PORTFOLI
I never stopped making things after that first mark.
SEPTEMBER 10, 1988
GLASS BLOWING
KNITTING
Time’s left me with about a thousand trophies so far.
1994
Monotype Prints
PRINTMAKING
Now that i look at, that’s not very many. But the relics aren’t the point. They’re just “trash in transit”.
1999
WOOD: carving, turning, joining.
What brought them about, however, was a process of interacting with the world in a small, but direct, way.
2004
CALLIGRAPHY
CONTENTS Here are some things I ve learned so far... Wunderkammer
FL2008
Outdoor Classroom
FL2009
Furniture
SP2009
Kindergarten
SP2010
City Pool
FL2010
Art School
SP2011
Public Plaza
FL2011
Eco-Community
FL2011
Learning Landscape
SP2012
Bunk Bed
SU2012
2008
WUNDERKAMER
a contemplation space on MLK blvd This “Cabinet of Curiosities” and contemplation space emerged from a linear process of form-making inspired by Eames’ “Powers of Ten.” Students were asked to take a microscopic approach to site and extrapolate an architectural form from a found object. My project aimed to bring history and social context back into our academic discussion. In my representation, I used collage to suggest that there is a lot more than brick in the walls along Saint Louis’s Martin Luther King Blvd: the implementaiton of restrictive covenants, the demolition of McRee town, the Kinloch redevelopment plan, the construction of Highway 64, a century of continued population decline, the construction of the Arch, and the demolition of Pruitt Igoe Public Housing Projects. My project aimed to flip an assignment about things into an project about people. An observation space dedicated to “urban dross” into an observation space dedicated to urbanism. I proposed a space implied by a wooden fabric as broken, disjointed, and interwoven as the city of Saint Louis and its people.
Intro to Design Processes I
3 credits
Lindsey Stouffer/Igor Marjanovich
FL2008
MICRO SITE ANALYSIS a) b) c) d) e)
“powers of 10” scale study leaf tangent study mylar collage basswood construction poplar “portable topography”
a
b
c
e d
WUNDERKAMER: contemplate what? A lot of things go in to making a city what it is. This installation strives to tell Saint Louis's story.
elevation: ink on mylar
1764: st louyis founded 1790’s: east stl origins 1800’s: laclede’s landing/MC mill: Chouteau Pond 1813: first brick house (only 2 houses west of 4th) 1816: N. st l. laid out 1818: first streets paved 1821: first sidewalks 1822: st Louis inc as city 1830-90: soularde immigration 1833: public schools incorporated 1843: first soulard market structure/ first omnibus line 1846: d scott suit number one roswell f/ stl five percent af am and 2/3 slave 1850: dred scott wins stl suit 1850’s: mill creek valley/ Lafayette square 1850-70: Lafayette building boom 1851/2 chouteau’s lake drained 1853 wash u incorporated 1854 dred scott suit number 2 1854-55 clay mines, hill 1870: stl 4th largest city in us 1875 12 colored schools 1876 city/county split 1886: electric streetcars 1890’s-1924: Italian immigrant boom in the Hill 1892: Wainwright building 1894: Union station is the world’s largest train station 1900’s: shotgun houses in the Hill 1901: brookings hall at WU 1903: east st Louis flood 1904: st Louis world’s fair 1910: sumner high in the ville/ peak streetcar decade/ teddy Roosevelt/ black pop east stl 6000 1910-1945: 378 restrictive covenants 1915: St. ambrose school (in the Hill?) 1916: segregation ordinance (Look!) 1917: CPC: 1st major street plan (re: 1923 Bond Issue)/ black pop in east stl 10,000+/ east stl race riots 1918: segregation ordinance thrown out 1920: end of the trolley 1920’s: auto congestion downtown/ smoke tilling trees in forest part 1926: city/county reunification exed 1928: stl American founded 1930: city/county services consolidation denied 1935: neighborhood gardens begin 1936: homer g Phillips hospital/Oakland express hwy/ stl region survey or plan 1945: east stl pop peak at 80,000, 1/3 african American 1948 shelley vs. Kramer 1949-53: cochran gardens opens 1950: East sl 82,295; 33.5% African American 1950’s-1964: business leaves east stl and pop drops by half 1954: Pruitt-igoe opens 1956: I-70 opens
1959: city/county government prop x/ mill creek demolition 454 acres 1960: 750, 026 city census (lowest since before 1920) 1960’s: highway 40 1965: arch completed 1970: city census 622,236 (18) 1971: east stl pop: 50 G 1972: UC loop/ Easton renamed MLK/ Pruitt igoe demolished/ hwy 44 cuts the Hill/McRee town 1976: Team Four 1980: City Census: 453,085 (26) 1997: black world hist. museum 1998: paint Louis
1981: Schoemehl elected Mayor 1990: city census: 396,685 (34) 1991: East l: 98% African American/eads bridge closes 1993: metrolink 1st line opens/ flood 2000: cochran gardens schnucks closes/ esl 31,542 97.7% aa 2001: Rodney mcallister killed 2002: cochran demolished 2003: eads bridge reopens/ 2004: city pop: 343,279 (52)/ McRee town demolition
2006: Samfox 2008: us
section
plan
1/8� baswood model
In 2009 I learned that drawings are built. I learned to be detached from my work and to overcome the fear of losing it. I learned that steel is softer than it looks.
