megan
DOBROTH M . A R C H U of Oregon 208.284.8794 megan.dobroth @gmail.com p o r t f o l i o : issuu.com/ m d o b r o t h
Let us learn from the
j o u r n e y
not just the
d e s t i n a ti o n
architecture
P O R T F O L I O
architecture is a
continuing dialogue between
generations
which creates an environment
across time. Vincent Scully
portfolio: issuu.com/mdobroth
megan
megan.dobroth@gmail.com
DOBROTH
208.284.8794
This page + cover photographed at: Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art; Rivoli, Italy
table of
c o n t e n t s 2
C ommuni ty Me n ta l W e l l n e s s C e n te r
6
Multnomah bra n c h l ib ra ry
10
urban hotel
12
pdx mediatheque
14
italian mixed-use corner
18
Biketronics + FabLab
22
multi-family courtyard housing
26
visual arts school
28
sri lankan woodworking workshop
studies in urban theory, exposure to architectural bio: Through practices, and my experiences abroad in Italy, I have
discovered the complex workings of community life in the presence of successful urban spaces. My new understanding of thoughtful urban development combined with my human scale focus have created a strong optimism in urban fabrics and alternatives to subdivision living. Creating meaningful spaces that respond to their context and thoughtfully incorporate light, materials, and sustainable living - this is the challenge for designers of my generation, and one that I feel compelled to address.
less than 1 in 6
# of people with serious mental illness who
received minimally adequate treatment (Wang)
CONCEPT
Through the development of a community mental health facility, the design explores the effects of the built environment on the psychological wellbeing of its users. More specifically, critical attention was given to the design community integration, user relationship with the natural environment, and the development of safe spaces as these aspects present a particular challenge in urban settings. Creating an iconic building to house this program also increases public awareness and gives a voice to an unspoken epidemic. By fighting for the mental wellness of Portland’s citizens, we are fighting for the health of the city as a greater whole.
PROGRAM HOUSING Single Room Apartments Community Rooms Admin. Office Case Worker Offices
CLINIC Reception, Waiting Area Group Therapy Psychiatry Psychology Medication Dispensary Crisis Management, “Calm Room” Nurses Station / Staff Room
COMMUNITY Yoga, Self-Healing Strategies Art Therapy Lectures, Presentations, events Exhibit, Art Gallery Classrooms Action Center, Advocacy Offices
Portl a n d c om mu n ity me n ta l w e l l n e s s c en t e r [THESIS - 6th year of study]
2
Meeting Rm Parking Entry
Housing Office
Housing Commons
Event Room
Cliniction p Rece
Cafe
Waiting Rm Healing Art Gallery
Break up the solid face block t o c r e at e a va r i e d s t r e e t e d g e
Main Entry
Pull Apart the dense block
Insert nature into the voids
a l l o w l i g h t a n d p r o g r a m s e pa r at i o n
b o t h p u b l i c a n d p r i vat e a c c e s s
PLACE roof gardens to utilize southern exposure
supportive h o u s i n g 27 Studio Units Community Kitchen Space 7 Case Management Offices
floor plan 2nd floor
section
016
M u ltn oma h b ra n c h l i b r ary
[sixth year of study]
comm. ed. adult literacy
bl
n eo
Total Program 8,915 sf Site GROSS Area (2 floors) 9,200 sf
site
Collection 1,000 sf
ss a rea )a ll o
wa
%)
2 fl oors (gro
Staff Info Desk 150 sf Staff Support 800 sf
26
70
sf
Se rvi
ce
(30
computers writing & book binding audio recording
PROGRAM
Seating 625 sf Computer Seating 700 sf Lounge Seating
Creative Programming
350 sf Printing Room 700 sf Technology Suite
Gathering Community Classroom 800 sf Team Room 420 sf
Age Focused Children’s Area 350 sf Teen’s Area 350 sf
Troy
tol Capi y w H
site plan portland, or
process
models
Based on a science-fiction literary passage, the project encouraged creative exploration of an altered reality through model making. The program, a ‘Cheap Hotel’, called for high intensity social spaces as well as individual accommodations. Set in an old warehouse, my design utilized the organizational grid of the existing brick shell as a grounding point to a more eccentric interior. A web of suspended cables allows program space to ‘float’ vertically through the shell’s interior. The stacking of individual rooms on the perimeter creates a display of light and shadows in the exterior wall while also providing a point for observation of the suspended interior social cubes.
u rb a n h o t e l [fourth year of study]
10
blic
pu
BURNSIDE
twist of the grid
ce
spa
blic
pu
visual connections
ce
spa w
vie
m fro
are
squ
s
gle ite an s o t nds respo
view from burnside bridge
c o n c e p t
A mediatheque is a place of shared knowledge – It’s about the experience of coming together rather than accessing digital material from the private realm. The building is the culmination of the urban fabric – bringing the vitality of open public space to the interior. These programmatic platforms display an animation of activity and create a sense of being part of the larger whole. By keeping the programmed spaces flexible, the structure insures its ability to adapt with its users and remain relevant as a community icon. process: public plaza
P DX M E DIAT H E Q UE [fifth year of study]
12
sit e
pa rk (u +un nd er derg co ro ns un tru d cti rai on l )
co
rso
gia
co
mo
ma
tte o
tti
The corner site is located in a newly developing area of Torino, Italy. The building’s courtyard transitions the corner lot between the public park and the private residences, a collision of uses that structures the whole design. An urban project, the building also houses retail in a thin glass stack bordering the street.
