Sketches from Florence

A post of sketches from Florence would not be complete without one of the Duomo, or Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore.

Inspiration from Stephanie Bower on this sketch of the interior of the Basilica del Santa Maria Nouvella

I loved all the beautiful archways, 

Design Portfolio- Part 1

Design Portfolio- Part 2

A New Path

Pullman Train Depot Project

The train depot project had several facets to the design program criteria. First was the adaptive re-use of the historical train depot, built in the late 1800's. next, was incorporating an artist's studio and gallery display space, and a 1200 sq. ft. living  space into the structure. The third criteria was to add ADA, vision impairment and universal design requirements. Finally, the program was to include my design concept, and inspiration from my artists work.

The inspiration for this design was a crack in the concrete foundation of the depot. I focused on the elements of line, texture and contrast, and through exploration I came to a final parti design.

This design was re-sized and colored in photoshop, then put into a pattern to develop my textile. I found this to be very rewarding, as receiving my fabric was the first time I have seen one of my designs come to life! I definitely improved my skills in photoshop during the textile design. I would like to continue to improve, as photoshop has so many options and things to know about the program and how to design with it.

Another part of the design process I really enjoy is concept development. The 2-dimensional parti was used to create a 3-dimensional concept model.  During this process I made several process models, until I finally came up with one worthy of making into a final model. I focused again on texture, line and contrast. I also had in mind the idea of the structural concrete form with a very organic crack in it. The idea of random versus a prescribed path came to my mind. We all have a trail through life, and wonder if it is predestined or simply random. Our paths with  cross, diverge and intersect with each other. I thought about the paths of  people that had taken the train to Pullman years ago to attend WSU. I thought of my own path, this new path of going back to school. The title of my project derived from this compilation of thoughts, and my model was titled "A New Path".
I learned through all of this that I could translate a very personal concept to include general themes. After all, we all have hard times and fears to deal with along our path.

Another step in my design process was to incorporate my concept, the research on universal design, ADA and vision impairment and blend it with my artists' work. The colors I chose came from the artwork directly. I challenged myself to use orange, a color I don't care for. Space planning was incorporated, and the design started to take shape. I began with small idea sketches,and worked on a couple of large perspectives. Details were added and changed along the way to create a harmonious design. In my gallery space, I designed every component, from the lighting, the cloud to the moveable walls and reception desk. I even designed a stream to run through the floor to incorporate my organic path. I learned that with some experimentation and design work, I could use a color I dislike to create a design I love!

Then came the final model. This was a challenge for me. The model is at 1/8" =1" scale, so it is small, and difficult to capture the details, especially when all the cutting is done by hand. Add to that the many doors and windows, the sloping eves, the parapet walls, and you have a complicated model. Oh yes, and building a roof to fit! The model was not easy, but I exercised patience, and methodical measuring. My model turned out well, and I learned that I could figure out the geometry with only minor flaws.


I also continue to learn how to solve design problems. The ADA bathrooms in the gallery area were a puzzle for me. There was enough footage for two bathrooms, but the existing windows proposed problems when trying to divide the space. My solution was to divide the space diagonally, making sure I had a 60" wheelchair turnaround, places to locate grab bars, and a t least a 36" counter for a sink. In the real world the design may not work, but at least I solved the problem in a way that met the requirements for the space.

Overall I feel I improved in several ways. First, my time management was much better, I never felt stressed or behind. I also incorporated a concept with historical preservation in a design I am proud of. I have not worked in a historical context, so this was new for me. Finally the scope of the design was larger, and on several occasions I needed to come up with solutions to design problems   I solved the problems to the best of my ability, and stretched myself to create something unlike anything I had done previously.

Sherwin Williams Stir Competition

During The design process for the re-use of the Pullman Depot, I made a poster to submit for the Sherwin Williams Stir Competition. I drew three perspective drawings, and rendered them in the Sherwin Williams colors I had chosen for the space. This was a fun learning experience because in reality this is what we will be doing. We need to know not only how to combine colors to form a pleasing palette, but we must be able to represent them accurately in our drawings and renderings.

