L AUREN R. HARNESS Selected Works
harnesslauren@gmail.com 1
CONTENTS This portfolio contains selected works from design projects developed during my time at el dorado inc., Ennead Architects, and while pursuing a Master of Architecture degree at Kansas State University’s College of Architecture, Planning, and Design. The projects were chosen to highlight the diverse scale and approaches encompassed in my design education and career. Explorations of space, tectonics, time, awareness, social interaction, and reactions to contextual influences have all been presented.
Lauren Harness 2
01
CROSSROADS HOTEL Boutique Hotel, Kansas City, MO
02
BETWEEN EARTH & SKY
03
HOUSE OF HORIZONS
04
BACK HOUSE OF MACHINES
05
D UA L PAV I L I O N
06
415 RED HOOK LANE
07
P U B L I C AT I O N
Whol eB ody Ce nte r, K a nsa s Cit y, MO
Monument Rocks Retreat, Gove County, KS
Student Housing Inf ill , Manhat tan , K S
Cit y Pa rk + Pool Sha de St r uc tur e, A lma , K S
R es id e nt ial to w e r, Do w nto w n Br o ok lyn , N Y
Oz Jour nal , K ansa s State Universit y
harnesslauren@gmail.com 3
Lauren Harness 4
01 THE CROSSROADS HOTEL Boutique Hotel Crossroads Arts District Kansas City, MO el dorado inc. Transforming two adjacent historic warehouses into a boutique hotel presented an opportunity to create a space that could serve as the living room of the Crossroads Arts District. The 130-room hotel is located at the core of the thriving post industrial neighborhood and the historic loading docks translate easily into a porous facade with a vibrant bar, restaurant, and lobby lining the street edge. An atrium was introduced to maximize daylight in the heart of the building. I was tasked with developing design details that would compliment the patchwork of structural elements and materials within the space. Reclaimed cladding, blackened steel, and a sawtooth glazing system were chosen to pay tribute to the building’s utilitarian past. Custom sliding steel doors, guardrails, and window boxes are designed to be fabricated in house. The roof of the four-story hotel boasts a 360 degree view of the Kansas City skyline and memorial. A steel pavilion with wood purlins replicates the historic structure of the building and allows the roof to comfortably serve as a bar and event space. Minimal modern additions and the celebrated historic context aims to create a space that serves as a thoughtful introduction to what Kansas City.
With David Dowell, Steve Salzer, and Mark Horne
harnesslauren@gmail.com 5
B uilding# 0
The Heart of the Crossroads Re-imagining the relationship between a hotel and the public allowed the Crossroads to blur those boundaries and create a vital community moment. The role of “Crossroads Livingroom� fills a void that prevails due to sporadic development and the post-industrial character of the district. The permeable street front beckons in visitors and spacious and inviting interior spaces create a welcoming public realm.
HOTEL HERE
The historic warehouse and home to the future hotel is located just North of Union Station and has open views to downtown and Liberty Memorial Park.
Lauren Harness 6
The Crossroads neighborhood is decentralized, lacking a core or center.
The Crossroad’s Hotel presents an opportunity to unify the arts district through a new public realm.
The west facade’s historic loading docks are re-purposed as a porous facade showcasing the lobby and bar area adjacent to the entry.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 7
The two existing buildings were built in the early 1900s and functioned as a Pabst warehouse and offices for political boss Tom Pendergast, a central figure in Kansas City’s mafia history. The pragmatic warehouse space was largely designed around the storage and transport of Pabst products.
AT R
IU M
CO RE
The building core was removed to create an atrium and public realm within the building.
