James Wall, IIDA, NCIDQ
Designer | Researcher | Storyteller
Wall, James. Duality. 2021. Acrylic on canvas.
Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center
Girl Scouts of South Carolina
SCU Corporate Headquarters
South Carolina State Credit Union
Campus Village –Residence Halls
University of South Carolina
Campus Village –The Pavilion Dining Hall
University of South Carolina
Researcher
Views from the Village: How to Create a Community by Design 2024 Annual SEAHO Conference
Storyteller
Whistler’s Mother Independent Film Short Director: Robbie Robertson
Hall of Horrors Dark Harvest
Haunted Attraction
Cayce-West Columbia Jaycees
Hall of Horrors
Haunted Attraction
Cayce-West Columbia Jaycees
Editorial, Theatrical, and Special Effects Makeup
Various
Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center
Girl Scouts of South Carolina –Mountains to Midlands Council Columbia, SC | Completed 2019 BOUDREAUX
Project Description
The challenge of the Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center was to reimagine a 1970s State Agricultural Lab building as an overnight destination filled with memory-making experiences for Girl Scouts across South Carolina. The 30,000 SF building contains a highly packed program organized to celebrate and expose the building’s original structure. Focusing on specific Girl Scout concepts like business enterprise, global citizenship, healthy living, the arts, outdoor education, and STEM activities, the new design gives each element its own dynamic, colorful space.
Design Approach
Through visioning sessions with board members, community leaders, and Scouts themselves, the design and program revolved around evoking a sense of WOW. The Girl Scout branding was to be explicit and immersive with an aesthetic that could be embraced by young girls and business leaders alike. Bold colors and graphics, steeped in meaning, enliven every space. Altogether, a fun and professional environment supports a consistent theme: when you are here, Girls Rule!
Personal Contributions
• Concept Development
• Space Planning
• Millwork Design and Detailing
• Ceiling Design and Lighting Selections
• Finish Selections, Design, and Specifications
• Furniture Layout and Selections
• Submittal Review
• Furniture Installation Coordination
• Interior and Exterior Signage
• Environmental and Wayfinding Graphics
Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center
Girl Scouts of South Carolina –Mountains to Midlands Council Columbia, SC | Completed 2019 BOUDREAUX
Space Program
The Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center required a thoughtful consideration of the experience of a wide spectrum of users simultaneously occupying the building, from community groups to campers staying overnight in five uniquely themed bunk rooms. Two highly impactful subtractive gestures link inside and out. The first sets an energetic tone and emphasizes the entry where a portion of the second-floor structure was removed revealing a twostory lobby, becoming a central hub with a dynamic climbing wall. The second subtractive move defines a covered multi-use area that connects visitors to nature and the nearby Congaree River.
Second Floor Plan Not to Scale
First Floor Plan Not to Scale
SCU Corporate Headquarters
South Carolina State Credit Union Columbia, SC | Completed 2023 BOUDREAUX
Project Description
The State Credit Union (SCU) consolidated its operations by expanding its Corporate Headquarters located in downtown Columbia. An existing one-story structure was demolished to make way for a prominent two-story central atrium lobby that connects the existing two-story branch location to a three-story addition. The existing building was re-clad in brick to blend with the timeless design character of the addition. The total construction area totaled nearly 75,000 SF.
Design Approach
The site is located in Columbia’s Innovista Design Overlay, which was established to foster smart growth in an area adjacent to the rapidly expanding research university, the University of South Carolina. Its Design Guidelines intend to help new developments meet the principles of pedestrian-friendly, quality urban development. As such, the addition was placed along a new pedestrian thoroughfare to engage the street and the building height steps back at the third floor to reinforce a more human scale for the passerby. Guided by SCU’s mission to improve the financial lives of their members, the exterior and interior design approach focused on economical architectural moves and timeless materials to create a Headquarters that will stand for generations.
Personal Contributions
• Concept Development
• Site Design and Building Massing
• Façade Development
• Space Planning
• Millwork Design and Detailing
• Ceiling Design and Lighting Selections
• Finish Selections, Design, and Specifications
• Furniture Layout and Selections
• Submittal Review
• Custom Signage
Campus Village –Residence Halls
University of South Carolina Columbia, SC | Completed 2023 BOUDREAUX
Project Description
Campus Village is a large-scale new construction public-private partnership between the University of South Carolina and the developer, Greystar. The project will be completed over three phases, including eight buildings spread across a parklike setting. This first phase opened to students in Fall 2023 and included four buildings with 1800 beds. Each building is a concrete podium construction with resident floors constructed using the Prescient prefabricated structural wall system.