2009
PRAIRIE CLASS
a classroom in a nature preserve. Students were asked to design a pavilion and outdoor classroom for a protected prairie near Saint Louis. I entered this project by researching prairie ecology and history in the Midwest. A sectional look at the site’s biology shaped these spaces: two thirds of a prairie’s bio mass exists under ground. In fact, seasonal wildfires destroy the grassy iceberg tip we think of as a prairie’s substance. This space aims to heighten awareness of the site with its 5ft tall grass and 10ft deep roots. Long cuts in the landscape marked by corten steel shards and concrete retaining walls lead visitors through a covered gate way into an open-air space organized by its furniture. Three massive steel tables provide work surfaces for students and their mess, while three terraces provide space for groomed educational gardens.
Intro to Design Processes III
3 credits
Tyler Meyer
FL2009
6ft
rich black humus
lime layer subsoil- permanently dry MISSOURI NATIVES echinaccea aster black eyed susan dandelion joe pye weed switch grass little bluestem buffalo grass prairie dropseed
PRAIRIE IN SECTION: site analysis
OUTDOOR CLASSROOM a) Two ways to control plant growth: fire and livestock. b) Three terraces offer a formal and organized space to cultivate and study prairie plants. c) Three massive steel tables define two classroom spaces. Teachers organize students around or inside these work surfaces. d) A steel tunnel brings visitors down a slight incline to evoke feelings of submerging before re-entering day light and the open air classroom.
a
b
c
d
1/8� model built in folded sheet metal and scorched aspen.
“Coldness hath gripped all mankind: Where is the warmth of Thy love, O Fire of the worlds?�
Illustration: The Fire Tablet Drawings to accompany verses of a 19th century Persian exile in the Ottoman prison of Akka. Independent Study
1 credit
Bob Hansman
FL2009
BODY CRAFT chair. bench. table.
Furniture Design
3 credits
Lindsey Stouffer
SP2009
BAMBOO CHAIR tubes forraged and forged, brass, waxed linen, sisal, beeswax
CHIMERA CHAIR make a monster.
ply and steel school chair
thonet rocker
chi·me·ra [ki-meer-uh] a mythological, fire-breathing monster, commonly represented with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.
THROUGH TENON TABLE
wedding gift. kimia ferdowsi kline. SU2010.
wood shaped by blades powered by muscles.
17”
17”
36”
curly cherry, black walnut, beeswax
Square/Circle Bench a memorial to the origins of wood
house-warming gift. kimia ferdowsi kline. SU2012.
In 2010, I welcomed my computer as another tool among my saws and planes. That’s the year I went to California and met a tree that watched the rise and fall of the Roman Empire and the Sphinx’s construction.
2010
SQUIGID ELEMENTARY
a kindergarten on manchester. Observing the daily movements of toddlers at school, it seems clear that the furniture and very spaces we offer them are better suited to miniature adults than six-year-olds. Children fidget in chairs behind desks. Their place of comfort, and focus, is the floor itself. I watched the wildest kids melt into calm repose once held in the lap of a loving teacher. Surely this phenomena derives not from the promise of human affection, but is rather an issue of materiality. I propose a line of furniture and built spaces tailored to children’s needs and modeled after their sitter’s laps.
