Concept Development

With this new project, my task was to remodel an old railway depot for the Pacific Northern Railway into a artist's residence, gallery, and studio. My specific inspiration for this was the angles of the roof line, as they are very unique and geometric in style and aesthetic quality. Using this knowledge and appearance, I explored the different angles and transferred them into design criteria such as sketches, abstract explorations, and 3D models.

Inspiration Photo

Looking at the roof in this particular photo, one can see the different geometric shapes used in the construction. Triangles, rectangles, and simple lines are all visible and unique. In the first stage of abstract exploration, I experimented with these shapes and the overlapping aspects of the roof line. Both thick and thin lines are used to parallel the contrast in the roof, as well as to show the layers and repetitive quality. Once I completed this part of development I converted my abstract design into a pattern on photoshop, adding color and rotating different pieces. The colors that I chose reflect the colors of the brick used on the roof, as well as the logo colors of the Northern Pacific Railway. Eventually once it looked the way I wanted it to, I sent it into a website that converts jpg images into textile designs (seen at bottom).

Abstract Exploration

Textile Design

The final stage of my concept development was using all of this knowledge and previous application and creating a 3D model. Conceptually speaking I continued with the usage of triangles, as I saw them as an integral yet simplistic element of the roof. In addition to this, I also used a pop of red to create a focal point, as well as the tie in the colors of my textile design. The model itself is made out of museum board, and I cut away parts of the triangles to once again highlight the various geometric aspects of the angles of this roof.

3D Model

Adaptive Reuse Case Study

The Flour Mill

In this exploration I researched with a group different locations and meanings of adaptive reuse. The specific site that I chose was the Flour Mill in Spokane, WA, which was an actual working flour mill at one time before it was transformed into a retail space. Working within a group for this was helpful because we were all researching very similar topics but different locations; collaborating helped me see different people's perspectives. In terms of the topic we researched, it was interesting to discover that many locations in America are part of the National Historic Registry to preserve their original integrity and character. Many locations are similar in this sense. The meaning of adaptive reuse is taking an existing space and changing some aspects of it, mostly aesthetically, while maintaining the original history of the space. The Flour Mill includes many structural aspects that were there at the initiation of the building, but the use of the space is now used for shopping and dining.

Habitat for Humanity Tiempo Commons

In this project, the Palouse Habitat for Humanity is in the beginning stages of its newest project in Moscow, Idaho. Working in a group environment with two other interior designers, we designed a space for the future inhabitants of this new home. With square footage limitations as well as a fairly modest budget, our work was pretty well cut out for us. Following Habitat's mantra of "simple, decent, and affordable", we planned a two story home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms with plenty of family space to encourage a sense of belonging and community. Our concept and inspiration of "roots" comes from both the literal aspect of the scenery of the Palouse, in addition to the conceptual aspect of the partner family planting their roots in a new environment. 

With no partner family selected yet, we decided to allow many different options for family dynamics in this house. The downstairs is built with aging in place in mind, with five foot turn-arounds in the kitchen and bathroom, and side by side washer dryers with pocket doors used as much as possible. Upstairs, there exists a family space/study area that can serve a multitude of functions depending on the residents. Having the space as small as it is was definitely a challenge for our group. However, it was very eye-opening to think so consciously about a volunteer project such as this; keeping in mind that volunteers are in fact the main source of labor. These limitations allowed us to recognize the amount of work and thought that goes into a Habitat for Humanity home, and I certainly hope to contribute to one in the future.

Graphic representation of living spaces and materials

Concept statement, floor plans, and exterior elevation

Graphic Reflections

Reflecting back on my work over the last couple of months, this compilation shows my growth as a designer. There were many different types of media and graphic representations used and I represented my growth process across these three posters. My individual furniture renderings were applied further in the perspective rendering in a large scale application, which was difficult for me at first but became easier once I treated it one object at a time. In terms of digital media my compilation, on poster two, combined both hand sketches and layering images on Photoshop. Having done mostly hand sketches over the last couple months this aspect was easiest for me, but digitally this was a challenge. I applied the same concepts for the perspectives, focusing on smaller elements first and then the big picture. I hope to continue these skills in the future. 