Programmatically, each ground floor features a mix of public spaces such as maker workshops, classrooms, Facultyin-Residence Offices, a Student Success Center, and various amenities such as a dining hall, Starbucks, convenience store, and Jimmy John’s. The residential units are all located on upper floors and feature shared kitchens, lounges, and study rooms. The largest building, Campus Village 1, is geared towards freshmen with shared pod-style restrooms. The remaining buildings are all suites.
Design Approach
How does one create a homelike experience that is universal for nearly 2000 students from all walks of life? An evidence-based design approach organized around the tenants of biophilia was employed to create a unique yet familiar living environment for the students of Campus Village. For more details regarding the concept development of Campus Village, see the Research section where I take a deep dive on the topic.
Personal Contributions
• Concept Development
• Space Planning
• Millwork Design and Detailing
• Ceiling Design and Lighting Selections
• Finish Selections, Design, and Specifications
• Furniture Layout and Selections
• Submittal Review
• Environmental Graphics
Campus Village –
The Pavilion Dining Hall
University of South Carolina Columbia, SC | Completed 2023 BOUDREAUX
Project Description
Campus Village is a large-scale new construction public-private partnership between the University of South Carolina and the developer, Greystar. The project will be completed over three phases, including eight buildings spread across a parklike setting. The first phase opened to students in Fall 2023, including four buildings with 1800 beds. This 750 seat, 30,000 SF dining facility, located in Campus Village 1, was designed to accommodate the anticipated 3750 students that will ultimately call Campus Village home when all phases are complete.
Design Approach
Branded The Pavilion by Aramark, this dining facility is located adjacent to a large circular plaza that serves as a crossroads for several walking paths and a pedestrian bridge. This circular motif was extrapolated at various scales throughout the project. Additionally, the official school colors of garnet and black and used strategically to reinforce school pride and placemaking. A variety of seating types and heights were provided to optimize density while accommodating a range of user preferences.
Personal Contributions
• Concept Development
• Space Planning
• Millwork Design and Detailing
• Ceiling Design and Lighting Selections
• Finish Selections, Design, and Specifications
• Furniture Layout and Selections
• Submittal Review
Project Details
Design Challenge
Campus Village is located a mile from the campus core; therefore, it is disconnected from the elements and experiences that would typically provide meaning and create a sense of belonging for students.
Every student should feel at home when living at Campus Village, but when every resident is unique, how can you make a homelike experience universal?
Evidence -Based Design
Instead of focusing on some ambiguous “homelike” design features, we dug deeper. We looked for outcomes. We asked ourselves:
- How does being at home make one feel?
- How is one’s life improved in a homelike environment?
- What attitudes and behaviors do we want students to experience?
• Be familiar and intuitive
• Reduce stress
• Promote wellbeing
• Increase cognitive performance
• Support community cohesiveness
We then sought a design framework that had empirically demonstrated its ability to achieve our desired outcomes. Anchored by the precedent of Christopher Alexander’s seminal text, A Pattern Language, Terrapin Bright Green’s publication, 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design, provided such a framework.
Constraints
Campus Village is a partnership between owner, USC, and developer/operator, Greystar. As such, any viable design solution had to balance their building standards and project goals. Luckily, many of these only reinforced our biophilic design approach:
- Use local materials wherever practical
- Incorporate the spirit of the university into design
- Provide a homelike feel but not stuffy or traditional
- Create a distinct and cohesive Campus Village Brand by uniting the finishes, furnishings, signage, and graphics
However, this branding should be subtle Campus Village is a residence not a Gamecock locker room. The analogy used for subtle branding was Hidden Mickeys in Disney parks. They indicate that you are in a Disney themed environment without breaking the immersion.
Biophilic
design is the designing for people as a biological organism, respecting the mind-body systems as indicators of health and wellbeing in the context of what is locally appropriate and responsive.
Above all, biophilic design must nurture a love of place.
Browning, W.D., Ryan, C.O., Clancy, J.O. (2014). 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design. New York: Terrapin Bright Green, LLC.
Equitable Design Across Buildings
Acknowledgements
There are so many factors that can make or break a collegiate experience and we were not naive enough to believe that biophilia or our specific approach for Campus Village was a design panacea. But we wanted to, as much as possible, minimize any friction that historically institutional living quarters can provide.
