portfolio, landon carpenter
DESCRIPTION
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DESIGN PORTFOLIO
Landon Carpenter
Architecture
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Obscura House
Double Wall House
Ocular Architecture
Pop Up Inflatable
Drawing
Modeling
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16
26
36
44
54
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OBSCURA HOUSE
There is an incongruity between how our minds
piece together visual information into a coherent
model against the physical attributes of that same
object. In Obscura House, single vantage points
collapse incoherent visual information into legible
scenes. The surrounding environment of the build-
ing is fragmented into drastically different scales
that render it indecipherable. For instance, the
trees may exist at a normal scale while a water fall
exists at the scale of a puddle, but when the view is
collapsed into the single vantage point, the puddle
is now rendered at the scale of a massive waterfall.
Each single vantage point in the building takes the
form of a camera obscura, only at the scale of a
large room where the image is projected onto the
back wall.
The building operates as a photography center and
headquarters for the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club
greatly advocated for the production of nature
photography such as the work of Ansel Adams as
a means of promoting conservation. Within the
building there are studios and darkrooms for edu-
cational use, offices for Sierra Club operations, and
a large gallery for exhibitions.
“I’ve finally figured out what’s wrong with photog-
raphy. It’s a one-eyed man looking through a little
‘ole. Now, how much reality can there be in that?”
-David Hockney
Georg Friedrich Brander
8 9
The project is located in northern Ann Arbor
between the Huron River and train tracks.
Environments from three locations in Mich-
igan were selected to be recreated on the
site: Tahquamenon Falls, the Turnip Rock,
and Silver Lake Sand Dunes. In order to be
modeled on the site these environments
were first designed through collage to cre-
ate new scenes. An important step was to
first create the image of the environments,
as this would dictate how they would be de-
signed on the site
SITE
10 11
Render Inside Room Obscura
First Floor Plan
Building Model
12 13
After the image of each environment was created, the
images were then placed on the back wall of three large
room obscuras within the building. Lines were projected
from the image through the center of the opposite wall,
and out into the site. These lines projected in space dictat-
ed where each component of the picture could be placed-
into the site while maintaining the image on the wall. This
meant that certain objects could be placed far out into
space at large scales, while other objects could be placed
close to the rooms but at a very small scale, all while
preserving the same image. The order of this process was
conceptually important. Images are a construct that do
not mirror the world. They come imbedded with ideologies
that try to produce a new world. As a result, the image
does not record the environment but dictates it.
SECTION
14 15
The installation is exhibited on the third floor
gallery space. Gabled structures are built out of
acrylic which house large images of disjointed
environments that zigzag through the transpar-
ent structures.
INSTALLATION
16 17
DOUBLE WALL HOUSE
Double Wall House is a proposal for a small fami-
ly home located in northern Ann Arbor. The design
is a compact home which feels spacious yet every
aspect is in favor of passive heating and cooling.
Instead of hallways between rooms, all circulation
is pushed to the exterior of the building forming a
continous corridor between the exterior wall and
the interior space. This corridor is conceptually
imagined to be the interior space of one thick wall
that the user can occupy.
“If anything is described by an architectural plan,
it is the nature of human relationships, since the
elements whose trace it records-walls, doors, win-
dows and stairs-are employed first to divide and
then selectivley re-unite inhabited space”
-Robin Evans
Figures, Doors and Passages 1978
Great Zimbabwe
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UP
DN
UP
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CONCEPT
The Double Wall House utilizes the space of circula-
tion as a means of conserving energy in a residential
home. It is a compact structure that implements the
strategy of a double exterior wall. The entire living
space is wrapped in a 3’ -6” corridor that acts as
an additional layer of insulation between the two
exterior walls, creating an additional buffer to the
outside air. In order to maintain a comfortable tem-
perature, thick walls of concrete and rigid insulation
form an airtight seal with large tripleglazed win-
dows. The outer exterior wall is 1’ thick construction
comprised of concrete with 4.5” of Thermax Rigid
Insulation, and the inner exterior wall is a similar
concrete construction with but with 1.5” of Thermax
Rigid Insulation. The space trapped between these
two exterior walls is designed to maximize solar
heat gain in order to passively heat this space. Heat
gained from this design strategy acts as an extra
layer of insulation from the unconditioned outside
air, as well as a primary heat supply for the active
heat pump system. All of this is implemented and
contained within the double exterior wall strategy.
