Fulfilling Imagery

Vance Chavis Finals-- Design is Never Complete

2010-12-09T19:11:00.000-08:00

Model created by Kurt Huizenga

Final Model of the New Vance H. Chavis Library in Greensboro, NC presented above.

This has been a fun fun!!! and informative semester. As a student of the Interior Architecture department at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, I participate in various professional projects. The projects generally consist of renovation of an existing building or excavation and re-building of a site.

Particularly this semester as collaborative class of 15 we took an existing library site in Greensboro, North Carolina; the Vance H. Chavis branch and hypothetically excavated the existing building. We put much thought into keeping the building however, due the many add-ons, the layout just wasn't efficient. After the redesign of the building the class was then divided into smaller groups which consisted of, Children, Stacks, Multipurpose, and Administration. I participated in the administration portion of the library design. In the beginning my responsibility was to design a break area for the staff which later led into the a effectively office layout for the staff as well. Working in a group of 15 collaboratively isn't as easy as it may sound because, there wasn't much collaboration happening once each group received their portion of the building they were to work on. Due to lack of communication there were a lot of overlap to happen and re-design constantly reoccurred. Especially in my portion. We started out with a large space which constantly kept getting smaller until we had to tell others how important the area is for a library to function.

Below are a few of my first attempts to layout a break area. As a group we decided since the break area was in close proximity of the multipurpose area which would be to the right in the drawing below; we would leave it open for accessibility to the users of the multipurpose space, in the case that they may have been interested in hosting a dinner of some sort. However, the layout was too open it was exposed to all users of the library anyone entering the space in general.

In following image below is the lighting for the space which are fluorescent pendents.

Below are perspectives of the above images.

Final layout of space combined with the staff work area is illustrated in the following images.

Lighting plan below which consist of Fluorescent Pendents by Cooper Lighting company Shaper Brand.

The following images below are perspectives of the space.

The product here is from Knoll group their Template collection. Below is a model of the wall cabinetry shown in the background of the space.

Below is an image of the break space.

Above is the break room which was my primary focus. It is constructed of stainless steel with a selection of stainless steel appliances. The kitchen construction was selected from Ernestomeda Kitchens. The floor tile is a slab tile from Dal Tile and the back-splash is a ceramic and a glass tile which can be selected from your local home improvement store. Below is a model of the kitchen space.

Cabinetry detail which consist of hidden built-in drawer handles. Detail is illustrated below.

The products used within the office space is a selection from knoll their autostrada selection.
The carpeting is a tile carpet from Shaw Contract Group. The stripes are of a more vibrant orange than it appears in the image; it is more relative to the colors in the chairs.

This concludes the layout of the office space. The following images is process work in which i participated in class charettes to get to the points which we ended. The main focus of the following images are of the exterior of the building as well as the interior programming.

Vance H. Chavis Life Long Library

2010-10-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

As students of UNCG we are working towards creating a new innovative library for what is currently known to the Greensboro community, as the Vance H. Chavis Life Long Library.

The class has been working in mini groups working on different sections of this project. For this particular section a group of us have drawn up the first proposal of the site, below is and image to illustrate.

Illustrated on the left side of the plan is an outdoor amphitheater; centrally placed and curving to the right is the building. The top of curving structure from the building is a proposed green-roof.

Library Precedent Analysis: Local/International

2010-10-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

As we began to prepare our minds to generate innovative designs for the Vance H. Chavis Life long Library of Greensboro,NC we must study the context and layouts of other Libraries. I chose to study the layout of the Hemphill Branch Library located locally in Greensboro and the Exeter Library located in Exeter, New Hampshire. Below are images and analytical information about each library.
HEMPHILL BRANCH LIBRARY: ANALYSIS

Building Context

The Building is located in an area where it is most like to be used. It is surrounded by residential neighborhoods, one being a residential dwelling complex, which is located across W. Vandalia Road. The others are single family homes, which are adjacent to library’s property line.

VEHICULAR AND PEDESTRIAN ACCESS

Pedestrian Access: In the surrounding area there are sidewalks available to pedestrians for their safety to steer away from the path of moving vehicles.

Vehicular Access: There are 2 entrances into the parking lot of the Hemphill library facility. The Blue arrows represent the primary routesin the area and the orange represent a secondary route. Also in the area is a bus stop whichis represented by the blue X.

SOLAR ORIENTATION

The front facade of the building faces North-West therefore, there is a dense light to enter the front entrance of the building throughout the day. However there would be more light to enter when the sun is setting.

All Sides of the building have openingsto allow daylight light to penetrate. The South allows most light to enter, along with the west and east sides. There is also a raised roof, which has clear story windows which aslo allow daylight toenter and illuminate the entire central public space, where adult readings are.The diagram above shows how the lightenter into the clear story windows.

SPACE MASSING

The spacial layout is in a compressed format. There are shapes combined and compressed into one large shape. There is space allotted for children, teens and adults. The circulation is not centrally placed therefore, there is typically a linear circulation path.

INTERIOR CIRCULATION

The diagram represents the circulation of the general public. It shows the spaces in which they can access that is open daily. However, the conference room may be open daily but
there is limited access. One have the option to reserve the space for meetings, therefore the space may be closed for set up in some cases.

EXETER LIBRARY: ANALYSIS

Located in Exeter, New Hampshire, the Exeter Library is located on the Exeter Academy. Therefore it provides services to students of Exeter Academy. The building is also in close proximity of residential neighborhoods. From an analytical perspective, the building may possibly provide services to the public because it is a historical building, and many may like to embrace its elegance. However, the primary users are students of Exeter Academy.

VEHICULAR AND PEDESTRIAN ACCESS

There isn’t any parking on the building grounds however, there is parking available along the streets which are highlighted in green. Therefore, from an analytical perspective there is a
lot of foot traffic. Furthermore, there are pathways for pedestrian traffic highlighted in blue.

CIRCULATION

There is a Vertical and Radial movement to occur throughout the building. Unlike the typical layout of libraries, the circulation desk is located on the 1st floor to give it a central location vertically instead of on the entrance floor.

GEOMETRY

The Architect Louis Kahn used all the simple shapes in geometry and kept them in their natural form; bringing them together in a uniformed way.

Precendent analysis of Vance H. Chavis Life Long Library

2010-10-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

As group of 4 we collaborated and decided to break the project up into sections to analyze the current context of the Vance H. Chavis Life Long Library as well as some history of the library.
I was given the responsibility of observing the exterior and interior circulation. Below are diagrams of the 2. I was also given the responsibility of understanding the building's environmental impact, which will be discussed later.
The above image illustrates the vehicular and pedestrian access. As one observed there are to entrances in the parking lot, therefore traffic congestion is least likely to occur. Minimal parking may also be a factor to less traffic congest as well as the surrounding setting. The surrounding area consist of residential dwellings and single family homes. Therefore, because they are in close proximity of the library the surrounding residents in the area are likely to walk to the library. To those who are in need of ADA accessibility the buildings is at ground level however, it one is driving a vehicle with a retractable ramp the ADA accessible parking spaces are not wide enough to extend the wheel chair ramp out.

The above image illustrates the current circulation of the public users of the library. At the entrance and the station for are adult computers there is typically congestion. There is not enough floor space near these areas to allow an easy flow of traffic. Also within the building there are no outlets along the walls of the facility. The only available outlets are centrally place on the supporting columns. This is hazardous to through traffic when those who need access to the outlets when using laptop computers.

Environmental Impact

The building is historical to the community particular the African-American community. It has undergone many transformations, including 3 expansions. However, the building is now landlocked. Due to this factor there are 3 HVAC systems within the building. Each expansion required separate HVAC systems. The building itself is constructed of brick. Furthermore, brick is exposed within the building and the buildings sits on a concrete slab. Therefore, in the summer the interior climate is just at hot as the exterior climate vice versa the climate in the winter season. As a result, the HVAC system are priority needed to be addressed because they are used more to either cooling the building or heating the building. Moreover, a position asset is the minimal parking that is available to users. As a result of minimal parking more users choose to walk to the library.