Lauren Harness 8
OCTAGONAL BRICK CHIMNEY
HISTORIC ELEVATOR PENTHOUSE
ROOF HISTORIC ELEVATOR SHAFT
FOURTH FLOOR HISTORIC SKYLIGHT
EXPOSED HISTORIC STRUCTURE
HISTORIC LIGHTWELL
J AD
EN AC
T
I BU
G IN LD
THIRD FLOOR HISTORIC PENDERGAST SUITE
J AD
T EN AC
I BU
IN LD
G
SECOND FLOOR
IN
LD
HISTORIC LOADING BAYS
C JA AD
T EN
I BU
G
FIRST FLOOR
Program and circulation
harnesslauren@gmail.com 9
1. Atrium view looking North. 2.1
3.1
4.2
5.2
1. Atrium view looking South. 6.9
6.2
8.7
7.6
9.9
12.8
13.8
R E LOC AT E D
ENTRY
'
11' - 0"
3"
A
6' - 2"
B R UP
13.9
28' - 8"
16' - 4"
B .2
RETAIL
LOBBY / BAR
COFFEE
RESTAURANT
UP
Q
6' - 2"
B .8
UP
UP
UP
11' - 9"
DN
C
14' - 5"
1. PRIVATE DINING
E
ADMIN OFFICES
15' - 7 1/2"
ADJ AC E NT B UILDING
D
ATRIUM
RECEPTION
P
F
2. 16' - 3 1/2"
MEETING
G
PRE-FUNCTION
17' - 6 1/2"
EMPLOYEE LOCKER
MEETING
N
KITCHEN
UP H
17' - 8 1/2"
EMPLOYEE LOCKER
EMPLOYEE CAFE
J
M
.
L
BALLROOM
17' - 2"
2908 S F
LOADING 477 S F
K DN
15' - 9"
1
0'
5'
10'
Lauren Harness 10
20'
16' - 5"
2
16' - 2"
3
14' - 3"
14' - 10"
4
5
14' - 5"
6
14' - 3"
7
14' - 4 1/2"
8
14' - 4 1/2"
9
14' - 2"
10
11
12
13
14
Floor Plan Level 1.
The cladding and atrium roof were studied to find a material and structural language that both complimented and stood apart from the historic context.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 11
Existing Pabst warehouse
Lauren Harness 12
02 BETWEEN EARTH & SKY WholeBody Center, Kansas City, MO Manko Design Competition Honoree Fourth Year Comprehensive Studio BNIM Studio, Kansas City Design Center The Crossroads Arts District is a historic warehouse district near downtown Kansas City. The area is undergoing continued growth as a cultural hub for the region. The influx of residents has increased demand for urban amenities. This project aims to create a landmark facility for the neighborhood, promoting wellness of both mind and body. The primary components of the WholeBody Center include a rock climbing wall, recreational pool, and three studios. The features draw on the contrast between elements in nature. This idea is reflected in the spatial ordering of the building. The programming elements characteristics are displayed and emphasized with contrasting materiality and structural systems. The contrast between these spaces are highlighted and celebrated to create an experiential junction culminating in the pool space. In essence the spatial composition enforces the idea of complementary forces interacting to form a greater whole.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 13
The Crossroads District with highlighted area of detail
Lauren Harness 14
STUDIO
GALLERY
COFFEE
EVENT SPACE
DAYCARE
URBAN GARDEN
Amenities surrounding site
Pedestrian axis and arrival E TH
BR OA DW AY B
A FM UF KA
N
LV D.
Views to and from site
harnesslauren@gmail.com 15
Lauren Harness 16
Program divided by contrasting qualities
Development of sectional interaction
Evolution of the pool as a critical junction of space
Development of solid and void with floating studio bar
harnesslauren@gmail.com 17
UP
Ground level entry sequence
Lauren Harness 18
Lobby with portal into stereotomic element
Rock climbing vertical release
harnesslauren@gmail.com 19
Between earth and sky The rock wall and strength training are located in the stereotomic element embedded in the earth. The studios reside in the void that is lifted to the sky. The pool becomes the most important space that exists in the junction where earth meets sky.
