What Can Architecture Do For You?

What Can Architecture Do for You? A Portfolio by Greg Morse

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About This Portfolio Counter to common convention, this portfolio has been designed to entertain and inform a general audience rather than an architecture expert. It aims to show that architects can communicate complex architectural ideas without sacrificing the integrity of the content or alienating everyday people.

As someone obsessed with the study and practice of architecture, my eyes are wide open to the beautiful ways it can influence our interactions, productivity, happiness, memories, and a thousand other dimensions of the human experience. Many people, however, do not have access to the resources that reveal the importance of architecture.

Despite its undeniable influence on our lives, architecture isn’t covered in most school curricula in the United States. There is no “Architecture Channel” on TV. Books on the subject can be difficult to find; in fact, I recently visited an architecture bookstore that charged an admission fee! For a society so proud of democracy, the barriers between laypeople and architectural knowledge and influence are shockingly pervasive. We should be doing more to communicate the intentions and implications of our work if we want to increase both the supply and demand for well-designed spaces.

If you are an architecture expert, I hope this portfolio reinvigorates your passion to connect people with great architecture. If you don’t yet consider yourself an expert, I hope you find inspiration and wonder.

In any case, I am grateful just to be able to share my passion with you.

Thank you for reading!

WHAT CAN ARCHITECTURE DO FOR YOU? A PORTFOLIO BY

Greg Morse

CONTACT: gregtsmorse@gmail.com 970.389.6665

Contents

4

Unbuilt

4 The Last Farmhouse An office in

the sky and a modern farmhouse rich with natural materials ensure the farmer of the future will never miss a stalled field drone or a connection with friends and family.

16 MoFi Institute An interior hiking trail immerses visitors in the adventure of mountain film while the building harvests every last drop of the subarctic sun.

24 New Chicago An angular, mixeduse master plan turns behemoth obstacles into opportunities for a brand new lakefront community.

16

Built

36 MOVE: Table Prototype A table

shaped by the recorded movements of brain-storming students promotes active learning and collaboration.

40 The Reading Door A discarded door, reborn as a lounge chair, helps readers enter new worlds.

42 Georgetown Chicken Coop The latest addition to a historic Victorian cottage innovatively houses 5 hens in tight quarters.

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The Last Farmhouse Chatsworth, IL

What does it promote?

• • •

Outdoor living Self-sustaining lifestyle Visits from friends and family

What does it deter?

• • •

4

Social isolation Surveillance failures due to technological faults A farmer’s disconnect from nature and nurture by rapidly advancing technology

With an office in the sky and a modern farmhouse rich with natural materials, the farmer of the future will never miss a stalled field drone or a connection with friends and family.

Advances in farming are leading to vast, lonely landscapes of automated corn fields. If trends continue, we can expect farm life to consist of a solitary farmer simply watching his crops day in and day out. He would be ready at the drop of a hat to repair a broken harvester in the field but also yearn to entertain guests on a trip away from the city.

The home attracts visitors with a restorative experience of nature by selectively blurring the division between interior and exterior.

45 Miles from Nearest City Lake Michigan Chicago

Kankakee 45 mi.

Bloomington Champaign 5

The Farm N FARM STATS 6 SQUARE MILES 3840 ACRES 167,300,000 SQUARE FEET

CHATSWORTH, IL - 3.7 MILES

FARMHOUSE 2 MILES

3 MILES URBANA, IL - 47.0 MILES

173’-4” to Top of Tower 150’-0” to Office Floor

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The Farmhouse N

In what ways was the design shaped by the site? Were there any natural forces that influenced the project?

To completely immerse visitors in nature, the western half of the home opens to the woods with a moveable glass wall. The eastern half remains opaque to block out the parked vehicles and nearby road.

The farmer can grow some of his own food on the roof, away from

the fauna that live on the site. This also minimizes the need to travel to the nearest grocery store (which might be quite far). The tower is just tall enough to look over the furthest edge of the woods to the adjacent fields. The gabled roof of the tower is angled to accommodate

a photovoltaic panel that powers the farmhouse. Nearly every formal decision is a direct response to the site and its natural forces.

