WORK SAMPLES Erin Lutz
ERINLUTZ923@GMAIL.COM
BLANKSLATE TYPE _ Commercial CONCEPT _ Co-working space
This project is located in Baltimore and was designed in a historically landmarked building. The client wanted to provide a work space that small business owners could rend out as needed. He therefore, wanted it to accommodate a variety of programs including individual working space, a casual meeting or waiting area, a conference room, as well as a kitchen for the convenience of those working there all day. When I was brought onto the project much of the actual architectural design had been completed, however with the pandemic, lead times had been skewed and much of the furniture, appliances, art, and covid- accommodations needed to be reconsidered. While trying to stay as close to the original proposal as possible, for the client, I resourced many of these as well as sourcing and editing portraits for print, and helping with the install and photo shoot.
Independent work space
Kitchen
Communal Work Table 63”W x 35”D x 29”H
BROOKLANE TYPE _ Residential CONCEPT _ Updated Farmhouse
This client was looking to redo their kitchen and dining room to make it feel updated but also did not want it to feel overly modern. They have a farmhouse style home so while they were looking to update, they wanted to maintain a flow with the other spaces. In order to do this a natural color palate was embraced because this was something already present. A lot of the goal was to try and combine either modern styles with more classic finishes or Vice-versa. This helped to maintain a feeling of familiarity and history in the space. Textures were also incorporated through the backsplash tile and, the canning along the cabinets and pantry, and the exposed beams. This also helped to ground the kitchen. The client also expressed liking the slab backsplash look but was worried this would look to modern. To accomidate this, the countertop marble was continued up just behind the range. The dining room was designed to be a little richer, warmer and more intimate. The colors of the rug as well as the directionality from the light fixtures were utilized for this.
Inspiration images
Kitchen elevation render
Dining room
Kitchen
COVID PROJECTS TYPE _ Hand Built
During the pandemic, while looking for jobs I kept busy with a few projects that allowed me to gain a better understanding of many aspects of our field. I renovated my childhood bedroom at my parents house, built my brother a record cabinet, built my mom a two-part composting unit, and reupholstered a damaged and broken butterfly chair after replacing broken shock-mounts on a Bertoia Diamond chair. Getting my hands busy on the record cabinet and the compost unit allowed me to understand the construction of much of our furniture better. Redoing the bedroom helped me to understand how much work goes into replacing floors and how important small details are in finishing off a room. The Butterfly chair helped me to understand the softer finishes often found in spaces, and how these too can have a great impact on the overall feel of a space. (Before: above; After: below)
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2A
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3B
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Pietra High-tech Ariostea S.p.A
MDF Panel Ceiling
Raw, natural materials reproducing a compact, homogenous porcelain tile. Easy to lay, cut and transport and exhibit high abrasion resistance. minimal maintenance is needed.
Reclaimed Wood
ERINLUTZ923@GMAIL.COM
Track Lighting
REVITALIZING COMMUNITY CENTER
P. 1
TYPE _ Community Center CONCEPT _ Redesigning a Parks Building
This project was developed over the course of a semester A and overseen by Keena Suh who first proposed the class as a deep dive into social sustainability and ways that interior design could impact the cultures surrounding it. After the Parks Department of NYC decided it was going to vacate this building, at the base of Sara D. Roosevelt Park, many locals were concerned with what would come of this new empty space. As designers my peers and I took this as opportunity to present options to the Manhattan Borough President, Gale Brewer, that would help to support the community rather than gentrify it. By re-proposing the concept of a community center and bringing back the building’s original purpose, we found that this space could support both the children and adults currently living in the area rather than pushing them out with another coffee shop. We proposed a flexible ground floor that could transition to support both after-school groups or townFIRST FLOOR hall meetings. We also proposed a monitored quiet space with computer access to provide online resources to those without them, as well as study tables for collaborative or individual utilization. The cellar proposal included space for a “givetake,” to support the low income community present in the area, as well as installation space for educational purposes. Some of our considerations included local students’ history, science, and art projects, as well as an upcycling proposal. After interviewing locals that frequented the park, and collaborating with Wendy Brawer and K Webster, two local advocates, we pushed this project to amplify the community for what it currently is rather than trying to “fix” it into a B gentrifiedSECTION neighborhood. This was a group project completed with Shreya Bhuraria, Aastha Kothari, Vanwalee Chansue, Mallika Mehrotra, Niyati Shah, Mahzad Soheili, and Erin Loffer. 3/8”=1’
rooftop
3/8”=1’
ROOF
RCP
AASTHA KOTHARI/ ERIN LUTZ/ ANIYATI SHAH/ MALLIKA MEHROTRA/ MEGAN SOHEILI/ SHREYA BHURARIA/ VANWALEE CHANSUE
B
E N VI R O N ME N TA L GR A P HI C S
mezzanine
3/8”=1’
Ideas
Cons i d e rati o ns Multi-language M u l t i - cu l t u re S a fe t y N a v i g at i o n In t e ra ct i o n
A
MEZZANINE
G ra p h ic s
Sports Equipments Equipos deportivos
Bike Repair Reparación de bicicletas 單車維修
运动器材
BENEFITS OF WATER FOUNTAINS Indoor / Outdoor Decor Natural Humidifier
Languages WHAT IS GREY WATER? Greywater is gently used water from your bathroom sinks, showers, tubs, and washing machines. It is not water that has come into contact with feces, either from the toilet or from washing diapers.
