Group Marketing Package- Mock Firm

For my professional practice class, our assignment was to create a group marketing package for our mock firm, a group comprised of eight students that are structured like a real design firm that we create a business plan, brochures, biographies, business cards, and a promotional video for. My firm, 336 Design, is a local Greensboro design firm that specializes in high-end residential, small-scale commercial, and community engagement projects. I was most directly involved in creating the video as well as presenting our firm to Herman Miller in Atlanta last Monday. 

What I have been up to this past year- Solar Decathlon 2013

Despite the lack of school blog posts this past year, I have been very busy! Mainly designing the interior of the Canopy House- Team Tidewater Virginia's aging-in-place residence for the 2013 Solar Decathlon coming up this October in Irvine, California.

So what is a Solar Decathlon? And who is Team Tidewater Virginia?

The Solar Decathlon is a contest by the US Department of Energy that challenges universities around the world to design houses that are completely off-the-grid, using the sun via solar panels to supply all energy for the homes. These houses are judged on various criteria such as energy efficiency, marketability, home entertainment, etc.  The houses are to be no more than 1,000 square feet with a construction budget of $250,000.

Team Tidewater Virginia is comprised of Hampton University's architecture students and Old Dominion University's engineering students, who asked my studio to assist with designing the interior of their "Canopy House".  The Canopy House is a sustainable residence that uses the principles of aging-in-place and universal design to make it a home that anyone could live in. This is achieved by features such as grab bars in the bathroom, ADA-height countertops and appliances, and wheelchair turning radii throughout the home. The Canopy House follows a modern, earthen aesthetic, with sleek lines and warm tones.

My responsibilities for this project included brainstorming and space-planning in the schematic design phase to figure out how so many features can fit in an 880 square foot home, and has moved into more detail-oriented work as we are now in the design development phase. I have continued work on this project through an independent study with a fourth-year studio, who are designing objects to go in the home while a fellow third-year and I are currently refining material and fixture selections.

This project has given me real world experience in working with clients (Team Tidewater), working with a budget, and meeting strict construction deadlines. I hope in the coming months to complete a cohesive, universally interior designed home that appeals to just about every visitor.

Crochet How-To Composition

Design Autobiography 3

Podium Renderings: Computer Lab

SketchUp Rendering: Computer Lab

 bird's eye view in perspective

 isometric- parallel projection

 isometric- perspective

 section cut

 hidden line perspective

top orthographic view

AutoCAD, Photoshop, & Illustrator: What I Would Like to Know

AutoCAD:

-Better ways to rotate entire plans (without AutoCAD freezing)
-How to array more effectively
-Relearn layer properties and what exactly they do (freeze vs. on/off etc.)
-How to open Design Center on my version for Mac/ relearn how to use Design Center
-How to duplicate layouts

Photoshop:

-How to use layers more effectively
-How to make more textures
-Relearn how to save a texture as a pattern
-What history brush tool is
-Relearn how to make different shapes (stars, arrows, etc.)
-Relearn burn & dodge

Illustrator:

-Mesh tool
-Symbol Sprayer tool
-Slice tool
-Blob Brush tool
-More effective ways to apply color