Webster portfolio

Aaron Webster

Winter/Spring 2015

Columbia Brewery and Restaurant

The Dalles, Oregon

The Dalles Portland

Historic Downtown District Riv erf

Historic Downtown

Pedestrian Route Downtown Tourist Path

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Buildings For Sale or SignificantlyVacant

Cruise Dock

Recently Rennovated Craft Plaza and Brewery

Columbia River

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Part of a larger thesis on the subject of small town economic recovery through adaptive reuse, this builiding in The Dalles represents a new direction and an effort to provide a different form of connection than currently exists between the downtown and residential areas of The Dalles.

Encouraging pedestrian traffic into the downtown area through a pederstrian plaza and mixed-use building, attracting tourists through the downtown to the site, and providing a flexible high quality public space were all goals of the overall project and design.

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Currently, the existing building is largely used for storage. The first floor is mostly empty, and reserved for the owners use. The second and third floors are dedicated to the casual storage, and the second floor has a mezzanine level to increase this capacity. The building has had multiple issues with vandalism and squatters, and both have caused considerable damage to the interior, especially the third floor.

After considration of the community, site, economic recovery plan, and building, it was decided that a mixeduse development would maximize the potential for the project. The program for the building and site would include a brewery, restaurant, craft workshops, and public open space. Again consulting the project goals, program specifics for each use were developed and further case studies were consulted.

Mosier-The Dalles Hwy

Fermenters and Main Brewery Floor

Cooler and Bright Tanks

The first floor is dedicated entirely to the brewery, as well as half of the second. Retaining the existing freight door, the fermenters and other tanks are positioned along the north wall. Directly above the loading door is a mezzanine level that can be reached by forklift.

This is intended to be the main avenue for supply storage, and also houses the milling equipment. The grain is stored in two large metal silos that feed into the miller and then transfered to the mash tanks.

SW Exterior and Grain Silos

On the south half of the first floor is the main cooler, barrel storage/wash area, and flexible open space that would be utilized as long term aging barrel storage. Inside the cooler are rows of “bright tanks� that house the completed brew until time to bottle or transfer to kegs.

The main brewery space would be double height, both for light penetration from the windows located on the existing second floor, as well as allow for the height of the fermenters.

NW Exterior and Grain Silos

On the east side of the building is the new addition, constructed out of concrete decking, modern stonework on the walls, and metal framed glazing along the circulation path. The main entrance is located on the northern point of the addition, with a reception area, staircase, and office space further inside. The office opens up both to this reception area as well as directly into the brewery space. The elevator is also located in this space.

The second floor is mostly dedicated to the more “formal� business activities. The second level lobby leads to both the main office and the tasting bar that overlooks the fermenters on the first floor. This space is intended for both casual entertainment, as well as provide a more formal setting for meeting with investors as well as potential distributors.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT PRODUCT

Continuing along the south wall, this space is the main storage area for the brewery, and includes an exit out to the exterior terraces. A short staircase provides access to the lowered pallet storage area.

The entire second level contained within the existing structure has only 4 foot height walls. This allows for those in the tasting area to watch the activities in the main brewery warehouse space.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT PRODUCT

1st Floor: Brewery/ Main Entrance

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2nd Floor: Tasting Bar/Storage

Top of stair/entrance from plaza

Prep Kitchen

The restaurant activity in the building exists on the 3rd and fourth floors, and is reached either from the main staircase in the East addition or directly from the public plaza on top of the hill.

In the addition, and accessed either from the restaurant or the lobby, is a flexible outdoor space that can be used for exterior seating in warmer months, or opened to the public for viewing the downtown and river.

Main seating and windows

Main seating interior

The main restaurant seating is along the north half of the 3rd floor, and has a raised section that can be either used for seating, live music, or other activity. Cut out of the north wall are large viewing windows to allow for maximum sunlight penetration as well as provide panoramic views of the downtown, Columbia River, and Washington landscape. These windows also provide a visual cue to those outside to the activities within the renovated structure. The north orientation of the windows minimizes solar gain, making the space lighted but not overly hot in the summer months.