1,100’ to Furthest Edge of Woods

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Key Stages in the Design Process

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1 | 1000 SF Starting Volume

The simplest way to reduce waste is to use less. In this case, 1000 SF provides just enough space.

4 | Elevator Core

An elevator simplifies the daily commute up the tower.

7 | Volume Shifted for Entry and Garden

The public volume is shifted to make way for a covered entryway and a green roof where the farmer can grow his own vegetables away from pests.

2 | Office Elevated Above Trees

A portion of the volume is lifted above the trees for uninhibited views of the fields surrounding the farmhouse.

5 | Supporting Structure

The cable-stayed steel structure, inspired by the radio towers peppering the rural landscape, provides an efficent structure with a minimal footprint.

3 | Rotated Towards Driveway

Rotating the roof accomodates a south-facing solar panel and the iconic gabled profile greets visitors coming up the driveway.

6 | Public/Private Split

Although this farmer loves to entertain, he needs a private space dedicated to his personal rest and relaxation.

8 | Exterior Living Spaces Added

The outdoor spaces expand the perceived amount of living and entertainment space in the home while also facilitating a connection with the outdoors.

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Inside/Outside Separation Blurred by Glass Wall, Offset Columns, Continuous Lines and Surfaces

Foldable Wall Disappears to Bring Outdoors In

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N

First Floor Plan

N

Second Floor Plan

Simple, Natural Bedroom Calms and Restores

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What unique dwelling opportunity does the design afford?

The tower office is unlike any other home office. Hovering 150 feet above the ground and 100 feet above the tree tops, inhabitants can view the uninterrupted landscape for miles in any direction. Whether searching for a downed drone or an incoming relative, you can be comfortable

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with enough space for a day bed, a couch, and anything else you might need to spend a day working in the clouds.The tower office is unlike any other home office. Hovering 150 feet above the ground and 100 feet above the tree tops, inhabitants can view the uninterrupted landscape for miles

in any direction. Whether searching for a downed drone or an incoming relative, you can be comfortable with enough space for a day bed, a couch, and anything else you might need to spend a day working in the clouds.

N

Mezzanine Floor Plan

N

Office Floor Plan

Prefabricated Panel Systems 13

MYCELIUM SIPS

GROWN-IN-PLACE EXPOSED MYCELIUM INSULATION

How to Construct Grown-In-Place, Exposed Mycelium Insulation Walls Install Sections of Formwork and Pack with Loose Mycelium Material

14

How is material use in this project representative of driving design ideas?

Mycelium Wall Mock-Up

The Last Farmhouse uses three primary materials: wood, steel, and a mycelium insulation grown from agricultural waste. The wood brings the material of the immediate landscape into the building. The steel allows for a structurally efficient tower but it also relates to the unapologetic pragmatism of rural structures such as grain elevators and radio towers. The mycelium insulation is grown from shredded cornstalk and cornhusk (usually unusable byproducts of farming) and a unique species of mushroom.

The resulting product resists fire, rot, and mold. It has about the same insulation performance as polystyrene but with a fraction of the carbon footprint. Like the wood, the mycelium brings resources from the landscape into the home.

Grow Mycelium in Formwork for 5 Days

Remove Formwork and Reinstall as Exterior Rainscreen

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MoFi Institute

Hurungane Mountain Range, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway

What does it encourage?

• •

Physical, active engagement with exhibits The sustainable stewardship of mountain environments

Features •

•

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Computer-generated massing, optimized for low annual energy use Interior hiking path

An interior hiking trail exposes visitors to the awesome adventures of the mountain film genre while the envelope harvests every last drop of the subarctic sun.

You’ve probably seen some of the thrilling mountain film recently brought into the limelight by companies like GoPro and Red Bull. This kind of action-packed footage is the subject of the Mountain Film Institute, or MoFi. The physically engaging interior of MoFi immerses visitors in the experience of mountain film while the carefully optimized exterior stays true to one of the most important objectives of mountain film - to promote stewardship of mountain environments.

Project Location

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Key Stages in the Design Process

1

Computer Generated Massing Uses Topography to Maximize Solar Gain

A custom-made script modeled thousands of possible massing options all over the hilly site. As it modeled, it also identified the options with the most solar exposure and volume, but the least amount of surface area.

