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Hall of FameA conceptual architectural project from the Illinois Institute of Technology

MontessoriA conceptual architectural project from the Illinois Institute of Technology

Farnsworth LandscapeA conceptual master plan from the Illinois Institute of Technology

Outdoor RoomA design build project with M.Botanica Landscape Design

Lake HouseA hand drafted timber construction project from the Illinois Institute of Technology

1

HALL OF FAME A Hall of Fame honoring two sports a year; swimming in summer

and fall months, ice hockey in winter and spring. The building plays on

the duality of form and program. Inside & Outside, Water & Ice, Winter &

Summer, Compression & Vastness. Structure rears up from the street

level growing from a calm landscape. Visitors wander towards the monu-

mental stadium at the east end. The public is encouraged to make the site

their own with a large public plaza at the hall of fame entrance and relaxed

seating along the pond.

Architectural scale grows from modest at the hall of fame en-

trance to magnificent above the stadium, revealing a prescribed hierarchy

of experience for visitors inside. With a prairie above the cafe and hall of

fame galleries, the sites architecture become magnified as it towers of the

stadium and office space.

Landscape giving way to architecture; exploring dualities

The observation tower pierces through the subtle landscape with a com-

manding view of the pond, paying homage to the two sports.

Both hockey and swimming require water (as two of its three

physical states) as the platform for their sport. The pond therefore rep-

resents the spirit and history of both sports. The main hall allows visitors

an intimate relationship with the water before entering the vast stadium. It

is important the visitors feel the essence of water while visiting the hall of

fame galleries; therefore gallery spaces remain open over the main hall

and pond. This same pond offers an magnified reflections of the buildings

“mountainous” form with the observation tower’s striking juxtaposition,

signifying the buildings demanding importance.

Site Plan

Both hockey and swimming revolve around h2o; from a pond, to a rink or pool.

Water, frozen or liquid, provides a place for activity.

Duality in Program Duality in H2o

E Grand Avenue

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Lake Shore Drive

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A structure influencing ones perception of inside and out, compression and vastness.

Duality in Form

Exterior night render

I began thinking about form in terms of the physical properties of water, ice and the transitional stages between. Water seeps to the surface amongst rolling landscape collecting in valleys. The pond creates a tranquil atmosphere for the surrounding spaces, while reflecting the grandiose structure of the tower and stadium dome.

Early Form Exploration

Hall of Fame Entry

Frozen Pond

Gallery Space

Hall of Fame Galleries / Observation Tower

Ground plane rears up, becoming rolling landscape with architecture below.

Programs reveals itself from the landscape as sharp protrusions [ice shards] through the rolling landscape.

Rolling plane dips down to street level creating “valley” for pond.

Stadium Entry & Ticketing

Stadium Rink

Support Offices

Ballroom / Dining Hall

Private Game Day Viewing Suites

Restaurant Space

Final form in Revit Architecture

Ground Floor PlanSummer Months, Swimming Hall of Fame

1. Cafe2. Hall of Fame Entry / Ticketing3. Hall of Fame Support4. Observation Tower

5. Main Hall6.Gallery Space7. Pond8. Fan Center / Gift Shop

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Ground Floor PlanWinter Months, Hockey Fall of Fame

9. Frozen Pond10. Stadium Ticketing11. Ice Sheet12. Locker Rooms

13. Office Space Entrance14. Parking Garage Access15. Restaurant Entrance 16. Loading Dock

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Transverse Section [Looking East]

Restaurant

StadiumObservation Deck

Hall of Fame Galleries

Offices

Pond Viewing

Pond

Hall of Fame Galleries

Render from the main hall

Transverse Section [Looking West]

Parking Garage

Pond Seating

Midwest Prairie

Main Hall

Pond Bleachers

Observation Tower

Hall of Fame Galleries

Render looking west over pond

2

Montessori Montessori education emphasizes independence and respect for a

child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development. Therefore

this Montessori school uses a courtyard to inspire and connect the chil-

dren. Boundaries of a classroom are challenged, with individual classroom

volumes pushed and pulled to create shared classroom gardens along the

exterior of the school. This allows the courtyard to sweep in and out of the

undulated spaces.

