NICHOLAS L GEORGE
BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE, 2022
TULANE UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL
Nicholas L. George
nicholas.george98@gmail.com nicholas.l.george@usace.army.mil
+1(337) 540-7207
6101
ACADEMIC WORK
ANTICIPATE & ADAPT
INTEGRATING DISASTER PREPAREDNESS INTO SOCIO-CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
SPRING 2022 | ARCH 5052 | PROF. CORDULA ROSER GRAY AND AMMAR ELOUEINI
IN COLLABORATION WITH JOHNATHAN MICHKA (TuSA 2022)
CURRENT DISASTER RECOVERY METHODS REVEAL THE NEED FOR A DECENTRALIZED, FLEXIBLE ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTION WHICH RECONCILES VARYING RECOVERY TIMELINES – THE IMMEDIATE, THE TEMPORARY, AND THE LONG-TERM – WHILE CONSCIENTIOUSLY REMEDIATING INEQUITIES AND DISPARITIES WITHIN THE HURRICANE PRONE REGION OF SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. PROPOSED SYSTEMS OF SHELTER AND DISASTER RESPONSE CAN CREATE A MORE EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE PROCESS OF RECOVERY BY PREEMPTIVELY INTEGRATING DISASTER PREPAREDNESS INTO EXISTING SOCIO-URBAN FABRICS.
THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO REINFORCE AN EXISTING BUILDING – BOTH IN THE ARCHITECTURAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE – TO POSITION IT AS A LOCAL HUB FOR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RELIEF. THE LAKE CHARLES CIVIC CENTER RECENTLY SERVED AS AN AD HOC CENTER FOR RELIEF FOLLOWING HURRICANE LAURA. ADDITIONALLY, IT SERVES AS AN ANCHOR FOR SOCIAL GATHERINGS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. PERMANENTLY INTEGRATING PREPAREDNESS, SHELTERING, AND RECOVERY WITHIN THIS SITE CAN CREATE A MORE IDENTIFIABLE SENSE OF PLACE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. THIS ALLOWS FOR THE GATHERING OF RESOURCES BEFORE A STORM, SAFELY SHELTERING DURING AN EVENT, AND REMAINING PROXIMAL TO ONE’S HOME AFTERWARDS. THIS DIRECTLY QUESTIONS CURRENT SYSTEMS OF DISASTER RELIEF IN RELATION TO POVERTY, INEQUALITY, AND UNEVEN DEVELOPMENT REINFORCING INHERITED SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF A CIVIC BUILDING.
THE LAKE CHARLES CIVIC CENTER WAS CHOSEN AS A TEST SITE FOR THIS THESIS. DURING PREVIOUS STORM EVENTS. THE CIVIC CENTER SERVED AS AN AD-HOC DISASTER OPERATIONS CENTER. IT ALSO FINDS ITSELF AT THE INTERSECTION OF MANY CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT LOCATIONS AND EVENTS WITHIN THE CITY OF LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA.
DISASTER EXPERIENCES
DAMAGES TO LAKE CHARLES ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
WELLNESS
FITNESS
SENIOR LIVING
RECREATION
CURRENT SITE OF LAKE CHARLES CIVIC CENTER
EDUCATION
CIVIC EXTENSIONS | 2ND FLOOR PLAN
APPROACH OF CIVIC EXTENSION | BY J.
EXTENSION OF INTERNAL CIVIC PROGRAMMING
IMPLEMENTATION OF LOCALIZED INFRASTRUCTURE
INTRODUCTION OF INTERIM HOUSING & SOCIAL ACTIVITY
MICHKA
SUGAR ROOTS
FALL 2021 | ARCH 5051 | PROFESSOR EMILIE TAYLOR WELTY
SUGAR ROOTS FARM, LOCATED IN LOWER ALGIERS, NEW ORLEANS, LA, IS AN INSTRUCTIONAL NON-PROFIT FARM. THIS COMMUNITY PARTNER WAS CHOSEN THROUGH A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL BY THE ALBERT AND TINA SMALL CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE DESIGN. THE FARM DESIRED A SPACE WHERE THEY COULD TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT THE PROCESSES OF FOOD PRODUCTION WHILE BEING RESPONSIBLE STEWARDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
WITH A GROUP OF 24 STUDENTS, A KITCHEN PAVILION WAS DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED DURING THE FALL 2021 SEMESTER. WITHIN THE LARGER GROUP, DESIGNED STRUCTURAL DETAILS, VISUALIZED THE OVERALL DESIGN, AND ASSISTED IN CONSTRUCTION. COLUMN TO BEAM CONNECTIONS WERE EXPLORED THROUGH FULL SCALE MOCK-UPS WHICH INCLUDE STRUCTURAL WELDING. INTERACTIVE PROJECT VISUALIZATION FOSTERED CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE DESIGN GROUP AND THE COMMUNITY PARTNER TO CONVEY DESIGN DECISIONS AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK ON DESIGN ITERATIONS. THROUGHOUT CONSTRUCTION, ATTAINED A MORE IN DEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF THE NUANCES BY WHICH DRAWINGS BECOME PHYSICAL REALITIES.
