Chris Sanford
Selected Works, 2012-2015
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Front Cover, Prairie Burning on the Flint Hills Graphite, 2015
Chris Sanford
Selected Works, 2012-2015
KSU ARCH
Education
Kansas State University, College of Architecture, Planning, and Design 2011-2016 Master of Architecture, May 2016 Rampart High School, International Baccalaureate 2007-2011 IB DYP Diploma
Experience
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Philadelphia, PA Architectural Intern Summer 2015 Bowman Bowman Novick Inc., Manhattan, KS Architectural Intern Summer 2014, Fall 2015 John P. Nelson Associates, Colorado Springs, CO Architectural Intern Summer 2012, 2013 Radioshack, Colorado Springs, CO Salesman Summer 2011
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Resume
Skills
Autodesk Suite (AutoCAD, Revit, 3DS-Max) Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) Rhino Sketch-up Sketching Hand-drafting Electronic and hand rendering Model-building Bilingual - French, English
Activities
Graduate Teaching Assistant, History of the Designed Environment, 2014 Graduate Teaching Assistant, History of Building Construction, 2015 OZ Architectural Journal Member, 2012-2014 U.S. Green Building Council Member
Awards & Honors
2015 Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo, Student Design Charette 2013 Bowman Design Forum - 1st place 2012 ADS Travel Award 2011-present, Kansas State University Honors Scholar, Dean’s List 2011 Rocky Mountain Youth Leadership Conference - Major James Coakley Leadership Award
Chris Sanford
Resume
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Manifesto
“I love to listen from such a toilet to the sound of softly falling rain, especially if it is a toilet of the Kanto region, with its long, narrow windows at the floor level; there one can listen with such a sense of intimacy to the raindrops falling from the eaves as they wash over the base of a stone lantern and freshen the moss about the stepping stones. And the toilet
is the perfect place to listen to the chirping of insects or the song of birds, to view the moon, or to enjoy any of those poignant moments that mark the changing of the seasons. Here, I suspect, is where haiku poets over the ages have come by a great many of their ideas.�
Architects have a tremendous amount of responsibility. They are equal parts technician and sculptor, designing the landscapes of our contemporary lives and deliberately or unwittingly exercising a great deal of power over the culture of society. Bearing this distinct privilege in mind, it is my intent to design by carefully considering each factor of a design problem, while working inside the framework of a broader ethos which honors place.
order to inform the development of a solution. By addressing architecture as an appendage of its environment and tailoring designs to the unique conditions and cultures of each setting, localized architecture may succeed where the subduing anonymity of ubiquitous architecture may fail.
In recent history, visionary architects and designers have led the way alongside technicians in other fields to addressing the growing threat of climate change. In this post-industrial and post-modern world, it is clear that these systemic issues can no longer be remedied universally, but must be addressed at the local and individual scale. It is my intention to carefully consider the culture and history of design problems in
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Manifesto
- Jun’ichiro Tanizaki
Place, however, is not merely defined by a scientific appraisal of the potential of the site, but something more. Beautiful, multi-dimensional works are not measured merely by the work of the architect, but by their enduring integrity, as forms interact with changing qualities of light, patina in the ecosystem of the site, and grow to become meaningful characters in the community. In order to provoke the intrinsic qualities of place, I hope to anticipate these circumstances, and carefully devise a dialogue between the architecture and its environment.
