TAYLOR TIDWELL TAYLOR TIDWELL 2019 PORTFOLIO 2019 PORTFOLIO
01 DISCOVERING IDENTITY
- self perception / colorado state university, fort collins, co - celebrating character / i25 & broadway viaduct park, denver co - creating campus identity / omaha, ne
02 VALUE IN EXPERIMENTATION - exploring composition / value in drawing - experimental prototyping / academic into professional work - hydro-kinetic canal / boston, ma
“If you’re not prepared to be wrong,
you will never come up with anything original.”
- SIR KEN ROBINSON
03 ABSTRACT TO PRACTICAL - gz south station design competition / guangzhou, china - parking day bench design / denver,co
04 ORGANIC GEOMETRIES - healing tissue memorial / seoul, south korea - designed ecologies / fort collins, co
05 ESSENCE OF LIGHT - world trade center / denver, co - perforation lighting / dallas. tx
TABLE/OF/CONTENTS
06 EXPLORING NEGATIVE SPACE - formal subtraction / laser cut basal wood - simulating erosion / hand chiseled alabaster stone
DISCOVERING IDENTITY THE EVOLUTION OF CHARACTER
The moment I realized that design would
forever be part of my life did not happen until my freshman year of college in San Diego. Due to my delayed introduction to the world of art and design, the vast majority of my work and design process revolved around discovering identity and how I perceived the world around me. “Who is Taylor Tidwell?” is a question that propelled me into a deep dive of what ‘self’ means. It wasn’t until I began exploring self-expression through different mediums that I began to identify myself as a designer.
SELF PERCEPTION INDEPENDENT STUDY / CSU FORT COLLINS, CO - ACADEMIC WORK 2014
FREEZING TIME
As I left Colorado to attend school in San
Diego, my most significant concern was my lack of self-cognizance. Up until college, my life revolved around social constructs that were handed down to me rather than originating from my experiences. College was the opportunity for me to break through the predefined mold of who ‘Taylor Tidwell’ was. Evaluating my core principles during my first few years of college was not an easy process. There was a constant inner dialog of contrasting beliefs. To stop and obey the traditional line of thought I had been raised upon or continue the search to discover my truths. Not only questioning my social perceptions but discovering truths that very much contrasted those of my upbringing. This process was constantly plagued with a sense of betrayal on both sides of my life. Although I had departed from my parents and family for college, it took years for me to solidify my beliefs and the independent perception of who I am. In my independent sculpture study at Colorado State University, I wanted to create a sculpture that represented the arduous process of self-discovery. There was a visceral fear rejection from both sides at the end of this process: The past from which I came and the new to which I was trying to enter, both viewing me as foreign in the end.
CELEBRATING CHARACTER BROADWAY & I25 VIADUCT PARK / DENVER, CO - PROFESSIONAL WORK 2018
Growing up off South Broadway, I developed
RTD TRANSIT STATION
a fond appreciation for the eclectic and funky nature of the community. As the design leader on the Broadway and i25 Viaduct Park, celebrating the character of the neighborhood was a critical factor in shifting the public’s perception of underdeveloped land. Transforming the urban decay of the viaduct into urban play was intended to catalyze a dialog between the surrounding community and city to capitalize on underutilized land.
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EXISTING CONDITIONS RUBBER PLAY MOUNDS
E ABOV Y A IGHW FOOD TRUCK PLAZA I-25 H S
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SO UT HB RO AD WA Y
DOG PARK STORM WATER CAPTURE AND TREATMENT
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1. PROPOSED NORTH ENTRY
I-25
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LN CO IN
The most advantageous outcome of the conceptual redesign of the viaduct is the potential for storm-water capture and treatment before it gets released back into Denver’s municipal water system. By designing the dog park, regional skate park, and rain gardens with the capacity to capture and treat storm-water, the viaduct park can capture and treat 65% of annual storm-water on site.
SCULPTURAL SKATE PARK
BOULDERING WALLS
P AM
The 2-acre parcel of land sits directly under the highway and is currently programmed as a dirt parking lot. The site is the main point of access for Denver’s second-highest ridership transit stop behind Union Station. The design not only needed to provide safe passage for those accessing public transit but help the community re-imagine what underutilized land can be repurposed for.
