One studio project from last spring was to design an apartment in New York City.  My concept for the apartment was Sartorial Space and I looked to current fashion trends to inform design decisions.  The largest challenge with this project was space planning.  The program had MANY elements and space was TIGHT.  Looking for ways to best capitalize on space and flow was incredibly important and I learned so much through the process!  I loved how the project turned out... enjoy the images!

Research Travel Grant to France

The past week has been a flurry of activity.  I received the good news that I was being awarded a travel grant through VCU School of the Arts Graduate program.  In less than three weeks I will be traveling to La Tourette, a monastery in France, designed by Le Corbusier.  This building is the main architectural precedent for my thesis research!  I plan to arrive at the convent and stay two nights in hopes of absorbing as much of the "feel" of the space as possible.  I will also be traveling to Basel, Switzerland to visit the Vitra Museum.  Here there are projects by Frank Gehry, Nicholas Grimshaw, Zaha Hadid, Tadao Ando, Alvaro Siza, Herzog & De Meuron and Sanaa.  This trip should be a remarkable experience, enhancing my understanding and experience of design in so many ways!  Below is an image of a poster I presented at the Virginia Counsel of Graduate Students 2011 Research Forum.  It gives an overview of my research and why a visit to La Tourette is essential.

 

Exterior image of La Tourette taken by elyullo retrieved from Flickr Creative Commons.

Interior image of altars taken by Pieter Morlion retrieved from Flickr Creative Commons.

public baths

"The large issue here is that simulation can be a poor substitute for the tactile experience."  Richard Sennett

Last fall we were given a studio project in which we needed to design a public bathhouse, creating an experience similar to Peter Zumthor's Therme Vals in Switzerland.  I loved this project!  It gave me a chance to create an experience where one is connected to his or her environment through the use of all the senses.  This projected started me down a path of wanting to understand how architecture and the senses connect one to the environment.  Clearly as a result The Eyes of the Skin by Juhani Pallasmaa became one of my all-time favorite books.  Another piece of this project that fascinated me was the actual creation of my model.  My model was created out of various concrete forms.  Working with concrete, getting dirty and having and intensely hands on approach allowed me to realize that the process of designing should also involve each of the senses.  I believe that when our process of designing can mirror our desired experiential outcome, really great design can emerge!  Here are some final images of my model: