ARCH 320
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In ARCH 320, we advance students' fluency in processes for moving between analysis/observation and design synthesis within the context of a specific physical site and relationship to an actual human being's needs (a "client"). We explore architects' responsibilities and the relationships between site, inhabitant and program through an iterative and cumulative set of exercises that engage the idea of dwelling in the age of climate crisis. Students in ARCH 320 will encounter exercises in site observation, topography/site design, technical drawing, architectural precedent in dwelling, empathetic interviewing, diagramming, small-scale dwelling design and design collaboration with a partner.
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Critics:
Nikole Bouchard Gabriela Bustos Lindsey Krug Kyle Reynolds Monika Thadhani Adam Thibodeaux Trudy Watt Mo Zell |
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My partner, Jose Munguia, and I, Andrea Mendoza, interviewed Joey Zocher and John Gurda and have designed a dwelling and site. Joey enjoys teaching kids and is currently executive director at Escuela Verde. She doesn’t identify herself as female or male and because of that she has had bad social experiences that have made her unconfutable. She believes it’s a moral obligation to find the resources to benefit communities in Milwaukee. She has been in a pop-punk style band for 20 years. Joey thinks that people don’t see the world as their home and more of just land. John was born and raised in Milwaukee. He has been in Milwaukee for 73 years and has seen communities' transition such as the South side transitioned from a Polish population to Latino. He likes to bike around the city to see the changes throughout the city but also interact with nature. He likes to spend time with his family especially during this pandemic-era. He writes about Milwaukee because he believes that people like to learn more about their city. John also simply likes to have a view of the city. We designed a dwelling and modified the site with having in mind the components of community, family, nature, and music which of that represent these two individuals and make everyone feel welcomed and beloved.
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Project Images (Click to Enlarge)
Student Presentation
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In this project we were tasked with creating a dwelling that best suits the needs for two totally different individuals. The students were first tasked with interviewing some locals of the city of Milwaukee and collecting data regarding their individual wants and needs for a desired living space. From this we went on to diagrammatically plot and scheme ways we could try to incorporate aspects of their desires into the dwelling. In this most recent aspect to the project, we were given the challenge of having to combine our individual aspects of design into a single co-living dwelling. In this we had to create a harmonious structure that still tends to the individual needs of our people but still functions as a sharable space between them. We tried to attack this by splitting the building into 3 main sections 1 section to each of our individuals and then 1 section of shared space. The shared space would be located on the main ground floor while Elle Halo’s is nested below the ground and Kai Mishlove’s space is located at the highest point of the building. From this design we also engage the topography by allowing the general shape of the building follow the slope of the land instead of sitting directly on top or cut into it.
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Student Presentation
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When designing a co-living dwelling, it can be difficult to accommodate the needs of both members, however preliminary research shows that our subjects (Sister Patricia Rodgeres and Sharlen Moore) share many requirements for their dwelling. Neither requires a huge private space, but both would like as much seclusion as possible. Both seek a lot of natural light through the use of indoor/outdoor spaces. Both share roughly the same line of work; helping the community where they are needed the most. Both require having large spaces for gathering of community members. Both require a way to “decompress” after the workday. Both require 2-3 multi-purpose rooms that allow for conversion to bedrooms. And most importantly, they both share a unique compassion for others like nobody else. During our two separate 45-minute interviews with Sharlen Moore, we discussed all aspects of her life, as well as what she requires in her dwelling. We discovered that she leads an organization called Urban Underground, serving the African American community in Milwaukee. An objective for her dwelling is to implement that same community into a part of her living space. She also requires the space that allows her work to have a function at her own dwelling. She frequently has large gatherings over for private cookouts, as well as various community activities. This requires her to have large interior, as well as exterior, spaces for people to gather. Sharlen also revealed that she has a deep connection with Earth and the outdoors, saying that she requires adequate natural lighting in her dwelling, as well as many spaces that can be transitioned from indoor to outdoor spaces. Sharline also mentioned something that will remain one of our key design principles, “I would like the space to naturally lure the user outside based off of their daily activities and responsibilities within the site.” Another requirement is a secluded private space for her and her husband to live, as well as two or three multiple purpose spaces that allow for a transition into guest housing for two or three of her children that visit. Just as we interviewed Sharlen, we interviewed Sister Patricia in the same way. During this interview we discovered that Sister Patricia was located here as a Nun and member of the Dominican Catholic faith. She works as the Head of the Dominican Center as well as the Head of the Amani Center. She told of how her job now requires her to have an “open door policy” so she requires adequate space to serve various members of the community. In addition to the large interior gathering space, she also requires a large space for gathering outdoors. In addition to these spaces, she also requires having spaces that transition from indoor to outdoor spaces, displaying immense natural lighting that engulfs entire rooms. She revealed that she is a introvert, and that she requires a heavily secluded private space. In addition to her living quarters of her private space she also requires two or three multi-purpose rooms that allow for the transition to one office space, as well as a couple guest bedrooms for visitors. Most importantly, she requires this space to serve as inspiration to the community, and a place to gather a large number of community members and inspire new leaders.
