daniel ash auburn university five year architecture degree
thesis [abridged]
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quilting studio
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mixed use
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school of flight
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tower
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rural studio
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rest area
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assorted works
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montgomery_ alabama fifth year both semesters thirty weeks
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birds eye of site
The Alabama River was once the lifeblood of the prospering city of Montgomery, Alabama. Today that river is all but invisible in the struggling city. This project began as an investigation into how I can revive the city. To accomplish this on such a crucial site, I needed a design which utilized the fields or architectural and landscape design in a way which blurred the distinction between them. I designed a new park and plaza which restores the symbiotic relationship between the city and the river. Through the placement of the project and its path along the river’s edge, the highly visible development will be able to attract people to the river from the surrounding suburbs and inner urban communities, providing the city with a space which each citizen can call its own.
site
early sketches
site panorama
early sketches
site
alabama river
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study model of plaza
The existing slope on the riverbank was dauntingly steep, and the street level was roughly twenty feet above the normal water level of the river. There were also no visual signs that the city was close to the river. In fact, even if one were to stand in the downtown area of Montgomery, it would be very difficult to tell that there is a river only a couple of blocks away. It was necessary therefore to do some intensive site design, involving manipulations of some of the most fundamental masses of the city. The riverfront development design stretches down the river and reaches out to different areas of the city. It allows a pedestrian path between areas of the urban community which would not otherwise be easily traversable. The development comes to a climax at the old tunnel under the railroad tracks, where there is a new plaza and tower with an observation deck. The tunnel itself is redesigned to interact in a positive way with the rest of the city, the river, and the project as a whole. It brings the river into the city as well as bringing the city closer to the river.
early development sketch
tower site sketch
riverfront park pathways
alabama river
riverfront master plan
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observation deck
This drawing is a longitudinal section through the tunnel. The tunnel bottom is lowered to below the water table. The pedestrians then are forced to travel on an elevated walkway above the water near the top of a brick vaulted tunnel. The tunnel used to be exceedingly dark. I introduced light wells which emit natural light through a fountain above the light wells. The quality of light inside the tunnel is dynamic and unique in that it receives almost no light which does not first come in contact with water. The drawing was printed out to be sixteen feet long with five sections of it rendered out to illustrate light quality and nodes of interest.
riverbank
tower entrance
tunnel end
section through tunnel
elevated walkway
site aerial
tunnel entry
section cut
walkway beginning
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courtyard plan
The rendering on the right shows the scale of the plaza and the proportion it takes in relation to its surroundings. The drawing on the left is a drafted plan of the plaza and its major axes. The colored lines are drawn to highlight these axes and give a feel of the rhythm of the space and the elements which determine it. The paving is designed to highlight the connections made by the space and hide the drains for the site.
yellow = axis of riverfront development progression red = axis of street and tunnel toward river
orange = lines of visual/spatial dialogue between tunnel and plaza
courtyard rendering
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final model photo
The final model was five feet long and shows both the existing context of the site [shown in brown chip board] and the new construction [shown in white museum board]. This project has its own printed book which is 129 pages and explains the project from start to finish in elaborate detail.
final model photo
final model photo collage
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waverly_ alabama fourth year spring semester twelve weeks
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Metropolis cover [july/august 2007]
Southern culture is romanticized in many ways. The longstanding traditions, the rural culture, thick air and its staunch love of family are all forces in community organization and culture. This project makes it its mission to gracefully deal with all of these issues. Set in the tiny rural town of Waverly, Alabama, this project is for family matriarch and nationally celebrated quilter, Mozell Benson. As a joint project between Auburn’s Design Build Masters program and two architecture studios, a small grant was obtained to provide this delightful woman with a home, a garden, and a quilting studio. The quilting studio (shown) was programmed by another studio, who laid out the floor plan and constructed the rough framing. My studio and I were responsible for designing and constructing the interior and remainder of the exterior using only leftover scraps from the project and whatever materials we could get donated. Our design strategy was to take this patchwork of materials and carefully select and shape them in regards to how they contribute to the project as a whole, just as Mozell selects the patches she quilts with.
Metropolis t.o.c.
article [1 of 2]
article [2 of 2]
exterior progress photo [courtesy sheri schumacher]
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interior picture towards front door
Our building was sheathed with OSB and resulted in many long scraps, which we used for the ceiling. We painted some of the pieces blue to match some floor stain we had and supplemented pieces of rigid thermal insulation when we ran short of OSB. The floor sealant was donated and we patterned the floor to mimic the ceiling. The wall material was a mixture of sheathing from her old house and cedar scraps, which we had in abundance. Storage of cloth and making quilts was the primary function of the space, so lots of thought was given as to how a space feels before it is filled with material, how if feels after, and how that relationship can better the project. There are several different storage systems at work within the space, so as not to overwhelm it with an unnavigable mass of material scraps. Interface Carpet generously donated some material scraps which we used to make storage pouches. Special quilting tables with soft tops were also constructed out of old tables formerly belonging to Auburn University.
cnc routed bench/storage
improvised quilting tables
hand made front door
interior photo collage
reclaimed tongue and groove
large material storage
small material storage
osb scrap ceiling
client adjustible room divider
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inside of shower
The bathroom of the project was taken on by myself and one other classmate as our own passion project. Using mostly wood scraps from the rest of the project, we transformed a tight, cramped room into a space that refreshes and rejuvenates, and a space that we feel is one of the nicest on the whole site.
bathroom vanity
laminated plywood scraps
bathroom photo collage
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exterior photo [courtesy sheri schumacher]
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mobile_ alabama fourth year fall semester seven weeks
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satelite image: mobile bay concept image
The Mobile, Alabama mixed use project is situated on a specific site adjacent a prominent public square in a city over three hundred years old. The program consists of an unspecific amount of public space, about two floors of retail, and eighteen units of mixed residential. The project started with a concept image [center image] and then progressed along toward an end with a ground level that functions publicly as an extension of the square. The first two floors act as an extension of the square, allowing pedestrian traffic to drift between the square and the building as water drifts back and forth from Mobile Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. The public spaces are transparent volumes of glass which emphasize the openness of the floor plan and highlight activity around the circulation. The form of the building itself is one inspired by the old vessels which originally sailed into the bay and delivered the city of Mobile into prominence. This project revives that original prominence with firmness, commodity and delight.
front facade perspective including surrounding context
concept image
city of mobile
rear perspective
/mobile
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initial concept image
public gallery space
residential units
retail
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exploded section
The organization of the project is similar to traditional costeffective designs for residential projects in the sense that it takes identical living unit footprints and stacks them upon each other vertically. This technique is traditionally effective for several reasons. It allows for: fewer structural elements
atrium
greater structural efficiency stacked plumbing ease of navigation These advantages all improve the project from an efficiency standpoint, but do not add the architectural reward one wishes for in a good project. I sought to improve upon the scheme, and upon further investigation found that the scheme also allowed for: further simplicity of structure strong solid / void relationship stronger conceptual clarity The presence of the large structural elements enhances the sense of solidity within the architecture. A strong sense of solidity in architecture does wonders to enhance the voids within the project, much as dark spots on a page can make the white space meaningful.
front
atrium
rear
figure ground of first floor super imposed onto aerial shot of mobile
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site section
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The plan of every floor is organized around the large concrete sail walls, circulation towers, and the structural concrete columns of the building. These elements give a sense of unity and legibility to the tenants and guests both inside and outside the building. This is of the utmost importance because though so much effort is put into planning each space, you must not spare people the necessary stylistic clues to inform them of what is really going on. The first two floors are primarily conditioned publicly accessible space. The front space adjacent to the public square is a community space which also educates about the history of the city and the architecture with the language of a museum. It then ushers people toward the retail space in the rear of the building seamlessly, while concealing the more private residential facilities.
first floor [ground] plan
second floor plan
third floor plan
fourth floor plan
ninth floor plan
eleventh floor plan
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The residential facilities are lofted above the public floors and all share common circulation space. The circulation space is a light well which provides the tenants with an air of freshness and freedom much like the cool sea breeze gave to the sailors which first came to the area. All units have a private balcony opposite the atrium which is perfect for that cool cross ventilation which is the only natural method of staying cool in the humid southern climate. The balconies also provide a semi-private exterior space which adds a vital cultural element of life to the building which is clearly visible from the public square. A building cannot be effective if it removes its dwellers from the public realm entirely. A building strives for a balance between public and private just as a city does. It must shelter, but not completely remove.
model 1 of 3 [rear]
model 2 of 3 [front]
model 3 of 3 [rear]
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interior rendering [facing square]
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auburn_ alabama third year spring semester ten weeks
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progress exterior entry elevation
In the second semester of my third year design studio, we were told to design a new facility for the growing Auburn University Flight School. The school was a challenging project in that it was located on a steep slope and had a larger and more detailed program than we had dealt with up to that point by a considerable amount. My strategy was to decide on the best possible space for each element of the program, and then slowly begin to assemble the spaces into an increasingly larger conglomerate.
early concept sketch
early study model
model photo collage
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first floor plan
As the project developed, it became clear that one of the key materials was going to be wood. The site was heavily wooded and the material is readily available in the region. The design strategy employed was to take heavy materials and give them the feeling of lightness. The wood is employed to give the feeling of lightness to the large, imposing, visible floor planes above it. Inside the lecture hall, wood surrounds the seats and emits a lovely golden glow. The vertical orientation of the wood masks hides the location of the columns supporting the heavy roof above. The scheme for the project displaces a negligible amount of soil and instead uses the steep terrain to accommodate the lecture hall.
