PORTFOLIO by Claire Craven

PORTFOLIO

ten exer cises in stor y-mak i n g

claire m craven

This book is made of stories I have tried to tell, things I sought to understand, people I met and loved, thoughts I articulated outside of my head. These pages hold various successful failures ; their purpose is to trace the process of my eyes and mind opening, recording how my hands met the world. These stories span two years of architecture school, cataloguing my explorations of design in chronological order. They hold no answers but simply attempt to ask honest questions

2010 . an education 2011 . rhythm for cooking . an interior concept . specific chair . exhibit for norris . soundtrack for drawings . a secret garden 2012 . learning lounge . films of essence . an ode to the invisible

center

for

e n vsketch ironmental intial 4 h center, cr ossville tn

education

The Environmental Education Center is a place of teaching. While children learn about the environment on both academic and experimental levels through classes and practical activities, the building itself aims to teach children how to feel about the natural world. The heart of the building thus becomes a garden: a stone wall encloses a parcel of grass and a single tree, defining a moment where Nature is framed, protected by a structure erected by Man. The garden is held within a larger courtyard surrounded by gravel, where each footstep impacts the ground planeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;making one aware of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence. Where sky meets ground, grass happens; the roof becomes the ground and the sky becomes the roof, emphasizing the feeling of evolving within one undivided world. The circulation within the building offers a constant view of the garden space, reminding the occupant that there is something precious and essential being held protected, which radiates throughout the entire building. The environmental education center looks inward but sees outward; it introduces Nature as a world which starts inside of us by instilling reverence for the natural environment.

arch 372 spring 2010 professor robert french

ast

nsversal section 1’ = 3/32”

ansversal section 1’ = 3/32”

gitudinal section 1’ = 3/32”

ngitudinal section 1’ = 3/32”

east

a. transversal section through courtyard b. west elevation c. longitudinal section through courtyard d. east elevation e. ground floor plan f. gutter detail

gro o u nd plan 1â&#x20AC;&#x2122; = 3/32â&#x20AC;?

f. support beams for the balcony screens double as a spout which allows for green roof drainage

outdoor

kitchen

botanical garden, knox v i l l e t n

Footsteps and light hit the ground as we move throughout the site; there is no such thing as standing still. The music of the place resonates with our explorations, beating time into the rhythm of stories shared by earth, trees and people. The table adds a stanza: the orchestrated act of cooking happens around and against it, carving into its monolithic volume. It carved the earth out and used it as storage, revisiting the concept of the root cellar. Deep against the earth lies the fire, at the beginning of all things: stove and wood oven share the stage, framing the main steps of the tightly choreographed ballet of food preparation. As the counter extends into a dining table, the space opens, allowing for the free movement of people as food becomes the center of social gatherings. The space is sheltered by a trellis waiting to be taken over by the garden plants, redefining the notes sung by light as it falls from the sky and onto the table.

joint studio architecture + interior design partner: erin bailey spring 2011 david matthews, scott wall

a  

a. longitudinal section through counter b. transversal section c. site plan

                                                                                                                                                             

new

norris

interior conce pt

house

A New Norris House is a research and education project led by the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Architecture and Design. Working as a team, faculty and students from architecture, landscape architecture, civil/ wastewater engineering, interior design, environmental studies, and planning departments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with help from industry and professional partners, and community and government bodies â&#x20AC;&#x201C; designed and constructed a sustainable home and landscape in Norris, Tennessee. As the house neared completion in the spring of 2012, the team was faced with choices of interior materials, furniture, and storage design. The interior design team was responsible for determining an interior concept which would resonate with the spirit of the house as a way of redefining modern living.

interiors team spring 2011 professor tricia stuth www.thenewnorrishouse.com photographs by ken mccown

The new norris house revisits the patterns of our everyday life. The space is small and open; where and how does home happen? The frame for the communal space allows for a connection to the landscape, defining a space for living in which rituals of everyday life are celebrated in an effortless way. The act of being human therefore shapes the interior: the normality of objects becomes the decorative element, as we hang our coat, place our keys, boil water for our tea. The openness of the house is balanced by the discrete seclusion of its private realm. Rooms become colored cases which offer a more intimate shelter, painting the light as it moves into the common space. g

a. sketch of “swing space” casework, furniture and color exploration b. “swing space” as built view from loft light reflects wall color

c. sketch of “swing space” view from loft casework design d. “swing space” as built view from living room e. sketch of bedroom for discussion of color, ceiling treatment, casework and furnishings f. bedroom as built g. concept statement h. concept plan diagram i. new norris house view from street

convertible

for the new nor ris hou se

chair

Designed for the compact living space of the New Norris House (750 sq.ft), the convertible chair serves as the main lounge seating within the house. In order to keep the house uncluttered yet welcoming, it accommodates potential guests by transforming into two day beds which make a queen size bed when pushed together, which allows for the use of standard bed sheets. The hand-sewn cushions, whose colors complement the interior scheme, feature buttoned flaps designed to keep the cushions in place. Made of white oak plywood and finished with beeswax, the chair materials resonate with the warmth and sustainability of the interior finishes.

partner: mary miller construction exploration spring 2011 professor tricia stuth www.thenewnorrishouse.com photographs by ken mccown

01 chair = 02 10 03 01

4 x 8â&#x20AC;&#x2122; sheets of white oak plywood threaded steel rods cushions standard pillow

20 03 01 01 01

feet of sketches on trace chipboard models basswood model seat mock-up full scale prototype

cnc milling machine for legs wood shop hand labor for all other parts beeswax finish maxwell fabrics â&#x20AC;&#x153;smoothieâ&#x20AC;? custom sewing: sarah benton

ottoman

chair

10 stoppers

10 stoppers 11 slats

a. side elevation folded position chair + ottoman b. hinge point detail c. assembly close-up laminated plywood capped connection