Lauren Harness 20
Pool with views to catwalks
harnesslauren@gmail.com 21
A
5' - 0"
1
coping TPO roof membrane tapered rigid foam insulation 5' - 0 19/32"
Roof 43' - 0"
3" concrete slab on 2" corrugated steel decking roof joist suspended ceiling fibreC fiber cement panel rainscreen Manko 250 series operable curtain wall panel
5' - 0"
2
4" exterior thermafiber
mineral wool insulation
blueskin self-adhesive air 3" interior thermafiber
and vapor barrier membrane
mineral wool insulation
air gap 6" steel stud 5/8" gypsum wall board
Level 3 32' - 0"
fully sprung shock absorbing Signawood flooring 3" concrete slab on 2" corrugated steel decking 1/2" sheetrock gypsum panel ceiling
Manko 250 series curtain wall ceiling mounted air supply duct exterior modular steel staircase
Level 2 21' - 0"
Manko triple-glazed curtain panel secondary foundations system for terracotta sunscreen structure concrete finish
Level 1 3' - 6"
radiant heat floor pipes poured in place concrete slab 3
Grade 0' - 0"
rigid foam insulation
rigid foam insulation drainage rubble footing drain concrete footing Below Grade -6' - 6"
Lauren Harness 22
0' - 6"
0' - 2"
0' - 4 11/32"
custom offset assembly
0' - 4"
0' - 10"
2 x 10 terracotta baguette
rectangular hollow steel column 200 x 100 x 10
0' - 7 29/32"
0' - 3 15/16"
2
2 x 6 rectangular tube steel beam
A
vertical carrier
interior mineral fiber insulation
mineral fiber insulation
steel c-stud steel stud track
structural sheathing
1/2" gypsum board
suspensions rail
fibreC sill panel
Manko 250 series operable curtain wall panel
0' - 0 5/8"
aluminum flashing
window casing
interior mineral fiber insulation
vapor/air membrane
ventilation space
0' - 5 1/32"
1' - 1 23/32"
A 1' - 3 1/16" 0' - 5 7/32"
floor finish
Manko triple glazed curtain panel
radiant tubing
aluminum flashing
vapor barrier
0' - 8 5/16"
exterior slab on grade
Grade 0' - 0"
rigid insulation gravel
rigid insulation
gravel
Exterior wall section
vapor/air/water barrier
6" PVC drainage pipe steel dowels
1' - 5 23/32"
steel reinforcing bars
concrete footing
1' - 11 15/16"
Exterior circulation exists between the sunscreen and the building envelope. Terracotta was chosen for the sunscreen to serve as a modern cousin of the contextual brick warehouse neighborhood. The terracotta louver system uses a custom offset assembly to maintain a continuous vertical aesthetic. The cladding of the studio spaces is a rain screen with fiber cement panels.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 23
Lauren Harness 24
03 HOUSE OF HORIZONS Monument Rocks, Gove County, Kansas Fourth Year Independent Study Collaboration with Dylan Rupar Monument Rocks consists of a series of chalk formations in Western Kansas reaching heights of up to seventy feet. The formations are the remains of an 80 million year old seabed, rich in fossils. Aside from the formations the surrounding landscape is barren with scarce rainfall and low population. With no distractions focus is drawn to the expansive horizon that defines the sky vista, interrupted only by the ancient formations. This project is a retreat that allows for visitors to reflect on the passing of time. The site is located near interstate I-70, but just removed enough to create some isolation. This degree of separation as well as its location in Western Kansas allows for the space to be experienced in small groups. At the site the cabins and tower create solitude and establish different vantage points of the chalk formations for visitors.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 25
Elevation Coordinates Period Biome
Lauren Harness 26
2,631 ft. 38,47’26 Late Cretaceous Temperate Grassland
District Average Temp. Growing Season Average Precipitation
Gove County 28.7 c 167 days 20.89 inches
Defining the horizon This structure aligns with the winter solstice sunrise through the keyhole of the chalk formations. Paired pillars mark the equinox, summer solstice, and meaningful moon settings. These elements allow the structure to function as an architectural timepiece. The winter solstice has been celebrated by many cultures as the welcome arrival of longer daylight hours and increased positive energy flow. This House of Horizons was composed to mark this celestial event and celebrates the return of the sun to the northern hemisphere.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 27
Lauren Harness 28
Procession: entering on axis
harnesslauren@gmail.com 29
Lauren Harness 30
Physical model tower view
