1590 Cambridge St. #5_Cambridge_Massachusetts 02138//559.355.6310//melissahow@gmail.com
ACADEMIC _01 New Media Hybrid Arts Center I.M.A.G.I.N.E. Immigration Museum Exposition Park Sustainable High-Rise Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO) Headquarters Little Red Car Theatre
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PROFESSIONAL _02 Los Angeles Mission College Media Arts Center Los Angeles Unified School District Central Region 9th Street Span
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PERSONAL _03 Orderly Civilians Photography
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“The central theme of ‘Reciprocal Integration’ focuses on the idea that the place of the landscape exists because of the built environment and the built environment receives its identity from its place in the landscape.” - Ken McCown
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The projects excerpted here were designed during my undergraduate years studying Architecture at the University of Southern California from 2002 to 2007. While they vary widely in both scope and intent, they share a distinct focus on the extrapolation of contextual forms, ideas, and languages in order to establish themselves as cornerstones of their respective communities. They take their cues from their surroundings and strive to facilitate community growth through the promotion of a reinvigorated sense of place, time, and humanity.
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They are presented, not in chronological order, but relative to each other and the ideas contained therein.
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contrasting exploration of traditional modernist lines.
NEW MEDIA HYBRID ARTS CENTER USC CAMPUS LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA FALL 2006 ARCH402bL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PROFS. YO HAKOMORI & KULAPAT YANTRASAST
building. Whereas the art building speaks of artistic expression, the administrative building is a
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The New Media Hybrid Arts Center Topic Studio was focused on the exploration of hybridism and multiplicity in architecture through the design and planning of a mixed-function hybrid building for multiple user groups—a place of encounter where different art disciplines may benefit mutually from interaction with each other. The study of such a center creates complex and stimulating opportunities to explore the dynamics of the interface between multiple disciplines to create a new identity not inherent in projects of a single discipline. Based on underlying principles of surrealist architecture and studies of the effect of non-orthogonal spaces on artistic intuitivity, the distinctive form of the art center is seen through a system of continuous surfaces that wrap around unique multi-utility spaces that are informed by the users of the
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The University of Southern California is home to a host of renowned schools of art, design, and media. However, the majority of them are pushed to the North and South sides of campus, creating an almost tangible lack of arts-related education within the center of the school. With this in mind, I selected a site along the central artery of campus in order to foster the creation of an “ArtSCorridor.� This corridor would serve a two-fold purpose:
increase the visibility of the various schools of art and bring art back to the heart of USC. 2
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The site that I chose was the site on which the 1968 Norman Topping Student Center was situated. The blocky Topping Student Center was an underutilized obstruction in the heart of campus that impeded the flow of traffic from Trousdale to the west side of campus and the open dining plaza directly behind the center. Slated for demolition in late 2007, the Topping Student
Center’s fig tree-lined site and the surrounding plaza will become key players in the creation of a social and academic hub on campus. With its connection to the main
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hospitality area of Commons, the site would allow the proposed building to be utilized not only by the art students, but also those from non-art related disciplines who would come to dine and be entertained.
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PROGRAMMING
Drawing inspiration from the diverse schools of fine art, music, cinematelevision, and architecture, the
program for the Hybrid Arts Center included architecture and fine art studios, multipurpose reconfigurable classrooms, music practice rooms, film stages, music recording studios, gallery spaces, an outdoor roof terrace, administrative office, and an auditorium. 1
CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT
Students were asked to select examples of artwork that they imagined would be produced in their art centers. Because of an interest in New Media Arts, I chose works that juxtaposed seem-
ingly banal ideas in order to form dynamic compositions. These works, at times strange and
otherworldly, embodied many aspects of surrealism— a hyper-reality of sorts. In my large-scale concept model, I sought to explore the surrealism that arises from the juxtaposition of two opposing and contrary elements. What happens when they come
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together? What happens in the spaces between, and how can these ideas be translated into an architectural language? Here, the idea of the fig trees that line the site and the mutualism that exists
between the trees and the agaonid wasps that help pollinate them came into play as a conceptual device for disparate forces that come together in order to create the extraordinary.
