// Dexter Courtyard //
Tyler Ellison
Redesigned as a curiously maximized space for seclusion, work, and relaxation. / Plan View /
// Project Mission //
1" = 10' 1st Floor Entry
10' Hammocking Poles
Elevated Wood Deck with Seating
2nd Floor Entry
Concrete Bench
Wood Bench
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Secluded Seating Area
/ Front View /
LA 202, Margarita Hill Fall 2016
Open Seating Area
1" = 10'
Seclusion and user enjoyment are defining elements of the redesigned Dexter courtyard. To accomplish the two, five specific locations were created throughout the site to relax, study, and interact with others. They include an overhead deck with south-facing bar seating, three large bench tables open to the lawn, three smaller tables underneath a tree canopy on the west end, a grassy area surrounding a large maple, and a sizeable hammocking spot underneath and behind the elevated deck. Each zone uniquely caters to specific student needs. In order to maintain some distance and seclusion from the busy lawn area, three of those areas are behind a stone wall. Yet at the same time, the west entrance is enlarged to encourage visibility and traffic, especially from the direction of the architecture building. The concept also centers around Michael Van Valkenburgh whose style has been identified with gluttony and Thomas Church whose design approach expresses humility. Valkenburgh and gluttony are experienced through multiple human uses, in the large variety of shapes and colors, the use of many different materials and textures, and fun, free-flowing forms in the wall. Church is seen primarily through the details of the space and toward the western side. His style and the trait of humility emerge in the smooth and flowing ground plane, in the melting of built materials with nature along edges, and through the harmony of interacting shapes. Valkenburgh becomes the area's dominant influence by virtue of the multiplicity of uses. Each space for hammocking, studying, eating, observing, enjoying nature or resting has a unique visual interest. However, the harmony within Church's style is maintained and most strongly seen through the sinuous path connecting the spacial regions. Grasses, trees, bushes and cascading plants throughout also reflect the commitment of both designers to creating environments that act as a gateway into the natural world beyond.
Concrete Wall
Japanese Maple
Wood Screen Above Wall
// Dexter Courtyard //
Tyler Ellison LA 202, Margarita Hill Fall 2016
Redesigned as a curiously maximized space for seclusion, work, and relaxation. Hammocking Space
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Sand
Coastal Grasses
Reclaimed Wood Posts
Dark Paving Stones
/ Open Seating Area and Steps to Entrance and Elevated Deck
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Secluded Study and Eating Area