Orientation The orientation of the structure allows for a more heightened awareness of the passing of time. The central point of the structure serves as a timepiece as while simultaneously collecting and storing rain water. Physical model of cabins
harnesslauren@gmail.com 31
Lauren Harness 32
Summer solstice
harnesslauren@gmail.com 33
Winter solstice
Lauren Harness 34
Skylights for stargazing
Sleeping loft
Framed views
Shrouded entry
Exploded axon of individual cabins
harnesslauren@gmail.com 35
Lauren Harness 36
04 BACK HOUSE OF MACHINES Student Housing Infill, Manhattan, Kansas Third Year Design Studio
The aim of this project is to thoughtfully integrate a modern backhouse into the urban fabric of Manhattan, Kansas. The city is undergoing a period of growth and strategic densification is needed to accommodate single family homes as well as the increasing student body. The structure of the front house is modified while respecting its original character. In both homes spaces are created that provide adequate privacy but still relate and interact providing appealing living situations for a young professional couple and their two college student tenants. The private spaces in each of the houses are enclosed with a ribbon element expressed through materiality. The ribbon creates a relationship between the two houses and helps form a public v. private organizational scheme. The machines in both houses are celebrated and define the spaces while interacting with the ribbon elements separating space.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 37
young professionals
graduate tenants
Backhouse integrated into typical neighborhood
View to backhouse from the interior of the existing house
Lauren Harness 38
harnesslauren@gmail.com 39
Backhouse
Front house
Backhouse below grade
Front house below grade
East elevation
Lauren Harness 40
Section through backhouse
harnesslauren@gmail.com 41
Lauren Harness 42
05 D UA L PAV I LI O N Small Town Vitalization City Park + Pool Pavilion, Alma, KS Fifth Year El Dorado Design + Make Studio Completed May 2015 Alma is a small community in the heart of the Flint Hills of Kansas. The downtown features historic native stone buildings as well as a central park and pool. The pool is a large draw for families during the summer and the park is active year round hosting community events such as the mulligan community soup feed. Currently, the pool lacks gathering space and shade and the park is in need of more usable gathering space near the bathrooms. Understanding the most fitting solution to Alma Kansas’ lack of shade for their city pool meant stepping back and taking an in depth look at Alma as a community. We spent time researching the history and development of Alma as well as contextual influences such as climate, community values, and connectivity. Collectively this process of understanding has led to the studio moving forward with the implementation of a shade structure that aims to serve more than one role for the park as a whole. When completed the structure will be multi-functional and will activate an underutilized portion of the park for year round community engagement.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 43
Lauren Harness 44
8 5
4
7 6
1
2
3
Activating the park The details and language of the shade pavilion aspire to create a dialogue with the existing structure and spur future park improvements. When developing the design we talked to families and individuals who use the park on a regular basis to find out what areas are the most functional. From these discussions we assessed that although the south end of the park was large and open it wasn’t thought of as usable space. We added activating this space to our list of desired goals we hoped to achieve with our proposal.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 45
Vague entries Unclear programming
“Circulation?�
Powerlines Alley edge condition Need for gathering space Underutilized space
Lack of shade
Existing park conditions
Lauren Harness 46
B
A
B
B
A
B
A
B
B
Zones:
Edge:
Entries:
Phase 1:
Dividing the park into structured and open zones helps to clarify the programming of each space and relieve clutter. Also, the zones create a clear plan for implementation through phases.
Establishing a formal park edge with a native stone wall creates an entry experience. Additionally, the zone serves as a space for power lines which currently cross through the park.
The stone wall creates a compressed formal entry at the North end and they open up for the community gathering entry at the South. Secondary entries enter into the zones from the East.
