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.