The raised seating area breaks up the space visually, and allows for potential differentiation of use. This area also has a viewing window into the primary kitchen, so diners can watch the food preparation activities while they wait/eat.

Along the West wall, and most of the south half of the third floor are the the primary kitchen, storage, drink station, dish washing station, and bathrooms. There is also an interior stair leading to the prep kitchen.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT PROD

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3rd Floor: Restaurant/Plaza Entrance

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PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT PRODUCT

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT PRODUCT

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PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT PRODUCT

The 4th floor consists of the prep kitchen, cooler, freezer, dry storage, and office space. The prep kitchen is located in the SW corner of the structure, with a window looking down over the primary kitchen. It also has an exit to the exterior stair.

The office space is located on the opposite end, near the entry from the 3rd floor lobby and elevator. The remainder of the floor is dedicated to storage and circulation space, Large windows along the North wall look out over the 3rd floor dining space, provide light penetration, and allows the employees to enjoy the same views as the diners below.

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Spring/Fall 2014

Wind Observation and Research Laboratory

Wind drives our climates, spreads pollen and seeds to sustain our ecosystems, provides sources of recreation, flushes and refreshes the air we breathe, and has become a major source of sustainable energy.

In the last few decades, wind has become a hope for the future. As technology has advanced, science has become more efficient at harnessing the power and potential of the element. Every year, innovative wind turbines, building facades, artwork and computer modeling increases the understanding of how wind behaves and increases our ability to generate power, designs buildings that can resist its forces, and create artwork that showcases its inherent beauty.

The wind research laboratory and gallery serves many purposes, and chief among them is to educate those who visit the facility. The first two floors of the main building are dedicated to a gallery space to showcase both scientific advancement and wind art, and a public lab for visiting students to get hands on experience. The top two floors are reserved for controled environement experiments. The secondary building houses the office spaces as well as the outdoor testing space on the roof. Access between the two buildings is via a floating corridor on the 2nd and 3rd floors of each structure.

The box of weather represents research into the phenomenon of wind, specifically the Beaufort Wind Speed Scale. This scale estimates wind speed based on the observed movements of trees, flags, and smoke. This box represents the scale levels sculpturally through twisted wire and mesh representations.

The lower end of the scale is represented through flag movement. The flags are formed from wire mesh and attached to the frame with wire to ground to a vertical “pole�. As the speed increases, the ripples get smaller and faster, eventually breaking apart.

Trees are represented by the twisting of two colors of wire and similarly attached to the frame. moving up the scale, the tree branches start to wave, eventually starting to bend the branches in the direction of the wind movement. As the wind speed nears hurricane force, the tree begins to bend, branches break off, and eventually the trunk snaps or the tree is uprooted.

Just like the Beaufort wind scale, it was the goal of the laboratory building to showcase the different stages of wind. This would ideally occur through wind responsive facade installations and art on the site.

The shape of the building is angled to focus the wind off of the Willamette river into the site and across the northern laboratory facade and over the roof of the secondary building. This roof area serves as an outdoor experimentation space, and is accessed via a walkway from the 3rd floor of the lab building.

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Environmental Systems Passive Strategies

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Lower Floors shaded by trees

The sustainability features of the building mainly focused on heat retention and natural ventilation. This Conference room protected from morning sunof by vertical shading the location of the site on the takes Operable advantage both windows device and doors allow for riverbank and the lack of other buildings within close air flow proximity. The eastern facade would only get direct sunlight for only a few weeks in the summer, and the south wall has large windows to help encourage solar gain in cooler months.

The passive strategies of the building design include natural airflow to aid in cooling, and heat retention via thermal mass and solar gain.

Summer 2PM High windows allow for venting of hot air

West Facade Protected by trees and high hills

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Winter

For airflow, the strategy is both aided by the open floor plan between levels, and large windows along the east and south facades. Wind coming weternly off of the river flow through the operable balcony windows and doors, and through the length of each floor. The hotter air is then vented through high windows located on the western wall.

