undergraduate portfolio 2012
DESCRIPTION
A compilation of design projects from undergraduate studios at Washington University in Saint LouisTRANSCRIPT
JOE WHEELERdesign portfolio
2012Sam Fox School of Design and Visual ArtsWashington University in Saint Louis
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Desi
gn P
ortf
olio
La Biblioteca |04|Aqua c Incep on |16|Prometheus |26|Comic Table |36|
Index
03
La Biblioteca
04
This architectural project, designed for professor Iain Fraser in the spring of 2012, is a small public library to be built in the Lafaye e Square area of midtown Saint Louis designed as a public resource for the walkable suburban community.
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La B
ibli
otec
a
Ini ally conceptual sketching explored the benefits of raising the library to the upper levels to shelter the user from external distrac ons while leaving the ground floor open to create an invi ng public entrance.
concept development
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La B
ibli
otec
a
The core of the ground floor is lined almost en rely with curtain glass to be invi ng to the public, with a recessed structural system to remain open and create a visual connec on to the courtyard in back of the building.
ground floor plan
09longitudinal eleva on
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La B
ibli
otec
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The second and third story library was clad in sla ed lumber to control light and define the solid upper level floa ng volume. Apertures were carved out of the sla ed lumber to provide viewports to the cityscape and adjacent park.
transverse eleva on
11longitudinal sec on
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La B
ibli
otec
a
To connect the open ground floor with the raised library the ver cal circula on system became a key feature of the design of the building with the central spiral staircase, as did the visual connec ons from the upper levels back to the public courtyard.
transverse sec on
14
La B
ibli
otec
a
The final product, housing as many as 28,000 books, and 44 public computers, creates the illusion of a heavy solid mass floa ng atop an open public courtyard, providing an educa onal and invi ng public resource for the Laffaye e community.
sketch photomontage
15
Aquatic Inception
16
This project, also for professor Fraser, is an aqua c recrea onal center designed for the city of St. Louis in Carondelet Park. The project was required to have a spanning roof structure to enable year round usage, and had to be within a 150 foot proximity of the park’s lake.
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Aqua
tic
Ince
ptio
n
To begin this design process I inves gated the various interac ons users might have with water at the park, which developed into the concept of crea ng a pool not adjacent to but actually in the lake, allowing users to swim in the pool in the lake.
concept explora on
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20
Aqua
tic
Ince
ptio
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By placing the water level of the pool equal with the water level of the lake and having an entry path that dips below the surface of the lake, the project facilitates mul ple unique interac ons with water that would otherwise be unavailable to park visitors.
longitudinal sec on
transverse site sec on
21 exterior perspec ve
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Aqua
tic
Ince
ptio
n
With the pool located in the middle of the norther p of the lake, the simple curve of the spanning roof was designed to be minimally visually invasive, emula ng a simple bubble rising out of the surface of the lake.
site plan
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Aqua
tic
Ince
ptio
n
The pool facility is intended to be a simple but dynamic addi on to the beau ful Carondelet Park, providing visitors a new set of phenomenal experiences while interac ng with the surface of the lake.
photomontage
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Prometheus
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For Sung Ho Kim’s architecture 312 course, students were challenged to design and construct a func oning kite based on the hybridiza on of two exis ng kite typologies over the course of the semester.
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Prom
ethe
us
A er studying the formal elements of the Chinese and Western Dragon Kites, my design a empted to combine the segmented body of the Chinese Dragon kite with the ridged wing structure of the Western counterpart.
concept development
theore cal lo diagram
wings collect and deflect wind
in a downward direc on
string provides tension to maintain horizontal
posi on of kite
the increased air pressure under the wings pushes the kite upward
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curved orthographicsstreamline orthographics
sec on
side
front
top
sec on
side
front
top
30
Prom
ethe
us
The segmented body allows the kite to curl in low winds crea ng a larger surface area to catch air and create lo , while in high winds the kite would be able to fla en out and remain streamline.
kite rendering
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structural rendering
skin rendering
32
Prom
ethe
us
The proposed design measured 5 foot 8 inches in body length with a wing span, of five feet and weighing less than 2.5 pounds. The dragon kite was made of a light weight bristol paper structural system covered with ripstop polyester skin.
flight photograph33
flight photograph
flight photograph
34
Prom
ethe
us
The dragon kite, nicknamed “Prometheus” by the studio, was able to sustain flight con nuously with sufficient wind. Prometheus was, proudly, one of two kites in the class of 48 students that could flight by the end of the project.
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Comic Table
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Professor Carl Safe required students in his furniture design studio to design and build a table no larger that 30 inches in any direc on. Being an avid pop culture fan, I added the programma c s pula on of a table that could hold my always growing collec on of comics.
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Com
ic Ta
ble
The driving concept behind the design of the table was carving storage volumes into a solid block of laminated plywood. The volumes were then torqed at a 5 degree angle to hold the books in place.
concept development
1’ 3”
1’ 3”
1 5/8”
2’ 5 1/4”
10 5/8”
1 5/8”
10 5/8”
4 5/8”
2’ 5 1/4”
1’ 3”
2’ 5 1/4”
39 construc on orthographics
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Com
ic Ta
ble
The table consits of twenty laminated layers of 3/4” bal c birch plywood measuring just under 30 by 30 by 14 inches. The porpor ons of the shelving volumes where designed to the dimen ons of the a comic magazine.
perspec ve
41 cnc rou ng layers
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Com
ic Ta
ble
A er the layers were milled and glued together, all sides were routed to a smooth level surface to create a flush table top and shelves.
rou ng surfaces to level plain
lamina ng layers
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Com
ic Ta
ble
The final table was coated in a semi-gloss polyurethane to provide a subtle shine to the light bal c birch and highlight the variety of colors in the layers of the plywood.
final table photographs
