2014 | wyat taylor | undergraduate architecture portfolio
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A Guide To Experiential DesignTRANSCRIPT
S E N S E SA G U I D E T O E X P E R I E N T I A L D E S I G N
W Y A T T A Y L O R
Portfol io Appl icat ion For:
Accelerated Masters of Architecture ProgramAt Washington State Univers ity
W YATTAY L O R
“Design is to invent with intent. I f you take away the ‘ invent’ b it , you have an engineer. I f you take away the ‘ intent’ b it , you have an art ist .”
— Rebecca Reubens
I l ike to see myself as somewhere in between.
I n p u t t i n g t h i s p o r t f o l i o t o g e t h e r , I s e e k t o i d e n t i f y a t h e m e ; a t h e m e t h a t s p a n s m y p r o j e c t s , w o r k , m y t h o u g h t p r o c e s s . I c a l l i t “ S e n s e s ” . T h i s c o m e s f r o m w h a t I l i k e t o d e s c r i b e a s a n “ e x p e r i e n c e c u r a t o r ” . E x p e r i e n c e c u r a t o r i s a n u n o r t h o d o x c o m b i n a t i o n o f w o r d s t h a t m a y l e a d t o c o n f u s i o n , b u t u l t i m a t e l y i t s t e m s f r o m b e i n g i n c o n t r o l t o m a k e e v e r y c o n s c i o u s d e s i g n m o v e a n d d e c i s i o n t o c r e a t e t h e e x p e r i e n c e y o u o r s o m e o n e e l s e e n v i s i o n s . I n a n u t s h e l l , t h a t ’ s d e s i g n t o m e .
G o i n g b a c k t o F r e s h m a n y e a r , 2 0 1 1 , I t o l d e v e r y o n e t h a t “ I d o n ’ t b e l o n g h e r e ( A r c h i t e c t u r e S c h o o l ) ” . I r e m i n d e d t h e m t h a t “ I ’ m a p h o t o g r a p h e r a n d I w a n t t o f o l l o w t h a t p a s s i o n . ” D o n ’ t g e t m e w r o n g , I r e a l l y e n j o y e d t h e p r a c t i c e o f d e s i g n a n d l e a r n i n g a b o u t i t i n C a r p e n t e r H a l l , b u t i t t o o k a c o u p l e t i m e s f o r m e t o r e a l l y g e t i t .
A n d w h e n I g o t i t , b o y w a s I h a p p y f o r t h i s l i f e t o c o m e .
I r e m e m b e r s i t t i n g d o w n w i t h o n e o f m y p e e r s , a n d s h e e x p l a i n e d t o m e t h a t s h e d i d n ’ t n e c e s s a r i l y w a n t t o b e a n a r c h i t e c t e i t h e r , b u t s h e w a s o k a y w i t h t h a t . R e a s o n b e i n g ? S h e e x p l a i n e d t h i s w a s a “ v i s u a l c o m m u n i c a t i o n s ” d e g r e e . S i m p l e a s t h a t . S h e e x p l a i n e d t h a t w e a s d e s i g n e r s a r e l e a r n i n g f u n d a m e n t a l s t h a t s p r e a d a c r o s s t h e b o a r d i n t e r m s o f v i s u a l l y c o m m u n i c a t i n g i d e a s a n d e m o t i o n s , a n d w e c o u l d t a k e t h i s a n d g o a n y w h e r e .
I t h e n s t a r t e d t o r e a l i z e t h a t I w a s n ’ t a p h o t o g r a p h e r , o r a n a r c h i t e c t , I w a s b o t h . I w a s m e . I w a s W y a t , a n a r t i s t , a d e s i g n e r .
D e v e l o p i n g m y s e l f i d e n t i t y e v e n f u r t h e r , I s e e m y s e l f a s a p e r s o n w h o i s v e r y i n t e r e s t e d i n a l l w a l k s o f
S TAT E M E N T O F I N T E N T I O N
R E S U M E
l i f e c r e a t i v e l y : n o t a f r a i d t o s t a r t a n y p r o j e c t . I f i n d a p p r e c i a t i o n i n e v e r y f o r m o f v i s u a l c o m m u n i c a t i o n . I b e l i e v e I h a v e a n u n c a n n y p a s s i o n f o r a l l t h i n g s d e s i g n r e l a t e d , a n d w o u l d t a k e a b i t e a t a n y c h a l l e n g e a s h a r d a s t h e n e x t .