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FORMAL DEVELOPMENT
The Hybrid Arts Center was conceived as having two disparate buildings that would react to one another. Based on underlying surrealist principles of womb-like architecture and studies of the effects of non-rectilinear space on the artistic mind (such as the Obu House in Cologne, Germany by Erwin E. Zander), the distinctive form
of the student art building is rendered as a faceted jewel, a system of continuous surfaces that sinuously wrap around curvilinear spaces that may be partitioned and mutated to suit. Thus, the art
center evokes sculptural ideas of artistic expression and the center’s biomorphic form takes on two connotations within the context of the site: as the “heart” of campus in which the organic form literally suggests
Whereas the art building speaks of imagination and artistic form, the administrative building is a contrast-
ing exploration of traditional modernist-functionalist lines and the rectilinear spaces favored by traditional offices. Clad in bamboo, the building acts as the base for the roof and sunshading system. The
interstitial social space between the administrative building and the curvilinear form of the arts building simultaneously draws users in and encourages them to participate in the activities occurring inside.
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organs of the body and as a plant pushing up from its twisted roots buried deep below.
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The Interactive Museum of American Generational Immigration and Native Exploration (IMAGINE) is dedicated to an understanding of immigration and the way in which various cultures understand time and space relatively and contingently. Incorporating a non-profit research/educational institute, the design of the museum is based on the
conceptualization of the immigration path as a series of linear and non-linear narratives that intersect and influence each other. These “narrative strands” flow in and out of time and space, defining a building language that recalls of the linear-ascension narrative of American immigrants.
Located in the multi-culturally diverse and historically significant area of MacArthur Park, one of the major entry points for Latino immigrants today, the museum itself is an unconventional one that is fundamentally concerned with creating an understanding of the “immigration story.” Incorporating state-of-the-art digital technologies that trace
the movement patterns of visitors and “talking” electronic kiosks whose information changes in accordance to the various trajectories chosen by the visitor, the museum experience is constantly in flux.
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across the nation, the museum seeks to promote ideas of tolerance and respect for immigrants of all generations by underscoring the heroic nature of their journey--the pitfalls as well as the triumphs. Additionally, the non-profit organization that is also housed in the building is an educational center that seeks to alleviate the power imbalance that reverberates through many immigrant families in
which the English-speaking children hold more power than their parents in communicating with and making decisions in an English-based society. Through programs that educate immigrant parents in language, business, and childcare issues, the institution promotes the achievement of balanced familial relationships and a subsequent reduction in juvenile delinquency rates in the MacArthur Park/Westlake Area.
I.M.A.G.I.N.E. IMMIGRATION MUSEUM MACARTHUR PARK LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA SPRING 2007 ARCH502 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PROF. AMY MURPHY
generational evolution/kinship are blurred, and lasting impressions and memories are formed in the collective story bank that forms MacArthur Park. Highlighting the personal stories of immigrants
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Like the personal paths that an immigrant embarks upon, the digital exhibit is informed by the changing ways that visitors relate to the stories presented and to each other. Definitions of borders/homeland, race/ethnicity,
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Currently occupied by an old and dilapidated community center that had been constructed around the 1920’s, the site chosen for this project was located within MacArthur park itself and was ideal for the creation of a progressive museum that dealt with the implications of being of the immigrant community. By existing within the park, the museum would become part of the community, giving the people of MacArthur Park a
sense of ownership and affinity with the institute, much as they have with the park itself--an important venue for many aspects of their lives.
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Placement of the museum in the park allows for the establishment of a family-friendly reputation, as there exists an adjacent bandshell and children’s playground. The replacement of the outdated Community Center
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would alleviate the health issues stemming from the asbestos problem plaguing the existing structure, which would require potentially extensive and costly renovations that would far exceed the cost of demolishment and replacement.