RENDERING OF PRODUCT RETAIL CONFIGURATION
RENDERING OF INSTRUCTIONAL CONFIGURATION
EXPERIENTIAL RENDERING
FULL SCALE MOCK-UP OF HSS TO PARTIAL FLITCH BEAM CONNECTION
COMMUNAL LIVING
SPRING 2021 | ARCH 4042 |DEAN INAKI ALDAY & PROFESSOR PANKAJ VIR GUPTA
WITHIN PORTIONS OF THE CITY OF NEW DELHI, INDIA, ESPECIALLY IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF NILOTHI AND HASTSAL, THE NEED FOR HOUSING IS EXACERBATED BY THE LACK OF SUFFICIENT HOUSING STOCK WHEREBY AN AVERAGE OF FOUR TO EIGHT PERSONS INHABIT ONLY ONE TO TWO ROOM DWELLINGS THE FOLLOWING BODY OF RESEARCH INVESTIGATES HOW TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DWELLING UNITS WHILE MITIGATING THE DEMOLITION OF EXISTING SUFFICIENTLY INHABITABLE STRUCTURES IN HIGH-DENSITY, UNPLANNED URBAN DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN THE CITY OF DELHI.
TO DEVELOP NEW HOUSING, LANDOWNERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF LOW-RISE OR DILAPIDATED STRUCTURES, ELECT TO COMBINE LAND PLOTS IN COLLABORATION WITH A BUILDER AND OR DEVELOPER. EACH IS PROVIDED HOUSING AND OR COMMERCIAL SPACE WITHIN THE NEW DEVELOPMENT UPON COMPLETION. REMAINING RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL UNITS ARE RETAINED BY THE COLLECTIVE OWNERS FOR SALE OR LEASE. PROCEEDS FROM THIS ARE USED FOR MAINTENANCE AND UPKEEP; A NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS COULD ELECT TO MAINTAIN COMMUNAL SPACES AS PAYMENT FOR THEIR LODGING.
THE FLEXIBILITY OF THIS AGGREGATION SYSTEM ALLOWS IT TO NEGOTIATE EXISTING AD HOC DEVELOPMENTS. THIS CAN PROVIDE ADDITIONAL, SUBSTANTIAL HOUSING OVER TIME. FURTHER, THE SYSTEM SERVES AS A COLLABORATIVE DEVELOPMENT MODEL WHICH ALSO PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
EXTERIOR PERSPECTIVE
VIEW FROM COURTYARD
COMMUNAL LAUNDRY MODULE
DOUBLE STACK RESIDENTIAL MODULE
DOUBLE WIDE RESIDENTIAL MODULE
SINGLE RESIDENTIAL MODULE
COMMUNAL KITCHEN MODULE
PLACED & DUMPED
THERE ARE INHERENT TRADE-OFFS TO THESE PROTOTYPES WHEN COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL METHODOLOGIES: COMPUTATIONAL POWER IN LIEU OF PHYSICAL LABOR FOR INSTANCE, OR THE EFFICIENCY OF STANDARD MATERIALS FOR THE REUSE OF UNPROCESSED MATERIALS, THE NEGOTIATION OF FORM RATHER THAN ASSUMING A PREDETERMINED ONE. THAT NOTED, THESE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SOLVE ISSUES OF GLOBAL MARKETS DRIVEN BY CONSUMPTION AND CAPITALIZATION. HOPEFULLY THOUGH, THIS BODY OF RESEARCH ALLOWS THOSE WHO DESIGN AND BUILD THE OPPORTUNITY TO QUESTION THE HEGEMONIC AND PRESCRIPTIVE METHODOLOGIES IMPOSED UPON US AT THE HARDWARE STORE. FALL 2020 | ARCH 4041 | PROFESSOR ADAM MODESITT
AT ITS CORE, THE FOLLOWING SPECULATES ABOUT PRACTICES OF STANDARDIZATION THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, LIKE 3D SCANNING AND SCRIPTING, WITHIN GABION CONSTRUCTION. TOGETHER, THESE ACKNOWLEDGE AND EXAMINE THE FINE LINE BETWEEN PLACED AND DUMPED, OR STANDARD AND NON-STANDARD, PRESCRIPTIVE AND EXPLORATIVE.
