Spring/Summer 2008 Practice Report

Despite the fact that my professional duties focus on historic preservation and the design problem for this semester’s Comprehensive Design Studio required a new building that incorporated sustainable solutions, I believe my design growth has increased due to a transfer of knowledge between both the classroom and the office. This is because the design solution was required to be compatible infill. Due to my work experience and knowledge in historic preservation, my design solution for the Comprehensive Design Studio was significantly influenced by the existing urban context. Many of my design decisions for the BAC Distance Learning Center were based on the surrounding existing buildings, transportation patterns and the effect the learning center would have on the community. Because of my development in the office to understand the importance of compatible infill, I was able to apply this knowledge to this semesters design project for the distance-learning center. I was able to utilize my awareness of the existing historical context and include that in my design decisions. My office development has also inspired an appreciation and desire to acknowledge and respond to the existing context by respecting the massing, scale and size of adjacent existing buildings and sites. I drew upon the scale and massing of the existing buildings and the features and materials of the surrounding streetscape to influence my design of the distance-learning center.



My classroom experience also had an impact on my office environment. I review historic rehabilitation projects for their compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Because of this semester’s classroom experience, I have developed my awareness of the environmental implications of the projects that I review in my professional environment, and an appreciation for sustainable design. I have discovered that indoor and outdoor space is vital to the success of a neighborhood, especially in an urban context where outdoor space can be minimal. If significant lots are left vacant, or have incompatible infill it begins to negatively affect the urban context. This semesters design studio experience helped me to understand that compatible infill on a corner lot of a major intersection could significantly increase the vitality of the community. The distance-learning center can have an enormous positive impact on the community, and actually, become a gathering place, or a destination. My classroom experience also effected my decisions when reviewing the exterior architecture of historic rehabilitation projects.




My design examples are of small-scale rehabilitation projects that are vital to the urban context and that contribute to the streetscape in their respective neighborhoods. Many of these projects are two or four-family flats that must be rehabilitated as for-sale units to compete on today’s real estate market. Typically, the kitchen and bathroom spaces will be upgraded with modern amenities and the HVAC and electrical systems must be improved to meet today’s code requirements. This provided many opportunities for me to encourage owners to utilize sustainable solutions. I encouraged them to rework single pane windows to include double paned glazing. Two and four-family flats are ideal for a two-zoned HVAC system. A unit, which serves the first floor of the building, can be placed in the basement, and a second unit serving the second floor is placed on the rooftop or in the attic. This provides energy efficiency while having minimal impact on the historic character of the interior spaces. Additionally, for this building type, which typically has flat roofs, I have often advocated the installation of a white roof system when replacement is included in the project scope of work.

Segment II: Portfolio Review - Professional Practice

The Moolah Temple in St. Louis, Missouri is a historic shriners temple, a masonic organization, which had been sold by the organization to private developers. The building had been vacant for more than a decade because developers could not decide on a profitable reuse for the building. The main space in the building was the Meeting Hall, which was centrally located within the building making it the focal point. The Meeting Hall was kept intact and was reused as a movie theater. The back stage area was reworked into apartment units.

St. Louis, Missouri

Enright School is an example of a building being rehabilitated for completely different use from its original use. On this particular project the main public spaces (i.e. corridors, stairwells) were retained in their original configuration, while many of the classrooms were configured into residential units.

St. Louis, Missouri






It was great to be involved with the rehabilitation of the President Hotel. This building stood vacant for approximately 20 years before a developer would take on the task of bringing it back to life. Rehabilitation is less intrusive to the existing building when there is a compatible re-use for the building. In this case the President remained a hotel.

Kansas City, Missouri

Fall 2007 Practice Report

I believe my design growth was successful due to a transfer of knowledge between both the classroom and the office. My work experience and knowledge in historic preservation significantly influenced many of my design decisions in the classroom. Because of my development in the office to perform historic assessments that help to determine significant historic features, finishes, and materials in their existing context, I was able to apply this knowledge to our design project for the digital store. I was also able to utilize my awareness of the existing historical context and include that into my design decisions. My office development has also inspired an appreciation and desire to preserve and maintain significant historic character by utilizing massing and features of existing buildings and sites. I drew upon the scale and massing of the existing buildings and the features and materials of the Old South church to influence my design of the digital store.
My classroom experience also had an impact on my office environment. I review historic rehabilitation projects for their compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. I have developed my awareness of the social and economic implications of the project that I review, and an appreciation for compatible infill. I have come discovered that indoor and outdoor space is vital to the success of a neighborhood. If significant lots are left vacant, or have incompatible infill it begins to negatively affect the entire neighborhood. Conversely, planned vacant areas, such as Copley Square, can have an enormous positive impact on a neighborhood. Actually, become a gathering place, or a destination.

My classroom experience also effected my decisions when reviewing the interior architecture of historic rehabilitation projects. The Moolah Temple in St. Louis, Missouri is a historic Shriners temple, a Masonic organization, which had been sold by the organization to private developers. The building had been vacant for more than a decade because developers could not decide on a profitable reuse for the building. The main space in the building was the Meeting Hall, which was centrally located within the building making it the focal point. Initial proposals were for the building to be reused as an internet-based company. This proposal included cutting holes through the roof and the Meeting Hall floor to allow natural light to reach the basement space. This would have significantly altered the historic character of the building and the primary interior space. After considering my suggestions, the developer finally decided upon a more compatible reuse for the building, a movie theater in the main space with apartment units in the ancillary spaces – the building is in walking distance of a local university. This allowed the Meeting Hall to be kept intact. The back stage area was reworked into apartment units and the basement was converted into a bowling alley. My guidance resulted in a positive outcome for the historic character and integrity of the building and was a more viable solution for the developer.

Welcome!

Welcome. In this blog I will be keeping track of and sharing information as it relates to my exploration of the professional practice of architecture during my M.Arch studies at The Boston Architectural College. Please feel free to post comments and suggestions or start a conversation.