Sketch Crawl

In Seattle, artists and sketchers participate in sketch crawl at different locations in the city. I was able to them one day at the Olympic sculpture park. I sketched The Eagle, an amazing sculpture that had a majority of the sketchers enthralled. Whole groups of people sat in the shadows at each leg. My angle was distant and I was able to capture the whole structure. In my mind I imagine all the angles I could have found in that piece and the various ways I could interpret them. I look forward to going back one day and trying to draw it straight underneath with sky as a backdrop.

Meeting with Capital Planning Designers of WSU

I was fortunate enough to give a quick and dirty presentation of my design plans for the 1-bedroom apartment and common space on the 2nd floor of St. Elmo's hotel to Jennifer Reynolds, Joanie Thomas, and Stacy Gravel, interior designers working for WSU. The common space presentation seemed rather seamless; I think they went with me on the water feature, fire place, and private entrances for the apartments. However, when I proposed using 3 Form materials for the private entry doors Stacy stated that the expense would be great. I took that into consideration because it seems a rather expensive feature should be displayed prominently and publicly. This business venture is a small boutique with local and small tourism patrons and little focus on the materials used to create this built environment. I plan to replace the 3 Form resin doors, possibly continuing the theme of recycled lath from the wall to the door. I have been and may remain vexed over the south wall the 1-bedroom apartment (insert sigh here). I struggled with trying to put 2 lavatories in the bathroom, arranging the shelving near the entrance, and maneuvering the kitchen island as to not impede traffic. First of all, the designers agreed that I do not need 2 lavatories for a 1-bedroom apartment. The second suggestion they had was to merge the kitchen island into the counter space and make a peninsula. Finally, they advised that I should adjust the swing of the door since it's layout is a bit awkward. I am taking all of these suggestions and flying with them. The picture given here tells the tale of my south wall dilemma. I've settled on the lavatory setup and I'm drafting up a new entryway in connection with the kitchen.

Aging in Place

Context Poster Comments:
Considering the template – the initial ideas I used in constructing the template for my other group members seemed universal with the faded pictures of human factor and ADA guideline measurements. I oriented it the picture background pictures in lines with spaces between, but it tended to mess with the formats the rest of my group members needed for picture and text box orientation. I essentially chose a format that forced everyone to fit into my style rather than allowing for the freedom of my group members to explore their own creativity.
Next time, I won’t attempt a more stylized version of a template and focus on a more universal format.
Furthermore, I became confused with the parameters of the assignment. Upon further examination, I noticed it read more as an advertisement of the products used and how the dimensions could be considered in smaller places, so it lacked the professional feel of a true case study.
I learned that in order to create a well-rounded and informative presentation on aging in place there needs to be more visual rendering of the location, such as: floor plan with an overlay of bubble diagrams to mark flow and maneuverability which is a mathematical and essential part of ADA guidelines. From this point it would’ve been easier to establish importance of universal design with an emphasis on aging in place.
I am pleased to know that today many designers automatically include aging in place dimensions when modeling new homes effectively saving home owners the trouble of the high costs of remodeling their homes to accommodate the aging tenant.

Personal Critique of Kitchen Project

Upon further reflection and research, I found that resins should not be placed near extreme heat, so I would remove the tortoise reed resin from the backsplash and run it vertically from the kitchen to the ceiling. This is double duty as it solves my dilemma of that blank wall. The width of the door is incorrectly drawn on the floor plan; the 36” width is not represented correctly. I’m wondering if my color choices will make the occupant feel like they’re living in a honeycomb. I extended the wall between the bedroom and bathroom to leave more options for the bathroom redesign, but from the view of the kitchen and living area it seems this may be an awkward setup. One of my perspectives that views the living area from the kitchen makes the spaces seem longer because my table and chairs are not in correct proportion to the space. Part A of this flaw, the wall behind the sink is blank. Part B, I’m not sure what to think.

Concept of Kitchen Space

The growth and welfare of people who are bound together depends upon the intricacies of relationships and how they bend, twist, and grow. Upon entering the space the occupant travels the angular concavities past the front closet, past the dining room table and into the welcoming embrace of the kitchen. This pathway is at once rectilinear and curvilinear as each functional storage space bends at soft angles. Two such spaces in the kitchen, the bending turn toward the sink and a twist to the side of the refrigerator, open possibilities by creating a fun contrast through a change in structural expectation. The horizontal lines of the cabinets run parallel to the wall lengthening the perceived space, but are broken midline by the perpendicular shapes above the stove to contrast the strength of this feature. The open U-shaped kitchen is meant to invite more friends and family in and encourage mingling and sharing. Sustainability is emphasized by the use of durable Quartz One countertops and rescued woods used on the floor and for cabinetry and tortoise reeds suspended in environmentally friendly resin. The large chalkboard painted pantry doors allows the freedom of hand that says, “Like the growth of a rose in concrete, this network of friends must insist on occupation.”

Volumetric Kitchen Model

Kitchen Floor Plan Presentation

In the bottom right corner is the proposed layout of the one and two bedroom apartments and spa on the second floor of St. Elmo’s hotel. Oriented toward the upper middle in the magnified view of the kitchen and family room. Referring to the inspiration parti, I designed the floor plan of the apartment to kink and bend into different interesting nooks of the main living space.