Contents
Flint Hills Craft Center (Revit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07 Irish Cultural Center (Drawing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sunset Pavilion (Modeling) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Professional Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Chris Sanford
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Flint Hills Craft Center
2013 Bowman Design Forum - 1st Place
Manhattan, Kansas
Flint Hills Craft Center
12.11.13
“Present social conditions dictate that one man always be thinking and another always working, and we call one a gentleman and the other an operative; whereas the workman ought often to be thinking and the thinker often to be working, and both should be gentlemen, in the best sense.� - John Ruskin The design for the Flint Hills Craft Center draws its inspiration from the arts and crafts movement, in which the Midwest played an instrumental
Chris Sanford
Flint Hills Craft Center
role. Lessons on the reconciliation of artisanship and factory production which emerged with this movement continue to be relevant in contemporary society. At its core, the arts and crafts movement glorified the figure of the craftsman, whose masterful body of work was the result of a coalition of artistic talent and rational intelligence. The archetypal craftsman preserved artisanal heritage and accepted the technological advancements of the machine age with a healthy sense of caution. The design of the Flint Hills Craft Center follows this axiom by reflecting the coalition of beauty and efficiency in its built form.
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Above
The initial sketch of the building reflects the concept of crafting outdoor rooms.
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The building is situated to make use of the prevailing winds to power a wind generator.
Flint Hills Craft Center
Chris Sanford
Flint Hills Craft Center
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Above
An array of suspended panels converts wind into usable energy and flutters gracefully in sync with the prairie.
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The plan of the building is legibly organized around a central hallway in order to be easily maneuvered by new and veteran users alike.
Flint Hills Craft Center
Chris Sanford
Flint Hills Craft Center
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As a craft itself, the building maximizes efficiency. The layout is organized into a clear parti, where studios and administration spaces are bisected by a hallway gallery space. This linear organization allows the building to make use of its position in the geography of the site in three major ways which reflect the quality of efficiency which is inherent in craft.
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Flint Hills Craft Center
1. The building houses a vibro-wind panel generator which makes use of the latent wind energy of the site. This ensures that the studio spaces are shaded from direct sunlight, and powers the building with a renewable energy source.
2. Rammed earth is used in the construction of the studio kilns in order to absorb and recycle heat during the winter season. During the summer season, clerestory windows in the studios can be opened to relieve heat from the thermal masses by cross-ventilation.
3. Partial earth integration reduces the energy impact of severe diurnal temperature swings as well as the footprint of the structure.
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Flint Hills Craft Center
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Above, Entrance Right, Studio Space
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The design, however, does not sacrifice beauty for the sake of efficiency. A strong connection to the site inspires the students’ work and accommodates outdoor studio sessions. Overhead, the fluttering of the wind generator casts delicate shadows over the workspaces and courtyards, while on the facade it
Flint Hills Craft Center
ripples in sync with the movement of the prairie. In this way, the life-giving force of the prairie is also the force which animates the building. By striking up a dialogue between nature and architecture, the Flint Hills Craft Center intends to inspire its students to produce equally evocative and functional work.
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Flint Hills Craft Center
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Irish Cultural Center
New York, New York
Irish Cultural Center
05.12.14
“Participation in cultural activities, together with access to them, forms the backbone of human rights pertaining to culture. Access is a precondition for participation, and participation is indispensable to ensure the exercising of human rights.” - Annamari Laaksonen The design for the New York Irish Cultural Center aims to exemplify
Chris Sanford
Irish Cultural Center
the aspect of communion in Irish culture by creating a space which can be returned to the urban setting of SoHo, promoting the synthesis of new culture by provoking meaningful conversation between American residents of SoHo and citizens of Irish descent. As a former industrial zone, the SoHo district owes a great deal of its built and human heritage to the Irish, who, at the time of the community’s initial development, represented nearly 27% of its total population.
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Above
The initial sketch of the building reflects the concept of lifting the program in order to return the first floor to the street life.
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The superimposition of a panelized greenery facade onto the upper floors recalls the traditional cast-iron facades of SoHo while serving as a symbolic Irish reinterpretation of the district’s iconic facades and a bow to the culture to whom SoHo owes so much of its history.
Irish Cultural Center
Chris Sanford
Irish Cultural Center
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The major program of the cultural center is consolidated into the mass of the upper floors and buttressed by the neighboring buildings, allowing the first floor to open to the street. This openness and transparency at the ground level draws the vibrant street life into the building. A large atrium at the back of the building houses the major circulation and allows natural light to penetrate the otherwise tenebrous inner spaces.
