vanessa cowdrey

TEXTURES

1. profile

2. resume

3. portfolio

2013

selected work: the hive

PROFILE

VANESSA COWDREY

Contact Information:Mobile: 831 236 2883 Email: vanessa.cowdrey@gmail.com

Since I was a child, I have had pencil and paper in my hands constantly drawing my surroundings. I continue to sketch my way through life, studying built and not-built spaces and noting my connection to both. I was most interested in relationships between place and structure, people and place, people and structure and in the spaces that overlap. From art I moved to the study of architecture and concluded that there are two forces driving my design career--thoughtful architecture can motivate social change and architecture is functional and inhabitable art. These theories suggest that an architect can design a structure that can improve quality of life.

In school and on my own I studied how architecture can act as activism and motivate social change. Collected projects in the book, “Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism” continue to fuel my drive for rethinking disaster relief and low-income designs. I also looked at the relationship of architecture to functional and inhabitable art. Architectural designs of Peter Zumthor, sculptural pieces by Richard Serra and art installations of Olafur Eliasson in�uenced the aesthetic of my work. With these primary driving forces shaping my inspiration, I have created a body of work I am proud to share.

Of all my in�uences, the most prominent are the designs and theories of Peter Zumthor. In the attached project I explore Zumthor inspired ideas and how I apply similar qualities to my own design. I was brie�y introduced to his work as an under-graduate, and I began to fully appreciate the concepts and intention of his architec-tural creativity while living and studying at the Danish Institute of Study Abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. This project was created in my �nal design studio in the spring of 2011. We were asked to create a small satellite science center for a local middle school. I had the opportunity to work with real clients for the �rst time. The experience was challenging and informative. To begin this project we were asked to choose a life form and create a design that was inspired from it. I chose the bee. Instead of looking at the bee’s anatomy and relating it to building form, I looked at the organizational and social relationships of the beehive. I used a metaphor comparing the students to the worker bees to drive the concept of the building. The �nal project was greeted with positive and enthusiastic reviews from both teachers and students. I further explain the ideas and methods used to create the aptly named “Hive” in the following section.

My ideal architectural design job would include not only working with diverse cultural communities but also creating disaster relief and low-income housing. I am convinced, using thoughtful, sustainable, and functional design can improve the quality of life of the people most a�ected. I believe contemplative artistic design can transform how we create housing and a�ect positive social change. That is my goal.

PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES

PERSONAL REFERENCES

Julee Herdt Architect and Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder herdt@comcast.net

Toni Venza Toni Venza Training, Carmel Valley, CAmobile : 831 521 2314

Steve Aitchison Pebble Beach Company, Pebble Beach, CAmobile : 831 277 7708 o�ce : 831 625 8454

Urban Out�tters clothing companyPearl Street, Boulder CO

2012-2013

Architecture Studio ReviewerIn Professor Julee Herdt’s Architecture Design Studio at CU Boulder, I provided individual feedback to students regarding their studio projects and presented my own studio work as project process examples.

Summer 2013

Kristin McAndrews, Associate ProfessorUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa mcandrew@hawaii.edu

Artistic Practice I have had years of experience using pen, ink, pencil, watercolor and acrylic. I have also studied printmaking, using copper and linoleum and digital photography.

Creative Assistant Dr. Kristin McAndrews In this ongoing project, I assist Dr. Kristin M. McAndrews with concepts, artwork, and creative design layout for a book-length project on Italian/American culture and cuisine. My skills in drawing, painting, printmaking, and photography have been used.

Hired as a sales associate, I was promoted to Team Leader in the Men’s Department and then to Reciever (10/2012). Responsibilities included training new employees, provid-ing customer service, organizing shipments, paperwork and backstock. In addition, I managed weekly regional Team Leader conference calls and held Team Leader in-store meetings.

Summer 2012

Architectural Computer Programs Advanced understanding of the following: Adobe(CS4+) : Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Basic understanding of the following: Adoble Flash, Autodesk Revit

SKILLS

George Lim Principal Partner of Tangram Design LLC in Denver, CO Instructor at the University of Colorado at Bouldergeorge@tangramdesignllc.com

Zach Keller Manager at Urban Out�tters in Boulder, COmobile : 970-261-0257

WORK EXPERIENCE

University of Colorado at Boulder Bachelors of Environmental Design (B.ENVD) with an Architectural emphasisGraduated May 2012

EDUCATION

selected work

the hive

what can we learn from the physical and social organization of a bee hive?

how is this transformed into building design?

Nevin Platt Middle School CLIENT

LOCATION Vacant lot @ Baseline x Cherryvale RDBoulder CO

PROJECT Architecture Studio 4 (under professor + architect Julee Herdt) University of Colorado at Boulder : Spring 2012

SIZE 8,700 SQ FT building footprint + additional path and footbridge

This project is uniqie in the way that I had the opportunity to work with clients. This allowed for interactions with students and teachers that could be directly interpreted into the building design.

