Amelia Carbonell: Architectural Design I
In this project, I designed a backyard cottage for a fabric artist. Backyard cottages are self-contained housing units on an existing residential lot with a kitchen and bathroom. The backyard cottage is an affordable housing option for the person living there and also economically benefits the owner of the lot. There is a variety of reasons one may choose to live in a cottage, an example is an adult child of the owner who wants freedom but also wants to stay close to home. A fabric artist is someone who manipulates fabric to create pieces of clothing, blankets, etc... Through my research, I dissected fabric artists into 3 main categories: Seamstress, Weaver, & Knitter.
Craft Investigation
I began by researching the definition of a fabric artist I found that Fabric Artists can work in fields such as fashion, interior design, & research. I found that the main types of fabric artists are seamstress, weavers, & knitters. A seamstress is someone who sews clothes, a weaver uses a loom to create fabric, and a knitter makes garments by intertwining yarn. I found that people can do this as a way to stress relieve and that it’s calming. It can reflect the creativity of the artist and where there current stage of mind is.
Concept Design
My first ideas consisted of using fluidity in the structures like the movement of fabric. I generated ideas by making spaces with pieces of material colliding together.
Concept 01- The roof of this is curvy and was intended to move like rippling of fabric. The front wall is uneven and there is no corner in the house due to the curves in the walls. The positives were the fluidity and the difference in elevation. The negatives of this concept was that its too big and doesn't have as much individual spaces as I would like. There isn't much division in the space created.
Concept 02- This concept is two stories tall and is the opposite of concept 01. In this concept there are only corners and its taller. Using different sized pieces of rectangular cardboard, I created this concept. The cardboard worked to divide the space into individual spaces. The individual spaces are cozy like a garment a fabric artist would create. The negative was how big this was, it looks more like an actual house than a cottage.
Concept 03- This concept includes an accessible ramp in the front entrance. It was made out of pieces of scrap chipboard that were used to create a cottage. There is a wall where a back porch would be. I liked how the walls created a place to park a car and the sloped roof. I thought that the side resembled a blanket that someone could crochet. I dislike roof situation and the back porch area because it would take up too much room in someone's backyard.
Concept 02- This concept is two stories tall and is the opposite of concept 01. In this concept there are only corners and its taller. Using different sized pieces of rectangular cardboard, I created this concept. The cardboard worked to divide the space into individual spaces. The individual spaces are cozy like a garment a fabric artist would create. The negative was how big this was, it looks more like an actual house than a cottage.
Concept 03- This concept includes an accessible ramp in the front entrance. It was made out of pieces of scrap chipboard that were used to create a cottage. There is a wall where a back porch would be. I liked how the walls created a place to park a car and the sloped roof. I thought that the side resembled a blanket that someone could crochet. I dislike roof situation and the back porch area because it would take up too much room in someone's backyard.
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Schematic Design
This design takes inspiration from the three concept designs. The fluidity of the first design can be seen in this one, however there is one corner. The rooms in the schematic design are created the same way as in concept 02. There’s a driveway thats sheltered by two walls in a roof thats the same as concept 03.
Final Design
A main characteristic of my final design is that there is a large window in the front that is designed to look like fabric folding over. The shape and form of the house is supposed to be fluid like movements of fabric. The different textured walls are like a fabric artist crocheted two different fabrics together. Noticeably, there is only one room that is fully enclosed by walls in the inside. This is because the rest of the spaces are separated by curtains. I felt curtains are better to use in this situation rather than walls, since it is something a fabric artist could make. The curtains are placed strategically so that if guests come over the cottage can be closed off to just the living room & kitchen. Similarly, there is a curtain that blocks off the bedroom and storage room, if the craftsman wants to feel more isolated while working.
Old Alton Bridge
In this project, I designed guest buildings with architecture that reflects craft for craftsmen to temporarily stay in. The site is located at Old Alton Bridge (Goatman's Bridge) which was built in 1884 in Denton, Tx. The craft of those staying in the residency is not specified so I took a generic approach of design that can be applied to any craft.
Concept Designs
These ideas are three of the concept designs that I did which helped come to the final product. In all these, I worked fast and started out by doing a quick sketch of the main forms of the building.
Concept 1- In concept one, the first and second floor are connected by a fully glass prism where there are stairs. The glass prism reflects something that a glass blower could make and the curved roofs could be like scarves that a fabric artist makes.
Concept 2- Concept two is very organic and uses a lot of curves to create the form of the residency. My thought process was that it could be glossy with bright designs and stained windows like something made in pottery and glassblowing. However, this concept would have failed because the second building is located on the bottom which could be bad if there was a flood.
Concept 3- Concept three is what most of the final design is based off of; I focused on making the design geometrical, unlike concept 2. I decided to add columns in the front to create the outdoor areas.
Concept 1- In concept one, the first and second floor are connected by a fully glass prism where there are stairs. The glass prism reflects something that a glass blower could make and the curved roofs could be like scarves that a fabric artist makes.
Concept 2- Concept two is very organic and uses a lot of curves to create the form of the residency. My thought process was that it could be glossy with bright designs and stained windows like something made in pottery and glassblowing. However, this concept would have failed because the second building is located on the bottom which could be bad if there was a flood.
Concept 3- Concept three is what most of the final design is based off of; I focused on making the design geometrical, unlike concept 2. I decided to add columns in the front to create the outdoor areas.
Concept 01 |
Concept 02 |
Concept 03 |
Schematic Design
While this is mainly inspired by concept 03, there are some differences. Instead of having the building be directly under the bridge, it is suspended off and not as far down. Some of this is taken from concept 01 and the idea of having the second floor be under the bridge but still connected. The difference is that these buildings are connected but they are still closer together unlike 2 and 3.
Final Design
The final design is geometrically shaped; geometry is the foundation for all craft for example, fabric artists weave geometric patterns into fabric and jewelers use symmetrical shapes in their designs. The columns and the shape of the roof in the first building resemble the angle of the bridge. The front entrance area of the suspended building connects onto the land. There is a 2 foot gap between the first building and the bridge which is enough room for people to pass by. Once one walks through that area, they can access the second building by walking down to the entrance. The gap can also be used for pedestrians who want to cross the bridge. In order to give off a more natural appearance, the material used would be a wood which would blend in with the surrounding forest. As for the columns, they would be a steel just like the thrusts of the bridge.
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As these buildings are design for a temporary craftsman to stay in, they can also invite a guest craftsman to stay and collaborate with. The building located on top of the bridge would essentially be the guest building and the bottom would be the craftsman's residence. There is a designated craft room and areas of the property for the artisans to share their work with one another.
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