8 slats + 2 legs

10 stoppers 10 stoppers

8 slats + 2 legs

- or -

11 slats

d. chair v.s daybed e. queen size bed combination f. assembly detail

8 slats + 2 legs

10 slats

10 stoppers

g. kit of parts

9 slats + 2 legs

Over the centuries there has developed within man a sense of responsibility and moral obligation to assist nature in augmenting, through intellectual concepts not available to any other beings, the program that brought him into being.” Harcourt Morgan Founding Director, TVA and President, University of Tennessee

region

the TVA

President Roosevelt viewed the Tennessee River and its tributaries as “an ideal location for a land use experiment” and spoke to the Tennessee Valley’s potential as “the nucleus of a great power development program.” Under Roosevelt, Congress passed the Tennessee Valley Authority bill (1933) and a federal corporation was formed to address the region’s development and resources. Navigation and ood control were central, and a series of dams would simultaneously prevent erosion of agricultural land and create largescale electrical power supplies. The impact these would have on daily life for the people of the Tennessee Valley reect the human dimension of the New Deal, the TVA, and the Town of Norris, and foreshadow social, economic and environmental effects. sources: (The New Deal in Tennessee, p. 185-86).

A New w Norris House is a research and d education project le ed by the Univerrsiity of TTennessee ennessee Knox Knoxville xville C College ollege of Archit Architecture tectu ure and Design. Working as a team, faculty and students from architecture, landscape architecture, civil/wastewater engineering, interior design, environmental studies, and planning departments – with help from industry and professional partners, and community and government bodies – designed and constructed a sustainable home and landscape in Norris, Tennessee. The project was inspired by the Town of Norris and the 75th anniversary of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). In 1933, as part of its rst hydroelectric dam, Norris Dam, the TVA created a model town and one of the nation’s rst planned communities. A key feature of this New Deal village is the original “Norris House,” a series of experimental cottages built for modern, efcient and sustainable living. With seed funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the team revisited the history and ideals that shaped this unique community and landscape to propose a 21st c. New Norris House, one that responds to environmental and societal challenges and technological opportunities that are both familiar and new. Beginningg August 2011, the home is host to educational programs and a oneyear residency. Researchers will measure performance of building and landscape systems, yet will also consider and record the experience of living in the home, landscape and community.

The project serves as a vehicle for the development of collaborative practice model that operates across disciplines and bridges the academy, professions, and community.

{

p People

The town and dam are named for Senator George Norris of Nebraska, author of legislation that established the TVA. A debate yet at play today, Senator Norris believed the public should own and control natural resources, including hydroelectric power. He predicted that electricity would spawn “complete and modern economic development.” Norris Dam would be TVA’s rst hydroelectric dam and a site was chosen on the Clinch River, a tributary of the Tennessee.

During fall 2008 and spring 2009, an EPA P3 Phase I grant provided $10,000 for start-up research on A New Norris House: a Sustainable home for the 21st Century. A small group of students in planning and architecture met with community members and developed UPLOAD, a contemporary interpretation of the original Norris cottages and principles guiding the historic town plan.

Starting fall of 2010, a team of graduate and undergraduate students from structural, civil, and environmental engineering, architecture, and environmental studies developed the design for a single-family home to be located at 143 Oak Road.

The project was exhibited on the National Mall in Washington DC as part of a the Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘People, Prosperity, and the Planet’ (P3) 2009 Competition, a national competition that challenges students from all academic disciplines to propose “solutions to real world challenges involving the overall sustainability of human society.” The team was selected as one of six winners (out of forty exhibiting teams) and awarded $75,000 by the EPA for the construction of a prototype of the New Norris House.

a. first board â&#x20AC;&#x153;peopleâ&#x20AC;? historical context first stages of project

a new NORRIS HOUSE

b. full set of boards designed specifically for norris exhibit based on EPA 3P: people, prosperity, planet

exhibit

design

a new nor ris house, no r r i s m u seu m , t n The summer following its completion, the New Norris House was chosen by the town of Norris to be featured in their museum for the duration of a full year. The design of the exhibit included gathering information and photos from all aspects of the projects, writing, graphic design, layout and set up of the exhibit, in an effort to present a complete story accessible to all visitors. Over the centuries there has developed within man a sense of responsibility and moral obligation to assist nature in augmenting, through intellectual concepts not available to any other beings, the program that brought him into being.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is only one time in the history of each planet when its inhabitants ď&#x192;&#x17E;rst wire up its innumerable parts to make one large Machine. Later that Machine may run faster, but there is only one time when it Kevin Kelly, Wired Magazine is born. You and I are alive at this moment.â&#x20AC;?

{

Harcourt Morgan Founding Director, TVA and President, University of Tennessee

p People

p y Prosperity

Planet skylight

LOCAL

GLOBAL

LOCAL

GLOBAL

TOTALS

New Norris House LEED for Homes Rating System

Earned Pts.

Credit Category 1. Innovation Max. Points: 11 2. Location & Max. Points: 10

& Design (ID) Linkages (LL)

3. Sustainable Max. Points: 22

Sites (SS)

4. Water Efficiency Max. Points: 15

The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman, 2006

(WE)

{

The kitchen is an integral part of the living space. Treated as furniture rather than an enclosed space, it conceals appliances in order to make more room for living. Two under counter mini-fridges replace the typical household refridgerator, promoting a healthier lifestyle by encouraging the occupant to store less and go out into the community to buy fresh foods more regularly.

