new semester, new studio

Oneida Cotton Mills, Graham, NC

This semester, we will be working on the documentation and hypothetical rehabilitation of an historic cotton mill. The idea is to give the building complex new life as a mixed-use facility.

Tomorrow, we'll be visiting the site and documenting the existing buildings. We'll be taking measurements and also photographing the interiors in order to produce realistic elevations for all interior walls of the mill.
I'll post some of those pictures tomorrow.

Here are some images depicting what the mill used to look like (http://www.textilehistory.org/OneidaCottonMill.html)

Project 3

Project 3 was more like a quick design charrette. We were given another building downtown Durham, this time an unused fire-drill tower. We visited the site, and were then assigned to explore the space conceptually in about a week. We were given the freedom to do anything we wanted with the space, keeping in mind building codes and historic regulations. I decided to have fun with it, and rather than turning the building into an apartment or something like that, I brainstormed other uses for the space. I started out by making a little list of tall things. I thought it would be interesting to play with the height of the interior space. I thought it would be sort of ironic to have trees inside of a building, so I went with it. My space evolved into a sort of butterfly conservatory/exhibit. I was thinking it would be a cool, educational experience for children and families in the downtown area, as well as an attraction to downtown.

CBi final interior perspectives

knoll furniture systems

design development

concept framework as of early october (it has since changed)

what should the space at 322 E. Chapel Hill Street stand for?
-- cbi's connection to duke + downtown durham
-- public vs private | community vs business
-- 'design district'
-- a modern + functional representation of this historic building

what is the type of experience we want to provide the users + visitors of this facility?
-- networking, cocktail parties, public showroom
-- private showroom, business
-- comfortable workplace

what are the specifics on the existing site that we want to engage in the design process?
-- maintain + improve historic facade
-- utilize existing circulation patterns to draw people to the space

the problems.
-- how to incorporate all of cbi's programming needs into a single, cohesive space. from a 'private' showroom for essentially just duke clients, to a public showroom for cocktail parties & networking events with the community.
-- how to create a modern + functional showroom and workplace, while respecting and celebrating the historic character and integrity of the building.
-- how to plan for cbi's current needs, as well as their future needs.

narrative.
when entering the space we are designing for cbi, we want the client or visitor to feel acknowledged and have a clear understanding of where to go and what to do. the pace will be designed so that it feels open and welcoming, but clean and functional at the same time. we plan to fuse together the differences between the historic building and modern product, as well as integrate sustainable design. this will be accomplished by incorporating a design element that has characteristics of all these things that will act as a wayfinding device throughout the space.


words.
connection | transition | circulation | juxtaposition | flexibility | change | open | intersection | fusion | display | function | interact | adjustable | moveable | adapt | blending | reaction | merging | melting


quotes.
"to dare every day to be irreverent & bold. to dare to preserve the randomness of mind which children produce strange & wonderful new thoughts & forms. to continually scramble the familiar & bring the old into new juxtaposition" gordon webber.

"you cannot simply put something into a new ploace. you have to absorb what you see around you, what exists on the land, and then use that knowledge along with contemporary thinking to interpret what you see" tadao ando.

"nothing is as dangerous in architecture as dealing with separated problems. if we split life into separated problems we split the possibilities to make good building art" alvar aalto.

schematic design/space analysis