Final

At the beginning of the semester we talked about what was beautiful in architecture to us. The things I kept finding myself coming back to were functionality, out of the ordinary, and the material of wood. By saying functionality I mean that a space should be functional for any type of user. I explored what singles, young couples, and older couples need to live.  Also, I think in our life we have enough ordinary, everyday things. I think it’s really great when people do things that are different. And my favorite material to use is wood. Each project is different and has its own reason why it works and why it’s beautiful. 

Next I explored what type of neighborhood I wanted my project to be located in. I needed places that would attract all the different users I discussed before. I decided that having a park nearby would be nice for all the users. Also, I wanted it to be near a place that has plenty of dining opportunities and plenty of activities such as shopping or going to the movies. 

 

This is the site I chose for my project. It’s on 15^th and Delgany. It is directly across from the Denver Contemporary Art Museum. It is only one block away from the 16^th Street mall, which is where there is plenty shopping and dining opportunities. 

This shows my site closer up and shows the things around it. This rectangle is my site. Across from it is the museum and next to that are apartments. Also next to my site are apartments. Right down the road there is a creek that has a walking and bike path on the sides of it. Over the bridge of the creek is a small park where we saw people playing with their dogs. 

This is the site currently. They just tore down The Energy House, which was a place were entrepreneurs could come together to collaborate. 

The program for my building is living space. I originally called it apartments or condos but I feel that people already have a pre-idea in their head on what that is so I’m just going to call it living spaces so I can create a new idea. 

When looking at my project I had to figure out how I was going to provide parking for people. I thought that it wasn’t logical to put in a parking lot because it’s wasted space and can be dangerous. Also since my site is across from the Contemporary Art Museum I felt it wasn’t good to place a parking lot there.  The site should better the area and cause more people to be attracted to it. 

My solution is to have en suite garages. This means that apartments will have their own garage no matter what floor they are on and an elevator will take up the cars. 

 

This is my site plan.  The red is my building. Across from that is the museum and apartments. There is an existing building behind and next to me is more apartments.  And it shows the pathways I put in. 

 

This is the form I came up with for my building. There will be parts coming out and being pushed out. This is so that there is a variety in sizes of the spaces and also the ceiling of one unit could become the balcony for another. 

 

This is an exterior perspective of my building. It’s showing the materials of the building and people using the building. The angles at the top would be glass to let in plenty of natural light. These are wood panels used as shading devices. The bluish parts are windows and the rest would be a white material.  

 

This is an elevation of my building. It is showing how the elevator would work. The car would drive into it from the street. There would be some sort of security device to make sure the person lived there. When I was researching I found some used a finger print scanner. It would then be taken up to their place and turn to slide into there own garage. They could then get out and enter their place. The bottom apartments have their own garage separate from the elevator since they wouldn’t need to use it.  

 

This is the first two floors of my building. I talked about how I wanted flexibility so the only things I have labeled is the master bedroom, living room, and kitchen. The living room can be used for different things depending on the user. Then each unit has a different number of rooms. I’m avoiding calling them bedrooms because they can be used as different things. Each unit will also have a different layout. They can have a different number of rooms, different sized rooms, and not everyone has a balcony. Also, not every unit has access to the car elevator or has a garage because not everyone would need it. Also people who do have the garage can use it for other things such as storage or bikes. 

 

These are the other two floors. As you can see they are different from the first two and offer different opportunities. Another way I could have a more flexible layout is having moveable walls or moveable furniture such as stuff on wheels.

 

This is an interior perspective. It is showing the relationship between the living room and kitchen. Also showing the en suite garage. 

 

This is the section of my building. It is showing how the balconies and how someone’s ceiling can become the balcony of another. It is also showing show the same spaces can be used for different things. It could be a bedroom or a kitchen. Even the living rooms can be used differently. In this one there is a piano or just chairs with a tv. It is also showing the garages being used differently/ Some people have cars, some are using it for storage, some people have bikes, and many have a combination of that. 

El fin.

Section & Perspectives

 

This is my final section of my building. With this I wanted to show that even though some of the rooms in the apartments are generally the same they can be used for different things according to the people living there. I also wanted to show the balconies and how the ceiling of one apartment can become the balcony of another. 

 

 

These are two interior perspectives that I’ve done. In the first one I am showing the relationship between the en suite garage, kitchen, and living room space. This is showing the first floor so there is a front door and no access to the elevator through the apartment. The second image is showing the master bedroom which contains a bathroom and walk in closet. 

