Keaton McCargo Design Portfolio 2021

Keaton McCargo 2022 Masters in Architecture Candidate University of California Berkeley College of Environmental Design

Content Architectural Concepts.........................................................3 Creative Projects....................................................................10 Photography..........................................................................17

Hostel Architectural Project Fall, 2021 Intermediate Architecture Studio

Project Brief I was tasked with developing a hostel in Boulder, Colorado, located near a trailhead. We were asked to design a space that fit our client’s needs and base the foundations of our structure on a theme. The emphasis of the project was on spatial composition, movement, and sequence.

Concept the theme for this project is biking. I chose biking because boulder is a bike town. I incorporate the bike into my design through the repetition of the wheel in the hardscape. I chose to create an orthogonal building with a series of cubic columns and spaces to represent the bike frame. My building evolved through much trial and error as the composition and movement through space were of the utmost importance, not just because of the objectives, but because of the theme I chose. This really turned into a piece of abstract art.

Parti Process

Final Model

Perspective Detail

Fire Escape and Elevator Detail

Circuit Board Detail

Cube Detail

Final Model — Lights Off

Final Model — Lights On

2nd floor: 12’-0”

Basement: -12’-0”

1st Floor: 0’-0”

Section A

Apartment Architectural Project

Circulation

Spring, 2021

Parking

Intermediate Architecture Studio

Retail Office/ Studio

Project Brief

Meeting Room/ WC

This project translated conceptual work into a schematic design proposal. The project was to design a live/work space in downtown Denver that fit within a developers specific program: 10 offices spaces, 6 residential units, green space, public restrooms, and ground floor retail. I was given a specific site location and had to meet real life criteria such as zoning and accessibility requirements. The objective of the project was to create the foundation design documents and presentation drawings to accurately communicate the design approach and proposed solution.

Residence Green Space

Concept The concept for this project was to create a space that fosters creativity. I explored several concept models that became architectural strategies. More sculptural than pragmatic, the concept model serves to inspire the form and character of an architectural proposal. Architecture is robust and can significantly impact the built environment and people’s attitudes within a space, which is why this design responds to the feeling of lethargy that I associate with the residential buildings that litter Denver.

The location of the building is in an Arts district and I wanted to create a canvas for which artists could live, work, and create. The design architecturally reflects the culture and creative attitude of the district, through nesting the program spaces so that they are the most beneficial to the user.

The apartment’s design is culmination of blending, and separation of public and private space.

The concept is reinforced by the materiality, program placement, and interactivity of light.

Program Diagram

Spatial Organization — Conceptual Model

Interior Perspective Rendering

Light and Structure — In Elevation, Conceptual Model

Diffusion of Sound — In Elevation, Conceptual Model

Montage — Where Art Meets Refuge

Diffusion of Sound — Plan View, Conceptual Model

Light and Structure — Plan View, Conceptual Model

0’

20’ 10’

Section — Program

West Elevation — Street Activation

Steel

Wood

Concrete Glass

East Elevation — Materiality

10’ 0’

50’ 25’

Creative Projects

Touch Interactive Systems Design Fall, 2021 Product Design

Project Brief For this assignment, I was tasked with building a meaning ful interactive project that included addressable LEDs (WS2812) and at least one analog input programmed by an Arduino. The interactive system needed be enclosed in a thoughtfully designed structure that furthers the meaning and experience of the interactive system.

Concept Why a hand? The act of touch. This project is about exploring human interaction with touch and light.

We are programmed to hit a button when we see it and expect a reaction in return. We receive joy from this experience. I wanted to distill this within the project through the act of simply placing your hand where it is imprinted. The user receives feedback based on how hard they press. Neo-Pixels and a Force Sensor were used for this to create a simple yet satisfying experience that sparks joy.

Breadboard Prototype Circuit

Pro-Micro Circuit

Enclosure

More Pressure = More Light

Digits Interactive Systems Design Fall, 2021 Product Design (group project with Luke True)

Project Brief The focus of this project was to create a meaningful interaction. The interactive system needed to be enclosed, thoughtfully designed in a way that furthered the meaning, and experience of the interactive system.

Concept Why hands? This is one of my favorite projects in which I continued my exploration of the human hand. For my meaningful interaction, my partner and I decided to make a clock, in which the fingers displayed the time. Throughout this process, I discovered why the hand is one of the most complex tools in existence, the act of trying to replicate or express it in a meaningful way took time and many iterations. Time is such a hard thing to capture outside of numbers, I wanted to express it in a more human way. We used a real-time clock and ten servo-motors to create this interaction. In essence, the goal was to be able to touch time, a construct of our existence.

Breadboard Circuit and Servo Motors

Top: Prototype hand and Fingers, Bottom: Spools

Final Product

A View of What Makes this Work

It is 4 o’clock

Fingers in the Process of Resetting

Marquee Lighting Project Fall, 2020 Intermediate Product Design Studio

Project Brief The goal of this project was to create an innovative light fixture that had a purpose. The instructors wanted us to create something that would improve upon the human experience.

Concept My take on this project was to create a chandelier made out of dead (recycled) light bulbs. I used these bulbs as one would crystals on a chandelier. The dead bulbs reflected the live light around the room in interesting patterns. The concept behind this model is to reduce our waste by making it something we want to keep in our house. There are currently 5.6 billion light bulbs in residential use around the United States today and 4.6 billion of those are incandescent bulbs. This product highlights our light consumption and pollution but also turns it into something beautiful. By placing reclaimed bulbs around a fabricated structure, new forms are created that hopefully inspire lifestyle changes for the better of our society and planet.

The Marquee is a beautiful reflection of our waste.

Prototype Process

Shadows

Final Prototype

Hand Rendering

Photography

A Love Note to My Wild Mother Storytelling Summer, 2020 Photography

Project Brief For this project I was tasked with telling a story through a series of images. I was influenced by Zach Bent and Sara Marcel, who both created series about their families.

Concept This project is about the relationship between mother and daughter. I express this connection through a series of photographs that convey the strength in womanhood, the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters, as well as the pain and emotional trauma that women often face.

This is meaningful to me as a young woman who grew up mostly with my mother. We laughed and fought. My younger sister, now 12, is going through this pubescent phase in her life where she is bridging the gap between child and woman. I tried to photograph this moment, as well as the strength and power my mother carries. All the photographs were taken in the town I grew up over a couple of days. We went on hikes, played in rivers and lakes, but also cuddled and shared moments without even speaking. The mountains speak to us in these images and express our power, resilience, and growth.

Many of the images are of the natural surroundings, they reflect our strength and beauty as women.

Little Sister

3 Women

Snake

Ripples

Butterfly Light

Map Reading

Home

Thank you.