Further, in daily life, one might compare â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;downloadingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;uploadingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to proportionally contributing to and beneď&#x192;&#x17E;ting from any number of resources â&#x20AC;&#x201C; social, material, environmental. What impact might this have on consumption and well-being?

two lane asphalt road with drainage culvert and side walks

6. Materials & Max. Points: 16

existing but unused foot path to forest; reinstituted 143 oak road densely wooded communal space

Resources (MR)

7. Indoor Enivronmental Max. Points: 21 8. Awareness Max. Points: 3

Certified Silver Gold Platinum

Quality (EQ)

& Education (AE)

35 - 49 50 - 64 65 - 79 80 - 136

310 810 17 17 12 12

Energy & Atmosphere (EA)

Max. Points: 38

Besides saving energy, the lack of a dishwashing machine prevents dishes from stacking up around the kitchen; hand-washing dishes takes becomes a relaxing ritual after each meal, when one might spend ten minutes listening to the water and looking out the window, while still being a part of the living room.

UPLOAD Two key ideas capture the spirit of the New Norris House project, UPLOAD and the Super Normal. In the 1930â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, public utilities (water, sewers, electricity) and public facilities (dams, schools, parks, roads) brought considerable change to the region. Today, digital networks are re-shaping physical and cultural landscapes, and may make possible the Norris ideal of a modern, selfsustaining community that was never fully realized. Aided by digital communication, traditional local economies and contemporary global economies might now meet in the middle, synergistically.

Currently Anticipated Points

20 27 16 14 TBD 15 22

100 78 platinum GOLD

ID LL SS WE EA

The New Norris House seizes the opportunity to reconsider the shape of landscapes, communities and homes today. The home and landscape are located and designed to reduce negative and increase positive impacts on the environment and human health, to diminish resource consumption, and to directly beneď&#x192;&#x17E;t the environment over its full lifecycle.

MR EQ AE

{

{ Starting fall of 2010, a team of graduate and undergraduate students from structural, civil, and environmental engineering, architecture, and environmental studies developed the design for a single-family home to be located at 143 Oak Road.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fact that so many people worldwide now have the tools to create and upload their own contentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;their own news reports, their own opinions, their own music, their own videos, their own photos, their own software, their own encyclopedias, their own dictionariesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is a very powerful force for the preservation and enhancement of cultural autonomy and particularity.â&#x20AC;?

A little em more ore th than han 7 75 5 yearss ago ago, o, th the he TV TVA VA bro brought ought large blocks of electricity to rural Tennessee to heat homes and power new appliances; the dams that made this possible prevented ď&#x192;&#x;ooding and gave opportunities to improve surrounding farmland and transport goods. Forests harvested to extinction were replenished. City water and sewer systems were built and Norris was the ď&#x192;&#x17E;rst town in Tennessee with complete telephone service (Tennesseeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Deal Landscape). Time for other pursuits, including education and leisure increased. The shape of landscapes, communities and homes record these technological advances and many changes since induced by increased consumption and transportation.

Over the past one hundred years, the average home in the US doubled in size (2300 s.f. today) while people per household decreased ď&#x192;&#x17E;fty percent (2.6 people per household today). Each person today has four times as much area to heat, cool and power, and to maintain. How might living in a compact, energyefď&#x192;&#x17E;cient home inď&#x192;&#x;uence where you spend your time and money?

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certiď&#x192;&#x17E;cation system, providing thirdparty veriď&#x192;&#x17E;cation that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efď&#x192;&#x17E;ciency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. LEED for Homes is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. Green homes use less energy, water and natural resources, create less waste, and are more durable and comfortable for occupants.

NNH |

daylight

| NNH

LL 4.0 existing infrastructure

APPROACH + IMPLEMENT The New Norris House earns 1 point for LL 4.0 by satisfying the below requirement.

Select a lot that is within 1/2 mile of existing water service lines and sewer service lines. In the case of a multihome new development, each home in the development is awarded this point if the center of the development site is within 1/2 mile of existing water service lines and sewer service lines

A LEED â&#x20AC;&#x153;charretteâ&#x20AC;? during the spring n semester off 2010 gathered the entire team to o discuss each credits and how each point would be earned.

Norris House Norris House

miles

LL 4.0

Beginningg August 2011, the home is host to educational programs and a oneyear residency. Researchers will measure performance of building and landscape systems, yet will also consider and record the experience of living in the home, landscape and community.

The living room opens to an outside deck which extends the interior space into the landscape. By providing a large occupiable outdoor space (as big as the living room), the house invites the occupants to interact with their environment and be more aware of their surroundings.

{

sources: (The New Deal in Tennessee, p. 185-86).

The project was inspired by the Town of Norris and the 75th anniversary of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). In 1933, as part of its ď&#x192;&#x17E;rst hydroelectric dam, Norris Dam, the TVA created a model town and one of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ď&#x192;&#x17E;rst planned communities. A key feature of this New Deal village is the original â&#x20AC;&#x153;Norris House,â&#x20AC;? a series of experimental cottages built for modern, efď&#x192;&#x17E;cient and sustainable living. With seed funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the team revisited the history and ideals that shaped this unique community and landscape to propose a 21st c. New Norris House, one that responds to environmental and societal challenges and technological opportunities that are both familiar and new.

The face of the house opens up to the town, transforming the living space into a bridge between the street and the backyard landscape. When the blinds are open, the activity inside and outside the house merge into one ď&#x192;&#x;ow, promoting interaction with the community.