Form & Floor Plans.

As you know my site is on the corner of Delgany and 15th in Denver, Colorado. 

 

This is my new site plan. Kristi and I are no longer sharing the site but I am still taking up the same space as before. I moved the car elevator to the edge of the street so that the exciting element of the building could be viewed by the public. 

 

This is the form I came up with for my living spaces. I made each floor different and even each unit different. I made some spaces protrude out and some sink in so that the ceiling of one unit could become the balcony of another. 

 

These are the floor plans. There are four floors and each floor is different. Each unit is also different because people are very different from each other. In the beginning I wanted to make units specific to certain people but now I think it’s a better idea to make units functional for all types of users. As you can see on the first floor everyone has a garage but on the second floor the back unit does not have access to the garage because not everyone is going to have a car. The balconies are also located in different spots depending on the view of the unit. There are three elevators. People who are not taking there car up or down can use these elevators instead and they would also be big enough for a bike incase people would like to store their bikes in their unit. There are also two courtyard spaces. This is for people to sit and relax or maybe take an animal out. I didn’t want to take up to much room for these thought since there is a small park so close. 

This is an elevation of how I want my building to look like. As you can see the car elevator is in the middle and the two sides directly next to it are spaces for the en suite garages. The bottom floor has their own personal garages because they won’t need to use the elevator. I am using wood panels as shading and privacy devices for the building. But also using wood and class to connect back to the surrounding buildings such as the museum and apartments. 

Next I will be working on sections and perspectives of my building. 

First Ideas.

 

The site that I chose in Denver, CO was across the street from the Contemporary Art Museum. It is on the corner of 15th Street and Delgany. It is a few blocks away from the heart of the downtown. Also, a few blocks away from the public bus station that will take you directly downtown for free. Also, on Delgany Street there is apartment complexes next to the Contemporary Art Museum.

This is a photo of the site I chose. It is looking down onto the site from the roof of the Contemporary Art Museum. The site is right now under construction because a building was just torn down there. I thought this was a great place to start fresh and enter something new and exciting here.

My diagram is showing the site that I chose in context to the other things around it. Also, I am splitting the site with Kristina Pearson. She is doing live work lofts on her chosen portion of the site.

For my portion of the site I want to do spacious “luxury” condos. In my critique I was discouraged to use the word luxury because it doesn’t have a specific definition to every person. By using this term I am meaning that they have more amenities and space than an average apartment.

When I was thinking about what to do with parking in my project I decided it was a terrible idea to put a parking lot next to the Contemporary Art Museum. By choosing this site I am making a bold statement by saying I know I can do something “Cool” enough to go next to the museum.

The solution I came up with was a car elevator. This is also called an En Suite Garage. Each person would have their own garage and the car elevator will take it up to your room for you.

These images are showing how the elevator would work. The person would drive their car into the elevator and then step out onto their own elevator where they would scan their thumb as a security measure. Their car would then be sent up to their condo and placed into their own garage.

This is the link to the website I got these images from and at the bottom of the page there is a video that well demonstrates the elevator and en suite garages.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2195776/Singapore-s-supercar-owners-close-eye-expensive-rides–parking-living-rooms.html

I have an first idea Elevation & Floor Plan shown mostly as a bubble diagram.

During my critique I was encouraged to not just pick things I liked from other projects and insert them into my own because that doesn’t make it as a whole a good project. I need to explore why people did what they did and why it works and decide if it will work for my own project. I was also encouraged to place the car elevator on the edge of the site because it is an interesting feature and should be seen, not hidden. I was also encouraged to explore the typical home today rather than the old idea of a home. For example, people don’t generally need a dining room anymore because most people eat in the living room or on the go now. I also need to explore the relation between the different rooms. I said I wanted to have an open floor plan so people can use the spaces as they see fit because each person has a different opinion on what they should do with their space. More designing and analyzing is on the way!

7 Denver Images

 

Bolder, Colorado

This was the shopping area in Bolder. I thought this space was interesting because of the way it was specifically designed for pedestrians. The whole entire street became a sidewalk for people to freely walk around. It felt like a very comfortable, safe space. I loved how in the middle of the walk there was greenery so that the walk was divided from one side to the other. My sketch shows how I saw this area and how I saw people using this space. 

