PORTFOLIO
selected work of James M Deering
CONTENTS GRADUATE WORK 2 Housing Station 2010 - Tech Comm - Instructor: Vince Snyder (UT Austin) 10 Studio London 2009 - Urban Design - Instructor: Simon Atkinson (UT Austin) 14 Tectonic Constructions + Boat House for Lady Bird Lake - Instructor: Joyce Rosner (UT Austin)
UNDERGRADUATE WORK 20 Forming a New Ground - TOD Los Angeles - Instructor: Warren Techentin (Arizona State)
PROFESSIONAL WORK 24 The Galleries at Turney - multifamily - Employer: (merz) project 26 El Tigre Resort & Winery: Utah - resort, winery, masterplan - Employer: Taller de Arquitectura: Mauricio Rocha 34 Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca: Mexico City - mixed use - Employer: Taller de Arquitectura: Mauricio Rocha 40 Amangiri Resort: Utah - resort - Employer: I-10 Studio
GRADUATE WORK HOUSING STATION 2010
HOUSING STATION 2010 Tech Comm: instructor Vince Snyder A collaboration with Cory Dear.
The design challenge for this studio was to create an adaptable portable dwelling unit that could be sited in two locations at minimum 2000 miles apart: one urban with a low grade, and one more rural on a 30% slope. We drew our inspiration from many different sources, ranging from the film, Road Warrior to the practical mechanics of construction equipment, such as boom cranes and semi-monocoque feusalages. Our ultimate design became a lab and residence that inha bits man-made wastelands. The aim of the project was to create a structure that was flexible enough to adapt to different climates, to live off the grid, or plug into existing infrastructure on site. December 2009 Design Excellence Award, The University of Texas Austin
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Detroit City Plan
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adaptive reuse for urban agricultural research
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A DETROIT, MICHIGAN | ABANDONED PACKARD PLANT: Industrial brownfield
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GRADUATE WORK STUDIO LONDON 2009
STUDIO LONDON 2009 Instructor: Simon Atkinson In the summer of 2009, I traveled with a group of architecture and landscape architecture students to London to take part in an interdisciplinary Urban Design Studio based on the adaptive reuse and new planning for an area between King’s Cross and St Pancrass station in London. The Project involved 67 acres of a brownfield development, thus creating 8 million sq ft of mixed use, making it one of the most significant opportunities in Central London for revitalization. My scheme involved reconnecting the surrounding neighborhoods with the reuse of existing industrial buildings for cultural, academic, and commercial purposes. The site offered many opportunities to interweave new construction with the urban fabric on both macro and micro scales.
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The intervention for my personal section of the masterplan dealt with the adaptive reuse of a large number of abandoned warehouse buildings that date back to the mid-1800s. These buildings face a canal where coal used to be delivered to be converted into gas energy for the city of London. These old structures were badly damaged in WWII and have a rich history followed by long decay. My first move was to create a bioswale and promenade that connects to the adjacent park via bridge. This connection is coupled with a walkway alongside the canal that connects to other parts of the project and the city as a whole. My program is as follows: building 1- green market and vertical garden, building 2- mediotheque, building 3- library and community center, building 4- theater and performance space, building 5- gymnasium and after school center, building 6- small scale local commercial space, building 7- art gallery and exhibition space, building 8 restaurant and local commercial, buildings 9 and 10 local commercial and restaurant space. building 11- entry plaza orientation and information. building 12- exhibition space for adjacent art school.
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GRADUATE WORK TECTONIC CONSTRUCTIONS + BOAT HOUSE FOR LADY BIRD LAKE
TECTONIC CONSTRUCTIONS Spring 2009 - ARCH522 - Joyce Rosner This studio leant itself towards an intensly process driven exploration of materiality, through the use of a variety of media. We created many drawings using pencil, ink, watercolor, and pastel+turpenoid. Our first series of constructions were built of 2x4s within a 16�x16� cubic spatial constraint. No glue was to be used. This leant itself to explorations of wood joinery and much craft was involved in the creation of these objects.These cubes served as inspiration for the design process of a boathouse, which itself involved a munber of explorations in material and tectonic relationships. Below are a series of sketches from the design process that led to the full size constructions seen on the right. These constructions attempt a minimalist reduction of tension and compression. All of the forces of the glueless frame are held in tension and rest on two struts that hold the edges of the frame apart.