Group Presentation Layout

Reading Space

2010-09-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

http://common.csnstores.com/common/marketing/Herman_Miller/image_coconut_chair.jpg (coconut chair)

http://www.crystalinks.com/cocoon2.gif (cocoon)

http://www.thedisplacedafrican.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/baby-in-the-womb.jpg (baby in womb)

http://www.regencyshop.com/product_thumb.php?img=images/egg2.jpg&w=400&h=400 (Egg Chair)

Above are images of precedent study, studying how people may be most comfortable reading. Psychologically we tend to sleep in the fetal position or sit and read in a position in close resemblance. Such as crisp-crossing our legs or sitting on the buttock and bring the Knees into the chest.

In this particular project as the student we were to choose a space within or near the Gatewood Studio arts building on the campus of UNCG. I chose to do an outdoor reading space, which, is located between the Gatewood Studio Arts building and the Graham building. In the following aerial view the red pushpin shows the location where the reading would be. The other two pushpin labels the Studio Art building and the Graham building. As you can see it would be in close proximity of a busy street and at each intersection there are walk chirps for those who are blind.

Also near by is a railroad, which very busy with passenger train which, is shown in the map below. One would this with all the surrounding distractions the space would not be logical for a reading space. However, of multiple days of observation the space is popular for being a reading space for UNCG students. Due to the surrounding building's height it help with acoustics. The train that passes through becomes background noise that’s if it even heard, it is a very faint sound. So are the cars passing by and the walking chirps for the blind. Also while observing the space the seating spaces that are currently there are concrete slabs on brick columns. There is also a stone wall that is slanted at 60º angle people tend to sit at the top of the wall in the grass. One can infer because, its a softer place to sit. If they are not sitting or laying the grass they tend to take a whole bench and lay flat out on it. There were also people there to collaborate, however, the seating currently there does not accommodate their needs.

The image below gives a glance at what the space currently looks like.

The diagram below shows the path of an occupant’s eyesight when they sit on the current seating provided and the proposed design.

Below are models studying forms that could possibly go well in the current setting while also accommodating the needs of the users. The Rounding of the form of the seating allows collaboration. Specifically in the seating below, It also provides seating on the convex side of the form, which, provide seating for those who would like to have a sense of isolation.

In the following model a planter can be incorporated in the back of the seating, while the seating still accommodates the need for collaboration. However, it doesn't provide isolated seating for those who prefer to sit away from a group.

Below are perspectives of the proposed design for the current space. The seating accommodates the need for those in need of collaboration as well as those who would like to be isolated from a group and can lay back ad relax as they read before their next class.

Circulation is also a problem in the space as well, and the new seating allows for pedestrians to pass through the form whereas, the previous or current form causes pedestrians to walk around the form. The following images illustrate the differences.

Albemarle Final Presentation Board

2010-09-30T18:03:00.001-07:00

Graphic layout of presentation for Albemarle, North Carolina

Albemarle Final Verticality.

2010-09-30T15:45:00.001-07:00

Below are images of a propose design for a building in the down town area Albemarle, NC. The building is currently used as an Art Gallery to display local artist work. However the street level floor is only in use for that. The mezzanine floor along with the upper fourth floor and the basement is currently unoccupied. The client wishes to make the downtown are more lively. To do so they would like to bring in some type of entertainment or attraction. They also spoke of possibly bring in residential units. They also stated that they wanted the building to target an age group that are fresh in their career and possibly career starters. The age group would range from 25-35. With the information I gathered. I came up with the idea of verticality, for the reason that, the towns people are looking to bring downtown Albemarle back to life. They wanted the city to grow and prosper in the sense of soaring.Therefore, I have included spaces for all age group with a main focus of age group decided. I have included a bar/lounge for those coming from a long day of work and want a relaxing break just before going home. That particular space could be used for a meeting space for 2 to 4 people. The restaurant restaurant below could be for that small family with children or a place to grab lunch or dinner. The Gallery is set there to provide service to those who to display their talent, purchase a hand crafted gift, or to make crafts for ones leisure time or to sell in the gallery. Also the building provides living units on the above 2 levels. They are for single family people. On the mezzanine level there are loft apartments. The first floor of the apartment being a living and a kitchen space. The second level of loft is a sleep space. On the upper 4th floor level are 1 level apartments providing the same amenities as the lofts.
To the left is a plan view of the street level floor. This floor houses the a bar/lounge which has an overlook down to the floor below. It also house an art gallery which, is the building current use. Also there is a central hallway that has columns that will be visible from the basement floor the the residential area on the mezzanine floor and the upper 4th floor. It is a relative to my idea or concept of verticality.

The image to the left is a view of the bar/lounge looking from the hallway. As you can see there is an overlook into the restaurant below. The columns are continuous pattern from the pattern in the hallway dividing the gallery from the bar/lounge. The hallway image is shown below.
The image to the left is the view of the hallway, as you can see the concept of verticality is portrayed in the vertical columns. And once again they can be viewed from all levels of the building.
Left: Is a view of the Art Gallery, the wall or area is where local artist could display their work whether it be sculptural or paintings.
Left: Is the basement plan view. It shows the restaurant area to the far left of the plan and a private entrance for the residents occupying the mezzanine and the upper 4th floor. There is also a private gym for the residents use.
Left: Here a view into the restaurant, as you can see once again there is an overlook from the street level floor down into the restaurant.

Above: Mezzanine Floor, Loft Apartments, 1st level.

Above is a view of the Loft apartment facing the entrance door into the apartment. As you can see there is a kitchen area a living space and stairs which, lead up into the sleeping space which, is enclosed by glass.

Above: 4th upper level floor. One level apartment.
There is also a laundry room at the end of the hallway.
Left: Is an overall view of the entire building.

Albemarle, Design developmet 1

2010-03-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

As a third-year student at the University of North Carolina- Greensboro, we were presented with a semester long project which, consisted of proposing a new use for an old Belk building located in downtown Albemarle, N.C. The people of Albemarle that are overseeing the building wish to bring people and a life to the downtown area of Albemarle. Therefore, through this space we as the students are proposing some sort of residential element within the building as well as, a commercial attraction.

When working on the proposal we worked in pairs. My partner and I are proposing retail elements which would be, a sporting goods store and an arts and craft boutique. We chose those two retail stores from observation of the speaker who spoke about Albemarle's history and existing attractions. The speaker announced that they are known for outdoor sporting such as, fishing, biking, hiking etc. They also gave emphases on art. We are also including a restaurant because, it was stated that the only restaurant near by cost $100.00 for two people; and from observation of the site and speaking with people of Albemarle many thought that was costly.

After further observation of the site my partner and I formed the conceptual idea of stratification to help with the formation of the interior of the building. We chose the idea for the reason of another use added to the building is like bringing a new layer to the building which was once a, funeral parlor, furniture store, jewelry store, and Belk as the most recent. We also thought it went well with the site knowing that it is known for its surrounding geography such as, the Uwharrie mountains.

Below are are images of the space, first beginning with the plan.

When entering the space, one will encounter tall columns that act as seating for those waiting and dividers for the entrance and the dining seating. The dining is raised to give a level change to go along with the concept of stratification. The concept also helped us to divide the space. Stratification sometimes means arrangement of objects accordance to importance. Therefore, we chose to place the retail in the rear of the building because, retail typically close before restaurants. Furthermore, if the retail closes if placed in the front facade of the building it wouldn't bring much attraction to the restaurant if the restaurant was placed in the back.

Below is the circulation and an elevation facing the east wall:

When viewing the above section one will notice that the main level is where the commercial attractions are located. As one moves up through the space, the second level (mezzanine) to the right and the third level to the left are designated for the residential units.

Below are perspective images to help one understand the space better.

above is a perspective view looking from the dinning area left of the entrance.
above is another perspective view looking from the dining area right of the space. The columns is an expression of cantilevering which is a characteristic of stratification.
above is another perspective viewing the bar, bathrooms and the rear retail areas.

above is a perspective viewing the front facade while standing in front of the retail units.

Exterior view of the residential units on the mezzanine level (level 2).

Perspective view of the residential units on the third level of the building.

