Richard B. Elam II Portfolio 23’

PORTFOLIO

Richard Elam II

MIXED MEDIA DESIGN WORKS

TREE HOUSE

INTENT: TO DESIGN/BUILD A MODEL OF A TREE HOUSE THAT RESPONDS TO ITS SITE CONDITIONS AS WELL AS THE NEEDS OF BOTH IT’S CLIENTS, THE TREE, AND INHABITANT (LIVING SPACE).

MATERIALS: POPSICLE STICKS, COFFEE STIRRERS, TOOTHPICKS,TREE BRANCHES, AND TACKY GLUE

SCALE: 1/4” = 1’-0”

RUBEUS, FLAVUS, CAERULEUS

INTENT: RUBEUS, FLAVUS, CAERULEUS TRANSLATES LITERALLY AS RED, YELLOW, BLUE. THE NAMES REFER TO THE HISTORICAL SET OF COLORS USED IN SUBTRACTIVE COLOR MIXING. PRIMARY USES FOR RYB ARE SEEN IN ART AND DESIGN EDUCATION, NOTABLY PAINTING. RYB BECAME THE FOUNDATION OF THEORIES OF COLOR VISION. HERE I TRIED TO MANIFEST THIS THEORY INTO A LITERAL AND ABSTRACT DEPICTION OF WHAT THAT SPECTRUM CAN LOOK LIKE.

DIMENSIONS: 1’-4” X 1’-8” ACYLIC ON CANVAS

WHAT’S YOUR PALLET?

INTENT: YOU’RE AN ARCHITECT, DO YOU DESIGN YOUR OWN FURNITURE? AS I CONTINUE IN DESIGN I REALIZE ONE DOES NOT HAVE LIMITS TO WHAT THEY CREATE. “WHAT’S YOUR PALLET?” IS A RECLAIMED WOOD PALLET PROJECT. AN ENTANGLEMENT OF WOOD, METAL AND GLASS. THIS SIMPLE YET CHIC DIY PROJECT MADE FOR AN EXCELLENT ADDITION TO MY LIVING SPACE. FROM SKETCHING, TO SEARCHING, TO DISMANTLING, CUTTING, AND ASSEMBLING; EACH STAGE OF THIS PROJECT REQUIRED MANY METHODS AND CHALLENGED MY WAY OF THINKING.

PLATE2PLATE

INTENT: INTRODUCING A CLIENT COMMISSION: THE REINVENTED FOOD TRUCK EXPERIENCE. THIS REPURPOSED 8FT SHIPPING CONTAINER, TRANSPORTED BY A TOW TRUCK, BRINGS YOU COMFORTING FOOD WHEREVER AND WHENEVER YOU DESIRE. WITH HUMBLE ORIGINS AS A FOOD TRUCK, IT NOW INCORPORATES LUXURIOUS ELEMENTS INSPIRED BY CAMPER DESIGNS, ENABLING CHEF MICHAEL TO TRANSFORM HIS VISION OF BRINGING CULINARY ARTS TO EVERYONE INTO A TANGIBLE REALITY.

SUSTAINING INTENT: A BRIGHTER FUTURE COMES FROM DECISIONS MADE TODAY. SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN DESIGN HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OF IMPORTANCE TO ME. THEY ARE THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS PIECE. I WANTED TO REPRESENT BOTH OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND THE NATURAL. DESIGN WITH NATURE IN MIND CAN PROVIDE BALANCE FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

DIMENSIONS: 1’-4” X 1’-8” ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

SKETCHY

INTENT: THESE SMALL OBSERVATIONAL SKETCHES ARE A TESTAMENT TO FIND POETRY IN THE ORDINARY, VARIATING IN SIZE AND MEDIA. WITH EACH STROKE, THEY INVITE US TO PAUSE, OBSERVE, AND APPRECIATE THE RICH INGENUITY OF EXISTENCE THROUGH THE GLIMPSES OF FORM AND FUNCTION.

GAZEBO

INTENT: TO DRAFT AND DESIGN A GAZEBO TO EXPLORE WOOD CONSTRUCTION. TO ACCOMPANY THIS DRAFT, A SMALL SCALE MODEL WAS BUILT FOLLOWING THE DESIGN DRAFTED.

