selected student work
Below are some projects completed by my students while I taught architecture, design, and advanced design courses for grades 9-11.
SUSTAINABLE residential design - grades 10, 11
Students created a 2 bedroom, 2-3 bathroom residence at approximately 1,500 square feet using hand-drafted floor plans, roof plans, and elevation drawings. The final ¼” scale models were constructed primarily from foam board and acetate.
Each project responded to the unique conditions presented by its site, located and analyzed by students. Students learned and utilized sustainable approaches to window placement and sizing for adequate lighting, heating, and cross-ventilation; incorporated natural materials that would provide sufficient insulation or ventilation; selected colors for absorbing or reflecting heat and light; and designed roofs for water collection and rooftop vegetation.
grid analysis - grade 10
The Grid Analysis project investigated how design – ranging from urban to product, architecture to fashion – can utilize an underlying system of organization, referred to as “The Grid.” Students researched an assigned topic and analyzed five photographs that best displayed its primary and secondary systems of arrangement. Students’ analyses began as a series of two-dimensional drawings, which were subsequently abstracted and transformed into blueprints for their final, three-dimensional models. The forms represented in the drawings informed the students’ choice of materials used to construct the models.
Headpiece design - grade 9
Students designed and constructed head coverings utilizing recycled materials from home. Projects drew inspiration from elements of a chosen aspect of nature, architecture, piece of technology, or other topic. Students then constructed a series of smaller units, and were tasked with connecting them to create the entire head covering utilizing construction methods exclusive of glue.
section perspective - gradeS 10, 11
Understanding the principles of perspective drawing is the foundational for artistic representation. For the architectural design students, perspective drawing was instrumental in visually communicating three-dimensional forms and spatial relationships. Students used one-point perspective drawing techniques to explore the qualities of various forms and the spaces that they shaped.
personal objects: drawings and prints - grade 9
Students were asked to select a sentimental object from home and to document its formal and spatial qualities through two-dimensional drawings (plan, elevation, section, perspective). From these drawings, students abstracted a magnified view of one of their drawings to convert into a rubber stamp. Students determined which parts of their magnified view would become negative space on the stamp, carved, then created a black-and-white print.
three-dimensional forms in charcoal - grade 9
Mastering perspective drawing and lighting is a foundational component of visual art and representation. Students created an observational perspective drawing of geometric forms using charcoal. Techniques to represent light, shade, and shadow were used to create the illusion of form and texture.