3ds Max Dining Renderings

2009-05-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Hipster Haven: Vitality

2009-05-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

As a first time residential project we were given the UNCG Becher-Weaver warehouse to renovate and transform into an loft apartment building. We were given needs that needed to be met which were, we had the task of considering our designs to fit first time home buyers who are from the X-Y generation. Below is a Chart describing each generation.
However, before we started the design side we viewed our site and took observations in pairs. While in pairs we had to draw up a plan, which is shown below.

The layout of each loft apartment was inspired by the shotgun houses which in rectilinear in shape, which has the concept of seeing straight through from one end to another. However we manipulated that idea and put a 45deg. cut between two apartments, so that the owners can communicate with their neighbor as they enter their space. It also give the space character. You can also perceive that we have strategically place each column in or against walls. We also designated areas for entertainment or leisure, and a postal area.

After the research of the typical characteristics of each generation it somewhat influenced my design, as far as openness within the floor plan. Having an open floor plan meets the characteristics of the millennial as far as self-inventive and individualistic. It gives one the opportunity to personalize their space, as well as entertain, which from personal experience as a Millennial is important. After the research I then did a Programmatic Diagram to help with my decisions as to where to place spaces, which is shown below.After the research and the programmatic diagram my initial layout was to place the loft area half way the shortest width of the apartment layout. However, we had to keep with the existing beam and post structure which is not shown in the image below, but the beams hindered my loft placement, because from the loft floor to the bottom of the beam was roughly 3', and one beam went through the center of the space running the longest length of the apartment. Therefore, having one to bend a tremendous distance to get to the opposite side of it. Also with this layout I also had a second bath in the loft area, but after critique I was told that a loft is no longer considered a loft if it had a bathroom place with in it.
Therefore, I then came up with my final reevaluation of my design shown below.
The first floor is a washout underneath the second floor.As you can view in the above images I re-oriented the loft to go along side the longest length of the apartment. And there is one main bathroom. I also utilized the beam as drawer storage space going the entire length of the loft. I pushed the roof above the beam structure. The existing the structure really had a significant influence on my over all structure, I worked around the existing structure rather than manipulating it drastically. The images that are shown below are perspectives of my loft apartment.

Bathroom Space

When one enters through the front door the bathroom is immediately located to the left of them.
Floor: Mosaic shades of gray/black ceramic tile
Vanity top: 4x4 ceramic tile
Shower: 4x4 ceramic tile

Dining Space

As you maneuver through the space you walk through the common area, which is not shown, then you experience the view of the dining space which is shown above.
Windows: Casement Windows
Counter tops: Gallio Quarry Granite
Floor: Natural Bamboo
Cabinets: Cherry wood/cherry finish

Kitchen Space

This is the view to the right as you enter through the dining space.
Windows: Casement Windows
Counter tops: Gallio Quarry Granite
Floor: Natural Bamboo

Loft Space

As you go up stairs this is the first view of the loft as you come off the stairs.
Storage: Finishes Natural Limba wood ( Terminalia superba) a tree grown in West Africa
Windows: Clear Story
Floor: Stand bamboo

Loft Space

The second view you encounter as you look back towards the stairs.
You can also view the storage space underneath the beam that I spoke of early.
Storage: Finishes Natural Limba wood ( Terminalia superba) a tree grown in West Africa
Windows: Clear Story
Floor: Stand bamboo/cherry finish

Elevation
As you can observe there is a built in entertainment center underneath the stairs, to utilized as much space as possible.

Section

This shows the washer/dryer room that hasn't been shown, and the back of the storage located in the loft space.

Section

This section gives one the clear understanding of the placement of the common space location, as well as the length of the loft storage space. The door shown is the entrance to the bathroom.Materials used in this Project Listed above

Another important element in this project was to gain the knowledge of how to create stairs. This process I really enjoyed it gave me a better understanding of all the construction that is needed to go into stairs. I found that stairs can look so simple but yet in construction it can be complicated. Below is my model from a stair charette that we did as a class to gain that knowledge.Below is an image of a wall section of the existing brick wall that continues the perimeter of the existing building. This wall is an element in my loft apartment within the Kitchen and Dining area.

Above is my overall presentation board. As the title I chose Vitality, which means continuing on with a purposeful existence. Which in this instance I feel that this conceptual title fits well with the entire project, because we took an existing building and re-purposed it as a loft apartment building therefore, giving it a new purposeful existence.

Dining Renderings

2009-04-12T21:08:00.001-07:00

In this assignment we were to use Podium, which is an extended program that is integrated within Sketch Up. It is use to bring one's model to life from looking sketchy. I am amazed by what the program is able to do, however it is time consuming it take forever to render one picture. I feel that the photos above are not my best, however I do feel that they are done well for my first time use of the program.

Dining Space Movie

2009-04-02T00:10:00.000-07:00

The video above is a video of a dinning room that I design and created within a program called Sketch Up. I really enjoyed this assignment, it give the viewer a real feel of being within the room. And it also gives one a better spacial understanding, as to circulation.

Dining Views

2009-03-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

WPA Poster

2009-03-05T08:31:00.001-08:00

The above image is a creation of my own of a WPA poster. The WPA posters in the past advertised issues on all levels, such as economic, politic issues as well as diseases such as syphillis. The posters below are two of the few that I chose as inspiration for my creation. I took the elements of the images being complex and text being simple and added that into my layout. I chose simple colors just as the Be Careful poster. And the orientation of the worker is inspired by the central orientation the dog. My poster as you probably have noticed is advertising the issues of high unemployment in America. Jobs are constantly being shipped over to the eastern parts of the world, leaving Americans without well paying jobs.

A Transitioning Journey

2009-03-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

I have come to find the phrase "I am going to take a bath" a broad statement. It could mean the cleaning of the body from dirt and odor after a long days work. It could also mean the cleansing of the mind body and soul. People also take bathes for leisure of relaxation. There are a few forms of bathing, it could be steam bathing, mud bathing, sun bathing or sitting in a tub of water. After doing research of a cultural bath experiences I chose the Jewish culture as inspiration to design a spa. The spa is not just an ordinary spa it is made to reach the needs of temporary wheelchair bound people that still have their mobility to move their bodies. Therefore, ramps are placed throughout the spa. While reaching the needs of the handicap I have based my spa around the Jewish bathing ritual, which is the the cleansing of the mind and soul for purification. The bath ritual was most common in Jewish women until not long ago men of the Jewish culture began purifying themselves just before Sabbath or during high holidays. The ritual consisted of reading a prayer before, in between or after dips, which was seven dips. The Jewish did the bathing routine as a way to purify their past identity. Women did it before marriage as a symbolism of purifying her identity and entering into a new beginning, or after milestones such as menstrual periods, divorce etc. After looking at many of their baths (Mikvahs) I found that there pool spaces were all rectilinear about 10x10 and stairs lead them down into the pool. The space was design for the privacy of one. After reading about the Jewish culture I have found the connection of transition and one can look at life as a journey , there are many paths you may choose to take. So below I based my design conceptually around a Transitioning Journey. The space gives one the choice of enjoying their experience with a group of friends or having their privacy.

Above is a view of the PLAN of the bath facility. As you can see there is a left and a right ramp that are set out to guide the client to a pool area. Each ramp is 5' in width. The grey tile is two 1'x1' Slate and is used as
a guide line to and through the pools. The blue tile next to the slate is a 6"x6" Aqua blue glass tile. And next to that is a 1'x1' White Porcelain tile.There is also an exiting ramp that lead the people out of the pools . I chose to have a opposite exiting ramp as a symbolic relation of not back tracking your life when purifying or trying to move forward.

Above is a perspective view of the left and right ramp that lead to the pools. The wood flooring is of a Composite Wood, which is not an absorbent or water, and is long last than your typically wood.

CEILING PLAN (above): structural elements contains a Stainless Steel, and a light grey tinted structural glass.

When entering into the pool I have expressed through material , transition. When first entering the pool one will encounter a on the walls a rough finish of Stucco painted White.
As they move through they would then encounter a smooth Blue Marble wall and polished White Granite seating which is a 1-1/2' above the pool floor and a 1-1/2' below the water level which is 3' deep. The partitions walls that are in the center of the pools is of a Frosted Glass, standing 8' above pool floor. When exiting the pool the opposite wall is made of a white Waterproofed Gypsum Board. The wall surrounding the landing platforms are 8' above the floor and from the pool floor to the ceiling it is 11'.