Drowning Out Annoying Sounds Negative Ions
B Co l o u r / A r ro w
B
3/8”=1’
1/2”=1’
3/8”=1’
DETAIL ELEVATION
Fra m in g
3/8”=1’
ground floor
FIRST FLOOR
3/8”=1’
3/8”=1’ 3/8”=1’
MEZZANINE
FIRST FLOOR
CELLAR
BENEFITS OF WATER FOUNTAINS Indoor / Outdoor Decor Natural Humidifier
MEZZANINE
WHAT IS GREY WATER? Greywater is gently used water from your bathroom sinks, showers, tubs, and washing machines. It is not water that has come into contact with feces, either from the toilet or from washing diapers.
Drowning Out Annoying Sounds Negative Ions
Flexible Shelving Module
3/8”=1’
3/8”=1’
cellar
1/2”=1’
SECTION B
CELLAR
DETAIL ELEVATION 3/8”=1’
30 DELANCEY ST. MANHATTAN NY
SECTION A
3/8”=1’
The module starts to represent the idea of layering as well as mimics the way the stairs are designed within the space. It allows room to be flexible and is made out of a sturdy wood frame, while having metal strips run through the middle.
ERINLUTZ923@GMAIL.COM
IDEONELLA SAKAIENSIS
P. 2
TYPE _ Educational Research Recycling Facility CONCEPT _ Sustainability
This project challenged the way that we typically approach clients by necessitating the cohabitation of a non-human species with humans. The species I chose to bring attention to was a bacteria discovered in 2016 called Ideonella Sakaiensis. It was discovered outside of a plastic bottle recycling facility in Japan. This bacteria is the first to be able to break down, consume, and metabolize a chemical called PET which is found in single use plastics. Because the site in NYC was located so close to the East River, I proposed that this bacteria would be able to service the area by consuming plastic directly from the river. The main program for this site is proposed as a study laboratory as well as an informational recycling center. Upon entrance, visitors would be confronted with a two story permanent wall of plastic. This is to address the overwhelming issue of plastic pollution. Past the wall, a conveyor belt carrying plastic runs above visitors’ heads with pneumatic tubes that allow people to recycle their plastic on site. Visitors follow the conveyor belt around the glass laboratory to the structural columns in the back of the building that are surrounded by single use plastic. This is where the bacteria live, consume, and recycle the plastic. This structural dichotomy is meant to represent our existing nature, and how the current dumping of plastic is destroying its structure. In order to combat the byproducts of the bacteria, a biome on the third floor is proposed. One foot of water and six inches of soil would pool on this floor, in which a small forest of mangrove trees would grow. Mangroves are known for their ability to thrive in shallow waters with minimal soil and in very close proximity to each other. This biome nullifies the bacteria’s off-gassing reducing the site’s carbon footprint.
Plastic Circulation
Biome Floor
User Circulation
Scientist Circulation
Lab
First Floor
Ground Floor 155 WATER ST. BROOKLYN NY
ERINLUTZ923@GMAIL.COM
LEVELS OF INTERACTION
POPS (Privately Owned Public Space):
Unprogramed movement, restricted by social norms.
P. 3
TYPE _ Privately Owned Public Space (POPS) CONCEPT _ Actively Encourage Play
Originally inspired from how children interact with space, this project explores the idea of ‘free play’ and how to encourage adults to interact with the spaces surrounding them. Sergio Pellis and Marion Diamond have lead research around the idea that removing authority figures and creating a new set of rules can stimulate the growth of one’s cerebral cortex helping to solve problems, make plans, regulate emotions, and even improve memory. By providing three levels of interaction within the POPS (or privately owned public space), users are able to participate in free play to the level that they feel most comfortable, while also locating recognizable elements to encourage their active engagement. 120 Park Ave. has 4,500 square feet of space and roughly 50 feet of open headroom. Currently this space functions as a POPS and receives a lot of foot traffic. However, existing beneath an office building I approached this space with new motivation. Proposed are three new levels. The first and most basic is the POPS which affords the most opportunity for free movement, however is restricted by social norms to the greatest extent. On the other end of the spectrum exists the Climbing Wall which has almost no societal expectations as one can move their body however they need in order to climb, but is very programmed as they have to move in a specific direction with a certain goal in mind. My design, therefore, exists mainly in the in-between which I will refer to as ‘Landscape.’ This landscape moves the user vertically and horizontally through the space with varying degrees of difficulty as well as options to rest, observe, and overlook the rest of the space.
LANDSCAPE:
Invitation to move how one would like, restricted by the users’ willingness to engage with the landscape.
CLIMBING:
Highly programed movement, unrestricted by social norms (little is normal about the contortion of one’s body to climb).