2

Traversing Path Allows Visitors to Hike within Confines of Building Envelope Nothing encourages you to hike quite like mountain film. After a basic form was selected, the opportunity for a hiking trail appeared within the form. Visitors can take advantage of the path between exhibits.

3

Ramps, Stairs, and Seating Promote Dwelling in Circulation Space

Basic infrastructure like stairs and ramps allow everyone to comfortably inhabit the hiking path.

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4

Public Activities Separated from Private Spaces

Private studios and apartments allow visiting researchers, athletes, and aficionados to immerse themselves in the environment of their study. These facilities are located away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the institute.

5

Envelope Manipulated to Minimize Heat Loss

In this environment, less surface area means less heat loss. The building envelope was smoothed out to minimize surface area and provide optimal surfaces for installing solar collectors.

Interior Hiking Path

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Low Profile Doesn’t Block Views The building’s conformance to the site means it doesn’t block views of the Hurungane mountain upon approach.

South Facing Panoramas

A large south-facing curtain wall offers expansive panoramas and daylight.

Structure Utilizes Norwegian Wood Products MoFi takes advantage of one of Norway’s primary industries: timber. The structure utilizes glulam beams and columns, SIPS, and CLT floor systems.

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Structure + Transpired Solar Air Collectors

Exhibition Spaces Located Along Hiking Trail

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3

1 2

4

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1

South 1 : 250

How Do MoFi’s Transpired Solar Air Collectors Work?

1

The surfaces where the solar collectors are mounted are angled in order to catch the suns rays throughout the Spring, Summer, and Winter, thereby receiving the greatest amount of the sun’s energy when it’s needed the most.

2

The sun’s rays strike the surface of the solar collector which is basically a perforated metal screen. The sun heats this metal panel, and the metal panel heats air in a cavity behind it.

3

As the air behind the panel warms, it moves up because hot air rises above cold air. The warm air exits the top of the collector and moves down ducting to a furnace for additional heating.

4

When the hot air leaves the solar collector, it creates negative pressure in the cavity, drawing more fresh air in.

2

West 1 : 250

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New Chicago Chicago, IL

What does it promote?

• • •

Around the clock activity Strolling, boating, family fun Interaction with Lake Michigan

What does it deter?

•

Destruction of culturally significant landmarks

An angular, mixed-use master plan turns behemoth obstacles into opportunities.

This project illuminates some of the vibrant possibilities for the last blank piece of buildable lakefront land in Chicago. Its waterfront access makes it an ideal location for high end development, but massive ore walls remnants from the site’s previous life - restrict movement and overpower visitors’ experiences with their tremendous scale. Four interventions have been explored for the development of this neighborhood: The Slip - A mixed-use development including a waterfront park, light rail transit, condos, retail, and commercial space that keeps the site lively at all times.

Steel Worker’s Bridge - A scultpural, yet functional, tribute to the site’s steel-centric past.

Wake Organ - A unique audiovisual experience of Lake Michigan.

The Hole in the Wall - Not just restrooms, but also a new perspective of the ore walls.

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Location Relative to Downtown

The Loop

11 es Mil New Chicago

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USX South Works Steel - 1970

USX South Works Steel - 2011

Ore Walls Command Attention

Photo from the Pullman State Historic Site

The USX South Works Steel site owes its value to its immense ore walls and to beautiful Lake Michigan. Both should be preserved and appreciated as a testament to the region’s rich history.

Photo from examiner.com

The titanic size of the ore walls gives them an ominous presence. Created to hold mountains of ore for steel manufacturing, these walls are going nowhere anytime soon.

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Ore Walls Superimposed Against Downtown Chicago Daley Center Millenium Park South Branch Chicago River Appx. 2500’

Art Institute of Chicago

The ore walls connect Chicago to its industrial history but they also create an imposing physical barrier to movement.

Willis Tower

Standard Orthogonal Grid+Buildings

An ordinary neighborhood of boxes does not play to the advantages of these extraordinary walls.