Above is a section cut through the bath facility . From left to right you are viewing the width of the hall which 5' , 5' landing with stucco walls, 9'-3" of seating space in the pool with the partitioned frosted glass wall in front of it which is 4' Wx8' H 2"T , 4' w space with another partition frosted glass wall which is 3' in width. When exiting there is a slightly sloped ramp that has a 1'rise and a 12' run. The railing shown above and throughout the space is constructed of Horizontal Stainless Steel Cabling.

Model of one pool

Looking into the space of the pool.

Materials
White Porcelain Tile

Grey Slate
Glass Tile
Stucco
White Granite

Stainless Steel Cable Railing
Frosted Glass

waterproof gypsum board
Blue marble
Composite Wood

Tinted Grey Structural Glass

A Place to Bathe

2009-02-23T07:03:00.001-08:00

There are many buildings that are out there in the world today that are handicap accessible. However, many of these facilities were not totally designed for the physically less fortunate people. To be specific many building have ramps that are available to those that are wheel chair bound whether it is temporarily or permanently. Some of these ramps seem like they were added on to a facility without full consideration of what it's convenience could be. Therefore, we have the opportunity to design a facility or place to bathe for people that are wheel chair bound. To further elaborate this place to bathe is not your typical thought of a place to bathe, however we had to research other cultural traditional rituals of bathing. After researching I found that Jewish have a traditional bathe that is considered Bath of Purification. The Purification ritual was fully for the honoring and nurturing of women. It was a way to give a woman a place in the world when others are being so demanding of them. These women would go attend the Mikvah (bath) after milestones in their life, such as menstrual periods, divorces, before or after childbirth. They would also attend the Mikvah before their wedding day. It is a way if cleansing your previous identity, to start a new and refreshing life. Recently men have started to attend the Mikvah before Sabbath (a day set out for worship) and Holidays. Ancient Mikvah were filled by natural spring or cisterns were filled directly by rain water.
Baths today are more inviting, they have a modern spa look, as show in the photo below.
Baths today still carry the meaning of the tradition of the Mikvah. A Mikvah is a spiritual ritual bath for married Jewish women who follow the ancient traditional laws of family purity, which guide the intimate relationships between husband and wife. Unlike an ordinary bathtub or swimming pool, a kosher mikvah must contain a certain quantity of ‘Mayim Chayim’ (living waters) – gathered rainwater.
Modern day mikvahs are equipped with filtration and purification systems. They are chlorinated and kept at a comfortable warm temperature, and are always connected to the Mayim Chayim.

Urban Pathways

2009-02-22T12:28:00.001-08:00

I really enjoyed this project which was learning the function of adobe Illustrator. In the beginning I encountered many frustrations, leading to restarting multiple times. However, I am happy with the outcome of the above photo.

Dining-Open Opportunities

2009-02-21T19:37:00.001-08:00

Wall Section of Louvered Wall

When first encountering this project, which was the designing of a dining space, we as a class had to choose a chair. As you can see above, the chair that I chose was a Klaussner Dining Side Chair. The second step was to design a side table as well as a dining Table to place in this dining space. I approach the assignment by designing the dining table along with the side table, base around elements from the dining chair that I chose. Then I took the approach of developing the the space using the same technique. As I went along in this project I found that I had not formed a concept to base my design around for the final touches of the dining space. So I took that into account and started to think about the space, in the mind frame of a dining experience, I came up with the phrase an Open Opportunity. I found the concept statement or phrase to fit well broadly, due to the fact that when people are dining you may have many options (open opportunities) to choose how you would like to dine. You may choose to dine in the dark, or take the Japanese experience and sit on the floor, etc. You may also at a dining area have the opportunity to sample a variety of foods as well listen to the open conversations that is shared around the table. The the element of having opportunities are developed through my space through having a louvered walls that gives one option to close the adjacent room off from the next, or open them wide to give an open plan to the next room. There is also a skylight above the dining table to give the option of having a dinner in early evening to use natural light. However there are also lights hanging above the table that hang from the central spine of the skylight that also gives one the option to give a late evening dinner and the choice to use artificial lighting. The idea of the louvered wall came from the beams that are underneath the table. The skylight is a replica of the design of the table. The indention which is a pass through to the kitchen in the left (west wall) come from the voids that are portions in the dining chairs.

Scene Discourse

2009-02-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

Pattern Perception

2009-01-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

Manifesto

2009-01-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

We as designers create in a physical form, what we imagine, to reach the reality of function. In doing so we combine many elements to make a whole. Also as a designers we somehow express ourselves in our design. Here in this design, I have express the feeling of being contained. I feel contained in the use of straight edges when it come to design.

Response to Computing and design

2009-01-26T07:32:00.001-08:00

After reading the Article, I have gain a better understanding of the significance of the computer in the design perspective. It have massively improve it performance through the years, and it will continue through the years to come. In the modern day time computers give designers the advantage of producing their work accurately and faster. Over the years there has been many computer programs that help in the process of the produced work that designers create. In the future to come I imagine there would computing program just as word, that you can verbally give the computer a command to do. Such as "line right, line left" etc.

Waterbed in a space

2008-10-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

While the waterbed was first invented for the use in hospitals, they later became popular in homes. I have had the experience of lying in two different waterbeds in totally different settings. I encountered a waterbed in two vernacular style homes. One home was out on the lakefront, and the other out in a rural setting. Knowing the consumer of the bed in the rural setting I feel that they was trying to gain the feeling of being on the water, due to their enjoyment of going to the beach. On the other hand I unofficially know the person that lives on the lakefront, only through my father. So I have chosen to place the waterbed in a vernacular style home, which was located on a lakefront. From what I remember, the room that encloses the bed was similar to a glass screened in patio room. The room media seemed to have been stained pinewood, with an abundant amount of natural light screening in, there was also a ceiling fan placed overhead center ways of the bed. I interpret that the consumer of the bed took into consideration of his liking of the water and, probably want the feeling of being out on his boat while lying in his bed due to the motion of the water in the bed makes. He probably also chose the room due to the natural light that would be entering, along with the glass windows that could be open for fresh air that also has the accompanying component of a screen to block-out unwanted company and elements. He possibly chose to place the bed center ways underneath the ceiling fan to receive the feeling of a breeze from it that has a close relative feeling of a natural outdoors breeze. Surrounding the exterior of the room is a forest of tall pine trees, which I feel that he probably encouraged the designer to incorporate in the construction of the room. In comparison to other beds the waterbed was said to give an even distribution of the body, today the sleep number bed is relative to the waterbed, in the case of evenly distributing the body. In contrast the sleep number bed has an air chamber design in a mattress that can be adjusted to you desired comfort, by the touch of a button.
Jessica

Shelter Bus

2008-10-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

In the above images are layouts and diagrams for a shelter bus that we as students at UNCG are designing. The drawings above was done by me, Jessica Crews, which is my proposed design. There are anotations for the drawings and a concept statement to explain my overall approach to the project.

Detail Drawing of A&T Bus Shelter

2008-10-02T22:22:00.001-07:00

With in this project one had to design a bus shelter for the North Carolina A&T campus. The bus shelter would be arranged in front of the St. John Lodge #12 on east Market street. Above a couple of images there is a more thorough explanation of the project in the concept statement.

Postcard to Jay Lennatson

2008-09-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

In the above image is a postcard to a Professor Jay Lennartson,who work in the department of Geography at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. He came to a Theory Hour session that the department of interior architecture set aside for speakers to come and give a educational lesson about design or any educational aspects. The last four sessions including this one, the speakers spoke about green design and sustainability, but this lecture stuck with me the most, due to the speaker was very enthusiastic while delivering his perspective of sustainability and green design, and why green design is important.