LIGHT RAIL ACCESS TUNNEL
AMP XIT R E 5 2 I-
EXISTING CONDITIONS
2. ACTIVATING NIGHT LIFE
3. SCULPTURAL SKATE PARK
CREATING CAMPUS IDENTITY CORPORATE CAMPUS DESIGN, DEVELOPING OUTDOOR CULTURE / OMAHA, NE - PROFESSIONAL WORK 2019 PROSPECT / REFUGE
COMFORT / SEATING
SAFETY
ACCESSIBLE
SOCIABLE
SEASONALITY
5,000 EMPLOYEES
2.5 ACRES OF GARDENS AND OUTDOOR WORK SPACE
1. EVENT PAVILION / SHADE STRUCTURE
3.
NEW CORPORATE CAMPUS STANDARD FOR OMAHA
2. CENTRAL WALK / WATER RILL
2. 1.
3. CONTEMPLATION GARDEN
VALUE IN EXPERIMENTATION DESIGN PROCESS LEADING TO DESIGN IDEATION
The merit in experimentation comes not
in flawless execution, but the learning and discovery involved in iteration and failure. The critical function of experimentation not only is the fluidity in the process of creating but exploring tertiary outcomes. Often, in a professional setting, there is not enough budget or time for extensive experimentation. Still, as a designer, I push always to be experimenting with different mediums, form-giving, theory, and fabrication practices. Some of the most innovative designs in the world derive from discovery in failure during design experimentation.
EXPLORING COMPOSITION VALUE IN DRAWING
As a young designer, drawing was the
most challenging medium to acclimate to. I often shied away from it because I felt it was the one medium that explicitly exposed amateur designers. It wasn’t until Laurie Olin, a landscape architect out of D.C., had come to Colorado State University to do a sketchbook lecture, that my perception of drawing and composition transformed dramatically. He spoke about drawing being used as the tool to express inner thoughts and feelings about the spaces around us. He spoke of how we can make our own personal commentary on the environment we participate in. Lauri Olin had unveiled the difference between drafting and drawing. Once I understood that drawing, whether good or bad, was inherently my perception of my environment, I began drawing regularly. Conceptual sketching has become an integral part of my mental health as a designer. I use drawing now to express how I see shape and form. Using only black ink, I focus on composition over time. Drawing lines and angles one day and only to observe the need for sinuous form the next. My approach to drawing has evolved into a very methodical process of exploring composition. I often start by creating a light framework of measured lines and ticks and slowly progress through shape and form. It has become a safe place to experiment with perspectives, angles, curves, and concepts without the pressure of time, budget, and client wishes.
EXPERIMENTAL PROTOTYPING SEOUL MEMORIAL / ACADEMIC WORK 2015
STEAMBOAT HISTORIC FIGURES LIGHT WALL / PROFESSIONAL WORK 2018
VANCOUVER SEA LEVEL RISE BOARDWALK / PROFESSIONAL WORK 2019
CAMPUS DESIGN, SHIFT IN OFFICE CULTURE / PROFESSIONAL WORK 2019
APPLIED EXPERIMENTATION HYDRO-KINETIC CANAL, BOSTON LIVING WITH WATER / BOSTON, MA - DESIGN COMPETITION 2014
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13’ water level first terrace will be under water in 100 years
sloped terraces provide seating and programmable amenities
EXISTING SEA LEVEL E #2
RGY
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BIN TUR
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Brackish Storm-water Retention zone
SEA LEVEL IN 50 YEARS
Wetland Tidal Zone
M CO ITI A GA ST TIO LIN N E ZO NE
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terracing canal allows for 13’ of water level rise without use of external retention zones
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SEA LEVEL IN 100 YEARS
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ABSTRACT TO PRACTICAL FUNCTIONAL EXPRESSIONS OF ABSTRACT DESIGN
The conceptual phase of design is where I
spend the majority of my time on projects. Similar to my process in drawing, I deliberately explore design solutions through theoretical concepts and a yearning to think outside of the box. Concept design is where I take my abstract thoughts and ideas and begin to apply them to real-life projects. Through my career, I began to focus my time in the conceptual phase because once the concept design is completed, the rest of the project seems to follow with ease. Every concept design phase is another opportunity to push the envelope and develop and apply new methods of influence in the public realm.
