In Pursuit of Thesis: Week Seven

Every once in a while, a magical thing happens where I have a three-day long burst of motivation. While I'd say I certainly have no problem buckling down and working on something for an extended period of time, actually being excited to do so, for so long, is a much more uncommon experience. Anyway, last weekend was one of those rare phenomenon - pretty much every minute I had, I spent working on thesis, enthusiastically I might add.

In a few short days after my last post, I managed to pump out a pretty holistic and thoughtful floor plan for the majority of my space - the whole space. There are definitely some minor tweaks to be made throughout the classroom spaces, but I'd definitely say I hit that 75% mark that I was talking about last week. Plus, I made some serious headway modeling the changes I'm making to the space digitally and physically. Check it out:

Purple: Classrooms      Yellow: Student Lounges     Green: Public Spaces    Blue: Group Spaces

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Compare that to this current moment, where I can barely motivate myself to even talk about my lack of motivation and work flow. Unfortunately, the one part of my space I've been struggling to solidify is probably one of the more important ones - the main reception and gallery area. Something about essentially designing blank wall space in a thoughtful manner is really giving me headaches...maybe literally. My biggest issue is that the initial entry space is so strong in comparison to the gallery area. It's the "second impression" of the design you get, and figuring out how to make it equally, if not more, impressive has landed me a ticket on the struggle bus.

I've spent a large part of this week creating a second model of just those two spaces in an attempt to figure out how to arrange the gallery in response to what I've designed in the entry. I think a lot of my decisions will be based on my inclusion of the angular forms seen in the entry space. After talking to a few classmates about it, it'd probably serve me well to figure out where seating areas should be and then plan the wall space around that. I'm currently toying with the idea of moveable gallery wall systems as well (especially considering I might be using some sort of a portable practice room in my classroom spaces). Also, I think it might be a good choice to allow for the students to arrange the gallery in addition to what is displayed in it, giving them another facet of the program to take part in and control. Hey - it goes with the concept of empowerment in a way.

Anyway, I have my second review this week so I'm hoping to get back on the productive streak this weekend. It's hard to believe it's already the midpoint of the semester! Can't wait to show you everything I have next week (:

Until then

In Pursuit of Thesis: Week Six

There are officially two short weeks until spring break, which means there are just two short weeks until the mid-point of the semester. The entire concept of this clearly hasn't hit me yet, because I'm feeling just fine - but check back on that in a week or so. Anyway, while the idea of flying across the country to Seattle (!!!) is a wonderful thing to daydream about, I'm really hoping to make some serious progress on my thesis. I've set a lot of goals for myself in the next few weeks - with my midterm review and a solidified draft of the written portion of my Capstone on the horizon, I'm starting to feel some pressure.

Right now, I still feel like I'm at a pretty good point. The expectation for my midterm review is that I'm 75% done with my floor plan - that's a lot of percent - but I really feel like it's totally do-able. Just in the last few days I've made quite a few decisions that are really helping me to progress.

Before I can get to the nitty-gritty of laying out individual rooms and spaces, I need to solidify my major design concepts. In the images below, the green colored form show where I've intervened so far. Again, these forms are based off of my original concept model work from last semester. These forms, in some places, will extend up the wall in a very angular manner, some will double as hang out places or seating - such as in the main entrance.

A very basic model of what these forms will look like. This seating element gives the entrance a 

function other than prolonged entry.

A section of the entry. The lighter green portion on the right will be a 

sculptural piece mimicking the form of the seating area at the bottom with less visual weight.

The area on the top left will allow for students to view the entry from multiple perspectives 

rather than from below only. 

First floor overall design concept plan.

Second and third floor general plan for warehouse space. The

section enclosed by the green will be open to the floors below and above.

This week, I got so excited about where I was going with these forms that I was on the edge of going overboard. After a brief discussion during class, I decided to include these forms (in three dimensions) only where I've intervened with the structure of the building. In other words, I've place them only where I've added partitions, cut through the floor, and so on. As I move forward and actually draw out perspectives and sections, I intend to add two dimensional elements mimicking these forms throughout the rest of the space - a development you should start to see next week. 

Right now, my biggest roadblock is figuring out how to divide the classroom spaces from the student lounges. Specifically, this becomes an issue on the third floor of the warehouse space, which will be open to the floor above. In a few, select spaces, I'm considering using the angular form itself to create a room within a room. That being said, this idea would need to be applied very specifically in order to avoid the form seeming completely arbitrary.

