IDENTITY a design portfolio
Lee Consterdine {562} 686-2144 leeconsterdine@gmail.com consterd@unlv.nevada.edu
Lee Consterdine 7346 Agonis st. | Las Vegas, Nevada | 89113 leeconsterdine@gmail.com | consterd@unlv.nevada.edu {562} 686-2144
education
experience
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Master of Architecture
Design-Build Graduate Assistant
Las Vegas, NV (3+ program)
Las Vegas, NV
(for Professor Eric Weber)
2011 - 2015
California State University, Fullerton Fullerton, CA
Bachelor of Arts
2014 - 2015 As the design-build graduate assistant I was tasked with a variation of responsibilities including: cost analysis, scheduling, oversight of construction documents and teaching undergraduate students.
(Radio, Television & Film)
2008 - 20100
DesertSol Competition Home Las Vegas, NV
Acoustic Team Leader & Furniture Designer
Fullerton College Fullerton, CA
Associate of Liberal Arts
2012 - 2013 2005 - 2007
awards Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Team Las Vegas 2nd Place in Overall Competition 1st Place Market Appeal
I headed the Interior Acoustic Team, responsible for the designing and building of acoustic features within the home. I also designed and built custom furniture for the living room, entry and bedroom.
Consterdine Insurance Services Santa Fe Springs, CA
Insurance Agent
Practiced and licensed in health and life insurance.
The acoustic wall feature and entry vestibule were two determining factors in Team Las Vegas’ Market Appeal win; these were my two projects in the house.
Jackson-Medavoy Entertainment Culver City, CA
Intern & Assistant
skills Technical:
AutoCAD Revit Architecture Rhinoceros Google Sketchup Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator
Other:
OSHA Certified
2011 - 2008
2011 - 2008
The responsibilities of this assistantship included script coverage and edits, film economic research, and general office tasks
core strengths Architectural Design Furniture Design Graphic Presentation & Layout Writing
designing identity The last year of my education was a fortunate challenge for me. I was afforded, by my thesis advisor and mentor Eric Weber, with the opportunity to merge my two passions of design and writing. The first half of the year was devoted to the research and writing of a theoretical foundation my thesis project. This allowed me to dive deep into architectural thoughts and approaches. One of the standout topics that has influenced my view of what architecture is, and what it can be, is the concept of the individual in the built environment. This is the idea that a person is a product of their environment, and as the makers of environments, architects have a direct influence on human identity. The following is an excerpt from the theoretical writing of my thesis: When thinking of identity and architecture there must be an understanding of the effects of the environment and the individual. Our domiciles integrate themselves within our sense of self, becoming an extension of our body and imprinting onto our soul (Pallasmaa). After World War II, Winston Churchill expressed the importance of the environment to the rebuilding of the self “we shape our dwellings and afterwards our dwellings shape us (Day).” Phenomenological philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty believes that our understanding of the world is intertwined in interplay between the body, our consciousness and the space we live in –“we live in it, and it lives in us (Brislin).” It is in that reflection where we begin to confront existential questions regarding the self in relation to time and space. Within our environment we are comfortable to define our relation to our place in the world. Pallasmaa describes this exact situation “architecture strengthens the existential experience, one’s sense of being in the world, and this is essentially a strengthened experience of self.” This is reaffirmed upon further readings, Christopher Day in Places of the Soul “Our environment is part of our biography. It’s part of our stream of events and surroundings that help make us who we are.” The power between the self and the built environment rests in the relationship between the two. Our bodies and the movements of them are in constant dialogue with our environments (Bloomer). In his Big Rethink critical essays, Peter Buchanan elaborates on the self in space “by projecting our psyches into space in this manner not only do we create ourselves but also surroundings to which we sense a strong relationship so we feel at home in the world.” The work I’ve done while in graduate school has left a strong imprint on my own identity, especially as a designer. The complexity and beauty of the built environment projects these facets and impacts the development of our identities. I see nothing more important than leaving a positive impact on an individual’s sense of self.
