Michael Wade Selected Works 2014 - 2020 wade.502@osu.edu | 614.638.1846
PROJECTS
STUDIES
April 2019
October 2018
BIG BOX(ES) Page 4
LOWER SCHOOL November 2019
Page 14
CIRCULATION Page 12
JOINERS January 2019
Page 20
REST AREA November 2018 Page 22
PAVILION DUARTE HOUSE January 2019 Page 30
TOWER & GARDEN
November 2017 Page 40
September 2018
Page 36
COMPLETED
BOARDWALK November 2014 Page 46
Table of Contents | 3
BIG BOX(ES)
Throughout spring of 2019, I developed a concept for a big-box showroom store to be located on the Vitra campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. I began by considering the numerous functions that the design would need to accommodate, which included showrooms, storage, loading and unloading, offices, check-out, entry, and some sort of wrapper that would help to advertise, organize, and contain the store. Playing off of the “Big Box� typology, I sorted each program into its own box, the size and placement of which was determined based on function, occupancy, and proximity to other spaces. To create a more dynamic atmosphere, I raised, lowered, and rotated many of the spaces. The building appears as if certain boxes are bursting through an exterior wrapper, thrusting it open and snapping a membrane. Boxes therefore emerge as curtain walls tucked between pieces of wrapper broken and curling away. While many big box stores lack natural light, this move allows for its prevalence in my own design. Inside, merchandise is displayed on large square tables that can accommodate goods from lint rollers to refrigerators at differing heights. Taller, heavier appliances are located in the sunken showroom, while smaller, lighter goods are found upstairs. Additional tables can be rearranged between these permanent ones to facilitate a flexible layout.
Michael Wade
above | View of main entry bursting through exterior “wrapper� wall below | Interior view of lower shopping level showing movable table inserts, such as the one in the foreground, within the permanent table grid
Big Box(es) | 5
above | Ground floor plan, showing rotation of big boxes in relation to the wrapper right | Model showing central atrium bounded by transparent walls of upper showroom and warehouse spaces
Michael Wade
Big Box(es) | 7
above | Section through warehouse, atrium, and showroom spaces below | Elevation showing wrapper, alternate entrance, and loading area
Michael Wade
Big Box(es) | 9
right | Plan oblique, showing southeast facade, atrium, and upper showroom and offices overlooking the central atrium
Michael Wade
Big Box(es) | 11
CIRCULATION STUDY In October of 2018, I conducted an in-depth study on the flow of people and products through a local pizza restaurant. Using information that I collected, I produced two graphic representations of the restaurant’s circulation. Above is a timeline illustrating movement with respect to location. To the right is a spatial diagram of traffic and product flow.
Michael Wade
Circulation Study | 13
LOWER SCHOOL
In November of 2019, I developed a design for a primary school to be located in Clintonville, Ohio. The site was an L-shaped plot of land that abutted both High Street to the east and the Olentangy River to the west. Other site context included a grocery store to the north and several apartment buildings to the south. As I worked on this project, I was fascinated with the ideas of procession, view, and destination. I attempted to employ each of these devices as I worked to accommodate the complex program of a school for children. Heading north on High Street, one can peer into the gymnasium which is angled to greet the southeast corner of the site. A slate bearing wall facade wraps the front of the building, holding it to the ravine. This facade is penetrated by a public route through the site and a pedestrian bridge leading toward the main entry. Were one to cross this bridge, he would find himself in an outdoor plaza between the slate wall, the main entrance, and the offices. In the distance, the library becomes visible as a destination, a symbol of knowledge. A second slate bearing wall curls around the ravine toward the library. While the first wall angles to align with the orthogonality of the city, this second wall follows the natural curvature and contour of the site. K-5 Classrooms are situated through this curving bearing wall, lending each of them structural support and a view of the ravine.
Michael Wade
above | Perspective rendering of the east facade, showing the sunken schoolyard and entry bridge (rendered using Lumion) below | Site plan, showing High Street to the east and the Olentangy River to the west
Lower School | 15 LOWER SCHOOL CLINTONVILLE, OH
PERSPECTIVE RENDERINGS
NOT TO SCALE
LOWER SCHOOL CLINTONVILLE, OH
above | Upper floor plan below | Site section showing ravine topography
Michael Wade
UPPER LEVEL PLAN
SCALE: 1:16
LOWER SCHOOL CLINTONVILLE, OH
MAIN LEVEL PLAN
SCALE: 1:16
above | Main floor plan
Lower School | 17
right | Model photographs showing ravine, context, and High Street facade, respectively
Michael Wade
above | Model photograph taken from beside the library, looking across the ravine at the classroom windows
Lower School | 19
JOINERS: CHAIR STUDY In January of 2019, I conducted a study on the formal composition of a chair. I sought to explore the differences between 2- and 3-Dimensional representation techniques. First, I photographed the chair from multiple angles and collaged the images. Next, I traced this distorted figure into a series of line drawings. Finally, these line drawings were translated back into a 3D model.
