MADELINE TRAYLOR
My undergraduate architecture projects while studying at The Catholic University of America, in Washington, DC.
NATIONAL PRESIDENTIAL MUSEUM AND LIBRARY- SPRING 2017
PARTNERS: ALIX HERRERA, ANDREW CAHILL, MICHAEL SPINELLI
After ascending from the street below, you enter under the floating cube through the marble-cladded plinth. As you wrap around the core, you are able to view the flags of the states from which the presidents are from. You may decide to stop and take a picture, or continue your journey up through the core to the sixth floor of the suspended cube. When you arrive at your destination, you are greeted with a panoramic view of the National Mall, and more specifically the Washington Monument. You stop to take pictures of the breathtaking view before continuing on to the exhibits around you. You return to the core after finishing each floor to descend down the floating stairs, hung by cables similar to the facade beyond. You may choose to pause and sit in one of the atriums that line the outer edge of the cube. This is where you can admire the fritted glass, steel cables and then you notice the columns as they pass through the floors. Suddenly you feel as if the floor you are standing on is hovering above and below the others. At the end of your journey you visit the cafe, stop to have coffee and walk out along the plinth to take a final photo when you notice something peeking out from the plinth. You go to look and you see that there is a library below, where the administration and scholars work and study. After taking a moment to reflect on your time at the museum, you descend once again to the first level of the plinth. This is were you can buy a souvenir and the gift shop, listen to a speaker in the auditorium, and where you have ended your trip to the National Presidential Museum and Library.
Pulling from the concept, the structural design for the building needed to emphasize an elevated “ideal”. To make this happen, the building needed to appear to float yet still be resolute and strong. What eventually was developed was a 35’ x 35’ cast-in-place reinforced concrete core which held up a system of 8 galvanized steel trusses. These trusses are 10’ high and set in a 35’ x 35’ orthogonal grid. Along the outer four trusses, 12 columns are suspended to hold up the four floors below. This means that each of the floors ,which consists of W24x162 steel girders and W8x130 steel beams, are supported by both a core of reinforced concrete in compression and 12”x12”x5/8” HSS’ in tension on the exterior. This decision has helped the design in several ways. First, it allows for the floor space in the cube to be clear of structural members. Allowing the building to have 360 degrees of usable space for both exhibits and atriums. Second, since the outside, and exposed area, of the buildings is suspended from the top, risk of progressive collapse is greatly reduced. As this would be a building of national importance and symbolism, a certain level of security and structural mindfulness had to be taken into account. Finally, a suspended system allows the cafe level to be void of the exterior columns. This creates a relatively transparent level from the outside viewers which makes the cube appear as it is floating above the the plinth. The contrast of design between the standard system of steel columns in compression for the plinth and a suspended steel system for the cube allowed us to define the hierarchy of the building, manage technical problems, and to stick to our strong original concept.
PARTNERS: ALIX HERRERA, ANDREW CAHILL, MICHAEL SPINELLI
After ascending from the street below, you enter under the floating cube through the marble-cladded plinth. As you wrap around the core, you are able to view the flags of the states from which the presidents are from. You may decide to stop and take a picture, or continue your journey up through the core to the sixth floor of the suspended cube. When you arrive at your destination, you are greeted with a panoramic view of the National Mall, and more specifically the Washington Monument. You stop to take pictures of the breathtaking view before continuing on to the exhibits around you. You return to the core after finishing each floor to descend down the floating stairs, hung by cables similar to the facade beyond. You may choose to pause and sit in one of the atriums that line the outer edge of the cube. This is where you can admire the fritted glass, steel cables and then you notice the columns as they pass through the floors. Suddenly you feel as if the floor you are standing on is hovering above and below the others. At the end of your journey you visit the cafe, stop to have coffee and walk out along the plinth to take a final photo when you notice something peeking out from the plinth. You go to look and you see that there is a library below, where the administration and scholars work and study. After taking a moment to reflect on your time at the museum, you descend once again to the first level of the plinth. This is were you can buy a souvenir and the gift shop, listen to a speaker in the auditorium, and where you have ended your trip to the National Presidential Museum and Library.
Pulling from the concept, the structural design for the building needed to emphasize an elevated “ideal”. To make this happen, the building needed to appear to float yet still be resolute and strong. What eventually was developed was a 35’ x 35’ cast-in-place reinforced concrete core which held up a system of 8 galvanized steel trusses. These trusses are 10’ high and set in a 35’ x 35’ orthogonal grid. Along the outer four trusses, 12 columns are suspended to hold up the four floors below. This means that each of the floors ,which consists of W24x162 steel girders and W8x130 steel beams, are supported by both a core of reinforced concrete in compression and 12”x12”x5/8” HSS’ in tension on the exterior. This decision has helped the design in several ways. First, it allows for the floor space in the cube to be clear of structural members. Allowing the building to have 360 degrees of usable space for both exhibits and atriums. Second, since the outside, and exposed area, of the buildings is suspended from the top, risk of progressive collapse is greatly reduced. As this would be a building of national importance and symbolism, a certain level of security and structural mindfulness had to be taken into account. Finally, a suspended system allows the cafe level to be void of the exterior columns. This creates a relatively transparent level from the outside viewers which makes the cube appear as it is floating above the the plinth. The contrast of design between the standard system of steel columns in compression for the plinth and a suspended steel system for the cube allowed us to define the hierarchy of the building, manage technical problems, and to stick to our strong original concept.