The roof on the south façade is extruded to create a
large overhang for shading. In the summer months
sun rays will be obstructed by this overhang while
still allowing the sun to penetrate in the winter
months. Sunlight penetrating the south façade in
the winter months will contribute to solar heat gain
in the corridor space through implementing triple
glazed windows. The few concrete walls scattered
behind the glass façade will absorb the suns heat
and release it during the nighttime to aid in passive
heating.
Diagramitic Floor Plans
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UP
20 21
CONCEPT
Design strategy began with the conception of a
compact space that maximized usable area while
maintaining a sense of privacy amongst inhabitants.
As a result, all living space is pushed to the inside of
the exterior walls, forcing circulation to take place
only within the corridor trapped between the two
exterior walls. Materiality of concrete on both the in-
side and outside of the exterior walls was an import-
ant factor to maintain in the design process. When
inside this corridor the user is sandwiched between
the concrete, creating an experience of circulating
within one giant wall. This system of circulation
creates a greater sense of privacy between rooms
that share walls. The user must circumambulate the
perimeter of the structure, increasing the distance
traveled between rooms, thus constructing a sense
of distance and privacy amongst shared walls. The
implementation of a large glass façade increases
perceived distance within the structure and conse-
quently makes the interior feel more spacious.
The addition of a pit in the living room gives
inhabitants an alternative space for
lounging while still maintaining visual
access of the entire first floor.
Initial Sketches
First Floor Plan
Longitudinal Section
22 23
The orientation of a large glass
south façade played a crucial role in
developing passive design strategies.
Trees on the site are placed at a 45
degree angle to the façade to ensure
that maximum sunlight penetrates
into the structure. Deciduous trees
were planted around the west and
east facades as a shading strategy.
In the summer months these trees
would retain their leaves and shade
the facades, while in the winter
months they would shed their leaves
and allow more light to penetrate
inside the structure, thus increasing
solar heat gain.
SOUTH ELEVATIONPERSPECTIVE LINEWORK RENDER
SITE
06/211200 HR26°ANGLE
12/211200 HR70°ANGLE
DN
Cross Section
Second Floor plan
Window Section Detail
Wall Section Detail
Parapet Detail
24 25
26 27
OCULAR ARCHITECTURE
Ocular Architecture is study of forced perspectives
in architecture. The building performs as an out-
post high in the mountains at a ski resort. Users
come to the outpost seeking a place to rest after
rock climbing or skiing. The outpost houses pro-
grams such as a café and retail space, but users
are encouraged to spend time relaxing in the circu-
lation space between programs. The organization
of the structure is centered around a series of ta-
pered tubes that tilt within a rectangular frame.
The resulting poche space performs as needed pro-
gram. The end result is a structure that from the
outside functions as an optical device but on the
inside performs as architecture.
“I don’t mistrust reality, of which I know next to
nothing. I mistrust the picture of reality conveyed
to us by our senses, which is imperfect and cir-
cumscribed.”
-Gerhard Richter
Interview with Rolf Schön, 1972
Palazzo Spada
28 29
In one point perspective all visible lines con-
verge to a single point. This basic principle
allows one to understand how forced perspec-
tives are accomplished. When looking through
a tube with symmetrical sides it will appear
that the lines in the corners of the tube con-
verge at an imaginary point in space, creating
depth. Forcing lines to converge sooner creates
the perception of greater depth, which visually
makes the tubes appear longer. The outpost
uses these geometries to frame the surround-
ing landscape. Suddenly, the close mountain
peaks appear miles away and the user is isolat-
ed high above ground.
FORCED PERSPECTIVE
Conceptual Model
Planar Model
Forced Perspective Diagram
Distancing Effect Promixity Effect
30 31
MODEL DETAIL
Southwest Corner
32 33
Program exists in the poche trapped between the intersecting tubes.
These poche spaces have no access to natural light. Thus the tapered
voids cutting through the main volume are the only spaces receiving
natural light. This intentionally persuades subjects to not linger in poche
spaces, creating an environment where skiiers and rock climbers hang
out in these voided tubes. Circulation space no longer performs as an
area of movement but as a relaxation space, encouraging an environ-
ment of off chance or unexpected interactions between users.
