Revit Office Design

Overview of Office

This is my first design with the use of Revit. This project was a combination between my Interior Building Systems and 3D Digital Modeling and Management classes. The objective for the Building Systems class was to apply the concepts of natural daylight in combination with application of artificial lights.  The office was to include 10 workstations, a kitchen/ break room, and a conference room. The first design I developed was very basic, I was still learning the program, but after a school visit from Steelcase, I was introduce to new ways of designing an office space for the evolving work place. Steelcase introduced new concepts how people are not always working at their desks, and being more mobile in their work places. Therefore the design of the space shall accommodate the different types of work situations that take place. There is the original work stations and a conference room, but the other spaces in the office shall be open to encourage collaboration.Working with Steelcase furniture systems, I learned how to navigate the manufacturers' website to find products to use.

Conference Room

Waiting Area With Bookshelf Divider

Receptionist Desk

This design also required a small amount of programming to determine the required amount of artifical lights as well as natural light to control the amount of light inn the space.

Study Abroad

Coming Fall of 2014 for my senior year, I have been given the opportunity to study the semester abroad in Florence Italy! I have posted a link to the information bar to the blog if you would like to check that out and see where I am in the process!

Click Here to see my Blog!

Ciao!

Community Service Project: Conceptual Development

This community service project was a great learner experience as there was a real client whom we talked to and discussed the goals and requirements of the design. The goal was to create a venue space on an island of the park where it mostly is rented as a wedding venue, as well as other community gatherings. I was face with several challenges while designing the conceptual layouts. I first worked in concept development where I took similes and metaphors relating to marriage and the venue. I came up with several ideas such as the island is a secret garden, the island is a hidden gem, Love is infinite… the concept I moved far with is life is like a journey, where I further found the quote “Where there is love, there is life”  by Mahatma Gandhi. I thought this quote fit perfectly as I wanted to incorporate both the celebration of love in the nature setting.

Several factors I was faced to with were preservation of totem poles of the island, privacy issues, and sound issues, keeping a light footprint on the island, as well as using existing buildings as a commercial kitchen for catering as well as restrooms and a bridal area.

Addressing each of these issues caused me to think logically and critically about how I would go about working with these issues. My ideas to work with them are as follows:

Relocate totem poles to different locations of the park for both better picture opportunities as well as having them be seen by more people, allowing for more learning opportunities for their history.

As this is a public park and people have the right to travel through the park as they please, privacy will be an issue while events are taking place. My proposal would be to add a new bridge spanning on the South side of the island that connects two existing bridges. Not only will this allow for great up close views of the river, but the public can conveniently move around the wedding without interrupting.  

The sound can get very loud when the river is active, so I thought the best plan of action was to put the ceremony space where there is an existing amphitheater which will help direct the noise toward the crowd while blocking the sounds of the river. I also tried to bring the reception and ceremony space inward of the island so they are not directly next to the loud noise.

Working with Revit I was able to develop several renderings that show the existing buildings as a new commercial kitchen for catering, restrooms, and a private space for a bride and her bridal park to get ready.

Traced Revit model of building exterior, hand drawn scenery additions

I also worked with the Landscape Architecture students to help me choose appropriate plants and greenery to incorporate in my design.

Aerial view of wedding venue in color pencil

Overall I took a minimalist approach as the island had many useable features and did not need a lot of renovations. The biggest change would be relocating paths to push closer to the edges of the island, and additional plants, flowers, and greenery. I feel I grew in my concept development skills and ability to work with client requirements and provide a great venue space.

From Upper Left: Venue Plan, Inspiration Images, Concept Statement, Aerial View of Venue

From Upper Left: Totem Poles, Ceremony View, Landscape options
From Upper Right: New Bridge Proposal, Demolition Map, Commercial Kitchen/ Bridal Area Plan

First Revit Model

 My first Revit model of my apartment. Very simple development but this demonstrates my learning development with this program. Each week, I worked through a small part of the apartment; walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, components, and lighting to come out with this product.

Living Area

Kitchen

The outcome is very close to what my actual apartment looks like, and I am pleased with this rendition I was able to create for my first project in Revit.

Chicago Study Tour

A week during September, myself, along with a group of Interior Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Construction Management students got to travel to Chicago to see first hand some of the historical sites that we have previously learned about. This experience was one of the best I've had. I love the big city and all the excitement and opportunity it had to offer.
Pre-departure, I worked with other disciplines to research about the history of a site in Chicago where we would present to ours peers. Working with the other disciplines was a good experience too as we had to learn to work together to find a time to all meet and complete the poster.My site was City Target, and at first I was really nervous about presenting to a large group but as I was talking, random by-passers stopped to listen to what I had to say. Seeing many sites in person such as The Rookery, The Harold Washington Steel Building, The Millenium Monument, Crown Fountain, Lurie Gardens, and The Railway Exchange, just to name a few was so amazing rather than just hearing about them in class.