Habitat for Humanity

Being able to work on a Habitat for Humanity project site was a great way for me to see how a house is built literally from the ground up. I had heard of Habitat for Humanity previously but was unfamiliar with how it actually operated and some of the tasks done by volunteers. The day that I volunteered was still fairly early in the project, I participated in nailing together load bearing walls, installing different forms of insulation materials, and transported part of the foundation. It was fairly strenuous work!

Hammering nails into exterior walls

One of the things I learned this day was how much work and man (or woman) power really went into building a house. Most of the tasks were fairly simple but were sometimes dangerous or required multiple hands. I was not aware until experiencing this that the future owner of the house puts in many hours working on their own home. It was great to be able to meet the woman who would be living in the house in just a few months. At the end of the day the benefits of this were two fold. On one hand, in a design perspective, it was good knowledge to discover where studs, nails, windows, etc., go in building a house from scratch, as well as what kinds of materials are used. In a more humanitarian viewpoint volunteering for this was such a fantastic opportunity to see how designers, architects, and various creators of the built environment can make an impact.

Myself and fellow designers after putting up an exterior wall

Seattle Design Tour

zHome

Set in Issaquah, Washington, the zHome site is a series of condominium style living spaces that combined produce zero net energy. Asides from being aesthetically pleasing both inside and outside, the zHome is in the top tier of sustainable living. In a world where custom features and high priced luxuries may come to mind when one thinks of "beauty" in terms of design, many individuals and families are starting to make a shift into sustainable energy. Given that this site is a pretty extreme case of this, as every single aspect goes beyond even the Energy Star rating that many appliances and home features are given, it opened my eyes in thinking of this kind of client and aesthetic.

zHome Courtyard

What seem like many small choices actually add up to an extremely efficient and money saving unit. For instance, geothermal wells are drilled 200 feet down to allow for maximum heat and a saving of energy. There is no ground water runoff; tiered beds of rock allow rain water to flow down and be held in a basin until it evaporates back into the atmosphere. These are just a few examples, but there are so many that in some cases the homeowner could actually attain a surplus of energy and eventually receive a profit.

Westlake Residence

This construction site was a valuable experience within itself, simply because we got to see a residence in its unfinished stages. Though it was unfinished the stage that it was in allowed me to see some of the design elements that would be used. There were five stories total, each with a separate function:

Ground floor: Art Studio

1st floor: ADA accessible apartment

2nd/3rd floor: 2 story one-bedroom apartment

4th floor: Penthouse suite

Rooftop Patio

I found it interesting that each floor had a different client in mind; the two story apartments are quite small at only 600 square feet, whereas the penthouse took up an entire floor. Gorgeous, large scale glass windows surround the entire site, which allows for stunning views of the Seattle center and the Space Needle. Saving money in other aspects in the design process allowed for the owner to install these pieces of glass, for instance most of the wood finishes were from the owner's actual property instead of being imported. Working around the building codes for such a small space seemed to be the biggest priority and hindrance in this space, and that is definitely something I will keep in mind for the future.

Example of one of the loft apartments

Street Bean Espresso and Shelter

Touring the New Horizons teen shelter was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. Established in 1978 this shelter allows for young people ages 13-22 a safe place off the streets to get food, rest, and positive socialization. The Director is planning a remodel to allow for their offsite coffee shop, which gives sheltered teens stable jobs, a place in their current building. Currently there is social area, laundry, kitchen, dining room, computer access, restrooms, and various couches for relaxing. The design challenges in this space are pretty unique, the main one being that having many walls is undesired as this would prevent volunteers from watching the teens.

Common living area of New Horizons

However, the space itself is very open and requires little maintenance. Creative design is already implemented in some spaces; outside in the "transition space" (which is really more like a garage) chalk paint is used on the walls as a means to deter from spray painting graffiti. As this is not currently a "residence", in the future having dorm style living quarters may be built in the upstairs portion. Learning about how this space functions helped me see residential design through a different lens, as opposed to just single family living spaces.

St. Ignatius Chapel

This was one of my favorite locations. It was built fairly recently, in 1994, and the idea behind the design was of "7 bottles of light, bound by a stone box". Not very large and set against the urban design of the rest of Seattle, the church is a unique feature on the Seattle University campus. It is not a literal design, but the way that daylight fades in and out of the interiors through colored glass is an experience within itself. There is a play with both direct and reflected light, sometimes light would be a clear crisp color and sometimes it would seem softer, reflected on another surface with a different kind of light.