PROTOTYPE 1.A
PROTOTYPE 3.A
PROTOTYPE 1.B
PROTOTYPE 2.A
PROTOTYPE 2.B
BEANS
FALL 2020 | ARCH 4041 | PROFESSOR ADAM MODESITT
COLLECTIVELY, THIS STUDIO DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED A NUMBER OF IRREGULARLY SHAPED OBJECTS, OR BEANS, WHICH WERE THEN ASSEMBLED INTO LARGER AGGREGATIONS. THE INTENTION OF THIS EXERCISE WAS TO EXPLORE THE WAYS BY WHICH MATERIALS ARE PROCESSED AND ASSEMBLED.
BECAUSE CONVENTIONAL BUILDING MATERIALS TAKE ON A PREDETERMINED FORM, LIKE LUMBER OR BRICKS, DESIGNERS AND BUILDERS HEAVILY RELY ON THESE FORMS IN THEIR DESIGNS. HOWEVER, IN THE ABSENCE OF TYPICAL FORMAL QUALITIES, THIS EXERCISE REQUIRED THE CREATION OF PROJECT SPECIFIC MATERIAL PROCESSING TECHNIQUES.
WITHIN THE LARGER STUDIO GROUP, I DIGITALLY LOCATED CONNECTIONS POINTS ON EVERY BEAN FOR FOUR POSSIBLE ASSEMBLY CONFIGURATIONS CREATED BY ANOTHER TEAM MEMBER. THIS INVOLVED WRITING A POINT FINDING ALGORITHM WHICH WOULD LIST CONNECTION POINTS AND THEIR CARTESIAN COORDINATES FOR THE NEXT TEAM MEMBER TO LOCATE ON THE PHYSICAL OBJECT. ONCE LOCATED, ANOTHER STUDENT INSTALLED ANY NECESSARY CONNECTION HARDWARE AT THE POINT LOCATION. TOGETHER, WE THEN ASSEMBLED THE OBJECTS ACCORDING TO A SET OF ASSEMBLY COORDINATION PLANS WHICH I CREATED. THIS TOOK THE PLACE OF AN ANIMATED VIDEO FOR MOBILE VIEWING.
THE SEMESTER PRESENTED CHALLENGES RELATED TO HYBRIDIZED LEARNING. HOWEVER, THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN BOTH IN PERSON AND REMOTE LEARNING WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE DIGITAL METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION PROTOTYPING.