Angled/Fragmented Grid+Buildings

By eliminating facades and surface lines that run parallel to the ore walls, the resulting angular landscape emphasizes their presence and breaks down their imposing scale.

Angled facades also help direct views to the natural surroundings rather than the building across the way.

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Site Plan

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The Slip

Layered Functions Take Advantage of Immediate Surroundings Residential Residential Residential Residential Commercial Amenities Parking

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Retail Night Life

Public Space to Keep the Lakefront “Forever Open, Clear, and Free”

In 1836, Chicago’s Canal Commission decreed the lakefront to be “Public Ground — Common to Remain Forever Open, Clear, and Free of Any Buildings, or Other Obstruction Whatever.”

Though some may argue the area around the slip is not lakefront, it is important that urban citizens have access to nature. Therefore, a meandering seating area and public space abut the slip to provide for Chicago’s citizens and visitors.

Mural Helps Transform Wall from Barrier to Expression of City Pride

Chicago is one of the world’s greatest cities and the pride of its citizens is displayed throughout the city in the form of the city flag. The angularity of the wall’s surroundings help make the wall the center of attention, making it a perfect canvas for an artisitc expression of city pride.

Mixed-Use Zoning Encourages Around-The-Clock Activity

The variety of functions at The Slip draw people to the area throughout the day, meaning there will rarely be a dull moment.

Additionally, mixed-use zoning allows for denser, more compact development, it encourages walking and biking, and it creates a stronger sense of place within the neighborhood.

Light Rail Transit Makes Room for Public Space Visitors to The Slip can park off-site and ride a light rail train to any point along the slip. This means parking lots can occupy less valuable areas and visitors can traverse the half-mile long devlopment with ease.

Park

Rentable Docks

Rentable Docks Provide Municipal Income and Ease Lake Access

Public space costs the city money but those costs can be defrayed by charging for services such as dock rental.

Docks also open up the possiblity of ferry services between the Steelyards neighborhood and downtown Chicago.

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The Steel Worker’s Bridge

This tribute to the site’s steel history allows visitors to watch a movie projected against a giant ore wall, track boats as they taxi the slip, view downtown Chicago to the North, traverse the slip, and much more.

Aligned with Boulevard

Several master plans by firms such as SOM call for a diagonal boulevard on the north side of the slip. Aligning the bridge with the boulevard offers long, unimpeded views.

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Multiple Observation Platforms Visitors can observe the landscape from the center of the bridge, above the wall, and in a theater where the south ore wall creates a backdrop for live performances or movies.

Covered Bike Share

This covered area can house a bike sharing station, simplifying the car-free transportation around the development.

Wake Organ

An Instrument Played by Boats

Pipes submerged in Lake Michigan produce a watery echo whenever boats pass over. This auditory feedback helps to engage multiple senses which can help create richer memories.

Life in Surround Sound

The array of pipes is distributed so that as boats move through the slip, the accompanying sound moves across the installation. For instance, as a boat moves from left to right in front of you, the echo moves left to right behind you. When you see the boat pass by, you won’t hear what you quite expect, encouraging you to be mindful of the present.

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The Hole in the Wall

Another Experience of Volume

Standing more than 35 ft tall and 16 ft wide in places, the ore walls are so massive that it can be hard to understand their scale even when you stand right next to them. By experiencing the wall as both a solid and a void, visitors can more easily comprehend the size of the walls.

The diagonally intersecting entrance/ exit brings attention to the fact that this is the only structure in the vicinity that runs parallel to the walls.

Observing this, visitors are more likely to conclude this special exterior contains a special interior, thereby encouraging them to come inside.

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35

MOVE: Table Prototype

What does it promote?

• Focus • Creativity • Collaboration • Active Learning/Working Client • The Center for Innovation and Teaching and Learning (CITL) and the University of Illinois Budget • $7,500 for three tables

A table shaped by the physical movements of brain-storming students facilitates active learning and collaboration.

The MOVE table is the result of a design competition to partially furnish a new innovation lab for the University of Illinois. We regularly spoke with the clients, the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL) at the University of Illinois, in order to identify their values and requirements. The winning design will be fabricated and installed but a winner has not yet been selected.

