Back in the Saddle

After having taken a nine month break from using this blog as a living document of my design endeavors, I have returned to my post.

Last semester, I designed a Theater-Machine: six auditoriums located on the Baton Rouge riverfront at the site of the Old Municipal Dock. The design project was challenging and enjoyable. Toward the end of the semester, I wrote a research paper titled "Gated Communities: How Residential Fortification Protects Insiders from the Real"--- a real "must read."

This semester's main focus will be to site and design a building in Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, that addresses some of the key issues inhabitants face there. Flooding, fishing, erosion, subsidence, humidity, heat, auto-orientation, hurricanes, and the economy are just a few of the topics I am investigating. Since the studio centers on environmental control system design, I will be focusing on passive and active systems tailor-fit for Southern Louisiana. As this project develops, I will post regular updates on my progress.
Welcome back.

Final Design and Critique

The final critique for this project revealed that Professor Sofranko's adage is true: "It's never done; it's only due."

The critics brought fresh eyes and fresh ideas to my project. Though we spent quite some time discussing solutions to the "access issue" for my studios (for which I had never found a satisfying answer), we also discussed a number of other important issues. Among those issues were the design of my entry ramps and their relationship with the outdoor patio space, the roof surface, and experiential sequence from the roof surface to the studios in general.

It became apparent that more attention should be paid to the roof surface (which was to also double as a communal outdoor space.) This space was far too large to function as an outdoor space and designing studio entries could help inform the use of this space as a communal area. We further wrestled with the idea of condensing my vertical composition and bringing my studios closer to the roof surface (perhaps even becoming part of the surface-- an idea I had scrapped early on, but might prove worth investigating.)

In all, the final critiques were an enjoyable learning experience for all of us. As I listened to the critics discuss our projects, it occurred to me that there were some common ideas that we were all struggling to understand and implement. Among them were: truthful vs. willful, good composition, the actual experience of the building, addressing the whole site, and creating place. I can't say that I have it all figured out- these are ideas I will continue to investigate as I grow as a designer.

The Drawing Board (and Why You Should Go Back to it)

The drawing board is both the location where documentation occurs and the actual document itself. On this board is all of the information pertaining to my understanding of the site and its condition. Included are: a sun path diagram, a wind rose, the shadows created at various times of the year, a map of the garage as it relates to Capitol Park, a map of the garage as it related to Third Street, photos and sketches from various viewpoints, a plan of the garage, elevations of the garage, a description of the garage as it is, and a list of my aspirations for what the garage can be.

All of this information has been used to inform my design thus far. In order to use the drawing board to its fullest potential, though, we must also allow our design to "inform" the board. There should be a two way dialogue between the board and the design; each should inform and build upon the other. Where there is clear communication between the documentation and the design, good architecture is sure to follow.

The drawing board as not just a beginning or an end, but an essential tool to follow you on your design journey. Going "back to the drawing board" doesn't have to mean starting over, it can be a continuous exercise in reminding yourself of the past and the future. My advice to you? Keep going back to the drawing board.

Mid-Project Design

The design for my rooftop studios has changed quite a bit over the last few weeks. The most noticeable change is that the studio "trees" have been aligned in two neat rows (like a grove) according to the parking garage structure rather than located with little relation to one another (like a forest). This arrangement has birthed numerous opportunities for creating relationships from studio to studio as well as from studio to program space.

The program space below is still intended to be the "under canopy" space, but the new arrangement allows for the program space to better relate to the parking structure on which it sits.

The studio design review suggested many new ways to make the composition stronger and more clear. Future revisions to the design may include the following:

• A less rectilinear roof structure that expresses more of a gestural, floating concept.
• A roof that occupies more area, clearly defining its relationship to the columns supporting the studios and creating a shaded outdoor space at ground level that could be used by gallery (like the rooftop terrace at the Shaw Center.)
  
• Studio spaces redesigned to be more expressive forms, possibly including the intersection of multiple planes through the current volume to further illustrate the "tree form" idea (further investigation is required).
• Studios located a varying heights to create a more interesting "canopy environment."
• A program space that more clearly creates relationships with the parking structure and the studio spaces above.

The studio design review also helped me make connections with other projects that my peers are working on. Both Ben and Marc are working on projects that deal with similar issues like tension between natural and synthetic, and using views to inform design.

I am very excited about making these revisions and hope that the next stage of the project brings about just as many moments of "aha!" as this last stage has.

Mid-Project Model

Featured in this design are a semi-translucent, undulating roof membrane; a series of hill-shaped light wells; elevated studio spaces oriented to various views; small trees growing within the composition; and program space beneath the "canopy" giving deference to the structure of the parking garage.

The Search for Suitable Materials

While experimenting with different materials for modeling the roof, I stumbled upon plaster cloth wrap. This material is useful in modeling because it can be shaped into any form you can mold, it dries in twenty minutes or fewer, and it can be cut after drying.

The most interesting quality of this material is its semi-translucency. The plaster dries on the cloth in a very random pattern, giving light pattern a very "tree canopy-like" quality. This effect is exactly what I am looking for in my design for the roof.

Over, Under, and Through

Along my daily route to and from class, I pass by Tiger Stadium and the three academic halls that line Fieldhouse Drive on the stadium side (Johnston, Hatcher, and Hodges). In between the halls are narrow stairways that provide access from the lower stadium area to the higher academic area. The experience is very much like rising from an underground subway station in New York and it is just the experience I want people to have in my building. I imagine the experience of ascending from beneath the forest canopy to within or above it is very similar.