Intro to Design Processes IV
3 credits
Liane Hancock
SP2010
LAP materiality study FACT
FICTION
PREMISE: Children dwell on laps. Not chairs.
MATERIAL ANALYSIS: muscle+bone
squish+rigidity
153 155
151
157
124 125 28 27
2927 119 120 32 30
29 30 115 116 3231
3333 112 116
32 33
35
32 108 111
34 34
35 38 116 122
32 29
32 29 106 111 40 37
34 32 106 110
44 43
30 27 117 121 29 32
30 31 108
110
3736
35 34 112 115 37 36
3129
ERGONOMIC ANALYSIS seven laps
94 98 43
40 39
46
106 111 2931
43 40 90 96 42 44
46 42 82 92
51 44
47
44 86 93
43
44
48
46 87 91
42 39
50 51 75 94
47 42
44 58 79 87
4441
5752 80 91 49 55
40 45 73 88
5158
49 41 89 95
47
38
42
49 74 85 58
37 47
59 81 84
5557
4241
93 47
94
48
39
39
89 50
51
91
4039
SQUIGID tiles
muscle+bone rubber+steel
PROGRAMATIC ELEMENTS accumulation
entire school
class
small group
interface jungle gym mat
tactility rigid squish
assemble
floor
squish
perform gather
stage chair
rigid squigid
1-2’ -2-0’
nap eat
mat table
squish rigid
1-2’
jungle gym jump mat
rigid squish
7’ 0-2’
squigid
0-1’
squigid rigid rigid
verb play
play
floor
table individual
paint pee puke cry
street elevation
climb jump roll run
climb
roll run flail lego floor block dress read chair craft puzzle table write
hinge table potty
adjacency variable variable
light direct
spatial quality dynamic
large
wall
direct
regimented
medium large
central corner
indirect conspicuous indirect safe
medium
central
direct
small medium
central wall
direct
large
wall
1.5’
small
corner
1-2’
medium
wall
medium small small
wall away away
adjustible
medium
wall
contemplative
clearance footprint 7’ variable 0-2’ medium
isolation chamber
squish
1-3’ 1’ 1’
fortress of solitude
squigid
4-5’
contained
accessible indirect comfortable
clean cozy
1/8� model in cast rubber and spring steel
roof plan
ground floor plan
TROUGH POOL a pool in the park for saint louis Students were asked to design a public pool for a Saint Louis city park. My proposal strives to bring an urban sense of traffic to the oasis. The park is for peace and quiet. This place is for motion and activity. The series of individual pools, internal gardens, and ramps descending down a slope act as a knot in the path around the lake. Runners, walkers, bikers, swimmers, and people-watchers alike move through these lanes. The concrete shells that form the groundplane and roof structure contain sand, soil, water, and wood, bringing us back down to earth without leaving the city.
Architectural Design I
6 credits
Gia Daskalakis
FL2010
PARK ANALYSIS figure/ground mapping
sand
soil
wood
water
city street
a
b
c
SITE PLAN city park
a. terraced beach
b. steel + concrete forest
city pool
c. stepped lawn
1/64�
1/8 sectional model built in cedar, maple, steel, resin, plaster
section perspective. pencil on paper. collage.
In 2011, I went to Copenhagen and learned that cities are for people. I also went to India and learned just how many people that is. I designed with a partner for the first time, and I learned that glass blowing is a lot like playing the violin.
2011
UNIVERCITY a campus on the street for sam fox school
Thinking about our own educations, JD Scott and I have come to appreciate that where we do is near as important as what we do. Just as murder in a Cathedral is different than murder on the street, we conclude that making art on Delmar is different than making art on Hoytt. We propose a new attitude for Sam Fox with an urban addition to its suburban campus. We aim to bring students off the monestary onto the street. With housing and studios for 40 artists, “Univercity” aims to facilitate a study abroad, close to home. The site sits dormant between 2 strips of activity. The project aims to mediate between them with a quiet, contemplative posture that embraces a library with a student-run art gallery, a small café, and a semi-public courtyard.