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A BOAT HOUSE FOR LADY BIRD LAKE Spring 2009 - ARCH522 Joyce Rosner This project involves the design for a new boathouse and recreational facility for the Austin Rowing Club. The Program involves space for housing a fair number of boats, an area for the delivery of boats and for staging competitions, a recreational component with rowing machines and other exercise equipment, and a gathering area for club members and the public at large. The design emerges from the landscape that rests just beneath the ground where the city rests just behind the site, a subtle incline, and the horizontal datum of the lake beneath where one can experience horizontality where the landscape meets the water’s edge.
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A light volume of wood ribbed construction clad in vertically slotted rain screen members rests upon a heavier lower volume of vertical board form concrete with lazy lift lines, The choice of materials relates to the experience of the site itself. As the visitor descends from the higher ground to the lower level of the water, they are drawn into the gravity of the land mass. One reaches the water’s edge by a long horizontal dock below, or from the deck of the cafe and casual gathering space above. The more intimate spaces of the project are housed below in massive and heavy spaces that engage the land. As the rowers return from the bright lake, they enter through the thick concrete mass with dripping water bodies and into a private screened court and from there into a series of chambers which afford the members a purely framed and exclusive view to the landscape.
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UNDERGRADUATE WORK FORMING A NEW GROUND: T O D LOS ANGELES
FORMING A NEW GROUND: T.O.D. LOS ANGELES Spring 2006 - ADE422 Warren Techentin Los Angeles suffers from massive transportation problems due to the way that it developed over he last century. Transit Oriented Development seeks to provide alternate forms of living adjacent to mass transportation while still accomodat ing the existing infrastructure which is based on the automobile. The site, placed within the near south eastern suburbs of Los Angeles, required the making of connections between disparate elements within the greater site. a city hall, public library, and city park are separated from a university and large residential neighborhood by a busy road. Circulation within the community is divided. My proposal sought to remediate these issues. process work
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site plan
diagram of site forces
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platform
residential
cafe
retail
commercial
spread: section through center of the proposed development
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from parking
roof garden
restaurant
There is a considerable difference in elevation between the two sides of the street. The area is currently taken up by parking lots, but can easily be connectsd to an existing green space in between the university and park. I turned the road itself into a bridge, and connected the two sides by manipulating the landscape in a way that follows the existing topography of the site. The pedestrian bridge underneath the roadway serves to create a hub of pedestrian activity and bridges the gap between civic, residential, university, and park. This section follows the main axis of circulation in the project. Public spaces are open and shared. The ground is celebrated, and merged with the buildings themselves, blurring the line between landscape and the built environment.
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PROFESSIONAL WORK THE GALLERIES AT TURNEY
THE GALLERIES AT TURNEY Employer: (merz) project I worked on several presentation models and the CDs for this project in 2006. The Galleries consist of eight detached residences in a quiet gated enclave located several blocks south of Phoenix’s bustling 24th Street and Camelback area. Each residence is nearly 2,000 square feet and two stories/30 feet in height. Each features spacious interiors- two bedrooms, den/office/bedroom option and two baths. Large windows and decks provide spectacular views of the Phoenix skyline This project is the first LEED-H certified project in the state of Arizona.
Completed March 2007 2007 AIA Arizona MeritAward 2007 AIA Arizona Sustainable Award
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PROFESSIONAL WORK EL TIGRE: WINERY & HOTEL BOUTIQUE: BAJA CALIFORNIA
EL TIGRE RESORT: BAJA Employer: Taller de Arquitectura: Mauricio Rocha El Tigre is a master plan and development based on a winery and housing component that is perched on the coast of Baja, California just north of Ensenada. This hotel and winery is just one of many parts of this project. The project is nestled in a high valley on a ridge that overlooks the pacific ocean. It will be hardly visible from any point although nearly every space will have full ocean views, especially the primary volumes that straddle the valley between the two main ridges. It will include a generous entry volume with a restaurant and louge, a full spa, a terrace with two infinity pools, a winery, and three types of habitations: double rooms, suites, and fully furnished longer term habitations. Open to the surrounding landscape. The process was heavy and fast: two months in total from the first sketch through design development. It involved intensive model building from the very beginning. I quickly built the first two conceptual models while we developed the plans and sections and the first rendition was completed within just days. After that the process moved to many perspectives and renderings accompanied with yet more models. My role was halfway between designer and creative director as I madly scrambled to define so many parts of this vast concept.