Bus Shelter Power Point Precis

2008-09-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

After two weeks of no clear understanding of defining the meaning of a Shelter-Bus-shelter, at the end we as a class presented what a Bus Shelter was or is , and what a Shelter Bus is. With in the presentation there were slides designate for each of the following groups, for explanation of each: context, pre[c]dent, community, client, container, codes and communication. At the end or during the presentation we were to observe what we saw and interpret it in this assignment which is labled as a precis, which is a synopsis, summary, or abstraction of one's interpretation of each of the presentation. Above are the images that I have provided from my interpretation of the two week long project.

Ideas for Guerilla Marketing

2008-09-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

In the above images are ideas for the marketing the activities that the second year students of the Interior architecture students are doing, this year. Above is a invalid ticket to catch the attention of the people in the community. It ask one on the back wouldn't rather buy a ticket rather than get a ticket, meaning why illegally park when you can't find an available parking space, than ride a bus.

Shelter -Bus-Shelter Codes

2008-09-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

In this assignment, which is still a spin off from the other bus assignments, as a group we are to find codes that the shelter bus and the bus shelter must meet, the diagrams also touched on ergonomics and proxemics . After finding the codes we were to draw up clear self-explanatory diagrams of the required codes. Above are images of the diagrams that I sketched. You can click on the following linked names to see what my other group members sketched (Erin Marshall, Jennifer Cochran, Kurt Huizenga). The following paragraphed was put together by my group members and I to answer questions about our experiences and more.

Our groups experience throughout this exercise has helped us to analyze the more overlooked details of the ways a person would interact within the space we designed. We needed to take into consideration the personal space that people need for themselves while in public spaces. Throughout our research we discovered that a majority of those waiting for the bus would stand outside of the bus shelter because of the relationship of proxemics and the space, even during inclimate weather. One aspect that we overlooked in the beginning of our design process is the how those with special needs would access and interact with our bus|shelter and shelter|bus. We thought about the space that one would require to walk around, but we did not consider the room that a wheelchair would need to maneuver around the bench inside of the bus|shelter. Handicap accessibility is one part that we explored in the codes+ charrette and we now realize how important it is to plan and design for all possible clients.

We would like to recommend that other designers should take into consideration the varying abilities that different clients may have. All spaces should be easily accessible for those in wheelchairs, visual language such as signs should be used to let the deaf know how to interact within the given space, and certain spacing standards should be used when trying to accommodate for the blind. As design students and professionals we need to put ourselves in the clients position and ask ourselves," Is this space user-friendly to me and my needs?" Then we need to analyze the whys and the why nots and tweak our design to make it universally accessible, whether it is someone who is in a wheelchair or simply someone who might be very short or very tall.

All designers should research codes and design standards as part of their initial design process. The amount of information may be overwhelming at first, but codes can actually be a very helpful starting point. The perimeters they set make the end result a more feasible design. In the future, our group needs to take our designs to the next step past simple aesthetics. The codes and standards that we were able to look up in class gave us some perspective into the more functional side of design that we will definitely put into use in our future projects.

Shelter Bus

2008-09-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

Above are images that I sketched for one of the two buses that my group and I designed for the needs of hurricane victims. The first part of the assignment was to put together a list that addressed the needs of hurricane victims. Our list consisted of ...
- Food/preparation
-Sleeping Quarters
-Communications/Survey
-First Aid/ Medical Assistants
-Hygiene
-Pet Accommodations
-Salvage Equip.
-Water
-Clothing
- Counseling
The bus that I chose to sketch up ideas for, along with Erin Marshall are for the counseling bus. Her images are posted below , and below hers are images that one of the other two group member Kurt Huizenga drew up for the Communications/ Survey bus which was the other bus we selected as a need. Along with bubble diagrams to explain the relations between the needs on each bus.

Bus Shelter

2008-09-17T08:08:00.001-07:00

Above are images of a built prototype model, that depict a design that as a group,Kurt Huizenga, Jennifer Cochran, and Erin Marshall and I, came up with after doing communal research of people input and observation of the surrounding area of the designated spot to place a new bus shelter within, which is Located on the corner of Tate and Spring Garden street on the University of North Carolina-Greensboro Campus.

Sustainability Postcard

2008-09-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

In the above image is an expression of my feedback, about last week Theory Hour topic, which was about sustainability. The expression is express through a postcard. To the left is an illustration which is on the front of the card, and to the right is the back of the card stating my opinions.

The Three R's

2008-09-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

In this reading, riding, and recording assignment, I chose to do the riding first, then the reading. I found the outing enjoyable, because me and a group of peers rode the city bus together, however if I had to ride the bus alone I would prefer not; because I do not like riding with a bunch of strangers. The images that I have chosen to post was influenced by the bus ride, and from the reading. The images that are sketched are images that I took on the way to the bus depot. At first I randomly took the photos to sketch, but after reading I chose the image of the Bennett water tower from the few photos I happen to capture, because Bennett college was mentioned in the reading. Then I chose the sketch of the bus station because that was the route I chose to take. The other images are of the sit-in which the article spoke of continuously, I took that photo on a trip I took with the architectural department trip to Washington, D.C. The others of the interior of the bus was to show the interior of the bus as I rode. As you probably have noticed one of the photos are in black and white to expressed the past when things were segregated, however in that time blacks were not allowed to sit in the front of bus. The key moments in the reading was when the four students from A&T took a stand to make history. I have had a major affect on my life, because if it was not for them I would be able have the friends that I have, or be very careful where I travel to, along with choosing where I am allowed to eat. And the key moment in the riding was having a group of peers to ride along with. From this experience I somewhat learn how to ride public transportation, and its not so bad if you ride in pairs or groups. And after reading the article or passage I learn that there was morning than the four gentlemen involved in the boycotting of the sit-in lunch counters, there were actually women from the UNC-G, which at that time article called The Women's College. Overall the experiment was enjoyable, with a group of friend to enjoy it with. However I would have rather taken a path to the Greensboro Historical Museum after reading the article.

First Week of Second Year Experience

2008-09-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

This picture above expresses a lot of how I felt my first week back into the interior architecture program at UNC-G. I was very stressed and there seemed to have been obstacles hitting me from every direction. There was grouping arrangement within the class of 56 people. The groups contained 13 to 15 people in a group. I really am satisfied with my group, because we have a great sense of communication. However, everyone had to do an individual assignment of way finding. The assignment was not hard, but getting to your assigned destination when you are without transportation can be a big dilemma. After doing the assignment which consisted of drawing or expressing a depiction of how one arrived to their destination. Afterwards, we were to come together as a group and come up with a composition of our entries, which was kind of hard in the beginning, because of everyone's creative ideas. That was while we were in a group of 15. However, later the whole class f 56 had to come together and combine all projects in cohesive composition, and that was even harder, there was a great amount of miscommunication, but somehow we were able to come up with something. Overall, above the group work and finding a way to get around I have enjoyed the first week, and it seem like it is going to be a great semester.

Wayfinding Sketches

2008-08-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Elsewhere Project

2008-05-06T12:45:00.001-07:00

Elsewhere is a place located in close proximity of downtown Greensboro, NC. It is a quite interesting place to visit, but your first visit would be so over whelming, because of all the object and figure rings that have been accumulated there over the years. "Can you say PACK RAT" yes this place would be a great example of what a pack rat can accumulate. This place was started in the early 90's and over the years things were accumulated; it is a great joy to see all the toys that you once may have had as a child. Many objects brought back great memories.
The only negative about this place is the disorderedness, the owners or the members of this organization try different ways to organize the mess but there isn't but so many places or ways to store the mass amount of objects. As a class we went to visit different areas throughout the building, and later we had to pick five object and draw them. The image of the have and the California raisin are two of the five objects that i chose to draw. Later in the project we were to mark out a space on the floor and draw with in those boundaries. My space was filled with suite cases in the beginning and things seemed to have been added every day after when I would return. I started off drawings little piece of my space, then somewhat a full view. Once again it is just impossible to draw every single detailed item, because it is too overwhelming.

Pat's Chair

2008-05-05T20:08:00.001-07:00

You may have viewed on my blog in the past the plans of my project Pat's Chair here are some images of the Chair that designed.

