FA14 Studio Maggie's Centre Design

I'm about one week into my second advance studio course/final undergraduate studio!! My professor this semester is Gary Grahm of GMI Architects . Our project this semester is called "Where Design Makes a Difference: Behavioral Healthcare Architecture". 

The focus of this project will be to use design to establish a new standard for the care abd treatment of people with behavioral health problems. 

As an introduction to this project we were asked by professor Grahm to look at a series of cancer centers located across Europe called Maggie's. The following excerpt about Maggie is taken from the Maggie's website..

"In May 1993, Maggie Keswick Jencks was told that her breast cancer had returned and was given two to three months to live.

She joined an advanced chemotherapy trial and lived for another 18 months. During that time, she and her husband Charles Jencks worked closely with her medical team, which included oncology nurse, Laura Lee, now Maggie’s Chief Executive, to develop a new approach to cancer care.

In order to live more positively with cancer, Maggie and Charles believed you needed information that would allow you to be an informed participant in your medical treatment, stress-reducing strategies, psychological support and the opportunity to meet other people in similar circumstances in a relaxed domestic atmosphere.

Maggie was determined that people should not “lose the joy of living in the fear of dying” and the day before she died in June 1995, she sat in her garden, face to the sun and said: “Aren’t we lucky?”

In November 1996, the first Maggie’s Centre opened in Edinburgh and what Maggie had planned became real."

He asked us to take Maggie's brief she left to the architects she worked with as to what a Maggie's Centre should be, and asked us to interpt it and create our own Maggie's Center. 

A Maggies Centre is a place that is supposed to feel more like a home than a hospital. Importance was given to the kitchen, group and private spaces, natural light and access to nature. My floor plan centers around the heart of the home, the kitchen. Surrounding it are two large group rooms that can be open to the rest of the space or closed off depending on the activity. The remaining spaces are either semi private or private rooms, where someone can go lie down and have a rest, or sit with a cup of tea from the kitchen and read a book. 

To render this quick sketch I used a Percise V5 RT 0.5mm Pilot Pen, and Faber Castle PITT Artist Pens in Landscape and Shades of Grey. This is actually the first type of sketch I've done like this and I'm very please as to how it came out. 

Let me know what you think!

-A

Masonic Gazebo Update

Hello everyone! Sorry for being MIA, these last few weeks have been SUPER busy with the semester starting. But as promised here are the pictures from the construction of the Masonic "Gazebo" shelter I designed. The entire shelter is completed out of rough cut lumber, with red cedar shingles covering both gable ends and architectural shingle roof. 

Construction was completed by Robert and Stephen Rapson, their friend Glen and myself. The MYF is also going to be adding a paved patio in front of the gazebo up to the road and a wishing well for park patrons to donate money as they enter. Once that is completed I will update the post with photos of the final product! 

Balancing on the 8:12 pitch roof was rough...

Completing the shingles...

Final product! And done in just one weekend!

I'd love to hear your feedback! Leave comments below!

200 Year Old Home in Switzerland Given a New Life

I believe that simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication. The home featured below is a 200 year old home in Linescio Switerzland. While its exterior reflects its past and history, the interior was renovated in a new minimalist style, ultimately preserving and giving new life to the home. The architects, Buchner, Brundler Architekten, used concrete to infill the homes interior creating rich lines and a feeling of warmth. I love love love this renovation, see for yourself below. 

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-A

RI Masonic Youth Foundation Gazebo Design

***Update***

Below is the updated image for the Masonic Gazebo. The front gable end is closed in and shingled, and will display a plaque dedicating the gazebo to Masonic's Grandma. Check back this weekend for photos of the build!

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I started working for the RIMYF when I was 14 years old. I started working in the snack bar and moved on to be lifeguard from 2008-2013. Now that I've "moved on" as they say to a more career oriented summer job (my internship) I've been given a chance to give back to the foundation in a new way. I was asked to design a new Gazebo to be placed at the entrance to the park's parking lot. It will serve as a shelter for the workers who check passes, and as a visually as a marker so people know they have to stop. 

The Gazebo is 12'x10' sitting on a concrete pad. This render is a little rough. Usually I would take more care in the background/landscape, but I rushed to get it done today to show the builder to give myself enough time to fix anything before Wednesday. It took me longer than I thought to get back in the swing of using the programs after not using them at all in studio last semester. I used sketchup to create the gazebo, imported it into Revit as a mass to render and added more materials in Photoshop. 