The innovation lab has no exterior windows and very little daylight. It’s cramped, and the existing building materials are unrefined and uninspiring. Students in this room are expected to exercise their creativity in collaborative sessions, but this environment is only likely to inspire boredom and complacency. To counter the effects of the architecture, the MOVE table engages multiple senses in order to stimulate students’ focus, creativity, and collaboration.

Team • Greg Morse • Sam Berk • Carlos Flores SHOP DRAWINGS

MOVE: table for collaboration

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Shape Informed by Motion Capture Studies of Mock-Ups

We started by examining the movements of collaborating students with motion capture cameras. After gathering 3D data of students collaborating around various table mock-ups, we analyzed the data visualizations to find movement patterns that could inform our design.

Inlays Derived from Motion Capture Studies Encourage Touching

After testing multiple iterations, we arrived at a form that promotes easy SHEET movement around and across the G-1 table. Surface inlays of transparent and opaque resins were drawnCNC by - 1 the movements of our right andSF-1 left hands as we studied our movements SE-1 on our second to last mock-up.SS-1 These inlays encourage students SS-2 to activate their sense of touch.

IND

C-1

GENERAL N

Height-Adjustable Surface For Seated and Standing Students

AXONOMETRIC 3/8" = 1'-0"

2'-221"

1'-2"

LY

SIDE VIEW 3/8" = 1'-0"

1.

REVIEW A FABRICAT 2. HEREAFTE LITE" BRA VOLUME 3. FINISH AL Research suggests that standing "PRIMER O while working enhances blood flow, WAX #32" cognition, energy, and other body REFER TO functions important to learning.

However, not everyone has the ability or the desire to stand while working so the STATIONARY C table height adjusts for both working LIFTING CAPAC modes. Thanks to a simple trailer WEIGHT: 420 P jack, the table can be easily raised or lowered with a drill and a 1/4� socket WORKING SUR adapter, or at the press of a button for a cost increase of about $200.

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CRANK CAP

TABLE SURFACE

EDGE BANDING

STEEL LEG ASSEMBLY

SHELF HANGERS

ELECTRONICS SHELVES

CONCRETE BASE BALLAST

STEEL BASE PLATE

FIBER BOARD BASE PAD

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Additional Features • • •

Shelves provide storage space for drawings, laptops, and tablets.

Built-in electrical outlets conveniently power gadgets.

An A/V module allows students to broadcast digital information right from their table.

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Reading Door

What does it encourage?

• Repurposing/recycling • Alternative art mediums • Reading What does it deter?

• Unneccessary material discard Fun Fact • A woman with a severe back injury bought this chair and exclaimed it was the only chair she could use all day comfortably.

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Like books, doors reveal new worlds when they open.

This retired door continues to reveal new worlds

by serving books and their readers.

The 2012 Bold Doors Art Competition and Exhibition challenged artists to transform discarded doors into art that promotes recycling/repurposing and encourages artists to consider alternative mediums. The competition brief encouraged the use of reclaimed materials to promote the creative reappropriation of material otherwise destined for landfills. Besides the paint and fasteners, this entry was created using only recycled/repurposed materials.

Honorable Mention 2012 Bold Doors Art Competition

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Oaks Cottage Coop Georgetown, CO

What does it protect against?

• Bears • Foxes • Dogs Main Design Challenges • Small, narrow space • Historic setting

A multi-story form combined with vernacular aesthetics houses five happy hens in the narrow sideyard of a historic home.

In 1880, Sara Oaks and her husband constructed a simple one-room home for themselves. Over time, small additions have accrued into the small Victorian cottage that exists today. Located in the historic silver mining town of Georgetown, CO, any changes to the property must blend with the historic character of the neighborhood.

Though the cottage is small, the yard is even smaller and raising five hens takes space - 50 square feet for a run and 20 square feet for the coop. By stacking a narrow coop on top of a narrow run and connecting them with a trap door, the hens can comfortably live in the narrow side yard. The siding, paint, trim, window, and door all play a part in blending in with the victorian cottage. The green roof both looks beautiful, and allows herbs and flowers to grow safely out of the reach of any free-roaming birds.

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Greg Morse gregtsmorse@gmail.com 970.389.6665