ABSTRACT APPLICATION GZ SOUTH STATION DESIGN COMPETITION / GUANGZHOU, CHINA - PROFESSIONAL WORK 2016
CONCEPT SCULPTURE FOR SITE DESIGN
GRAND ENTRY FOUNTAINS GLOWING LIGHT STRIPS
DANCING CENTRAL FOUNTAIN
GATHERING AND ACTIVITY PLAZAS MAHJONG AND ACTIVITY TABLES TROPICAL PALM TREE ALLEY
DANCING CENTRAL FOUNTAIN
BROAD SHADE TREES
COVERED OUTDOOR SEATING CONTRASTING FLUID DESIGN PAVING
GUARD HOUSES
LEVEL 01
SITE PLAN
N
PLAZA ENTRYWAY
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BENCH PARKING DAY BENCH DESIGN / DENVER, CO - PROFESSIONAL WORK 2019
Parking day is a worldwide event in which
street parking spots are transformed into public park space. Our team’s park space was focused on bringing attention to the recreational impact on the Rocky Mountain ecosystems. In the past 15-20 years, the population of Colorado has grown 30%, significantly increasing the recreational use of the Rockies. The soft white material of the bench was designed to express how humans impact their environments through overuse. In the morning, the bench was glowing white, and as the day progressed, scuffs, scratches, and dents began to appear as more and more people used it. Our project was not advocating for restriction of access to public parks and lands but instead supporting sustainable behavior and responsible recreation methods when using public lands. Not only is outdoor recreation one of the most popular activities in the Rocky Mountains, but it is also one of the most devastating.
PARAMETRIC EXPLORATION
FINAL FABRICATION
ORGANIC GEOMETRIES INTEGRATION OF ORGANIC SYSTEMS AND SITE DESIGN
Once I began the undergraduate program
in landscape architecture, I was heavily drawn towards the idea of integrating natural systems into strict architectural geometries. The most significant factor in choosing landscape architecture over structural architecture was the opportunity of composing human-made design and natural ecologies within landscape architecture. Throughout my career, my focus slowly shifted from large scale site planning to incorporating organic form and geometries into my site designs. Soon after, my passion became focusing on experiential design within the site context.
HEALING TISSUE MEMORIAL PLANTER DESIGN / SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - ACADEMIC WORK 2015
The Seosomun Memorial Park was a unique
design opportunity as the open space was deemed as religious grounds. This was the plaza in which the government performed public executions of any Catholics found in the city during the late 1700s. Additionally, the park had three stories of hollow abandoned parking infrastructure below it. As a result, the site allowed for an opportunity to excavate the abandoned parking infrastructure and reveal the thirty-foot deep void. Exposing the void within the site allows the negative space and incorporated lighting to draw people down into the heart of the memorial. The premise of the design is a living catacomb resembling healing tissue, each level lower, the denser the memorial structure and plantings become. Finally, ending in the living/ glowing catacombs memorializing those who were martyred, representing the life that blooms out of death.
