The Minimum House in Toyota is an existing project by Nori Architects. Using a combination of images and available plans, I was able to construct a 3D model of it in Revit.

USGBC

Projects pursuing LEED certification with USGBC can use these presentations to guide them if pursuing points within the location and transportation category. Points are distributed between 3 subcategories: compact and connected development, transportation demand management, and electric vehicles.

The models in these renderings were all built and rendered in rhino. What I like about a realistic rendering, as opposed to something more abstract, is the daylighting detail. Being able to visualize the relationship between a projects orientation (or openings) and daylighting is one of my favorite tools in the design development phase.

STUDIOS

This is a personal project I worked on in the summer of ‘24. Portland has wonderful options for single-person living and I had become quite interested in documenting the various programming methods for units under 550 sq. ft. Two of the units were built prior to 2000 and had no online plans. Because these were the units I found to be the most interesting, I asked for (and was granted) permission to survey the property myself which was very exciting. Later that year, I used these to inform my design for this studio project.

MATERIAL ACCESS

This project attempts to find an alternative for animals who feel pressure to relocate when the deciduous trees they live in begin to lose their leaves. I began to think about this problem in the fall, when squirrel dreys in my neighborhood became visible. Through observation, I would learn that some of the nests remained occupied despite the lack of tree canopy. One day I witnessed a squirrel carrying a maple leaf in its mouth, all the way up to its drey, only to have it fall. This experience prompted me to think about the ways architecture could support these animals by providing elevated access to nesting materials and shelter alternatives during periods of extreme weather.

RESOURCE ACCESS

This is another personal project I worked on in the summer of ‘24 when Portland temperatures began to exceed 100 degrees for several days at a time. It became very important for me to acknowledge that many of my non-human community members had no access to clean water and to develop a sustainable solution. My solution, ultimately (after several failed attempts), was to manufacture these “water troughs” and attach them to infrastructure in my neighborhood. Since then, I have continued to manage and maintain 6 troughs throughout ladds addition. This project has had an incredible response from the neighborhood and has been effective in, not only supplying clean water, but in creating community, inspiring similar projects, and changing habits.

R.M. SCHINDLER

Rudolph Schindler (1887 - 1953) was a modern Viennese architect who strongly believed in the relational qualities between the site, the structure, and the interior. He often described his projects as an organism, insisting that each detail respond to the same theme. This continuity allows us to apply observations from one object to another, regardless of scale and complexity.

I developed a fascination with Schindler while completing a college course that required me to research and write about a piece of architecture and its historical context: I chose the Kings Road House. The following year I used furniture from the Kings Road House to analyze his theory of tectonics.