Lex Colton :: architectural design portfolio
Pool House
Infill Housing :: a competition entry
Free Falling :: a competition entry
Professional Work
Pool House
:: a tectonic study of path, isolation and reflection summer 2013 :: 12 weeks watercolor : rhino : photoshop
SHOWER
CHANGING
designed for an individual experience, this pool house seeks to isolate. in isolation, we think. we reflect. we discover our true selves. bathers enter the pool house through a thicket of trees. as they progress along this linear path, the slope of the adjacent walls increases, temporarily separating the human from nature.
LAP POOL PLUNGE POOL
this area has no southern walls. the radial plan allows each each bather has their own changing,
changing and bathroom area to face
shower and rest room area that
a different direction, enhancing privacy
corresponds to a single lap pool on the
for the user. the forest to the south of
opposite end of the pool house.
the site serves as a shield and barrier from the street. the user should feel enveloped and protected by nature.
the individual plunge pools and saunas are underground, below the lap pools.
bathers can jump from the top level into the plunge pool or take the stairs on the east and west ends of the site.
bathers swim through an arcade of trees into the depths of the forest where they can be free to reflect and relax.
Infill Housing
:: flood resistant infill housing competition for Cincinnati’s East End Garden District *2nd place of 17 entries* Spring 2015 :: 3 weeks 3ds max : autocad : photoshop
Traditional in form but modern in nature, this residence seeks to complement the existing architecture of Cincinnati’s East End area while pushing the aesthetic of the neighborhood into a new era. The house is mainly constructed of low cost materials [CMU block, plywood, reclaimed oak, and metal siding]. The residence also utilizes a PV solar panel system to generate radiant floor heating and electricity. The house uses the PV solar panels as a water catchment system to house and filter water for potable use.
The interior of the residence follows a shotgun housing plan. Main living spaces [bedrooms, living room, and work ] are pushed to the front and back ends of the house to fully utilize natural light. The kitchen is a double height space that utilizes a skylight to bring more natural light through the center of the residence.
rear deck garage
work space
master bedroom
water catchment storage
mechanical bath
bath
storage
laundry pantry
work space
kitchen work bench/ bike storage
outdoor living
dining entry living
entry
storage front deck
ground floor
first floor
open to below
bedroom
second floor
The idea of an open porch or gathering space is extremely vital to the language of the East End neighborhood. This residence utilizes the ground floor as an exterior living space. Its proximity to the sidewalk and open plan is inviting, while the double-sided fireplace and adjacent planting makes this space more intimate.
Free Falling ::
an entry for Blank Space’s Fairy Tales Competition “an open, international, ideas competition that challenges creatives from all professional realms to develop visionary, narrative-based design proposals.” - competition brief Fall 2014 :: 4 weeks 3ds max : autocad : photoshop
I. An ancient crash. The unforgiving grinding of steel on steel. A collision of sorts. Rises above an overgrown brush, losing its natural hue to winter’s chill. An array of reds, yellows and blues melt into their secondary states. Violet to red. Loud visual remnants of past explorers, too self-absorbed to notice a portal to deeper self-discovery. Dare I call them explorers? Quick to claim the shell, but negligent of deeper exploration that could consume them should they break the threshold. A brave, blind hand reaches out into the fog to see if anyone reaches back. The light penetrates the mist, dressing his skin with a yellow filter. Impulsive in nature.
“I’ve seen you. Blindly reaching for the intangible. You’ve exhausted this realm. There’s nothing for you here.”
The light, a magnet. His silhouette, an eclipse in one of three moons.
“Let the light consume you.”
II. The ground gives beneath him. Gravity’s pawn, he falls. Past stacks of closed portals, once open for the ones that came before him. A series of new beginnings. Or possibly, a repetition of endings.
“Stop thinking that way. The logic of your past realm does not apply here.
No black and white. Widen your spectrum.
Teach yourself to see more. Expand your visual range.