Within the building, airflow moves up the building interior through the open large staircase curving up the west and south walls of the structure, and exits the building through either vents or the same windows previously described.

Passive Heating is allowed through exposed concrete on each level trapping solar gain let in through the large windows in the eastern and southern facades. Operable shades will help prevent glare and overheating in the warmer months.

Exterior solar shades on the south facade block sunlight penetration in the summer, while allowing in heat and natrual light in the winter.

Winter 10AM

Large windows let in sunlight in Winter

Winter 2PM

Concrete Floor absorbs and radiates heat into the building

Assignment 11: Environmental Systems

NAAB Criteria: B6, B8

Aaron Webster

ARCH86:Integrated Systems

Fall 2014

1st Floor

The program and spaces of the building are a mixture of public and private on the first two floors, and transition to dedicated private lab space on the top levels. The relationship between the programs allow for visual interaction as an aid in wind education for visitors. This is particularly true on the first level, which houses the Boundary Wind Tunnel.

On the second level, this relationship is mixed further with the more hands-on public lab. This space is where visiting students can get first hand experience with wind experiments and the science behind the products and art showcased on the site.

2nd Floor

Research/Analysis

Logistics Storage

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Loading Supply Rooms Mechanical Systems

Private Lab

Private Lab

Private Lab

3rd Floor

Open Lab

Boundary Wind Tunnel

Private Labs Workshop Computer Lab

Circulation Bathrooms

Program Distribution

Research/Analysis Offices/Admin Public Areas Logistics

Mech Systems

Admin Offices

4th Floor

Conference Rooms Library Staff Lounge Grant Writing Office Office Supply

Public Spaces

Loading /Storage

Circulation

Lab Offices

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Open Laboratory/ Workshops

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Lobby Educational Gallery

Lobby/Educational gallery

Lecture Hall Shop Lounge Exterior Art Gallery

Office/Admin

Exterior Art Gallery

Shop/ Lounge

Offices/ Admin

Future Streetcar Line

1st Floor

2nd Floor

3rd Floor

The third level consists of a large open lab space to be used for full scale mock up testing of products and expreriments.

The large windows and doors leading to the east balcony can be opened to allow for natural wind movement through the floor.

The third/top level of the secondary building serves as an outdoor tesing space for the lab, and the shape of the overall building and site promotes airflow across this space.

The fourth floor is dedicated to private labs that require more controlled environmental condidtions, as well as a large conference room.

4th Floor

The north facade of the lab building is fitted with vertical mounts and catwalks to allow for the installation and testing of wind reactive facades and turbines

Pedestrian Path

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The overall site program is split between the east and west sides of the existing train track and pedestrian pathway. This takes advantage of both the existing parking lot construction as well as plans for a streetcar line traveling through the site.

Unique in its situation on the the bank of the Willamette, one of the goals of the project is to create a flexible event space and viewing area on the river. The design draws pedestrians and cyclists from the path and into the main courtyard.

Fall 2013

Willamette River Baths and Public Space

Human Activity Patina

River Residential Areas Arterials and Higways Shopping Districts Entertainment Infrastructure Parks and Outdoor Activities Industrial Areas

What is the life of a city? Is it the buildings? Is it the roadways that allow people to travel from place to place? Is it the landscape it is surrounded by? Is it the open spaces and vegetation incorporated into the urban fabric? Some may argue for any of these, but the true life of a city is, of course, PEOPLE.

Humans, and the activities they participate in every day, are what make a city such a thriving place to be. Any community can be defined by the members of its population, but nowhere else do people gather in such numbers, and in such variety.

These activities, working, playing, dwelling, traveling, shopping, ect… they are what make up the “feel”, or the “active patina” of the city.

When thought of visually, this “patina” shows where people gather, what they do, and how many people participate. It can show a concentration of activities such as near a mall, or show highly specialized activities, such as hiking in Forest Park. However, along with showing where people are, this analysis shows where people AREN’T. The Willamette river is one such place in Portland, and this project strives to remedy that state.

Dynamic Public Space

The city of Portland has a water problem in relation to its population. It isn’t the lack of it, or even so much the dealing with too much of it; Portland’s water problem is one of disconnection.

