Jacob Cluff Portfolio 2023

Jacob Cluff

Table of Contents

Farming the Future: Cottonwood, Radical Cottonwood

In the farming the future studio, we imagined the future of farming in the year 2100 in the town of Cottonwood AZ, which currently faces the depletion of its watershed. While examining the future of farming, it was impossible to not ask the question; how will we decide to live in the future?

This can be done by creating a culture that is based on the local ecosystem. The cultural shift will happen over time incrementally. The first priority will be to integrate the ecosystem into the built environment, then later, add infill to support the new culture growing from the local environment.

Our anthropocentric way of life is fragile. To turn from an anthropocentric to Ecocentric way of life, we can reestablish our connections and responsibilities to our local ecosystems.

Spring 2021_ Max Underwood, Michael Rotondi

Ecocentric Strategy

Current fragile model.

Form co-housing groups with a shared garden, integrating the local ecosystem.

Include a diversity of uses as a localist culture develops

Infill incrementally as needed.

Create intentional in-between and transition spaces with a focus on the integration of the ecosystem and empowering the localist culture.

The continued incremental development of these existing communities will generate strong social bonds, a vibrant city with unique and various identities and an ecosystem that thrives as this ecocentric model is adopted.

As this shift to an ecocentric way of life continues, we can see a future in which more groups develop, not only stopping outward expansion into natural areas like the nearby watershed, but even a contraction of our built footprint allowing more space in the city to be given to the intentional integration of the ecosystem.

AND DETAILS

WORK EXP. DESIGNS

In the beginning of my M.Arch program, a professor gave a lecture. His slide showed an image of Jackson Pollack’s N. 5. In my memory he said “You don’t know what you’re doing yet and that’s ok. Don’t let it stop you. Right now, we’re just putting drops on canvas.”

Four years later, I’m at a new job, frozen in front of my screen. There, I had been given complete stewardship over a few projects. The one open was ready for construction documentation. It needed details. While it was one of my goals to learn detailing, I hadn’t done it before.

Should I pass this on to the Project Architect? I mean, this is a big deal, and I’m surely going to mess this up, right?

No. I wouldn’t have been hired to just pass it on. I decided to always propose something first before going to the Project Architect. I started putting drops on canvas.

The following selections are designs and details that began with a proposal to the PA of how I imagined it could work.

FLOOR PLAN TO SUIT

Here, the elevations were already given. My role was to design standardized floorplans that would fit in the given volume. I created two guiding principles for myself.

After many iterations and collaborative back and forth, the final layouts still reflect these guiding principles.

One. Avoid creating a block of private space that makes the unit feel short and limits natural light.

Two. The balcony should be accessible from public space.

MODULAR MECH. SCREEN

SOUTH ELEVATION

NORTH ELEVATION

In this adaptive reuse project, new mechanical equipment would be needed for a new restaurant. That mech. equip. needed to be screened per city requirements. HP requested that minimal changes be made to the building.

My proposal was to limit the amount of skilled labor and on-site welding needed by designing modular pieces that could be easily assembled on site. This would screen the mech. equip. and could be removed on a future date, preserving the original structure.

DETAILFORSYNTHESIS

This detail belonged to a project that was composed of a number of townhome buildings across the site. The side elevations featured a number of windows and a CMU popout covering a section of the facade. This pop-out had a hole to reveal a window on the insulated wall behind.

During plan review, it was asked that the windows on the side elevations have an awning of some kind. The window located at the pop-out was shaded, but a solution was needed to cover up the gap between the insulated wall and the CMU pop-out. I found that a single solution could be devised to satisfy each need.

WINDOW REVEAL

WINDOW SYSTEM

SEALANT AND BACKER ROD, CONT.

ALUMINUM WINDOW REVEAL

1’-6” MIN.

SHIM WINDOW REVEAL FASTNER

SELF-ADHERING WATER MEMBRANE OVER 5/8” SHEATHING

2” RIGID FOAM INSULATION STUCCO FINISH

WALL PER PLANS

WINDOW REVEAL AT POP-OUT

WINDOW SYSTEM

SEALANT AND BACKER ROD, CONT.

ALUMINUM WINDOW REVEAL

WINDOW REVEAL FASTNER

2” CMU VENEER

WALL PER PLANS

AN EXCERPT FROM

UPP/ADU

This is a project that I completed as a volunteer for Urban Phoenix Project. Its aim was to demonstrate how Phoenix Zoning Ordinance handles ADUs and what could be in an accessible way. The following text and graphics are excerpted from Section 3.1 Pheonix Zoning Options

In this section, we will be looking at Phoenix zoning code and what it does and doesn’t allow as we look to add more living capacity to Phoenix.

Buckle up, we’re about to get technical. But by the end, you should be able to navigate zoning code.

Let’s start by looking at definitions.

Section 202. Definitions

Dwelling Unit: One (1) or more rooms within a building arranged, designed, or used for residential purposes for one (1) family and containing independent sanitary and cooking facilities. The presence of cooking facilities conclusively establishes the intent to use for residential purposes.

Accessory Dwelling: A subordinate dwelling situated on the same lot with the main dwelling and used as an accessory use.

Unfortunately, this is the only place that references ADUs. So we’re going to have to find other options.

Our first potential loophole is the guesthouse.

Guesthouse: A free-standing building which is designed to house guests or servants of the occupants of the primary dwelling unit.

The difference between an ADU and a guesthouse isn’t a large difference in form (see the following on connecting structure). The main difference is in use. The Guesthouse isn’t intended for leasing by the City of Phoenix.