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Irish Cultural Center
Chris Sanford
Irish Cultural Center
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Sunset Pavilion
2012 Architectural Design Studio Travel Award Winner
Manhattan, Kansas
Sunset Pavilion
05.12.12
“The perceived world is the always pre-supposed foundation of all rationality, all value, and all existence.� - Maurice Merleau-Ponty This proposal for a pavilion in Sunset Park provides a space for the display of sculpture and accommodates small gatherings. The purpose of its design is to experiment with
Chris Sanford
Sunset Pavilion
the relationship that the viewer experiences between object and field. Because the viewer cannot experience the form of the building as a being-in-itself, they must take up a position in space and establish a cooperative relationship whereby they view facades of the cube from various vantage points and gradually form a visual understanding. This imperative visual relationship is investigated through a number of design objectives.
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The primary concern of the proposed design is to amplify the building’s object-ness; a simple white cube which hovers over a lake. This is accomplished by raising the enclosed building over slender pillars, creating the impression that the cube is separated from the realm of the field. A system of Vitruvian proportioning is then employed to harmonize the canvas facades, achieved by
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Sunset Pavilion
attaching the canvas away from the structure and then pulling it back to the surface with a cable system to make subtle circular impressions across its surface.
In order for the viewer to experience and understand every space inside the cube, movement is laid out so that one travels up through each space in a helical trajectory. Upon their exit, the user has gained an understanding of the unified space created by the boundaries of the cube and their relationship to the artwork. The texture created by the canvas facade gives dynamic to the
otherwise static interior spaces and provides an elegant solution for the even lighting of the artwork. Outside of the structure, a raised wooden ambulatory allows viewers to walk around the structure and view it from several angles, giving them an understanding of the object in the field of the site, not unlike the relationship of the sculptures to the gallery spaces.
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Sunset Pavilion
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Above
A model of uppermost gallery demonstrates the subtle plasticity of the canvas facade.
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A cutaway of the model shows the changing character of the galleries and the helical central circulation feature.
Next
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A brilliant shaft of light flows through the oculus of the pavilion.
Sunset Pavilion
Chris Sanford
Sunset Pavilion
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Sunset Pavilion
Chris Sanford
Sunset Pavilion
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Sketches
Sketch of the illuminated Sunset Pavilion over water
Sketches “The hand often takes the lead in probing for a vision, a vague inkling that eventually turns into a sketch, a materialization of an idea.� - Juhani Pallasmaa The practice of sketching is an indispensable communication skill, key in
Chris Sanford
Sketches
the refinement of ideas and designs as well as a form of observation for defining the essence of a place. The dialogue between the haptic quality of sketching and rational thought synthesizes ideas into plausible and beautiful solutions. Although the computer is a powerful tool which streamlines the design process, its use should be complemented by hand-made drawings and models.
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Sketches
Chris Sanford
Sketches
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Sketches
Chris Sanford
Sketches
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Sketches
Chris Sanford
Sketches
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Professional Works
Exploded axonometric of 15th and Walnut (BCJ 2015)
Professional Works Varying in scope and detail, I have learned greatly from each of my professional internships, some small, and involved, and others large, and specialized. I have experience working with an array of computer
Chris Sanford
Professional Works
programs, producing a variety of drawings and drawing sets, as well as developed a proven ability to work collaboratively. All of these experiences and lessons I carry with me wherever I go, hoping to bring something new to every table where I’m at work.
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Above
An uneven sidewalk in Philadelphia led to this design charette, where I sought to create a planter and elegant benches by manipulating a single sheet of metal. (BCJ 2015)
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A rendering for the Gamma Phi Beta sorority shows a new addition to the house. (BBN 2014)
Professional Works
Chris Sanford
Professional Works
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