The pavilion adjacent to the pool house was selected at a community meeting as the first phase. The pavilion aims to serve the pool as well as engage the southern portion of the park.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 47
Park masterplan to be implemented in phases
Lauren Harness 48
View of the shade structure from the pool
harnesslauren@gmail.com 49
Single bay axon
03 S10
Single bay axon exploded
Lauren Harness 50
Steel production and transport
harnesslauren@gmail.com 51
POOL
PARK
Pool programming
Park programming
Bench + wall and pavilion axon
Lauren Harness 52
Final bench + wall
harnesslauren@gmail.com 53
Lauren Harness 54
06 415 RED HOOK L ANE Professional work 30 week academic internship Ennead Architects LLP The 415 Red Hook Lane project is a 21-story, 210-foot tower at a busy confluence in Downtown Brooklyn. Currently under construction, the 120,000-square foot structure aims to meet the growing demand for residential property in the area and create a landmark building that attract diverse individuals and families. The first two levels are dedicated to commercial use and a large lobby known as “the stoop” in reference to historical brownstones and culture of Brooklyn neighborhoods. The form of the building is based on the junction of two masses of masonry and glass. A large sun screen enhances building performance and heightens the iconic quality of the tower. The building form produces multiple outdoor terraces serving as spillover for the communal amenities. Joining the project team during schematic design I assisted in unit design and development of the building form and facade. Solar analysis, view corridors, market consultation, and neighborhood studies were all instrumental in the tower’s evolution. My extended academic internship allowed me to follow the project through the entirety of design development and aid in detailing and documentation. With Kevin McClurken, Richard Olcott, Eugene Colberg, Zach Olczak, and Jorge Arias
harnesslauren@gmail.com 55
GE BR ID BR 1 M OOK ILE LYN G
L NA CA ILE S M U 2 1/ AN OW B 1 ARC M IL LA E Y
CE
NT
ER
COMMUNITY DECK
I NG AZ GL
+ WS VIE
N SU
PATIO
COMMUNAL PATIO + COMMUNITY ROOM
E AC TF EE R T S
PROGRAM
MASSING SHIFT
COMMUNITY SPACE + VIEWS Development of building form.
Lauren Harness 56
The building is located on a prominent corner in Downtown Brooklyn with views to Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge to the Northwest.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 57
1BD 2BD + 2
2BD + 2
J 1BD 3BD + 2
3BD + 2 2BD + 1
2BD + 1
J 1BD
1BD J 1BD
Southwest View
Southwest View
Commercial 3 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 2 Bedroom + 1 Bedroom Junior 1 Bedroom
Northwest View Northeast View
CELLAR
62'-5" 6'-8" 9'-0"
58'-2"
15'-8"
FL 3
FL 1
FL 2
20'-0" 57'-6"
58'-2"
6'-8" 9'-0"
FL 3
FL 4-7
FL 2
20'-0"
J-1BD 542 SF
1BD 642 SF
BD 1BD FL 114-20 642 SFSF 642
1 BD 642 SF
3 15 27'-6"
27'-6"
27'-6"
1 BD J-1BD 642580 SFSF
8'-0"
1 1BD BD 730 642SFSF
8'-0"
2BD+1 876 SF
32'-0"
15'-8" 32'-0"
23'-4" 15'-8" 32'-0"
32'-0"
23'-4" 23'-4"
32'-0"
21'-9" 23'-4"
27'-0"
27'-6"
J-1BD RESIDENTIAL 542 SF 499 SF
8'-0"
1 BD 642 SF
20'-0"
32'-0"
15'-8"
32'-0"
20'-0"
15'-0"
23'-4"
17'-0"
32'-0"
20'-0"
23'-4"
23'-4"
23'-4"
15'-8"
23'-4"
23'-4"
15'-8"
60'-0"
10'-0" 19'-5"
53'-1"
23'-4"
15'-8"
Plan key of apartment and commercial mix
Lauren Harness 58
5'-0" 27'-6" 3'-0"
3'-0"
27'-6"
1BD 627 SF
J-1BD 583 SF
3BD+2 1409 SF
5'-0"
60'-0"
45'-0" 7'-0"
7'-0" 15'-8"
J-1BD 620 SF
24'-9"
25'-0"
3'-0"
25'-0" 49'-2"
1 BD 642 SF
23'-4"
15'-8"
10'-0"
1 BD 642 SF
60'-0"
45'-0"
5'-0" 27'-6"
5'-0"
2BD+2 1023 SF
67'-0"
45'-0"
5'-0"
3 BD +2 1387 SF
7'-0"
1BD 642 SF
7'-0"
1BD 642 SF
3'-0"
27'-6"
60'-0"
45'-0" 24'-9"
1BD 642 SF
28'-10"
23'-4" 15'-8"
15'-0"
1 BD 705 SF
23'-4" 23'-4"
23'-4"
30'-0"
1 BD 852 SF
23'-4" 42'-10"
24'-9"
15'-8"
45'-0"
15'-8"
3'-0"
27'-6" 23'-4"
2BD+2 1BD 6421180 SF SF
25'-0"
15'-8"
10'-0"
7'-0"
23'-4"
J-1BD 620 SF
5'-0"
28'-10"
2BD+1 876 SF
27'-6" 5'-0"
J-1BD 620 SF
45'-0"
60'-0"
45'-0"
60'-0"
23'-4"94'-9"
27'-6"
J-1BD 541 SF
27'-6" 3'-0"
3'-0"
