My Sister's House: Progress

My Sister's House has seen incredible progress since our work this summer!

Summer Studio

Please take a look at my sister blog, from ground, up | US[2]. This is digital journal of my experience building Youth Focus, My Sister's House. This is my summer studio and will follow the house through its expected completion in September 2009. A complete background on the house can be found at the iarcurbanstudio blog.

WPA Poster

To navigate through Adobe Illustrator, I produced a WPA poster based off of a picture of a sea turtle. My volunteer work at the Topsail Sea Turtle Hospital inspired my subject selection.

Object of Persuasion

Though a graphic design exploration, my studio was instructed to create an advertisement for a previous design. The table pictured in the above image was my design for A Place to Dine, in which I chose to play with level changes and the concept of spacial hierarchy in dining. I chose to keep my advertisement clean and simple to emphasize the unique relationships of the shapes in my design.

urbanPATHways

From a vintage photo of a woman in the city, I used Adobe Illustrator to essentially animate the photo. I was fascinated by the textures in the original photo, and therefore tried to incorporate them into the edited copy.

Scene of Discourse

Using two assigned words as inspiration, our 2D rendering class was instructed to create a composition that was representative of both words. My compositions are representative of Frustrated Patina.

Pattern Perception

As a first attempt at Photoshop, our 2D rendering class was assigned the challenge of finding a cityscape and breaking it down to create an abstract pattern. I broke an image of Berlin at night into lines and angles, mirrored them, and then fused small images to create a circuit board-like pattern.

Release: Breakaway

In designing a spa, one does not often consider the specific challenges of physically disabled clients. Furthermore, it is infrequent that a designer find oneself faced with the challenge of designing a spa environment focused solely on the needs of these physically challenged persons. Our studio was presented with just such a challenge; to design “a place to bathe” for wheelchair bound clients. This space was to include at least one ramp and follow the bathing traditions of a culture of our choosing.


My precedent research began with an exploration of global bathing traditions. I gathered information on the modest bathing traditions of the Quakers, to those extravagant traditions of the ancient Romans, to the spiritual bathing of the Japanese. Only after reading about the Scandinavian sauna, or sweat bath, was I able to begin developing my concept for my spa.



Because a handicapped client is confined to a wheelchair, it became clear that a spa should offer freedom from such restrictions. A health spa, incorporating the benefits of a sauna, became the focus of my design, paired with a progression from restrictions to ultimate freedom. My design reflects this progression as organic shapes progressively break away a grow from the confined geometry of straight lines.



The sauna has existed as a prominent Scandinavian tradition for much of recorded history. Saunas have been long believed to promote a healthy overall wellbeing and encourage social bonding. In the early days of the sauna, they were even referred to as the poor man’s apothecary, providing a sanitary environment for surgeries, births, and shelter for the sick. Even today they are often used in combination with fresh birch twig massage and cold water pools to improve circulation and promote healthy skin.



Upon entering my spa, the client passes through a foyer, assisted by an attendant if desired, into the Sauna. Here there is a bench for massage or relaxation. They then proceed to the cool pool, following a curved ramp. The pool is designed to cool and refresh the body after the intense heat of the sauna. The pool also offers benches or four feet of water in which the clients are able to release tension and achieve optimal wellness, according to Scandinavian beliefs.


The materials in the spa are intended to support the feeling of natural wellness. I chose to incorporate slate and rich toupes and purples, while utilizing natural light through the implementation of large skylights.

A Place to Dine | Intimacy Gradient

Finding Direction

Throughout history, the worlds of politics, design and art have seen movements manifested in specific ideals. These movements spread through the veins of society, offering goals to which humanity must strive to reach. With the increased concern for the planet's welfare has come a growing interest in "green" design. Not only do I feel that sustainable design is vital for the protection of the environment in which we operate, but I feel that we need to reevaluate the way we design and live. We must remember that what we are responsible for environmental impact resulting from the artifacts we produce. Our approach to design must be to operate without a trace. Design must be productive but should exist in harmony with nature, its effects neutralizing with the environment. The artifact pictured above is a representation of this manifesto. The progression in size and opacity from pure and transparent plexiglas to solid white symbolizes the pollution resulting from human interaction with the environment. To represent the neutralization of these environmental effects, the plexiglas progresses back to its transparent state, resuming its properties as a pure substance.

Computer Aided Architecture:

Anna Will

IAR 212 Reflection

The 1970s brought about the introduction of software into the world of architecture. Rooted in age-old drafting and rendering instruments, software acted as a tool to greatly expand the resources and abilities of architects. Early architectural software originated in universities and diffused into architectural firms and further into general use. This progression accompanied the advancement of computer processors and resolution, as well as the increased availability of ink jet printers. CAD software enabled architects to not only draft digitally, but allowed them to visualize and communicate ideas technologically. Computer programs improved communication and gained the role of assistants, taking on human tasks to speed up the design process. As designers we must recognize the limitless possibilities offered by architectural software, but must also heed the fact that computers are merely tools and must fully understand their abilities before relying upon their aid.

bus|shelter: unveiled

Alas, the Community by Design, second year studio has completed the Tate Street bus shelter. After hundreds of drawings, a handful of sketch models, countless material investigations, advertising excustions, and long hours in the wood shop, our Studio has accomplished this seemingly impossible design|build. Through Bus|Shelter we declare a commitment to the welfare of humanity and environment. With design as our vehicle, we present the community with a small but powerful solution which speaks for both second year studio and Greensboro, as a whole. This shelter is our physical story for fellow community members to share and experience; a little piece of Interior Architecture integrated with the dynamic history of Greensboro’s public transit.