120 PARK AVE. MANHATTAN NY
Wet Dry 1:200
ERINLUTZ923@GMAIL.COM
DESERT ESCAPE
P. 4
TYPE _ International Hostel CONCEPT _ Oasis: Finding influence from a congé form and creating an escape from the desert
This project challenged us to look at another country, their culture, and their priorities in order to develop a hostel that accommodated travelers in Qena, Egypt. Because Qena is located within a desert, it was understood that finding a way to provide an escape from the heat and dry air would be desirable and would draw people to the hostel. We utilized water after finding influence in mashrabiyas and the way they cooled the water and surrounding air through natural ventilation. Maintaining this natural air conditioning made the project more sustainable despite the utilization of water in a desert landscape. The users would enter by walking into a front garden space. Upon passing a low reflecting pool they would meet reception before entering the rest of the side. This front garden was open to the public and encouraged peoples’ participation with it. Around the pool was a ramp that lead to a view over the buildings beside it. After entering, people would be led through the rest of the hostel by the water that were employed through different forms. Through the hall that lead to bedrooms, there was a mist to provide further privacy, as well as a small river that ran on the exterior of the hall to lead to the back garden and ceramic exhibition. This exhibition was included in order to pay homage to the building’s original purpose. This was a group project completed in the span of five weeks with Aastha Kothari, Shreya Bhuraria, Yijin Wang, Jingjing, Huang, Zhuoxian Yu.
Hard Soft 1:200
Public vs Private
Circulation
Removed and new construction QENA, EGYPT
ERINLUTZ923@GMAIL.COM
HALL INSTALLATION
P. 5
TYPE _ Recycled Cardboard Instillation CONCEPT _ Sustainability and Earth Day Waste Awareness
This project was a group project designed in April and installed during Blue Week, a week long event hosted by Pratt to generate awareness about sustainability and the environment. It culminates on Earth Day when this project was presented. The project itself was constructed of entirely recycled cardboard collected from nearby grocery stores, other students’ mail, or off the street. The design’s goal was to represent the learning process. At the beginning it starts wide open signifying the openmindedness and naivety before someone learns about something new. As one moves through it though, it becomes tighter and tighter signifying the struggle that often accompanies new concepts, the questions that arise and the discomfort that it causes. There are also pieces that one must rotate to move past that represent the solving of some of these questions. Finally the piece opens back up to represent a more full understanding of the topic and a sense of pride and growth. The piece is raised by a semi-delicate surface to make those walking through it aware of the movements they are going through, and also rises as they move into the middle, dropping back down when emerging. This project was designed and completed in two weeks with Jingjing Huang, Yeqiuyuan Qiang, Soraya Leite, Christine Park, Junqi Zhang, Nyjat Bunyadov, Siqi Guo, Sha Huang, and Gary Ge.
200 WILLOUGHBY AVE. BROOKLYN, NY
ERINLUTZ923@GMAIL.COM
HOUSING WORKS COLLABORATION
P. 6
TYPE _ Thrift store/ Retail CONCEPT _ Actively engage with products before committing to buy them.
Housing Works is an organization dedicated to providing “services for over 30,000 homeless and low income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.” Offering support for everything from primary care, to case management and behavioral health and substance abuse, Housing Works also runs thrift store businesses throughout the city to generate revenue as well as spread awareness. In considering how a thrift store could function, I embraced the idea of actually being able to test the product before committing to buying it. This would hopefully reassure people buying the products that they are what that person is truly looking for. I also wanted to create a store that offered products that were harder to find at a regular thrift store to encourage more people to shop with Housing Works. I found that much of the outdoor sports world was not represented in thrift stores and that being able to try these products, which are often pricey, would allow people a further sense of security with their purchase. In doing this I embraced the idea of movement and activity and included spaces for each type of product to be tested. In the cellar people can try on climbing equipment and begin climbing vertically through the store. On the ground floor a track allows running shoes to be tested and encourages initial engagement upon entering the building. The third floor has space to try camping equipment. The fourth floor includes a yoga studio to potentially offer classes as another way to generate revenue. The fifth floor has a small pool to test kayaks and boards.
518 HUDSON ST. NEW YORK, NY
ERINLUTZ923@GMAIL.COM
FAMILY DWELLING
P. 6
TYPE _ Residential CONCEPT _ Accommodation for a three Generation Family
This project explored the idea of designing a home for a multigenerational family and the complexities of privacy for each family member. The family I designed for was an active group with one child, a Grandmother, and the two parents. Because it was emphasized to me that they were a high energy group, I wanted their home to reflect this aspect of their personalities while also providing a space that they could come together to relax. The levels of this house reflect the energy in the family while the spaces themselves work to accommodate the family’s needs. The primary bedroom and child’s bedroom were placed on the second floor and the bathroom on the ground floor. The Grandmother’s bedroom is an elevated room off of the ground floor. This design came through a desire to engage the vertical space and activate different levels of the interior. It also helps to provide greater head-space in the lower level where the living space is thus making this feel larger and more open. Below you can see that this project was explored through different axon drawings. Each of these explain something different about the spaces, the building, or how one could move through the home.
200 WILLOUGHBY AVE. BROOKLYN, NY