Let your wave lengths kiss the ultraviolet. Violet to red will get you nowhere here.”
He closes his eyes. He lets himself fall. Each second, an hour. An endless channel. The destination, obsolete. Or maybe there is no destination at all. Stop. No black and white. Just...be. But then he sees it. The flash of a shadow punctures his newfound spectrum. And the portals shut off, one by one.
III. One glitch of black and white, tries to counter the peace he once had. Anxiety, a cloud enveloping his judgment. If I’m not alone in this realm, it must be meant for us to dwell here together. Right? “You’re asking questions again.” The air fills with the tired groans of steel cogs, disturbed from hiatus. They begin to shift around him. The end of an endless channel. A container disrupts his fall, the unforgiving metal reminding him of the return gravity’s presence. A jungle of steel boxes before him, he scans the new terrain. How quickly it has changed. Illumination. It’s strength irregular, pulsing. His eyes dance with the yellow light, falling upon a silhouette once a shadow.
“This longing for interaction will destroy you. Have you forgotten your recent, blissful drift into the bottomless abyss?
You saw things clearly for the first time. But this is all a test. Resist. Think hard about true happiness.”
His fleeting steps clang against the metal containers.
IV. This jungle, a maze. Unsolvable for the contained. Right was left. Up was down. Come on, break the rules. Glass shards, thirsty for the blood of the desperate, fill the void and fall, no ground to grant the echo of closure. But this time he doesn’t let himself, fall. A glance upward secures his intentions. A black silhouette, two feet dangling through a cloud of white. I need to know.
“Will you make the same mistake here as you did in your previous realm? You can let go, just drop. Fall into infinity.”
V. Yet, He climbs.
His past decisions, each one leaving a scar on someone else’s heart. A chain reaction, his scars evoking others to leave their own on others.
Structure, dusted red with years of aged rust, tears at his skin, snags his clothing.
But he craves it. The pain he can never contain. Distributing it to others when it becomes unbearable to hold in one vessel.
It crumbles beneath the blind determination that propels him upward,
It made him feel alive.
toward an outreached hand. He reaches out too.
The power of destroying something to counter his own self-destruction.
Again, through a fog. This time a hand on the other side meets his.
And living off this power, for as long as it will last. Repeat.
The fog clears. His eyes trace the outline of worn fingers,
Each time he needs a little more. Repeat.
the length of a tattered sleeve, and the scruff of a familiar face.
Hurt more. Destroy more.
He stares at himself reaching for himself.
“Is this what you need? Is this what you’ve always needed? Can you exist without taking the form of a virus?
He stares into his own eyes through the eyes of this…stranger. He watches them playback his life.
Will he pull you up or will his help be your demise? Save yourself from yourself. Choose wisely.”
Professional Work
:: a colllection of work from various internships Gallagher & Associates :: Summer 2014 Marmol Radziner :: Fall 2013 3ds max : revit : autocad : photoshop
Gallagher & Associates :: world trade center ship In July 2010, workers excavating the World Trade Center site discovered the remains of an 18th century ship. I was asked to produce multiple iterations of a structure to house the remains. The structure is also meant to display the historical information about the ship and a brief history on Manhattan’s landfill expansion.
The conceptual design of the structure is similar to an oval, which complements and surrounds the shape of the excavated hull. The ship is centered within the structure, allowing visitors to experience the remains from all angles. An elevated platform flanks one side of the structure, allowing visitors to experience the ship from a higher perspective.
Marmol Radziner :: lighting configurations While at Marmol Radziner, I used 3ds Max to produce renderings of various lighting configurations for the furniture of a high end optical store. These studies were then given to the client to help them better visualize the piece in their store setting.
Marmol Radziner :: winery landscaping While at Marmol Radziner, I also participated in the schematic design process of a competition piece for a winery. I used Photoshop to place the landscape around the rendered buildings (right). I also sketched various elevations, plans, and sections (bottom).
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