thank you, Lee Consterdine
01 15 25 31 desert sol {UNLV solar decathlon competition house 2013}
calico basin chapel {redrock canyon national conservation area, nevada}
downtown beacon {las vegas, nevada}
treetop children’s home & center {monrovia, liberia}
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a theoretical foundation {thesis writing samples}
courtyard residences {chicago, illinois}
museum of land art & sculpture {las vegas, nevada}
{monrovia, liberia}
treetop children’s home & youth center
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identity: a design portfolio
project description For my 6th year thesis I developed a project with a humanitarian focus. The initial question posed was: can the built environment aid in the sheltering, both physically and psychologically, of a person in despair while simultaneously enriching the healing process? The subsequent project was to develop a program and design that would aid the orphaned and vulnerable children of Monrovia, Liberia post the 2014 Ebola outbreak. The research revealed that these children needed more than shelter, more than a home. They needed opportunity. They needed hope for a future. The project shifted focus to design an orphanage, community center and education hub. A complex that offers the betterment of quality of life for the children and their local community. The design had three core values that drove the conceptual process, they were: rooting the children in place, embrace the children in a welcoming home, and uplift the children, hoping the residence and center will provide them with a brighter future.
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illiteracy
To develop an effective project program, the design had to address the issues that the orphaned, vulnerable and community children face in their daily lives. The issues were handpicked from the UN’s 2015 Millennium Development Goals and UNICEF’s 2017 Country Programme for Liberia. The 6 most urgent issues were provided with solutions and case studies, as well as possible partnerships. The last section on the programming table is reserved for the design implications.
homelessness
programming
treetop children’s home & youth center
programming matrix secured entry
sleeping quarters infant block
orphanage
homelessness
staff dormitory
community center
vocational &
technical education
issues addressed
covered exterior gathering
storage community/ dining hall
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unsafe water & poor sanitation
WASH facilities
medical clinic & food program
garden:
therapuetic & supplemental
nap area, int. & ext. play areas
classrooms
admin. offices & NGO temp offices
poor sanitation
book stack, nooks, group study
WASH class area
large water troth sink for educational handwashing classes - sm. outdoor amphitheater (if space)
WASH troth
consultation room
waiting area
NGO temp. space mental health counseling office food gardens storage/garden tool building director’s office director’s quarters NGO offices
modeled after mobile health clinics for efficient use of space and designed to be easily sterilized. Houses solar diect fridges to ensure cold storage for vaccination storage
2 gardens act as security buffers between the public, semi-public and private zones on the site attached to sleeping quarters large enough for 2-3 staff queen bed, storage, sitting area large office for NGO’s to temp use
conference area
large covered ext. space
NGO dormitory
sleeps 10 volunteers in 5 bunks
restrooms
isolation
needs attached secure storage
each block has 8 showers, 8 sinks, 6 composting toilets & 2 private bathrooms
secured entry
poverty
(x2) converts to 2 small classrooms
public bathroom block w/showers
3 person office
facilities block:
seats for 250-300 people, needs to convert from dining to gathering access to road and trash areas for deliveries, adjacent to garden sits under community hall can get flooded (seats 150) has stage
immunization area
poor health & malnutrition
(x3) for supplies
outdoor amphitheater
secured vaccination storage
poor health
{
youth center for the vulnerable & orphaned children of monrovia
storage for linens & washer/dryers
daycare block tech. classroom
non-formal education
4 singles & 4 double bedrooms communal bath and 2 private
library/study room
illiteracy
sleeps 12 infants & 4 caregivers
gathering space
kitchen
poverty & unemployment
(x7) sleeps 12 kids & 1-2 caregivers
bathroon block laundry
community disconnection
96 children, 12 - 16 caregivers
(x2) shower, sink, composting toilet for entire complex
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identity: a design portfolio
riverfront residences
clinic corner
points of security
sound buffers
Republic of Liberia {West Africa}
Bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Cote d’Ivoire Liberia is a West African nation home to 4 million people of 16 indigenous ethnic groups (including the AmericoLiberians, Kpelle, Bassa, Grebo, Gio, Mano, Kru, Lorma and many others). The official language is english, as well as 31 indigenous languages. The majority of the population practices Christianity, Islamic and indigenous religions are also prominent. The landscape is typified as gentle rolling coastal plains that feature wetlands and mangroves. The country is covered with tropical rainforests, elephant grass and semidecidious trees. Liberia is divided into 15 counties and in turn subdivided into 90 districts. The capital of Monrovia is in Montserrado County and is home to 30% of the nation’s population with nearly 1 million residents. The country has over 16 notable rivers. The selected site sits on one of these rivers, known as the Mesurado River, which converges with the Du river and flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
