My name is Henry Sloan and I am a sophomore pursuing a degree in architecture from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I am interested in community based design, particularly public infrastructure, learning spaces, and community centers. I have a passion for learning and constantly seek opportunities to improve my architecture skills. I hope to utilize this passion to design spaces that account for those often unaccounted for and leave a positive impact on communities.
Term: Fall 2024
Professor: Randall Deutsch
Site: Urbana, IL
Softwares: Revit, Illustrator, Photoshop
The Active Archives reimagine the University of Illinois’ current architecture annex, combining elements of archival storage spaces with more formalized galleries and displays to create a place that serves as inspiration for students working in the architecture studio above. Providing an area for the Illinois School of Architecture to both store and display student work intermixed with lounges, the annex becomes a constantly active, changing exhibit of everything the school has to offer. The project maintains UIUC’s traditional Georgian architecture for the exterior facade, while transforming the interior into a vibrant, inviting space through brightly colored paneling and a customized furniture set. The main intervention on the annex comes below
grade, with the currently underutilized basement expanding, creating space for a large lounge, temporary and permanent galleries, and an interactive archive of student work. On the second floor, office space is transformed into a quiet study lounges, also providing some space for a small expansion of the Ricker Library. Piercing through the building is a three level atrium, overlooking from the second level towards the basement, connecting the two spaces, interlinking the process of creation and analyzation. The height of this atrium is framed through the elevator shaft, which sits slightly off-center, suggesting students to be unexpected, think beyond uniformity, and break the mold.
Located on the southern end of the basement, six custom designed archives provide the intervention with a functionality. The pieces function as storage units, display cases, and unique seating experiences. Utilizing highlights of bright colors and distinctive curvatures to create seating, the archives distinguish themselves from the typically monotonous archetype and establish the intention of the overall intervention.
display case for architectural models
large cabinets for storing drawings
Subtractive Construction
Term: Fall 2024
Professor: John Clark
Site: Lake Calumet Cluster, Chicago, IL
Softwares: Rhino3D, Illustrator, Photoshop
Closeness & Canopy is a collection of projects spanning over the course of a semester, that focus on the ecological and social factors that influence and can be influenced by architecture at the Lake Calumet Superfund site in Chicago. My primary focus throughout the duration of this collection was on the role that proximity plays in the socioeconomic climate of the area, analyzing who was impacted the most, and why they were impacted the most. The answer to my first question came quite quickly; the residents of the low-income housing community, the Trumbull Park Homes, situated less than half a mile north of a former Acme Steel Coke plant. The government’s intentional choice to place low-income housing directly adjacent to a
then active factory reveals the systemic barriers that have been put in place for these communities, an issue that extends beyond the scope of Lake Calumet or Chicago entirely. Delving further into the role that the environment plays in quality of life relative to class revealed the significance of urban heat islands. Through removing or limiting the planting of trees in impoverished communities, governmental powers subject these communities to significantly higher heat and worse air quality. While architecture alone cannot address this issue at the necessary scale, it can provide small scale solutions for individual communities. This knowledge shaped the total collection of work, serving as a baseline reasoning behind the design and programming choices.
broad site analysis collage
The second step of the process was to transform a standard gabled house, addressing environmental and social factors. The final model has a gable top, with one side slanting all the way to the ground and the other landing on the top roof. This roof provides shade for those inside, while also protecting from the winds coming off of Lake Michigan. The linearity of the rest of the building attempts to address the historic brick architecture of Chicago. final model
study models
Team: Lizbeth Delgado
The primary focus of the semester was an ecological community lounge that continues to address the ecological and societal contexts. Our lounge addresses these issues through a large canopy roof, providing necessary shade for the people and plants of the surrounding area. The lounge also provides an ample amount of space for hosting community events, something that is significantly lacking in the region.
The final element of collection was a short graphic novel that narrated the usage of the structure over time. My graphic novel, Hide in the Shade, utilizes three spreads, each focusing on separate points in the buildings lifespan. The first spread details the effects that the factories and lack of trees have had on families and their role in creating heat within the community. The second depicts a fully constructed ecolounge being enjoyed by a vibrant community, proving the utility of its shade and space. The final shows a decaying and dystopic future, with the site losing its funding and subsequently its community. This spread also depicts a further leap into the future, where eventually the concept of canopy utilized by the lounge is transferred onto the entire city, blocking out the sun entirely. This graphic novel critiques the ability of architecture to respond to large scale issues, typically attempting to act as a standalone solution to issues that significantly outsize their capabilities.
Term: Spring 2024
Professor: Isabella Hillman
The mid-century modern style is one of the most critically praised recent architectural styles, representative of a period significant for shifts in design, aesthetics, and culture. This project was an abstract representation of Richard Neutra’s VDL Studio and Residences in Los Angeles, California. The home emphasized horizontal form through large glass panes and ribbon windows as well as its overall structure allowing for significant horizontal protrusions. The home also features several small level changes, a feature which shapes the experience of the user by the creating the feeling that one is going up and down often, dividing the space
without always needing additional walls. To represent these features I utilized staples and balsa wood to mimic the textural elements seen in mid-century modern construction, will also creating a rigid horizontal form. Stacking the staples in several different orientations allows the space to feel consistent, but not unchanging, similar to Neutra’s height changes. These features combine to create a model that is not identifiable as a building, but instead can be envisioned as a inhabitable space at many scales, from a singular structure, to a whole city network.