corso giacomo matteotti underground parking ramp
offices
corso bolzano
apt 1
N apt 2
PROCESS
Ita l ia n m ix e d- u s e c o r n er [third year of study]
14
all of us are watchers --of television, of time clocks, of traffic on the freeway
--but few are o b s e r v e r s . everyone is looking, not many are seeing. Peter M. Leschak
photography o f l i g h t I taly
N floor plan
Working with 2 other students, we designed an industrial structure: Biketronics and a membership Fabrication Laboratory. To this unique program, we applied the goals of the 2030 Challenge to achieve carbon neutrality. The form of the building was dictated by sun movement, distant views, wind direction, and passive design strategies. Located in north Idaho with cold, snowy winters and summer temperatures reaching into the 90’s, both heating and cooling were addressed. Design considerations were group decisions while graphic responsibilities were distributed. My individual roles focused on systems research/design and group management.
atrium 1st level
fabrication laboratory
atrium 2nd level
b ike tron ic s + fab l ab [fourth year of study]
18
water collection
2030
bioswale constructed wetland
c h a l l e n g e :
carbon neutrality
permeable paving
Passive design strategies implemented: heat stack affect earth tubes to temper outside air natural day lighting with proper shading direct solar gain thermal mass (concrete floors and rammed earth) super insulation (straw bales) clerestory windows
straw bale + rammed earth
night insulating curtains hybrid PV panels radiant floor heating solar hot water rainwater collection constructed wetland (treat gray water) composting toilets bioswales (storm water) Permeable paving
radiant floor heating
earth tubes
Xeriscaping
the importance of light (through the play of shadows throughout the day).
entry component
street facade
COURTYARD COMPONENT
The entrance serves as a physica street and the courtyard. Howev the water feature and the c people to venture deeper into th lingering point, with the encourage interaction. T concept: layered space, interl the importance of light (throu
day lit spaces
BUMP-OUTS
apt courtyard facades
Bump-out spaces provide extra exposure to sunlight. Nano-walls are utilized in the sunroom to allow fresh air during warm days. The ceiling above the workout space has been pushed back to allow sunlight to enter on the North side of the building.
In an effort to address Seasonal Affective Disorder COURTYARD COMPONENT (SAD), both day lighting and community were priorities in this design in North Idaho. As the courtyard spaces collide so do the activities and lives of the residents. In the winter, southern and western sun exposure maximizes daylight while seasonal vegetation helps filter the summer sun. Daylight is brought into each unit through strategic roof height variations.
alley
asbury street
mu lti- fa m ily c ou rtya rd h o usi n g [third year of study]
22
Life is rich, always changing, always challenging, and we architects have the task of transmitting into wood, concrete, glass and steel, of transforming h u m a n a s p i r a t i o n s into
habitable and meaningful space.
arthur erickson
h nc
ue
Ba
q ro
Be
8
0 20
The site for Visual Arts Northwest (in NW Portland) straddled the industrial rail lines and stood isolated from the core of downtown. The urban plan connects the district with its surroundings, focusing on carrying vehicular access through the grid and creating a pedestrian plaza stepping down to the river’s edge. The program bridges across the tracks and creates a public gallery front on the square, with the student studios exposed to Naito and Glisan. The push and pull of space creates nodes of activity within the building, plays with the entrance of daylight, and self-shades the south side of the structure.
railro
ad
N
urban plan nw portland
nw na it o pk
ra
w
il
y
ro ad
nw broadway
extend park block grid
steel bridge
nw glisan st 2nd ave
3rd ave
4th ave
Vis u a l a rts sch o o l [fifth year of study]
26
Sited along the river, this woodworking institute served the local community as an institute for traditional woodworking craft.
Aimed at revitalizing
the town’s economy & continuing handcraft knowledge, the open-air architecture took advantage of the warm climate, site winds, and local materials.
Particular attention was applied to the screening of views,
definition of space, and light qualities that the wooden screens created.
S2
section
visi
tors
goo wale
bios
ds
outdoor spaces
views
movement
SW breeze
water collection
S ri l a n ka n w oodw orkin g w or ksh o p [fifth year of study]
28
structural components
A106 1
1 long section
1 A107
DN
DN
passive cooling
portfolio: issuu.com/mdobroth
megan
megan.dobroth@gmail.com
DOBROTH
208.284.8794
megan
DOBROTH M . A R C H U of Oregon
208.284.8794 megan.dobroth @gmail.com p o r t f o l i o : issuu.com/ m d o b r o t h