21'-6"
8'-0" 7'-0"
8'-0"
3 BD+2 1518 SF
42'-10"
15'-8"
1 BD 1 BD FL 11-13 642 SF 642 SF
25'-0"
15'-8"
COMMERCIAL 7509 SF
15'-0"
23'-4"
10'-0"
15'-8"
3'-0"
27'-6" 84'-9"
94'-9"
2BD+2 1180 SF
32'-0"
10'-0" 10'-0" 10'-8"
COMMERCIAL 5880 SF FL 8-10
10'-0"
COMMERCIAL 7509 SF
5'-0"
45'-0"
45'-0"
60'-0"
60'-0" 45'-0" Ejector Pit Room 108 sq ft
32'-0"
32'-0"
1 BD 730 SF
10'-0"
Gas/Service Room 100 sq ft
3'-0"
Pump Room 100 sq ft
50'-4"
60'-0"
BR
Boiler Room 200 sq ft
25'-0"
15'-0" 15'-8"
Trash Compactor Room 300 sq ft
3'-0" 10'-0"
Electrical Service Room 150 sq ft
45'-0"
23'-4"
27'-6"
RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL 499 SF 2527 SF
21'-9"
Supers Office 95 sq ft
Locker Room 95 sq ft
IT/Telecom Room 78 sq ft
10'-0"
40'-0"
40'-0" Storage 80 sq ft
Mail Room
WORKSHOP 105 sq ft
45'-0"
ing Support
Storage
Leasing Office
Gym Rest Room 77 SF Janitors Closet 55 sF
7'-0"
Reception/ Lobby
BR
10'-0"
AL SF
Residential 4865 SF
Bike Storage
20'-0"
Tenant Storage
115 sf
Leasing Office
17'-0"
660 sq ft
Bike Storage
17'-0" 15'-0" 40'-0"
Residential Tenant Storage
Room
15'-0"
Lounge
J62
SKYLIGHT ABOVE
RESIDENT ENTRY RECEPTION OFFICE
MAIL ROOM
STORAGE
Commercial Tenant Space
CL
CL
Level 1: The lobby also know as “The Stoop”.
Currently under construction 415 Red Hook Lane topped out at 210 feet early summer 2016.
harnesslauren@gmail.com 59
P U B L I C AT I O N : Oz Journal, College of Architecture, Planning, and Design, Kansas State University
As co-editor of the 37th annual publication of Oz Journal I collaborated to develop an engaging theme and curate contributed works. My responsibilities included soliciting and corresponding with authors, reviewing abstracts and articles, and graphic development of the journal. Together with the publication team we lead promotional events, journal sales, and mailings to source funding. With Volume 37 we sought to explore ideas in design throught the publicaiton of diverse responses to theoretical issues by engaging leading practitioners, scholars, and artists worldwide. The journal, in print, is available for purchase at: http://www.ozjournal.org/journals/tocs/v37.html
[ Theme Statement: ]
[ Contributing Authors: ]
Decisions cannot be made in isolation. Oz, Volume 37, addresses the implications of context in architecture. Responding to context allows buildings to convey values of society and serve as a reflection of time and place. This process originates from a spectrum of influences, not always tangible. Oz 37 asks, “what is the role of context in your conception of architecture?�
Marlon Blackwell and David Buege Joseph Biondo and Dan Silberman, Spillman Farmer Architects Anne Lindberg Adam Yarinsky, Architectural Research Office Nicholas de Monchaux Brad Cloepfil, Allied Works Architecture David Adjaye, Adjaye Associates Kate Orf, Gena Wirth and Anne Weber, SCAPE/Landscape Architecture David Ericsson, Lake | Flato Architects
Lauren Harness 60
Within and Among
Brad Cloepfil Allied Works Architecture
Architecture begins with a site. As architects we act upon a site and simultaneously, forces of culture and time act upon the buildings we create. Site is the potential of (environmental) and opportunities (experiential) that exist in a place. Sites are physical, topographical, environmental, but they are also cultural and institutional. Where all sites carry the same value, built or un-built, urban or rural—each site ture must be cultivated from the site, rising up out of the existing forces. Occupation Occupation are what we commonly refer to as context. An awareness of context implies a relative positioning of the self. I am here, among these buildings, or within ideas and technology. In acknowledgcultural forces, experiences or qualities, you have begun a conversation of context. One that leads to inclusions and exclusions, one that discerns, edits and amplifies. At Allied Works, we consider these responses to context as the fundamental acts of architecture. response to context:
46
Narrative—employing prescribed ideas in response to place. Relational—us versus them, a position of measuring.
