CHRISTOPHER YEE M a s ter of A r c h i tec tu r e
U n iv e rs it y of Was h in gt on
B S i n C i v i l E n g i n eer i n g
U n iv e rs it y of C al ifo rn ia I rvi ne
PORTFOLIO
S U P E R S H E D Howard
S.
Wright
Neighbor hood
Design/Build
Studio
The Howard S. Wright Neighborhood Design/Build Studio is an award-winning studio offered by Professor Steve Badanes and the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington. In its 24 year history, the studio has evolved as a venue for student exploration and development of architectural design and fabrication skills that ultimately serve to benefit not only the students, but also Seattle communities and urban nonprofit groups in need. The primary goal of the studio endeavors to shape designers that identify simple, elegant solutions to crafting space that is socially responsible and serves the client in unique ways, all while maintaining a focus on sustainable building methods and creative use of materials. The 2012 NDB Studio was comprised of seventeen graduate architecture, landscape architecture, construction management, real estate and undergraduate architecture students under the guidance of Professor Steve Badanes and Miller I Hull designer Jake Labarre. The 2012 NDB team was asked to design and build two tool sheds - a greenhouse, and a community space - that served the varied needs of the University of Washington Farm, Seattle Youth Garden Works and the Hardy Plant Society on a 0.8 acre farm space owned by the Center for Urban Horticulture. This project received the 2012 AIA Northwest & Pacific Region Student Design Award.
site
concept
constraints 11 w eeks
farm views +
sun shelter
= The project site is located in the Union Bay Natural Area as part of the University of Washington Farm.
SUPERSHED
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1,000
1,000
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1,000
1,000
11,000 d ol l a r s 1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
17 st udents
1,000
plan wash
potting
tool shed
greenhouse
tool shed
classroom
bike
wash 0’
section
through greenhouse 1. operable window 2. twig wall 3. reclaimed door 4. start planter 5. reclaimed 55gal thermal mass 6. rain barrel
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0’
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2’
4’
8’
2’
4’
8’
N O M A D
re-embracing king street station
Transit is a way of moving between time and place; involving both the duration and the destination. Designing a place to dwell within this network of transportation should attempt to create both, accommodating the traveler’s temporal needs and enhancing their sense of place. The Nomad offers three room options based on a traveler’s unique duration. Capsule’s for a short nap, pod’s for a short stay, and rooms for longer endeavors. Inspired by the waterfront shipping containers, each pre-fabricated volume is lifted into a structural frame that acts as a skeleton. Over time, these volumes can be connected allowing for individualized unit plans. The retail on the ground floor becomes a neighborhood urban bazaar, producing a vibrant a lively streetscape. By increasing visibility, in terms of activity as well as the tower, the Nomad places King Street Station on the map.
capsule 4’ x 8’ x 4’ pod 8’ x 12’ x 12’
room 20’ x 24’ x 12’
combine
unit plan
Sited at a geographical and societal divide between Madrona and Central, the library has the potential to union these two disparate neighborhoods. Using this as inspiration, the concept of the building was to initiate a proverbial hand shake between the communities. The library’s main programatic elements grip one another, creating a public atrium in between where cultural exchange and the sharing of ideas can take place.
divide
meet
concept
Seattle’s “Libraries for All” program was spurred by the belief that knowledge should be accessible to anyone and everyone. Enacted in 1998, Seattle launched the largest library initiative in the United States. In this first year studio, we were tasked to design a library that captured the spirit of this monumental effort.
central
MADRONA LIBRARY Libraries For All
madrona
function
organize
public space public services
read
library control
reference
stacks vertical circulation
study
circulation path meet
youth
youth
youth
child
child
story
CREASE + SEAM Tiresias School for the Blind
how do you percieve space without sight? Architecture and the experience of space is predominantly visual. In this second year studio, we were asked to reinterpret how an individual perceives space without the aid of sight. In addition, the project was located on a small, but challenging triangular parcel along one of the neighborhood’s busiest streets. In our investigation, our studio ventured into Steven Holl’s Chapel of St. Ignatius using visually impairing goggles. We navigated the sacred space carefully, by attentively listening, smelling, and feeling our way through. I latched onto the texture of the thatched plaster walls and the smooth warmth of the wooden pews. My sense of touch heightened and I began sensing the space as a much more physical and tactile experience. As a result, the sense of touch guided my design. A tactile wall, that begins on the exterior of the building, wraps inside creating a haptic circulation path for the visually impaired.
haptic wall
D E C. 2 1
M A R. 2 1
J U N. 2 1
STANDARD
SHALLOW
TALL
Micro apartments are sub-300 SF dwelling units that are being proposed in major city centers such as New York and San Francisco. They are a new solution to rising rent costs and limited space. My thesis proposes micro apartments in the heart of downtown Los Angeles as a viable solution to densify and reurbanize a re-developing city center.
STANDARD
SHALLOW
TALL
TALL 17’ x 10’ + 8’ x 10’
STANDARD
SHALLOW
25’ x 10’
15’ x 17’
Micro apartments are often criticized as being displeasurable spaces due to their small size, however daylight can play a crucial role in making these units desirable places to live. Shown here is a small sample of my daylighting analysis looking at the daylight penetration of three different options along a southern exposure.
Lighting Design
M I C R O H O U S I N G
EDUCATION Master of Architecture
University of Washington | 2010 - 2013
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering University of California Irvine | 2003 - 2007
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Green Associate | 2009 - present
EXPERIENCE MulvannyG2 Architecture
Architectural Intern | Bellevue, WA | 2011
URS
Structural Design Engineer | Irvine & Oakland, CA | 2007 - 2010
Washington Group International
Civil Engineering Intern | Irvine, CA | 2005 - 2007
TECHNICAL Adobe InDesign
AutoCAD
Revit
Adobe Illustrator
Ecotect
Rhinoceros
Adobe Photoshop
Microsoft Office
Sketchup
THANK YOU