CONCEPTUAL STUDIES
Imagining the immigration journey as a series of
linear and non-linear narratives that would weave in and out of, intersecting and affecting each other, concept models were created
that envisioned walls imprinted with the individual stories of the immigrants of MacArthur Park. Utilizing a variety of scales, ideas of perfectly balanced rocks that represent harmonious families and buildings that act as translators for MacArthur Park’s multilingual community were explored throughout the conceptual phase, resulting in a deeper former and metaphorical understanding of the building. Additionally, ideas for the exhibition space as a free-flowing,
self-generating and referencing digital environment
were also explored, ultimately informing the museum’s intended exhibition design. 1
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varied opportunities for the development of unique solutions for an urban modular, multi-storey infill tower building typology. Within proximity of a major cultural and entertainment hub that includes the main complex of the California Science Center, the Frank Gehry Aerospace Museum, the Coliseum Memorial Sports Arena, the Natural History and African American Museums, this highly sustainable, off-grid building is home to a portion of the California Science Center’s aerospace exhibition as well as an interactive building
systems exhibit that is aimed at educating visitors about the green methods and processes that can be implemented in progressive buildings. The exhibit will showcase the succession fields, photovoltaic cladding, and constructed wetlands that work together to promote a healthier and more economic environment. Intended to be occupied around the clock, the approximately 150,000 square foot building also features aeronautic laboratories and office spaces, as well as dining and nightlife facilities aimed at reinvigo-
rating Exposition Park as a major destination for education and entertainment.
SUSTAINABLE HIGH-RISE EXPOSITION PARK LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA SPRING 2006 ARCH402bL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PROF. THOMAS SPIEGELHALTER
Located in the heart of Los Angeles’s Exposition Park, adjacent to the diverse housing communities and the sprawling campus of the University of Southern California, the site for the proposed complex provides rich and
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The sustainable high-rise building studio offers the opportunity to investigate experimental and energyefficient building design that is invested in ideals of environmental sustainability while promoting building systems integration thinking. The project seeks to explore alternative solar high-rise infill building typologies within high-density urban contexts which are critically derived from the sprawling, low and medium-rise communities that make up the decentralized suburban condition.
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serves as the driving formal idea of the complex. Their ability to harness the energy created by pressure differentials as well as the way in which they are compartmentalized provide for exciting possibilities within the building’s design. Ideas that incorporate the light and air wells that 4
surround the building’s central core and which create a chimney effect that draws out exhaust air are conceptualized within the proposed design. However, as the jet engine is considered to be
an active system, the idea of sailboats which also rely on differential wind pressures passively is more closely aligned with sustainable design. The design draws on this concept of the sailboat as a way of dealing with natural ventilation and wind energy. In order to sustainably combat the heat gain and glare caused by the
area’s low-rise building topology, the complex incorporates ideas from the compass barrel cactus, a plant native to the arid climate of Los Angeles which has the odd habit of always pointing south. This phenomenon is explained by the faster growth
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of the cactus’s north side which receives more shade, incorporated into the building by the strategic placement of the office and sleeping blocks towards the north side of the building. The cactus also protects itself from the harsh desert sun with its spiny covering of needles, which form a secondary barrier against the sunlight, an idea utilized in the building through the employment of a dense skin-like covering of louvers.
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CONCEPTUAL STUDIES The proposed complex draws upon the field of aeronautics for its inspiration. Here, the jet engine
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through the site, recalling the Grand Axes that are prevalent in French architecture. This axis, disrupted and shifted in its linearity, divides the complex programmatically into two separate buildings that house the offices and library spaces, respectively. Through this canyon flows a grove of tall, spindly poplars
that vary in density as one passes through the site, creating a dialogue between landscape and built form. Here, nature is
treated not with the reserve and sanctity of Perrault’s Bibliotheque, but with an openness that allows for interaction between urban Parisians and the natural environment.