ASSEMBLY MOCK-UP ELEVATION
ASSEMBLY MOCK-UP PLAN
FINAL ASSEMBLY PHOTO BY JESSE TOOHEY
SPRING 2020 | ARCH 3032 | PROFESSOR RUBEN GARCIA RUBIO
POROUS IS A CO-WORKING AND ART GALLERY SPACE FOR PROSPECT NEW ORLEANS—AN ART COLLECTIVE AND TRIENNIAL—LOCATED IN THE HEART OF THE FRENCH QUARTER OF NEW ORLEANS. POROUS NEGOTIATES FORMAL AND PROGRAMMATIC RELATIONSHIPS PREVALENT BETWEEN GEOMETRIES IN ITS URBAN HISTORIC CONTEXT TO SIMULTANEOUSLY ADDRESS NATURAL DAY-LIGHTING, PASSIVE COOLING, AND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY WITHIN A MIXED-USE BUILDING. BEING CENTRALLY LOCATED IN A TOURIST DESTINATION, THIS PROPOSAL INVITES THE PUBLIC TO EXPERIENCE AND INTERACT WITH ART—FROM LOCAL AND NATIONAL ARTISTS REGARDING ISSUES OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL INEQUITIES—ON ITS GROUND FLOOR WHILE PRESERVING ITS UPPER FLOORS FOR RENTABLE CO-WORKING SPACES AND PRIVATE OFFICES FOR ITS ANCHOR TENANT: PROSPECT NEW ORLEANS. POROUS, LIKE PROSPECT WHOSE PRESENT WORK THEMATICALLY ECHOES THE PAST, FINDS A RESPECTFUL AESTHETIC BALANCE BETWEEN TRADITIONAL CONTEXT AND CONTEMPORANEITY. THIS, ACHIEVED THROUGH A GRAPHIC RECOGNITION OF THE STRUCTURE WHICH STOOD ON THE SITE DECADES AGO. ITS FACADE SYSTEM PRESERVES CONTEXTUAL RHYTHM, MATERIALITY, AND HISTORICAL CROSS-VENTILATION
METHODOLOGY IN A WAY THAT DOES NOT REPLICATE OR UNDERMINE TRADITION THROUGH PASTICHE.
VIEW FROM G+2 LOBBY
VIEW FROM G+3 MEZZANINE
NORTHWEST FACADE ELEVATION
FACADE AXONOMETRIC
VIEW FROM COURTYARD
DOWN STREAM
THIS MASTER PLAN PROPOSAL SITUATES ITSELF AT A CRITICAL NODE WITHIN THE CITY OF TORONTO. NOT ONLY IS IT LOCATED AT THE ESTUARY OF THE DON RIVER AND LAKE ONTARIO, BUT ITS ALSO AT A MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURAL JUNCTION. ONE OF THE MAIN GOALS OF THE PROPOSAL IS TO ADDRESS POLLUTION WHICH HAD ACCUMULATED IN THE ADJACENT DON RIVER VALLEY THROUGH INDUSTRIAL PROCESS LIKE MINING. THIS WOULD BE DONE THROUGH OVER 1 KM OF VEGETATION CANALS TO REDUCE SEDIMENTARY POLLUTANTS AND A CHEMICAL PROCESSING CENTER FOR MORE HARMFUL POLLUTANTS. SECONDLY, IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE MASTER PLAN ADDRESS THE CITY’S REQUEST TO EXPAND PUBLIC TRANSIT LINES THROUGH THE SITE. THE MASTER PLAN INTERPRETS THIS AS A HUB WHERE THE REGIONAL AND INNER-CITY TRAIN, METRO, STREETCAR, AND BUS LINES ALL INTERSECT.
FILTRATION STATION
FALL 2019 | ARCH 3031 | PROFESSOR IRENE KEIL
WITHIN THE MASTER PLAN, A SITE WAS CHOSEN TO EXPLORE THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED GOALS IN FURTHER DETAIL. ON THE SCALE OF THE SITE, IDEAS ABOUT A MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION HUB WERE DEVELOPED WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE WATER FILTRATION INFRASTRUCTURE.
THE MAJORITY OF THE SITE WOULD BE COVERED WITH A CANOPY STRUCTURE TO PROVIDE SHELTER TO THE PEOPLE TRANSFERRING BETWEEN TRANSIT LINES. IN THE SPIRIT OF BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION, THE CANOPY WOULD ENCLOSE ISLANDS OF DENSE VEGETATION. THIS STRATEGY WAS THOUGHT OF AS MEANS OF PROTECTING LANDSCAPING IN HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS.
A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE CANOPY AND ADJACENT ARCHITECTURE JUXTAPOSES THE EVIDENT ECOLOGICAL PROCESS, THE NATURAL AND THE INDUSTRIAL, BOTH PRESENT AND HISTORICAL, IN THIS PROJECT, THE SITE, AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.
SITE OBLIQUE RENDERING
PERSPECTIVE RENDERING
ALT HOUSING
SPRING 2019 | ARCH 2022 | PROFESSOR JAVIER MOSQUERA
THIS SET OF STUDIES ATTEMPT TO REDEFINE THE PRIVATE SPACE THAT THE CURRENT AMERICAN SOCIETY HAS DETERMINED TO BE NECESSARY. THESE STUDIES WERE FIRST UNDERSTOOD THROUGH THE LENS OF AN EXTRA SMALL LIVING QUARTER, IN THIS CASE A PERSONAL JET.
