have a place to escape to.
The Basin
For this Studio 3 final project, I was asked to design a nature center for The Chatfield Reservoir. As we were able to choose what we wanted our nature center to focus on, I developed a concept around the relationship between architecture and water. Within this concept, each space was designed with the focus to encourage a sensory experience. I also utilized indoor and outdoor space, both being molded by the use of a grid in my design process. At the core of this project I wanted to design a space that played with scale and light to allow for a true experience as one engages with the space.
In the first hall I emphasized the relationship between light and water. With this, the reflections and patterns that this relationship showcases. To accomplish this, I used skylights and a large West facing window to bring in the light and a water feature directly perpendicular to this window. The second hall is designed with sound and touch in mind. As one walks through the space, they are encouraged to touch the water that surrounds the path and with 45 foot ceilings every sound echoes.
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A Place for Reflection
For my Studio 1 final project, I was tasked with designing a place for reflection. I envisioned my site being on a cliff overlooking water and walk intensive. When establishing my concept, I first reflected myself on what reflection means to me and I realized that I tend to reflect most when I feel in the dark about things going on in my life and when I also feel uncomfortable. I also looked at previous projects of mine from the semester to draw inspiration.
When I moved onto the design, I made my entryway to be one that is dark, compressed, and uncomfortable to draw from my concept. The entryway then opens up into a very open area to work with the concept of compression and expansion. Throughout the design I used elements such as canals, voids, planes, and cliffs to guide the user throughout it. If one looks at the plan view, they can see the spiral effect that I established with the pathway so that the walker could walk near or above pivotal moments throughout their quest to look back on their journey. When the user moves from the transition point which represents solidarity with the material being concrete to the final reflection point of walking out onto a wooden walkway that is cantilevered over the cliff it represents moving through the fear and discomfort that reflection can bring about. Lastly, the final reflection point is positioned directly towards the entryway to look back at where the user started.
Study Abroad - Rome
CU Denver offers a unique opportunity to travel and live in Rome for a month where we gained skills in drawing, documenting, and analysis. After three weeks of going to sites throughout Italy and drawing, we were tasked with choosing a site in Rome to do a deeper analysis on and display that analysis graphically. I chose the Campidoglio as my site and decided to focus on the statues and their purpose. I discovered that the statues designed by Michaelangelo created axes directed towards St. Peter’s Basilica. The statues that lined the three buildings mirrored the trapezoidal piazza directed outwards and the series of moments from the clocktower statue, Queen Roma and the River Gods below, through the center point of Marcus Aurelius’ statue, to the entrance of the twin statues of Pollux and Castor create an effect of moving the eye outwardly towards St. Peter’s. This analysis drawing is showcased below as well as drawings from the experience.
Sustainable Systems Focus.
This project was for my Sustainable Systems 2 class with Tom Hootman whom I later became a Teacher’s Assistant for. For this project I designed a small office building in Denver, Colorado and implemented sustainable practices and also energy modeled with the software Sketchup and its extension, Sefaira.
We can see that I was able to reduce the overall energy usage from it’s baseline of 22.9 kBTU’s/square foot/year to 17.2 by using passive strategies with window placement, strategic shading mechanisms, building orientation, and equipment choice. I also utilized solar for renewable energy. I also ran daylighting analysis which are showcased below and I was able to reduce the overlit portion of the building from 55% to 29% in two iterations. I also did calculations to be able to size a cistern for the property.
This project was for my Sustainable Systems 1 class. The project consisted of choosing a location in which I chose Manistee Michigan, however I used the Ludington Michigan weather data because Manistee did not have it’s own. Next, I created a tiny office while implementing sustainable design practices. The practices I focused on were natural ventilation, passive heating and cooling, solar control, thermal comfort, and thermal envelope. I used the software’s Rhino with the Grasshopper extension as well as SketchUp. Below is the design with only a few graphs showing the measurements for the practices I stated above that I focused on.
Interior Design.
Golf Club House at Heavenly Resort.
Commercial.
1223 Dunes Drive.
Residential.
Art Projects.
In these projects, I used found and recycled materials. The first project I used coat hangers from local dry cleaners to create a form representing the female form. In the second, I used a mold of my hand placed in nature to convey the notion of sink or swim. Lastly, in my Green Building class at CU Denver, I used found materials such as driftwood, sea glass, and a surfboard fin to create a shelf.