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treetop children’s home & youth center
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64’
Monrovia, Liberia
128’
256’
entry plaza community courtyard WASH facility community hall library residences entry/administration playground drop off garden health clinic
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64’
128’
Crown Hill Neighborhood
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identity: a design portfolio
conceptual premise
uplifting {sense of self}
embracing {sense of home}
rooting {sense of place}
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treetop children’s home & youth center
sectional design The buildings are required to be raised above the flood plain, allowing the main levels of every building to exist on the same plane, easing the accessibility for children with disabilities, which is a remaining result from the previous civil wars. This also permits the buildings to live within the tops of the trees creating a whimsical, dream setting for the children who live in the residences.
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32’
64’
128’
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identity: a design portfolio
residential design
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Roof Slope
Corner of the World
The slopes of the roof range from 18 to 25 degrees, this being the optimal angle for rainwater catchment.
The children’s bunk beds are their own “corner of the world,� a place to take ownership of their space and their lives.
The residences are the most important buildings on the site. They provide a home for children without one. This calls for great attention of every detail to feel like home. There are three different residential units within the complex. Intimate units with 10 children 2 caregivers. Larger units with 28 children and 4 caregivers on two levels and a staff dorm with individual rooms and one larger 12 person dormitory that temporary houses the volunteers from visiting humanitarian groups.
Residential Treetop Pathway
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treetop children’s home & youth center
Shading
Ventilation
The roof of the home effectively overhangs to provide ample shading on the south, east and west facades.
The homes are designed to breathe. This maximized ventilation is achieved through the provision of cross and stack ventilation.
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identity: a design portfolio
Roof Pitch
Ventilation
Non-residential building’s roofs are either butterfly or single pitched. They are designed to provide shading and collect rainwater.
Community buildings are designed to maximize ventilation with lifted roofs and permeable louvered envelopes.
Community & Dining Hall
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Imagination Tower
treetop children’s home & youth center
community buildings
Imagination Tower The imagination tower is designed to create a kid focused experience where the children can climb three levels and lookout above the treetops out onto the river and into the city.
The role of the community center is to provide the children, of the home and the neighboring community, a sense of belonging. These buildings are rooted to the ground and anchored to place. They collect rainwater and produce energy through photovoltaic systems on their roofs. Their designed to be shining examples that a building can provide more than shelter. The roof pitches of all the buildings are designed to illustrate the conceptual premise of uplifting. A strong foot on the ground with wings perched for flight. The imagination tower is a critical building; here they can dream, if this design does only one thing, it is to provide these children with the ability to dream and hope for a brighter future.
Entry Plaza
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identity: a design portfolio
health center
community & dining hall
Looking up from Riverfront Interior Bunk Bedroom
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treetop children’s home & youth center
8’
residential buildings
16’
32’
64’
entry & administration
Health Center
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{office | retail | dining | entertainment} The focus of the Integrated Building Studio course was to successfully coordinate building systems into the design process. At the core of the design was to integrate mechanical, sustainable, structural and building systems while developing a design concept for the client. The other challenge of the studio was to design through section. We were tasked to design the building in a few structural bays, then taking that design and developing an entire building.
{las vegas, nevada}
downtown vegas beacon
The design of the office towers offers office space for the City of Las Vegas, as well as rentable office space, retail space, with dining and entertainment located in the top levels to take advantage of the beautiful views of the desert mountain ranges and of the world famous Las Vegas Strip and of the historic downtown Vegas Fremont Street. The towers are designed to be the tallest structures in the downtown area with the thought that they will encourage further development in the neighborhood, essentially becoming a beacon for the region.