The US EPA P3 competition sought projects, research an nd methods that promote sustainable environmental protection, econo omic prosperity, and social beneď&#x192;&#x17E;t. The New Norris team approached economic prosperity broadly as well-being. How do we design places that promote well-being, and how do we negotiate decisions that intertwine the wellbeing of individuals, families, neighbors, communities, society and the planet? What part does time play - the past, the present and the future? How might the quality of an experience enhance daily life and inď&#x192;&#x;uence decisions about resource use and conservation? We considered these questions as â&#x20AC;&#x153;ideals and realsâ&#x20AC;? through an interdisciplinary lens that crossed time and scale, and that beneď&#x192;&#x17E;ted from community, government, industry and professional perspectives. Tensions between global and local forces, private and public interests, interior and exterior boundaries, cost and value, and tradition and innovation abound. Yet, these contradictions offer exciting opportunities to further realize Norrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; New Deal aspirations - a gracious way of life that connects people to each other and to the landscape.

The town and dam are named for Senator George Norris of Nebraska, author of legislation that established the TVA. A debate yet at play today, Senator Norris believed the public should own and control natural resources, including hydroelectric power. He predicted that electricity would spawn â&#x20AC;&#x153;complete and modern economic development.â&#x20AC;? Norris Dam would be TVAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ď&#x192;&#x17E;rst hydroelectric dam and a site was chosen on the Clinch River, a tributary of the Tennessee.

t i m e

Navigation and ď&#x192;&#x;ood control were central, and a series of dams would simultaneously prevent erosion of agricultural land and create largescale electrical power supplies. The impact these would have on daily life for the people of the Tennessee Valley reď&#x192;&#x;ect the human dimension of the New Deal, the TVA, and the Town of Norris, and foreshadow social, economic and environmental effects.

industrialization

the TVA

p r e s e n t

region

President Roosevelt viewed the Tennessee River and its tributaries as â&#x20AC;&#x153;an ideal location for a land use experimentâ&#x20AC;? and spoke to the Tennessee Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the nucleus of a great power development program.â&#x20AC;? Under Roosevelt, Congress passed the Tennessee Valley Authority bill (1933) and a federal corporation was formed to address the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development and resources.

IMPLEMENTATION A. The lot for the New Norris House, 143 Oak Road Norris, TN, is within Â˝ mile of existing water service lines and sewer service lines. Both amenities were already available on site due to previous development.

Oak Road Sanitary Sewer Lines from 1934

36 |

* see appendix | 37

As part of phase IV, a comprehensive manual will be developed. This user manual will provide the occupants with contextual, technical and operational insights about living in the New Norris House. House

average g ge e ho om me size: 2300 sq.ft

4.8 people 4.1 people 3.5 people

The townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Strategic Plan for 2008-2013 and a community workshop (Nov â&#x20AC;&#x2122;08) revealed that residents want to increase the town revenue base yet are skeptical of growth for fear of negatively impacting the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic character, quality of life, and environment.

The project was exhibited on the National Mall in Washington DC as part of a the Environmental Protection Agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;People, Prosperity, and the Planetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (P3) 2009 Competition, a national competition that challenges students from all academic disciplines to propose â&#x20AC;&#x153;solutions to real world challenges involving the overall sustainability of human society.â&#x20AC;? The team was selected as one of six winners (out of forty exhibiting teams) and awarded $75,000 by the EPA for the construction of a prototype of the New Norris House.

The project serves as a vehicle for the development of collaborative practice model that operates across disciplines and bridges the academy, professions, and community.

avera aver ave av a v vera ver ve e er ge home size: 2030 sq.ft

3.1 1 people avera av a v ge ve e home size: 1500 sq.ft

2.8 . peoplee

Large amounts of soil are lost each year during construction. Properly installed and maintained silt fencing prevents soil erosion and preserves the quality of water in surroundings. Top soil was stockpiled and tarps placed over cleared slopes throughout construction.

2.6 people average g home size: 1280 sq.ft

average a home size: 1120 sq.ft average e home size: 790 sq.ft

Currently, there are 500 homes in Norris, the median price of a home is $118,000, the average homeowner is 43 years old, and the average houseshold income is $55,179. Housing is deemed â&#x20AC;&#x153;affordableâ&#x20AC;? when less than 30% of household income is spent monthly on housing.

Inď&#x192;&#x17E;ll development for existing and historic neighborhoods and towns

The location of a home is strongly tied to environmental responsibility. The New Norris House encourages the inď&#x192;&#x17E;ll and redevelopment of existing land rather than the conversion of agricultural or undeveloped land and open space. New development within and near existing communities are supported by existing infrastructure such as water, sewers and parks. Norris also exempliď&#x192;&#x17E;es many of the characteristics of new sustainable developments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including the option to walk and bike to community resources like schools, post ofď&#x192;&#x17E;ce, library, shops and restaurants

Site and landscape design to maintain and support ecosystems The team worked to minimize adverse effects of construction on the site and to design a low-maintenance and beautiful landscape - one that protects native plants and animals, removes invasives, limits watering and chemicals, and improves and encourages absorption of storm water.

MR Environmentally Preferable Products

Efď&#x192;&#x17E;cient and ď&#x192;&#x;exible

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It takes a long time to bring the past up to the present.â&#x20AC;?

Franklin D. Roosevelt

The room feels shy and warm as I wake up against the yellow wall. I stretch and shake off the remnants of the nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dreams, fading in the morning light. One foot, and the next, bare on the warm wood ď&#x192;&#x;oor. I open the door, light ď&#x192;&#x;oods in, invites me out to start the day.

My blurry eyes drift outside the window as I ď&#x192;&#x17E;ll up the kettle with water. The wood of the counter top feels warm and smooth under my hands and I lean, look out, attempt to wake up. I search the silent cabinets for breakfast and sit in the light. The blinds are open and I already feel part of the day.

The town was supported by a strong community center and was originally planned to operate economically around several small cooperative industries including a dairy farm, ceramics production, and lumber products. The public school was the literal and metaphorical center of the community and classes for town residents and for the farmers in the surrounding communities offered to all ages. The original Norris plan accommodated shared garages, which were utilized by the surroundÂŹing cluster of homes and connected by a network of walkÂŹing paths. While the garages no longer exist, the walking paths remain.

