Jennife J e f f r e D e s i g w o r k
r y n s
interior architecture THE RENTAL
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Kitchen light box 05 modern office 08
conceptual REDEFINING THE ENVELOPE
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WOVEN HABITAT 14 SHIFTING FOLD 16
CONTENTS etc. graphics 18 material trajectory 19 the digital city 20 lEFTOVER LIGHTING 21
research INSPIRATION / Photography
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The commodification of memory
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INTERIOR DESIGN
THE RENTAL Tight budget, limited time, and small space - everything a designer desires in a project. For this rental apartment the goal was to provide ample lighting in a long narrow (rowhouse) space, while serving a multi-functional program. Since it was a rental, the focus for design was “impermanence�. Project scope entailed floor plans and FFE.
J. JEFFREY
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I often have trouble finding what I want at the price I need. Over the years, this has led me to become very well acquainted with powertools. The dining room table and matching bench pictured on the left were cut out of a single sheet of plywood, assembled on stock ordered iron legs and painted white. I also designed the ceiling light covers / fixtures as well.
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ARCHITECTURE
KITCHEN LIGHT BOX The client was a pack rat in need of a new outlook on life. At heart she craved a light filled modern home for entertaining friends, but in reality her surroundings were dim, cluttered, and inefficient. Set in a prewar apartment that hadn’t been renovated since the Nixon era, the home was long overdue for an update. Key goals of this interior renovation were: 1) to create more open space, or the feel of 2) to allow for more natural light 3) creating an evironment for entertaining location: program:
J. JEFFREY
Madison Avenue, New York, New York Private Residence - kitchen, study, + bathroom renovation 2,000 SF
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resin panel replaces partition to allow for natural light client height
: 5’3”
enclosed resin panel custom made to client’s bodily dimensions
Former
patio now sunroom custom resin panel lightbox in former patio window
schematics
3-Form Resin panels used throughout the apartment
SPECIAL NOTE: Design for the “aging” The client was also entering what she called her golden years. Wider accesible circulation areas were created, grip friendly drawer pulls, door hinges, and other amenties were added for ease of use. Here we see a hospital grade foot pedal for handless use of the faucet.
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VARIA, LINEN WHITE
PATINA - CLEAR
VARIA, LINEN WHITE
PATINA - CLEAR
3/8” 3/8”
VARIA, LINEN WHITE
PATINA - CLEAR
3/8”
VARIA, CAPIZ CREAM
PATINA
3/8”
VARIA, LINEN WHITE
VARIA, CAPIZ CREAM
a-2.5 1
a-2.5 2
Further enhancing the airy feel, I custom designed a “floating” walnut desk for the enclosed patio area. Remnants from the kitchen resin panel box were used to cover the window blocking the unsightly patio rail guards below the desk, and also in the fabrication of an electric light box on the windowsill to the right. At night both the kitchen light box and the windowsill (with fluorescent lighting on the inside) produce a soft light fusing the adjacent spaces with a warm glow. J. JEFFREY
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CLIENT apartment
ARCHITECTURE
modern office During my first visit, what struck me the most about this client’s apartment was the placement of the furniture throughout the home. Chairs, a desk, tables, you name it, were placed in direct pathways of the main door to each room. The client was an aging baby boomer, empty nester, and lived alone. It soon dawned on me that she enjoyed having a view of the entire apartment if possible, from whichever room she was in at the time, even if it meant the occasional bumping into awkwardly positioned furniture. location: program:
J. JEFFREY
Park Avenue, New York, New York Private Residence - study/guest room
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DESIGN SOLUTION
By replacing the existing bedroom closet door with a sliding panel door, we could place a smaller mobile disk in front of it. This allowed for direct view of the doorway, while the sliding door also doubled as a much-needed pin up board. Custom sliding panel cabinetry was designed to hold file cabinets, technology, and the original heating unit. The overall look was minimal in material, but heavy in thought.
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CONCEPTUAL
Long island city cinema redefining the envelope How can large-scale commercial developments successfully integrate within an existing, but growing community? Spanning along the waterfront of West Queens New York, Long Island City is a developer driven former industrial neighbourhood. Once home to a chemical manufacturing company as well as the Standard Oil factory, over the past 20 years it has slowly evolved into a sprawling cluster of upscale high-rise residential buildings. The project expansion was managed by the Queens West Development Corporation, a subsidiary of the Empire State Agency, a New York State organization, and currently belongs to the state of New York; therefore local zoning laws are not applicable. Some 15 – 20 years ago the QWDC came up with a general project plan regarding the overall shaping of this LIC zone. The GPP, general project plan, determined what could be built as well as by whom. Participating developers to date have been Rockrose Development Corp, TF Cornerstone, and Avalon Bay Communities. Developers funded decontamination of the terrain as well as infrastructural additions such as sewage, plumbing, and utilities have made the once toxic area now inhabitable. To recoup this initial investment, upscale amenity heavy high-rises were erected to maximize square footage costs. Due to this extreme commercial development there’s a visually notable friction between the old and new aspects of the neighbourhood, making additional commercial development a delicate task.
