ARCHITECTURAL PORTFOLIO
I am currently enrolled in the Masters of Architecture program at the Academy of Art University. While they do offer a full program onsite at their campus in San Francisco, CA, I have opted for their online program, which fit quite well with my work schedule, as well as the fact that I live in Tennessee and not California. Below are some examples of projects that I have done throughout time in school thus far. The projects include computer aided drafting (CAD) drawings, 3D renders, as well as physical models, all of which I thoroughly have enjoyed creating. I am looking to graduate in May of 2025, so the road is quickly coming to an end for this chapter. Quite exciting I must say!!!
FISHERMAN’S WHARF PROJECT
This Fisherman’s Wharf project was done in my final studio class. The assignment was to create a fish market in the Fisherman’s Wharf district of San Francisco. This got me familiar with the California Building Code and its extensive regulations regarding new construction. This class also paired with a Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing class, taught by a mechanical engineer. The two class collaboration was very interesting, giving me the ability to really get a sense of multiple departments working together to create a project.
FIRST ASSIGNMENT : MULTI-MATERIAL PAVILION
This pavilion was created in my first semester in school and threw me into the deep end immediately having to get real familiar with AutoCad. It took a bit to really get comfortable, but I am glad I took the time to understand it. Learning one new, rather large drawing software was quite enough for me, but the class also required a perspective drawing. Not having any knowledge about 3D software, for the perspective drawings, I just used AutoCad to create them. The class also allowed me to start making architectural models, which I thoroughly enjoy. The aim of this pavilion was to create it using brick, metal, wood, and glass in some fashion. The model represents each material usage.
FAST FOOD RESTAURANT REPURPOSED
This project was another one created in my first semester.. It was a repurposing of a McDonalds in my area into whatever I wanted it to be. The location was at an exit just off an interstate and I thought a healthy rest stop would be appropriate. This class introduced me to rendering tools using Photoshop, which I really enjoy working with.
HAMPTON, VA - OLD POINT COMFORT MUSEUM
This was probably my favorite project to work on (thesis pending). It was to create a museum in Hampton, VA, with influence from the style of old slave churches in the American Revolution era. The work introduced me to 3D rendering as well as realizing more tools in photoshop to create photorealism in ways I had never before imagined. My instructor really helped steer us in the techniques and I know I certainly benefited from that class.
MALAGA, SPAIN LIBRARY
The Malaga, Spain Library project was interesting in that it was an opportunity to create a design internationally. 3D design was a big part of this class, although I, at this time, had not been exposed to the Rhino software at all. It was a good springboard for what was to come in learning that style of drawing. Shown are the plans of each of the three levels of the library, with the design really wanting to tie to the pedestrian walkways of the city. Resolving this meant elevating the bulk of the program to the 2nd and 3rd levels, and creating a pavilion of sorts for community gathering on the ground level.
PEDESTRIAN-ORIENTED URBAN DESIGN PROJECT
This project was my first foray into master planning. The design included a self-sustained community placed in a rural farming area equidistant between two major cities. It incorporated underground tunneling for various means of transportation; pedestrian only, inner-city vehicle transportation, and traffic routes that by-passed the community all together.
DETAIL DRAWINGS
These are detail drawings created in a building enclosure class. The intent was to familiarize us with the concept of finding a material or product (in this case it was aluminum facade rain screen) and determine all the layers that go into weatherproofing a building. The window, door, roof, and ground details were focused on greatly, and I have certainly used the information learned in that class in every project since.
EAMES HOUSE MODEL
Creating models has always been a source of enjoyment for me, ever since I was a small boy with model cars. This is a model of the Eames House in Los Angeles, CA, and is an architectural icon. The class this was created in allowed me to practice several levels of detail in model making, which of course I found greatly interesting. I look forward to more model making in my professional career for sure!!
BRIDGE STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE MODEL
One of my classes was a structural engineering class (for architects) that required us to create a bridge and determine the maximal load possible before collapse. This was fun! The bridge was made from Balsa wood sticks and created in a manner of our choosing. The images show that it was a successful test, able to hold a whopping 10 lbs before total catastrophic failure.