restrooms director
simulator
entry foyer
cubicles
lecture hall interior
lecture hall
second floor plan
media lab
restrooms
ofďŹ ces cubicles
model photo collage
model photo collage
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auburn_ alabama third year spring semester three weeks
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study model of tower base
The tower project was precursor to the flight school project described in the previous chapter. It was introduced as a program-less exercise in which we designed a structure to evoke a specific emotion, rather than to accommodate a specific task. The tower is a visual landmark, a distinguishing characteristic of the flight school complex. It is dwarfs the occupant and instills a feeling of fear and freedom, inviting the visitor to climb it as a happy nine year old would climb a tree. It contains two observation decks and overlooks the Auburn airport and the surrounding wooded areas. Due to the experiential and iconic nature of the project, the form of the project was very important. Much of the early work in the project was experimenting with different forms which might be most imposing on the landscape and people below. Achieving the concept of a tower is a tricky business. In order to achieve the maximum desired effect, I considered the elements of overall height, material texture, scale of its upper members, and the experiential path toward the top.
concept image
early study models
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entry space plan
The final solution for the tower design is a scheme which utilizes two forms which interact with each other with the language of ascension. As you approach the enormous structure, you follow a long straight path which skews the perceived height of the structure considerably. At the bottom, your eye rises to asses that the tall, heavy structure you are about to enter is in fact being leaped by another lighter yet equally dominating metallic structure. The lower observation deck is abruptly and unsettlingly open, while also giving a sense of danger and discovery, which only yields to a second elevator which ascends to the top. At the upper observation deck, you experience the more intricate top of the first form. There is inaccessible structure above, which gives lasting mystique to the tower and keeps you coming back.
upper deck
lower deck
middle observation deck plan
section
upper observation deck
lower observation deck
entry
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hale county_ alabama second year spring semester twenty weeks
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architectural record cover [march, 2006]
The Auburn Rural Studio has been justly praised for years of bringing innovative design solutions and architectural grace to families in the deepest, poorest areas of rural Alabama. In the spring of 2005, I received the honor of spending a semester designing and building a house with eleven other architecture students. Our client, site, and footprint were determined by a previous semester. Myself and my team mates designed the remainder of the house, as well as secured the materials with which to build it. The house itself is designed for our beloved client Williebell and her three children. The program and form of the house were kept simple as possible. The concept essentially took the form of the architectural context, a trailer, and reinvent it. The design is a shoe box with screened porches on opposite corners. It utilizes natural ventilation and passive daylighting to ensure the maximum amount of interior comfort in the swampy environment.
architectural record article [page 80]
exterior photo [courtesy timothy hursley]
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construction photo
rear window detail
interior photo [courtesy timothy hursley]
front exterior photo [courtesy timothy hursley]
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exterior photo [courtesy timothy hursley]
exterior rear photo [courtesy timothy hursley]
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I-85 near auburn_ alabama second year fall semester five weeks
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On Interstate I-85 South just outside of Auburn, Alabama, there exists a rest area. It is on a large plot of land atop a grassy hill. Despite its lovely location, it is not often used. As a design project in my second year of design studio, I sought to redesign it. As part of the assignment, it was designed using only concrete. It is organized radially and seems to be organized by a force with a greater understanding of geometry than we as humans have. The volumes of concrete rise and fall and create a playful environment out of a material which is otherwise rigid and uninviting. It is handicapped accessible and water drains out of a hole in the center of the rest area.The entirety of the rest area is to be located below grade so that it stays cool because of the temperature of the earth.
access ramp
restroom
restroom
welcome area
ofďŹ ce
stairs
presentation drawing
central courtyard
staircase to surface
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aerial photo of model
The spirit of a place carved out of the earth, hewn solely from concrete gives a spiritual feel. It is the sort of space which provides comfort before it provides familiarity, which is rare and refreshing. The material and the organization by which it is employed is playful enough to captivate a traveler and provide him with not only physical rest, but the rejuvenation and inspiration of mind which is absent in the typical situation of a bench adjacent the highway. It removes the traveler from his journey completely, and shelters him from any sight, sound or feel of it. The model of my project was made entirely of light grey museum board with a cardboard site plan.