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existing neighborhood
recently developed
proposed program to be inserted at the base of existing building • • • • • • • •
concept diagram J. JEFFREY
lobby bar lounge restaurant film + book store auditorium (10) theaters additional retail space
Right: perspective illustration of proposed public area/retail boardwalk, bottom, section detail of theater, restaurant, and shops 11
east river
anabelle
basin n
APPROACH retail
Instead of burying the proposed program completely inside the base of the commercial building, the idea here is to have half inside, half outside. The exterior program portions consist of street level retail shops with an elevated public plaza directly above it as a continuation of the existing boardwalk.
cinema lobby theater 1
theater 2
theater 3 theater 4 cinema lobby
utillities
mep room
50’ 25’
J. JEFFREY
100’
g r o u n d fl o o r p l a n
residential
This move provides for greater spatial flexibility, spatial experiences, and public access between the indoor and outdoor areas. With the popularity of the High-Line Project, as well as the recently added outdoor spaces in Union and Herald Square, these quality of life additions are proving to be both popular and appreciated by the general public.
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details
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1. base of steel canopy support tree 2. rainwater collection system / drainage 3. facade vent system for natural air exchange
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4. skylight + outdoor seating 5. interior retail space 6. interior suspended ceiling 7. finished wood planks on roof deck + seating 8. steel awning 9. glazing for protective cover
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6 3 This page clockwise top to bottom: detail of awning, rendering of boardwalk shops with NYC backdrop, renderings of interior spaces J. JEFFREY
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CONCEPTUAL
WOVEN HABITAT case study a visual dialogue of the everyday Can architecture create a community out of generations of people so that they cohabit and intermingle comfortably? Considering economics as well as existing social patterns, the program of this complex was woven in response to a number of factors: zoning, the sloping topography of the site, and ultimately the desire to create a dynamic visual dialogue between its users and the breathtaking landscape. The organization of the site uses the terrain to create both public and private areas for the buildings. At the upper portion of the hill /street level, are the offices, commercial spaces, a satellite senior center, and smaller residential apartments. Away from the main street, farther down hill, are the private multi-level town homes. In between these two components is an artificial valley that serves as a private garden or yard area for the residences of the lower portion of the hill. It is an idea of community connected through the ongoing visual dialogue of the everyday; a mother in her home located at the bottom of the hill can look out her window and catch a glimpse of her own mother dancing in the senior center at top of the hill. It was the idea of these possible moments defined the end design. location: program:
commercial institutional - assisted living residential - single units residential - duplexes
Ashburton Avenue, Yonkers, New York commercial, residential housing, a satellite senior center, + senior living facillities
Grandpare nt s
C o m m u n ity
Fam i l i e s
ASHBURTON AVENUE
seniors J. JEFFREY
artificial valley
residential 14
0’
5’
10’
0’
5’
10’
institutional - assisted living residential - single units residential - duplexes
0’
5’
10’
0’
5’
10’
UNIT A PLAN
UNIT B PLAN
ASHBURTON AVENUE
SECTION B
0’
5’
10’
UNIT C GROUND FLOOR
0’
SECTION C
J. JEFFREY
0’
5’
10’ 0’
5’
10’
5’
5’ UNIT C10’ SECOND FLOOR
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10’
UNIT D GROUND FLOOR
0’
UNIT D SECOND FLOOR
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5’
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CONCEPTUAL
SHIFTING fold With site coordinates of (4) adjoining properties in North Dakota, the concept of this private home originated in the conceptual topographical studies. Playfully surveying projective geometries within the land adjustment lines of the cartographer’s map as well as the land ordinance map, led to the practice of folding to create form. The folding exercises produced four prototypes + the final selection was based upon anticipated performance factors determined by the following structural features. The main feature of the house, its roof, also functions as both exterior wall, roof, wind shield, and separation of both private and public functions within the home itself. The site position of the house has the two primary load bearing walls facing the northeasterly winds common to this area. Using the main fold, the public program of the home is separated into one wing, while the private is situated in another. Glazing placed on the east facade allows for maximum sun exposure during the long cold winters as well as panoramic views of the landscape. The open interior program emulates that of the vast exterior terrain. location: (4) adjoining (40) acre section Castleton, North Dakota program: private home
From top to bottom clockwise: physical weaving of the grids with mylar + plastic, 3D light box model of shift concept, sketch model using folding as grid J. JEFFREY
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From top to bottom clockwise: grid shift layers study, house model views, + site location maps detailing grid alignment
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ETC.