Millennium Park

I never imagined the scale and masive size of these buildings until I was up and personal with them. Mixed with the busyness of the city life was definatly an experience I will not soon forget.
On our "discipline days," I toured SOM (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill) Architecture Firm and toured several showrooms at the Merchandise Mart. Visiting both these sites were eye opening to the possibilities of this industry, from textile design at DesignTex, international building with SOM, and office furniture systems at Herman Miller. These businesses got me so excited and motivitated to see what my future holds.

Herman Miller Showroom

Design TEX Showrom

Other excursion sites that were memorable were the Farnsworth House and Frank Llyod Wright's Home and Studio. Both sites are so iconic to the history of design, I just felt so lucky to see them in person. I fell in love with the neighborhood in which Frank Lllyod Wright's home was, it was so unique, clean, and so many design styles within a short area.

Frank Llyod Wright's Home and Studio

 And the Farnsworth House was a great site to see in that such a simplistic house was so controversial. Both places a piece of history I am glad to say I got to visit.

Farnsworth House

A few of my favorite excursions throughout the city was the John Hancock Observatory, night city boat tour, and The Bean in Millennium Park. The weather was pretty bi polar, while in the John Hancock Observatory, one night it was too foggy to go, and the next night there was lighting that we could see right in front of us. This building was amazing, the height was a bit scary at first, but the views were amazing and even better at night. On the boat tour, we traveled on the small river through the city then into the lake where we got to see the whole city lit up. And when we were supposed to take a group photo at The Bean, the weather was so bad they made everyone leave the site and we had to come back at another time.

John Hancock Observatory

City Boat Tour at Night

Millennium Park "The Bean"

The culture was an experience to take in, born and raised in eastern Washington was kind of a shock of lifestyles. I walked more than ever, and instead of driving to a far place I took the monorail, a normal commute for the big city was new to me. Not to mention trying to navigate the city and leave early enough so I would be on time. It was eye opening to see how people in different parts of the country live everyday and makes me more motivated to travel and visit more historical sites.
The last full day in Chicago we had a free day, me and my friends ventured across town to go to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. This was the first major league baseball game I had ever been to and I could not believe how big the stadium was or how many people were there! After the game, we did some window shopping at Tiffany's and Burberry, as well as some more reasonable shopping.

Wrigley Field

Downtown with friends

Overall, I am so glad I got the opportunity to take this study tour. I learned so much more about the city and the sites that I could not have learned just from being taught. I think all students should travel and get to visit historical sites in their education and I had such great faculty to guide me and lead me through the tour.

Pufferbelly Depot Renovation

Redesigning Pufferbelly Train Depot in Pullman, WA into a Gallery, Studio space, and residence for a glass blower, was a long process of concept development, trial and error, and working with codes and regulations. This specific project was a new experience in having to consider applying elements for ADA codes in the public space, as well as considering Universal Design elements for the residence as the artist's spouse had a visual impairment. In addition, this was a historic preservation project, requiring the ticket wall and stairs wall to remain in the new building.

Site Plan of Pufferbelly Depot

Exterior Elevation of Depot

With the guidelines in place, I tarted off with concept development, I explored the history and inspiration from a picture of this concrete slab with purple and blue glass circles embedded in the concrete outside of the building. I was drawn to the colors, shape, and history behind them as they had changed color over time, and were used for a skylight to the basement. I explored lines and cracks within the concrete, representing paths people take in life, whether they be easy are hard (thick and thin lines), to the element of light and changing over time. The most powerful images and ideas that came from this exploration was circles, change, and repetition.

Inspiration Picture

After completing several pages of idea generation, I compiled multiple parti sketches, demonstrating my three inspiration words: Shape, Color, and Repetition. These words would derive and form the rest of my design process. With four of my favorite parti sketches chosen, I took two of them and developed modules to be placed several patterns that would soon be taken and made into a textile that would be incorporated into my design. I used this textile as a wallpaper in the Gallery bathroom, paired with white subway tiles that are currently used in the building.

Gallery Bathroom: Textile inspired Wallpaper

With my concept development in progress, I developed a bench design that will be placed the entrance of the gallery space. Developing the bench was a challenge because glass and concrete were the two important materials that I wanted to incorporate in the design, so figuring out how to combine them in a unique way was difficult. My original design proposed a challenge in how the bench would be able to balance properly, therefore I had to redevelop a bench with some sort of leg. I came up with 9 cylinder legs on each side reflecting the number of glass tiles and in a repetition form.

The biggest part of this project I found challenge was spatial issues due to the glass blower needing a very large studio space, taking away from the residence and gallery. I knew for the gallery space, I wanted an open space that could be versatile to the different displays and pieces he makes. In relation to having a retail space within the gallery for sales, I kept the original ticket window in this space and this also connects the gallery space to his office, storage and studio space for a nice transition to all the public space. In the residence space, I wanted there to be an open living area and a more private bedroom area. To achieve this, the entrance opens to a little hallway with a storage closet to the left and a circular bench to the right. Stepping farther into the space, an open plan combines the laundry/ 1/2 bath, dining area, kitchen and living space while giving the bedroom and master bathroom it's own private area to the side. I found using the study model was very useful in developing spatial awareness of room and how the design would truly work outside of 2D paper space.

