I completed this project in Spring Semester 2010 while studying architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago.
The project brief was for a rowing boathouse club in a residential area in urban Chicago. In studying the fine scale of the surrounding buildings, I decided to break apart the discreet elements of the building program (administrative spaces, gym, and boat storage) into smaller elements in order to fit into the sit context.
The rectilinear boat storage elements are anchored into the existing neighbourhood, following the orthagonal grid. The existing river was carved into the site, giving access from the boat storage to the water.
Less utilitarian elements of the building programme (administrative and gym) were shaped into an angular and dynamic structure, anchored to the angular elements of the city grid and peeling away from the orthogonal boat storage structure, creating a dynamic urban composition and interstitial spaces.
In this project, I explored a variety of mixed media. modes for representing design concepts including acrylic painting.
I also explored the design extensively through model making, drawing on the unique wood model making pedagogy of the Mies van der Rohe founded architecture school at IIT.
This project began my exploration into the world of architectural design and my love for mixed media and physical model explorations of design studies!
Images by Jonathan Choe