CUT OUT MODEL
34 35
First Floor Second Floor Third Floor
Axonometric Diagram
Real Image
Percieved Image
Render Inside Tube
36 37
POP UP INFLATABLE
In the contemporary landscape, program is created
to make space for capital transactions. Advertis-
ing image building signals need for business spaces
rather than addressing the preexisting needs of
the community. Temporary architecture can fill this
void by creating spaces for programs other than
capital transactions since they require little mone-
tary investment. These spaces emphasize commu-
nity building through nurturing social knowledge
and creating opportunities for active participation.
They act as a fissure in the environment that grabs
people’s attention away from ordinary daily life. If
you’re walking through your neighborhood and a
new form suddenly appears in the landscape you’d
most likely go investigate? Ultimately, you would
stumble into other people in the community and
converse with new individuals for the first time.
Pop Up Inflatable is a collaborative project with
classmate and designer Stephen Busscher. The
inflatable is designed out of Tyvek tied together
with extra strength thread, and inflated with a low
power electric leaf blower. The idea was to create
a form that could easily be blown up in any location
and act as a space for students to take a break in
their day. “The current practice of urban planning is based
entirely on the principle of supply and demand-or
rather on supply alone. Temporary uses can be un-
derstood as the demand itself”
-Florian Haydn
A Material that Never Comes to Rest
Concepts and Potentials of Temporary Spaces
Inflatocookbook, Ant Farm
38 39
INFLATABLE INSTALLATIONSITE:UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DIAG
DATE:APRIL 2013
40 41
SITE
The inflatable was installed at three
locations in Ann Arbor. The first instal-
lation was on S Thayer Street at 3am in
the morning. Due to the dark light, the
white form of the inflatable stuck out in
the landscape and attracted a variety of
university employees working late in the
night. The first daytime test was outside
the Art and Architecture Building to see
how it responded to wind. During finals
week the final installation took place on
the University of Michigan central diag.
42 43
FORM
The form of Pop Up Inflatable is made using only
two shapes, a triangle and one sheet that makes
up the ground surface. A repetitive element was
desired in order to make fabrication simple yet yield
a complex form. Three triangles are sewn together
to form a tapered tube which serves as the foun-
dation for the entire arrangement. The tubes are
then combined to make what looks on the inside
as a geodesic dome but on the outside as a sea
urchin. This form was not only desired for aesthetic
and fabrication purposes but to perform as a shield
against the wind. One of the main concerns with
inflatables is that even the slightest wind can cause
them to lift off the ground. In order to resist this
problem the tubes were conceptualized as sub-
structure that would move about in the wind while
having the primary structure of the dome be mo-
tionless.
44 45
DRAWING
Architecture is a peculiar profession because unlike
artists, architects never come in contact with the
object they are making. Architects have to design
their final work through mediums which abstract
the final outcome. As a result, drawing becomes
one of the most powerful techniques that an ar-
chitect can engage. Architectural drawing is unique
because it does not represent something that al-
ready exists but predicts or lays the foundation for
a condition that will occur.
Similar to language, architecture can never be
translated perfectly between drawing and built
form. Something will always be lost, added, or
changed between the translation of drawing,
modeling, and building. Recognizing the distance
between these mediums can be advantageous in
reaching new conceptions of how architecture is
perceived. Perceptual deceptions seen in the work
of Borromini or De L’orme demonstrate the pow-
erful effects that distancing drawing to building
can accomplish. Cognizance of how working in one
medium can benefit another medium is essential to
design.
“A drawing is simply a line going for a walk”
-Paul Klee
46 47
Yale Building Project 2010, Facade Proposal
48 49
50 51
Jean Nouvel, IMA, Paris, Hand Drawing Analysis
52 53
George Saunders, The Semplica Girl Diaries, Drawing Analysis
Hot Tub Detail
Damage to temporal
lobe
First Person Perspective
Scenographic Axon
54 55
MODELING
Comprehensive computer models now serve to
yield the final drawings, renderings, and diagrams
of many architectural projects. As a result, the long
practiced act of physical modeling now resides in a
strange position. In an increasingly digitized profes-
sion model making arguably still holds profound im-
portance as a medium. The act of working by hand
inacts a different process of thinking in response
to tactile sensation. Effects like texture, weight,
and materiality come to the forefront. Materials
that you thought were supposed to be used for one
thing now take on totally different identities when
used in another way. The chance of accidentily run-
ning into new possiblities is what makes modeling
so exciting.
“You begin with the possibilities of the material.”
-Robert Rauschenberg
56 57