PORTFOLIO DANIELLE VOELKERDING
ABOUT
Danielle Voelkerding Second Year M.Arch I Student The University of Kansas Academic Portfolio contact - danie_voelk@ku.edu
TABLE OF CONTENTS GROWTH .................................1 PLAY .........................................3 CONTEMPLATION .......................5 EXPERIENCE .................................7 DRAWING ......................................9 SLICE .............................................10 WALL SYSTEM ................................11 LIGHT BOX ........................................12 PERCEPTION .......................................13 JOURNEY . ...............................................14 MOTION .................................................15
GROWTH
INTERGENERATIONAL LIVING COMMUNITY
This project has been my favorite to date. For the first time, I considered a range of clients, and designed for their personal needs. Each unit has unique materials, unique, private green space, and unique furniture arrangement. The interior plan has the same division of function despite these differences. The exterior utilizes green roofs to promote the idea of growth and regeneration. In addition, the units have a sprout-like form that allows for expression an light manipulation. Through this project, I realized how intricate it is to provide ideal, accessible spaces. As a result, my interest in health and wellness design has grown.
INTROVERT
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EXTROVERT
A SPACE FOR ANY AGE TO
GROW
ACTIVITY
BED
SERVICE
BATH
LIVING KITCHEN
Since this project allowed me to design for each client, each house in the complex has individual characteristics. As of now, the plan has two cladding options, as well as four door options. Each resident has prive and semi-private outdoor space, as well as access to the core public green space. Also, each house has substantial solar access. In the public area, there are many thresholds of transition between public and private, which allows for close living to not be crowded living. In addition, it allowed and artistic circulation through the earth that reflects the green roofs above.
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PLAY
STEEL BASKETBALL ENCLOSURE
The opportunity to design in front of Allen Field House is an experience I will never forget. I wanted my court to blend into a morphic site over time, and use the landscape concept of a “ha-ha” to create visual illusion to the structure and its surroundings. The subtle, unique curvature of the span allows Phog Allen to watch over the game, and for the cathedral to remain dominant on its site.
ENCLOSURE
FINAL
FULL STRUCTURE
SPACE FRAME
COLUMNS + FRAME
BRACING 175’
100’
50’ 25’
HA HA LANDSCAPE
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DEBRUCE CENTER
PATINA COPPER
EAST ENTRY
I made sure that every choice I made had a purpose that related to the site. The enclosure material is patinated copper so that over time, the steel structure blends into the form of the earth and the color of the DeBruce Center. Though bold to build in front of the entrance to the Booth Hall of Athletics, I believe it is justified and impactful to build below the cathedral, and Phog Allen, to emphasize KU basketball.
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CONTEMPLATION
WOODEN CHAPEL
When creating a wooden, nondenominational chapel on the site of Pioneer Cemetery, I prioritized the linear configuration of wooden elements. The fibers of wood are linear, so to create curves does not honor wood as well. The juxtaposition of different angles and light exposures creates a dynamic interior and exterior experience. I also honored the traditional wood A-frame, but added a tilt and proportion to make it realistic. Each mullion is a 1/5 scale of the main A frame, and I used the Golden Rule to determine the slight tilt towards the west. In addition, the interior knee brace changes throughout the space, which adds a unique form and path through the worship space.
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2
3
1 1 1 1 1
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EXPERIENCE
EARTH PLANE
As a study space for doctoral students and faculty, the building had to be flexible and ideal for interaction at the center of campus. I wanted to make the steep site accessible by linking the new structure to the preexisting structure via a path, as well as by creating a flat site atop the new structure to allow a outdoor gathering space. On the inside, all scholar spaces have southern views and controllable light exposure, as well as unique, angular offices with connecting mailboxes. I loved getting to put my hands on every detail and understand the small space.
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DRAWING
STUDIO + PERSONAL
Drawing is crucial to my design process. A quick sketch creates more understanding than words in an instant, and a detailed sketch of how I perceive the world helps me remember and understand a situation. The drawings on the bottom are charcoal perspectives from my first year, the last being an explanation of perspective, scale, and repetition. The drawings on the top are sketches from my travels, and are more of a literal perception rather than a perspective. I try to make something with my hands as much as I can in the design process, especially before I go to a digital media.
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SLICE
EXTRUSION
From a quilt pattern, I determined a system of extruding lines into forms. I decided to make my forms attached at their center, so that each element experienced positive and negative placement. To add more dimension, I determined three interpretations of form: full volume, partial surface, and truss surface. I love the airy quality of the final model, and its ability to show dimension and space. It was the first time I experienced precise orthogonal and axonometric drafting.
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WALL SYSTEM
MANIPULATION
The wall system project was an exploration in manipulating a flexible form like paper, and then utilizing repetition to create a wall of the form. With my design, I wanted two wall planes that are only attached by paper in the center so that the wall members were physically flexible. In addition, I transitioned my form from a condensed unit to an extended unit to show progression and a morphic quality. Each unit intertwined with the other, an overall this complex project became a simple exercise in flexibility and simplicity.
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LIGHT BOX
SPATIAL UNDERSTANDING
My first experience with a group happened with the light box. My group wanted a succession of elements that were extremely dynamic on the inside, and linear elements on the exterior to create a dynamic experience from repetition. I love how these elements photographed and show the depth of the space. In addition, it was clear to see how drastically light changes a space, and can hinder or promote the action within a space.
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PERCEPTION
EYES AND LENS
For my second studio, I was able to have Anne Patterson as my professor. She pushed me to think outside the box, and understand that perception and reality are not always the same. She first showed us how a photo of a place we know, in this case Marvin Hall, can relate to the place. Then, I applied this concept to a place I have never been to but would love to visit. Chicken Point Cabin by Tom Kundig has this amazing door and plan, and I was able to make a small model to relate the photo to a scale version of the house. This unit was intricate and insightful for future designs.
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JOURNEY
KIT OF PARTS
To elevate our understanding of perception, we made a journey from a kit of parts. This was to understand the many ways to separate a space, and add priority to the transition of experience. For my journey, I wanted there to be places where the journey was experienced quickly, like stairs, or slowly, like a ramp. I prioritized places of rest as well as places of reflection. The core wall made a unique angle to the journey, creating narrow and spacious circulation. It also supported a high lookout that people below are intrigued to experience. I also drafted with perspective and plan in new ways to prove the legitimacy of the design.
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MOTION
HUMAN ACTIVITY VISUALIZED
In order to further understand the human experience, however, we had to understand the motion of a person. Understanding how to draw scale figures and different poses eventually led to filming ourselves in motion and recording it with our phones. Then we traced each element of motion, and interpreted our evolving form in a model and drawing progression. My motion was stretching, then transitioning from laying down to walking away. I decided to track myself from my head to my joints since lots of dynamic motion happens between my joints, and link these forms in a progression of panels. I used colored strings to separate the different stages of my motion, was well as show the transition of my joints.
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This project is the most abstract that I have ever done. But I love its dynamic expression, and how beautiful the human experience can be visualized. Every mundane action is important to consider in a space, and the little details make a difference in a space.
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