L e a d i n g i n t o m y o r i g i n a l s t a t e m e n t r e g a r d i n g t h e t i t l e o f t h i s p o r t f o l i o , I c h o s e “ S e n s e s ” f o r i n m y w o r k I a m c o n s c i o u s o f e v e r y a s p e c t o f t h e h u m a n e x p e r i e n c e . N o m a t t e r t h e s h a p e o f a s p a c e ; a s p e c t s l i k e s o u n d , s m e l l , v a l u e o f l i g h t a n d s h a d o w , a n y o f t h e s e c a n a n d w i l l d r a s t i c a l l y c h a n g e h o w t h e s p a c e i s f e l t a n d p e r c e i v e d . N o t o n l y d o I u n d e r s t a n d t h i s , b u t a l s o I a m c o n n e c t e d t o t h i s i d e a .
D e l v i n g i n t o i d e a s w i t h b l i s s f u l i g n o r a n c e a n d f e a r l e s s a t t e m p t s i s e s s e n t i a l . A s k q u e s t i o n s , c h a l l e n g e i d e a s . S e p a r a t e y o u r s e l f f r o m w o r d s l i k e “ g o o d ” a n d “ b a d ” .
T h i n g s i n l i f e a r e n o t o n e o r t h e o t h e r ; t h e y a r e j u s t w h a t t h e y a r e . I t i s h o w t h e y a r e i n t e r p r e t e d w h i c h s e t s t h e m a s s o m e t h i n g t h a t i s “ g o o d ” o r b a d ”
A r c h i t e c t u r e i s n o t j u s t o n e f i e l d . T h e w o r d c a n b e u s e d t h r o u g h a l l a s p e c t s o f
d e s i g n e d m a t t e r . T h e a r c h i t e c t u r e o f t y p o g r a p h y , p a r a g r a p h s t y l e s , p o s t e r s , m u s i c ,
e t c . T h a t i s o n e o f t h e m o s t f u n d a m e n t a l a s p e c t s o f a r c h i t e c t u r e , a n d p e r h a p s t h e o n e I a d m i r e t h e m o s t : i t c a n n o t b e p l a c e d i n a b o x , a n d i t b e c o m e s u n i v e r s a l l y a
b e a u t i f u l i d e a .
T h a n k y o u .
W H E R E I ’ V E B E E N
E D U C AT I O NWashington State University
B.A in Architecture & Digita l
Technology & Culture
2011 - May 2016
W O R KWLT CREATIVE - 2009
Personal bus iness founded on
photography but expanding
into many dif ferent creat ive
genres
FA C T SBorn in Tucson, AZ
Wanted to go to school for
photography at f i rst , not
architecture.
Crazy about Nat ional Parks
Eagle Scout
Loves Indian Food & French Fries
Won National Photo Competition
Only Child
Actually doesn’t mind Greyhounds
Enjoys Backpacking
Too many interests for own good
S O F T WA R E5/5 = Pro
4/5 = Real ly Good
3/5 = Good
2/5 = Gett ing There
1/5 = Total ly Lost
Rhinoceros 5 : 3 .5/5
Maxwel l Render : 2 .5/5
Adobe Ai CC : 4/5
Adobe Ps CC : 3 .5/5
Adobe Id CC : 3/5
Adobe Lr 5 : 5/5
Adobe Pr : 2/5
AutoCAD : 2/5
Mac OS : 5/5
Windows: 4/5
C O N T E N T
“ A B S T R A C T I O N ,M AT E R I A L I T Y ,
N A R R AT I V E ”
A theoret ica l approach to
sol id & void with the help of
a photo montage of a space in
Pul lman, Washington
1
“ S PA C E S N O TV O L U M E S M A K E
S A N F R A N C I S C O ”
Library project atop Potrero
Hi l l in San Francisco. A place
for recol lect ion & learning &
thematic structure based on
topography.
2
“ P H O T O G R A P H Y ”
I ’ve a lways had a camera in
my hand. Photography has led
me into many walks of l i fe ,
creat ively & profess ional ly.
3
“Visual izat ion without Design is merely a dream. Design without Visual izat ion just passes the t ime.”
