Portfolio

Megan N. Danell Portfolio

Night

Mid-day

Morning

Evening

Circa Diem Circa Diem (Latin for ‘about the day’) is an installation designed to initiate a discussion about the relationships between the built environment, daylight exposures in progressively more dense urban environments, and the occupants of these cities. The tall cylindrical structure is intended to induce a sense of being placed deep into an urban setting with buildings encroaching from above. The interior perimeter is tinted indicating the various light exposures that one would experience throughout a natural day and the caustic lenses project rotating imagery onto the tinted perimeter while rotating in and out of clarity to abstracted light fragmentation as a demonstration of the temporality of light. The imagery itself then creates two parallel narratives for each time of day, one being positive experience of light exposures according to time of day, and the other being a negative experience.

This was a collaborative project

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Graduate Work

SPRINGFIELD COMMUNITY LIBRARY This was the final project concluding the master’s degree. The program was a community library intended to strengthen the surrounding community with diverse programs consisting of connection to the outdoor public space, adult, young adult, and children’s sections, computers and learning rooms, a media center, and a HEAD Start children’s center.

The leading design strategies were to maximize daylighting, provide supervision with limited staff, and create a balance of intermittent primary and secondary spaces.

A core then tied all the spaces together consisting of circulation, utilities, and atriums to bring daylighting to the center of the building. Double height primary spaces emphasize the hierarchy and bring light deeper in to the space for reading and perusing the stacks.

Overall, this design was intended to be a landmark to the community of Springfield and create a space that everyone could use for a variety of needs.

First floor plan

Second floor plan

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Third floor plan

Fourth floor plan

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MAKING LIGHT This was a Steven Holl inspired “Making Light” exercise that tested different colors of light through two variations of openings on 3 diverse wall types. The intention was to comparatively visualize the differentiation between effects of lighting.

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SOL TURRIM Sol Turrim (solar tower) is a bold statement declaring the prevalence of depression in the Pacific Northwest and inspires dialogue and optimism. Located on a sliver of land between Zidell Yards and OHSU campus in Portland, Oregon, a proposed mental wellness facility was challenged to fill in this gap between two major elements of the South Waterfront. The main design factor was daylight with the intention of both supporting general depression for the public as well as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) that is so prevalent throughout the PNW. Sol Turrim acts as a beacon of hope that emboldens those in need to seek treatment, and supports the integration of the general public within the building and on the site to reduce stigma towards mental wellness disorders.

(5) WORKOUT CLASS ON THE ROOF

(6) MEETING WITH A COUNSELOR

(5) (6) (7) TAKING A WALK DOWN THE ECOLOGICAL CORRIDOR (4) GRABBING A COFFEE AT THE CAFE (7)

This was a collaborative project (4)

(8) CENTERING THE MIND THROUGH MEDIATION

(3) ENTERING THE LOBBY (8)

(1)

(2)

(3) (9)

(1) WALKING FROM THE TRAM

(2) APPROACHING MAIN ENTRY

(9) ENDING WITH SENSORY DEPRIVATION

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Level 11 - Counseling Office

Level 6 - Cafe

Level 1 - Entry

While there were many sustainable aspects included in the design development in this project, there are a couple elements that data was able to be calculated or collected.

The first major design element was consideration for daylighting. Throughout a day, the floor plates act as a clock face allowing the opportunity for specialized treatment according to the stimulating effects of light at certain times. These decisions compliment the realignment of circadian rhythms. Using a private daylighting simulation program, Oculight, confirmed initial design theories while providing insight towards light quality and its emotional impact.

Site design was a second element that was calculated to determine improvements to the area on the ground plane. The small building footprint allows for the site to be improved by bringing in water from the river, reducing paving, and adding vegetation on the ground plane and through the ecological corridor.

Level -2 - Deprivation

FEB 25th 7 AM

FEB 25th 9 AM

FEB 25th 11 AM

FEB 25th 12 PM

FEB 25th 1 PM

FEB 25th 3 PM

FEB 25th 5 PM

OCULIGHT SIMULATION EMOTION

EXISTING PAVEMENT REMOVED EXISTING GRASS EXISTING WATER

NEW PERMEABLE HARD-SCAPE NEW ECOLOGICAL CORRIDOR

33% OPEN

20% OPEN

18% OPEN

30% OPEN

NEW VEGETATION NEW WATER

25% OPEN 67.5% GLASS

WHOLE BUILDING

7.3% PV

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GLENWOOD, OR MASTER-PLAN Glenwood, OR is a town located between two small cities. The intention behind the project was to develop a rejuvenated urban plan that consisted of it’s own identity. The motivation behind our project was to improve the connection to the river front and connect the town through green corridors for people, vegetation, and wildlife with a balance between built spaces and open spaces.