INALCO HEADQUARTERS & LIBRARY RIVE GAUCHE PARIS, FRANCE SUMMER 2005 ARCH402aL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
frame views, provide structure, and create a senses of organic movement through the building. From these extended lines, a chasm is generated
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a series of concrete bearing walls that fold into the building in order to
PROF. SELWYN TING
Adjacent to architectural landmarks such as Le Corbusier’s Salvation Army as well as the Bibliotheque Nationale by Dominique Perrault, the design for the National Institute for Asian Languages and Civilizations’s (INALCO) headquarters and library seizes the opportunities provided by its context and create a place of research and learning that is experienced in unconventional and stimulating ways. The triangular building form allows existing sight lines dictated by the architecture of the Parisian neighborhood to shape the spaces that define and are defined by the building. The structure consists of
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the buildings around it while still maintaining a sense of intimacy.
Site constraints gave rise to the idea of elevating the afterschool, rehearsal, and administrative spaces in a braced truss bridge that spanned across the
theatre, while keeping the theatre space and its necessary support spaces firmly grounded. Expanding upon the idea of a bridge-like structure
spanning across the theatre, further separation of the two structures is created by a concave roof that extends a sweeping gesture towards the plaza. Circulation between the two portions of the building occurs vertically within the two megaframe column supports of the truss. Photovoltaic arrays, operable windows, and roof gardens respond to the need for energy efficiency.
LITTLE RED CAR THEATRE KOREATOWN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA SPRING 2005 ARCH302bL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
site is bordered by various high-rise office buildings. The challenge then was to design a building that incorporated and referenced the language of
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theatre that would also house an afterschool program for elementary school children. Currently occupied by a two-storey food court, the narrow
PROF. CHRISTOPH KAPELLER
Located at the intersection of Normandie and Wilshire in the Koreatown/Wilshire Center area in Los Angeles, the Little Red Car Theatre Project was a comprehensive design project that integrated structural, enclosural, and experiential building systems. Its rich urban context and adjacency to the Normandie Metro Station made it the perfect site on which to locate an innovative
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TRI-TOWN COMMUNITY WETLANDS & BIOFUELING STATION SOUTH WEYMOUTH NAVAL AIR STATION, MASSACHUSETTS FALL 2010 MLA 3RD SEMESTER CORE HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN PROF. JULIA N. WATSON
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This project, a product of the 3rd semester MLA core curriculum at the Graduate School of Design, envisions the demilitarized South Weymouth Naval Airforce base in Weymouth, Massachusetts as a generator of both community and economy. Through community owned and managed groundwater treatment and potable water distribution plant, the constructed wetlands for sewage treatment, and algaculture ponds for biofuel generation, jobs are created and important infrastructural services are provided by the community for the community. Additionally, the utilization of biofuel in powering a proposed “Tri-Town Transportation Fleet� will serve to connect community centers, nursing homes and schools to each other and allow for greater site accessibility. The project is divided into two phases: Phase 1, which lasts for 15 years, is characterized by an introspective remediation of on-site contaminants and defines the site boundary at the interior of the existing wetlands. Phase 2, which starts after all remediation efforts have been completed during year 16, is focused on the extroverted generation of community prosperity by providing of important infrastructural services. The project is comprised of 5 intertwined processes: groundwater treatment and aquifer replenishment, sewage treatment, constructed wetlands, algae production, and contaminated soil treatment.