14 Patterns of Biophilic Design
Nature in the Space
Addresses the direct, physical and ephemeral presence of nature in a space or place. This includes plant life, water and animals, as well as breezes, sounds, scents and other natural elements.
Visual Connection with Nature
Non-Visual Connection with Nature
Non-Rhythmic Sensory Stimuli
Thermal & Airflow Variability
Presence of Water
Dynamic & Diffuse Light
Connection with Natural Systems
Natural Analogues
Addresses organic, non-living and indirect evocations of nature. Objects, materials, colors, shapes, sequences and patterns found in nature, manifest as artwork, ornamentation, furniture, décor, and textiles in the built environment.
Nature of the Space
Addresses spatial configurations in nature. This includes our innate and learned desire to be able to see beyond our immediate surroundings, our fascination with the slightly dangerous or unknown; obscured views and revelatory moments; and sometimes even phobia inducing properties when they include a trusted element of safety.
Biomorphic Forms & Patterns
Complexity & Order
Campus Village Design Patterns
Subtle Integration of University Branding
City Spirit Placemaking Through Art and Finishes
Balanced Approach to Color Theory
Intuitive Wayfinding Through Design and Signage
Variety of Furniture Styles for a Variety of Preferences
Views from the Village: How to Create a Community by Design
2024 Annual SEAHO Conference Charleston, SC | Presented 02.28.2024 BOUDREAUX
Conference Description
The Southeastern Association of Housing Officers (SEAHO) advances excellence in housing programs and staff by promoting best practices, networking, professional development and involvement opportunities. A conference is held each year to share the latest industry knowledge, including developments in architecture and design. BOUDREAUX was selected to present its recently completed project, Campus Village at the University of South Carolina (USC), at the 2024 Annual Conference in Charleston.
Presentation Purpose
Campus Village is a large-scale new construction public-private partnership between the University of South Carolina and the developer, Greystar, that includes four residence halls, a dining facility, and a transportation hub. This presentation focused on the process and research that went into creating the interiors for Campus Village, specifically the deep integration of the interior design team at the project onset and our close working relationship with university housing leadership. These pages summarize the evidencebased design that was operationalized in Campus Village. The slide deck for the full presentation can be viewed here
Presenters
April Barnes, Ed.D | USC Executive Director of University Housing Dan Colascione, Ed.D | USC Director of Residence Life
Heather Mitchell, AIA | BOUDREAUX President, Architect
James Wall, IIDA | BOUDREAUX Interior Design Team Lead
Whistler’s Mother
Independent Film Short
Director: Robbie Robertson
Cayce, SC | 2018 Freelance Set Designer
Project Description
Whistler’s Mother was a locallyproduced independent horror film short, shot in locations around Columbia. Writer and Director, Robbie Robertson, initially approached me for advice on scouting exterior and interior locations for the dwelling of his antagonist, the witch from Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga.
The script called for a pyramid-shaped mausoleum that was magically bewitched by Baba Yaga to be much larger on the inside than the exterior implied. No such locations, whether together or separate, came to mind. Instead, I offered to build his set within the Cayce-West Columbia Jaycee’s building where their Hall of Horrors Haunted Attraction is contained. After viewing the space with his production team and hearing my ideas, he agreed to bring me on as his Set Designer.
Design Approach
Baba Yaga’s dwelling was described as a wooded path lined with illuminated skulls on twisted branches leading to an overgrown, ancient pyramid-shaped mausoleum. A heavy iron door enclosed a cold tomb containing scant furnishings and a flickering fire. This entire setting needed to be designed into an area less than 850 SF. Additionally, as these scenes were originally intended to be location shots, there was virtually no budget for this set construction.
The bulk of the lumber used was obtained by deconstructing walls in the haunted attraction. The foam used for stone walls was diverted from Tractor Supply’s waste stream. Vegetation was taken from a variety of locations including an adjacent wooded parcel, my yard, and even a tree that was struck by lightening at my mother’s house.
I had the great fortune of over 30 friends and family coming together to help with the construction in one way or another, even if it was just stopping by one night to help heat-seal the shaped foam tiles. This was an incredible lift completed in eight weeks from initial phone call to filming, with all work occurring over nights and weekends while being employed full-time at Compass 5 Partners. This was truly a labor of love and a project I’m immensely proud of.
Hall of Horrors Dark Harvest
Haunted Attraction
Cayce-West Columbia Jaycees Cayce, SC | 2023 Season
Creative Co-Director and Project Chair
Project Description
The Hall of Horrors is a non-profit indoor haunted attraction owned and operated by the Cayce-West Columbia Jaycees. Each year the Jaycees pride themselves on creating an original story with a unique theme.
