elizabeth fregien interior design mfa portfolio
DESCRIPTION
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DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Design is a field that is often misunderstood. It is often dismissed as frivolous, or excessive. But design, good and bad, really is all around us. I admit, wholeheartedly, that at one time, I was one of those hapless individuals questioning the need for design. I understood fine art, certainly, but did not fully grasp the significance, and the ubiquitous nature, of design. Thus, the choice to pursue a career in design was
not a revelation that I came to haphazardly.
In college, I never had a hard time knowing what I wanted to study or deciding which classes I wanted to take. My academic background is varied, and it is understandable that someone would think that I couldn’t decide what it was that I wanted to study. However, that is exactly the opposite of the truth. I decided that I wanted to study everything: the world, history, art, science, and language. Anything. I love to learn, and it is this love of learning that has, paradoxically, led
me to a desire to synthesize, rather than study.
HAND DRAFTING
The goal of this project was to gain a deep comprehension, architecturally and conceptually, of the chosen structure, by drafting those points which the student felt to be key. Ink on Mylar was used to recreate the sketches of Le Corbusier to describe the Villa Savoye and to explain Le Corbusier’s intent in designing the residence in Poissy, France. The home was inspired by Le Corbusier’s visit to Greece years earlier on his Grand Tour of Europe. The Villa Savoye emulates the
proportions, stratification, and overall effect of the Parthenon through subtle elements and carefully planned details.
AutoCAD 2012
Library Furniture Plan, Not to Scale
The library project was a culmination of the bulk of a semester’s worth of work, learning to operate AutoCAD 2012. The furniture plan, along with the other drawings shown, was drawn from written specifications. Each piece of furniture was
created as a block and brought into the drawing.
The project specifics included drawings of certain areas of the library building, shown here is a sample of these drawings. The millwork for the breakroom space is shown in both elevation and detailed section, and the building’s facade is shown.
Public Concourse Elevation, Not to Scale
AutoCAD 2012
Finish Plan
In the second semester of the second year, the Interior Design program mandates a
construction drawing course.
During this class, the students produce a set of drawings, beginning with a test fit, and compiling a complete set of plans, one each week, until the set includes a demolition plan, floor plan, reflected ceiling plan, data and electrical plans, furniture and finish plans, and several details, elevations and sections, as well as a full schedule and furniture and finish
specifications.
Pictured here are an enlarged reflected ceiling plan and the finish plan, showing a carpet tile
pattern a full floor finishes.
Parti Diagram
RESIDENTIAL STUDIO
U Street Loft
The U Street Live/Work Loft project was the first Interior Design project completed in the MFA program after the completion of
Design Fundamentals.
The project required that two apartments in a building in the U Street district of Washington, D.C., be combined into a live/work space, to allow a young couple to have room for a new baby
and the wife’s graphic design office.
Blocking Diagram
Bubble Diagram
RESIDENTIAL STUDIOU Street Loft
The concept for this project was inspired by the view from the apartment of the Washington monument, which brought to mind the early jet-age travel posters highlighting the world’s most iconic landmarks. These posters brought to life and art our newfound ability to view the
world from above.
Today, these posters are nostalgic, reminiscent of a time filled with idealism for the future; it is this feeling that ultimately informed my concept, Perspectives, which I felt was easily applicable to a young family. I decided to explore the ways in which we view the world, and our living space as a microcosm, in relation
to time.
Floor Plan, Not to Scale Axonometric, Not to Scale
Entryway Sketches
RESIDENTIAL STUDIO
Wilson Hostel Conversion
Inspiration Image Collage
The Woodrow Wilson House hostel renovation project fell under the heading of residential design, but was so much more than a residential project, conceptually, programmatically, and certainly in considerations taken. The project was challenging, on many levels, and required a lot of a young designer. Concept development was pushed to the limits, and
our ability to produce work in a timely manner was tested by the project’s four-story program.
The concept for this project was inspired by the photograph, my own, taken of President Wilson’s library during a site visit. The collection of volumes was the basis of the president’s knowledge, as travel is for the hostel’s young guests. The knowlege of one person, however, is limited to what they see of the world, and what they learn. This revelation inspired
the collage and later the parti diagram shown.
Bubble Diagram
Parti Diagram
First Floor Plan, Not to Scale Guest Room Typical Floor Plan, Not to Scale
Penthouse Floor Plan, Not to Scale Lobby Entrance View
RESIDENTIAL STUDIO
Wilson Hostel Conversion
COMMERCIAL STUDIO
Herbal Alternatives
The goal of the Herbal Alternatives project was to create a safe, clean, and wellness-focused medical marijuana dispensing facility for a real client, serving a select group of patients in the District of Columbia. These patients, by District regulation, must suffer from one of four qualifying conditions to apply for a medical marijuana treatment
registration card in the District.