This was a collaborative project

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EDISON ELEMENTARY This studio was a mixed media course that developed design proposals for the new Edison Elementary located in Eugene, OR. The program considered an indoor activity space, a media center, classrooms, administration, outdoor spaces and connectivity, and mixed use spaces. This design proposed a modular classroom located on the perimeter with the daylight penetrating perpendicular to the viewing direction of both the teacher and the students. To balance the daylighting, skylights are placed on the interior of the building to bring natural light to the center of the facility.

Classrooms are then arranged around shared multi-purpose spaces and atriums that are naturally lit from above. Overall this proposal was a cohesive and well-naturally lit school intended to improve the well-being and experience of the staff and students of Edison Elementary

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DAYLIGHTING RE-CREATION One project for our daylighting course was to create a model replicating images of existing architectural projects. Our project selected Casa Gilardi by architect Luis Barragan and tested various forms of lighting (heliodon, daylighting, overcast conditions, etc) to recreate the right lighting environments as experienced in the physical space.

This was a collaborative project

Physical Model

Original

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Undergraduate Work

After

HAT Ranch Winery Design-Build The final project for the undergraduate degree consisted of a winery Design-Build located in Caldwell, ID. This project went through design concepts and development, through to the beginning of construction.

As this was such a large project with novice labor, the project focused on the main space, and patio.

Once the design was selected, the students were broken up into groups focusing on different elements of the project and were in control of ordering products and constructing these elements. To complete the course, the class then pre-fabricated what could be completed prior to leaving for Caldwell, and the majority of construction was completed on site by the class.

Before

This was a collaborative project

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BEVERLY HILLS HOUSING This housing project was located on the outskirts of Beverly Hills. The steep terrain on which the house was built created a challenging design problem. As a result, the floors mirror the topography allowing multiple levels to contain their own character as well as a smooth transition from hillside to backyard space.

Ground Level First Floor

Second Floor

Deck and Roof Space

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Bruges, Belgium

Hamburg, Germany

Bruges, Belgium

Hamburg, Germany

CITY COMPARISON In Urban Theory, two cities were selected of our choice to study. These two cities were analyzed through lenses of choice distinguishing similarities and differences. The two cities selected were Bruges, Belgium and Hamburg, Germany. Both exist because of their historic connection to the sea for trading.

Hamburg

Bruges

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Piazza Del Biscione Piazza Del Biscione is a piazza located on the foundations of the Theater of Pompeii. It’s located East of Campo di Fiori and is home to the Palazzo Pio today.

Piazza Della Maddalena Piazza della Maddalena is a piazza located just North of the Pantheon and titled after the Church of Saint Magdalene.

ROME STUDIES While studying abroad, hand drawing was our main source for studying spaces and forms. One assignment was comparing two piazzas located in the heart of Rome.

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Green Roof Vegetation Growing Media Filter Layer Drainage Layer Protection Fabric Root Barrier Insulation Waterproofing Membrane Roof Deck

Hanger Vapor barrier Glulam Beam

Glulam Floor Joist Concrete

Insulation CMU

Second Floor

First Floor

Site Grid

Masonry Unit

BOISE LIBRARY ICMA COMPETITION, FINALIST The Boise branch library project was a part of the studio’s annual Idaho Concrete Masonry Association competition. Because of the odd shape of the site, the implied forces were used in influencing the form of the building while the concept of the mobius strip supported the continuity of spaces and enhanced the diagonal forces within the site.

Concrete Insulation

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UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO ARENA IFPC WOOD COMPETITION, 3RD PLACE The new basketball stadium for the U of I is an ongoing project that established the program and guidelines for our project proposals. This competition was to see the “best use of wood” from Idaho wood products. My proposal was based on the idea of threads coming together to create a weave that both brings the vandal family together but also represents the intertwining of professions that this project created (architects, students, wood product manufacturers, U of I faculty, etc.).

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