Michael Wade
Joiners: Chair Study | 21
REST AREA
Throughout November and December of 2018, I developed a design for a rest area located along I-75 North near Wapakoneta, Ohio. My proposal explores how separate, freestanding buildings can be made to appear as a single, unified complex. In accomplishing this, I selected both a form and material scheme that would support an obvious relationship between separate buildings. The project is divided into four trapezoidal forms sliced from a long rectangular prism. Each one protrudes from the earth at an angle implying some sort of hidden underground connection. The outward surface features a binary material language of wood and glass strips, selected for their low embodied energies. The strips are arranged in an alternating pattern based on Dazzle Camouflage used by the U.S. Navy in WWI. Inside, the glass strips manifest as windows or skylights. Since each building is covered in this pattern, when seen from certain angles they begin to blend together, creating an ambiguity of edges which further connects the buildings. When viewed together, the complex appears to be swimming through the site. What results is a rest area more energizing and visually appealing than those to which many of us are accustomed.
Michael Wade
right | Site plan showing I-75 to the west and rural landscape to the east
Rest Area | 23
surrounding | Group site model, of which I led construction center | My proposed design
Michael Wade
Rest Area | 25
above | Ground floor plan, showing horizontal snaking below | Longitudinal section, showing absence of implied spaces below ground
Michael Wade
A B
Rest Area | 27
above | Scenographic rendering, showing close-up view of outdoor eating space right | Illustrative rendering, depicting view toward I-75 highway at night
Michael Wade
above | Plan oblique with program key Rest Area | 29
PAVILION
In January of 2019, I began work on a concept for a pavilion, the program of which would be the display of a single chair. After developing several iterations of heptagonal prisms, I arrived at a coupling of parts which, when embedded in the ground, formed a platform and a ramp. Here, I sought to explore the relation of “skin� to interior, wrapping a bright graphic design around the exterior while limiting the inside condition to a single color. This contrast between surface and interior was then injected into the form itself: what had been two unioned, enclosed prisms became an unfurling, single volume clearly made up of surfaces as opposed to solid mass. In constructing the models, I used a combination of bristol board and eighth-inch foamcore covered uniformly in bond paper. This method allowed me to wrap intricate graphics onto a medium-resolution form.
Michael Wade
above | Model profiles, showing wrapping of exterior graphic
Pavilion | 31
Michael Wade
right | Section, showing the splitting of the shell and subsequent creation of ramp and platform below | Plan at 6’, showing location of chair left | Storage, Reveal, and Display study models
Pavilion | 33
above | Elevation, showing ambiguity created when graphics bleed across form below | Interior view, in which the occupant is entirely shielded from the graphic exterior
Michael Wade
right | Plan Oblique, showing contrast between graphic skin and simple interior Pavilion | 35
DUARTE HOUSE STUDY In September of 2018, I conducted a formal analysis of à lvaro Siza’s house for Avelino Duarte. The house features an ornamentless white exterior with a few unexpected quirks; various elements have been extruded and subtracted from each facade. The interior hosts a tall, open central space that allows for a view from the bottom level to the top floor. Above is a low-resolution model that attempts to represent how the house would be perceived at night.
Michael Wade
above | Ground floor plan left | Low-resolution model right | Massing diagram below | Transverse section looking south
Duarte House Study | 37
right | Unfolded section oblique
Michael Wade
Duarte House Study | 39
TOWER & GARDEN In October 2017, I began work on a concept for a 60’ tower that sits within a 48’ x 64’ garden. For this project, the model was built at 1/4” scale, and all drawings were hand drafted. In creating the garden layout, I explored the use of approximating circles within a rectilinear grid. The landscape uses a limited vocabulary of vegetation including deciduous trees, which were placed in the approximated circles, and coniferous trees, which were placed in lines. The tower was designed to complete a trilogy of geometries; while the field is rectilinear with approximated curves, the tower consists of diagonal elements. Circulation on the back of the structure connects the garden below to a series of spaces that exist within the tower, including private, public, and observation spaces. Following its completion in December 2017, my project was selected to be archived by the Knowlton School.
Michael Wade
right | Study model exploring the use of a field to approximate a circle below | View showing circulation on south face
above | Section highlighting suspended observation deck left | Study model, showing circular elements
Tower & Garden | 41
Michael Wade
below | Plan through observation deck
Tower & Garden | 43
top | Isometric drawing of tower below | Profile studies right | Southwest view, showing circulation as it meets interior spaces
Michael Wade
Tower & Garden | 45
One of the requirements to attain the rank of Eagle Scout is to complete an extensive service project that benefits the community. For mine, I chose to lead a construction endeavor: the installation of a 110-foot Boardwalk at the New Albany Outdoor Education Center. The project budget was approximately $2,000. The boardwalk allows local students to study the forest without eroding the habitat in the process. The site includes two large vernal pools (seasonal ponds) that are home to a variety of wildlife. In designing the project, I was mindful of the existing site conditions. I decided that the Boardwalk would best be built in sections, which could be angled around trees and other natural obstacles. Each section is approximately 8’x4’, and they could be bolted together at the ends to form straightaways. Where the path turns, wedge-shaped elements were built on site. The walkway connects to a preexisting dock at each pool. Because the boardwalk sits less than a foot above the ground, most local construction regulations did not apply, which allowed for a more straightforward building process. The boardwalk is anchored to the ground using a series of metal ground-spikes, which are less disruptive to the environment than concrete. After designing, planning, ordering materials and coordinating their delivery, I led and oversaw the construction of the project in November 2014. In total, the boardwalk required over 250 man-hours across a fiveday period. On May 10, 2016, I was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout. Michael Wade
above | View of boardwalk, summer after completion
Boardwalk | 47
below | Diagrams presented at project proposal in September 2014
Michael Wade
Boardwalk | 49