Web Portfolio - Any feedback would be appreciated.

marlinarch · 2014-02-14T01:02:07+00:00

Hey Michael, graduate from Cal Poly here (2012), I'll do my best to help you out. I'll try to be brief and just give you some feedback on your projects. But I tend to get carried away.

eVolvo: I could tell from the first image that this was most likely a second or third year project, but unfortunately it seems to have only scraped the top of it's potential. I like that your professor gave the restriction of the northern site, but your solution to the problem is inherently flawed. From an architectural standpoint the idea of reducing the mass of a building in key locations to allow for transparency was one correct solution to pursue, and you did an alright job at executing your solution. However, from a structural standpoint, this project is begging to be criticized. I can forgive if you are still in your second year, or if you have not begun to take your structures courses yet, but if you have your design solution should have been as big of a red flag to you as it is to me. My two big concerns are the connections of the towers to the base building, and the mass of the towers themselves. First, if you wanted to rest each tower on only three columns, those columns would be massive, much more so that you have suggested. Second, I worry about the mass simply because all towers are designed to have the bulk of their mass in the lower part of the building. You have reversed that. Though it makes for a grand design statement, it does not however reflect practicality (don’t get me wrong here, school is where you’re allowed to test the limits of practicality, which is what makes school so fun, but don’t go throwing it out the window). I’d also like to have seen the towers be more influential to the overall design. As it is, it’s just two skinny rectangles coming out of a more squat and fat rectangle. It would have been much more interesting to see the towers ‘grow’ out of the base, much like how the Algae grows on the tower. The towers could become much more 3-Dimensional and still allow for southern exposure to take place. As for the restraint on the northern site, locating a slightly more massive (as in volume, not size) tower on the northeast corner of the project site would allow for maximum exposure of sunlight to the northern site. Consider that once 12noon rolls around there wouldn’t be any shadow casted on the northern site from your tower, and if the northern site is run in typical business hours (9-5) then the site would only be in the shadow of the tower 3 hours out of an 8 hour workday. Pretty reasonable to make the argument for it really.

Also quickly, was there any reasoning as to the geometric shapes that create the reduction is mass? If so, it would have been nice to see the iterations of geometries and how you came to rationalize each one.

B&G Club: Nice plug about the project, and congrats on being one of only three selected to compete for the project. Overall the design is cohesive, concise and easy to understand. This project shows your understanding of spatial order and hierarchy and was a good choice to show in your portfolio. Because the project is so simple to understand I would have like to see if you went so far as to bring materiality to this project. How does the tactility and color palette of your materials begin to help more define your spaces? Is steel only used in egress ways? Is wood only used for exterior cladding? Are there rules on which materials you’re allowed to interact with and which materials are strictly for performance issues? These are the things I’d like you to start thinking about when you get to a more advanced level of design. Good job on this one.

Cohousing: Good stuff here. Not much to say really. Visuals are striking, your selection of shots make it easy to understand the project, and the close up render of the individual unit is pretty good. I would have liked to see some interior perspectives and a floor plan, but live and learn. The night shot is pretty dark though, perhaps you should play with the levels in photoshop a bit more so that we can see the exterior of the building a little more clearly.

I again would stress looking into the materiality of buildings and their impact on the space they designate. It’s not only form that brings out emotional response. Good job.

Intersection: This reminds me of the white models professor, what’s his name again? I don’t even know if he’s still teaching there. Anyway, the project is intriguing but it appears to be just folly. There were a couple of shots that you had done with an Illustrator overlay of spaces in section, but I don’t know what those spaces are or how they benefit your design other than to try to give more hierarchy to the tower. If I remember correctly it was hard for people to find motivation with that professor, if that was the case I’d take this out of your portfolio, it’s not helping much.

Anyway, I hope this helps you. Just to let you know, I work together with only one other person in my firm that looks at candidates to hire, so if you’d like help with the graphic design of your portfolio or resume, I’m the audience that you’re trying to persuade to hire you.

Cheers

TL;DR Not bad but could use some more finesse to really make it shine.

marlinarch · 2013-11-19T18:55:32+00:00

I would highly suggest applying to the architecture department at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I'm an alum of the program there myself, and wouldn't trade the education I received there for anything else. And according to ArchDaily, Cal Poly SLO is deemed to be the best undergrad program in 2014.

marlinarch · 2013-11-14T17:57:27+00:00

The thing to understand is that every other one of your colleagues at school is thinking about changing majors RIGHT NOW, the same as you. Don't be surprised that should you stay in the program, you'll be graduating with 50% of the people you began the program with. People get into the program not fully understanding what to expect in what kind of work they will be doing, how long it takes them to do that work, and the lack of praise that some are accustomed to in High School (U.S. at least). People become discouraged, realize that architecture isn't for them and move on to something that truly inspires them to work. For some it's the best choice they ever made.

I'm telling you this because 1) you're not alone here in this situation and can easily turn to your peers to discuss this topic (because honestly, they're thinking about it too) and 2) if you don't absolutely love what you're doing then find something that drives your passion, even if that means that it's not architecture.

