THE APPROACH

In the beginning, we started with iterative trace paper form and adjacency studies as a way to order the large floor areas within the building footprint. With this base understanding of the organization of the project, I then moved into Autocad and Revit to further develop the floor plan. At the same time, I was also attempting to understand how I wanted the building to be perceived in three dimensions with section and perspective studies.

South Elevation

BIO-CHAR CLADDING

Bio-char cladding is a panel system made by the German start up Made of Air. It is produced from the waste products of other wood processes in factories, successfully harnessing all possible material while also sequestering carbon from the atmosphere.

SELF-HEALING CONCRETE

Self healing concrete was chosen as a durable base for the building for its long life cycle. the life cycle is further improved from new cutting edge technology that repairs cracks in the structure. the finish for the concrete throughout the project will be that of board formed concrete, relating the un natural material back to natural wood tones and materials used elsewhere.

Timber Louvre System

The timber louvre system was chosen to lighten up the project by introducing warmer tones to the existing colder materials already employed throughout the project. Practically speaking, they help shade some of the larger panes of glass in the project.

LOW-E CURTAIN WALL SYSTEM

For maximum efficiency, a low-e curtain wall system was chosen for the project to efficiently prevent the passage of heat as much as possible through the glazing used throughout the project.

When we think of the future, we may immediately jump to some understanding of steel and glass in some sort of perfect utopian universe, but I think our near future is much more grounded in sustainability at its core. This is why I centered my material selection around the single most sustainable material currently available to us: wood. Bio-char cladding produced from the waste products of other wood processes in combination with timber slats and siding to bring in warmer tones to ground the project are the basis. To round out the facade, board formed concrete relates this foreign material back to the original idea.

For this project, we were instructed to produce economical solutions for a tiny home village in Shreveport, Louisiana. The goal for each project was to design a 150 s.f. tiny home to be implemented in a community for those affected by homelessness in the local population. With the challenging square footage requirement, I still wanted to have some separation between the living and sleeping areas.

SECTION A

We were tasked with designing a mixed use residential mid-rise tower in the heart of Chicago. The first floor would be designed as a shell for commercial development, with the above levels being devoted to a repeating dwelling unit and any other amenity we chose to include.

After site analysis, we quickly moved into conceptual design where I developed a series of form studies through computer modelling. The speed at which I could move through the software gave me the quickest return on invested time as I could test out the most possible variations quickly until I landed on my final concept.

As I did not want to be entirely naive to the cost of real estate in Chicago, I wanted to implement an apartment unit that was both responsible in its footprint and seemingly spacious enough to accomodate a young professional in their living. This is how I arrived at the loft style apartment, as I felt this separated the different areas nicely with the overhang of the loft creating a more intimate space within the kitchen.

A

Public Access

With Chicago being famous for its brutal winters and pleasant summers, I wanted to present options for gathering of tenants within their community of the building by presenting both indoor and outdoor public amenities in a rooftop garden and roof level common area.

I’ve been interested in woodworking as long as my dad and I have been fixing things around the house. Its always seemed to get the best of me each time I’ve taken a stab at it, but I think that’s why I keep coming back to it. The pursuit to get better at something difficult has always intrigued me. When I got to architecture school, I quickly learned the lateral flexibility that a design education could afford me, and in my second year, I started experimenting with woodworking in our woodshop that I’ve really grown to appreciate. It’s been mostly small things, shelves, jewelry stands as gifts,etc. But possibly my single most rewarding project in architecture school would have to be a desk that classmates and I designed and built for the Sanderson Center on MSU’s campus for an elective class.

Specifically within the Sanderson Center, the client was the outdoor adventure department, and needed a semi-mobile front desk to function for equipment storage as well as something for a storefront to catch the attention of passerby. In Rhino, we explored parametric facades for the desk to be cut out with our CNC machine, with our concept being the peaks of a mountain range. Through experimentation and mockup modelling, we finally landed on our 12.5’ of desk. It is worth mentioning that the construction of the desk, composed partly of birch plywood sheets and the tops finished in reclaimed maple floor boards, was the most painstaking process I have ever been apart of. Then again, I believe that’s what made the final product all the better.