(below) interior render spa (above) terrace at lobby/entrance
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exterior render vinicola, entry and intersection at hotel volumes
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(below ) view below the ridge approaching site (above) view from the hotel
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After two months of intense teamwork we presented a giant site model complete with vinyards and all of the buildings which we have designed (right) and a larger scale detail model of the hotel. The process was highly conceptually driven and always related to the landscape on an experiential level. The building entering and exiting the terrain is a result of the first two models that I built. Therefore, from the valley where the vinyards are planted one will only see the spa and vinyard volumes peeking through the hillside. models and process work: much credit is due to Luis, Gabriel, and Paco
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perspective at terrace, albercas and infinitum lap pool
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After entering the hotel you will have command of the entire view. The third experience is much more subtle and modulated with the vast vistas. Here the building penetrates the terrain and is accompanied with more private moments where light merely filters from above. The guest room are set with long slender volumes that cantlever between the two main ridges of the valley. (left) They look over one another and achieve a sense of serenity and privacy and at the same time a sense of purity and openness. In contrast to this lightness and defiance of gravity are spaces which are embedded in the terrain. The winerey (right) and the spa (initial spread) are examples of these more intimate experiences. These moments occur at points of intersection between larger volumes and are instrumental in creating moments of transition within the project. cantilevered guest rooms/ typical guest room (above)
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the cava: a wine bar at the intersection of the winery and the hotel
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PROFESSIONAL WORK FERROCARRIL DE CUERNAVACA: MEXICO CITY
FERROCARRIL DE CUERNEVACA Taller de Arquitectura: Mauricio Rocha Ferrocarrill de Cuernevaca is a mixed use project in Polanco (Mexico City). It is comprised of three levels of undergound parking, two levels of retail, two levels of office space, and a roof garden/terrace with restaurant. The process involved many studies of the facade and the maximization of every possible square meter. The roof garden was purchased as an exception and the cantilever as a impermeable addition to the enclosed building envelope. Ultimately this building was formed by the comformance to city restrictions and by studies of massing and facade. I made many solar studies in order to create a second skin for the upper levels. The result is a floating volume that responds to underground parking constraints, street level retail, and to upper level office and roof terrace park views.
expected completion: spring 2012
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(left) facade studies and sketches (right) more facade studies and studies for the sunken court
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I initiated the project by myself after several meetings with Mauricio and the client. The initial form is a result of parking requirements and city building codes. The setback is due to a city restriction for permeable area, but the terraces that support the second skin of the building above help to gain back square footage. The sunken garden and roof terrace/restaurant are also effective in gaining back valuable space for retail. It became evident that the most efficient location for the service core of the building was to the rear of the building, and after a rigorous process of model building and rendering it was decided that the service core would be expressed on the facade in correspodence with the walls for the car elevators. The most rigorous part of the process dealt with the congruence of parking layout, car elevators, and the concrete structure. After this was resolved I spent quite some time developing the details for the facade in an effort to create a form that is intelligent, functional, and elegant. (left) studies in model form (above)facade and program studies
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semi final exterior render
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final plans and renderings
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PROFESSIONAL WORK AMANGIRI RESORT: UTAH
AMANGIRI RESORT: UTAH Employer: I-10 Studio It was a challenging and rewarding experience to work with I-10 Studio on the development of Amangiri. The Amangiri Resort and Spa, located on a spectacular 600+ acre site in southern Utah, is a one time collaboration between three established individual architects: Marwan Al-Sayed, Wendell Burnette and Rick Joy. Our three firms came together under a separate company, named I-10 Studio, formed solely for the design and execution of Amangiri resort, using their individual firms resources to support this effort. Together, our studios collaborated to design every piece of the project. It was refreshing to have the opportunity to work on a smaller scale and to develop ideas from a very personalized detail, material, and user oriented perspective. This project has piqued my interest in the process through which designers are able to translate larger concepts to the scale if an individuaI.