Denver landscape. Image: Victoria Sambunaris
Maryhill Overlook. Image: Sally Schoolmaster
Responsive— engaging an existing quality or character. Aggregate— assimilation of many disparate pieces. Evocative—poetic response to perception and experience.
responses that assert a position, an engagement in the conversation of context, and thus orient the potential building while providing the force to hold its ground in a particular context.
Within these types of response—and I’m sure there are many more nuanced distinctions—there are possible
ties and characteristics. Editing—acts of inclusion and exclusion.
Illuminating—literally casting light on a situation or subject. Discerning—a more nuanced act of distinction than editing. As examples of these responses and actions, I present the following four examples of our work as case studies—types of contextual response and the acts of making applied to various sites.
Context as Landscape: Maryhill Overlook The Maryhill project began with a site on the Columbia River, chosen as a summer studio project I was then teaching at the University of Oregon. The initial context was a narrative position, entitled “The Sitings Project,” which stated that every site generates its own specific response and, subsequently, acts of
building gather their primary will from those responses. Whether urban, rural, forest, or desert, all sites apply a force to making that informs and propels a specific architecture. The simple concrete ribbon of the Overlook was an acknowledgement of the scale of that barren landscape—a primary mark of distinction that created a here and a there, but was also occupy-
able. A place in which to hold and measure yourself against a seemingly infinite landscape.
47
Within and Among Allied Works Architecture Narrative, Relational, Responsive, Aggregate, Evocative [Brad Cloepfil]
The Deep Section Karst Urbanism in Town Branch Commons
Kate Orff, Gena Wirth, and Anne Weber SCAPE/Landscape Architecture
Nothing is without context. Every lawn, parking lot, skyscraper, or national park has been shaped by a myriad of factors natural and humanmade. As a research-driven practice, our work at SCAPE is empowered by the complex layers of systems that act upon a site: rates of urban development, economic shifts, ecohydrological systems, and circulation systems, to name just a few. We see design as a means not only to reveal these system—to make their traces legible—but also as an opportunity to act within and upon them. Our work on Town Branch Commons, an urban plan for the heart of the Bluegrass in Lexington, Kentucky, looks not only at how natural systems can be harnessed to reshape urban growth, but how social agency and public engagement can help transform citizens’ relationship with water. only by the many forces that have shaped its surface—its rich history, diverse ecologies, rural/urban boundaries, and networked infrastructures— but also by what lies beneath. Karst geology is Lexington’s hidden secret. ing the city nourishes the growth of Kentucky Bluegrass and is rumored to improve the taste of Lexington’s locally
60
of Karst create unexpected patterns of water flow, where underground waterways travel through permeable limestone layers to surface into pools, disappear into sinks, and dramatically resurface when least expected.