A lot of the solutions to this, I think, will come from working with my physical model I made a few weeks back. With my particular designs, a computer model will only confuse me at this iterative point. I'm really looking forward to learning how to put that into Revit...gulp. We'll talk about that next week though. 

Until then!

Searching for a Job is a Full-Time Job

You ever heard that phrase before? Well I hadn't, and I'm learning the unfortunate truth that it is. I'd love to sit around for the next few months pretending that all I have to do is go back to classes next year, but alas...the threat of unemployment looms.

Luckily for me, my final semester is structured in such a way that I'm required to think about the job hunt and how I want to present myself in that search. For the past few weeks, I've been googling the words "architecture firms hiring in city" with few hits, most of which bring up job descriptions that require 5+ years of experience - a very disheartening qualification. If anything, I've learned if I'm going to get a job in a design or architecture firm, I'm going to need to be the one showing interest in the firm, not the other way around. Obvious? Yes. But any job I get probably won't be posted directly on a firm's site.

Regardless, I've been spending some time developing an application package for myself - this includes the standard cover letter, resume, maybe a letter of recommendation, and for me, portfolio samples. If you're like my parents at all, you might be surprised to see how involved, and creative this process might be. Writing the, gulp, cover letter is still a major pain in the butt, and the resume is no walk in the park, but imagine making it something that's going to stand out in a field of creatives.

There's a lot of whacky stuff out there, but let's be real, I'm not one of those people. The package design I chose to go with is relatively simple, but I think it really represents me. For my application package, I chose to use simple fonts and little bursts of color - specifically a bright green that I love. Plus, the inner envelope is made of this awesome wood-grain textured paper. See below:

So...would you call me for an interview? :D Let's hope hiring managers will!

Until next time,

Guys, I'm Famous!!

...Just kidding. But I was featured in an article in my school's student run paper, The Daily Orange.

Check it out here!

Best,

In Pursuit of Thesis: Week Five

Well, it's that time of the semester again...that week where all hell breaks loose and your entire house is suffering from what can only be assumed is the plague. Dramatic? Eh...sure. Yet here we are. Unfortunately for all parties involved, I've been out of commission with a fever and body aches for just over a day which, in turn, means I didn't get a chance to take pictures of or scan images of my progress work this week. You'll just have to give me the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Regardless, I'll try to walk ya'll through my thinking moving forward this week. Generally speaking, I've been working on tackling multiple areas at once - in other words actually putting to pen and paper my ideas more holistically.

At this point, I'm still focusing largely on the entry and lobby area, the transition space between parts of the building (aka hallway) and the student lounges on each floor of the warehouse space. That being said, I'm playing with the ideas of using angular, designed elements with viewing windows as a division between the shared lounge spaces and the more "private" studios and classrooms. I've also been thinking about creating this same type of element in the hallway space (shown in green below). Using the same angular forms and possibly some interesting lighting or colored windows/skylights could create a really interesting and dynamic transition space that reflects the overall design concept.

What's proving to be most difficult for me is the inclusion of multiple perspectives throughout the experience of the space. I've decided to include an upper mezzanine level in the immediate entry space to allow students to experience the somewhat sculptural element there from below as well as above. And, on a somewhat off-topic note, I'm working on developing a angular seating element that is integrated into the stairs and wraps around an existing structural wall to connect to the lobby area. 

Looking at the more secluded spaces - like the student lounges and studios - I really think a lot of this will come into play with the division of spaces. In addition, I'm also thinking about extending either an opening or some sort of cohesive element through all four levels to allow users to see up to the skylights as well as down to levels below. 

Again, sorry for being a doof and not having my current process work included in this post! It's much more exciting with it and my sickly head didn't anticipate not going into studio today...pssh, excuses...I know. Pinky swear that I'll have lots o' visual goodies for you next week! Until then, here's some good ol' inspiration photos:

Love the light coming through the openings.

From getaddictedto.com

Inspiration for the hallways, who wouldn't want to experience that?

From Plenty of Colour

Interesting transition from wall to ceiling plane. 

Vertical and horizontal perforations.

From Sky Lab Architecture

Visually suggested 'windows' in an angular form. 

From pinterest

Cheers!

Life is too Short for Bad Coffee...or Design

I've always been a coffee person.

