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.

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. 

Kitchen Design

 When transforming a hotel space into apartments it is essential to understand the residential needs of the occupants who will be leasing the space. After researching the meaning of home by analyzing a the poem Home Sweet Home by John Howard Payne, I came to realize the importance of branching out from home and exploring the world. It is okay to venture out because home is a solid foundation that will always be a place to come back to. I used this inspiration to create a concept of curved lines and variety. The paths people make while living their lives twist and turn but you can always follow the path from one point to an other. I used my curved-based concept model to express and soft curved kitchen area. By viewing the model in a profile I saw that the curve made loops which looked like semi-circles so I incorporated this shape with the counter tops and fixtures for seating and eating. There are also curved shelves on the refrigerator wall and curved drawers on the west side of the kitchen. Also on the side is a walk in pantry for extra food storage space. 

I also chose a semi-circular sink for the kitchen to follow the round fixtures at the bar as well as balancing the kitchen with the rounded edges.

At the bar area there is underneath storage as well for dishes or special china or whatever the occupants needs are.

The oven hood extends all the way to the ceiling with pillars outlining it all the way up as well for an emphasized range.

I decided to use dark stained bamboo strand flooring with white marble counter tops and dark black cabinetry. The back splash has a variety of brown and gray tiles but only go up half of the wall and the upper half would be a light cream colored paint called "cotton ball". Then there will be an opaque patterned resin material on the cabinet doors. With lights under the cabinets and one giant light fixture in the center of the kitchen the space will be lit up even with the dark color scheme. 

There are four rendered perspectives of how the space will be experienced if lived there. 

This is a volumetric model of how the kitchen and living space will correlate with each other. 

View from the hall walking toward the kitchen from the entrance of the apartment. 

View from the hall walking toward the kitchen from the bathroom.