M.ARCH Portfolio

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