THE CHALLENGE WAS TO DESIGN A HOME FOR FIVE INHABITANTS UNDER 900 SQUARE FEET WITHIN A WEEK’S TIME. THROUGH A VARIETY OF INTERCHANGEABLE MODULES, A HOME COULD BE CONFIGURED TO SUIT THE EXACT NEEDS OF ITS UNIQUE INHABITANTS. MODULES TAKE THE PLACE OF ROOMS AND ROTATE ON A RADIAL TRACK WHICH ALLOW LESS EFFICIENT SPACES, LIKE HALLWAYS, TO BE RECONFIGURED INTO AN OFFICE OR SITTING ROOM WHEN NOT IN USE. BY REDESIGNING THOSE UNDER-UTILIZED SPACES, A FAMILY OF FIVE FOR INSTANCE, IS ABLE TO OCCUPY SIGNIFICANTLY LESS SPACE THAN THEY OTHERWISE WOULD IN A MORE TYPICAL SUBURBAN CONFIGURATION.
PLUG’N’ PLAY
SPRING 2019 | ARCH 2022 | PROFESSOR JAVIER MOSQUERA
PLUG’N’PLAY IS AN EXPERIMENT IN THE APPLICATIONS OF MODULAR CONSTRUCTION THROUGH HIGH-DENSITY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING SITED ON A TYPICAL CITY BLOCK IN NEW ORLEANS, LA. THIS PROJECT EXPLORES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARAMETRIC DESIGN AND USER CUSTOMIZATION. ULTIMATELY, PLUG’N’PLAY IS INSPIRED BY MY OWN EXPERIENCE WITH GROWING UP IN A PRE-MANUFACTURED HOME AND THE INTRIGUING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POST-MODERN CONSUMERISM AND CURRENT ARCHITECTURAL MANUFACTURING METHODS. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT A SYSTEM SUCH AS THIS HAS AN INFINITE NUMBER OF POSSIBILITIES IN WHICH PRE-MANUFACTURED MODULES CAN BE ASSEMBLED AROUND A CENTRAL SITE-BUILT CORE. IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT THIS PROJECT HAS A EMPHASIS ON ANALYZING AND RETHINKING THE SOCIALLY ADOPTED SIZING STANDARDS OF AMERICAN SUBURBAN HOMES IN AN ATTEMPT TO DENSIFY UNDER-UTILIZED LAND. MODULAR CUSTOMIZATION
POSSIBLE PLAN ARRANGEMENTS
STRUCTURAL AGGREGATION
PHILLIS WHEATLEY
FALL 2018 | ARCH 2021 | PROFESSOR CARRIE NORMAN
DESIGNED BY CHARLES COLBERT IN 1954, PHILLIS WHEATLEY WAS A SEGREGATED AFRICAN-AMERICAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE LAFITTE NEIGHBORHOOD OF NEW ORLEANS. THE SCHOOL MADE ITS WAY ONTO THE WORLD MONUMENTS FUND WATCH LIST SHORTLY BEFORE BEING DEMOLISHED FOR BUILDING CODE INADEQUACIES. THIS SERVES AS A STUDY IN PROGRAMMATIC ORGANIZATION, REPRESENTATION, AND PHYSICAL MODELING.
PHILLIS WHEATLEY
ROOM OBLIQUE RENDERING
PLAN OBLIQUE
OBLIQUE MODEL
LAFITTE SCHOOL
FALL 2018 | ARCH 2021 | PROFESSOR CARRIE NORMAN
LOCATED BLOCKS AWAY FROM THE HISTORIC PHILLIS WHEATLEY SCHOOL ON THE LAFITTE GREENWAY, THIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WOULD PROVIDE CLASSROOMS FOR 120 STUDENTS, A PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PLAYGROUND, AND A COMMUNITY THEATER. BY ADAPTING A DONUT SCHEME, THE FOUR BARS ALLOW FOR EACH TO HAVE A SPECIFIC PROGRAM WITH THE END CAPS AS CLASSROOMS. EACH PAIR OF CLASSROOMS WOULD SHARE AN TIERED,OPEN SPACE TO BE USED FOR PLAY OR TEACHING AT THE INTERSECTION OF THOSE BARS.