This bathhouse and public space connects the river to the larger city in a way that currently doesn’t exist. Visually, the structure acts as a beacon, drawing the eye to the river with its overall design.

Functionally, it also gives visual cues to the status of the river via changing platforms.

These floating plaforms move and change with the overall height of the river.

As the water rises and falls, the platforms are reconfigured, changing both the visual quality of the overall site as well as drastically shifting the quality of the public space of which these platforms are Willamette River Baths and Public Space Section Looking North comprised.

Site Plan

With this feature, it is possible for someone to know the height of the river just by looking at the platform. It is also possible for residents and visitors to have a different experience every time they set foot on the site.

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The project has three main goals. The first is to provide a dynamic and flexible public open space. The second is the inclusion of a large indoor public pool and four smaller private pools on the outer portion of the public space. The third is to serve as a floating dock and destination point on the river.

The third goal is what makes this project so potentially important. By providing a high quality public destination on the river itself, it can make the city view the Willamette in a different light.

Currently, the city views the river almost as a valuable piece of art. It’s very pretty, it is important for business and the ecosystem, but it must not be touched.

The riverfront park downtown celebrates the river, but holds people back from actually interacting with it.

Opportunities to touch the river are relatively few, and this project can be a way to make the river once more culturally significant to the day to day lives of people in the city.

Winter 2013

Journey House

Multi-Family Housing

This ARCH 481 Studio was a multi- Family housing project. The client for the project was Central City Concern, based in Portland. Their program provides counciling, treatment, and housing for those going through drug/alcohol rehabilitation.

Always in need of more housing, they have a particular need for housing for individuals going through the program that have small children.

The Site is on the east side of Portland, on SE 122nd Ave just South of SE Market, and across from SE Stephens.

The 21,000 sq/f site runs lengthwise East from 122nd to West bordering Mill City Park and Mill Park Elementary School.

Central to CCC’s intended program was the creation of a safe, comfortable, group of homes that would support people through recovery as well as encourage a close-knit and positive community.

Journey House represents the transition of an individual through recovery. From treatement, through independence, the program of the building and site follow suit transitioning from formal offices along 122nd through the housing units, to the community spaces bordering the public park.

Section Facing West North Elevation

The exterior of the structure also represents the sometimes difficult path to recovery. Just as the healing process happens in fits and starts, the facade material transitions gradually as it moves toward the park

The building helps to drive social interaction in many ways. There are two main circulation cores with large open spaces. This encourages residents to stop and interact with those they might meet on the stairs, or along the hallway.

Large patios with vertical gardens and planters look down on the community green space and toward the park. This provides opportunities for interaction between multple vertical planes.

Launtry and Community Room

The Laundry and community room is bordered with bay windows on the south toward the community garden, and west toward the park. This was to provide maximum visibility for parents to watch their children, as well as provide natural light

1st Floor

2nd Floor

3 Bedroom Unit

2 Bedroom Unit

1 Bedroom Unit 2nd-4th Floor

The design consists of 30 units on 4 floors 4 - 1000 sq/ft 3Br 21 - 700 sq/ft 2Br 5 - 550 sq/ft 1Br

The units thresholds are grouped to match the core circulation areas, and provide the resident a “front porch� area for them to personalize.

The halls provide a view from one core to another, encouraging the viewer to continue the journey through the structure

2nd Floor Hall and Entry

1 Bedroom Unit 1st Floor

Site Model looking in from 122nd Ave

NW Corner of Model

SW Corner of Model

Model viewed from above

Spring 2012

Artisan Live/Work Community: Woodcarver

This ARCH382 project was part of an artisan live/work community.

The structural shape and program is informed by the woodcutter’s connection with, and shaping of, material, as well as the physical relationship and proximity with the rest of the community.

The arrangement of rooms spiral up through the building, creating a journey from the workshop, through the business space, up to the private parts of the structure.

The journey continues through the personal space of the second floor, and onto the semi-public space on the third floor and outer patio spaces

The workshop is located below grade, along with a storage/systems area underneath the ground floor The ground floor opens up onto either side of the building, and is the main office area.

