PORTFOLIO
WILLIAM CHENEY
SELECTED WORKS | 2019-2024
Hi, I’m William, I am a recent undergraduate architecture student from the University of Virginia, and I am from Fairfax Station, Virginia.
My passion began when I discovered a game called The Sims 4 which allowed me to simulate and design buildings and community spaces. During that time, I was also interested and discovered curved buildings and parametric technology. My father and grandfather designed and built their own homes, which inspired me into this field.
Hobbies I enjoy is listening to music, watching video game live streams and movie series with family.
My hope for the future is to carry my interest for accessibility through disabilities, all while inspiring others with similar minds like me.
Email: william.cheney@verizon.net Cell: 703-615-0778
www.linkedin.com/in/williamcheney
Accessibility Through Landscape — A Kindergarten Playspace
Spring 2023 | ARCH 3020 | 3rd Year Undergrad | Charlottesville, VA | Lecturer Cam Fullmer | Rhino, Photoshop, & Procreate
The site is at the Walker Upper Elementary School within the Venable School District, and is situated on the south side of campus where Crow Pool is at. I used elements from Jadgal Elementary school in Seyyed Bar, Iran such as the open public and private spaces, inhabitable nooks, and organic shapes. The goal of this project is proposing a new campus space for kindergartens and I focused on creating an institution where people with disabilities are also considered within the school, play, and the everyday environment.
The campus is organized into two zones: the more public and communal spaces and the more private spaces for just kindergarteners. The two-story level kindergarten space contains two tasked-specific levels: active tasks and focused tasks. Active tasks like playing under the ramp, kids being kids at the play table, or exploring in the private courtyard takes place on the first floor. The second floor contains a place to nap or a library that become more focused tasks. The formation of a curved institution was made to connect existing sidwalks/paths and make it more accessible for non-normative people. Manipulating the landscape and topography allowed a more fluid circulation across campus and creates an exciting new pathway to take.
Inspired by the book Data Flow, I concluded in my site analysis that there is visibly little safe and accessible sidewalks for non-normative people. From the proximity of the site, where the darker the color, the closer, the lighter the color, the further away. This shows routes where the green, the everyday people, can use these routes, which consists of either steep hill, narrow paths, or blind spots, whereas the yellow indicates that both non-normative and everyday people can use these paths.
Walker Upper Elementary School
Charlottesville High School
500’ 1,000’ 1,500’
Crow Pool Handicap Ramps
Greenbrier district sidewalk & driveway
Venable district sidewalk & driveway
Section A -- East Longitudinal Section
Section B -- North Cross Section
Indoor
Problem:
Immersive Place: Built Environment for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Spring 2024 | ARCH 4020 | Independent Design Research Studio | Lorton, VA | Professor Schaeffer Somers | Rhino, Illustrator, & Photoshop ASD (autism spectrum disorder) diagnoses have rapidly increased within the last century. Specialists who focus on the needs of individuals with ASD and resources including spaces designed to destress, decompress, and re-collect have not kept pace with the needs of the ASD population. Research and analysis of the needs of individuals with ASD and how to design specifically for people with ASD are lacking. Should spaces be designed specifically for people with ASD? Will the needs of the neurotypical population also be met? How will that look? Who’s inspiration and creative design are implemented? People with ASD or the designers?
The project is based on the familiarity context that I grew up in Lorton, Virginia. This facilitiy is a place for autistic people to learn and practice life and social skills throughout the therapeutic building, garden, and trail. Furthermore, the project will utilize Dr. Magda Mostafa’s The Autism ASPECTSS Design Index principles by incorporating sensory friendly escape or freak out spaces.
When analyzing the county, there were no autism centers within Lorton but are a few south in Woodbridge, Virginia. Autism Learners ABA Therapy & Autism Behavior Therapies (ABTs) contain services in Woodbridge such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Board Analyst Certification Board (BACB), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA), & Speech-language pathologists (SLP) are implemented within the project in a neighborhood and private context. Some schools I have attended were autism friendly and/or included private rooms for testing (academic and psychologically wise), however, some schools were not autism friendly and architecturally created long and disorganized corridors which can lead people to become overstimulated from the traveling sounds and overstimulated of where they are within environment.
The following are notable points mentioned in the reading “Children with Autism...”:
“... they must not only attribute imaginary qualities to objects but understand that other people can do this as well.” (pg. 32)
“Perhaps the need to consider two dimensions at once, such as height and width, or number and size, overwhelms autistic person’s reasoning abilities.” (pg. 118)
“place 3.1” Photoshop -- Winter 2021 Project inspiration and the idea of association. Within this artwork, I found and associate areas as a worm and monster.