 

Estes Park, Colorado

This area is different from the one above in that is more directly relates to nature. I like how there is a clear line from where there is the natural environment and where the built environment is but in most places they reflected each other. There were a few houses and buildings scattered up closer to the mountains that reflected the natural environment even more. My sketch shows how I would image someone walking through this space having the mountains in the background. 

 

Denver, Colorado. Art District

This area in Denver was interesting to me because even though the buildings were very different they seemed to compliment each other and created a whole. There was a public plaza-like area in the middle of these buildings. I liked how the buildings created visual enclosure for the plaza. Even though the buildings were very large it helped to create a sense of comfort. 

 

Denver, Colorado. Highlands

This was a neighborhood in Denver that I felt was very different than the busy downtown. I liked the relationship they created from the pedestrians to the street. There were different layers such as the buildings, the sidewalk, lights or greenery, and then the street. This separation makes people feel safer than walking right next to the street. This area is really close to the downtown area so its walkable or there is public transportation nearby. 

 

Denver, Colorado. College area

This area is different than any other in Denver. It is the college area of the town and reminds me more of the Muncie downtown. The buildings are more on a human scale and the taller buildings are pushed back out of the scene. This area also has the layers to the street like I talked about before. I also like how the flags and lights hanging above give people a sense of comfort and a “home” feeling. 

 

Denver, Colorado. 16^th Street Mall

This is the shopping area of Denver. I really enjoyed how the streets seemed to be more for pedestrians than for vehicles. The sidewalk has layers too before hitting the street and then dividing up the street there is a pedestrian walkway in the middle. This helps the traffic move slower and helps people feel more comfortable. It was a very comfortable area to walk around and there was also public transportation for the area.

 

Bolder, Colorado. Behind Bolder High School

While walking to the college campus in Bolder we found this creek. It was located behind the high school. I thought this was a wonderful place because it was like a break from the hustle of the city life and wasn’t something that you would expect to see in this area. It was such a peaceful place and we saw quite a bit of wildlife which you don’t really see in the city so that was nice. It had a nice walkable path running along side of it. 

Denver, Colorado

My site: Delgany Street & 15th Street Denver, Colorado

I picked this site that is across from the Contemporary Art Museum that is an empty parking lot. On this street there were already 3 existing apartment buildings. All 3 to 4 stories high and one has underground parking. 

 

There is also a really nice creek running by the site. It has a walking path and a bike path. On the other side of the creek is a nice park that we saw people walking there dogs in. 

 

My site: 

 

 

 

 

 

My Topics To Denver

I need to now take my 4 topics that I talked about and incorporate them into my project based out of Denver, Colorado. I decided I wanted to pick a neighborhood that was not exactly in downtown but that was close enough that people could either walk or take public transportation there. I want a neighborhood that has many restaurants and places for entertainment. My 4 topics were functionality, the use of wood, seeing things differently, and out of the ordinary. I decided I wanted my program to be a smaller apartment building. I don’t want it to be a high sky rise and I want each apartment to be bigger than the general apartment but still affordable by using recycled materials. I thought that I should look at each age group because each age group will have different things that they need in order to live happily. I wanted to look at singles, young couples, and older/retired couples. I found singles want a neighborhood with bars, night life, and shopping close to downtown. Also, singles don’t need as much apartment space. I found young couples want a nice place to start a family, parks, and some night life. These couples generally like their bedrooms to be private and some space for friends to come over. The elder couples liked to have a lot of room in their apartment for family to come stay and also they liked things like nice restaurants and nice parks in their neighborhood. I decided several of these needs and wants could over lap and become one. My studio professor suggested that instead of making different apartments for each I should combine all the ideas into one apartment so the apartment could adapt as the people living there grew older or moved out and others came in. I want to use wood on the exterior of building and also some on the inside. I think it’s a great material for Denver to bring the downtown in connection with the mountains. I think also it’s important to use many windows for natural daylight and also as a fact of “seeing things differently”. The windows create a completely different scene from night to day for the inside and outside users.

Next step… Going to Denver and EXPLORING!

What’s Important?

Functionality: 

To me it is not only important for the building to look aesthetically pleasing but it is important to be functional for the user. If it doesn’t function well for the people then people aren’t going to use it and then that it just not good architecture.

Examples:

The Eden Project not only functions well for the plants it contains but it also functions well for its users who come to visit these biomes. There are plenty of pedestrian paths and plenty of organization to help people get to where they need to be.