The bedroom and bathroom are both located on the second floor, while the living room, kitchen, dining room, and outdoor patio is all on the top floor.

The patio space is part of a rooftop network that connects all of the surrounding artisans in the community.

Winter 2012

Light Art Exhibit Hall

The form of the Light Art Exhibit Hall was inspired by the concept of sightlines from within the structure and relationships with sunlight. Layering and changing planes make the structure visually complex, and provide many different environments for the display of light art installations.

Control, Sun Exposure, and Circulation were the three main influences of the floor layout. Sightlines and sun exposure within the building gradually increases as one moves up levels.

The first floor has little sun penetration, and consists of mainly business activities (control) The second Floor has more sightline and light penetration (adjustable) The third floor is almost entirely open to the city in terms of sightline and light exposure during the day. At night, light installations can reverse the visual conversation, and act as a draw to people within sight of the structure Building Sightlines

3rd Floor

2nd Floor

1st Floor

1st Floor

2nd Floor

3rd Floor

Fall 2011

Honey House and Apiary

The Honey House and Apiary centered around the concept of drone bees, and the conical shape they create at Drone Congregation Areas (where they mate with queens).

Drone Congregation Area (DCA) as Shape for Apiary

The apiary exists within the area of an actual DCA, and has a central spire shaping the conical height.

The slope, and material of the roof create a view from within the honey house that implies the DCA cone shape to those within the structure.

Drone Bees circle in DCA’s to wait for queens to mate with and for orienting themselves while traveling

Wind Movement in Site

The Honey House consists of two levels.

The main floor is the commercial and educational space. It provides a view down into the workshop level, where the actual honey processing occurs.

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Main Floor

Along with providing a view to the apiary, the large windows provide southern exposure for solar gain in the winter.

Existing, and added trees on the site provide wind protection for the bees, and shading during the warmer months.

Sun Movement In Site

Workshop

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Parkrose Sandy Blvd Kit of Parts and Guidelines Greg Antons - Kit of Parts Design, CORE Design Chris Miranda - CORE Design, Renderings Alex Sklar - CORE design, Kit of Parts Design, Renderings Aaron Webster - Kit of Parts and COREConcept Work, Facade Guideline Concept and Design

Fall 2012

Parkrose Neighborhood has a strong multigenerational history, and it was important to have that inform the design of the Kit of Parts in the Community Outreach Research Education (CORE) design along Sandy Blvd.

We chose weathered steel to represent the “rooted� established culture in Parkrose, and a polished aluminum to represent the younger generation currently establishing themselves within the community.

Guidelines were established for specific categories, such as:

Trees and vegetation

Public Seating Lighting Signage

Facade Material and Color Palette

Awning size and style

The CORE facade and streetfront guidelines for Sandy Blvd were intended to create a semi-uniform street front that would help establish a neighborhood “brand� along Sandy Blvd through Parkrose Neighborhood.

The CORE guidelines, along with the Kit of Parts, can be used in a variety of ways including parklets, infrastructure improvements, and larger scale parks or plaza design.

Esplanade Center Portland’s East Side Esplanade is a large fixture on the waterfront, but it is currently missing a real gathering spot.

Winter 2011

This project attempts to create a “place” at the hub of activity where the esplanade, steel bridge, and pedestrian traffic from Eastern Portland meet.

The Performer

The 280 studio centered around a series of projects designed around a specific architype, the Performer, in my case.

The first project was a window that would represent the performer when looking through it.

The third project was a pavilian representing an important point in the Performer’s life. This represented the Performer emerging out onto the stage and presenting themselves to the public

Fall 2010

The second project was a threshold through which the performer could transition from private to public space.

Casa Malaparte

In this precedent studio, I researched Casa Malaparte, on the Isle of Capri in Italy.

Winter 2010

Research, Technical drawing, model building, and beginning design concepts were paramount in what would be the beginning of my journey through the PSU Architecture program.

Fall 2009

Drawings

Photography