— Sonal Nayyar
“ A B S T R A C T I O N ,M AT E R I A L I T Y ,
N A R R AT I V E ”
Being asked to choose a
locat ion in Pul lman to base
this project off of led me to
this steep a l ley way by my
apartment.
With i ts sharp matter and
dangerous feel , e lements were
then explored and exploited
through dif ferent means of
creat iv ity.
Fal l 2014
1
The process or technique of se lect ing,
edit ing, and piecing together separate
sect ions of content to form a
cont inuous whole.
With the use of photos a s ingle
composit ion (r ight) was formed.
It was the intent ion to make
a rough, a lmost warped
perspect ive. The narrowness
and steepness of th is space
could not be ignored, let
a lone the v isual aspects .
PA R T I I - M AT E R I A L I T YThe qual i ty or character of
being mater ia l or composed
of matter
To truly understand the
essence of th is p lace, I
had to further examine
mater ia l i ty at i ts core.
Breaking and model ing the
br ick in Rhino gave me more
ins ight in terms of what k ind
of void I was looking for.
A
plan 1:1
perspective 2:1
conceptualmaterialitytexture
longitudinal section 1:1
B
Pullman, Washington | 46.7323383,-117.1725224 | Wyat Taylor | Scale : 1” = 1”
PA R T I - P H O T O M O N TA G E
P A R T I I I
T H E S O L I D
& V O I D
Taking into account creat ive
analys is , the essence of the
space has been rendered
in the form a 16” x 8” x 4”
cube.
A f igure to express feel ing
of sharp ordered chaos, and
rough mater ia l i ty.
P R O C E S S
C R E AT E
& S U B T R A C T
Bringing ideas to the dig ita l
s ide of th ings resulted in a
d istorted cube abstracted
into ordered chaos.
From here a boolean-
difference command was
used and the void was
crated.
The act of d iscover ing the void
was der ived from the s imple
d istort ion and manipulat ion of
a br ick s ized module.
Using a br ick s ized piece made
the project fu l l c i rc le .
D R A W I N G S
M O D E L
“ S PA C E S N O TV O L U M E S M A K E
S A N F R A N C I S C O ”
This c lass ic studio project
was more unique in the
opportunity of being able to
v is it the s ite in San Francisco.
Due to the topography of
the area a theme of changing
perspect ives, and meditat ive
moments were sought out in
this project .
Fal l : 2014
2
P O T R E R O H I L L
P U B L I C L I B R A R Y
In doing research, th is was the quote that sparked everything: “Each hi l l s ide holds a mirror to the other so that the c ity can constant ly admire i tse l f. In a grandious landscape where br idges and highways unite sea and land and where every hi l l forms a neighbor-hood, Nature and Architecture blend to compose a c ity that is a lternately tr ium-phant, modest and fami l iar.”
— Florence L ipsky
Potrero Hi l l i s located about 10
minutes from downtown San
Francisco. I t ’s home to a new,
h igher c lass tenant, a id ing the
gentr i f icat ion of the area.
Most notably about this area is
i t ’s v iews.
Potrero Hi l l i s located about 10
minutes from downtown San
Francisco. I t ’s home to a new,
h igher c lass tenant, a id ing the
gentr i f icat ion of the area.
L O C AT I O N
L A N D M A R K S & T O P O G R A P H Y
Aided by the natural
topography of the area,
landmarks of San Francisco
become reference points :
detai ls within the urban fabr ic
that provides se l f awareness,
as wel l as a hol ist ic feel ing.
Hol ist ic feel ing: the goal of
th is l ibrary.
The San Francisco Planning
Department off ic ia l ly ident i f ies 36
neighborhoods.
Several c it ies c la im to have been
bui l t on seven hi l l s , “the Seven Hi l ls
of San Francisco” typical ly refers to:
Telegraph Hi l l , Nob Hi l l , Russ ian Hi l l ,
R incon Hi l l , Mount Sutro, Twin Peaks
and Mount Davidson.
H I L L S & N E I G H B O R H O O D S
Ult imately, everyone
essent ia l ly has a d i f ferent
v iew & or perspect ive of the
same area. There is d ist inct
locat ions, yet they are a l l part
of a greater whole.
N N
P R O C E S S M O M E N T I - T H E “ I L L U S I O N ”
The in it ia l des ign was based off
ref lect ion due to the “mirror”
image provided by topography.