This is a project I did called the Beach House. The design was supposed to include two private spaces and one public space but from the public space you were not supposed to be able to see into the privates spaces with only one solid wall provided. This is a specific function that as designers we have to make work for the customer while also making the space look good.

Use of Wood:

I love how wood can create so many different scenes, feelings, and moods. Depending on how you use wood it can create a different feeling for the users and it can be used in so many different ways.

Examples:

This is a chair project that I worked on. For this use of wood we were trying to give the feeling of sleek and clean. We created our own pieces of wood by using resin to glue together strips of veneer.

Within log cabins wood creates a different type of feeling for the user. It makes the scene feeling warm and cozy. It is also beautiful how it reveals its true structure and how it blends into its nature surroundings.

Seeing Things Differently:

I think it’s important for architects to take advantage of the world around us to create different scenes for the user such as using night and day or taking advantage of materials or nature.

Examples:

This is the Eden Project showing the differences between night and day. The architect did a create job in taking advantage of that and making two completely different places between night and day.

This is the Farnsworth home by Mies van de Rohe. He did a great job in making nature a part of his project and using the different seasons to his advantage.

Out of the Ordinary:

I think in architecture it is important to do things differently than the cook cutter way. I think in life we already have enough routine in our life and its importants to switch things up time to time.

Examples:

This is the Aquaria Grande. It is a 37 story apartment building and instead of having one people for everyone like most apartment buildings have this architect made each room have a pool on their balcony.

In Moscow they found a new way to store bikes without taking up to much room on the street. They made little slits into the sidewalks or even found ways to make the bikes go up the side of buildings or under the ground.

What’s important to you?

Denver vs High Density & Low Density

I am thinking for my project I want to design a multi-family complex composed of 4 units. I first need to research how architects design in Denver vs how architects design in New York and why it works in each place. Denver, Colorado is similar to New York in that they are both composed to single people or young couples. Denver has the largest park system, has many golf courses, bike trails, and mountain trails. It is located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. There is a great variety in people, architecture, and lifestyles. New York is composed more of industrial and commercial areas and has few parks. There is a ton of people in New York in such a small space which requires for more tall apartment/condo complexes rather than many single family homes. New York has more modern, upscale homes, whereas Denver has many neighborhoods that are historical districts. 

City Park-Denver

-small historic neighborhood

-homes are turn-of-the-century four squares with solid brick construction and fine detailing

-park is 320 acres

-communities outside of downtown are not always walkable areas and there might be more traffic

Inwood-Manhattan

-industrial & commercial

-no parks

-tall apartment buildings

-communities like this are designed for walking and for less cars

When architects design for Denver they can design for less density, they could incorporate nature, and families. When architects design for New York they have to takin into count more density, less nature, and more for people’s jobs than their families. Although Denver is also a very big city it is covered over more area so makes it less dense and more opportunities for single family homes.

Lets look at my hometown, Jacksonville, IL

The population of Jacksonville is around 20,000 residents. It is a small town that consists of 99% single family homes. The area is not dense and there is room for people to spread out and have their space. Architects designing here would be in a way similar to Denver because of the single family homes and Jacksonville also has a historical district. But in other ways it is different because it doesn’t have a city type of downtown. It isn’t a walkable city, there is no public transportation, and there isn’t tons of entertainment for the people. Most of the homes are older and not modern in style. There are several parks in Jacksonville which could give the similar feel as City Park in Denver. 

High density calls for tall buildings with many living units or single family homes that are cramped together.

Low density enables home owners to have spread out land from their neighbors and less tall apartment buildings. 

 

 

Building for the Mountains

The thing I am most interested in in Architecture is residential projects. Our site is going to be based out of Denver, Colorado so I did some research on residential homes there. I found that I was most interested in log cabins and I would like to continue my research. I love how they show truth in materials and how the structure is actually what you see. It such a beautiful thing to be able to see the structure, in my opinion and log cabins do just that. I love how the heavy timber structure provides a unique warmth to the home. 

A couple great things I also found out about log cabins is that they can also be made energy efficient which is perfect for today’s world. They also reduce noise and the nature of log walls are very fire resistive.

I find it so interesting how log cabins started out to be the only way people lived, in fact they were for the people who didn’t have much money. Living in a log cabin was a bare minimum, just a way to survive. Now looking at log cabins they are so spacious and grand, even better than living in a regular house, in my opinion. 

 

I want to continue my research and continue inspiration more this week…