Habitat for Humanity

This past Saturday I volunteered at the Palouse Habitat for Humanity. We worked on constructing a home in Albion, Washington which is geared for low income housing to support families transitions from temporary housing to permanent housing. Before going to the site I was very excited to work on the home as I have always been interested in construction because it is what my dad does for a living and I have helped him with small projects on and off.

While at the site, we worked on many different aspects of the construction. Starting with shoveling and moving dirt in order to level the ground outside the home to putting on hurricane ties and beginning the sheathing for the roof of the home and much more. I first worked with the shoveling and moving dirt which was a lot of core muscles I hadn't reached in awhile. Moving towards putting on the hurricane ties on the east side of the home. The hurricane ties are a structural component on a home to resist tension and basically hold the roof to the home in a way. Being in charge of nailing the hurricane ties in with the air pressure nail gun. I learned a lot about how a house is built from the bottom up rather than just seeing a home in the end and not actually understanding the process of how it was built. I had a lot of fun and would consider going back again another time.

 

Sketch Crawl

When I saw everyone’s sketches at the sketch crawl I realized how different every person’s sketching strategies are. When it comes to adding color to each of our sketches, some did dramatic color and some so slim that it was barely an accent, yet with each tactic the sketches were still just as amazing. Sketching from my classmates and the Urban Sketchers were amazing and interesting to see the differences throughout. My strengths with sketching are my perspectives and being able to see the spaces put to paper, my weakness however, is adding color. I usually have a hard time adding color to my sketches because it either becomes overwhelming or I end up not liking it as much as when it was just ink. In sketches since the Sketch Crawl (and at the sketch crawl) I have tried to use color more subtly in order to accent color but without accidentally overwhelming and ruining my sketches. I plan to continue to do this and to eventually add more color and try different medias with time. Being able to experience the sketch crawl was very interesting and fun. I look forward to continuing to sketch on and off whenever I travel from now on as an inspiration from the Urban Sketchers.

My First Interior Design Job Shadow

My job shadow was to Callison in Seattle, Washington. At my job shadow, I toured the vicinity and was able to see all of the different teams within the company. Seeing the different aspects of the job and the different responsibilities of each team was very interesting. Each team will have a different project, but within those teams, the members may help other teams with their projects when they don’t have one of their own. The aspect of teamwork throughout the business was relieving in a way to know that even with it being separated, they will come together as one in the end. When I think about my future, I can really see myself working for Callison and doing the retail design that they prominently do. I really liked the design aspect of working with retail and having to know how people interact with space and the lighting of the space in order to sell the products of that business. The way Callison works to get their designs is a way that I am very familiar with and comfortable with. The concept development systems and bubble diagrams, along with sketches, are all aspects of design that I feel confident and comfortable doing. The fact that Callison strictly pulls ideas with concept development rather than skipping that step which is important to me and really drew me in to this firm. Having the opportunity to job shadow at Callison was one of the best experiences I’ve had the chance to encounter and I am extremely thankful because it really helped me to understand the real world encounter of an Interior Designer as well as what I can expect in the future. Being at Callison was my favorite part of the Seattle trip and I am very thankful I got the opportunity. I can definitely see myself with a job there in the future.

Frye Art Museum

The Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington was a beautiful and interesting museum where the entry was reconstructed to make sure that the person experiencing the space had a full encounter and interest in the entrance experience. With the ramp entry way and the waterfall and reflection pool next to it, it is a space which people of all mobility standards can experience and view. The reflection of the natural day light on the water at the outside entrance is an amazing sight which in my opinion intrigues a guest causing them to want to enter the museum. Within the entry was a dome much like a temple in the past. The top is a perfect half sphere which lets light reflect and opens the space up to experience it in a different way. Throughout the museum, light is of an importance because it puts emphasis on each piece of artwork but without damage to the pieces of art as well as the natural light coming in from the ceiling of the museum throughout the space which accents the art without reaching all the way to the art pieces to cause any light damage. When designing for a museum, you must be very conscious of the light because it is needed to see the art and emphasize it subtly however, it cannot be direct or damaging. Also with designing a museum, you have to lay out the space to be an easy flow of traffic with a lot of space corresponding to art works within the building. All in all, I loved the Frye Art Museum and the way that they used light so subtly through the skylights.

Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle University

The Chapel of St. Ignatius of Seattle University was profoundly impacting when walking through the doors. Not only is it a place of worship and faith, but it is a beautiful work of design. The use of light and texture throughout the space pulls one in and almost takes over in a way. The design is based on six bottles of light in a way and with the different colors streaming in in various places, it pulls a viewer in to feel it’s true beauty. Throughout a day, the light will reflect in different ways causing you to view the chapel in a difference sense each time. When the light hits the walls in a different way throughout, it causes the textured walls to be viewed a little differently each time giving it a different impact on the viewer each time. Since it is a place of worship, a designer must consider the different ways a person may experience the space around them. That being said, you must adjust for there to be worship, praise, comfort, and much more in the space and design around that in order to accommodate to each person’s need. I feel that this specific space works very well for the purpose and with the design inspiration. I thought that the Chapel of St. Ignatius was compelling and absolutely beautiful.

Street Bean Espresso and Shelter

When I visited the Street Bean Espresso and Shelter, I had a rude awakening for what is out there and what I don’t usually see on a daily basis. Being from such a small town, the idea of having a shelter in the town is unheard of and hearing how common it is in Seattle was pretty striking. When we entered the shelter, I got to see a sense of “home” from a different perspective. Home can mean so many different things to different people and seeing this place as a temporary but profound home to those that need it, was a pretty emotional encounter for me. When you are dealing with a large population like the streets of Seattle, you have to accommodate for the possibility of many residents in the shelter. Being a space for numerous people, you must accommodate to the idea that not everyone has the same tastes, level of comfort, or idea of “home” and with that being said, you must have versatile areas throughout a space in order to comfort the varying personalities to those staying there. Knowing this, as a designer for a residential space, I have to be able to accommodate each client with a space which they feel comfortable in. I really liked that they accommodated in a comfortable fashion, a place for some of their attendees to work across the street and to socialize. It’s almost as if they gave them a home away from home, where they can get away. This is a good idea to keep in mind when designing commercially (like the café).

Westlake Residence

In Seattle, there are many apartments going up all the time and sometimes with not enough ground area to build upon they must find a way to work around it. In order to build multiple apartments within such a small footage plan, Graham Baba Architects had to build up rather than out at the Westlake Residence construction site that we toured. Within each space separated for a studio apartment, they made a lofted 2nd floor in order to give a larger square footage to each individual apartment plan. With such a large population in Seattle, the ability to put so many apartments into a smaller acreage of land is a good ability. The most advantageous part of touring the Westlake Residence for me and my studies, were learning ways to think about smart use of space. Seeing how the designers of the Westlake project fit so many amenities into the small spaces has taught me ways to think of my current apartment design and how to fit so much into the small space. When designing for residential spaces, you must consider the space that you are working with and the wants and needs for that client. Doing so will help me as a designer, to accommodate the client but also to use the space that I am working with efficiently.

zHomes - Seattle, Washington

After visiting the zHome projects in Issaquah, Washington, I learned a lot more about environmental and energy smart design that I didn’t know about beforehand. I don’t think that I really thought much about the importance of the environmental and energy saving designs in spaces before but I now realize the importance of it. When it comes to my own designing of residential spaces, I will now be able to keep in mind the different ways I can implement energy efficient products and materials. I particularly thought that the heat recovery ventilator was very interesting in the ways that it saves money and time for the home owner. As a designer, I really like the idea of being able to heat the air as it comes into the building with the passing of the exiting air. This is something that when possible, I will implicate into my designs to make for better efficiency. Along with the heat recovery ventilator, having ground source heat and solar panels are also beneficial to a residential environment. Learning about the zHome ideas has helped me in opening my mind up for different ideas and options in design.