EXPERIENTIAL RENDERING
PROFESSIONAL WORK
SCALE SHIFT
JUNE 2020 - JUNE 2021 | MARION CAGE | MARION McCOLLAM
THROUGHOUT MY TIME WITH MARION CAGE, A DESIGN BOUTIQUE IN NEW ORLEANS, I CRAFTED DRAWINGS FOR HER VARIOUS FURNITURE AND CABINETRY HARDWARE SERIES. THESE SETS RANGE FROM ADVERTISEMENT IMAGES TO SPECIFICATION SHEETS FOR MANUFACTURES AND DISTRIBUTORS. THE LATTER AFFORDED ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROCESSES REQUIRED TO CREATE AND DESIGN AT A SMALLER SCALE. ONE BENEFIT OF THIS OVER ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN , THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE AND ITERATE AT FULL SCALE WITH A REDUCED FINANCIAL RISK. BECAUSE OF MY TIME WITH MARION CAGE, I NOW CONSIDER MORE CRITICALLY MATERIALITY AT A HUMAN SCALE THAN BEFORE.
MARION AND CREATED VARIOUS COLLECTIONS OF HOME DECOR AND HARDWARE IN COLLABORATION WITH CB2, SOME OF WHICH ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN THEIR CATALOG. WORKING WITH CB2 ENCOURAGED ME TO VIEW DESIGN MORE FROM AN END-USER PERSPECTIVE THAN BEFORE.
WE ALSO COLLABORATED ON THE DESIGN OF A CONVERTIBLE SIDE TABLE WHICH DOUBLES AS A WRITING DESK SEEN BELOW.
3044 ROYAL ST.
SUMMER 2021 | CRG ARCHITECTS | CORDULA ROSER GRAY
AS PART OF THE RE-IMAGINING OF A BACKYARD SPACE, CRG ARCHITECTS COMMISSIONED ME TO VISUALIZE THEIR DESIGN WORK THROUGH A SERIES OF DRAWINGS AND RENDERINGS. THE HOME AND ADJACENT SECONDARY LIVING QUARTERS ARE LOCATED IN THE HISTORIC BYWATER NEIGHBORHOOD OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA. THIS SITE IS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A NUMBER OF NOTABLE STRUCTURES AS WELL AS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
SITE OBLIQUE
OBSIDIAN HOUSE
SUMMER 2020 | OI STUDIO | BOA
WITHIN THE OBSIDIAN HOUSE, OI STUDIO WAS TASKED TO DESIGN AN OUTDOOR TERRACE SPACE. THE HOUSE, A VIRTUAL PROJECT OF THE BLACK ARTISTS & DESIGNERS GUILD, SEEKS TO ENVISION THE FUTURE OF BLACK LIVING. ULTIMATELY, BADG ASCRIBES AN ECOLOGICALLY CONSCIOUS, TECHNOLOGICALLY DRIVEN, AND SOCIALLY JUST MANNER OF INHABITATION WHICH ACTIVELY REFUTES AND AMENDS THE CURRENT AND HISTORICALLY INEQUITABLE INABILITY OF BLACK PEOPLE TO RIGHTFULLY OCCUPY SPACE. THIS PROJECT EXISTS IN THE EPHEMERAL SPACE BETWEEN NEAR-REALITY AND SCIENCE -FICTION TO SET FORTH A PRECEDENT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN BY AND FOR BLACK INDIVIDUALS.
THOUGH OI STUDIO DESIGNED THE SPACE, CLOSELY ASSISTED BOA TO VISUALIZE HER DESIGN FOR THE TERRACE OF THE OBSIDIAN HOUSE. SHOWN ARE RENDERINGS PRESENTED TO OBSIDIAN DESIGN COMMITTEE PRIOR TO CONVEYANCE TO THE DIGITAL BUILD TEAM. THAT TEAM GATHERED IDEAS FROM TWENTY-THREE DESIGNERS TO FULLY CONSTRUCT THE HOUSE ON DISPLAY AT OBSIDIANBYBADG.HOUSE.
DETAIL RENDERING OF RETRACTABLE CHAISE LOUNGE