Summing Up The Semester

The Pufferbelly Depot is in Pullman, Washington and the was the site of my final design project for the semester. I called the design "Fanning Out". I received the title inspiration from a previous bench project I was working on that was incorporated into this design's exterior. The depot is on the historic registry and I was challenged to preserve the ticket wall inside the depot as well as redesign the space to be part residential, retail/gallery, and studio space.

Here is the exterior of the depot. 

I left all the exterior walls, windows, and doors the same. I did not want to interrupt the exoskeleton of the structure. I utilized the ticket wall by thinking of its purpose originally. I concluded that I wanted people to be able to interact through the ticket wall in my design just like when people went there to purchase a ticket for the train. I created a little bar/seating area around that wall so people can still interact between the spaces. On one side of the wall is the living room where bar stools up against the ticket wall and on the other side is the dining room.

Blue is a prominent color in my design because it is the original color of my inspiration. I was inspired by the blue glass mosaics which let light into the basement of the depot. 

I focused on the function of the glass, acting as a way for light to get in and ending up thinking about beams of light reflecting off of surfaces. This led me to a very rectilinear design with interlocking pieces trying to pass each other just as the light does. I used this in my ceiling designs with the wooden exposed beams within the residence and studio.

I also applied the textile I created as the shades over the windows in the rooms. I thought it was a unifying idea to use the fabric inspired by light to also be able to control the light as window treatments. 

Another challenge as a designer was to accommodate the spouse of my client, which was visually impaired. Many of my surfaces contrast each other for easier perception of what is what. For example, my dark floor is contrasted with my lighter cabinets, which is different from the shade of the counter top. Distinctions were made as much as possible as well with lighting to adjust for someone who can not see very well. 

I did incorporate water walls within the building to keep efficiency high. 

There is complete privacy from the residential space to the gallery and studio space but the gallery and studio are connected with an interior door. The gallery has movable walls to accommodate the on site installation artist who acted as my client.

Looking at my the work I've done this semester I can proudly say my perspectives and renderings are improving significantly. I am realizing all the details it takes to design a space for an individual to occupy and how important it is to understand the needs of the client/people you are working with to make the design a reality.

Bank Left Gallery

I visited the Left Bank Gallery in Palouse, Washington. This gallery displays local artists' works adjacent to a quaint bistro in the small town of Palouse. This gallery utilizes pedestals, tables, everyday furniture, display cases, and even a safe for displaying the artwork. They also mount a lot of the painted work on the walls while the smaller sculpture and other pottery and figurines are on the table tops and cases. For artificial lighting the gallery uses what looks like hand made track lighting by stringing wire along the ceiling and the lighting fixtures which are threaded through the wire are directed to particular art pieces. There is a bigger pendant light in the center of the main room of the gallery for central overall lighting as well as a ceiling fan that also has a light. The ceiling fan can help with ventilation in the room. Additionally, there are vents and heaters in the space. Naturally lighting plays a large role in this gallery because there are many large scale windows that take up half of the walls in the space.

The observer is directed through the space by the way the tables and desks are situated. I automatically traveled through the gallery in a clockwise direction because the tables were angled in a way to imply a path in that direction from the entrance. There is also a desk where you would go to purchase the art and that automatically makes the observer think that you should end there. The environment of the interior had blue carpet and cream furniture. There is music for the mood and neutral and cool tones. There is a beautiful coeffered ceiling which gives the interior a historical feel.

Impaired Vision Experience

While under the case study of designing a space for people who are visually impaired I underwent a workshop that allowed me to experience what it is like to not have clear vision. There are different levels of vision impairment. A lower level of impairment like blurry vision can be experience by putting a a plastic bag over your eyes. One call still make out figures but if a person wanted to read anything they would have to get  very close to the sign or paper to make out letters. There are other levels of impairment such as tunnel vision, loss of parts, and central vision. Each in their own way inhibit an individual from seeing clearly.

For the next part of the workshop I wore glasses with petroleum jelly to limit my vision. I could only see vague contours of objects. I still saw my surroundings but in a very blurry manner. Due to this, using an ATM and going down stairs was a bit difficult.