The objective of this studio was to take a life form and create a building design that was inspired from that form. I chose the bee. Instead of looking at the anatomy of the bee and directly applying that into the building, I chose to look at the social and organiza-tional structure of the bee hive. This brought me to this metaphor which inspired the entirety of the project:

“Children are the worker bees. They leave the hive to explore and gather experi ences, much like bees gathering pollen, and return to the hive to share those new observations and understandings. The structure will act like the hive. A safe place where students can learn and share and grow.”

The materiality of the structure is also derived from the bee hive. Honeycombs are naturally self supporting when locked together, thus the idea for the structural mesh is born. The building is wrapped in a translucent skin resembling the paper-like texture of a hive. Bright, ambient light shines through during the day, illuminating the classrooms but not allowing visual connection with the outside, improving focus in the classroom. At night, the building glows above the landscape.

PROJECTOBJECTIVE

gather

ing po

llen f

or hon

ey

returning to hiv

e to share

w/ col

ony

student

s leav

e to experiement in the field ...

returning to share their experienc

es

“children are the worker bees”

1. 2. 3.

4. 5.

6.

SITE

CHERRYVALLE RD BUSY ROAD CONNECT-ING 36 TO SOUTH BOULDER

CONNECTED TO EXISTING CAMPUS BY GRASS FIELD. objective is for site to be multifunctional: to be used as both public space and an extension of the campus.

CREEKprovides a natural boarder to site. building cantilevers over creek.

LOCATION OF VIEW ON SITE

TRAILSMULTIUSE TRAIL THROUGH SOUTH BOULDER COUNTY

1. EXISTING CAMPUS The existing middle school campus located NE of the proposed building site. The existing campus acts as an anchor to the addition. The connection between the old and new campuses o�ers a unique way of reinterpreting the use of the surrounding landscape.

2. SITEThe proposed building site is boardered on one side by a busy road and on the other by a natural creek. The site acts as a junction point, connecting views of the two distinct terrains that make boulder unique : vast rolling �atlands meeting the colorado rockies. The site has the potential to connect the two. A reservoir rests to the east of the site.

3. REISIDENTIAL AREA The residential area NW of the site is made up of single-story housing. There is a connection to the trailhead in the form of a crosswalk, however a safer path linking residential to the public areas on the site would be bene�cial.

4. COMMUNITY LANDThe public land use consists of multi-use trails (biking, hiking, running...) which cut through surrounding cattle pasture and the reservoir east of the site. There is an opportunity to use the site as a connecting point for all the public access. Bobolink trailhead rests directly across the street from the site.

6. VIEWSLike mentioned in 2, the site has the ability to see both iconic pasture lands as well as the �atiron mountains. By locating the building on this viewpoint axis, views of the busy road and old campus are minimized and natural views are encouraged.

5. MAIN ROAD USAGEThe site sits at the corner of where Baseline road meets Cherryvale road, a very busy and potentially dangerous intersection for students and trail users. A bridge connection site to connect the residential area to trails would clean up the hazard and allow for more use of the site.

The images below show the site in relation to downtown Boulder, Colorado and to the many geopraphical features that exist. Boulder sits between a dense mountain range and sprawling �atland. The site’s location allows for views of both types of terrain to be possible.

The location also asks the question of whether the site can function as a multi-use area. The structure housed on the site could potentially serve other purposes than simply being a science center. Since the site acts as a connec-tion between public-use area and the school, how can the structure be used to do the same? The surrounding area is large enough to accomodate events that the downtown area cannot. Potential ideas include, �lm screenings/festivals, art exhibitions, and other gala events. This could also provide extra revenue to Platt Middle School.

THE SITE IN VARIOUS FOCUSES

library / reading room honeycomb cubbies lecture classrooms

laboratory classroomsmechanical / storage

restrooms

modular workspace

improving connections A bridge across the main road would improve road crossing safety for the students, as well as provide a direct path to the trailhead across the busy intersection.

HONEYCOMB FACADE + LIGHT STUDY

Elements from the bee hive are brought into the building design in more ways than social organization. The facade and interior details incorporate the honeycomb pattern into the structural system. A system similar to PANELITE(tm), which uses a structural honey-comb pattern in their pre-fab exteriors, will be used for the building skin. Student cubbies resemble the facade, however students are able to use these spaces for storage.

Below is a model representing the light quality of the structure. The skin allows ambient light inside the structure during the day and a glowing sensation at night.

The structure is “hovering” above the site much like a bee alighting on a �ower. Lightness of The HIVE is achieved in both organizational and physical characteristics.

connection + safety the purpose of the path is to connect the existing campus to the new parts of the site. the path acts as a nature trail for students to travel safely to the science center as well as an addition to the public trails in boulder county. the path connects to the public use trailhead located across the road.

outdoor learning with a larger site addition to the campus, there is more opportunity to provide safe and functional outdoor learn-ing spaces for the students.

outdoor learning

more public space in addition to the school, the science center and connecting paths can be used for public recreation. there are numerous trails across the road and in the adjacent neigh-borhoods that are heavily used. a connection would be beneficial to the area as well as provide safe crossing between the paths.

THANK YOU

831 236 2883vanessa.cowdrey@gmail.com