traveler info restrooms
access ramp
model photo
traveler info
restrooms
access ramp
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drawing produced with drawing machine
The nature of drawing and artistry is a topic which has been much researched and perhaps surprisingly, continues to have breakthroughs as technology progresses. This assignment was to produce a drawing machine using a machine that we had deconstructed earlier in the studio year. It operates on a manually manipulable x & y axis allowing it to reach any point on the page and also draw any simple shape with relative ease. The machine itself draws by way of a colored marker which hits the paper at a variable rate controlled by a hand crank which turns a cam which pushes the marker downward.
drawing/ r e t h o u g h t
drawing machine
hand crank
cam
marker housing
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The Design Habitat program at Auburn University addresses a specific problem. During my final year in architecture school, while completing my thesis project, I worked with five other students and the head of the architecture department on a new iteration of the Design Habitat program. It addresses the problem of Habitat for Humanity which is present in smaller towns with few volunteers to help build the house. In areas where construction expertise and viable volunteers numbers low, it is considerably more difficult and time consuming for a house to be built. Our solution is one which fuses the practices of prefabricated housing modules and on site construction. The bulk of the work is done by a prefabricated housing manufacturer who builds to Habitat for Humanity’s specifications [in this case a design which we developed ourselves which Habitat later approved] and then ships it to the construction site. The necessary amount of on-site labor is then greatly reduced and the house can be completed in a significantly reduced amount of time with fewer man-hours, allowing the organization to provide more homes for more people for less money.
housing/ r e p r o c e s s e d
progress photo of our house [courtesy Uel Basset]
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One of the first assignments I ever received in my first year of architecture school was to find a machine, deconstruct it, and draft it several different ways. This is the final product. Though I resented the exercise at the time, I realize now that this exercise produced clarity of thought, meticulous organization, and communication through line weight and line type. The drill also allowed me to appreciate the degree of detail and design which goes into a thing as ordinary as a 1970’s black and decker drill.
drill/ d e c o n s t r u c t e d
drafted in pencil on arches
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essay on light, lettered on arches
Another assignment from my first year in architecture school was to research how an assigned architect dealt with a particular design element, in this case light, and then to present their ideas in the form of a long, had drafted quote by him and a rendering of one of his projects. My assigned architect was Tadao Ando and the material I came up with is presented on the opposite page.
light/ i l l u s t r a t e d
A n d o ’s C h a p e l o f L i g h t rendered on arches
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As a precursor to the design projects in my second design studio in my third year of architecture school, we as students were assigned a very quick, seven day assignment to construct a small scale door entirely out of concrete. I made several iterations of my door, striving to make a finish which which did not reflect its forming material but rather took on a finish which was more becoming of the heavy, cold material of the concrete.
concrete/ r e t h o u g h t
close up of door texture
front of door
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fort before 1/2
During one holiday, while visiting my parents, my mother asked me to dispose of a long unused children’s fort in her backyard. I took the pieces of the children’s fort, added a couple of unused plywood scraps and some thin metal cable and created a garden folly. The space became not only a covered reading area, but the visual anchor of the back yard. The folly is a quiet space surrounded by plants and which always receives good, filtered reading light. The design of the roof using the plywood scraps is designed specifically to prevent leaves and debris from piling up and becoming an agent of decay to the wooden structure.
playground/ m e t a m o r p h o s i s
fort before 2/2
fort progress
fort complete
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This adaptive reuse project takes a look at a local Lowes building and site which was abandoned several years ago. The project was an investigation into temporary disaster refugee housing for the Hurricane Katrina victims. The site itself is populated with simple, prefabricated single family living pods which are capable of housing up to three people each. The pods themselves are naturally ventilated and are constructed using no more than two materials. The pods naturally organize themselves into hexagonal patterns and have simple, yet flowingly picturesque and dynamic exterior spaces. The spaces between have just as much influence over the structure and culture of the refugee camp as the refugee pods themselves. It is important for the space between and around the pods to be meaningful and formative.
refugees/ r e h o u s e d
hand rendering of refugee community
section through living pod
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hunt treehouse plan
During the summer of 2006 I worked with a man named Pete Nelson at Treehouse Workshop in Seattle, Washington. I wanted to work as a treehouse designer because it is perhaps not conventional architecture, but it is capable of inspiring the same emotions in people that great architecture does, and possibly even in a more direct way. I worked on many projects both in the office and in the field. This is a treehouse which I designed and then illustrated for a prospective client. The project was not built.
treehouses/ s u m m e r
job
hunt treehouse 1/3
hunt treehouse 2/3
hunt treehouse 3/3
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sketches/
cathedral facade in mobile, al march 2007
south mississippi vernacular january 2008
v i e w t o w a r d s S t . P e t e r ’s april 2008
Roman windows april 2008
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sketches/
bienville fountain, mobile march 2007
piazza navona, rome april 2008
town of corniglia, italy april 2008
suburban house
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DANIEL ASH
334 538 7198
danielash.arc@gmail.com
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