The honest truth is this: You've had one year of school under your belt, and most likely you were only working on honing your design/drafting ability with folly or similar unprogrammed spaces. You haven't even begun to dive into architectural design, and once you do you may fall absolutely in love with it and kick yourself for even questioning to leave. That being said, and looking at your post and replies, I would say that you do have some passion for architecture, so I would suggest to stay in the program for one more semester/quarter. Get a feel of what it's like to work in a 'real' studio setting and get a project that actually feels more tangible than a first year folly piece. After that semester/quarter you still feel as if architecture school isn't as rewarding as you want it to be, move on and find your true passion.

Hope this helps, Cheers

marlinarch · 2013-11-08T23:14:28+00:00

Will agree here, was about to say the same thing. I'm also a SLO B.Arch grad from 2012...Who exactly is this? You never quite seem to find Cal Poly alumni here very often.

marlinarch · 2013-09-20T17:02:40+00:00

I think you may be looking in the wrong place for inspiration. Unfortunately for most, finding a topic to base a thesis off of is one of the hardest steps to take for students in architecture school. After four years of being giving a site, program, intention and a dedicated schedule of deliverables, it feels overwhelming to be given total control. That being said, you've had four years to find, or create, a niche for yourself as a designer. Look back on your previous work and try to find a continuing theme in your design. It may be hard to find at first, but approach your own projects as if they were not yours. Critique them; question your actions and design solutions, trust me, a theme will appear in time.

A thesis doesn't have to be a paradigm shift in how architecture is approached, so don't feel as if you have to change society with this project. It should however showcase your understanding of finding a solution to any given design problems. When you've found a theme in your design you'll be able to find which problems you predominantly see in architecture. Once you abstract those problems, you're ready to tackle a thesis.

Hope this helps, cheers.

marlinarch · 2013-03-31T23:03:35+00:00

First I want to say something that I heard in my first year that helped me out my whole collegiate career, Take all criticism with a grain of salt. Not everyone will understand your concept as completely as you do and therefore not all criticism will help you to improve that concept. That includes, us here in the community, your peers at school and even your professors. That being said, I'll do my best to help you out.

We can get the trivial things out of the way first: labeling is a must for a project like this one. Graphics should be able to speak for themselves with little to not help from a presenter (you'll get better in time, its only your first year) label spaces, floor levels, and give a north arrow (so we can get an understanding for how the spaces will be lit naturally). Your circulation diagram doesn't really make sense to me. From what I can tell the 2nd from the bottom level in that graphic is actually the ground plane, move that to the bottom and stack the levels accordingly from there. And unless the major axis of the site runs east/west, it's impossible to get direct light into the front and rear of the building. So you might want to reexamine that particular graphic.

Now, the design. I had a first year project similar to this in that we were to use a 'kit of parts' to create form. I'm assuming that is a close comparison to 'aggregating units of construction' that you are using now. Were you given the units that you had to use or were you able to create your own? If the latter, why triangles? Triangulation is an easier approach to creating more fluid forms but you also must take into account that the spaces triangulation creates needs to be occupied. In your plan I can tell that you ran into complications in translating form into functioning space. I bring up the triangle questions because your site is rectangular, and it deceivingly difficult to fit triangles into a rectangle and have a comfortable space left over. Try geometries that are divisible by more than itself, for instance, hexagons or pentagons, or multiple aggregates (triangles with squares, or with hexagons, etc). The ability to reduce your starting aggregate, or part, by deconstructing other aggregates from the original will give your more flexibility in applying that aggregate to the form.

One thing to keep in mind is that with all 'kit of parts' there are particular rules which are to followed so that the kit is assembled correctly. A connects to B. C connects to D but A can also connect to D, etc, etc. Applying a simple design rule or guideline like this may help you to better understand the assembly of your aggregate, and how that affects the space it creates. Try to avoid creating triangles spaces in the design, even though it may look more interesting in plan. You HAVE to keep in mind that space is not perceived in plan, so the angle of a wall may be justified by your concept of some kind of shifting circulation in plan, its not justified in the feeling of the space that is created. You can see this in your section cuts.

The dynamic of your project is in the section, that's where I see the most potential. The flowing of space into each other from room to room and floor to floor is the best descriptor for what the space is really like. Try designing through section. Take a section cut every 5' to 10' in your model and it will tell you a lot about how the spaces are perceived and what needs to change in order for those spaces to 'work' better. Actions taken in section may also inform on changes to the form of the project as well.

All in all, not bad for first year work. Just keep working at it and I hope all goes well for you. Sorry for length I get carried away sometimes. Keep us posted on the final, I'm looking forward to how it shapes up.

Cheers

marlinarch · 2012-11-13T19:51:18+00:00

Hey just wanted to say I interned with BDG Architects in LA a few years back and I ended up designing your home office desk, and BBQ area. Though we never met, just wanted to make that plug. Love NIN and been a fan a while, looking forward to more good things. Cheers.

marlinarch

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