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identity: a design portfolio
1/8� model
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plaza hotel
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downtown vegas beacon
MECHANICAL BUILDING
city hall parking garage
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downtown site location
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identity: a design portfolio
office tower design
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sub-level parking
entry level
typical two-story office space
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downtown vegas beacon
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typical office level
sky garden level
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12’
24’
48’
looking up from central plaza
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identity: a design portfolio
structure
maximize office floors
steel frame & concrete core (rigid core) lateral bracing shear walls & belt trusses
minimize building footprint
photovoltaic paneled facade (south)
all - air vav system double skin facade (east & west)
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hvac return
glazed curtain wall (north)
hvac supply fan rooms (with air handling units)
south sky gardens
egress exit
north sky gardens
vertical core
downtown vegas beacon
true south
For true north and true south facades the form of the building takes on a trapezoid shape to respond to the 27.5 northeast orientation of the site.
true north
To become a downtown urban beacon the shading louvers on the top levels illuminate at night.
{ design & systems diagrams } observation deck 1920 restaurant & bar government offices mechanical professional offices retail
The building systems (structural, mechanical, sustainable and facade) were intregal to the process of the Integrated Building Studio. These diagrams illustrate their importance to the design of the Downtown Vegas Beacon. 22
identity: a design portfolio
integrated systems wall section
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downtown vegas beacon
integrated building studio design research
The Integrated Building Studio was offered with a companion course that adopted a philosophy of exhaustive knowledge of building systems. A large portion of the course was the production of a complete building systems book. I was in charge of the structural and facade systems, as well as tasked with writing the conclusion and editing of the book.
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calico basin chapel
{redrock canyon, nevada}
identity: a design portfolio
chapel conception & design The project was to design a 7,000 sq. ft. Lutheran Chapel and master site plan to accompany the Cleveland Clinic’s future Calico Basin medical and long-term care complex. The chapel will serve the patients with neurological diseases, caregivers, families, doctors, nurses and staff of the clinic. Spirituality can be used as a coping mechanism, as well as offer a community that can support the patients and their families. The design concept was to create a chapel that would be a place of protection from the realities and issues of the external world. The site is laid out to preserve the existing hiking trails and create new, small trails for the patients to hike on in times of reflection and solace. The buildings and exterior spaces are placed organically in-between the trails.
calico basin site
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solidity
(reinforced concrete shell)
+ fragility
(slatted wood interior)
= protection
(balance & safety)
calico basin chapel
main level
lower level
8’
16’
32’
64’
TRAIL CENTER:
RESTROOMS INFORMATION COVERED SEATING
existing trails
new trails
trail preservation
identity: a design portfolio
southeast elevation
southwest elevation
chapel approach
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lower level lounge & offices
calico basin chapel
transverse section
longitudinal section 8’
interior chapel
16’
32’
64’
1/4” model
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{UNLV’s 2013 Solar Decathlon Entry} DesertSol took 2nd place in the global competition and was the top-ranked entry in the United States; being the only U.S. team to place in the top three of the prestigious Solar Decathlon competition in Irvine, Calif. The house also received 1st place in the market appeal category, as well as 2nd place in marketing. The home is now on permanent display at the Springs Preserve’s botanical gardens.
desert sol
{las vegas, nevada}
identity: a design portfolio
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plan
living room section
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desert sol
acoustic & furniture design
competition house
acoustic wall & coffee table
As teamleader of the acoustic team, I was given the opportunity to advance my knowledge of acoustic design and implementation. The acoustic wall feature absorbs sound that would otherwise ricochet off all the hard surfaces in the house and create echoing. The acoustic wall provides a quiet open living area that accomodates intimate conversation and comfortable entertaining space. The wall is composed of fabric panels with denim insulation behind. The acoustic wall features a steel shelf with a milled ledge for the display of family photos or art. Behind the gray sound-transparent fabric panels are speakers. The redwood bench is the first piece of furniture I’ve designed and built. Designed specifically for the entry hall of the Desert Sol House the angles and cutout of the bench customly fit the piece into the space. The bench allows the resident of the home an easy place to relax and kick off their shoes when they arrive home and look out the floor-to-ceiling window to enjoy the water catchment rockbed feature of the house. The living room was designed for flexibility; the coffee table needed to match this. Designed as 4 separate tables that connect with strong magnets, this modular system works as a coffee table, end tables or night stands for the bedroom. The tables can be open to display books or art or closed off to provide storage for the space. The tables glide on casters and have been used all over the house.
