Adv Studio 01

Finally, the home stretch. Advanced Studio 01 was the first of the last two studios needed for graduation. This studio was definitely the best experience of the many studios I had to navigate my way thru. The atmosphere was more relaxed and we were able to spend the entire semester concentrating on one project.

The program for this project was the Denver News Agency headquarters in downtwon Denver. The project was interesting because the actual building was being built at the same time we were creating designs on the same site. This allowed us to really examine the site and observe the construction being done.

The location of the site is at the intersection of Colfax and Broadway. Across from the Civic Center Park which sits between the Capitol Building and the Denver City and County Building. The north end of the site anchors the 16th St. Mall which is a high-traffic pedestrian street.

.

The challenge was to design a project which addresses the many adjacent forces. The concept for my design was to create a pedestrian-friendly street front and civic minded presence that fits in well with the other buildings surrounding the Civic Center Park.

.

Comp. Studio

I survived the first rounds of Studio, now it was time to tackle Comprehensive Studio. This was the one that every architecture student fears. Comp. Studio combines everything we've learned up to this point and throws in some pretty intensive focus on details just for an added sense of torture. On the plus side, projects were worked on in pairs - so at least I had some help. The final project included drawings, details, a scale model and slice model (a detailed portion of the project).

The project for Comp. Studio was a community library. The site for our project was East Colfax which is Denver's highest traffic corridor but has sections which are not considered pedestrian-friendly. A city initiative, the East Colfax Plan, describes plans to improve the mixed-use development all along this strip. One area to check out is the new Tattered Covered location which is in a remodeled movie theater, along with Twist n Shout next door.

.

The approach to our design featured the duplexity of the project. We focused on the urban nature of the front of the library and the residential access from the neighborhood behind Colfax. Combining the technology associated with urbanization and the ecology of the Colorado environment, the project featured two sections - an organic community area composed of natural stone and a high-tech area consisting of glass and steel.

Technology has made a big impact in architecture over the last decade. I suppose the same could be said about any profession, but architecture relied on sketching, hand-drawing, and hand-crafted model building. Now, of course, computer programs allow plans and details to be created in a few days what used to take months. This was a major factor in my decision to pursue architecture when I wanted to change careers. Before, architecture wasn't really something I considered because to be honest I can't really draw well. But after years in graphic design, I have become comfortable with most computer software so a few years ago, I decided perhaps architecture was something I could study.

My logic was really put to the test when the first few semesters of school, most projects required hand-drafting. By this time, everything in studio was on the computer. There is even a laser cutter, which allows users to program a machine to cut materials for model assembly. We decided not to use the laser cutter and build our slice model (1/2 in. = 1 ft. scale - it's big) by hand. The last week before the final jury was quite a scramble - but at least we got the model finished.

Studio 04

I registered for Studio 04 in the spring. I thought I was up for a challenge and I was assigned to a studio instructor who had a reputation as being challenging and thorough. The first weekend, he assigned a project to design an addition to a museum - including sketches, plans, and elevations - all due on Monday ... I dropped the class.

It probably was for the best, I had a number of core classes that I needed to complete as well and I was still working part-time 30 hrs. a week. It gave me some time to regroup and get my feet underneath me once again. In the fall, I registered for Studio 04 once again, luckily I got a different instructor.

Our project for the semester was to design low-income housing near downtown Denver. Five Points is an area with a strong history but also struggles financially. The first step was to research the area and tour the site. Traditionally a black neighborhood, Five Points was home to many jazz clubs and across the street from our site was home to the Roxy Theatre which had entertained artists such as Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Nat King Cole.

Next, the focus was an abstract piece that was inspired by our research. From there we designed a mixed-use unit that would also provide services for the neighborhood. In addition to the usual plans, sections, and elevations - a slice model was required for the class. The semester was a struggle because of the amount of work required and I really paid for it when the jury at the end of the semester rolled around. I took quite a beating but I learned from the criticism and it is one project I hope to revisit soon and further develop my concept.

Studio 03

Well, I made it thru the first year of studio. In the fall, Studio 03 involved a mid-sized, community library. It was also the last studio that revolved strictly around hand drafting. But what a way to go out. Once we received the program for the library, it was a series of sketches and plans and then some more sketches and plans. The final project included a scale model of the design.


The site for our project was in a neighborhood in south Denver known as Highlands. Directly north of the site runs Interstate 25 and the building would be visible to drivers from the interstate. For my design, the library symbolized an introduction to the neighborhood from the downtown area, which is located on the other side of the interstate. Another feature is to introduce daylight into the building. Denver enjoys over 300 days of blah, blah, blah. The angle of the roof deflected natural light into the library space which not only provides energy savings but also improves learnin'.

Studio 02

The second semester of studio required that we expand on our Big Idea diagrams and models from Studio 01. The program called for a Jazz Club to be located in downtown Denver. We experimented with iterations of the forms we developed in the first semester. From there we worked on sketches, floor plans, elevations and models of the buildings we designed. The final project was scale models of the Jazz Club.

It was exciting to finally work on an idea for a building since the first semester was so abstract. The two things I'll remember from Studio 02 is that our studio instructor was pretty much a hypochondriac - some days it seemed like he would walk into the room and someone would say "you don't look very good" and then we'd have the rest of the day off - and this semester was also the huge snowstorm of '04 in Denver - the entire city was shut down for a week (including work and school). I think it's the only way I was able to get these freakin' models done in time.

Studio 01

A few years ago when I decided to go back to school for Architecture, it's safe to say that I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I knew that with a background in advertising/ graphic design that there wouldn't be much of a connection. I don't think I realized how much work would be involved - the late nights trying to learn to draw, the exacto knife injuries, the trips to the art store.

Well, now I've been out of school for a while and I still have an apartment full of studio projects that sit in the corner collecting dust. I've been tempted many times to have a grand bonfire to celebrate but I just can't bring myself to strike the match. So, I'm going to post some pictures from the projects I worked on for no other reason than I have to do something with all this stuff.

First up is Studio 01 - the beginning. The first semester was spent analyzing a piece of jazz music - "Lester Leaps In" - and then interpreting it into visual representation. Sounds crazy, and it was, but it was also a good lesson in drawing a lot and later model building.

At the end of the semester, we would have a jury review where a group of instructors and professionals would gather to critique our projects. Sometimes it was even worse than it sounds...