LUMBAR SUPPORT- FALL 2016
Dance Studio
The site was on the corner of 18th and California in the neighborhood of Adams Morgan. With the program for a dance studio, a site on a steep hill, and four public facades, this site called for a dynamic envelope.
This project followed a conceptual exercise where we manipulated blocks of wood to complete a series. I became very familiar with the wood shop tools as I designed parameters for the width, depth and angle for my cuts. I took these results and translated them onto my site as ribbed structure that supported my program. These ribs acted as louvers that shaded the glass since our site was laid out as a bar building with two long east and west facades.
The program arrangement came from my analysis of how I wanted both the dancers and public to experience this building. I pushed the dancers program to the outside edge of the building so that they could capitalize on as much natural daylighting as possible, while taking advantage of incredible views of DC. The structure wraps around the enclosed dance studios and auditorium as it lifts them off the ground as if they are the dancer themselves in flight. The public circulation is grounded, open, approachable from various paths.
Although this project remained at a conceptual stage, I was able to further study my approach to design this semester in different medias. It furthered my understanding of how to sculpt space and the incredible impact that it can make.
Dance Studio
The site was on the corner of 18th and California in the neighborhood of Adams Morgan. With the program for a dance studio, a site on a steep hill, and four public facades, this site called for a dynamic envelope.
This project followed a conceptual exercise where we manipulated blocks of wood to complete a series. I became very familiar with the wood shop tools as I designed parameters for the width, depth and angle for my cuts. I took these results and translated them onto my site as ribbed structure that supported my program. These ribs acted as louvers that shaded the glass since our site was laid out as a bar building with two long east and west facades.
The program arrangement came from my analysis of how I wanted both the dancers and public to experience this building. I pushed the dancers program to the outside edge of the building so that they could capitalize on as much natural daylighting as possible, while taking advantage of incredible views of DC. The structure wraps around the enclosed dance studios and auditorium as it lifts them off the ground as if they are the dancer themselves in flight. The public circulation is grounded, open, approachable from various paths.
Although this project remained at a conceptual stage, I was able to further study my approach to design this semester in different medias. It furthered my understanding of how to sculpt space and the incredible impact that it can make.
STUDY ABROAD- ROMA 2016
Project 4- Multi-Unit Housing
Partner: Alix Herrera
Our site for our final project was down the street from our home in Trastevere. Trastevere is a dynamic part of Rome; always full of life (day and night), music, and people. Our site was no different: full of traffic (people and vehicular) as well as a popular area with us students. Within it is a restaurant, Carlo Menta, that would serve big group Sunday dinners as well as 1 euro pizza. As a group, we toured our site and the surrounding neighborhood. What was special about this initial look was that it wasn’t only the teachers explaining the site, but actually we were also providing information about our experience living here; we have a real day-to-day connection with the area.
Our task was to design, in groups of two, multi-unit housing and a corresponding piazza that would organize the chaos as well as relate to the surrounding context. After studying here for a few months, we understood some of the traditional housing typologies of Rome (while some may have referenced some from our North Italy trip ) as we threaded them together to realize our projects.
The Butterfly is a housing project that centers on the theme of wellness living. To capture this theme, we lifted the housing units from the ground and designed commercial spaces that promotes healthy living such as a juice bar and yoga studio. Each apartment is oriented to capitalize on light from the piazza and organized by a garden terrace that brings in light into the dwellings. Although this is a contemporary building, we used rough travertine, a traditional building material of Rome that also exists in our site. From the travertine, we extended our contemporary program in white plaster which gives the gardens more light and reiterates the theme of the butterfly.
Project 4- Multi-Unit Housing
Partner: Alix Herrera
Our site for our final project was down the street from our home in Trastevere. Trastevere is a dynamic part of Rome; always full of life (day and night), music, and people. Our site was no different: full of traffic (people and vehicular) as well as a popular area with us students. Within it is a restaurant, Carlo Menta, that would serve big group Sunday dinners as well as 1 euro pizza. As a group, we toured our site and the surrounding neighborhood. What was special about this initial look was that it wasn’t only the teachers explaining the site, but actually we were also providing information about our experience living here; we have a real day-to-day connection with the area.
Our task was to design, in groups of two, multi-unit housing and a corresponding piazza that would organize the chaos as well as relate to the surrounding context. After studying here for a few months, we understood some of the traditional housing typologies of Rome (while some may have referenced some from our North Italy trip ) as we threaded them together to realize our projects.