Client Final Project

2008-05-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

In this project we were assigned certain artist, and had to design a habitable wall space for them. My client was Nneena Freelon, a jazz performer. After doing research about her through her website I got the feel of elegance and a free flowing woman. Due to that my model was based on free flowing curves just her music and my comprehension of her personality. After the individual area of this project we were to combine with other people and their clients, and place the on the thrd floor of the gate wood studio arts building in the best way we saw fit.

Vennettes

2008-04-20T19:58:00.001-07:00

Sketchup Practice/Stoel's Ideal House

2008-04-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

This was a practice use of new program introduced to the class I thought that it would be a hard to get the understanding of it, but it was quit easy. I believe it was moderately easy for me, because I have past experience with Auto CAD and Soft Plan. Many have heard of Auto CAD but not Soft Plan which is my favorite program that i have use thus far.

Lunch at El Carreton

2008-04-10T06:32:00.000-07:00

While at lunch the other day at the Mexican restaurant El Carreton the class as a whole were to sketch something in their presence.

Furniture Composition

2008-04-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

His in this class assignment we were able to use color using different medias such as marker, colored pencil, and pen to name a few. This assignment was also assigned for the we as the student to learn how to capture shadows using different medias. I thoroughly enjoyed this project.

Unique Sleeping

2008-03-25T21:52:00.001-07:00

Diocletian Bath

2008-03-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

Plan,section, and model

2008-03-05T12:45:00.000-08:00

Ferguson Scale Figures

2008-03-03T20:52:00.000-08:00

Entourage

2008-03-03T20:33:00.001-08:00

I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment. We were to draw scale figures of people in action and I Thought that my images came out very well.

Ferguson

2008-03-03T19:33:00.001-08:00

This was the longest project process that I have ever done. I enjoyed the drawing process of the project, but the coming together as a group at the end to create a board presentation was the hardest, because there was lack of communication as far as how the board should look. However the board came out okay but it could use some improvement. But overall the project was helpful as far as visualizing things better, as well as preparing us for many board presentations in our later years in college or any other presentations.

Drafting midterm check

2008-03-03T19:04:00.001-08:00

Pat's chair section views

plan handout

Louis Kahn Fisher House layout

Doors, windows, and bathroom layouts

Drinking and Drawing

2008-02-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

In this project we are learning how to draw scale figures in spaces. This project was labeled Drinking and drawing because most people drew spaces that were coffee shops and or cafe'. I have one place which is the third one up that is a space of the UNC-G meditation room.

Scale Figures

2008-02-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

These are a few scale figures that may be use to show sizing of different objects to compared to the human anatomy. Beginning from the top right, Tommy Lambeth my professor, uses this image of a person to scale objects, next to that image is an image by Stoel Burrows another one of my professors. The others are images that I googled.

Inpsirational Sketches

2008-02-12T19:39:00.001-08:00

In This assignment we were to choose different styles of drawings; and try to mimic in our drawing of a building on the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I have ordered the pictures so that the mimic sketches are above the inspirational sketches. I enjoyed this assignment but it was kind of hard to mimic the inspirational sketches.

Thumbnails of Ferguson

2008-02-12T19:29:00.000-08:00

Detailed Drawings

2008-02-04T21:17:00.001-08:00

18" 2x4 System

2008-02-01T17:49:00.000-08:00

Here in this photo is an system that the first year interior architecture students of UNC- Greensboro was assigned to produce. The concept was to make a self-sustainable system out of a 18" 2x4. I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment, being able to become comfortable with using the tools in the wood shop. Although I took construction in high school I never did become comfortable to with the equipment, but get an second opportunity it was easy going I really enjoyed it. I wish we could have, had a longer time in on this project because I feel that I could have done allot more with this wood experiment.

Vellum Furniture Orthographics

2008-01-30T11:36:00.000-08:00

Jackson Library

2008-01-29T06:58:00.001-08:00

Layers of Mess

2008-01-29T06:25:00.000-08:00

Winning Time Capsule

2007-12-17T04:57:00.000-08:00

Thia is the winning time capsule of the Gatewood studio arts building that is located in Greensboro NC on the campus of University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I was the partner of the designer, Liz Brown. We both were surprised that our proposal became the winner because there were many other great ideas, but I guess our presentation was great and our concept and the location was the interest of the project. The actual time capsule will be built, what you are looking at here is the full scale model prototype. which is eight feet in height and 17in wide.

Interiors

2007-12-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

This interior space would be a great space for a person of family that likes to entertain, because it is an open floor plan. It also not well design because there are three types of areas combined together that makes the space look overwhelming. There and for one that likes to entertain would have heavy traffic flow this area has become overwhelming that it looks difficult to travel through when there is an abundant amount of traffic.

This is a nice warm setting made just right for what it was designed for. The Bedroom area has warm comforting colors making it easy for relaxation. If one wanted to transform this setting to a setting area it wouldn't be a difficult task.

This entrance hallway I am guessing give one the sense of earthiness, through the use of green against the wood grain. I like that it is a very a spacious area it making easy navigation for traffic flow. One Negative the door at the bottom of the stairway seem to open outward to so that the stairs become behind it. I suggest that it opens the opposite way for easy traffic flow up and down the stairs when someone is searching whatever the door enters into.

I like the natural coloring in this living area it very open and spacious. The colors off white and stone compliment each other very well. The arrangement of the couches are arranged perfectly so that people can talk to each other openly while facing each other. The space between the couch seem a little too distant, but that could be a positive for flowing tarffic.

Here in this room there is just too many color splashes going on. The white button padded chair looks out of place. This room is so overwhelming it is very chaotic. It not very appealing to the eyeThis environment seems very dull, and not very interesting. Its nice that the color is all the same and not very chaotic , but it use another darker or lighter color that would compliment the colors that are already involved. It could use another color to make the room pop stand out. It looks very flat right now.
I enjoy looking at this kitchen layout the designer seem to look at ever consideration very carefully. I really like that he or she was consistent with their choice of pattern. Everything seems perfect in its place.
Once again this is a well thought out setting. I love the consistency of the black and white coloring, and the black material of the furniture

Leaf Composition

2007-12-07T19:39:00.001-08:00

Here in this image the design visualization class at UNC--G was assigned to draw a leaf that we chose from the outdoors. We had to draw 4x4 squares with 3/4 of space between in a 3x3 grid. Then in each square we were to draw the leaf in different views, using drawing techniques that we learned throughout the semester. Here I have chosen to use smudging, hatching and cross hatching as my shading techniques, there were more shading techniques those were the ones that I enjoyed the most. I have chosen contour, blind contour, and negative space as drawing techniques. Although I hated blind contour, because it looks like scribble when i usually finish, I think I have gotten better because it actually looked like the image or object I was drawing. Overall I enjoyed this assignment.

Ten Products

2007-12-05T15:47:00.000-08:00

The Kitchen sink faucet above could be very useful in a home, it is also convenient. It is convenient through making more space around the sink area, and if someone has a big bowl to put into a shallow sink, this faucet makes it easy, because of it's high curved neck. I have watched my mother have difficulty placing large bowls or pot in the sink, because the sink wasn't deep enough for the bowl or pot to go under the faucet. I believe that you either should have a deeper sink or purchase this faucet. It is also convenient when washing out the sink because of it's extending 30" spray nozzle, instead of having to use your hand to splash water from the flowing water path to clean the sink.

This water closet (technical term for toilet) is modern. Me personally i would like to have this is my home because it brings style. Instead of having the traditional water closets that has a floor base why wouldn't one be unique and go with style. This illusion of a free floating toilet could also make your cleaning chores easier, because the traditional toilet you would have to clean behind and around. Whereas, here you would have to clean under. The negatives about this toilet the the longevity of the mounting against the wall.
This bathroom sing would work really well fro me, the high arch if the faucet is a plus. This could go into a modern setting or a post modern bring the moderns and classical together. One must need to find the right designer to make it go perfectly. I have nice images going through my mind of how this could go into an elegant bathroom setting.
This towel rode is also a nice piece. To me I imagine not having a hard getting it to blend.
I just love this bath tub. It gives that classical look of the claw foot bath tubs but it would be in a modern setting. The faucet in the center of the tub is a great idea as well because one does not have reach from end of the tub to the other to turn on or off. And if one want to be romantic and have someone accompany them neither of them would feel discomfort from the faucet hitting them in the back.