13 Student Works

Floor Plans

INTENT: 1212 9TH ST NW IS SITUATED IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT OF BLAGDEN ALLEY, CHARACTERIZED BY MIDDLE-CLASS HOMES, CHURCHES, AND SMALL APARTMENTS SHOWCASING A DIVERSE RANGE OF VICTORIAN ARCHITECTURAL STYLES FROM THE 1860S TO THE 1890S. BEHIND THE STREET-FACING STRUCTURES LIE UTILITARIAN ALLEY DWELLINGS, INCLUDING RESIDENCES, STABLES, AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, OFFERING A GLIMPSE INTO THE SOCIAL AND SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF 19TH-CENTURY WASHINGTON. THE DESIGN OF THIS INFILL PROJECT DREW INSPIRATION FROM THE HANSAVIERTEL APARTMENTS, INFORMING THE THOUGHTFUL ARRANGEMENT OF SPACES AND FUNCTIONS WITHIN THIS MIXED-USE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING.

Floor Plans

Floor Plans

COLUMN STUDY

INTENT: EMBRACING THE WISDOM OF THE PAST IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE DESIGN PROGRESS. THIS EXQUISITE PIECE SHOWCASES A THOUGHTFULLY CRAFTED ABSTRACT HAND-DRAFTED AND WATERCOLORED STUDY, CAPTURING THE ARCHITECTURAL GRANDEUR OF A TEMPLE ADORNED WITH MAGNIFICENT CORINTHIAN COLUMNS. IT SERVES AS A REMINDER THAT EXPLORING WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, WHAT HAS PROVEN SUCCESSFUL, AND WHAT HAS FALLEN SHORT PAVES THE WAY FOR INNOVATION AND EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN."

DIMENSIONS: 9”X12” INCH BOARD WATERCOLOR & GRAPHITE

HANSAVIERTEL APARTMENTS CASE STUDY INTENT: THE HANSAVIERTEL APARTMENTS, DESIGNED BY ALVAR AALTO, ARE A RENOWNED ARCHITECTURAL GEM IN BERLIN, GERMANY. WITH 78 EXQUISITE RESIDENCES SPREAD ACROSS EIGHT FLOORS, THE CORE IDEA WAS TO CREATE A SEAMLESS CONNECTION BETWEEN EACH APARTMENT AND NATURE, SIMILAR TO THAT OF A SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSE. THIS VISIONARY PROJECT DISSECTS THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGNING LIVING SPACES, CATEGORIZING THEM INTO DISTINCT REALMS LIKE ROOM VS. PATH, SERVICE VS. SERVED, DARK VS. LIGHT, WET VS. DRY, AND MORE. IT REPRESENTS A METICULOUS EXPLORATION OF DESIGN COMPONENTS, SHOWCASING A PROFOUND EFFORT TO REDEFINE THE ART OF CRAFTING EXCEPTIONAL LIVING ENVIRONMENTS.

MOLLER VILLA AXONOMETRIC INTENT: THIS METICULOUSLY HAND-DRAFTED AXONOMETRIC DRAWING CAPTURES THE TIMELESS BEAUTY OF VILLA MOLLER, AN ARCHITECTURAL MASTERPIECE DESIGNED BY ADOLF LOOS. VILLA MOLLER, LOCATED IN AN IDYLLIC SETTING, EXEMPLIFIES LOOS' SIGNATURE BLEND OF MODERNISM AND ELEGANCE. THE AXONOMETRIC PERSPECTIVE PROVIDES A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF THE VILLA'S INTRICATE DETAILS AND SPATIAL COMPOSITION, SHOWCASING ITS HARMONIOUS INTEGRATION OF FORM AND FUNCTION. EACH STROKE AND LINE ON THIS DRAWING REFLECTS THE SKILL AND DEDICATION REQUIRED TO PORTRAY THE ESSENCE OF LOOS' VISIONARY DESIGN.