brunswick naval air station
CUMBERLAND & SAGADAHOC COUNTIES, ME - 3,094 ACRES PROPOSED ON NPL: OCTOBER 15, 1984 FINALIZED ON NPL: JULY 22, 1987 PROJECTED CONSTRUCTION COMPLETED: 2008 DELETED FROM NPL: PENDING POPULATION: 3,000 PEOPLE RESIDING WITHIN 1 MILE RADIUS 22 POSSIBLE SOURCES (SITES) OF CONTAMINATION: ACIDS, CAUSTICS, PESTICIDES, SOLVENTS, BUILDING MATERIALS, ASBESTOS, VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS CLEANUP APPROACH: 3 PHASES - SHORT TERM REMOVAL, LONG TERM REMEDIATION, & LONG TERM MONITORING
REMEDIAL EFFORTS: REMOVAL OF PESTICIDE CONTAMINATED SOIL TO OFF-SITE INCINERATOR DYNAMIC GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION & REMEDIATION SYSTEM GROUNDWATER & SURFACE WATER MONITORING MAINTENANCE & ENFORCEMENT OF LAND USE CONTROLS REMOVAL OF UNDERGROUND STORAGE DRUMS OFF-SITE DOUBLE CAP CONSTRUCTED OVER LANDFILLS LANDFILL SLOPES STABILIZED
hanscom field air force base MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MA - 1,220 ACRES PROPOSED ON NPL: MAY 10, 1993 FINALIZED ON NPL: MAY 31, 1994 CONSTRUCTION COMPLETE: SEPTEMBER 28, 2007 DELETED FROM NPL: PENDING
22 POSSIBLE SOURCES (SITES) OF CONTAMINATION: BASE NEUTRAL ACIDS, METALS, PERSISTANT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS, PESTICIDES, CHLORINATED SOLVENTS, JET FUEL, PETROLEUM COMPOUNDS, VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
CLEANUP APPROACH: 3 PHASES - SHORT TERM REMOVAL, LONG TERM REMEDIATION, & LONG TERM MONITORING
REMEDIAL EFFORTS: REMOVAL OF 2,763 TONS OF PETROLEUM CONTAMINATED SOIL DYNAMIC GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION & REMEDIATION SYSTEM GROUNDWATER & SURFACE WATER MONITORING MAINTENANCE & ENFORCEMENT OF LAND USE CONTROLS PERMEABLE CAP CONSTRUCTED OVER LANDFILLS AND FILTER BEDS WETLAND RESTORATION
CURRENTLY OPERATED BY MASSPORT AS CIVILIAN AIRPORT
fort devens sudbury training annex MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MA - 2,750 ACRES
PROPOSED ON NPL: JULY 14, 1998 FINALIZED ON NPL: FEBRUARY 21, 1990 DELETED FROM NPL: JANUARY 29, 2002
CLEANUP APPROACH: 2 PHASES - INITIAL ACTIONS & LONG TERM REMEDIATION
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REMEDIAL EFFORTS: REMOVAL OF CONTAMINATED SOIL OFF-SITE REMOVAL OF UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS FENCING OF CONTAMINATED SITES TO REDUCE HUMAN EXPOSURE GROUNDWATER & SURFACE WATER MONITORING MAINTENANCE & ENFORCEMENT OF LAND USE CONTROLS CAP CONSTRUCTED OVER LANDFILLS
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72 POSSIBLE SOURCES (SITES) OF CONTAMINATION: VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, PESTICIDES, INORGANICS
7 POSSIBLE SOURCES (SITES) OF CONTAMINATION: CHLORINATED SOLVENTS, JET FUEL, PETROLEUM COMPOUNDS, HEAVY METALS, LEAD-BASED PAINTS & BATTERY ACIDS
CURRENTLY A FISH & WILDLIFE REFUGE, US AIRFORCE RADAR INSTALLATION, FEMA REGIONAL OPERATIONS & TRAINING CENTER
south weymouth naval air station NORFOLK & PLYMOUTH COUNTY, MA - 1,442 ACRES PROPOSED ON NPL: JUNE 23, 1993 FINALIZED ON NPL: MAY 31, 1995 RECORD OF DECISION SIGNED: SEPTEMBER 2006 DELETED FROM NPL: PENDING
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RESIDENCES ON SITE
FIRE TRAINING SITE
AMMUNITIONS DEPOT
WETLANDS ON SITE
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CLEANUP APPROACH: 2 PHASES - INITIAL ACTIONS & LONG TERM REMEDIATION Meters REMEDIAL EFFORTS: 150,000REMOVAL OF CONTAMINATED SOIL OFF-SITE REMOVAL OF UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS MAINTENANCE & ENFORCEMENT OF LAND USE CONTROLS PROPOSED CAP CONSTRUCTED OVER LANDFILLS GROUNDWATER & SURFACE WATER MONITORING PROPOSED MAINTENANCE & ENFORCEMENT OF LAND USE CONTROLS PROPOSED WETLAND RESTORATION PROPOSED INITIAL REUSE PLAN PROVIDES FOR OFFICE/RETAIL USE, SENIOR HOUSING, BALLFIELDS, & GOLF COURSE
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TACTICS, MANEUVERS & OPERATIONS_CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS
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This rendering shows the mixture of constructed wetland typologies that come together to create a variety of spatial experiences on site. They increase biodiversity and provide space for recreational activities such as hiking, biking, and bird watching and well as educational “field station� areas where informal classes can be held for students in the community, both young and old. It also indicates the soil mixing process both by showing the results of small islands and the on-going construction in distance. This image represents the productivity of our site and its potential as a dynamic topography.
