Hello I am Matthew Flowers,
I’m a 2nd year Architectural Studies student thats aims to learn, understand, and experience the intricate techinques and approaches to architectural design. Driven with my passion for music, drawing, and photography, I strive to bring my personal touch and perspective to my designs.
Middletown, DE
(302) - 319 - 7371
mattflowers18@gmail.com
LIBRARY BEYOND BOOKS
AS THE PURPOSE AND FUNCTION OF A PUBLIC LIBRARY CONTINUES TO EVOLVE IN SOCIETY, WE FIND THAT THESE BUILDINGS HAVE STARTED TO STEP AWAY FROM THE TRADITIONAL FUNCTION OF A ARCHIVE FOR BOOKS, ART, AND PIECES OF HISTORY, AND BECOME A SANCTUARY FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO RESIDE AND GATHER. WITH THE TECHNOLOGY AGE CONTINUING TO EXPAND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT A LIBRARY PROVIDES PROPER RESOURCES FOR LOCALS, AND TRAVELERS, TO DIVULGE IN.
MORE IMPORTANT TO A COMMUNITY THOUGH, IS THE CONNECTION AND CULTURE OF THE AREA. SOMETHING THAT THE MURAL ARTS INSTITUTE BELIEVES AS WELL. A PROGRAM INSPIRED TO ENGAGE COMMUNITIES IN CREATIVE MAKING PROJECTS FOR MURALS, SCULPTURES, AND MEMORIALS, THAT SPEAK TO THE EXPERIENCE, AND CULTURE OF A COMMUNITY.
THE WEST OXFORD LIBRARY BECOMES A CENTRAL HUB FOR THE SHARSWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD, AND SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS, TO GATHER AND ENGAGE THEMSELVES INTO THE WORLD OF ART, WITH STUDIOS AND RESOURCES AIMED TO GUIDE ONES PASSION AND EXPRESSION.
THESE TWO SECTION CUTS SHOWCASE THE INTERSECTION OF THE LOUNGE SPACE AS IT SEPARATES INTO THEIR RESPECTIVE WINGS. THE RIDGE AVENUE SECTION HOSTING THE TECH LAB, ART STUDIO, AND ARCHIVE. AND THE OXFORD SECTION HOSTING THE CONFERENCE AND STUDY ROOMS, AS WELL AS THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES. THESE TWO WINGS OF THE LIBRARY WORK TO SEPARATE PRIVATE AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS AMIDST A LIBRARY.
ON THE LEFT IS THE SITE PLAN INCLUDING THE FLAGS MARKING THE RIDGE AVENUE SECTION, AND THE WEST OXFORD STREET SECTION, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE SURROUNDING AREA. THE MAP HELPS TO REFERENCE HOW THE LIBRARY PLAYS WITH THE EXISTING BUILDINGS AND THE OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED BY THE NEIGHBORING BUILDING.
AT THE BOTTOM ARE PERSPECTIVE IMAGES OF THE ART STUDIO SPACE AND THE MEZANNINE, THE EXTERIOR COURTYARD, FASHIONED WITH A FOUNTAIN AND MASSIVE GALLERY WINDOWS LOOKING INTO THE INTERIOR CIRCULATION. AND FINALLY THE BOTTOM RIGHT SHOWS THE GATHERING LOUNGE WHICH LEADS TO THE SECOND FLOOR THROUGH A MASSIVE STAIRCASE, WITH CAPABILITES TO WITHOLD BOOKSHELVES FOR BOOKS AND ARTIFACTS.
ART STUDIO PERSPECTIVE
COURTYARD PERSPECTIVE
GATHERING LOUNGE PERSPECTIVE
FIRST FLOOR DIAGRAM
THESE TWO DIAGRAMS SHOW THE ORIGINAL DIRECTION THE DESIGN OF THE LIBRARY WAS TO TAKE ON, BEARING A CENTRAL ENTRANCE AT THE INTERSECTION OF RIDGE AND OXFORD, A GATHERIING SPACE LEADING TO THE TWO WINGS OF PROGRAMS. AND THE CENTRAL COURTYARD THAT WOULD PROVIDE A SPACE AND CANVAS FOR USERS TO EXPRESS THEIR ART.
FIRST FLOOR PLAN SECOND FLOOR PLAN
THESE FLESHED OUT FLOOR PLANS SHOW HOW THE PRELIMINARY DIAGRAMS TRANSFORMED INTO THE DEFINED FORM AND FUNCTION OF THE LIBRARY. BEARING THE MAIN ENTRANCE ALONG RIDGE AVE, WITH THE ART STUDIO TO THE IMMEDIATE RIGHT, AND THE RIDGE AVE WING LEADING TO THE GATHERING SPACE AND THE ADJACENT WING ALONG W. OXFORD.
TUCKED INTO A QUIET POCKET ALONG THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER, GLENDINNING ROCK GARDEN BECAME THE SETTING FOR A DEEP EXPLORATION OF LANDSCAPE AND FORM. OUR STUDIO IMMERSED ITSELF IN THE SITE’S LAYERED TERRAIN, THE OPEN MEADOW BELOW AND THE DENSE FOREST CLIMBING THE STEEP SLOPES ABOVE, DRAWN TO THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN PERMANENCE AND CHANGE IN ITS NATURAL RHYTHMS.
