Download - Chris Sanford, Architectural Portfolio
CHRISSANFORD
SELECTED WORKS 2012-2014
CHRISSANFORD
SELECTED WORKS 2012-2014
ON DESIGN INTENT
I love to listen from such a toilet to the sound of softly falling rain, especially if it is a toilet of the Kantō region, with its long, narrow windows at the floor level; there one can listen with such a sense of intimacy to the raindrops falling from the eaves as they wash over the base of a stone lantern and freshen the moss about the stepping stones. And the toilet is the perfect place to listen to the chirping of insects or the song of the birds, to view the moon, or to enjoy any of those poignant moments that mark the change of the seasons. Here, I suspect, is where haiku poets over the ages have come by a great many of their ideas.
-Jun’ichirō Tanizaki
Architects have a tremendous amount of responsibility. They are equal parts technician and sculptor, who design the landscapes of our contemporary lives, and deliberately or unwittingly exercise an enormous amount of power over the culture of society. Bearing this distinct privilege in mind, it is my intent to design by carefully considering each factor of a design problem, while working inside the framework of a broader design ethos which values locality and sensory experience.
Chief in the concerns of my design intent is the consideration of place. In recent history, visionary architects and designers have led the way alongside technicians in other fields to address the growing threat of climate change. In this post-industrial and post-modern world, it is clear that these systemic issues can no longer be remedied universally, but must be addressed at the local and individual scale. It is my intention, therefore, to carefully consider the culture and history of design problems, in order to inform the development of a solution. By addressing architecture as an appendage of its environment and tailoring designs for the unique conditions and cultures of each setting, localized architecture may succeed where the subduing anonymity of modernist architecture might fail.
It is also imperative in my design process that a piece of architecture provoke the senses. With recent developments in globalization and a deluge of visual marketing, the beautiful multi-sensory qualities of pre-modern architecture have been flattened into visual pastiches which betray the sensuous curiosity and pleasure of the human condition. It is my intent to forge a rich experience for the visitor by crafting designs which address all of the senses. By promoting reconnection with their senses, contemporary architecture can enrich peoples’ lives and leave visitors with an indelible memory of the quality of the designed environment.
FLINT HILLS CENTER FOR CRAFT
IRISH CULTURAL CENTER
SCULPTURE PARK
SKETCHES
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FLINT HILLS CENTER
FOR CRAFT2013 BOWMAN DESIGN FORUM - FIRST PLACE
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MANHATTAN, KANSAS
“Present social conditions dictate that one man always be thinking, and another always working, and we call one a gentleman and another an operative; whereas the workman ought often to be thinking and the thinker often to be working, and both should be gentlemen, in the best sense.”
-John Ruskin
The design for the Flint Hills Center for Craft draws its inspiration from the arts and crafts movement, in which the Midwest played a pivotal role. Lessons on the reconciliation of artisanship and factory production which emerged with this movement continue to be relevant in contemporary society. At its core, the arts and crafts movement glorified the figure of the craftsman whose masterful body of work was the result of a coalition of artistic talent and rational intelligence. The archetypal craftsman preserved artisanal heritage and accepted the technological advancements of the machine age with a healthy sense of caution. The design of the Flint Hills Center for Craft follows this axiom by reflecting this coalition of beauty and efficiency.
LEFT: At no point is the visitor more than thirty feet from an out-door courtyard.
BELOW: The initial sketch of the building reflects the concept of crafting outdoor rooms.
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SITE: The building is sit-uated to make use of the prevailing winds to power the wind generator.
PLAN: The diagram of the building is clearly organized around a central hallway in order to be easily maneuvered by new and veteran users.
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ELEVATION: An array of suspended panels converts wind into usable energy and forms a dialogue between the forces of the prairie and the building.
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SECTION
As a craft itself, the building maximizes efficiency. The layout is organized into a clear parti where studios and administration spaces are divided by a hallway gallery space which serves as a datum. This linear organization allows the building to make use of its position in the geography of the site in three major ways. These strategies reflect the quality of efficiency which is inherent in craft.
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The building houses a vibro-wind panel generator which makes use of the latent
wind energy of the site. This ensures that the studio spaces are shaded from direct
sunlight and powers the building with a renewable energy source.
Partial earth integration reduces the energy impact of severe diurnal
temperature swings as well as the footprint of the structure.
Rammed earth is used in the studios to absorb and recycle heat from the kilns during the winter season. During the
summer season, clerestory windows in the studios can be opened to relieve heat from
the thermal masses by cross-ventilation.
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The design, however, does not sacrifice beauty for the sake of efficiency. A strong connection to the site inspires the students’ work and facilitates outdoor studio sessions. Inside the studios the wind generator flutters and casts subtle shadows over the workspaces and courtyards, while on the outside it ripples in perfect sync with the movement of the prairie. In this way, the life-giving force of the prairie is also the force which animates the building. By exhibiting the principles of craft, the Flint Hills Center for Craft intends to inspire its students to produce equally elegant and functional work.
ABOVE: Entrance
RIGHT: Studio
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IRISH CULTURAL
CENTER
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK
“Participation in cultural activities, together with access to them, forms the backbone of human rights pertaining to culture. Access is a precondition for participation, and participation is indispensable to ensure the exercising of human rights.”