I find this light fixture easy to put in use, I imagine it in a postmodern home or a classical home. It could be placed either over a dinning table or it could be the lighting in the entrance hallway of a home. It is a very beautiful piece.I like this sofa, because it look quite comfortable. However I never did understand the extra seating at the right end. It makes the sofa look incomplete. But the pattern of the sofa does take up less space.

Here I think this object which is a dresser , it is very inconvenint to a space. It has applicable drawers on all four sides. I would consider this an inconvenience, because it has to be placed a little ways out form the wall so it could be walked all the way around. I could be good also so if one has a walk in closet, it allows for more storage.
This decorative table is use i n two ways, it could be use as an entrance hallway table where decorative items could be placed. It also could placed in a den area behind a sofa to place lamps or the phone or decorative objects on as well too. It also could be used in a random hallway for decoration placed under a mirror and once a gain it hold decorative objects.
I find this chair very hideous. It would be a lot beautiful if the button padded back was remove and it became a chair that one might call a therapist chair. I don't see any room other than someones bedroom it could be used. And once again it could be a therapist client chair in the office.

Time Capsule Zine

2007-12-05T12:57:00.001-08:00

Here I present to you images of my process through a booklet called a zine. I have organized
it chronologically from the title page through the last page and inside back cover. I know that I have achieved a higher level of craft but it still could be better after the first zine I have done earlier in the semester. I getting better at crafts overall. I will continue striving until I successful at doing great craft.

Ten Designer Firms Websites

2007-12-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

Hok
is a design firm that was founded in 1955 by George Hellmuth, Gyo Obata and George Kassabaum the firm has 26 regional offices on 4 continents (North America, Europe, Asia and Australia). Hok also has very good rankings some such as:
#1 Architectural/Engineering Firm, Building Design + Construction, July 2007.
#1 Architectural/Engineering Firm, Engineering News-Record, April 23, 2007.
#2 Interior Design Practice, Interior Design, January 2007.
#3 Architectural Firm, Building Design (UK), January 2007. I found this firm's web easy to navigate about. All the information that one may want know about was listed in the interactive drop list. The firm even also showed some of their project, and also gave a little background information about the founding of the firm. I really like that if one is searching for a career opportunity the firm's website also list their locations to make it easier for the browser and they also supply an online application and printable brochures. The only flaw is there are unnecessary side scrolling bars. To view this website click Hok to your top left.

Gensler

is a firm known for sustainable designs they made sustainability their first priority in 1972, when we asked Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), the California utility, if they would consider using one of their own office workplace projects as a prototypical energy-efficient workspace. They agreed—two years before the first oil crisis drove energy prices through the roof. Gensler website make it easy to navigate but the interaction is not able to keep the viewer's attention there is a lot of white space with black text. There is a lot of reading when in my opinion I would like quick facts straight to the point. The website to give one a sense of direction for navigation. I saw under one picture it directed the viewer to slide the scroll bar to see more pictures. The firm also give list of job positions within the firm and the locations of their companies, and they each let one know if their are open positions. To view this website simply click Gensler to your top left.

Ideo
Firm website I found it very difficult to navigate. There was just an abundant amount of information that was written in black fine print text on a white background looking at the page lost my attention it was not interesting at all I think that website should reflect a firm's work, if site had to reflect this firm's work would rank as unorganized and very unappealing to the viewer. To visit this firm's website click Ideo to your upper left.

Colvin Designs
Design firm begun solely as a one person ownership in 1993, and then formally established in 2004 as an outstanding personalized architectural, interior designs and graphic designs. I found this website very accommodating to navigate through. This firm provided a little background information and showed some of their projects. They also give their contact information. It would be nice if they have other locations, to list their contact information as well as the main company. This site really kept my attention because of the format of a power point.
hlw Internationals
This website was very appealing to the eye. The interaction with the site and the view. Along with the interaction of the website with the view it also provides important information. The site provide their locations, careers available, background information. They use a time line to show the background of their works. There is an abundant amount of color on a black background that makes the text easier to read. There other locations also provide their contact information and show their projects they have done.

INTERIOR DESIGNER

I. Michaels Interior Designer
is an interior design firm located in the Maryland, Virgina, and Washington D.C area. It was established in 1982. They are known for providing these services that are listed below:

Interior design & architecture for corporate, commercial, hospitality, and residential projects
Space planning for tenant improvement for office design
Construction documentation for bidding and pricing
Furniture, fixture, and equipment (FF&E) specifications and procurement
Field verification and documentation of existing building
Custom signage and graphics
Lighting design
Fine art consultation

I found it very easy ti navigate about this firm's site. I enjoyed looking at the orientation of the site, especially the color coordination with the colors used in the project. I really thought they compliment each other well. To visit this site, simply click the firm's name at the upper left corner of this entry about this firm.

D.A Interior Designs, LLC

A design firm that was established in 2002. For a company that dose not have many years in experiecne they received a two-time award winner of the American Society of interior Designers design Excellence award in 2005. Their website is very interesting the view is able to interact with the site as far as looking at their work that has a before and after effect. An ordinary viewer would be interested in a firm's work as soon as they enter a firm's site, so I believe they took that into consideration when they designed this site because they have a photo gallery link to look at their projects. To browse this site click D.A. Interior Designs to your upper left.

Callison Designs
I like the design of the site but as far as navigation it wasn't as easy as it could be. If someone wanted to find out the locations of the careers nearest to them, it hard too find the link that list them. I like the coloration when one first enter the site and the slide show of their works. But as far as important information that also need to be seen when one view the site. To view this site simply click Callison Designs to your upper left.

JEIDesigns, inc

This firm seems to have one location and one business owner without the help of employees or partners. It is owned by Julie Evan, whom the firm is named after Julie Evan Interior Designs. The site has lack of information. It only provides the information of Julie Evan I guess because it has one contact number and fax number with her email address. The site doesn't provide any background information of how experience they are or if there any career opportunities. It does have a little interaction which is enlarging the photos. To view this site click JEIDesign, inc to your upper left.
nbbj

I found this website very interesting and fairly easy to navigate through. I also liked the approach of being able to list to audio of actual employees of nbbj as to their visions of the company. Another negative that made it fairly easy to navigate was there was many links that carried important or interesting information that made it hard to organized what order you one would like to look at links. To view this site click nbbj to your upper left.

Orthographic View of Time Capsule

2007-11-29T15:21:00.000-08:00

Here is an orthographic image drawn by me to show all views of the object to give one a better sense of the modulation. It shows the actual demension of the final product on a scale 1/8"-- 1".

Scale Drawing of TIme Capsule

2007-11-28T19:53:00.001-08:00

Here I present to you is an scale drawing to express the size of the time capsule Liz Brown and I are working on. The idea of this time capsule was designed by her. She and I later teamed up together to build it. Her original idea was to build a waterfall, but that idea had to be altered because of the water shortage and the maintenance. So she decided to use guitar string instead as a representation of water. She also decided to use strings, because students, faculty, and visitors can interact with the object.

Sketches of Tiffany + Thumbnail Layouts

2007-11-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

Class just before Thanksgiving break, we were to draw an upper class men (Tiffany) as she poses. We reviewed all the drawing techniques that we have practiced over the course of the semester. After reviewing we were to draw Tiffany in four different squares in a layout which we drew thumbnails for. It could be her whole body or parts of her. This was a fun great activity to finish off the day for the Thanksgiving Holiday break.

Zine layout Prototype

2007-11-20T11:02:00.001-08:00

A practice for the final zine. it is a practice to do better at laying out a magazine spread, and writing neater. I think I could use a little bit more work.

Shading Exercise

2007-11-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

Shading exercise to better understand ways of shadings, and learning to capture the shadows. I think I have done a great job

Time Capsule Shaded Models

2007-11-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

Ten Architects/Designers

2007-11-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

There are actually some great designers that somewhat meet my preferences when they're designing. What I would called a well designed interior space would be the use of complimentary colors , and spaces that are not cluttered.

