This was my first studio course at Carnegie Mellon. We were taught the fundamentals of modeling and drafting as well as the fundamentals of a proper design process. Professor Damiani focused the studio around spatiality and space making. Our projects explored these topics.
The professors for my studio were Mary Lou Arscott and Jonathan Galli. Previous to Carnegie Mellon SoArch I had never done any kind of drawing. In the beginning of the semester my studio professors were critical of my ability to represent my ideas. They also urged me to question my designs further and to break the rules I created for myself. They were pleased at the end of the semester with my progression. The design process for my final project includes 5 distinct redesigns over the course of more than 20 iterations.
Final Semester Documentation [PDF]
LeCorbusier Study: Maison Citrohan
A group project with Looly Lee and Chris Blomstedt, we studied, drafted, and modeled LeCorbusier's Maison Citrohan. The gallery is of photos showing the complete deconstruction of the model as well as the facades and significant interior spaces.
Gallery
Freshman Woodshop Project: The Cube
Given an 18"x18" band 6" wide and 3/4" thick, we were assigned to define the dimensions of a cube with two defined interior cubes and a defined interior sphere. Restrictions: There are only to be 5-8 18" long extensions attatched to the initial band. All other pieces should be simple planes.
Gallery
Final Project: Retreat for a college president
Given an 80'x80' plot of land on the eastern shore of Lake Erie we were told to design a 20' cube house. Restrictions: The only things inside of the cube should be three perpendicular planes. Openings in the cube should be defined by those planes. The site can be modified using three materials: 8' hedges, gravel, and recessed water areas. The kitchen and bathroom are contained within a 10'x10'x16' volume that cannot be altered. There must be a 20'x20' gravel area along the eastern edge of the plot (where the road is) to accomodate parking. A maximum of two planes can be extruded outside of the 20'x20'x20' volume of the house. Walls are built of 12" deep, 8" high, 16" long concrete blocks.
My design was based on horizontal and vertical circulation routes. I extruded planes to articulate each of these. The horizontal circulation deals with all spaces public: parking, conversation, and lecture areas. The vertical circulation deals with all spaces personal: reflection space, kitchen and bath, bedroom, and roof terrace. The horizontal route is linear while the vertical route spirals to the right.
 Gallery |
 Dia01 [PDF] |
 Dia02 [PDF] |