from “Children with Autism: A Developmental Perspective” by Marian Sigman & Lisa Capps
Affordance Sketch Scenarios 1
Wayfinding Scenarios
Home/Dorm Scenarios
Affordance Sketch Scenarios 2
Landscape/Nature Scenarios
Brain Dump: Project Wants/Needs
Making/Materials
Immersed Sketches: Landscape
Immersed Sketches:
Immersed Sketches: Spaces/Rooms/Installations/Sensory
Case Studies: “Sensory Rooms”
Mind Map: Practicing Life & Social Skills
Program Bubble Diagrams: Public
Immersed Sketches: ASD/Creators/Inventors
Case Studies: Therapy Rooms
Therapeutic Garden Scenarios & Bubble Diagram
Program Bubble Diagrams: Private
Classroom Wayfinding 1
Lightroom Darkroom
Crammed space
Nook Tree Sanctuary Seating
Wayfinding 2 Forest path
Dorm mockup Sculpture
Escape pods Watch tower Water
Cocoon
Biophilic escape
Tactile wall Meeting/Gathering space
Art room
Zoning Diagram
Wall Nook Perspective
Stimulation Diagram: Typical Weekday
Mockup Grocery Store Perspective
Testing & Diagnosis + Observation Perspective
Site Territorial & Trail Section
I was in awe from the natural sensory elements such as the pond, trees, and creek. The proposed trail acts as the connector or the “dendrite” for the building and garden. The trail is another and alternative path that is more naturaful, semi-secluded, and immersive within the landscape.
Immersive Light/Darkroom Perspective
Trail, Escape Space, & Therapeutic Garden Perspective
Sensory friendly escape or freak out spaces are embedded throughout the building and landscape. These spaces provide insight into the need and benefits for inclusive design for persons with neurodivergent disabilities, specifically autistic people which they can use and associate these safe spaces to decompress and recollect themselves.
The Autism ASPECTSS Design Index principles were used to design and develop the escape or freak out spaces.
Acoustics
Implemented within the space are adjustable lighting, color, and sound system. Wall gym mats and sound proof panels destimulate sensory overload.
Iterative Facade Moment -- 1“ = 5‘ Model
View Inside of Final Model -- 1“ = 2‘ Model
Spatial Sequencing
Curved walls leads people to the orthogonal edges and reminds people of the start and end of main entry point.
Escape Space
The design was to create a direct circulation to escape while also creating privacy.
Compartmentalization
Each escape spaces along the trail are 500‘ apart to ensure immediate area to use or freak out.
Transitions
The ultimate goal was to create a private escape space from a public setting. Curtains, light dectection, and used/not used signs inform people before entering.
Sensory Zoning
Under the seat and side wall storage contains high and low stimulated tools such as a trampoline or headphones.
Safety
Surrounded by newly constructed neighborhood and not far but within forest ensures privacy.
Ceiling
RGB LED Lights
Sensor
Curtain
Headphones
Wall Storage
Bench
Trampoline
Carpet floor
Gym mat
Recycled plastics
Escape space
Portal: Through Skies and Caverns
Fall 2023 | ARCH 4010 | 4th Year Undergrad | Philadelphia, PA | Professor WG Clark | Rhino, Grasshopper, Photoshop, & Procreate William Penn designed the city of Philadelphia based on two main ideas: a building and a park. This community place within Old City is located along 2nd North St. and along one of the oldest inhabitated roads called Elfreth’s Alley. The two plots act as a portal along Elfreth’s Alley and merged underground. People of the Old City can occupy these spaces throughout the building and the park where programs are orientated from lightness to darkness.
The core acts as an immediate greeting point to guest with programs such as a kitchen that teaches and serves cultural cuisines, a daycare with an adjacent terrace that becomes a play space during the day and a communal celebration space at night, as well as ceramics and painting studio with views along the Delaware River + Benjamin Franklin bridge. Underground lies the woodshop, a cafe during the day and a bar in the evening, and a theater space that show children‘s play, movies, and a place to meet.
Sketch 1: Opening
Sketch 3: Geologoical Inhabitation Through Library and Dens
Sketch 2: Sectional View of Library & Looking Over Park
Model Iterations: Program
Model Iterations: Design
Northwest Perspective -- 1“ = 32‘ Model Within Site
Elfreth‘s Alley
To Control, Or To Be Controlled?
Fall 2024 | Personal | Silent Competititon | Museum of Emotions (Edition #5) - Buildner Competitions | Rhino, D5 Render, Photoshop, & Illustrator
The proposed project aims to convey emotions through architecture with two meanings: people control the architecture/environment and people are controlled by the architecture/environment.
2019-2021 | Pencil/Graphite & Procreate
Lumination
Pencil/Graphite -- Spring 2019
Flower Droplet Building Procreate -- Winter 2021
Photography
Spring 2022 | PHT 102 & 103 | 2nd Year Undergrad | Professor Liz Donadio & Professor Amanda Sauer | Digital & B&W Photography
My photography is heavily focused on caputuring the essense of curves/angles, surrealism, & a story behind each work.
Eyeball Black & White Photogram -- Spring 2022
Lampshades Black & White Photography -- Spring 2022
Woodbridge Church
Digitial Photography -- Spring 2022