         

   

Client Brief

As I was typing my client brief for the re-design of the St. Elmo's hotel I did not realize how many details went into the brief. Initially i thought of a client brief as just an overall summary about the design process but it is actually much more than that. It does summarize the process but it also allows someone to understand the amount of development that went into the concept and design for the project. From the beginning sketches to the circulation diagrams to the actual measurements all lead to a tangible result of what originally was just a vision.

This was my first time writing a client brief so I was not sure of everything that needed to be incorporated or documented but I did put in a lot of thought to what the client's envision was and how I guided the client to a design that will become part of his surroundings and his lifestyle. It was also good to see how I did or may not have overcame any design challenges for the project and how I could improve in that aspect in the future.

Residential Space

The residential space I developed is part of a redesign for a hotel to convert into apartment living. I focused mainly on the one bedroom apartment and the common space for the second floor of the project. The one bedroom is designed to have a private entrance and the initial view of some Lumicor screening on the entry closet door. As one turns into the living area, an individual can peer into the kitchen as well as viewing a peninsula for extra seating and eating space. The kitchen is supported a little by natural light as there is a window at the end of the counter but what really brightens up the kitchen is the dropped ceiling which has light fixtures that focus on the kitchen as well as the surrounding areas. There is also a dropped ceiling above the peninsula allowing one to study or eat comfortably. The living area is a smaller space but still provides the necessary components for a relaxing hang out environment. 

As one moves away from the kitchen and living area you can see a staggered wall which echos the differing heights of the peninsula sitting adjacent to it. You can either choose to go right into the bedroom or left into the bathroom. The bathroom as a closet storage as well as a leveled vanity with an over the counter sink and a frontal reach for the toilet. There is one window in the bathroom near the toilet for ventilation and natural light.There is a pocket door which connects the bathroom and bedroom allowing more flexibility in the paths and traffic in the apartment. 

The bedroom has a large closet and two windows for lots of natural lighting. There is also a little bit of a recessed ceiling in the bedroom for a dramatic light fixture to brighten up the space. 

 Model with one bedroom apartment floor plan. 

First board showing my initial thoughts and process in designing the one bedroom apartment. 

This board shows the common space which is filled with much warmer tones than the apartment to differentiate the environments and gives people the option on what kind of atmosphere they want to be surrounded in. 

This board displays my kitchen and living area. There is a rendering of how the space is envisioned as well as how it can be utilized. 

This board is of my bedroom and bath. Since they are connected by a pocket door I kept both spaces similar and cohesive with color scheme and earthy materials. 

Meeting with a Practicing Designer

I met up with a local practicing designer in Gresham, Oregon. Her name is Sarah Martinez and she is a designer who works with Home Depot in the Kitchen and Bath Department. After showing her my plans of the St. Elmo's Hotel space I am working on we discussed overall layout of the one bedroom apartment as well as finer details such as materials. She helped me focus in more on my design concept as well as went over positioning of different fixtures in the bathroom like moving the toilet and shower to create more space for storage. She gave me ideas for dropping the ceiling of the space since I didn't want to keep it leveled at 10ft everywhere. 

She also provided me with material samples for flooring and counter tops. She was thoughtful and helpful. It was a constructive visit as she liked some of my ideas and helped me evolve my initial design. 

Bathroom Design

This bathroom design is based off curved lines and waves. For being a smaller bathroom it still has an inviting feel. The private niche with the vanity inside is a curved feature that highlights the space. Adorn with polished chrome and white fixtures keeps the bathroom simple, but the reds, browns, and greys liven the bathroom with warm tones. 

The ceiling as reflective brown glass that will reflect the ceiling lights effectively and brighten the room up even more. The shower glass is patterned with white splashes to still provide a private area in the shower even though the material is not completely opaque. The waved red and brown tiles energize the bathroom as a back splash behind the vanity as well as a border around the walls. 

One would enter the bathroom from the corner which makes the bathroom feel larger in size and not so compact. The arched niche also gives a sense of space. The niches is accented with a round mirror as well as pendant lights for accent lighting on the vanity. There are sliding/rolling bottom shelves on the vanity that provide easy access for people as well as give a toe clearance. 

There are rounded grab bars around the toilet as well to support someone if needed. 

The bathroom had a lot of details to design but I found it easier to incorporate my ideas into the bathroom than the kitchen. After realizing what space I could utilize by placing fixtures and such where it became easier to incorporate all of the details with the design process.