For purposes of a guest house, a “freestanding building” shall be one which is either not connected to the primary dwelling unit or, if connected to the primary dwelling unit, shall be considered free-standing if:

1. The connecting structure is less than ten (10) feet wide; or

2. The connecting structure is greater than ten (10) feet wide and the length of the connection is more than twice the width of the connecting structure.

For purposes of a guest house, the width of the connecting structure shall be the shortest distance across its narrowest point, measured from the inside surfaces of the exterior, enclosing walls. The length of the connecting structure shall be the shortest possible straight line distance from the outside surface of the primary dwelling unit to the most distant outside surface of the connecting structure.

For purposes of a guesthouse, a structure shall be deemed to be “designed to house guests or servants of the occupants or the primary dwelling unit” if it contains the following;

1. A shower or bath;

2. A commode;

3. Space for sleeping; and

4. Cooking faculties or space and plumbing and electrical wiring which can be legally accessed and connected without the requirement of a permit issued by the City and which is reasonably capable of accommodation of cooking facilities.

The guesthouse is however, only permitted in very specific circumstances and zones, so the guesthouse is effectively outlawed.

ADU/GUESTHOUSE

The final and most usable way to add room for people is the guestroom.

Guestroom: A single room within a dwelling unit which may be occupied by no more than two persons and which are not members of a family. A guest room may not contain any cooking facilities.

Family: A family is:

1. An individual or two (2) or more persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption, and usual servants, living together as a single housekeeping unit in a dwelling unit, or

2. A group of not more than five (5) persons, who need not be related, living together as a single housekeeping unit in a dwelling unit.

So with a guestroom, a single-family home could add or adapt rooms to house non-family members or additional roommates. Like the Guest House, it can have a full bathroom and space for sleeping. Unlike the Guest House, it may not contain cooking facilities and it must be located within the principle residence.

So, yes, Phoenix is not an ADU friendly city (yet), and its zoning ordinances are quite restrictive. But with some creativity, it is still possible to add more housing options, even in single family zoning. And someday, when Phoenix does allow for ADUs you could easily renovate these rooms and get a legal permit for that kitchen that you totally did not ask your electrician or plumber to wire and plumb for anyway. That kitchen that you absolutely didn’t install without a permit because you were waiting patiently. You can remove the door that provides interior access to the rest of the house that you left there until you were given permission to seal it.

Your Guestroom can become an ADU.

In this 2bd/2bt home, either of the rooms could be considered guestrooms. The master suite contains a full bathroom, no cooking facilities and is accessed from the interior. It is however not as private or independent as one might hope if it is to be a real housing option.

With some adjustments (items in Gold will need a permit, see section 3.2) the guestroom can be more independent while maintaining the letter of the law. The single window is turned to a door and the closet is opened to be a kitchenette (with no cooking facilities). Finally, furniture or other items can be moved in front of the interior door to hide it and make it inoperable.

This final step is for the time when Phoenix loosens up on regulations to expand access to housing choice. More windows can be added, the interior access door can be removed and sealed which, in this case, gives space for laundry, which before would have been shared. The kitchen could even become a small, but full kitchen.

MESA, AZ

The City of Mesa is working to revitalize their downtown core and beyond that, create an alternative identity to being a bedroom suburb of Phoenix. The efforts made by the planning department are paying off. Despite this, there are missed opportunities at a variety of scales and typologies when it comes to the manifestation of the framework.

RENEWAL

Presented here are strategies, two of which will be examined in greater depth, that either use the framework developed or take advantage of regulatory and market gaps to produce a greater mix of uses, density, and walkability.

11-30-6A Nonconforming Lots

As original platting has changed overtime and development regulations have changed as well, some lots are now considered non-conforming and unbuildable. They typically sit empty, creating a larger than average yard for the owner of an adjacent parcel. These lots, due to the nature of their creation are often found in older and central neighboorhoods. Creating more housing in these neighborhoods could help support a greater diversity of uses as well as creating more accessibility to these established neighboorhoods.

Using Section 11-30-6A of Mesa Zoning Ordinance, these lots, under some circumstances, are buildable!

Section 11-30-6A

Any lot or parcel of land recorded in the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office and lawfully created prior to the effective date of this Ordinance and having an area, width, depth, or street frontage less than that required by the zoning district regulations of that zone in which such lot or parcel is located, shall be deemed to be a lot and may be used as a building site, provided that all other regulations for the zoning district in which that lot is situated shall be applicable.

With some vision and imagination, this workaround to standard lot sizes becomes a way for a new typology to be introduced at an affordable price point in areas that have greater access to transit and other amenities as well as providing density.

FBC Single Family to Mixed Use

Beyond density, renewal also must include a diversity of uses. Often times, this is done by tearing down existing building stock to build purpose-built mixed use buildings. This can be damaging to the existing fabric of the neighborhood and community.

Current development regulations generally constrain commercial builds to be auto oriented, which is at odds with a primarily residential neighborhood. Through Mesa’s Form-Based-Code, however, an opportunity is given to increase density and even increase usage types.

Using the Form-Based-Code is by no means a workaround or subversive use of zoning ord., but Mesa is still waiting for a project that becomes a catalyst for renewal in its neighborhood. By leveraging the FBC along with a smart location for an adaptive reuse project, just such a transformative catalyst could be realized.

Here, we take an existing Single Family home from an aging neighborhood and adapt it into a higher density and mixed use building to act as a catalyst for the rest of the neighborhood. This allows the neighborhood to retain a piece of its character while evolving with changing needs.