Architectural Design II 6 credits Zeuler Lima/Iain Fraiser
SP2011
CAMPUS LIBRARY the cathedral effect The Cathedral effect describes the influence of space on human thought. As the Goths knew so well, high ceilings encourage abstract ideas and creativity, while low ceilings motivate a concrete focus on detail. The UniverCity Library is the sacred space on
L I B R A R Y a. b. c. d. e. f.
F E A T U R E S
roof nooks and balconies skylight behind “human shelf” wood-clad Western wall warms skylight sun “human shelves” conducive to focused thought elevator shaft groundfloor with stacks, meeting space, and exit to school complex.
campus, conducive to lofty thoughts, deep imaginings, and their realization. A two-story atrium accompanies an open stack of reading nooks. Visitors may find their inspiration while wandering the sunlit stacks below and further pursue their thoughts in the “people shelf” above.
a b c
d
e
f
A shelf for people. Third Floor Plan showing skylights along concrete piers.
Second Floor Plan showing elevated stacks and reading nooks.
First Floor Plan showing open atrium and corner entrance.
UNIVERCITY S C H O O L
F E A T U R E S
a. Delmar Blvd: a top 10 street in America b. lofted bedrooms c. hallway: the life of the dormitory. d. public gallery and cafe e. roof vegetable garden f. rammed earth bearing walls g. library entrance h. semi-public courtyard with mounds, trees, and paint walls i. sunroom/outdoor balcony j. re-purposed brick building k. lower level metal/wood shops with outdoor workspace l. street level space for outreach design program m. upper level classroom and gallery n. loading dock
n.
m.
l.
k.
j.
i.
h.
g.
f.
e.
d.
c.
b.
a.
Section through repurposed restaurant.
East elevation of academic space.
Class and gallery space.
Section through dorms and library.
East Elevation of dorms and library.
Raingarden and interior library entrance.
Second Floor Plan showing dormitories.
Ground Floor Plan showing urban spaces.
Semi-public courtyard
1/8� sectional model in oak, poplar, OSB, and steel.
DIGITAL REPRESENTATION the axe effect
SungHo Kim. 3 credits. FL2011
ORIGINAL BOTTLE
LASERCUT RIBS
CUT SECTIONS + SCAN
CAST PLASTER MOLD
RENDERING
EMBED RIBS IN RUBBER “FLESH”
aXE: KEEPING DIRTY BOYS CLEAN SINCE ADAM LOST A RIB.
THE COLORS OF COPENHAGEN: public spaces for orsteadl kollegium
Local Color: “The distinctive peculiarities of a place.� Orsteadl Kollegium is home to dependents of the Danish government: immigrant families and university students. Though full of diversity, life, and latent energy, the complex feels as grey as it looks. The life between its buildings has yet to be born. This proposal aims to bring color to an anonymous place. Associating activities with spatial and material qualities, this spectrum of public spaces hopes to give residents a reason to go outside and visitors a reason to come in.
Urban Design I
6 credits
Line Schultz/Rasmus Fisk
FL2011
today: grey
tomorrow: grøn
LOCAL COLOR site plan “Colors speak all languages.”
(a 17th c. Englishman)
PALLETTE KULOER
5
20 10
50
QUALITY
MATERIAL
ACTIVITY
rød
intensity passion heat thrill activity vibrancy radiance
wood granite brick steel maple
dancing celebrating skating competing performing
blå
peace tranquility calmness coolness serenity
water stone concrete plum
sitting reflecting conversing resting cooling off ice skating
gul
warmth energy glow
stone gravel wood sand gingko birch sunflower
playing eating sun bathing gardening
grøn
life softness calmness coolness health fertility
earth turf grass trees ivy
running biking walking sledding picnicing
BOOK: Learning to Cope An illustrated tale of 100 days in Scandinavia. FL2011
ECO-MINITROPOLIS
a model neighborhood on a pier. Poised alongside the artistic centers of Copenhagen’s waterfront, Kroyers Plads is an empty shipping yard. Home to NOMA, the world’s greatest restaurant, this place promises to draw Danes and visitors alike to experience Copenhagen’s culinary arts. Dedicated to Scandinavian crops and dishes, this residential community will model Copenhagen’s sustainability goals for the next decade.