Harnessing its deeply local context to shape the identity of the downtown future for Lexington that is inclusive, resilient, competitive, and ecologically productive. Strategy of Karst, our design strategy—Reveal, Clean, Carve, Connect—ties the nuances of Lexington’s rich substrata to unique development potentials on its surface. We aim to reveal the underground stream and the multi-faceted qualities of water as a series of urban destinations, clean Town Branch into
an ecologically viable and safe waterway, carve Town Branch into the downtown fabric to stage its topographic qualities, and connectTown Branch back into the neighborhoods where it originates. Rather than a single, linear stream channel, Town Branch becomes a network of water windows, pools, pockets, fountains, and filter gardens that evoke and expose the underground stream and shape diverse typologies of public space along its length. Town Branch historically gave form to Lexington’s early settlement pattern and it can once again catalyze and unite the city along its newly formed banks.
Karst Geology as Placemaker and the emergent patterns of use downtown have provided a framework that adapts to a diversity of urban conditions along its length. In the natural hills and valleys around Lexington, water surfaces into pools, then disappears into “sinks” to travel underground and unexpectedly idea that Town Branch can surface and disappear again within the city fabric not only makes for a more feaand generates new places along its 61
The Deep Section SCAPE/ Landscape Architecture Karst Urbanism in Town Branch Commons [Kate Orff, Gena Wirth, and Anne Weber]
harnesslauren@gmail.com 61
LAUREN R. HARNESS L E E D G R E E N A S S O C I AT E A S S O C I AT E A I A harnesslauren@gmail.com 620-640-5819 215 W. Pershing Rd. #804 Kansas City, MO 64108
E D U C AT I O N Grad. May 2015
Spring 2011
K A N S A S S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y Master of Architecture Minor Regional and Community Planning U N I V E R S I D A D V E R I TA S Arte, Diseño, Arquitectura San Jose, Costa Rica Study Abroad Semester
EXPERIENCE June 2015-Current
Jan.-Aug. 2014
Summer 2012
Winter 2012
Lauren Harness 62
EL DORADO INC. Designer I, Kansas City, MO Novel Restaurant Crossroads Boutique Hotel KCUR Public Radio ENNEAD ARCHITECTS, LLP A r c h i t e c t u r a l I n t e r n , N e w Yo r k , N Y Taihu Lake Master plan Art Museum concept study and diagramming Li vingston A par tment Tow er CAMP COUNSELOR C a m p S t a r l i g h t c o u n s e l o r , S t a r l i g h t , PA JOB SHADOWING GMCN Ar chitects, Garden City, KS
INVOLVEMENT 2015-Current
ECO-ABET Fa c i l i t a t e d p r o b o n o d e s i g n c h a r r e t t e f o r l o c a l community development project
2013-Current
WOMEN IN DESIGN - Community service chair - Event coordinator
2014-2015
Fall 2013
OZ JOURNAL EDITOR Annual architectural college publication Vo l u m e 3 7 T h e m e : “ C o n t e x t ” DEAN’S STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL Monthly CAPD meetings with College Dean consisting of representatives from student clubs
2012-2013
STUDENT DESK DESIGN TEAM Selected by faculty to participate in concept desk design for the architecture program
2010-2013
G A M M A P H I B E TA - Community service chair - Environmental chair
2006-Current
F I N N E Y C O U N T Y P R E S E R VAT I O N A L L I A N C E - Vo l u n t e e r i n h i s t o r i c h o t e l p r e s e r v a t i o n e f f o r t s - Fundraising , tour-guide, display design
ACHIEVEMENTS & AWA R D S Fall 2013 Fall 2013 Fall 2013 Fall 2013 2009-2014 2010-2013 Spring 2012 Spring 2012
SKILLS
Manko W indows Design Award Honoree Phi Kappa Phi Collegiate Honor Society Fr a n c e s S c h e p p a n d L e s l i e E . W i l k i e S c h o l a r s h i p Beaux Arts Ball Art Competition First Plaace D e a n ’s H o n o r R o l l Gamma Phi Beta 4.0 Scholarship Kansas State University Udall Scholarship Representative Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society - Habitat for Humanity Ser vice Trip COMPUTER Rhino, Revit, 3DS Max, Adobe Creative Suite, A u t o c a d , S ke t c h U p, Ve c t o r w o r k s, V R a y HAND DRAWING Drafting , sketching MAKING Laser cutting , model craft, CNC, shop drawings, metal fabrication
harnesslauren@gmail.com 63