The idea of craft-making has been an integral part of the New Norris house project. The attention to detail is essential in order for the experience to be cohesive: steelwork, siding, cabinetry, ladder, tiling, furniture... Small scale matters. The objects that populate our everyday lives are what deď&#x192;&#x17E;ne our relationships with our homes.

The light and water on the tiles; each morning is different. The sound of water ď&#x192;&#x17E;lls the space, clears my mind. The shower turned off, the echo lingers, vapor on the mirror.Walls and ceiling shine, and so do I.

Students put forth great effort into the making of details which are innovative and modern while being respectful of their essential purpose and origins.

SUPER NORMAL The design team and community initially had different ideas about how best to build a contemporary â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;greenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; home in a historic town with homes and landscapes of distinct visual characteristics. How does one reconcile the inď&#x192;&#x;uence new and the old, each with construction methods and materials, mechanical systems and equipment, design tools and ideas, customs of inhabitation, etc. particular to time and place? Conversely, what is universal about â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and how is it recognizable? Visual aspects of the design are but one aspect. The experience and atmosphere of a space and place is equally important â&#x20AC;&#x201C; how will the home accommodate people, their activities and their things? How will it interact with rain, daylight, breezes, temperature and seasons? The Super Normal stems from the â&#x20AC;&#x153;notion that we designers are supposed to take care of the man-made environment and try to improve itâ&#x20AC;?. In this spirit, the recognizable aspects of original Norris homes and their settings is retained â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a simple, rectangular volume with a gable roof is placed on the hillside between street and forest, largely conforming but subtly adjusting to better relate to access, sun and view. A dormer lends space, light, and air ď&#x192;&#x17E;lling traditional roles and the added role of supporting passive solar water heating â&#x20AC;&#x201C; its proportions and detailing adding a contemporary edge to the traditional form. Modest entries from the side continue efď&#x192;&#x17E;cient planning of the original but upon entry the soaring, light ď&#x192;&#x17E;lled space and its extension into the street and landscape is a welcome departure. Natural materials, textures and color, hand crafted details where the hand and foot touch, and an intimate scale provide further opportunities to speak to the everyday objects we often overlook and to the spirit and physicality of the original cottages. Yet, it is also hoped that visitors might realize special attention, exaggeration, and craftsmanship in designing, detailing and making that put the New in this Norris House.

At dusk colors come out of their rooms. The low sun strikes the corner of the red wall, and the room embraces sunset, glowing as I read, bathing all my pages in warm orange light.

on site construction

oďŹ&#x20AC; site construction 07 61 13 06 16 33 06 11 16

standing seam sheet metal rooď&#x192;&#x17E;ng 1/2â&#x20AC;? wood board sheathing 2 x 12 Rafters 24â&#x20AC;? o.c.

07 26 00

07 71 23 07 21 26 07 21 13 09 21 16 07 46 23

Off-site construction

The team collaborated with Clayton Homes to engineer and produce a modular design. The house is made of two sections that were transported and married together on site. Prefabricated construction provides a factorycontrolled environment for fabrication, plans material use to minimize material and reduce waste, and allows high quality control.

compact footprint

On a grey afternoon; the kitchen makes up for the lost sun and the counter top shines. Lunch is over, I daydream as I wash the dishes, at the heart of my house. The chore no longer makes me feel left out, I am the main character in the living space, everywhere at once.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The super normal object is the result of a long tradition of evolutionary advancement in the shape of everyday things, not attempting to break with the history of form but rather trying to summarise it, knowing is the artiď&#x192;&#x17E;cial replacement for normal, which with time and understanding may become grafted to everyday life.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;My opinion is that the design world has drifted away from normality, forgotten itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roots and the basic notion that we designers are supposed to take care of the man-made environment and try to improve it.â&#x20AC;? Super Normal Dialogue, Jasper Morrison

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The building section illustrates the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s care in identifying low-toxicity, locally available materials for on- and off-site construction. The team worked closely with Joan Monaco, BArch â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09, UT Institute for Secure and Sustainable Environments (ISSE) and Clayton Homesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; supply team to ensure targets for indoor air quality and low-impact material and resource use, including paints, coatings and insulation.

Like the original cottages, the New Norris House is compact (768 square feet, excluding decks and outdoor living area). Spaces are designed for ď&#x192;&#x;exibility and structured for future re-conď&#x192;&#x17E;guration. Small homes consume less material during construction, less energy during the life of use, and require smaller land parcels. LEED for Homes incentivizes smaller homes by lowering thresholds for award levels in small homes.

Historically, construction workers for public works lived in temporary camps. Norris Dam workers would be joined by technical and professional staff and their families and remain for longer. The TVA built a permanent town that would, at a smaller scale, reď&#x192;&#x;ect its larger vision of stewardship and innovation for the betterment of society. The town is one of the ď&#x192;&#x17E;rst â&#x20AC;&#x153;planned communitiesâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;garden citiesâ&#x20AC;? in the United States. The ď&#x192;&#x17E;rst term reď&#x192;&#x;ects an early 2oth c. approach to planning new towns, instead of simply allowing them to happen; the second term refers to towns surrounded by permanent green or agricultural land that could sustain its population and limit its size in area and population.

07 13 00 07 21 13 06 11 16 07 21 23

comfort and resources

weather resistant barrier

06 10 53

06 16 23 06 11 16

3/4â&#x20AC;? exterior grade plywood subď&#x192;&#x;oor 2x10 beams 24â&#x20AC;? o.c.

