Craft: |
an activity involving expert skill to make functional objects by hand.
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Practicum: Joslyn Wooten
Project Brief:
For the spring 2025 semester, our project focused on the concept of craft and its practitioners. We explored the term "craft" through a collage, analyzing the works of notable architects. We defined craft as the balance between functionality and aesthetics. As practicum students, our group was tasked with developing a master plan for a craft college, which included residential and faculty housing, certain buildings we deemed appropriate for the site like galleries and markets, along with four academic buildings dedicated to woodworking, metalworking, glass, and ceramics. Following that discovery, the practicum students developed the academic facilities
Craft Investigation
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Architect Investigation (Mies van der Rohe)
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Selected Craft:Woodworking
I decided to base my project on woodworking because it has always resonated with me. I was introduced to carpentry and woodworking as a child, thanks to my dad's influence. Additionally, considering the natural setting of the site we were assigned, I believe the college of woodworking has great potential.
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Visual Building Program
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Building Parti's
By using any of the selected partis above, we then were tasked to develop practical, yet innovative building concepts.
Concept 01: |
Fluid Origins
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Concept Drawings
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Concept Model
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This building concept models the organic origins of the craft in its natural form. The atrium has large ceilings that feel embracing and inviting to those that enter. The workshops as well have tall ceilings that accommodate the intricate beam work and allow for proper ventilation. Additionally, the quiet workshop is located near the creek, providing a white noise working atmosphere. The structure splits in the middle creating a natural divide between the public and academic interfaces. In that valley, beams span the ceiling to visually embody the branches of a tree.
Concept 02: |
Rigid Branches
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Concept Drawings
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Rigid Branches Model
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The design of this concept represents woodworking in its rigid (well understood) state to represent both its conventional form and the inherent danger of the craft. However, despite the rigidity, there are elements of fluidity within the wall paneling that symbolize the creative (fluid) aspect of the craft. The lobby enclosed in glass features branch-like pathways on the ceiling. Not only does this element highlight the community-oriented nature of the building, but it also symbolizes the experience of navigating beneath a tree’s root system. There is a green roof accessible to the public that integrates nature while also promoting sustainable practices.
Concept 03: |
Natural Supports
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Concept Drawings
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Natural Supports Model
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Though the common interpretation of woodworking is often viewed as rigid and clean-cut, it presents opportunities to manipulate rather fluid forms. Hence why my final design is organic, much like in sculpture. The unique geometries used are meant to foster creativity within the student body. The structural supports of the building reflect the strength of trees, which serve as aesthetic and structural elements. There is a space for an outdoor community gathering area that offers a unique and inviting environment.
Selected Concept: |
Rigid Branches
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I chose the concept of Rigid Branches because I felt it resonated closely with woodworking. Although the design primarily featured rigid geometric shapes, I believed it had the potential to incorporate fluidity in other aspects. In my schematic package, I explored this idea through both my wall paneling and staircase design.
Preliminary / Schematic design |
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Schematic Models
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Schematic Model
Final Product: |
The College of Woodworking
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Presentation Poster
Floor Plans
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Explanation of Floor Plans:
1st Floor: The lobby features a café, restrooms, and a gallery within a glass-enclosed, welcoming space that faces the workshop, foreshadowing what is to come. Visitors can view the teacher demonstration space upon entry. There is also a dedicated staff wing near the staff parking including seven offices (for faculty, counselor, secretary, and dean), a copy room, restroom, janitor closet, and a conference room.
Workshops: Workshops are split into two areas: a main space with industrial equipment and a quieter workshop near the creek for carving and focused work. A closed-off staining room prevents dust from settling on finished projects. All workspaces include proper ventilation, garage doors, and dust collection.
Material Storage: Two material storage areas are included. There is one warehouse-style with high ceilings and the other is an outdoor drying area connected to a service courtyard for easy deliveries. There's also an on-site processing area using recycled site timber.
Shared Classrooms: Three shared classrooms serve the four woodworking disciplines: carpentry, carving, wood turning, and furniture making. A demonstration room allows students to observe teachers via a speaker system. Additional rooms include a photography room and computer lab.
2nd Floor: The upstairs has craft specific classrooms with storage closets and a freight elevator leading to the workshops. There's also an unconventional presentation space that fosters interaction, along with access to a roof garden and workshop via a hallway.
Workshops: Workshops are split into two areas: a main space with industrial equipment and a quieter workshop near the creek for carving and focused work. A closed-off staining room prevents dust from settling on finished projects. All workspaces include proper ventilation, garage doors, and dust collection.
Material Storage: Two material storage areas are included. There is one warehouse-style with high ceilings and the other is an outdoor drying area connected to a service courtyard for easy deliveries. There's also an on-site processing area using recycled site timber.
Shared Classrooms: Three shared classrooms serve the four woodworking disciplines: carpentry, carving, wood turning, and furniture making. A demonstration room allows students to observe teachers via a speaker system. Additional rooms include a photography room and computer lab.
2nd Floor: The upstairs has craft specific classrooms with storage closets and a freight elevator leading to the workshops. There's also an unconventional presentation space that fosters interaction, along with access to a roof garden and workshop via a hallway.
Site Plan
Site Plan
Elevations
East Elevation
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North Elevation
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West Elevation
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South Elevation
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Exterior Renderings
Interior Renderings
Visual Appearance Explanation:
Building Form: The building’s low profile reflects the grounded nature of a tree and contrasts with the surrounding forest. A prominent exterior staircase leads to the roof garden and symbolizes the connection between different woodcraft disciplines. Its large steps double as a public teaching space, ideal for workshops with visitors like scouts. Wall paneling and angled window panes emphasize the building’s organic feel, demonstrating the unpredictability of tree branches.
Colors / Chosen Materials: The green colored roof mimics a tree canopy, while a copper roof, chosen for its natural oxidation over time, symbolizes a tree’s life cycle as time passes. The storage area roof, made of wood with vinyl beneath, visually ties the building's function to its design.
Colors / Chosen Materials: The green colored roof mimics a tree canopy, while a copper roof, chosen for its natural oxidation over time, symbolizes a tree’s life cycle as time passes. The storage area roof, made of wood with vinyl beneath, visually ties the building's function to its design.
Sustainability Initiatives
The "Flower Patch"
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Technical Aspects: My building incorporates thick exterior walls and a green roof to support insulation and energy efficiency by reducing heat absorption. Sustainable systems include geothermal energy and rainwater collection, with an underground tank that supports the HVAC system. Gray water from sinks will be reused to irrigate the site and green roof, which features native plants to restore lost greenery and minimize the inevitable destructive environmental impact of building construction.
Sustainable Landscaping: My “Flower Patch” design includes solar-paneled canopies over benches that store energy in a battery for nighttime lighting. The “flowers” are positioned beside a rainwater collection pond which conserves water and reduces waste. |
