This set of drawings detail the main guest stairs at the Tesla. Unfortunately our detailing teacher had certain requirements, so they are not the same number of risers as the final project stairs. They do however share the shape, rise and run, and tread materials and detailing. The construction is not quite the same, since the version for detailing class was freestanding with no stairwell wall to attach to.
See the set on Flickr.
Full version coming soon! In the meantime, here’s a teaser from my print portfolio:
This project focused on creating specific spatial effects through lighting. I built a model to given proportions and had to create multiple lids for it, which would mimic the effects of different treatments when lit from above by the classic architect’s desk lamp.
The first effect was “narrow, deep, and low,” seen in the feature image above. I used long, slender slits pushed to one side of the room, running front to back. This was to create a series of lines leading the eye deep into the space, which were all close together, leaving the other side of the room unlit, so that viewers would not notice that area so much. The slits were also cut so that on top, they were wide, and at the bottom they were narrow. This produced interesting patterns with the light source held at certain angles and distances. Very little light hit the ceiling, pushing it down.
Narrow, deep, and low -- patterns created by triangular slits
Wide, shallow, and tall
Dappled light
The second effect was “wide, shallow, and tall.” For this one, I cut wide rectangles running across, and then built dropped reflectors that bounced light back onto the ceiling. One opening was specifically placed by the back wall, to make sure that wall was well-lit, bringing it forward. The wide bars of light running across the space made it look wider and shallower. The reflectors also created patterns of shadow when lit at angles.
The final effect was one of our choosing. I wanted to create a dappled light with different intensities, by filtering some openings but not all with translucent paper. The paper was also an openwork Japanese tissue, to further break down the light. Many small organic shapes were punched through the ceiling, and they created an effect somewhere between a disco and a forest.
See the whole set and the presentation slide deck on Flickr.
Full version coming soon! In the meantime, here a is teaser from my print portfolio, on the left.
Full version coming soon! In the meantime, here’s a teaser from my print portfolio:
Full version coming soon! In the meantime, there is a teaser from my print portfolio in the image on the left.
See the work:
The loft full of curves is the result of our Design Project I course. The goal was a from-the-bare-concrete renovation for a Westboro loft apartment. The client was John Spencer, a senior designer at William McDonough + Partners. As a single man in his 40s, he needed space to live, work, and entertain, but wanted to avoid walls. He insisted on at least 30% sustainable materials, enjoyed transparent materials, and hoped for minimal use of colour, and space to display his art collection. Read More
For this assignment, our Building Materials and Construction class split into small groups and built structures large enough to hold an 8 x 8 x 14 inch box, out of any materials, joined any way except welding or soldering, with no member thicker than half an inch. They also had to have flat tops, because on the due date, we stress-tested them by loading them down with bricks — or people — until they collapsed under the load. They were scored according to how much weight they carried versus how much they weighed, with the most efficient structure winning. Read More
This essay for Design Project I is a response to Martin Heidegger’s “Building Dwelling Thinking“. In writing it, I drew on my previous reading of Robert A. Heinlein, for his idea of universe as art, and Buckminster Fuller, for his founding his faith in cosmic order on modern scientific knowledge.
Read Building, Dwelling, and the Cosmic Order (PDF, 60KB).
Sometimes it’s useful to be a packrat. First semester, I wrote a paper on Bucky and had made a spreadsheet of fully cited quotations for it. Since I didn’t throw away that research, I had the necessary notes to add the paragraph on Bucky to this paper complete with quotations and citations. This saved me having to think of a new paragraph to add.
Lawyers N Love
FieldsHospitality
Skills2D computer rendering, 3D computer rendering
DateFebruary 10, 2010
A concept board for a bar called Lawyers N Love (not my choice of name), which includes a rendered perspective and a concept statement. I saw it as being sleek, modern and warm, despite the chrome furniture, thanks to the warm dark wood, raspberry walls, and creamy white leather with a very natural texture. I wanted the barstools to resemble marshmallows, and choose classic Le Corbusier furnishings to match them.
The perspective is based on a model I created in SketchUp (24mb). Once satisfied with the arrangement, I exported an image of a particular view. From that, I edited it in stages to first remove unnecessary lines, then create the many complex selections required, and finally coloured and lit the perspective.