Urban Design I
6 credits
Line Schultz/Rasmus Fisk
FL2011
COPENHAGEN ECO-METROPOLIS 2015 sustainability goals
sun-shaped architecture rooftop gardens
bike lanes
variety of public space
permeable surf water retention
1. FOOD
2. ENERGY
3. COMMUNITY
Today, as far as most care to know, vegetables are harvested from trucksand nutrition must be read from a label. Large-scale, international agriculture, while enabling Arctic countries to enjoy tropical fruit year-round, has demanded a two-fold toll on culture and the environment. As our food loses its geographical relevance, our cities lose a piece of their identity.
Today, fossil fuels transport, heat, and electrify our city dwellers. Energy is produced on the outskirts of town, away from life and activity. Coal power plants emit fumes and particulates that compromise air quality and health in our cities.
Today, the built urban environment aspires to foster a passive collective life. Opportunities to engage with the life of society revolve around buying, eating, and sitting. Vague public spaces imply a public with vague vision and little sense of purpose.
Tomorrow, the stark separation between rural and urban landscapes, and processes of production and consumption, blurs. Individuals actively and passively develop a personal connection with such a vital part of every culture. The built environment seeks to transcend its stigma as “people storage� and become a vehicle that embraces all the complexity of life and facilitates its functioning as a process with both physical and social aspirations.
Tomorrow, wind and solar energy resources curtail our dependence on fossil fuel. Energy production enters the urban landscape and our consciousness.
Tomorrow, urban spaces will reflect the values in our intentions and announce the aim of our vision. Opportunities to contribute to a larger discussion of how we live collectively will be embedded in the crafting of public space. Shared spaces invite individuals to participate in the life of their city such that dialogue, a vital element of civic life, becomes a tool action and not an end in itself.
wind harvesting rainwater collection
faces + n systems agricultural public space
4. HEALTH
5. AIR
6. WATER
Today, medicine protects the health of society by “fixing� the maladies of its component parts. It awaits and responds to illness. Cities acknowledge the relevance of lifestyle to the health of their residents, yet cater to a pace and rhythm shaped by convenience and economy. Spaces prioritize efficient interaction of vehicles rather than healthful interaction of people.
Today, dense automobile traffic and limited trees frame claustrophobic streets and compromise the quality of space for pedestrians and residents alike.
Today, rainwater is a burden. It floods our sewer systems and must be expelled from our streets and rooftops.
Tomorrow, the city takes an active role in promoting health as a product of many factors including lifestyle and environment. It facilitates pedestrian and bicycle traffic and offers easily accessible opportunities for recreation. The built environment enhances nutrition and exercise.
Tomorrow, higher frequency of pedestrian streets closed to automobile traffic, more efficient electrical public transportation systems, and fewer cars reduces the exhaust clogging our streets. Deeper incorporation of green space produces fresh air.
Tomorrow, alternatives consumption. urban green needs such laundry.
storms provide viable to undercut fresh water Harvested rainwater irrigates space and supports household as toilettes, showers, and
KROYERS PLADS masterplan FEATURES Pedestrian/bike bridge Tree-lined paths for people Crop fields Harbor activities A residential corridor Commercial space Public plaza
MN
TU
AU ER
MM
SU
ER
NT
WI
G
RIN
SP
AUTUMN
WINTER
SPRING
SUMMER
In 2012, I learned the mechanics of communitybased projects by building a park for a school in a neighborhood. I learned the spirit by building a bunk bed for a family in a home. I realized that it takes a village to raise barns and kids alike.
2012
d...
arke we p
LEARNING LANDSCAPE a park for patrick henry elementary school 12 students expanded the 2011 Learning Landscape at the Patrick Henry Elementary school and rendered an asphault parking lot fit for children. In consultation with the teachers of the school, we added features to further enhance the school’s sustainability-themed curriculum. Yurina, Parker, and I worked to add human scale and finer detail to the masterplan. We rescued wood logs from the chipper to build over 50 pieces of furniture at a total cost of $777.77
Architectural Design IV
6 credits
Forrest Fulton/Mikey Naucus
SP2012
PATRICK HENRY SITE PLAN e
f
g
d
h
c
b
a
Features a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Sculptures and tables in wood chip allee shaded by birch. Granite border and path. Earth mounds and native prairie plantings. Redwood tree donated by MO botanical garden. Fabric shaded cedar pergola. Gingko and locust trees add shade to raised planters. Subterranean irrigation system waters garden beds. Cedar storage boxes for tools and stools.
photos courtesy of Forrest Fulton site plan drawn by Lyn Wenzel
PERGOLA
sun shade structrure SHADE STRUCTURE COLUMN DETAIL SECTION
1.