The colors I chose are taken from the artist I used for gallery inspiration. I used the Chip-it tool from Sherwin Williams to accurately match the colors in her artwork to Sherwin Williams paint colors. This builds on the theories of special organization I  have been learning all semester. I am also building on the skills of selecting appropriate finishes for furnishings  and materials  for this setting, and for ADA and Universal Design compliance.


The poster was also a good reason to practice graphic presentation skills. I like the way my poster is coming along and feel more comfortable with the process and outcome each time I do a graphic representation of this kind.

Portland Art Museum

I recently spent an afternoon at the Portland Art Museum. This was an absolutely wonderful way to spend an afternoon, I highly recommend taking some time to visit if you are able. I began by visiting the Ancient China Exhibit. This space had taupe colored walls, with white trim. The sculptures were enclosed in glass cases, and the lighting was spectacular, it really made the pieces come alive. The warm wood floors gave a nice haptic sense in the space. With the lighting you didn't even notice there were no windows in the room.



Ancient Chinese Horse Statue

 

The Portland Museum is very large, so after I did my wandering through the Chinese Art, I joined a group for a tour. The tour I took was  focused on experiencing the special exhibit in the museum entitled "Venice, The Golden Age of Art and Music". This tour was for the visually impaired, so since my current design project includes both a galley space and vision impairment elements, I felt this would benefit my understanding of visiting a museum with a visual impairment.

 

We began our tour in a room where a museum docent talked about the importance of music in the culture of Venice during the 16th Century. She then played a short tape, and talked about the common instruments of the time, after which a lute, recorder, and several violins were passed around for the visitors to try to play and to touch and feel. There was even a harpsichord for everyone to try!

 

After the introduction to the music of the period, we went upstairs to the gallery exhibits. We were seated in front of a large painting entitled "The Wedding Feast at Cana" by Veronese. The docent described the painting and the special features, colors and history of the painting.

 

 

After hearing about the artwork, the museum had organized a duet to play some of the period music for us. A violinist and recorder player were a wonderful addition to the time spent on this tour. I then went to experience the rest of the Venice exhibit on my own. What struck me most besides the art, was the colorful walls. Red, blue, green and gold were colors painted upon the permanent and moveable museum walls. The unifying factor was the white wainscoting and millwork. The wall colors really helped to "pull" you through the spaces. Here are a couple of examples of how they used color.

 

 

 



Lighting was all artificial in this exhibit, they used adjustable track lights, but not the type I usually see. These were recessed tracks in the coffered ceilings which the curators used to direct light onto the art pieces. There was also plenty of ambient lighting, which made the spaces bright and cheerful with all the color.

 

 

Vision Impairment

As a designer, it is always a good idea to understand your client. This is especially true if you have a client with special needs for their environment. I experienced being in a wheelchair to understand ADA requirements, and it was very beneficial to my understanding of the needs they have that are different from what I experience.  This exercise was to experience what a person with a visual impairment experiences in their interactions with the built environment. I think this is something everyone should try, it really forces you to understand some of the difficulties  of visual impairment.

The excercise was to wear sunglasses smeared with Vaseline inside the lenses. We then were to navigate both interior and exterior stairs, use an elevator, and try to use an ATM.  I learned that contrast in an interior space is crucial to navigating for someone with a visual impairment, especially from the wall to the floor. I would look to this line to guide me throughout the spaces I was in. Spaces without this contrast were much more difficult. At one point I could not tell there was a room, because the room had glass walls and the carpet and walls were all the same tone. Another problem was glare. Shiny floors with fluorescent lighting made things worse. If I could rely on contrast I was ok, but no contrast and glare to contend with, made navigation very difficult. A third problem was depth perception. This was especially true when trying to navigate stairs. At one point I was trying to go down some terrazzo stairs, and finally had to hold onto the rail, and someone's arm to get down. These stairs had the traditional black grip strips on them, but there was not enough contrast with the color of the stairs to differentiate the contrast.

All in all, it was a good learning experience, one that I will remember when I am designing spaces for the visually impaired.