entry vestibule & redwood bench
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identity: a design portfolio
desert sol exhibit {Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery}
After the solar decathlon competition, UNLV’s Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery displayed an exhibition celebrating the accomplishment of the Desert Sol House team. I was commissioned to design and build display furniture for the construction documents and three scale models. The display pieces are designed to keep in continuity with the bench in the house, with glulam redwood and steel accents. The display table has a contoured recession, allowing the construction documents sit within the recess. The contour curves along the sides and top so the hand can easily and comfortably turn the pages.
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{museum | institute | residence}
{las vegas, nevada}
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museum of land art and sculpture
The Museum of Land Art and Sculpture is an exhibition space, as well as an institute and residence. Housing 10-15 artists of varying expertise. From prominent established artists like James Turrell, Michael Heizer, Andrew Goldsworthy, and Richard Serra; to up-andcoming artists like Jim Denevan, Simon Beck, and Cornelia Konrads; to student artists. As a whole, the Museum and Institute is a place of art, education, and community. The approach taken can be summed up in three words: Live. Work. Display. Live refers to the residence where the artists stay during their tenure at the institute. Work is represented in the studios where the artists create pieces for the museum. These studios have a dual purpose: the creation of art and to educate young artists. Display of the sculptures and land art pieces are housed under a large arch structure. Choosen for its uninterrupted long span, the arch building offers a flexible display space that can house large-scale art installations or can be divided into smaller spaces for multiple concurrent art shows.
identity: a design portfolio
main level
lower level
institute & artist’s studios
north elevation
museum section 50’
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100’
museum of land art & sculpture
exhibition yard
exhibition floor
istitute & residence tower
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{chicago, illinois}
chicago courtyard apartments
exterior perspective
third level apartment
chicago courtyard apartments W
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2 bedroom apartments
32’
1 bedroom apartments
64’
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thesis ideology The Shelter of Architecture
We expect more from our buildings now than just shelter. We expect our dwellings to provide an exhaustive list of life-support mechanisms. Our dwellings are assumed to provide: thermal comfort, water ondemand, sensory comfort, security, privacy, and energy. The assumptions do not stop there, our expectations are much grander, we look beyond necessity towards desire. Dwellings must now provide social interaction through interior space and external connection. Our shelters no longer have to just protect us; they must entertain us as well. Looking past the grander expectations of desire, this project strives to stay true to the basic principle of architecture: to shelter. With this necessity apparent, the next question to arise is: can our dwellings provide more than shelter, more than desire; can they provide humanity? Sense of Place | Belonging
{writing samples}
theoretical foundation
The most basic of human instincts is one of survival, an unconscious action toward self-preservation. This survival requires food, water, and shelter. Architecture, at its simplest form, is the provision of shelter. The human species is vulnerable, by nature, to the extreme conditions of the external environment. Without the provision of clothing, humans cannot endure radical temperatures or wet conditions. Exposure to the elements could potentially lead to death. Shelter must meet not only our physical needs, but our psychological needs as well; needs of security, social gathering, and self-expression.