UFFIZI PERSPECTIVE STUDY

INTENT: EMBARK ON A VISUAL JOURNEY WITH THIS CAPTIVATING DECONSTRUCTED PERSPECTIVE STUDY. BEHOLD THE MESMERIZING MULTI-POINT VANISHING PERSPECTIVE SECTION OF THE ICONIC PIAZZALE DEGLI UFFIZI IN ENCHANTING FLORENCE, ITALY. THE ARTISTRY OF THIS COMPOSITION LIES IN THE SEAMLESS INTEGRATION OF THE SITE PLAN, DELICATELY SUPERIMPOSED IN THE BACKGROUND, PROVIDING A CONTEXTUAL BACKDROP TO THE IMMERSIVE SCENE. EVERY DETAIL METICULOUSLY RENDERED IN THIS STUDY TRANSPORTS YOU TO THE HEART OF THE PIAZZA, WHERE THE GRANDEUR OF ARCHITECTURE AND THE LIVELY SPIRIT OF FLORENCE CONVERGE. ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE IMMERSED IN THE DEPTH AND DIMENSION OF THIS REMARKABLE ARTWORK, A TESTAMENT TO THE BEAUTY AND RICH HERITAGE OF THE PIAZZALE DEGLI UFFIZI.

OJOMO PAINTINGS

INTENT: THIS PROJECT DELVES DEEP INTO THE INTRICACIES OF STILL LIFE. PARTICIPANTS SELECTED UP TO THREE RANDOM OBJECTS AND METICULOUSLY SKETCHED THEM. EACH OBJECT WAS THEN ZOOMED IN ON, RESULTING IN CAPTIVATING ABSTRACT COMPOSITIONS. HERE IS A COMPILATION FEATURING PLIERS, A MONKEY WRENCH, AND A SCREWDRIVER TRANSFORMED INTO MESMERIZING ABSTRACT CREATIONS. IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THIS UNIQUE FUSION OF OBJECTS, REIMAGINED IN AN EVOCATIVE AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING MANNER.

DIMENSIONS: 20” X 20” INCH ACRYLIC PAINT ON BUTTERBOARD

INTENT: SITUATED IN THE HEART OF WASHINGTON D.C., THE DISTRICT ARCHITECTURE CENTER PROUDLY HOUSES

THE WASHINGTON CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS. ESTABLISHED IN 1887, THIS ESTEEMED CHAPTER FULFILLS THE DUAL ROLE OF BEING BOTH THE LOCAL AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE AIA FOR THE NATION'S CAPITAL. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS INFILL PROJECT ENCOMPASS AN ARRAY OF ESSENTIAL SPACES, INCLUDING AN EXHIBITION HALL, LIBRARY, CONFERENCE ROOM, CAFÉ, BANQUET HALL & KITCHEN, FACILITIES, AND INVITING OUTDOOR SPACE. TOGETHER, THESE ELEMENTS COMBINE TO CREATE A DYNAMIC AND FUNCTIONAL ENVIRONMENT WITHIN THE DISTRICT ARCHITECTURE CENTER.

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PROFESSIONAL WORKS

BLADENSBURG INTENT: DURING THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS PHASE, I PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF A GREEN ROOF. WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE DESIGN TEAM AND CONSULTANTS, I ACTIVELY CONTRIBUTED TO INCORPORATING SUSTAINABLE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FEATURES INTO THE CONSTRUCTION PLANS. SPECIFICALLY, MY FOCUS WAS ON INTEGRATING THE GREEN ROOF SYSTEM SEAMLESSLY INTO THE PROJECT'S DOCUMENTATION. THIS INVOLVED DETAILED DRAWINGS, SPECIFICATIONS, AND TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OUTLINING THE MATERIALS, INSTALLATION METHODS, AND IRRIGATION SYSTEMS NECESSARY FOR THE GREEN ROOF'S ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE.

ONE KELLY DRIVE INTENT: ONE KELLY DRIVE IS AN UPCOMING MIXED-USE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING THAT OFFERS AN ARRAY OF AMENITY SPACES AND CONVENIENT PARKING FACILITIES. THE METICULOUSLY CRAFTED 15 PRESENTED LAYOUTS WERE DESIGNED WITH UTMOST CARE TO ADHERE TO CURRENT BUILDING CODES, ACCOMMODATE CLIENT PREFERENCES, AND ENSURE FULL COMPLIANCE WITH ADA ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS WHILE MEETING SPECIFIED SPATIAL TOLERANCES.