GUIDED BY OUR EXPERIENCE OF THE SITE, WE DESIGNED A TOWER THAT INVITES USERS TO ASCEND THROUGH A SERIES OF THRESHOLDS. EACH MOMENT ALONG THE PATH HIGHLIGHTS A JUXTAPOSITION, BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARK, ENCLOSURE AND EXPOSURE, NATURE AND STRUCTURE, FRAMING A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE BUILT AND THE ORGANIC.
THIS BECAME THE BASIS FOR THE TOWER I ERECTED BEHIND THE POND, WHERE THE SOUNDS OF NATURE AND HUMANS MESHED TOGETHER TO FORM THE BOUNDRIES AND THRESHOLDS IN WHICH ONE WOULD TRAVERSE THROUGHOUT THE TOWER.
THE DIAGRAMS ABOVE SHOW HOW USED THE NATURAL SOUNDS OF THE SITE TO DICTATE HOW THE LOAD-BEARING STONE WALLS CUT THROUGH THE LOUVERED TOWER TO JUXTAPOSE THRESHOLDS FOR GUESTS TO TRAVERSE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE STRUCTURE. DOWN BELOW IS THE SECTION DRAWING DEVELOPED FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF THE SITE, THROUGH THE JANKY SOUNDS OF CARS, TO THE RIPPLES OF WATER, TO THE RUSTLING OF A MILLION LEAVES.
TOWER DESIGN DIAGRAMS EXPERIENTIAL SECTION
TO
PLATFORM PERSPECTIVE
FOR
THROUGH AND AROUND. THE PERSPECTIVE IMAGES ON THE RIGHT SHOWCASE THE EXPERIENCE OF WALKING AMUNGST AND ABOVE THE MASSIVE STONE WALLS..
STAIRCASE PERSPECTIVE
WALL PERSPECTIVE
WALLS PERSPECTIVE THE SITE PLAN ON THE LEFT SHOWS ONE OF THE TWO PONDS ON SITE, AS IT LEADS UP A STEEP INCLINE TO THE CAMPSITE UP ABOVE THE POND. THIS IS WHERE GUESTS ARE ABLE
ON THE LEFT SHOWCASES THE SECTION FACING THE NORTH WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE THRESHOLDS AND PASSAGEWAYS THAT THE ELEMENTAL WALLS FORGE WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE WOODEN STRUCTURE. ON THE RIGHT IS THE WEST FACING SECTION WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE ENTRANCE OF THE WATER WALLS AND HOW THEY BEGIN TO CONNECT WITH EACHOTHER.
HERE ARE SOME IMAGES FROM THE MODEL TOWER CONSTRUCTED TO CREATE A ROUGH EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE TOWER WOULD LOOK LIKE. YOU CAN SEE THE WAY EACH LAYER OF WOOD STUDS ADDS TO THE VISUAL COMPLEXITY OF THE TOWER
THIS PICTURE SHOWS HOW ASCENDING THE STAIRCASE WOULD BE EXPERIENCED BY A GUEST OF THE TOWER, THE WOOD STUDS WORK TO BOTH INTERUPT A USERS VIEW UNTIL THEY REACH THE TOP
AFTER STUDYING THE SITE AND EXPLORING A RANGE OF DESIGN POSSIBILITIES, THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON ONE SELECTED SCHEME THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED IN GREATER DETAIL. THE DESIGN PROCESS INCLUDED EXAMINING HOW THE FUNCTION OF THE INTERVENTION, HOW IT FITS WITHIN ITS CONTEXT, AND HOW SPACE, STRUCTURE, AND MATERIALS COME TOGETHER.
WITH THE INTERVENTION OF OUR DESIGN, THE PROJECT ALSO ASKED FOR US TO INCORPORATE A STUDY ROOM/ ALCOVE FEATURE THAT WOULD PROVIDE STUDENTS AND OTHER USERS QUIET SPACES FOR THEM TO FOCUS ON WORK, CALLS, OR EVEN JUST TO SEPARATE ONESELF FROM THE BUSY WORLD.
THIS SPECIFIC PROJECT BECOMES A FRACTURED STRUCTURE THAT EXTRACTS FROM THE FACADE AND LOBBY OF THE RONSON CENTER. CREATING A SKELETAL STRUCTURE THAT ENCASES THE STUDY PODS WITHIN. THUS CREATING DIRECT IMMERSION EXPERIENCE FOR THE USER INSIDE, AND AN OBJECTIVE ENGAGEMENT FOR THE USERS OUTSIDE THE PROGRAM.
PLAN
THESE FLOOR PLANS SHOWCASE THE LAYOUT OF THE RONSON HEALTH CENTER AND HOW MY STUDY POD ROOMS AND SKELETAL STRUCTURE WOULD BE INCORPORATED.
ON THE LEFT YOU’LL SEE THE EAST FACING ELEVATION OF THE RONSON HEALTH CENTER AND HOW THE STUDY POD INTERVENTION EXTENDS THE GLASS FACADE BEFORE FRACTURING THE STRUCTURE OF THE FACADE. THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE STAIRCASES OF THE CENTER, AND THE STUDY PODS AS THEY LOOK OUT ONTO THE PATH LEADING TOWARDS THE BRIDGE.
THE STUDY PODS ON EACH LEVEL