-Annamari Laaksonen
The design for the New York Irish Cultural Center aims to exemplify the aspect of communion in Irish culture by creating a space which can be returned to the urban setting of SoHo. This new zone promotes the synthesis of new culture by provoking meaningful conversation between American residents of SoHo and people of Irish descent. As a former industrial zone, the SoHo district owes a great deal of its built history and human culture to the Irish, who, at the time of the community’s initial development, represented nearly 27% of its overall population.
LEFT: A study of the SoHo context shows the strong architectural heritage of the historic neighborhood.
BELOW: The initial sketch of the building reflects the concept of lifting the program in order to return the first floor to the street life.
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ELEVATION
The superimposition of the panelized green facade onto the upper floors recalls the traditional cast-iron facades of SOHO while expressing the particularities of the program. A system of wall panels is fixed to the facade in order to serve as a symbolic Irish reinterpretation of the district’s iconic facades and a bow to the culture to whom SOHO owes a great deal of its history.
ABOVE: A section of the wall assembly
BELOW: The vacuum left by raising the program draws the street life into the building.
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SECTION
The major program of the cultural center is consolidated into the mass of the upper floors and supported by a space frame which allows the first floor to open to the street. This openness and transparency at the ground draws the vibrant street life into the building. A large atrium at the back of the building houses the major circulation and allows natural light to penetrate to the inner spaces.
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PAVILION2012 ADS TRAVEL AWARD
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MANHATTAN, KANSAS
“The perceived world is the always-presupposed foundation of all rationality, all value, and all existence.”
-Maurice Merleau-Ponty
The proposal for the Sunset Pavilion provides a space for the display of sculpture and accommodates small gatherings. The purpose of the design is to experiment with the relationship that the viewer experiences between object and field. Because the viewer can not experience the cube as a being-in-itself, they must take up a position in space and establish a cooperative relationship whereby they view facades of the cube from various vantage points and gradually form a visual understanding. This imperative visual relationship is investigated through a number of design objectives.
LEFT: A sketch of the light as it plays across the textured surface of the canvass facade.
BELOW: The initial diagram shows the concept of glorifying the object-ness of the building in the field of the site.
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ELEVATION
The primary concern of the proposed design is to amplify the building’s obect-ness. The pavilion is a simple white cube which appears to hover over a man-made lake. This is accomplished by raising the enclosed building over a number of structural pillars, creating the impression that the cube is separated from the physical realm of the field. A system of vitruvian proportions is employed to harmonize the canvass facades. This is achieved by attaching the canvass away from the structure and then pulling it back to the surface with a frame and cable system to make subtle circular impressions across its surface.
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SECTION
In order for the viewer to experience and understand every space inside the cube, movement through the spaces is laid out so that one travels up through each space in a helical circulation pattern. Upon their exit, the viewer has gained an understanding of the unified space created by the boundaries of the cube, and their relationship to the artwork. The texture created by the canvass façade gives dynamic to the otherwise static interior spaces and provides an elegant solution for the even lighting of the artwork. Outside of the structure, a raised wooden ambulatory allows viewers to walk around the structure and view it from several angles, giving them an understanding of the object in the field of the site, not unlike the relationship of the sculptures to the gallery spaces.
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ABOVE/RIGHT: Model of uppermost gallery
FAR RIGHT: Cutaway of model
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SKETCHES
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“The hand often takes the lead in probing for a vision, a vague inkling that eventually turns into a sketch, a materialization of an idea.”
-Juhani Pallasmaa
The practice of sketching is an indispensable communication skill which is key in the refinement of ideas and designs as well as a form of observation for defining the essence of a place. The dialogue between the haptic quality of sketching and rational thought synthesizes ideas into plausible and beautiful solutions to design problems. Although the computer is a powerful tool which streamlines the design process, its use should be complemented by hand-made drawings and models.
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MANHATTAN LIBRARY
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AREA OF INTERESTGeneration of place in architecture
EXPERIENCEBowman, Bowman, Novick Architects Inc. – Summer intern 2014John P. Nelson Associates Architecture – Summer intern 2012-2013Radioshack – Summer 2012
SKILLS
ADVANCED IN Rhino Model building Adobe Photoshop Adobe InDesign Revit AutoCAD Sketching Hand-Drafting Electronic and hand rendering Bilingual – French, English
PROFICIENT IN 3DS Max Adobe Illustrator Sketch-up
AWARDS / HONORS2013 Bowman Design Forum – 1st place2012 ADS Travel Award2011 – present, Kansas State University Honors Scholar, Dean’s List2011 Rocky Mountain Youth Leadership Conference – Major James Coakley Leadership Award
EXTRACURRICULARNOMAS - Competition Team LeaderOZ Architectural Journal MemberU.S. Green Building Council memberGraduate Teaching Assistant - History of the Designed Environment
EDUCATIONInternational Baccalaureate DYP DiplomaKansas State University - School of Architecture, Planning, and DesignMasters of Architecture – May 2016Class Level – 4th year
RÉSUMÉ