The des ign then became
symmetr ica l .
Symmetry became too s imi lar in
terms of program. Creat ing an
offset of p lan brought a group of
new opportunit ies .
L ike Luis Khan’s Salk Inst itute and the Pacif ic ,
the use of f igure ground is put in p lace to
frame a v iew of the c ity. The des ign takes
this idea one step further by off-sett ing the
f igures to create a dynamic system of des ign.
Taken from Luis Barragan’s Mexico City Home,
wal ls in certa in f loors do not fu l ly scale to the
cei l ing. Al lowing those in the space to understand
there is more around the corner, but st i l l in
mystery; thus pul l ing people through a space.
M O M E N T I I - T H E “ V I S U A L T R A P ”
M O M E N T I I I - M I S A L I G N E D W A L L SMisal igning of
the wal ls served
two purposes.
One; have l ight
f i l ter in through
smal l openings.
& Two; a l low
for immediate
change in
perspect ive with
just the s l ight
change of a
corner.
Observer what
a s l ight move
to the left does
here: (r ight)
P R O G R A MLower Level One
Children’s AreaAccessible from LL2
PrivateCommunity Meeting Rooms
General PublicComputer Stations
Book Shelving
DVD Shelving
Ground FloorPrivate
Community Meeting Rooms
Young Adults AreaAccessible from LL1
Administrative Offices
Street Entrance
General PublicComputer Stations
Book Shelving
DVD Shelving
Lobby/ReceptionBook Display
First FloorPrivate
Community Meeting Rooms
Patio Space
General PublicComputer Stations
Book Shelving
DVD Shelving
“The View”A place for reflection
Second FloorPrivate
Private Reading Rooms
Patio Space
General PublicComputer Stations
Book Shelving
DVD Shelving
SocialCommunity Meeting Rooms
Lower Level Two
Lobby/ReceptionPrivate Reading Rooms
General PublicComputer Stations
Book Shelving
DVD Shelving
Reference Area
Parking Lot Entrance
P R I VAT E & P U B L I C
Ult imately, everyone essent ia l ly has
a d i f ferent v iew and/or perspect ive
of the same area. There are d ist inct
locat ions for the pr ivate & publ ic , yet
they are a l l part of a greater whole.
C I R C U L AT I O NGround
FloorSecond
FloorFirst
FloorLower Level Two
Q U I C K R O U T E S
Dest inat ions for those looking to get
in and get are much c loser to main
entrances & c irculat ion. Ult imately
result ing in lesser travel t ime (r ight).
Lower Level One
C I R C U L AT I O NGround
FloorSecond
FloorFirst
FloorLower Level Two
M E T H O D I C A L R O U T E S
Methodical results in a longer route
through the l ibrary. This is not a bad
thing, but rather the intent ion.
Lower Level One
D R A W I N G S
N
A. LL2
B. LL1
D. 1st
E. 2nd
A
A
A
B
CDE
C. Ground
T H E C A N Y O N
As the structure serves to
project v iewers to d i f ferent
perspect ives and v iews of the
c ity, the publ ic can f ind refuge
in the open canyon l ike area
where natural e lements are in
p lace to help sooth and re lax.
M O D E L
“ P H O T O G R A P H Y ”
I photograph a very large
array of subject matter. I a lso
work in many other mediums
of v isual communicat ion.
Photography has a ids
architectural th inking in
terms of understanding l ight
and its propert ies , as wel l as
composit ional va lues.
These are p ieces from the year
2014 - 2015; a great year for
explorat ion.
3Photo by E. j . DeoCampo
The Cattedrale d i Santa
Maria del Fiore
Florence, I ta ly
June 2014
The Seatt le Publ ic
L ibrary
Seatt le ,
Washington
January 2015
Sultan Ahmed Mosque
or
Blue Mosque
Istanbul , Turkey
Ju ly 2014
Urban fabr ic of
F lorence Ita ly
Taken from Giotto’s
Campani le
June 2014
Zion Narrows
Zion Nat ional Park,
Utah
March 2014
The Colosseum
Rome, I ta ly
June 2014
Thank you.
- Wyat
The only way to be creat ive over t ime — to not be undone by our expert ise — is to exper iment with ignorance, to stare at th ings we don’t fu l ly understand.
— Jonah Lehrer