07 26 00

metal sheet ď&#x192;&#x;ashing extending past foundation wall 2x8 treated wood sill plate

06 14 00 03 90

MR Material efď&#x192;&#x17E; ď&#x192;&#x17E;cient framing

09 21 16 1/2â&#x20AC;? gypsum board 3/4â&#x20AC;? hardwood ď&#x192;&#x;oor, 4â&#x20AC;? 09 64 29 planks oriented per plan

PASSIVE

07 26 23 22 14 13 32 15 40

the rainwater collected in the cistern is ď&#x192;&#x17E;ltered and used throughout the house

MXZ-3A30NA

batten insulation R-25

superior precast concrete foundation wall system with integrated insulation

Framingg was designed so ď&#x192;&#x;oor joists, wall studs and ceilingg rafters align and are spaced at 24â&#x20AC;? on cente er instead of the typical 12â&#x20AC;? dimension. Com mbined with other measures, the New Norris House shell uses 17.4% less lumber than typ pical practices would require.

skylight and windows provide the main living space with a lot of natural light

1/2â&#x20AC;? gypsum board vertical wood siding in 1x4, 1x6, 1x8 atlantic white cedar 2x2 horizontal baton

batten insulation R-??

07 21 23

Healthier, comfortable, energy-efď&#x192;&#x17E;cient nt and environmentally responsible home es begin with passive design. Passive desig igns respond to local climate through nonmechanical means. The envelope of the house (enclosing walls, ď&#x192;&#x;oors, roof) is highly insulated and virtually air-tight; carefully positioned and well-sealed windo dows admit sunlight (heat) in cold months hs and limit entry during hot months â&#x20AC;&#x201C; overhangs and solar orientation furth ther tune this and permit indirect dayligght and reduce the need for artiď&#x192;&#x17E;cial lig lights. Placement of operable doors and d windows induces cross ventilation and light colored roofs reď&#x192;&#x;ect the sun. Loww-ď&#x192;&#x;ow ď&#x192;&#x17E;xtures reduce water use. Passive design makes interiors more comfortable before equipment to mechanically heat , cool or ventilate (active design) is sized. Smaller, high-efď&#x192;&#x17E;ciency systems and appliances are then chosen, reducing energy use. The house has a highefď&#x192;&#x17E;ciency heat pump and ductless heat/ air units; an energy recovery ventilator provides constant, fresh outdoor air that is pre-heated or pre-cooled with indoor air before exhausting. A solar hot water panel makes water hot and rainwater is treated to drinking water quality (though code will not allow drinking) through UV light and carbon ď&#x192;&#x17E;ltering.

continuous metal ď&#x192;&#x;ashing overlapping gutter 5x5 break metal gutter, sloped to drain 12â&#x20AC;? icynene blown insulation R-50 1â&#x20AC;? foam board insulation

1â&#x20AC;? foam board insulation 2x6 stud wall 24â&#x20AC;? o.c.

Open as a rule More than 500 mm LQ LI WKH IURQW and both sides are open

polyethylene vapor and radon barrier, ď&#x192;&#x17E;xed at all foundation walls and seal all penetrations cont. footing drain crushed stone per superior precaste wall system

More than 100 mm LQ

ACTIVE 2

Open as a rule 0RUH WKDQ PP LQ LI WKH EDFN both sides and top are open

0RUH WKDQ PP LQ

Slouched on my chair, I look up. The rain stopped and now the sunlight paints raindrops on the white wall. All lamps are turned off, the house wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get dark until late; it will catch all last rays of the sun. I hear footsteps on the loft, it sounds like the house is breathing.

3 6 In addition to being well insulated, the house saves energy through useful solar gain, daylight and natural ventilation.

EA EQ

I climb up to get a book, the ladder is sturdy and warm as I grip its steps. Ascending in the space feels like an adventure, the loft a secret island above a sea of light, part of a white slented sky.

energy & athmosphere 1. solar panel to preheat water

indoor environmental quality

water efď&#x192;&#x17E;ciency

4. toilet ď&#x192;&#x;ush 5. clothes washer 6. outdoor fosset

2. mini-split i i lit unit it ffor air i conditioning 3. energy recovery ventilator

A key feature of the town was the Norris House, an assembly of home designs built as models for modern and efď&#x192;&#x17E;cient living. These homes introduced electricity, heating systems and plumbing into the home, elements rarely seen in the houses of the Appalachia at the time.

Looking out to the woods, the light on my face, plenty of room for thinking, I feel perched in the trees, part of the world. On stormy days the rain pours on the roof a cascading river, and somewhere resonate distant memories of childhood, full of paperboats ď&#x192;&#x;oating down the gutter.

a LL

location & linkage re-activating community footpath

research assistant summer 2010 tricia stuth

The forgotten trail is now used again. I watch them pass; sometimes we talk, sometimes we wave, sometimes we smile in silence. Other times I see them from behind the blinds, shadow puppets in my house.

The landscape dressed up for spring, bloomed in an explosion of colors; watering plants feels like painting. Every step out of the house has a different smell, every breeze of wind a different sound, and each ď&#x192;&#x;ower stands as a greeting.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The work proceeds along two lines, both of

designates lightly soiled household water, like the used water from the shower, clothes washer and bathroom sink (every appliance besides the kitchen sink and the toilet). The collected water goes towards watering plants in the grey water garden, reducing strain on the municipal sanitary system.

f WE SS

rainwater harvesting a. cistern collecting water from the roof to be treated and used in the house b. cistern collecting overď&#x192;&#x;ow water directed to the rain gardens c. rain gardens

sustainable site d. permeable / heat island e. drought tolerant plants f. invasive plants replaced by non-invasive species g. permanent erosion control

which are intimately connected - the physical land and water and soil end of it, and the human side of itâ&#x20AC;?