3D Study Model

Overall throughout the design, I incorporated my concept and ADA/UD elements into the design. All doorways are 36" wide, all passing hallways and barriers are no less than 36" wide, and high contrast of colors are included to accommodate people with vision impairments. Natural light was combined with additional levels of lighting throughout the space. Tying into both UD design and the use of colors blue, purple, and grey textiles and paints from my concept can be seen throughout the design, as well as circular furnishings. Darker floors and lighter walls allow for clear determination of the floor versus the walls. Also, a sustainable factor was taken into  desperation, keeping a few existing walls in addition to the two required wall, sustainable materials, and shared water walls. The drawings that were completed in the project reiterate and demonstrate the applications of these concepts as seen in the Egress Plan, Demolition Plan, and Furniture Floor Plan.

Furniture Floor Plan

Demolition Plan showing walls and doors to remain, be added, and torn down.

Egress Plan: Farthest travel distance to a safe exit and ADA space requirements.

This project took my work as a progressive Interior Designer to a new level. New technical aspects that I was expected to incorporate were applied, following real building codes, and overall working in a time frame that pushed me to be both creative and accurate. Creatively, I believe I improved on developing a concept and carrying that throughout my design and not losing sight of my direction. I In addition to working on my creativity, I was able to practice on my rendering skills and perspective drawings (seen below). Another aspect that I gained sight on is all the different paths I can take with an Interior Design major, whether that be commercial design, residential design, furniture design, textile design, and even being a person that develops concepts and does research on projects. I really enjoyed this project and think it was a great learning experience.

Gallery Perspective with ticket wall to the left.

Studio space with fire resistant concrete floors and existing brick walls.

Entrance of residence, looking into kitchen and living area.

Master bedroom, with view of master bath and walk in closet.

Gallery Design Review: MAC

In learning about the components that are put into gallery design, visiting the Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC) in Spokane Washington was helpful in actually experiencing these elements. One of the exhibits I studied at the museum was the Lasting Heritage Native American display by Henry Day Ellis. This exhibit was displayed in two rooms, Room A, is 1,710 square feet, and Room B is 2,265 square feet, for a total exhibit space of 3,975 square feet. This specific exhibit displayed artifacts, clothing, paintings, and videos all about the Plateau Indian peoples.

Accessing the exhibit there were two entrances accessible by a ramp and also a two-step stair case between the two rooms. Entering through the main exhibit entrance was an information panel painted on the outside of the exhibit, noting the contributors and sponsors. Next there was a big wall with a nature mural and small glass case with a big sign with the exhibits name. From there, you had the choice to go right or left to visit the glass cases up against the walls.

Main Entrance

Information Panel

The display method was mainly glass cases against the walls and in the center of the room, but also hung paintings on the wall. Depending on what the size of the objects being displayed in the glass cases, some cases had multiple levels of shelving, while others only held one object. Also featured in each room was an audio type display. In one room being an interactive touch screen showing more information on the types of clothing the Indians wore and in the other room a slide show projected on the wall with a video of the Indians history. This provided a different way to present the exhibit for a universal use, as if someone had vision impairment. Other elements added to the space to accent the displaying system was an effective use of lighting. Laid on rails in an exposed ceiling, track lighting was used in the space. With no natural light present, the effect of lighting played a great role in the experience. Light focused and directed directly on the art and not all over lighting placed importance of the pieces. The pieces on the walls were light up by an angle light whereas the pieces in the cases were lighted directly from above.

Touchscreen Interactive Video

Blown Glass displayed in a glass case, lighted from above

The colors also affected the experience, as the exhibit was about the Plateau Indians; earth tones were carried throughout the exhibit. One room was painted a moss green and the other room a burnt orange. In contrast with these colors, quotes were painted in white in a variety of sizes and placements throughout the exhibit. The ceiling was dark brown and almost black to hide the track lighting system frame underneath a brown suspended grid system. The flooring consisted of a light brown carpet with a short pile in order to be easily moveable on.

View from Room A into Room B

Track Lighting with exposed ceiling, Suspended grid system

Circular Glass Case Display

Paintings with painted wall quotes, lighted angled down

In the center of the first room was a circular formation of glass cases displaying shoes next to full clothes of the Indians. There was a relationship of like items in proximity to each other throughout the exhibit. Into the next room, a giant teepee took up the majority of the floor space, next to paintings on the wall, all centered at what appeared to be the 5 foot vision line. To accent the pictures, quotes where painted on the wall rather than being placed on cards.

View of Room B

 Overall, visiting this exhibit was helpful in my understanding of a well-designed gallery space. Being able to experience first-hand all the elements of a well thought out space and how all the components come together to create a good learning and viewing experience.