FACADE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT SERIES

INTENT: THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH DC MODERN DESIGN + BUILD AND THE HIVE 2.0, THESE SCHEMATIC DESIGNS WERE CONCEIVED TO INITIATE A REVITALIZATION OF THE HISTORIC RETAIL AND COMMERCIAL AREAS IN WARDS 7 & 8 OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THE PROPOSED FACADE IMPROVEMENTS

AIMED TO ELEVATE THE NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS DISTRICTS BY ENHANCING THE VISUAL APPEAL AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF INDIVIDUAL BUILDING EXTERIORS. THESE ENHANCEMENTS NOT ONLY AIMED TO IMPROVE THE FUNCTIONALITY AND AESTHETICS OF THE FACADES BUT ALSO ENCOURAGED PRIVATE INVESTMENTS IN COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES WITHIN THE SAME AREAS AND ADJACENT COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS.

INTENT: THE ANACOSTIA BUSINESS CENTER PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN SUPPORTING THE GROWTH OF THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY BY OFFERING BUSINESS COUNSELING, HOSTING TRAINING EVENTS, AND FACILITATING THE DISSEMINATION OF VALUABLE INFORMATION TO BOTH START-UP VENTURES AND EXISTING SMALL BUSINESSES. THE DESIGN OF THE CENTER, WITH ITS OPEN 2ND-FLOOR DECK AND FULL STOREFRONT SYSTEM, SOUGHT TO REESTABLISH A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE BUSINESS CENTER AND THE PUBLIC. THIS DESIGN FEATURE AIMED TO CREATE A WELCOMING AND ACCESSIBLE ENVIRONMENT, PROMOTING INTERACTION AND ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE CENTER AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY.

INTENT: SITUATED IN THE HISTORIC ANACOSTIA NEIGHBORHOOD OF WASHINGTON DC, THE HONFLEUR GALLERY STANDS AS A VIBRANT CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE. WITH A COMMITMENT TO SHOWCASING GROUNDBREAKING EXHIBITIONS BY BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS, HONFLEUR MAINTAINS A DYNAMIC SCHEDULE OF PROGRAMMING. THE DESIGN OF THE GALLERY HIGHLIGHTS THESE CHARACTERISTICS, PARTICULARLY THROUGH NOTABLE FEATURES. ONE SUCH FEATURE IS THE PRESENCE OF A MULLIONED ROLL-UP GARAGE DOOR AT THE ENTRY, ALLOWING THE GALLERY TO SEAMLESSLY OPEN UP TO THE STREET AND WELCOME ITS PATRONS. THIS DESIGN ELEMENT FOSTERS A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE GALLERY AND ITS SURROUNDINGS, CREATING AN INVITING AND ACCESSIBLE SPACE FOR ART ENTHUSIASTS AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.

2208 MARTIN LUTHER KING AVE SE

INTENT: THE VIVID SOLUTIONS GALLERY, A PROJECT OF ARCH, A COMMUNITY-BASED NONPROFIT IN HISTORIC ANACOSTIA, STANDS AS A TESTAMENT TO THE ORGANIZATION'S LONGSTANDING COMMITMENT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD SPANNING OVER THREE DECADES. IN DESIGNING THIS SPACE, THE AIM WAS TO HONOR AND REINFORCE THE EXISTING CONNECTION BETWEEN ARCH AND ANACOSTIA. THE DESIGN INCORPORATES NEW SIGNAGE, PRIORITIZES NATURAL LIGHT, AND EMBRACES TRANSPARENCY TO EFFECTIVELY SHOWCASE THE ARTS AND CULTURE THAT CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT. BY CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE ARTS BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE GALLERY, THIS DESIGN SERVES AS A REMINDER OF THE IMPORTANT ROLE THAT CREATIVITY AND CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT PLAY IN THE ONGOING GROWTH AND TRANSFORMATION OF THE COMMUNITY.