Frran nkl klin n D. Ro Roos oossev evel elt elt el

PHASE IV PEOPLE

After the formal opening, the home will be opened for a period of time to the community as an exhibition of the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s achievements. Tours of the house will be available to the public on a monthly basis and/or as part of community and professional events.

PHASE IV PROSPERITY

Once the project completed, two residents will be living in the house for one year in order to rigorously document the experience. Their recordings will be broadcasted in the form of a weekly blog, making them accessible to a wide range of communities.

PHASE IV PLANET

Two graduate students from the University of Tennessee will be closely monitoring the house over the course of the following year. All data collected will allow a measurement of the houseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efď&#x192;&#x17E;ciency, sustainability and impact on the environment.

soundtrack

translation

cabanon series, confabu l at o r es n o c t u r n i

Drawings bridge the gap between reality and fiction: they are abstractions of worlds which exist only in our imagination because they are interpretations of the real and the imagined. They are stories, and stories speak numerous languages. The creation of soundtracks for four of the Confabulatores Nocturniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cabanon Series drawings, based on the life of the French pilot and writer Antoine de Saint-ExupĂŠry, sought to engage the viewer into an additional layer of meaning. The four drawings evoked spring, autumn, winter and night, expressed in this four-part soundtrack. An exercise in story-telling, this sound montage acted as gateway to the drawings themselves, stretching the imagination through the process of its making. The translation of texts from English to French reinforced this sense of discovery as the power of words suddenly became clear and overwhelming.

research assistant summer 2010 brian ambroziak timescapelab.com

architecture 480 + 481 programming studio fall 2011 professor katherine ambroziak 2012 EUReCA architecture award

secret

garden

plant nurser y for down t own k n ox v i l l e This project posits that the essence of ‘home’ resides in the feeling of belonging, often related to but not dependent upon family ties and actual ownership of place. The plant nursery is a place where children are responsible for the nurturing of flowers and herbs. Through the everyday act of caring for the plant, the child defines for himself a place in this world: he belongs. The site –an empty lot on Clinch Avenue between Fort Sanders and downtown– contributed to the secret of the place both in its location and typography, promoting a sense of comfort and safety. In order to embody a feeling of belonging, the project sought to employ a dialogue of retreat as well as changes in scales. The design parti consisted of a retaining wall which responded to the site typography and allowed for the creation of an elevated courtyard, which became the secret garden. The change in elevation presented the ultimate retreat by creating a path for public traffic through the heart of the site. Inside, a reading room would provide a public front as well as private reading nooks in which children may retreat, by themselves, with a parent or with friends, to read a book comfortably.

a. section a-a thru courtyard and library b. section c-c thru courtyard, flower kiosk & greenhouse c. view from clinch ave. main entrance & plaza d. spatial concepts reinforcing belonging

swaddling

Space, through the use of scale, temperature and texture, can remind us of the comfort and safety of our prenatal days.

ownership

The scale and privacy of spaces can address the individual on an intimate level.

retreat

By contrasting the privacy of spaces the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sense of place is reinforced, the notion of territory becomes tangible.

universal

The childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awareness of self is enhanced as his physical place within the world is suddenly defined not by his occupation of the horizontal plane but by the sweeping of his gaze from ground to sky. d

e. site plan parti & public circulation f. upper floor plan greenhouse, classrooms and courtyard g. ground floor plan library & flower kiosk

view into ground floor lounge deep comfortable seating & reading room space

student

learning

lounge

pr ototype 01 , humanit i es bu i l di n g , U T c am pu s A space becomes a place when there is a desire for it to be occupied. Dwelling is taking ownership of a space through its physical occupation in time and implies a stillness and comfort conducive to learning. By creating a space of dwelling in a place of high turnover where students come to class and then leave campus, the project seeks to instill a sense of belonging to the University of Tennessee. In doing so, it offers a retreat from the classroom setting while providing a place for students to feel connectedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to each other as well as to the greater community of the campus. The Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) prototype implements the fundamental aspects of a place of dwelling through its spatial sequence as well as through the choice of materials and lighting.

collaborative work architecture & interior design january 2012 coordination: brian ambroziak, david matthews

a. upper floor lounge informal study looking toward hallway b. ground floor lounge view from hallway c. cross section ground floor lounge through deep bench seating d. under construction

9a.ink

pen

an essence of writing Everyday objects are silent actors, witnesses to our daily lives. Because they hold such a prevalent yet overlooked role in our world, they absorb some of what we are, coming to life with meaning. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ink penâ&#x20AC;? is a one minute film which captures the essence of writing, when ink weaves thoughts in and out of reality. The narrative focuses not on the object itself but on its action: by filming the shadows of hand movements and ink applications, it seeks to portray the pen as part of the hand, a vein through which thoughts and memories may run. https://vimeo.com/45549116

arch434 visual thinking in the digital media partner: mary miller spring 2012 professor brian ambroziak

9b.4464

miles

fr om thir ty fragments

nowhere

In order to create narrative-based films, a list of thirty fragments was put together by the class as a whole, creating a bank of clips which were to be used by each student to edit one final film based on a chosen narrative. â&#x20AC;&#x153;4464 miles to nowhereâ&#x20AC;? uses clips of everyday actions in order to create an introduction to life away from home. Using cuts, temperature of images, sound and text, this three minute film takes turns addressing longing and adventure, homesickness and discovery by alternating levels of stillness and intensity of movement. https://vimeo.com/45756269

arch434 visual thinking in the digital media spring 2012 professor brian ambroziak

self-directed project fall 2011: research spring 2012: design professor tricia stuth