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Student Presentation
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Howard Fuller, Barbara Miner and Ken Leinbach are social activists based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They place emphasis on sustainability, ecology, equal and quality education, and community. With these commonalities in mind, an inhabitant specific co-living dwelling was designed. The space was programmed in such a way that the very public areas were directly removed and made entirely separate from the living-based spaces in order to preserve the inhabitants privacy. This was done within the living-based spaces as well as by the separation of semi-private and private areas. This was accomplished through an elongated hallway encompassing an exterior courtyard. Private areas containing an individual bedroom, bathroom, office, and porch for each occupant extend towards the river, further separating from the semi-private space while also prioritizing views. In the design process, Howard, Barbara and Ken's age was a main consideration. They are all in a later stage in life and it was agreed that limiting verticality would be beneficial to circulation and mobility. So, the dwelling is all contained to a ground floor with some ramping down into the private bedrooms. The community center is also sunken into the ground, due to the accessible roof feature, and it was important for us to keep that ease of mobility, so we opted for a stair/ramp hybrid to ensure that anyone and everyone can enjoy the space. Additionally, an emphasis on windows was also a key consideration so one can maintain a relationship with green space and the riverside view even when indoors. Overall, the main goal was to create a space that serves a wide variety of purposes both public and private, while still maintaining and prioritizing a sense of privacy and engagement for the inhabitants.
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Student Presentation
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Curving Co-Living, located on 2114 North Riverboat Road, is a co-living development designed for Howard Fuller and Nyesha Stone, two prominent Milwaukeeans with a love for their communities. This is a project that emphasizes community and togetherness at its core. To provide opportunities most effectively for its residents, Curving Co-Living promotes opportunities for community building and growth while still providing Howard and Nyesha the space that they need to maintain their personal lives. Upon entry, Howard and Nyesha descend a ramp into the primary gathering and living space that contains spaces for eating, cooking, and socializing. A long window to the south, which is positioned low to the ground, opens a clear and intimate view of the river. The northern part of this open concept room contains a large kitchen, suitable for hosting gatherings and for community cooking. From here, a series of processional arms extend from the main body, with the subsequent rooms being separated by hallways that are made of pinches, pulls, and lifts on these arms in reaction to the sloped site conditions. The arms and hallways serve to separate Howard and Nyesha’s public and work life from their private life, which was rather important to Nyesha. The bedrooms are located on the southeastern corner, with Howard’s bedroom on the lower level and Nyesha’s bedroom on the upper level. Due to their layering, Howard has direct access to the rain gardens and river, while Nyesha has a balcony looking over the river.
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Student Presentation
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After interviewing John Gurda and Edgar Mendez, Ethan and I came together to create a Co-living space for these two people to share. Since this was more of a conceptual project, we were able to push the boundaries of what is possible. We wanted to focus on the Co-living idea instead of creating separate spaces for each family. So we decided to figure out commonalities between John and Edgar’s personalities to create spaces for everyone to enjoy. We began by experimenting with different forms and patterns to create the facades and window placements. Then moved on to carving out common areas as well as private spaces. On the West side of the dwelling, we created space for reflecting, working, and reading. These spaces then turned into a library, office, and an observation area. Then at the entrance of the dwelling, we wanted to incorporate an area specifically for social interactions. One thing that was important to John was meeting people and getting to know them. He is the type of person you can have an intellectual conversation about for hours. Then with Edgar’s children, we created an outdoor play area that is contained by the wings of the dwelling. For Edgar, it was important to have a contained area to keep his children safe. Finally, on the East side of the dwelling, we wanted to create an area for the residents to convene, as well as private space in the bedrooms.
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Student Presentation
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Our design, The Intra-Urban Contour, is a Co-Living Dwelling for two predominate Milwaukeeans, John Gurda and Patricia Rogers. After analyzing our interviews, we found connections between Patricia’s and John’s lifestyles. Therefore, our main focuses were community, nature, family, and faith. We incorporated these ideas into our design by adding high amounts of sun exposure, creating outdoor living patios that are cohesive throughout the space, and adding an open concept to emphasize communal living and community. We started the design process by creating program blocking on the site based on hierarchy of views and sunlight, placing important rooms near the south end of the site. We then tapered and contoured the exterior walls and rooflines. This led us to develop an organic form that bodes well with our interviewee’s lifestyles. Ultimately the dwelling is a two-story building with a small basement. Each interviewee has a private bedroom and ensuite as well as a guest room. They also have specific workspaces catered to their interests – John’s being a library and Patricia’s being a prayer room. Lastly, there is a main socialization space and a secondary one in the basement. Another important aspect of our design is the inspiration we took from the Arcus Center. We sampled from their design by incorporating a wood cross section façade and using round and thin shaped windows. We particularly took inspiration from the Arcus Center due to its symbolic meaning and purpose to catalyze positive social change which reflects our interviewee’s interests and values.