If this design is approved by the builder and the foundation it will get built this weekend!

Tips for Architecture Students: #6-10

#6: Netflix

Don’t have Netflix? Get it. Its only $7.99 A MONTH. That’s probably less than what you spend on coffee in a month. I can’t even begin to tell you how many countless hours, days and nights you will spend at your studio desk. Watching a movie or a TV show can be great background noise, but beware. Netflix can be harmful if you just sit there and watch it while your work remains unfinished. Many studio teachers have banned watching movies and such from actual studio time, which is understandable. I personally only watch Netflix when I’m building models in studio, not drawing. Be prepared for show withdrawals though, I watched all six seasons of Lost in one semester my sophomore year and had no idea what to do with my life when it was over.

#7: Lock and Key

One of the things I love most about architecture school is the sense of community and family that’s formed between students. You begin to really trust everyone around you. And while you may be comfortable leaving your laptop, cell phone, supplies etc. out on your desk while you run to eat dinner or go to the bathroom, they might not always be there when you get back. That’s the sad reality of the world. The best way to prevent your stuff from being taken, lock it up. Everything has a spot in my toolbox, and I always take my electronics with me. If you’re just running to the bathroom and your studio mates are around, just ask them to keep an eye on your things. If no one’s there to watch your things, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

#8: Hide your food

This is another unfortunate reality of the world. I like to keep some food to snack on in studio since I’m there all the time. But be cautious, if your leave something yummy out, scavengers will come out and find it. Usually it was always my friends or other people in my studio group. When Easter candy goes on sale at CVS and you bring some to studio, hide that shit. Chips and dip? Hide that too. In my school they give us a fridge to store food in, but you have to make sure it’s labeled or someone else might eat it.

#9: Buy in Bulk

When it comes to model making supplies, after a few semesters in studio you generally have a surplus of extra supplies you haven’t used, which is great for study models and final models. It’s a good idea when building a final model to figure out exactly what you need and how many pieces your need, and then it’s a good idea to buy a few more. Because A) You’re not the only one who needs supplies so better to get extra before the store runs out & B) You don’t want to realize you don’t have enough pieces of something to finish your model the night before its due at 3am.

#10: Don’t slack off in your other courses

This should be a given in, but I’ve seen way too many people suffer from slacking off in their non-architecture courses. Most colleges have courses that everyone must take, regardless of major. They tend to be easier, but slightly more time consuming. When you’ve got a studio project due in two days and a paper due in a core course, it’s easy to push the paper aside to finish the studio work. But you should always make the time. Failing a course, even if you think it’s one that’s not important, can negatively impact your GPA. You could loss scholarships, be forced to retake the course and fall behind in your “important” architecture courses. Time management is something that you’ll hear everyone tell you, and I know I’d rather be tired than failing a course for not doing the work. 

Cardboard Furniture

Yes you read that right, cardboard furniture. Sounds crazy huh? But its becoming more and more popular and for all the right reasons. 

Reason #1. Its Recyclable

Most furniture pieces nowadays are made up of lots of small parts and composites all stuck together. The only true way to recycle something like that is to re use or re purpose it. I remember when I was little, my family used to get hand-me-downs of furniture from other family members. It would go from my grandparents, to my parents and eventually me. But you don't see that happening as much today. With cardboard furniture, when you're done with it you can just throw it in the recyclable bin. Oh and by using cardboard to make the furniture and saving it from possibly going in the landfill, that's also recycling/re purposing. 

Reason #2. Its Portable

For a lot of people my age ( the 20 somethings) you might live in a small apartment and move around a lot if you're in school. Having large heavy piece of furniture aren't really ideal when you live in a 400 sq ft 2nd story apartment. Cardboard furniture can be collapsible and fold flat for transport, and its relatively light weight depending on its size and construction. 

Reason #3. Its DIY

Pinterest lovers unit, its another DIY project. For furniture pieces that utilize tabs to stay together, all you need is a box cutter. For pieces that are created using a repetitive shape, you'll need some glue. So start saving up your cardboard boxes and soon enough you'll have a new chair. Or if DIY isn't your thing, you can always purchase furniture pieces from Cardboard furniture companies like Chairigami. 

Check out these cool furniture designs with cardboard products!