Classroom walls facing the courtyard are transparent glass book-

cases offering glimpses of the courtyard through books and educational

toys. The opposite walls, facing the exterior city streets, consist of two rows

of inverted corrugated glass facade, which creates an observation space.

When standing in the classroom looking through both rows, the view out to

the city is obscured.

Architecture structuring education around nature

The first floor is comprised of individual classrooms and adminis-

trative spaces. Circulation space doubles as a library with reading corners

tucked into the undulating classroom walls. The second floor of the school

is devoted to communal art, music and science studios.

Bloomingdale Trail

Gymnasium

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First Floor Plan

Program Organization

1] Pushed/pulled classroom volumes

2] Circulation space between classrooms and courtyard. Library pockets created in cavity between classroom spaces3] Garden subtly protrudes circulation space

4] Classroom Garden, shared between two classrooms

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Render from second floor looking over courtyard

Bloomingdale Trail at East End of School

Bloomingdale Trail

Classroom Classroom

Library Space / Circulation Library Space / CirculationCourtyardObservation Room Observation Room

Administrative Facilities

Bloomingdale Trail

Classrooms Lobby

Communal Art Studio Communal Music Studio

A A

CC

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B

Transverse Section [A-A]

Longitudinal Section [B-B]

3D Section C-C

Classroom

Transparent Bookshelf Wall

Circulation

Courtyard

Circulation

Transparent Bookshelf Wall

Classroom

Communal Music Studio

Gymnasium

Communal Art Studio

Classroom Observation Space

Shared Educational Garden

Shared Educational Garden

Classroom Observation Space

West Elevation

South Elevation

East Elevation

Corrugated Glazing System

Distorted view through double systems

Exterior Corrugated Glazing

The corrugated glazing offers privacy in the classrooms from city streets with the distorted view through both systems. This system is also meant to spark curiosity in the students.

Drainage MatGravel Vapor Barrier

2” Rigid Insulation

Counter Flashing

Steel Cap

Flashing

Cant Strip

Finished Concrete

Radiant Heat Coils

2” Rigid Insulation

Interior Corrugated Glazing

Curiosity and Privacy in Distortion

Classroom Observation Room Wall Section

Courtyard render from administrative offices

Back to School Night Render

3

Farnsworth The design intent is to protect the historic Farnsworth home from

flood damage using ecological friendly practices. The sculpted topography

manages flood waters by redirecting harsh currents from fragile ecolo-

gies while allowing flow in others. This reduces damage to the Farnsworth

property that restricts visitor tour access to the home each spring. The

historic house if lifted along with its immediate meadow several feet,

placing it above the flood plain and safe from flood damage while keeping

the original intent of the balance of nature and structure. Raised walkways

allow water to flow freely through the landscape while offering visitors an

elevated view. These walkways also allow the educational tours for children

to get above and up close to native ecologies without damaging their fragile

networks.

A refreshed master plan to invigorate the historic homes surrounding site

The design also seeks to engage local and international attention

through its ecological conservation practices, outdoor education for youth,

and an adaptable event space to attract visitors to the site year round.

These new programs seek to increase visitor numbers when the histor-

ic house is closed for the winter season. The sites native ecologies are

restored and designed to flourish as to better handle storm water in flood

season.

The property surrounding the Farnsworth house is adapted to function as a platform for education on ecological conservation. Sustainable water management design is showcased by the site’s ecologies strategi-cally placed and developed to filter water and manage high flood levels.

Manipulated topography creates a slight central valley allowing delicate ecologies to flourish with a raised barrier along the fox river edge, dismantling harsh currents from sweeping the land clear. An elevat-ed pad for the historic house and surrounding meadow ensures Mies’ vision remains in its precise balance of nature and architecture.

