"here i go again on my own"

Well, much has taken place since the last time even I visited my own blog. I spent the summer working on my thesis project with my partner in crime Debbie Nestvogal. Since graduating, I have been running the wood shop for the Iarc department here at UNCG.

The past few months I have been very busy working on designs for new funiture pieces.



here is one example photographed by some of my dear friends Edgar and Suzanne. More to come soon. I promise!

crunch time.........again

I have been super busy in studio as of late working with my group to refine our building shell design as well as work on the atrium that i am designing. With all of this have to managed to neglect my blog for a few days now. It's time to catch up.

The design work is done for the most part, if that ever really happens. I've been working on my presentation drawings for the past few days now. Also started on our final model this afternoon and should be finished by Sunday afternoon. I also hope to complete a larger model of the atrium staircase surround to show some of the details. The detail drawings have been fun to work out, Thank God for Graphics Standards. I have been trying to place these images or at least place holders in our presentation template try and find a way for this thing to be as exciting as I think it is.

I really want to throw out some of the same ol same of presentations like boring plans and interior elevations, yawn. I hope to finally be able to visualy explain what we have spent all this time working on. With so many layers built up to make this space I plan on using a series of axons that show this process. Also I hope to include an exploded perspective view of the circulation core and foot bridges.

Man, I need to get back to work I want to leave with a few drawings that have helped me figure out some proportions for my models and computer models.

inspiration hits 1st thing in the morning

As I woke up this morning the sun was shining in through my window, of course right on my face. It got on my nerves at first but then I realized how the leaves were blowing around in the wind and filling my room with all of these wonderful shadows. It immediately reminded me of my studio project and how light and movement have played such a key role in the overall design of the atrium so far. I have been struggling with ways to dramatically filter the light coming into this key area of the building. I'm not really sure yet how the maple tree outside my room and it's early morning choreography will help influence these design decisions but it sure got me excited about he whole day.

Say Cheese

I was looking at some random blogs the other day and found this picture, it was taken from an article in Playboy magazine. This site has work from thousands of designers from products to art pieces and back again. If you have a few minutes I would recommend taking a look.
www.lushpad.com

Round 3, Here We Come

Thursday we had our last group review before the final. Now it's really time to turn it up a notch and change gears from the group work and focus more on our individual work. These images begin to show a more refined version of my previous post. We have managed to filter and refine our concepts and establish an architectural language that can carry throughout the entire building as well as define the interior space.






I am working on the atrium of the studio arts building as I have mentioned before. Since this space houses much of the buildings vertical circulation as well as the main entrance everyone that comes threw the building will interact with this space. Since the atrium is more of an enclosed space between the two classroom wings not a key structural component of the building I want to focus my work on a design that embraces this fact.



Some of the components that need to be within the atrium are.

-vertical circulation
Stairs/elevators
-foot bridges from the studios to the classroom wing
-observation deck
-main crit. room

I have spent a great deal of time working with my group to develop a material language for the building and specific spaces that help to inform the students and visiters of their uses. I hope to continue to play off of this palette of materials and forms to create an atrium that maintains a similar design language as the exterior to truly empisize that the idea of being a break between these two buildings.

Core No More

Through our group design work thus far, the idea of having a central core for circulation has given way to more of an open atrium space within the main studio building. This space will still act as the main entrance and hold the main vertical circulation but will no longer act as the anchor point for the structure.


These images show how the structure of the building will begin to frame this open space/atrium. This has given me the opportunity to work outside of the constraints of the building framework and core. As a group we have worked towards a more simple form that can act as a pallet for more organic interior gestures and forms. We also feel that if we could find a way to showcase and record the movement of the students and guests that would change day to day, it could bring an artistic life force to the studio building.

Group meetings, round one

Here are a few of the schematic drawings we worked on tues.night for our groups shell and form of the studio arts building for studio.

More to come tonight!

The studio wing as well as the classroom wing were elongated to take advantage of the views toward campus and down town as well as to allow for more natural light. Also the core has been enlarged to allow for more of a gesture of a gateway.