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Student Presentation
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The Tri Lofts is a space for two very different individuals to live, grow, learn and thrive. We knew that our interviewees, Camille Mays and Elle Halo had many differences which is the reasoning behind the three different buildings. They each have their own living space where they can practice their own hobbies and be to themselves. We created one large living space where they can socialize, have large gatherings and work while near certain necessities such as the kitchen. Due to the slope of the land we decided to position the buildings parallel to the river which allowed for maximum views of the river's edge. The placement of the garage allows for the quickest and easiest access to the nearest street. Planting and gardening are extremely important to Camille Mays which is why we added skylights in the lofted areas so the plants throughout the buildings will get the most sunlight. Due to this, we decided to have as little concrete paths outside as possible. The only concrete we intend to have is the driveway, the rest of the paths will naturally form because of the surrounding foliage. The materials that we decided to utilize in our buildings include a timber frame with wood flooring for the corridors and mostly cement flooring, metal roofing, and vertical wood paneled exterior siding. The most important part of our design is the floor to ceiling windows in order to have the best possible sunlight and views all year round.
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Student Presentation
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Aegis
noun: the protection, backing, or support of a particular person or organization. Our project Aegis is a co-living dwelling designed for two women Kai Gardener Mishlove and Sharleen Moore. Earlier in the semester, we met with these individuals and collected information about their lifestyles, needs, and desires for a well-rounded dwelling. Both Kai and Sharleen work in social work and support their communities with their knowledge and activism. They value the connections they make with the community and community members. The challenge of this project was to design a co-dwelling for both individuals within the restricted site. We used the information we had gathered during the interview to develop a program for the dwelling. In our design, we have emphasized the connection to nature. We also focused on adaptable space that can adapt to what the clients need. However, the most important aspect of the building is the clear separation between private and public space. We used the topography to our advantage by utilizing the sunlight, river, and the surrounding terrain of grass and life to emphasize the importance of co-dwelling with nature. In conclusion, this dwelling is a host for open education dialog, a connection between nature, and lastly, a host for the clients to reconnect with themselves. |
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Student Presentation
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Our design was to satisfy the needs of two environmentally conscious people. Our design is two adjacent towers connected by one roof. Each tower is elevated off of the ground by a central core, which eliminates having a large footprint that could damage the prairie landscape. We designed a screen façade of 100s of propellers that generate electricity while reacting to the wind to make patterns. A huge cistern in the base of the east tower collects rainwater from the roof and deploys it in a grey water system. Each tower offers 360 degree views of the river and bluffs and Riverwest neighborhood through an entirely glass circumference. Each of the four floors have a bathroom so as to eliminate the need to travel too much between towers. There are two main bedrooms and two guest bedrooms for any of our clients guests to stay in, as well as small kitchens in the bedroom area to allow maximum food access. This design encompasses the idea of co-living in an urban environment by maximizing access to nature right in the city, but it also plays off of its location through its views, but also proximity to many amenities. It is a green building and deploys sustainable architecture to help decrease its carbon footprint for our clients who are invested in that. We hope our design inspires others to design for everyone, and to be creative and sustainable in the future.
Rendered Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTGhRuZ_x4k |
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Student Presentation
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Sam and I’s main concept was to create a space that allows for occupants to dwell together whilst also having multiple connections to the outdoors. Our first partner, Ken was a key Member in the birth of the Urban Ecology Centers and has an overarching devotion to leaving as little of an environmental impact as he can. Barbara, our second community partner, also has a large draw to the outdoors and nature itself. She loves gardening and thrives within social connection within the community. Initially our main design inspiration was based off Japanese architecture, taking into consideration the way the walls shift to allow maximum exposure to the outside when desired. We then shifted to this idea of a “Vacation Island” type suite arrangement, all elevated on a deck facing the river to maximize an emphasis on the outdoors. Our design includes 5 individual decks all containing a dwelling space. Four of which occupied with suites for individuals to dwell while visiting or live in. The main area meant for more than just social interaction is one large communal deck that sustains an open floor plan combining a living area, kitchen, laundry, and workspace. All critically laid out in a way that requires no walls breaking the space to allow for a unique, communal dwelling feel. They also each step down to a landscaped green space with garden beds, a koi pond, and a series of seating to enjoy. The overall product created not only meets the expectations of our desired guests, but also provides a new, unique way to live that neither Ken nor Barbara has had the chance to experience. Overarching encouraging communal living with a strong connection to the outdoors.
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Student Presentation
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