For the final project of the first semester of my freshman year, I designed an illumination device: the assignment was not to create a "lamp," but to create an object that used light to convey a particular mood. My device created a mysterious, sci-fi mood.

I spent the first half of the second semester working with a partner to research, draw, and model the house "Villa Dall'Ava," by Rem Koolhaas.

I spent the second half of the semester working individually to design a visitor/research center to accompany the "Villa" on site. The "Villa" is a highly unusual building built with an amalgam of materials, and it seems to confront its neighboring homes, making it an excellent example of the bold style of Koolhaas. I wanted the visitor center to have a visual relationship to the "Villa;" so, I decided to create an unusual building as well. However, I wanted the "Villa" to continue to stand out with its own separate syle. Therefore, since Koolhaas uses geometric forms and a wide variety of materials, I decided to use entirely organic forms. 

Cross Section

I placed the visitor center at the back part of the site, so that passersby of the "Villa" will always see the work of Koolhaas. Even when visitors and researchers walk towards the center, the visual motion of its organic form points back towards the "Villa."

 

Interior view of the upper level gallery.