Mesic ForestBottomlands

Meadow Hydric Forest

The Farnsworth house and surrounding meadow is lifted five feet from its original plane to minimize flood damage.

Lifting the topography here creates a slight valley hosting wet prairie and portions of a mesic forest.

By pushing this piece of land up, a vista plateau with commanding river views is created to host various festivals and events attracting visitors to the site year round.

Celebrating the Farnsworth Site Ecologies

Sculpting Topography for Flood Control

Mies’ modern masterpiece is left in its meadow to hold ties with the natural surroundings as intended. The entire meadow is raised five feet in elevation to minimize flood damage.

Farnsworth Meadow

“Outdoor Ed”; a day camp program where youth from surround-ing suburbs and urban areas come to learn about their regions native ecologies and how urbanization puts these fragile systems at risk. The elevated walking trail allows an intimate view of the site without harming the life below.

This area of the property is adaptable to host a variety of exhibitions and other activities that attract crowds to the site year round. From an ice skating rink and winter fest in colder months, to green technology events in the summer months, the large open field is located in an ideal space, with commanding river views and close proximity to the main road leading to the site.

Environmental Education / Observation Exposition Space

Early diagram Exposition area Education group in Hydric Forest

Education group in Hydric Forest Bottomlands trail Early diagram

Transverse Section

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Outdoor Room This Residential Landscape project is from my time with M.Botan-

ica Landscape Design in Chicago. I was given full reign to design the single

family’s outdoor space between the back of their Lincoln Park home and

the detached garage. The client asked for a contemporary outdoor space to

flow form their newly renovated kitchen, which overlooks the space.

Starting from a clean slate, I drew influence from the horizontal

limestone on the back of the home. Horizontal lines are continued in my

design in the raised planting beds, and ipe siding. The ipe was chosen for

its warm quality to bring light to texture to the compressed space. The

north wall becomes the “garden” with three birch trees adding a fluid leafy

texture in front of the ipe siding. A built-in low profile bench is extrudes off

this raised planting bed to provide the family with over flow seating as well

as seating for their fire table.

The requested water feature is nestled between raised planting beds at

the east wall, offering a view from the kitchen indoors. Vertical evergreens

along the east wall seek to break the horizontal order of the limestone and

ipe.

I was the head designer on this project and assisted in on-site con-

struction management. I was solely responsible for providing all proposal

drawings and perspectives to the client as well as the plan and construc-

tion details for the sub contractor. The proposal and supporting drawings

were completed in ten billable hours using AutoCAD and Photoshop for

plan, elevation and wall details. 3D modeling and rendering was done in

Revit Architecture 2012 with post render production in Photoshop.

A contemporary landscape project with M.Botanica in Lincoln Park, Chicago

East Wall Elevation

Plan

Garage

Kitchen

River Birch

Main Materials

Arborvitae

Limestone Veneer

Ipe BluestonePavers

Northeast render

Render looking Southeast

Before Photo

Before Photo

Photos of completed project . October 2012

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Lake House A project from my second year at the Illinois Institute of Tech-

nology; the home was self designed and site specific to a property along

the lake shore in Michigan. Glazing orientation and sun studies were first

explored here. Windows positioned to best capture lake breezes to cool the

house and southern sunlight to warm the home. An outdoor extension of

the home runs the full length on the lake side offering guests porch space

with water views from every room. The structure is established on a bay

system and is further fortified with the natural stone walls on both the east

and west ends.

Each Drawing took between ten and thirty hours to complete, using

a lead holder on Strathmore 400 paper. The original Drawings were at 1/4

inch scale.

A hand drafter timber home

At this time in my architectural training, scale, precision and pro-

portions were a main focus in the curriculum along with the construction

methods of timber structures. A basswood model was constructed after

completing the drawings to bring the project into a three dimensional

study.

East Elevation

North Elevation

Plan

North Elevation

Plan Basswood Model

Basswood Model

Roof Detail

Longitudinal Section

Transverse Section