2.
4 X 8 ROUGH SAWN CEDAR TIMBER BEAM -MITER CORNERS, TYP. -BOLT TO BEAM PLATE
4 3/4"
2 -3"
2 1/2" 2 1/2""
5 1 16" DIA 3 2" DEEP GALVANIZED STEEL LAG BOLT
3.
6"
2 1/2"
7" X 7" X 41" THICK GALVANIZED STEEL BEAM PLATE W/ 21" DIA HOLES OF BOLTS -WELD CONNECTION
4"
CL
CL
7" X 7" X 41" THICK GALVANIZED STEEL CRUCIFORM BASE PLATE - 21" DIA HOLES AT BOLTS -WELD CONNECTIONS
4"
4- "
4.
5.
4 - 4 X 4 ROUGH SAWN CEDAR TIMBER COLUMN -BOLT TOGETHER BAS E PLATE & BEAM PLATE
6.
1- "
2 -6"
CL
-CENTER BOLT HORIZONTALLY ON 4 X 4 COLUMNS - TYP 1 2" DIA GALVANIZED THRU-BOLT W/ GALVANIZED WASHER & NUT, TYP -RECESS BOLT HEAD & NUT INSIDE FACE OF TIMBER, TYP
3"
CL
7.
1 -6"
2" 1"
12" CONC PIER MIN 36" BELOW GRADE W/ 5 4 REBAR
1 -1 "
1. galvanized lag bolts 2. 4x8 cedar timber 3. galvanized steel corner plate 4. through-bolts 5. 4x4 cedar timber 6. steel anchor plate 7. concrete pier
Pergola Column Detail
Team led by Elana, Mike, and Sam.
L G
1000-3000 lbs. 5 climbing structures.
LARGE crane-dropped, chainsawed oak
furniture and oddities
400-600 lb. 3 tables. 12 benches.
MEDIUM cast concrete steel red oak
5-30lb. 32 stools. storage box.
SMALL red cedar osage orange black walnut yellow poplar white oak sycamore elm
photo by Forrest Fulton
FOUNDRY an ancient alchemical process
Bronze Bas Relief, “Martyrs”
Match-Plate Fabrication 1. Carve wooden pattern + establish parting line. Cast pattern in plaster mold. 2. Cast wax patterns in resinbonded sand 3. Build flasking + attach spacer
4. Pour aluminum matchplate 5. Machine and polish castings. 6. Stamp matchplate into oilbonded sand
7. Cast in bronze 8. Sandblast and polish 9. Hold in hand.
Foundry 3 credits
Noah Kirby
SP2012
funCIO TWIN SLEEPER a bed in a room for ignacio and benicio
Built with Catalina Freixas and Pablo Moyano
Saint Louis SU2012
It’s something quite different to live in the home you design for.
b. LOFT
a. COLUMN
c. DRAWER
a. COLUMN DETAIL 1/4” counter-sunk hex bolt 2x2” quarter sawn maple column 1/2” radiused corner
3/4” maple plywood with 1/2” radiused 1.5” counter-sunk decking screw 3/8” red oak plug
b. LOFT DETAIL 8” twin foam mattress 1/2” birch plywood slat 1/4” counter-sunk hex bolt 3/4” stainless steel lock washer 5” yellow pine strut 1.5” decking screw 5” yellow pine cross beam 3/8” red oak plug 1.5” pine ceiling connector block 1.5” pine ceiling connector block 1/2” birch plywood cieling
c. DRAWER DETAIL
lower foam mattress 1/2” birch plywood slats 3/4” birch plywood front facade 5” yellow pine slat joint drawer front CNC cutout wheel anchor 3/4” wood screw 1.5” caster 1/2x1/2” routed channel
the first climb
I want to be an architect to keep this wheel turning and continue what I started a quarter century ago. That said, I offer for your consideration an enthusiastic and authentic design process looking to grow teeth.
donesh.ferdowsi@gmail.com