“To create architecture is to put in order. Put what in order? Function and objects.� - Le Corbusier
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The projects presented here were designed during the two and a half years after my undergraduate career that I worked at Quatro Design Group, a medium-sized firm in the Arts District of Los Angeles. Our work consists of primarily educational facilities as well as affordable housing developments.
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During my employment with Quatro Design Group, I had the opportunity to work on a number of higher educational projects for the Los Angeles Community College District. In particular, I had the pleasure of carrying the Media Arts Center project for LA Mission College from Design Proposal through the Department of State Architects approval process. I have also been fortunate to have been an integral team member for the design of a new K-8 LAUSD/Para Los Ninos Span school to be located near Skid Row in Downtown LA and have had the opportunity to participate in and contribute to the design of these projects.
The primary goal of this project was to create a new, vibrant Media Arts Center which will provide an on-going cultural forum in the Fine and Performing Arts. The new center will benefit not only the student body of Los Angeles Mission College, but shall also reach out and engage the surrounding community. The facility is envisioned as a
welcoming center that reinforces the strengths and values of the college.
The proposed design will construct a new Media Arts Center (MAC) in the central quadrant of the campus. The MAC will consist of a 3-story building that incorporates a mezzanine
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Rendering courtesy of Quatro Design Group
2002-2011 MEDIA ARTS CENTER LOS ANGELES MISSION COLLEGE SYLMAR, CALIFORNIA QUATRO DESIGN GROUP
and lecture hall, an art exhibition gallery, a multi-purpose recital room, production studio, and sculpture classroom. The Second Level will house a smaller screening room and various classrooms and studios. The Third Level will house painting and drawing studios as well as an interior design classroom.
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level to serve Theatrical control functions. The Ground Level will consist of a multi-purpose theatre
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I had the unique opportunity to participate in the design charettes that informed the design of the building and its landscape. We were awarded the project and as the only constant member on a team of revolving designers, I was fortunate to have worked on the project on each design phase and be a part of the team that took the project to the Division of State Architect’s backcheck process. Here are examples of the diagrams and study sketches I produced for the preliminary design charette.
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Rendering courtesy of E7
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The proposed LAUSD Central Region 9th Street Span consists of two schools sharing a single campus located along ‘Skid Row’ in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. A LAUSD K-8 elementary school and a charter middle school operated by Para Los Ninos will share social and play spaces with separated classroom buildings.
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Rendering courtesy of Quatro Design Group
NEW MEDIA HYBRID ARTS9TH CENTER CAMPUSLOSLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA2009-2013 LAUSD CENTRAL REGION ST SPANUSC SCHOOL ANGELES, CALIFORNIA FALL 2006 ARCH402bL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PROFS. YO HAKOMORI & KULAPAT YANTRASAST QUATRO DESIGN GROUP
My role in this ongoing project was to develop site strategies and work with the client to devise an approach to the programmatic massing. I also was fortunate to participate in the preliminary design charette that would inform the design of the building. Additionally, I acted as Job Captain and ensured that the design concepts were carried through the Schematic Design process.