Sketch of alter

The designer chose to use fairly simple materials in the building of this church, concrete is used the most but zinc, bronze, and cedar are also used throughout the interior and exterior. They are used simply; the focus is directed on the reliance of light to show movement and texture in the wall treatments. I found so many different angles to sketch, each vignette was different than the next but all employed the same simplicity of design that made this church beautiful.

Frye Museum

In the entry space of this museum, the outside is employed as part of the experience. I loved seeing this. Water features are used along the entrance to bring a sense of calmness to the guests. A visitor begins by walking up a ramp, a universal design element that allows everyone to enter by the same means. At the top of the ramp, golden "gates" allow access to an interior dome space that opens up to the rest of the museum. Standing inside the dome, daylight shines through an oculus at the top, which plays a part in allowing the audience to connect to the outdoor elements. Daylight is used as a way of moving people through the space, which is true in many other designs. This is a nice way of controlling circulation within the space.

Once inside, there is little daylight but lighting still guides the way. The works of art are highlighted in light, so as to draw attention. The layout is very successful because of its simplicity, the walls are white and the floors are a solid hardwood. Nothing distracts from the art. High ceilings allow for the space to appear larger, and also for bigger pieces to be able to fit in such a space where there is not an excess of square footage.

Interior gallery space

Job Shadow

Being able to Job Shadow at CollinsWoerman, an architectural and design firm, was definitely the most insightful part of the trip. Though it was only for a day, it was helpful to see the inner workings of a professional environment. I personally shadowed one of the interior designers on staff, Amanda, and it was interesting to take part in the projects and various everyday tasks that occur as part of the job. CollinsWoerman is unique in the aspect that each member of staff occasionally does tasks in other departments, for example Amanda was working on a graphic design project on the side in addition to her interiors.

The way that the firm was set up was very open and called for interdisciplinary collaboration; architects were set up next to designers, for example, based on the assignments they were simultaneously working on. It was obvious in the work that they produced that this was beneficial to everyone involved, instead of being separated by department. I would love to work in an environment like this one day, where individuals are less of a job title and more of a working member of a successful team.

Sketch Crawl

            I loved being able to sketch around the Seattle Center, there are many interesting buildings, landscapes, and venues that are unique to this location. I chose to draw mostly buildings as opposed to landscapes solely of greenery or pathways, as I prefer the architectural and linear elements that a building has. I tried to stay away from drawing the Space Needle or the museum of rock and roll, because I wanted to try something different and less topical. There were so many beautiful vignettes to choose from it was difficult to just pick a few. I do however love drawing scenery, and I'm fairly skilled with shading and cross hatching. Some of my sketches I kept as contours, to bring the focus to the lineage of the building, and also because I wanted to sketch as many subjects as I had the time for. I tried to focus on perspectives in these drawings but I think my focus should have been in employing color. I noticed colleagues of mine managed to layer colored pencils and markers; usually I stick to just one media. I think it would be beneficial for me in the future to try this technique. 

 

Being Accessible

To explore the accessibility of some of my surroundings, I spent a half an hour in a wheelchair doing various everyday tasks. Some of these tasks were a little easier than others; even going between two buildings is not as easy as it seems. One of the main things that I noticed is that many of the doorways were not ADA standard, if the wheelchair would have been a little bigger it probably would not have fit through. The biggest aspect I noticed was that many ramps are not the one inch high for every one foot long standard, some are extremely steep and very difficult to maneuver. Elevators also proved tight with little turning radius, though some elevators were far more accessible than others.

Example of ramp

Another simple task that I had troubles with was entering and exiting certain restrooms. Those without automated doors I had to reach out to grab the door handle, then try to push myself through. I have pretty decent upper body strength but a person without this would not be able to enter this space at all. Some stalls were even more difficult, with the same issue, it was very cramped. Most sinks were accessible and within reason, almost all of the public restrooms I encountered were pedestal style so it allowed for leg room to roll under. For the most part, however, not many things were 100% ADA accessible, and it was cumbersome to try to maneuver through these spaces.

Cramped entry into stall