The design intent of the program is to create a comfortable atmosphere in which patients, weary of traditional medical treatments, can seek alternative methods of pain and symptom alleviation in a discreet and safe environment, and to create a luxurious shopping experience for the patient, to remove them from the drudgery and pain that their everyday
lives and treatments bring.
This objective was expressed architecturally by using the concept of a jewelry box, at the heart of which lies the valued treatment method. The concept allowed for layers of security and discreet patient circulation, creating a secure and
welcoming environment.
Bubble Diagram Blocking Diagram
Final Furniture Plan, Not to Scale
Retail SpaceOffice Space
Private Office
Vault
Check-In Window
EntryManTrap
ManTrap
RestroomWaiting Room
Consult Rooms
COMMERCIAL STUDIOHerbal Alternatives
Marijuana Display Wall Perspective Consult Rooms Perspective
COMMERCIAL STUDIO
Piatti Tradizionale
Promotional AdPiet Mondrian:Composition with red, yellow, blue and black
Ceiling Plan, Not to ScaleRendered Floor Plan, Not to Scale
What do modern design and rustic cuisine have in common?They both use an elemental approach.
Chef Louis Cinelli brings this approach to his unique space, his savory dishes, and his impeccabley paired wine selections.
The space contrasts the restored historic brick walls with its ultra-modern Italian furnishings.
The modern element in the space is especially evident in the unique ceiling design, based on a Piet Mondrian composition. The sparse decor and hard materials present throughout the space would create a noise problem, solved with custom
sized and colored acoustical clouds, meant to interpret the Mondrian composition.
COMMERCIAL STUDIOPiatti Tradizionale
Waiting Area with Interactive Wine List
Restaurant View, Including Wine Tasting Table
For this project, we were required to work with a real chef.
While some students worked with celebrity chefs, my approach was to work with an aspiring chef to design his ultimate dream restaurant.
This, for me, presented a unique challenge in design school - working with a real client. This exercise took me through the rigors of developing a design that took me out of my comfort zone and forced me to truly design for my client.
Corridor ConceptPhysical Model with Windows
INSTITUTIONAL STUDIO
Mogadishu Family Growth Center
The Mogadishu Family Growth Center seeks to reacquaint the displaced people of Somalia, a war-torn nation for two decades, with their homeland and to create a safe haven in which they can grow, learn and heal, in the hopes that they will graduate from the center and be instrumental in the creation of a new and peaceful Somalia. The concept for the Mogadishu Family Growth Center is based on the rich architectural history of the Somali people and those who have inhabited the country over its long history. The abundance of both Islamic and Italianate architecture incorporates architectural language that symbolically related to the programatic elements of the space and translated beautifully into both a broad and detailed architectural approach.
Concept Sketch
Section Schematic
Window Concept
The colonnade is a strong element in the vernacular of Somali architecture, and is a transitional space, partway inside and partway outside. This element is translated into the architectural language of the center through the use of windows in the place of columns, emphasizing the transition from the wide open interior green space, to the semi-transparent circulation corridors, to the residential rooms. The interior/exterior element is further explored by the soaring glass-roofed central interior green space, which allows sunlight to flow into the space, and further emphasizes the transition from open to private spaces, through the selective transmission of light through the glazed colonnade.
INSTITUTIONAL STUDIO
Mogadishu Family Growth Center
First Floor Plan, Not to Scale
Second Floor Plan, Not to Scale
Literacy Center View
INSTITUTIONAL STUDIO
Mogadishu Family Growth Center
Roof Plan, Not to Scale
Third Floor Plan, Not To Scale
Roof Alcove View
Corridor View
INSTITUTIONAL STUDIO
Mogadishu Family Growth Center
Entrance + Lobby View
GRADUATE PROJECT
the other side funeral home
entry
remembrancehall
meditation
viewing
restroom
kitchen
administrative
preparea
communaltable
Spatial Relationships
Floor Plan Diagram
Natural burial is a movement within the funeral industry to allow for burial without the conventions of embalmment and ornate caskets that do not degrade.
This funeral home caters to clientele who choose to be buried in this manner, and respects the spirituality of these people while removing the trappings of religion from the equation.
The concept of threshold represents the mystery of what becomes of us on the other side. The main threshold in the space is a monumental wall that contains the bier on which the deceased is temporarily laid for the duration of the memorial service. The wall breaks down as the visitors slowly return back to the world of the living, through the communal dining space and then continuing out through the exit.
life
life
death
Threshold Wall EvolutionParti Diagram
GRADUATE PROJECT
the other side funeral home
Transition to Dining
Remembrance Hall Plan PerspectiveFloor Plan
Entrance View