ode

the

invisible

saltwater baths on the oc ean si de, em er al d i sl e, n c Because architecture is born out of a response to our physical and spiritual needs, it is an inherent reflection of the humanity it is meant to serve. Like stories, it is a vehicle for meaning. Architectureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position at the core of humanity gives it the opportunity to become the ultimate storyteller; because it shapes the spaces we live in, it can provide a bridge between fiction and reality by giving our stories (the ones we tell and the ones we live) a place where they unravel side by side. This confers to architecture the power to define an image for our society and ourselves; and because it can define it, it also has the ability to distort the view we have of ourselves. The focus of this investigation is to explore the impact of the built environment on our self-image: it seeks to rewrite the story of Narcissus by addressing the different stages of his self-realization in the context of the oceanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moving waters. The baths provide a place for literal and figurative reflection. Like Narcissusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pool, they provide a frame for our image; for it is in the most mundane of actions that we define who we are. The acts of changing, cleansing and bathing have echoes of considerable importance depending on the stage. The project explores issues of self-awareness as it occurs between reality and fiction, between the singular and the plural, on its way out to sea. An ode to the invisible, this tale is about breaking mirrors.

faculty design award awarded to top project of graduating class tau sigma delta honorable mention honors exhibit 2012 ewing gallery, UT

soundtrack, with diagram used in process to define and convey desired experience throughout the project landscape design with study model

section at 1â&#x20AC;&#x2122; = 1/8â&#x20AC;? through landscape and baths showing pier elevation

five key perspectives tied to five stages of narcissusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; struggle with his self-image: . discovery = entrance . contemplation = shower . desire = baths . realization = pier tower . longing = end of pier

five initial watercolors prior to design semester studies of narcissus, respectively entitled: dicovery, contemplation, desire, realization and longing

18 ft. length

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Ancient myths are perpetuated through cultural transmission in a variety of ways. They are written, dramatized, metamorphosed, and developed into new myths, each reflecting the culture in which they re-emerge; they reflect culture and culture, in turn, transforms and recreates them. Myths are nonhistorical stories which express selective and collective truths. They may draw upon situations of conflict, evoke dichotomies that cannot be resolved or address nontangible or incomprehensible aspects of reality. Narcissus, one of the most poignant mythical characters from antiquity, posits, in his tragic story of selflove, two profound philosophical questions: that of the distinction between illusion and reality and that between self and other. In so doing he raises fundamental issues of knowledge and identity.â&#x20AC;? Lieve Spaas and Trista Selous Echoes of Narcissus

The baths look out toward the ocean, accessed through the dark, damp womb of the dune. The concrete, polished at times to allow occupants to catch a reflection of their silhouette, holds the water. The roof, arching boardwalk boards over the baths, opens at each end. Marine grade fabric is stretched over the structure, muffling raindrops and blocking the wind when tethered to the ground; the place allows for the occupant to experience the oceanside caught in-between water and wind. It seeks to give a sense of place in the midst of the ephemeral occupation of the beach, revisiting the everyday in order to give people the chance to define for themselves a different image, away from imposed reflections. Architecture is a means, not an end; this project acknowledges that there are limits to what design can do. The answers we seek may only be found within us; the power of architecture lies in its ability to raise questions. This project asks of us: who are you?

a. shower b. entrance c. baths d. end of pier

LEARNING

samples of s t u den t w o r k

a. from birth wax crayons wearing dull a thousand suns a distant horizon your hand in mine we are the shadows in the darkness amy stewart time wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop but it will fade. time is no longer of a tick but a brush stroke, or a film. time is not running out, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re running ahead of it. hayden king

arch102 visual design postcar d

theory

This final assignement concluded a semester of visual design theory tasking students with the design of a message, visual and textual, addressed to a character chosen from the readings assigned throughout the semester. The goal was to reinforce studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ability to express a particular intent in words as well as through montage, emphasizing the idea of comprehensive design and exploiting it as a language which conveys meaning.

teaching assistant spring 2011 professor brian ambroziak

a. harmonia, by david berry b. roll of tape, by irene chang

arch121 drawing

machin i n g pr o jec t

perception

Students were introduced to the concepts of the plan, elevation and section in this rigorous exercise which consisted of drafting a full scale representation of a small object. The assignment emphasized the craft of drafting through the use of construction lines, touching a piece of paper a thousand times. It allowed first year students to learn how to skillfully draft complex forms and use proper lineweights, while discovering with their hands things that their eyes might have missed.

teaching assistant fall 2011 professor chuck draper

arch122 drawing self-po r t r ai t

c a. perforated grid bfk rives angie claeys b. vertical scoring graphite etched into wood dana van der gracht c. smeared thumb prints ink on mylar hayley mull

teaching assistant spring 2012 professor chuck draper

intention

Everything we do is a reflection of who we are, where we come from, how we interact with the world. This self-portrait exercise asked of students to use a layering of systems in order to depict who they are. Once the overall format given, each student was to chose a media, a module, and a method. Angie perforated a tightly constructed grid in a systematic way faithful to her diligeance and rigor. Dana, a perfectionist who had a tendency to secondguess herself, carved into a rough plank of wood then poured graphite into the grooves, therefore unable to erase or start over as she worked. Hayley, who always struggled with smearing ink, used her thumbprints and her nails to stamp horizontal bands which defined the shadows of her face.

arch122 drawing

intention

perspec t i v e an d m on t ag e

a. I love Lucy collage, glitter brooks cunningham b. la corrida ink on mylar, spray paint hayley mull c. mapping a sky collage on bristol sierra jensen d. for spain collage, paint, ink john bamrick e. ink on mylar, spray paint trevor mayes

teaching assistant spring 2012 professor chuck draper

This introduction to the constructed perspective used Mies Van der Roheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Barcelona Pavillion as a model. Students learned how to construct one-point and two-point perspectives, then explored means of representations through ink drawings as well as montage, after chosing a conceptual basis for their implentation.

with thanks,