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Due to the tight urban site, buildings are placed along the property lines to maximize play areas and to form a defensible perimeter. This approach provides an urban street edge consistent with the surrounding central city context while minimizing typical chain-link fenced playgrounds.
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Renderings courtesy of Quatro Design Group
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NEW MEDIA HYBRID ARTS2\\SECOND CENTER USC CAMPUS LOS ANGELES,LEVEL CALIFORNIA 1\\THIRD LEVEL PLAN LEVEL PLAN 3\\GROUND PLAN 4\\AERIAL VIEW OF BUILDING IN SITE FALL 2006OF PLAY ARCH402bL UNIVERSITY 5\\VIEW YARD FACING NORTH OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PROFS. YO HAKOMORI & KULAPAT YANTRASAST
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“Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.� - Louis Kahn
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Aside from my architectural work, I find myself drawn to a range of hobbies which involve the visual arts and handicraft. While I would hesitate to label myself as a photographer or an artisan, I have a great interest in the production of both. I am constantly learning and challenging myself to think beyond the architectural course of study that I have pursued in the hopes that these offshoot ventures may ultimately inform each other and allow for a cross-pollination of ideas from different disciplines.
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the store--from the product itself to the business cards and the 100% post-consumer reused/ repurposed packaging, made from discarded plotter paper tubes that my workplace goes through as well as
the empty boxes accummulated from sample shipments and office supplies. The aesthetic of Orderly Civilians is best understood by its licensed name, reflective of the desire for an industrialized utopia wherein each person lives and works responsibly. Future store offerings will expand upon this
theme, incorporating materials such as wood, wool felt, and metal for rugged, yet streamlined design concepts. With over 40 sales in the United States, Australia, Cyprus, and Portugal, Orderly Civilians is an exciting and burgeoning business venture.
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orders from my tiny apartment near downtown Los Angeles. Conceived as a starting endeavor into the business and retail world, Orderly Civilians also provides an outlet through which my work can reach audiences across the globe. While the store’s offerings currently only include its flagship product, the apple ring, I hope to expand production to include a wider range of jewelry and other small accessories such as scarves and pouches in the near future. Attention to detail and craftsmanship are stressed, and I take immense pride in designing every aspect of
ORDERLY CIVILIANS - JEWELRY & SMALL ACCESSORIES 2009 HTTP://WWW.ORDERLYCIVILIANS.ETSY.COM HTTP://WWW.ORDERLYCIVILIANS.WORDPRESS.COM
Orderly Civilians was started in October of 2009 as an extension of my interest in handmade crafts. Operating mostly through word-of-mouth and through a small online store, I make jewelry and process
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ORDERLY CIVILIANS - JEWELRY & SMALL ACCESSORIES 2009 - PRESENT HTTP://WWW.ORDERLYCIVILIANS.ETSY.COM GLOBE RINGS
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ORDERLY CIVILIANS - JEWELRY & SMALL ACCESSORIES 2009 - PRESENT HTTP://WWW.ORDERLYCIVILIANS.ETSY.COM HABITAT RINGS & APPLE NECKLACES
It is easier to put the world in perspective while looking through the lens of a camera. Ideas, people, and places become clearer as you adjust the focal length and look objectively at your surroundings. Excerpted here are a small selection of images best representative of my photographic body of work.
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2 PHOTOGRAPHS BRONICA SQAi 1\\GAZEBO_SAN JOSE, CA_120mm
2\\MICHAEL_SAN JOSE, CA_120mm
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2 1\\MANNY_WHITTIER, CA_120mm
2\\MARK_BOYLE HEIGHTS_LOS ANGELES, CA_120mm
MELISSA S. HOW 1590 Cambridge Street #5
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 559.355.6310 melissahow@gmail.com