Variations
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Uploaded:
2/25/2010
7:55:34 PM

Categories:
Elevations
Exteriors
Floor Plans
Pre-Visualization
Variations
Chalasani House
 

As a problem solving exercise, this project presented a plethora of challenges. The homeowners had never gone through the design process before taking on this project. The couple had only lived in two houses since they were first married. They wanted the new house to follow cultural traditions from their home country that would heavily influence design decisions, called Vastu Shastra, but they still wanted to have all the amenities of a middle class American home. Thankfully the clients were willing to go through the full design process instead of jumping straight into making construction drawings which so often seems to be the case. Using a collection of photographs to develop an aesthetic palette, our design process explored massing options in plan and in elevation that would evolve into the final floor plans. Some 3d modeling was also used to offer some pre-visualizations of the built home.

 View: all my houses
Uploaded:
3/24/2009
2:54:51 PM

Categories:
Built Work
Elevations
Floor Plans
Sketches
Variations
Perde House
 

What separates a good home designer from the less savvy is their ability to create a home that provides more than just shelter conforming to neighborhood restrictions. Those who live in such subdivisions usually want a spacious home that has a look and feel they think their neighbors and visitors will appreciate. Sometimes the need to meet this goal results in people duplicating a building they had seen somewhere else, without considering their own unique needs and dictates of their property. The Perde family contacted me with the intent of rebuilding the Mindrut house on their property, which was a few lots down from the Mindrut’s home. Clearly the neighborhood review board would not allow that to happen. So, once the Perdes were convinced not to rebuild someone else’s house, we were able to begin designing a house for them.

 View: all my houses
Uploaded:
2/12/2009
2:59:46 PM

Categories:
Built Work
Drawing
Interiors
Millwork
Variations
Chatelain Renovation
 

At the beginning of the project, the owners did not plan to implement any major changes in the layout, like moving or removing and walls. They mostly wanted to talk about installing new cabinets and instituting minor changes in the layout of the cabinets. There main goal was to update and brighten the kitchen. Mr. Chatelain, a weekend DIY warrior, would contract the project himself, so I had to take that into consideration. By implementing small, but effective design decisions, this renovation project would ultimately retire the classic isolated kitchen form for the Chatelain family.

 View: all my houses
Uploaded:
10/21/2007
1:05:17 PM

Categories:
Elevations
Pre-Visualization
Technical
Variations
Outdoor Advertising Prototypes
 

In the fall of 2007, Lamar Outdoor Advertising and Ford|Dickinson began development of a series of new advertising structures that would incorporate new digital display technologies. It was thought that these new designs would increase public acceptance, and therefore expand the market for placement of these outdoor advertising structures. These new designs would improve the aesthetic appearance of outdoor advertising structures, work in concert with existing support systems, and provide an economical ‘kit of parts’ that can be delivered, installed, and maintained easily throughout the United States. The design process led to the development of four general-concept families with multiple variations that would fulfill those concepts. These conceptual designs were thoroughly illustrated at a temporary online hub where RFP recipients and members of the client body could download documentation about the project.

 View: other work from Ford Dickinson
Uploaded:
5/31/2007
2:45:29 PM

Categories:
Collage
Concepts
Exteriors
Pre-Visualization
Variations
Highland Custom Homes Speculative Designs
 

When Highland Custom Homes, a Baton Rouge custom residential housing contractor group, was looking to subdivide some land for development, I worked with them to come up with several proposals to take to the department of public works office. The final plot plan resulted in four parcels of land available for new residence. Two of the lots would be claimed from the get go; one of the lots would go to HCH figure head, Al Nauck, and the other, more difficult lot would be used to design my father’s house. With two lots left to be sold, HCH asked me to produce sample designs for new houses to be built on the vacant property.

 

To see my father's house, click here.

 View: miscellaneous design work, all my houses
Uploaded:
8/31/2006
1:10:51 PM

Categories:
Analytical
Concepts
Variations
Highland Custom Homes Logo
 

Occasionally I get the opportunity to do graphics. When that chance presents itself I use techniques similar to my architectural design process. While the disciplines of design are different, the principles are universal. The major difference between the logo and a building is that a logo is a singular composition, supporting itself without context. It has a graphic language instead of a materials language. It has form, both relative to the overarching whole and the disparate components. And perhaps most critical to a successful design composition, the logo can carry a communicative intent. Highland Custom Homes wanted there logo to embody the selling points of there company. The logo should be solid, able to stand on its own. The logo should be easy to relate to, which I translated as being easy to understand. The design should not be too complicated, but should not boring either. And finally, the logo should be adaptable.

 View: miscellaneous design work
Uploaded:
2/13/2006
9:05:43 PM

Categories:
Concepts
Drawing
Variations
Mirror of Drafting
 

Conventional history, for the most part, tells us that architects’ drawings are considered outside of the study of fine art. Normal architectural practice simply puts drawings to use without reflection. The assumption as it stands is that architects’ drawings present a thin description of reality specific to a singular subject matter, devoid of any objective interpretation. But why is the painter’s mark considered replete with all aspects of its stroke given meaning, while the line of an architect’s diagram has its meaning attenuated? The Mirror of Drafting course presented students with several assignments meant to unveil the expressive medium of drawing.

 View: 4th yr Projects
Uploaded:
1/19/2006
2:50:35 PM

Categories:
Concepts
Variations
Frady Park
 

To kickoff the spring semester of fourth year design school, an Arbor Day competition was held where students were asked to design something to enhance Frady Park, a small green space in a nearby neighborhood. Students could design whatever they wanted so long as it cost less than a thousand hundred dollars to make and that it drew on the traditions of Arbor Day for its inspiration.

 View: miscellaneous design work, 4th yr Projects
Uploaded:
10/22/2005
3:10:55 PM

Categories:
Drawing
Schematics
Variations
Urban Form - Street Design
 

Urban design seminar required students to team up into large groups of six or more to design a city located in the Piedmont region of western Virginia. My group was asked to design a bounded city with a density of almost 40,000 people per square mile. The city had to be able to support approximately one million people and had to offer all the typical components of a functioning city: civic agencies, educational board strategies, parks, building archetypes, and other infrastructure.

 View: 4th yr Projects
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