STRUCTURAL APPLICATION
STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK - PLAN VIEW
DESIGNED ECOLOGIES RIVERFRONT PARK / FORT COLLINS, CO - ACADEMIC WORK 2013
SCULPTURAL LANDFORMS AT PARK ENTRY
+ 4935’ + 4936’
+ 4937’
+ 4934’
+ 4942’ + 4946’ + 4950’
+ 4953’
+ 4955’
+ 4958’ RIVER FRONT PROMENADE
SITE GRADING / SPOT ELEVATIONS DRAWING Poudre River
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ud
Po r
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Ri
riparian storm water retention shortgrass prairie ecoregion wetland restoration colorado plateau ecoregion WETLAND BOARDWALK SHORTGRASS PRAIRIE TRAIL SYSTEM
INTEGRATED ECOLOGIC ZONES
SPLASH PAD ENTRY PLAZA
The Riverfront Wetland Park is a vital piece of the
Fort Collins storm-water infrastructure. The site is mostly a natural area with degraded wetlands and a polluted riverfront. BIRDWATCHING OVERLOOK
The existing site edge is rough and full of hard-scape, which hinders the ability of storm-water retention. Fort Collins has witnessed the need for retention and absorption basins during the devastating 100-year flood in the ’90s and the 500-year flood in 2013. The south bank of the river allowed for the opportunity to design sculptural landforms and create a distinct and winding river edge. This undulating river edge will slow the rate of flow, absorb more water, and become a retaining basin during future flooding. The wetland boardwalks are the main interactive ecological element incorporated into the site. They are cultivating the notion that a park is not only a place for recreation and leisure but can host vital functions to a city in storm-water retention and the protection of wildlife habitats.
COLORADO PLATEAU ECOREGION
WETLAND BOARDWALK
HAND CUT SITE MODEL
ESSENCE OF LIGHT THE IMPACT OF LIGHT ON SPACIAL EXPERIENCE
For me, lighting holds the potential to be the
most captivating element incorporated into design. Not only does thoughtfully designed lighting create a safe and comfortable environment, but it can transform a once abandoned and solitary place into an active and vibrant respite for a community. In a world full of significant urban light pollution, capturing the public’s attention requires a deliberate and tactical design approach. For this reason, lighting provides the opportunity for bold experimentation and installation work to facilitate social dialog within communities.
TACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION WORLD TRADE CENTER RINO/ DENVER COLORADO - PROFESSIONAL WORK 2019
The new World Trade Center building in the RiNo Art District, Denver is focused on intimate spaces and unique human experience. In a project of this scale, playful lighting is used to construct urban rooms and corridors in which public use is encouraged. IMMERSIVE LIGHTING
The lighting and paving designs for this project are meant to create a comprehensive outdoor ceiling and a safe and comfortable environment within the alleyway. Designing the paving and overhead lighting as one system creates an intimate experience of being in an outdoor living room.
PAVING AND LIGHTING DESIGN
INTEGRATED LIGHTING
LIGHTING AND PAVING OPT 1
IMMERSIVE / ICONIC LIGHTING
INTEGRATED LIGHTING - PERFORATED PLANTER
INTEGRATED LIGHTING - PERFORATED PLANTER
INTEGRATED LIGHTING
SITE LIGHTING PLAN
PERFORATION LIGHTING KATY TRAIL PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE FACADE / DALLAS, TX - PROFESSIONAL WORK 2016
PANELIZE AND PERFORATE FACADE
SUBTRACT EXCESS
CLIENT APPROVED DESIGN
UTILIZE PANELING TO CREATE LIGHTING SCHEME 1
UTILIZE PERFORATION TO CREATE LIGHTING SCHEME 2
APPLY MESH TO BRIDGE FACADE
FILL PERFORATIONS WITH LIGHT
CLIENT APPROVED DESIGN - NIGHT VIEW
EXPLORING NEGATIVE SPACE STUDYING METHODS IN WHICH NEGATIVE SPACE CREATES POSITIVE ENERGY
Across almost every scale of design,
negative space can make or break a composition. My exploration of negative space is not always project related as much as it is merely exploration into methods of constructing spacial parti’s. Negative space is powerful not only in architectural design but in nature as well. Some of the most dynamic negative space I have personally experienced was in Arches National Park, Moab, Utah. The following spreads are two projects I completed while trying to emulate and reinterpret these natural spaces in my design work.
FORMAL SUBTRACTION LASER CUT BASAL WOOD - ACADEMIC WORK 2014
INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE
SIMULATING EROSION HAND CHISELED ALABASTER - ACADEMIC 2015
WEEK 1 - INITIAL FORM GIVING
WEEK 2 - MATERIAL REMOVAL
WEEK 3 - ROUGH SANDING
FINAL POLISHED STONE