“Humankind carved into architecture affirms our place in the world,” writes Bloomer. This idea of cementing our presence in the world relies not only on architecture, but also of developing a sense of place in general. As humanist and sociologist E.V. Walters suggests in Placeways: A Theory of the Human Environment “the quality of depends on human context shaped by our memories and expectations, by stories of real and imagined events – that is, by the historical experiences located there. Each place has its nomos, its characteristic rule of action, or customary form of making itself felt, or specific way of being in the world.” Unlike most art forms, architecture envelops the dweller in a state of being. Pallasmaa accounts this to out peripheral vision, he explains how it “integrates us within space. The quality of an architectural reality seems to depend fundamentally on the nature of our peripheral vision, which
writing samples
enfolds the subject into space” (Pallasmaa). This lends to the assumption that when we’re fully enveloped we are allowed to inhabit the space. We exist within it. We are rooted in a sense of place. We root ourselves in connections through relationships with each other and our dwellings. Architectural historian Alberto Perez-Gomez wrote, “While our reason may be capable of dismissing the quality of the built environment as central to spiritual well-being, our dreams and our actions are always set in some place, and our understanding of others and ourselves simply could not be without significant places (Robinson).” As individuals we need a sense of support, we need a sense of belonging to a larger context, it is absolute in our self-realization. Our environments influence the quality of our interactions and personal relationships. It is important to comprehend the significance of place when designing spaces, as Buchanan puts it “we need to remember that architecture began not only with creating shelter, but also with ritual – the spatial arrangement of collective acts that forge community and heighten experience and meaning (Buchanan).” These rituals may be ordinary and uneventful, yet they stich together and enrich our experiences in place. Through our rituals we create sacred spaces; our homes become sacred; our public spaces, when designed properly, hold a sense of purity within them. The responsibility of the designer then is not only to create a sense of place, but uphold to the standard of sacredness. Contextual & Ecological Awareness This awareness might go by the terms vernacularism or regionalism, yet in the case of this work, it is an awareness of locality, of a sensitivity to the culture, an ecological respect, and a hope towards progress. This approach seeks an appropriateness, regarding culture and context, to the design process. There is a respect to the locality of the site and building within the landscape; landscape meaning more than the natural surroundings, but the cultural, economic, and sociopolitical surroundings as well. Building within a contextual awareness understands that the place one hails from is intrinsically linked to their sense of identity. The local context must be respected because it has such an impact on the development of the self and community. A contextual awareness might be an obvious approach when designing for unfamiliar cultures, yet its importance should not be demeaned by such blatant ommittance. There is a humanistic inclination to be connected to the surroundings where one lives. Think about the question that is always asked: where are you from? As if there is a widespread understanding that the place you hail from, your local environment, has influenced the person you’ve become.
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identity: a design portfolio
When working with the mindset of contextual awareness it is a necessity to be culturally sensitive; which is taking the values of regionalism with a global perspective in mind. We cannot impose our beliefs or way of life nor can we impede on the development of a region by withholding technology and advancement. There must be a balance within our imprint on a certain (foreign) location. Whether we are aware or not, our designs influence place and the community in contact with it. How much we influence? In a positive or negative light? It is imperative to understand and celebrate their cultural identity not strip it. Yet before we can define cultural sensitivity, we must define culture within terms appropriate to this work. Culture is a typical way of life of a community. This can be seen through a system of meanings and symbols or through adaptive survival strategies. We cannot simply design for culture itself, but design with a cultural awareness in a way that is complementary to the local way of life. Culture has two sets of values, having core values, which persevere even when new influences are introduced, and transformative values, which change as the region and community changes (Rapoport). Cultural Sensitivity sets a standard to design concretely for the core values and adaptively for the transformative values. Cultural sensitivity acts with an awareness of the social manifestations of culture. These can be observed in the community, kinship groups and families, institutions, social relationships and status roles, rituals, and many other cultural patterns (Rapoport). Even language has an influence on an individual’s spatial behavior (Architectural Regionalism). When these are studied properly they can then be integrated into the built environment, being influenced by culture and in turn influencing it; culture and the built environment have a symbiotic relationship; constantly influencing each other. We’re not obligated or coerced to interact and understand the culture and place. We have the option to make choices, these choices can be aware and sensitive of said locality, they can be aware and consciously alter the fabric of the area, or they can be oblivious to the context; in this case ignorance shall be seen as intentional. If we choose to design with cultural sensitivity then we can see the built environment become, as Pallasmaa calls it, “culturally adapted.” Architecture that adapts with culture rediscovers and revitalizes traditional and hidden dimensions of culture (Architectural Regionalism). The architect’s role when working with culture, either familiar or foreign, is one of translator: taking nonphysical factors of program, culture, site, and context, and translating them into a built form (Findley). It is important to remember that even though we, as architects, are translators; we are also designers and artists. As philosopher James Boyd White puts it: “We should not feel