GRAPHICS
watercolor sketch of musuem of modern art lobby
construction detail J. JEFFREY
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DESIGN STRATEGY
rubber crumb surface MATERIAL TRAJECTORY Book, research, + infographics
Can design facilitate discussions about economics, politics, and sustainability? The Rubber Crumb lifecycle book creates a visual narrative around the material beneath our feet. By exploring Rubber Crumb’s physical geography the book uses info graphics to illustrate the political as well as environmental implications of natural resources within our everyday material applications. While tracing both paths and networks in which everyday materials travel, the intent was to expose linkages between sites of production and consumption, as well as the network of social, ecological, and economic relations involved.
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PHOTOGRAPHY
DESIGNEAR APP the digital city In addition to standard design practice, I had an opportunity to work as an architectural photographer. This entailed me traversing NYC from dawn till dusk, capturing images of some of the cities most noteworthy landmarks. While observing the impact that our built environment has upon our daily lives, it also provided glimpses into the vibrant and diverse communities occupying the neighborhoods surrounding the subjects of my photos. I enjoy being behind the lens. There’s so much freedom to observe the richness of life, as well opportunity in constructing creative narratives. The photograph is a great story waiting to be told.
From top to bottom clockwise: the app, what used to be the Folk Art Museum, Grand Central Terminal interior, Citicorp Building, + the Flatiron Building J. JEFFREY
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FIXTURE DESIGN
leftover lighting
J. JEFFREY
I am always on the look-out for budget friendly lighting. The lighting pendant on the left was the result of a recent move in which packing material was abundant along with the need for lighting in my new apartment. Somehow the two just came together. More importantly however, it shows how a change in perception of an object or material can alter its overall function.
The lighting fixture on above right is a temporary solution for a rental apartment. Nylon fabric was attached to a basswood frame and suspended directly from the ceiling, resulting in a softer ambient light that also hides the dated existing fixture.
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RESEARCH
Inspiration/ Photography As a one time photographer, and now avid traveller, I love to capture images of anything that inspires me. Most of these images detail a certain craftmanship, pattern, materiality, or scale - all of which my eye continuoulsy gravitiates to. The end result are these images which fuel both my imagination and work.
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J. JEFFREY
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RESEARCH
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL DIAGRAMING THE URBAN COLLECTIVE:
End User
The commodification of memory
society space
Master’s Thesis
architecture
From an early desire to be a photojournalist, to my eventual training as an architect, human behavior, society...the social sciences as a whole, for me, evolved from a lifelong hobby to a path of study. While completing my master’s at the GSD, I enrolled in classes from both the Anthropology / Sociology School, as well as the School of Engineering and Sciences at Harvard. This brought about the realizatoin that although I love to make and create, I am more fascinated by the hidden vectors that shape our world. In its over 100years of existence Grand Central Terminal has had a profound impact upon the urban morphology of the island of Manhattan. To generate capital for the creation of this building, which was a privately funded public endeavor, large plots of undeveloped land above the now sunken tracks were leased or sold off as “air rights”. Upon completion, the construction of Grand Central increased property values, produced 18 skyscrapers directly over its tracks, and eventually led to the creation of 30 blocks of new buildings in total. In essence, the formation of this underground city on the horizontal plane predetermined the development on vertical plane of midtown today. For me, Architecture is an event or reciprocal condition that is user created, relentlessly redefined and constantly coming into being. In order to understand Grand Central better we have to view it as a social intervention, an event, or an ongoing process that provides us with a better understanding of our changing world. The crux of my argument is centered on a reciprocal relationship between end user and architecture, implying an active state versus that of a partisan static state. More so, Architecture or the production of space is ongoing, mediated through policy, adaptive re-use, and cultural ideology. Therefore, space or architecture is never finite, but dynamic, not autonomous, but interdependent.
ARCHITECTURE AS OBJECT
ARCHITECTURE AS Process
A manifestation of this condition is the programmatic paradox seen in the image on the far right. Here we see the Grand Concourse as the backdrop for multiple programs ranging from the anticipated passenger use to the unforeseen commercialization of the staircase by Apple. This deviation from original intent presents questions regarding typological evolution from the pre-industrial analog world to the post-industrial digital ream, or more importantly, civic space is now commercial space. For the same manner in which the external logic of the structure determined the city form of a specific area, the internal logic of Grand Central and its space allocation suggests multiple levels of relationships worth examining. More importantly, it highlights the forces of economics as an ideal lens of analysis. Grand Central is an event, and in its final status as a diagram it’s more than a building organizing the urban morphology, it organizes the mind through the urban imaginary. For what starts in the mind materializes, then returns to the mind as culture, where it then alters our perception of existing phenomena. The same manner, in which GCT is constructively layered, so is the memory it generates. Memory here behaves like an urban palimpsest seeping to the surface influencing our reading of the place. This altered perception extends beyond the life of the building itself composing the urban image, which in turn is captured in the fine arts, the media, literature, history, and ultimately released back into the collective dialogue of society.
J. JEFFREY
From top to bottom: diagram of symbiotic nature of architecture/ space, images of environmental paradoxes, and commodification of memory via social media
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merci! email: jjeffreydesign@gmail.com www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyjennifer instagram: RUN_JJ
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