Charles Grebmeier meets my preferences of using colors accordingly. I really love his choice of using warmer colors with other warmer colors. The colors compliment each other unlike throwing green, pink, red and brown all in one room. Most of his rooms are decent as far as not being too cluttered, but some are not.

Ron Dayan is also an designer that have captured my attention to his way of designing different living spaces within a home and buildings. His choice of colors are also complimentary of each other. And his way of designing is less cluttered as to the spaces by Charles Gebmeier.

Frank Lloyd Wright is another one of my favorite architects/designers. A few of my favorite pieces that he has done is of the Falling Water, Guggenheim Museum, and Taliesin West. The Falling Water is located in Ohiopyle, (Bear Run), Pennsylvania, the Guggenheim Museum is located in New York,New York, and Taliesin West is located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Falling Water was the first piece of Wrights works that captured my eye. He has really took the surrounding environment into consideration when designing this home. The house really compliment the environment in a sense it stands out and then on the other hand it is camouflage. However, the Guggenheim Museum is a beautiful building also but it doesn't quit fit into the environment. It sits between two platonically formed building filled with windows, whereas the Museum is a building with rounding sides it really stands out from the other buildings one is not sure if that was intentional. Taliesin West building is a winter home for the Wright and his students. This building is marvelous it is very interesting how the building is depicted as a rock that was carved right where it stands and was turned into the use of a building. But that is not so this build was designed by Wright and constructed by his students.

Alvar Aalto is another outstanding architect he designs consist of a lot of curves or waves making the style look free floating. It has been said many times that it is very difficult to express curves in the architectural field but in his designs he as done a great job. Some of his works that express curves are the opera house, the Mount Angel Abbey Library. He also has done uniform work the meaning there isn't much variation in the details. His work that express uniformness would be Paimio Tuberculosis Sanatorium. Throughout the pattern it show straight clean cut lines on what appear to be the balconies of the building. To view more information about Aalto simply click his name at the upper left of this paragraph.

Sir Norman Foster is an unique architect. His work represent him well because it is unique as well. Some of his designs don't go well in the locations that they were designed for, they are very noticeable, they stand out very vividly.

Frank Gehry work is also very unique in its form. Throughout his designs he uses one of the same material which stainless steal. One of his building which was the Walt Disney Concert Hall caused controversy in Los Angeles. His creations with the stainless steal are outstanding but the reflection of the sunlight can be dangerous to passing drivers, if the building can be seen from the highway. This may have been the nature of the controversy his Walt Disney Concert hall may have caused. The Build also probably had a high electricity bill because of the heat the building may have held from the steal. To learn more information about Gehry click here.

Shading with texture mixing

2007-11-06T08:55:00.001-08:00

This was a practice with the use of different shading techniques to capture the different textures.

Three D shading

2007-11-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

These images started out as 2d images, but with a little bit of shading they have become 3d images

Shading Technique

2007-10-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

Shading is not hard as some may think, as some may have seen in the beginning of the creation of my blog I didn't like the crosshatching technique, which is done on the camera stand. Furthermore, I have come to like crosshatching, I think I did a good job on these shaded sketches.

Zing

2007-10-18T10:20:00.001-07:00

What a Combination!

2007-10-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

During this project we were to design a project in the combination of two other classmate's project, just as mixing two paints together. One project that I choose was of a pencil holder made of lolly pop sticks, and the other was a sliding box that was a representation of a memory.They're in the order of First Second and Third

What is Studio? Magazine Layout

2007-10-11T10:39:00.001-07:00

During this assignment the class was to choose a magazine layout and create their own add about What Is Studio? The magazine layout that I have chosen was from a Homes and Garden/ Kids' Room magazine. In the of this layotu on my blog, the layouts are in the order of after and before.

Memory container

2007-10-02T19:18:00.001-07:00

Here in this project we were ti desigen a contianer for a memory. My memory was of the bonding relationship that my boyfriend and I had during and fter our 1 year anniversary date.The color arrangement represent light and dark which for us means opposite races.

Capturing the Shadow

2007-09-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this assignment. This is a self-portrait. We were to capture the shadows through a mirror with a light shinning on one side of our face, on a blacjk sheet of paper with a white colored pencil.

Pencil Box 2

2007-09-20T19:46:00.000-07:00

Here is an open view of the pencil box.

Pencil Box 1

2007-09-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

Everything has a place, so here I have designed a pencil box. While designing this pencil box I thought about all the things that come with the use of pencils, and designed a compartment to place pencil sharpeners and erasers.

Jennifer

2007-09-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

A side view of a classmate while she wasn't looking.

Michelle

2007-09-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

This is another practice for drawing people from the side. I think that I have mastered it. Not exactly because the person I am drawing doesn't always come out looking like my drawing of them. But the drawing does look like a person.

James

2007-09-18T09:35:00.001-07:00

Here is a second image that I drew of a person I think I done a really good job, this drawing is a closer depiction of the person I was sketching.

Kristina

2007-09-18T09:22:00.001-07:00

In my interior Architecture class we have begun to start practicing drawing people,"the proper way." i have been drawing people the wrong way for the longest and always wondered why it never looked exactly like the person. I am still having minor problems but I see a difference when drawing them the proper way.

Greensboro Women's soccer 2nd half

2007-09-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a fourth drawing of people during the second half of the Greensboro vs. Carolina women's soccer game.

Greensboro Women's soccer

2007-09-13T10:25:00.001-07:00

This is a third drawing of people while sitting at the Greensboro vs. Carolina women's soccer game 9/12/07

Cafeteria ppl. drawing

2007-09-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

This is a second drawing, into learning how to draw people.

Computer Lab ppl drawing

2007-09-13T10:14:00.001-07:00

We have began a new assignment in my interior architecture class which consist of learning how to draw people.I dislike drawing people, it is too complicated for me. But I am willing to learn, because I have always wanted to progress in my drawing ability.

View 4 Greensboro Park

2007-09-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

This is fourth view from Greensboro downtown park.

View 3 Greensboro Park

2007-09-11T10:00:00.001-07:00

This a third drawing from Greensboro Downtown park. 9/07

View 2 Greensboro Park

2007-09-11T09:56:00.001-07:00

This is second view from downtown Greensboro, in Greensboro Park.9/07

View 1 From Greensboro Park

2007-09-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

A day out in Greensboro Downtown park. This sketch was done for environmental design class. 9/07

A Place for an Egg

2007-09-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

This a project for my Interior Architecture class at UNC-G. The concept of this project was to create a place for an egg using only paper products. We were not allowed to use any adhesives either to hold to project together. 8/07

Contour Of library2

2007-09-05T13:44:00.002-07:00

This is my second trial of drawing the UNCG campus library.This sketch came out a little better than the first sketch. It was a hot day once again and I was sitting on the ground with bugs crawling on me which was a big distraction once again.

Contour Of Library 1

2007-09-05T13:44:00.001-07:00

This my first trial of drawing the UNCG library it isn't so great.It was such a hot day and bugs were crawling on me so it was a great distraction. And also I am not fond of contour drawings they look so flat and not easily defined.I guess more I do them they will evently appeal to me.

Blind Contour Hand

2007-09-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

This is a blind contour image of my hand. Blind contour( letting your eyes follow the lines that make up the image without looking at the surface in which you are drawing the image onto).

Random Negative Space drawings

2007-09-03T17:44:00.001-07:00

These are random items that I drew; drawing the shapes that made up the image without focusing on the actual images or items. The process in which I drew the items is call drawing around the negative space.

Blogger comment to cross hatching

2007-08-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

I am not fond of cross hatching because I tried it during my high school year and it never turned out, or seemed to look right for me. Therefore I prefer to use the technique of regular shadow shading.

Blog Comment

2007-08-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

While looking at other blogs I really enjoyed looking at www.wagaonized.typepad.com. The sketch artist really define the image in which they are sketching. The image looks like a photo that has been taken by a camera. But a viewer of the photo can tell that the image was sketched, beacuse of the shading techniques the artist uses. This type of sketching that the artist does I would like to beome advance in. I would like to draw things as they appear. The artist sketches also consist of cross hatching that also makes up the images. I am not really fud of cross hatching but it really makes the images stand out.