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writing samples
that respect for other obliges us to erase ourselves, or our culture, as if all value lay out there and none here… Our task is to be distinctly ourselves in a world of others: to create a frame that includes self and other, neither dominant, in an image of fundamental equality (Harvey).” Through contextual awareness we can retain our voice as creator in terms appropriate to the situation. The reach of contextual awareness does not stop with locality and cultural sensitivity, but to the natural world as well. Our contextual consideration must include sensitivity on a larger scale. This is done through an ecological and holistic approach. Leading sustainable architect Sim Van der Ryn sees this as a global issue; stating: “Today no place, no ecology on earth, no matter how remote, is untouched – chemically, physically, biologically – by the consequences of human activities. Much of what we do has unintended and unpredictable consequences somewhere else. More by accident than design, human civilization affects the conditions of life over the entire biosphere.” This is why Van der Ryn calls for a holistic, ecological approach to design. An ecologicaldesign approach understands environmental issues and seeks solutions that sustainably serve people and planet. By serving planet, ecological design takes its cues from the beauty of the natural world and the processes it offers. This is done through interpreting the natural living systems of ecology into the built form (Sim Van der Ryn). Van der Ryn lays out these ecological design questions: “Better design begins by seeking answers to three fundamental questions about place. It begins by asking: What is here? What will nature permit us to do here? What will nature help us do here?” By asking these questions and discovering their suitable answers, designers will acquire strategies that appropriately engage the built environment and the natural world. Ecological design must embody the spirit of the living world (Sim Van der Ryn). Nature breathes, nature lives; buildings must follow, they must breathe, and most importantly, they need to feel alive. This will then enliven the individual. The built environment can achieve this through sustainable strategies, such as: energy production, limit waste production, and the decarbonization of emissions. It is important to remember that buildings are not an end product, but entities within a life cycle. This life cycle is always in flux, in a state of change that is influenced by people. If buildings are adaptive then they can adjust to their occupant’s needs and desires. Catalyst of Change What we are calling for, when we ask for the built environment to aid in the healing process, is to act as a catalyst of change, on an individual
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identity: a design portfolio
level and a social level. This enlists architecture to engage in an agency of progress, which it then must act as a mediator, influencer, and activist. Positive or negative, buildings make an impact on people (Zumthor). Knowing that impact is unavoidable, we should embrace this fact and design with the intent of a positive effect. This is where we can actualize an environment that advocates for the inhabitant. Architecture is an optimistic, action-based endeavor. The strength of the architect is the solving of problems through the making of new spatial realities (Findley). Change does not need to be on a macro level to have a large impact within a culture. Swiss architect Peter Zumthor believes: “when we, as architects, are concerned about space, we are concerned with but a tiny part of the infinity that surrounds the earth, and yet each and every building marks a unique place in this infinity.’ It is exactly here, at this small scale, that architecture can and does support change (Findley).” Even at a small scale, architecture has the ability to advocate for change. Through osmosis change can unconsciously elevate a positive movement. “On a small scale, a well-designed school can positively influence individual learning and help children to identify themselves as parts of a larger community (Lepik).” Transformation can only happen through engagement with the individual and the community. To achieve change on a personal level, individuals must be able to craft their own futures (Knox). The built environment not only shelters the body, but the mind as well. In turn the mind is allowed to assume complete freedom. As an instrument of social change, architecture can positively influence individuals (Findley). These individuals then set forth with a new reality and sense of hope. Change on the community level calls for integration of architecture and society. This integration asks for a reclamation of balance within a culture (Feireiss). To regain balance we must reconnect as a collective. To enact change we must support equality and advance opportunity for everyone.
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Lee Consterdine {562} 686-2144 leeconsterdine@gmail.com consterd@unlv.nevada.edu