Ever since my grandparents started me on decaf, probably way before I should have been drinking coffee at all, I've loved the taste, warmth, and smell of a good cup o' joe. Long gone are the days of adding a gallon of flavored creamer and a pound of sugar, though. Ever since starting my job at Cafe Kubal in June of 2012, I've learned to love my coffee black and my espresso sweet. (No, not with sugar you ninny...just with superbly roasted espresso beans of course! Pssh) 

Of all the jobs I've had, this one is by far the most enjoyable, exciting, and rewarding. What's better than crafting a perfect cappuccino or smelling fresh-brewed coffee all day?

On top of over a year and a half of being able to rock it behind the bar, I recently started down another exciting avenue within the company. Knowing my background in interior design - it is, after all, what I'm studying at Syracuse - my boss came to me when it was time to redesign the SU cafe. Of course I was thrilled, and the various projects have since been completed. Check out the before and after!

New grab-n-go display refrigerator with merchandise display shelves and new, 

wall-mounted menu boards and lighting.

Baked goods display case was lowered to be flush with the existing counter. 

Hanging menu boards were removed to allow for more visual access between baristas and customers.

New lighting was installed and brick was painted to help reflect light into the space. 

New commercial grade chairs were specified to stand up to wear and tear of a busy cafe environment.

This week, I just finished working on fitting a cafe design into an existing space within a local medical center. It's been quite the challenge, with everything currently an awful shade of mauve, a focus on economy, and only 150 square feet to work with. But with some quick tricks, an eye for detail, and a knack for space planning, I managed to pull together a little design in just a few, short weeks. See it below:

What's more exciting is the cafe just opened its doors this morning. If you're ever in the Camillus area, check it out! And of course, I'll have photos of the space itself soon!

Take care!

In Pursuit of Thesis: Week Four

Somehow, the fourth week of classes have come to a close. A quarter of the way there...whoda' thunk it? Anyway, this week entailed a more formal thesis review with both of my professors about where I was with my project and thoughts about moving forward. Naturally, despite the fact that I think I'm actually in a pretty decent place, I was irrationally nervous going into the week.

Sometimes having so many ideas floating around in your brain and on a ton of unorganized pieces of trace paper can really make it feel like you haven't accomplished anything. Regardless, pinning everything up and talking about it to my friends and professors really made me realize I actually have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing moving forward.

I spent the majority of the week leading up to my review focusing on large aesthetic concepts as well as the main entry space. (Fear not, I'm still thinking about the space holistically..not just one area at a time). As I've said in previous posts, I'm really concentrating on emphasizing the existing structural elements of the space while adding a unifying element based on my conceptual work from last semester.

Here's some of my visual inspiration:

From CreativeLIVE San Fransisco: Build LLC

Eegoo Offices by dEEP Architects on ArchDaily

Arthouse Cafe by Joey Ho

Via PJHM Architects on Pinterest

My own concept model work

Looking at all of this, I decided to move forward with the idea of implementing a strongly triangular and geometric motif throughout the various areas of my design. These particular designed elements will be vibrant and colorful - whether this color is inherent in the material I chose or not has yet to be decided. Right now I'm thinking that it could be really interesting to use a color changing material or dynamic lighting to create a glowing effect like in the first image. 

Part of this thinking has to do with drawing students, parents, and the community into the space. What many, but not all, of my users (aka at-risk students in the city) are lacking is a support system from their families. With this in mind, my intent is to give families and community members a sense of prestige when they, or their children, enter the space. I want people to think "Hey, my kid goes here?! I must have done something right...I'm so proud!"...and so on. 

As an initial pass, most of the work below shows my general ideas for space planning and aesthetics - most of which will occur in the bright yellow areas on the plan. Using these vertically oriented, triangular forms, I'll create a visual cohesion between the entry (now located in the shipping and receiving dock), the reception desk, and the student lounges located in the four story building. 

After my review, I'm really focusing on the idea of the interaction of light between floors and through structural elements, visual access across floors and from different perspectives, and the physical division of spaces. Keeping all of these aspects in mind, I'm really excited to play with different angular "viewing windows" in the student lounge or class spaces that mimic the forms in the entry. (See the second and third inspiration images for more of an idea). 

Similarly, I plan to open up space between each floor of the classroom areas. At this point I've already opened up the top two floors of the warehouse space to one another and added south facing skylights to bring in more light and create an interesting focal point. Moving forward, I intend to emphasize this idea and carry it throughout multiple levels so the user can experience it visually from multiple perspectives. 

I'm really excited to see where I end up four weeks from now at the next review. Each week has brought about some tweaks here and there - from day to day, my thesis isn't the same. Hey, change is good, right?

Until next week!