RIGOROUSINGENUITY

MITCH CALDWELLA COLLECTION OF DESIGNS AND

CREATIVE WORKS

Rigorous - rig·or·ous (adjective) extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate.

Ingenuity - in·ge·nu·i·ty (noun) the quality of being clever, original, and inventive.

RIGOROUS INGENUITY

MITCH CALDWELL

828•712•3728 jcaldw43@gmail.comhttp://issuu.com/jamescaldwell2/docs/james_mitch_caldwell_portfolio_8a291ee281c4c7

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The path to design is a constant journey, one that is shaped by your life. Not just the life that you are focused on everyday, not just the life that you aspire to have one day, but also through the life that happens without you noticing. It is in these moments that design happens, that inspiration comes. When you are pursuing your passions, having that cup of coffee in the early morning quietness, when you are immersed in nature, devoid of all other distractions. That is the moment where design happens, and that is when it all began for me many years ago. My skills and knowledge have been refi ned over the years through my education, but it is in the moments of life, the day to day, where the creativity begins. It is in these moments that I hope to grow as a designer, to cultivate, challenge and push my skills, and to inspire and guide others to do the same.

2009 - 2015 2008 - 2013

WoodworkingVarious Locations

2#

PhotographyVarious Locations

1#

20152015201320122010

City Bus StopCharlotte, NC

3#

Public HousingDurham, NC

4#

Offi ce PlazaRaleigh, NC

5# Medical CenterBeaufort, NC

7#

Crafts CenterRaleigh, NC

6#

2009 - 2015Photography1#

My love of photography is what spurred my passion for design from the very beginning. Whether it be the composition of the shot, the careful editing, or the developing in the dark room; photography is a series of creative decisions and careful execution. Photography, whether fi lm or digital, continues to be in my blood, from the abstract, to the carefully composed. I have worked as a photographer for a couple weddings, sold some pieces, and had some images featured in shows, but at the end of the day, it is my passion for design that fuels me.

2008 - 2013Woodworking2#

Woodworking is one of the other building blocks of my passion for design. From a young age I have been exposed to woodworking machinery and the craft it entails. Working with my hands gives me a peace and rejuvenated creativity. Being able to see something take form in your hands from the work you have done is an amazing thing. Whether it be some of the furniture I have made, models for designs, clocks, or larger scale built works, such as design build, they have all played a part in my design education in one way or another, spurring me on and helping me grow as a designer.

2010City Bus Stop3#

One of the fi rst “real world” projects that I was able to work on during my education was a public bus stop in the outskirts of Charlotte, NC. The simplistic nature of this project allowed me to focus on the analysis of the site in order to see how to respond to the location. Observing the fl ow of people through the existing parking lot, and watching them navigate the streets surrounding the space, I was able to get a better feel for where paths were needed and where more sedentary spaces were desired within the structure. All of this culminating to a successful intervention.

2012Public Housing4#

Durham, NC has a rich history in tobacco and tobacco buildings. At the edge of downtown, the grid of the city switches to a more residential scale. At this node, I proposed a public housing project that would incorporate a mix of affordable housing, mixed use retail, and some art gallery display space on the ground fl oor. Observing people on the site and seeing the concentrations of gathering helped me to inform the design. Using ample site analysis with a new medium of watercolor allowed me to explore my techniques, refi ne them and use them to better aid in design.

Steel Cabled Railing

Foundation CapGround CoverRock BedInsulation12” Concrete Slab

Batt InsulationDropped CeilingGypsum Board

Exterior Block

4” Air Space/Insulation

Top Plate

Window Unit

Sill Plate

“Floating Floor”

Ground Cover

12” Slab

6” Slab

Rock BedGround

Roof Terrace

Interior/Exterior Condition

Subterrainier Parking

Ground Condition

W. M

organ St.

Gregson St.

2013Offi ce Plaza5#

At the fulcrum of my graduate design education, I began to explore how to better incorporate both sides of thinking (landscape architecture & architecture) in to a formal design. The location of a vacant lot amongst offi ce buildings proved to be the perfect location for this. Designing solely through the use of plan drawing and model building I designed a formal plaza and the front portion of a community center. Using different techniques for design and mixing both sides of thinking proved to be a rewarding exercise for my educational experience.

2015Crafts Center6#

Situated in downtown Raleigh, NC, directly outside of the dense urban fabric and high rise buildings, the site for the crafts center sat as a hidden jewel. Existing as a vacant parking lot, the site held great promise, existing near residential housing, small shops, a school and a park. After careful site analysis of the movement and occupation of the site, and numerous small scale concept models, a fi nal form was chosen. A large vestibule area sits in the center, fl anked by public spaces on one side and the private offi ces on the other. The sketchy rendering style refl ects the nature of the space.

2015Medical Center7#

Sited in Beaufort, NC, a coastal town with a rich history, and prone to seasonal storms and fl ooding, the proposed medical center responds to the needs of the community as well as the cultural connections. The building is a re purposing of the old fi re department building, utilizing the high bay space as an open courtyard. The building itself functions as an urgent care 98% of the time, but during the 2% of emergency situations, the building is able to respond to the needs of the community through limited and safe failure of the functions as well as having rapid rebound to normal functionality.