Completed December 2009 Published in Wallpaper January 2010 Published in Architectural Record July 2010
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typical guest room
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We were also responsible for the design of all the interiors, lighting, furnishings and signage, which are all custom designed to blend in with the architecture and the surrounding landscape. With modern reinterpretations of woven hides and leathers, blackened and forged steel, the interiors and furnishings includes everything from desks, couches, chairs and tables to lights, and hooks which has been designed to capture something unique and particular about the American Southwest, yet rendered in a thoroughly modern way. The interiors allude to, yet without ever succumbing to, essences about the Native American tribes, and the cowboys and ranchers that continue to inhabit this particular corner of the earth.This segment of the project represents the bulk of the work
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JAMES M. DEERING
M Arch | BSD Arch
EXPERIENCE I am a designer with a formal education in Architecture. I hold a Masters Degree and have nearly six years of experience in the field. I am an architectural designer with a cirriculum that pulls from a great variety experiences. I am a firm believer in a strong design process. It is through my role as a collaborator and as a team leader in many different capacities that I have developed the ability to critically assess any issue at hand and respond decisively. TALLER DE ARQUITECTURA, MAURICIO ROCHA | PROJECT ARCHITECT | Mexico City, DF: August 2010 - present I currently oversee the design process (conceptual through construction ducuments) for numerous projects in Mexico. A commercial building in Polanco, a hotel in Puebla, a park in Fonatur, a small development in Valle de Bravo, and a hotel botique/winery in Baja California. I have a level of control and responsibility that goes far beyond anything that I was involved in previously. By the time I leave I will have worked as the principal designer for more than 7 new projects. The work has been intense, very studio-like, and team driven.
TEACHING ASSISTANT | ARCHITECTURAL STUDIO III
The University of Texas at Austin: August 2008 - January 2010 I very much enjoyed the chance to teach an introductory level course in the studio environment. Much of my time was spent providing third year architecture studuents with the know how to alternate between digital and analog modes of production within the context of the design studio. Much of my work was focused on the computer application for architectural design. I focused on the application of hand drawing, AutoCAD, Rhino, Photoshop, and Illustrator, ranging back and forth from the manual to the digital.
DESIGN ARCHITECT | MARWAN AL-SAYED ARCHITECTS + I-10 STUDIO Phoenix, AZ: November 2006 - August 2008
As a Design Architect, I worked in close collaboration with a tightly-knit group of architects and designers. Everyone wears many different hats at a firm of this scale. The work was very solidly based in the pursuit of design excellence and construction expertise, particularly through the exploration of materiality, light, and detail. I was heavily involved in the design of a private residence in Phoenix and a hotel in Dubai. I was also able to play role on the design team at 1-10 Studio for Amangiri resort in Utah (a one-time collaboration with Wendell Burnette and Rick Joy)
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER | RICHARD + BAUER Phoenix, AZ: June 2006 - November 2006
In addition to working in many facets of the firm, I enjoyed the opportunity to take a more active role in the design process from the very start of a project. I gained much experience about building process as a whole. I played a significant role in a central library project for Prescott Valley AZ, from schematic design through design development. I was also responsible in the design of several pieces of built-in millwork for a residential project in Aspen, Colorado and for the design and completion of several project proposals.
e jamesdeering@hotmail.com p 480-241-3025
ARCHITECTURAL INTERN | [MERZ] PROJECT Phoenix, AZ: November 2005 - June 2006
This was a very valuable position in terms of the hands-on experience that I gained in many facets in the world of architecture and construction. The firm maintains a strong commitment to design and to the community. My work at Merz Project included model building, graphic design, construction drawings, and architectural presentation renderings. In addition to working in many facets of the firm, I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time on job sites and learn more about the process of construction.
ARCHITECTURAL INTERN | SPBR ARQUITETOS Sao Paulo, BR: June 2005 - August 2005
I was offered the opportunity to work for a summer in Sao Paulo, Brazil with Angelo Bucci, a remarkable Architect and teacher. I took part in the schematic design process for several civic projects and documented a number of models for the firm’s portfolio. I also helped to build conceptual models and took part in the initial development of several schemes for a residence in Bahia.
ARCHITECTURAL INTERN | TENNEN STUDIO
Phoenix, AZ: September 2002 - January 2004 During the end of my second year in architecture school I was hired to build a number of conceptual and presentation models for Tennen Studio, a small design + build firm. This was my first experience dealing with tectonics, landscape, and the process of site design. This job led into led to a part time internship position that I held for two years while in school. I was involved in site analysis and production work on presentation models and drawings
EDUCATION The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | Master of Architecture graduation May 2010 Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | 4 year BSD in Architecture, May 2006
AWARDS Design Excellence Award | The University of Texas at Austin | Nominated 3 semesters and awarded Fall 2009 Design Excellence Nomination | Arizona State University | Spring 2002 and Spring 2006 Blake Alexander Traveling Student Fellowship in Architecture | The University of Texas at Austin | Spring 2010
TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY Adobe CS4: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and all the rest. Equally procient on Mac OSX and Windows platforms. Experienced in AutoCAD, Rhino, Sketchup, 3dMAX, Artlantis and of course the Microsoft Office suite.