The show for 2023, titled Dark Harvest, brought patrons into the story of a farm that’s fallen on hard times, where the owners have turned to the dark arts in hopes that something will encourage their crops to grow. Unfortunately, their rituals had unintended consequences, unleashing demonic entities that poisoned the land.
All existing sets were completely deconstructed allowing for a fresh path through the building featuring themed areas including a barn, greenhouse, cornfield, and farmhouse.
Design Approach
The design approach for Dark Harvest was quite simple: maximize every inch of the available 4000 SF, both in plan and elevation. Several layout options were sketched out and refined, the process of which is illustrated to the left.
Additionally, the entire creative team had a goal of pushing themselves to do things that they had never done before. For me, that was designing and building specific scene details such as the “ritual candle girl” (an homage to a scene in Halloween Horror Night’s Blood Moon Dark Offerings house) and an actor scare location concealed within a crate made with elastic side panels.
Personal Contributions
• Overall Creative Direction
• Story Development
• Layout Design
• Set Construction
• Scenic Painting and Detailing
• Prop Design and Fabrication
• Fire and Life Safety Coordination
Hall of Horrors
Haunted Attraction
Cayce-West Columbia Jaycees Cayce, SC | Seasons 2014 – Present Creative Director, Set Designer, Construction, Scenic Painter, Set Decorator, Props, Lighting, Audio
Project Description
The Hall of Horrors is a non-profit indoor haunted attraction owned and operated by the Cayce-West Columbia Jaycees. Each year the Jaycees pride themselves on creating an original story with a unique theme. Over the last decade, themes have included everything from an abandoned farmhouse to a medical laboratory. Being a non-profit attraction, the capital expense budget is quite limited, and all labor is volunteer. A portion of the proceeds go to support the South Carolina Jaycee’s Camp Hope, a residential summer camp for individuals with cognitive disabilities. We like to say that we create nightmares to make camper’s dreams come true!
Design Approach
My first experience with the Hall of Horrors was as a patron in 2013. I knew that it was a non-profit attraction, so I was expecting black plastic walls and Party City masks. I was blown away to see fully built sets themed to a central story filled with actors in SFX makeup. I was hooked and had to get involved.
I became a member of the Jaycees in March 2014 and immediately joined the committee for the Hall of Horrors. The Project Chairs wanted to add an outdoor pallet maze that season and asked me to lead the effort. I was happy to oblige and immediately started designing a layout. I then proceeded to act that season in the maze, creating my own character, Doctor Darling. I was featured in news articles and later included in the haunt’s social media marketing. The following year, the entire story was based on Doctor Darling and his experiments.
With each successive year I acted less and took on more creative and managerial responsibilities, ultimately serving as the Project Chair in 2017. While I have no formal education in scenic design, I use my interior design education to my advantage. Through environmental psychology we are taught how to make spaces feel comfortable for people to be in. I take all of those lessons and turn them on their head to create character-driven sets that are familiar yet unnerving.
Makeup
Design Approach
Growing up, I had always been fascinated with makeup but never practiced it any meaningful capacity. In the summer of 2013, a friend and I enrolled in a theatrical makeup class at a local technical college. Unfortunately, the course was canceled. Undeterred, we took our refunded tuition money, and each purchased our own Mehron makeup kit. YouTube tutorials became our instructors, and we met weekly to practice and learn from one another. At the end of each “class” we held a photoshoot to capture our progress (top and middle row, opposite). That summer unlocked an obsession with makeup that has not stopped.
In 2015 I served as makeup artist for the NiA Company’s production of Br’er Rabbit, staged in partnership with Columbia Children’s Theatre (bottom row, opposite). Director, Darion McCloud, asked for makeup that referenced the historical West African roots from which the Br’er Rabbit folktales are based. Columbia Children’s Theatre wanted makeup that was simple enough for children to replicate themselves should they wish to perform their own versions of the show. The resulting looks used just a few cream based products applied with a single brush and the actor’s hands.
My experience with the Hall of Horrors Haunted Attraction has afforded me limitless opportunities to try special effects makeup of all types and difficulties. The biggest challenge was a monster of my own creation, Doctor Darling. Between teeth stain, contact lenses, the gapping stapled forehead wound that was sculpted nightly, and layers of alcohol-activated makeup, it took three hours to bring the Doctor to life. Over the years I’ve continually added to my makeup kit and can now create practically any look I desire.