The Butterfly is a housing project that centers on the theme of wellness living. To capture this theme, we lifted the housing units from the ground and designed commercial spaces that promotes healthy living such as a juice bar and yoga studio. Each apartment is oriented to capitalize on light from the piazza and organized by a garden terrace that brings in light into the dwellings. Although this is a contemporary building, we used rough travertine, a traditional building material of Rome that also exists in our site. From the travertine, we extended our contemporary program in white plaster which gives the gardens more light and reiterates the theme of the butterfly.
STUDY ABROAD- ROMA 2016
Roma Tre Charette- Teatro Marcello
Partners: Corey Till, Chris Vail, Noemi Obinu
Our site was an archaeological site in the heart of the Jewish Ghetto in Rome. For four days we were matched with students from Roma Tre to redesign the site. The goal was to reconnect it to the urban fabric and solve major circulation problems surrounding the site.
Our group focused on the circulation of the site; how you approached, viewed and experienced the archaeology. We reintroduced the site with urban functions such as a market, cafe, book store exhibition space, and small amphitheater. Respectful of the archaeology, we reconstructed the portico to give an authentic approach to the site, we allowed access to the current theater, and we have designated areas where the history of the site will be displayed. We also solved circulation problems by limiting access to primarily pedestrians, connected surrounding balconies and closing strategic access points to give an element of surprise to our project. Our solution is non-invasive and gives a new life to the existing archaeology and surrounding neighborhood.
Roma Tre Charette- Teatro Marcello
Partners: Corey Till, Chris Vail, Noemi Obinu
Our site was an archaeological site in the heart of the Jewish Ghetto in Rome. For four days we were matched with students from Roma Tre to redesign the site. The goal was to reconnect it to the urban fabric and solve major circulation problems surrounding the site.
Our group focused on the circulation of the site; how you approached, viewed and experienced the archaeology. We reintroduced the site with urban functions such as a market, cafe, book store exhibition space, and small amphitheater. Respectful of the archaeology, we reconstructed the portico to give an authentic approach to the site, we allowed access to the current theater, and we have designated areas where the history of the site will be displayed. We also solved circulation problems by limiting access to primarily pedestrians, connected surrounding balconies and closing strategic access points to give an element of surprise to our project. Our solution is non-invasive and gives a new life to the existing archaeology and surrounding neighborhood.
STUDY ABROAD- ROMA 2016
Solar Atrium- Urban Infil
Partner: Paul DeFelice
This is our first housing project, part of our Urban Planning semester. Our goal was to design a rooftop apartment (6mX20m) for an invented client. My partner Paul DeFelice and I chose our client, Sena Boya: a turkish painter inspired by the geometric patterns created by light in the urban fabric. Heavily inspired by our time in Venice and Carlo Scarpa in particular, we emulated his color palette, use of vernacular materials and visual connections created in our space.
Solar Atrium- Urban Infil
Partner: Paul DeFelice
This is our first housing project, part of our Urban Planning semester. Our goal was to design a rooftop apartment (6mX20m) for an invented client. My partner Paul DeFelice and I chose our client, Sena Boya: a turkish painter inspired by the geometric patterns created by light in the urban fabric. Heavily inspired by our time in Venice and Carlo Scarpa in particular, we emulated his color palette, use of vernacular materials and visual connections created in our space.
WINTER 2015
MASSANUTTEN- Personal Residential Project
Project Goals:
Mr and Mrs Schultz have asked me to help them recreate their vacation home in Virginia as they move onto their next chapter in their home state of Pennsylvania.
MASSANUTTEN- Personal Residential Project
Project Goals:
Mr and Mrs Schultz have asked me to help them recreate their vacation home in Virginia as they move onto their next chapter in their home state of Pennsylvania.
FALL 2015
INTERGENERATIONAL CENTER
Project Goals:
Intergenerational Centers are a place where children, elderly, staff and volunteers can learn together through experience and build valuable relationships with one another. IG centers have the opportunity to become a new typology that revolutionizes the way not only generations but demographics and communities can connect with each other. Both learn to respect each other through physical and visual integration and IG activities.
Project Summary:
This project is 30,000 square feet, 10,000 of which is administration. The site is on the corner of 7th Street and P Street in the community of Shaw in northwest DC.
Project Concept:
When I was young, my grandfather started building a ‘tree fort’ which, as we grew in number and age, he expanded into zip lines, slides, swings, gardens and ponds. For us, it was a place where we could explore our imagination, spend time outside and connect to our grandfather. For him, it was a way to spend time with us, but also exercise his mental and physical abilities. In a way, this is the connection the IG center is striving for; giving the elderly purpose and the children a place to be creative while able to learn the life skills of communicating with the elderly.
INTERGENERATIONAL CENTER
Project Goals:
Intergenerational Centers are a place where children, elderly, staff and volunteers can learn together through experience and build valuable relationships with one another. IG centers have the opportunity to become a new typology that revolutionizes the way not only generations but demographics and communities can connect with each other. Both learn to respect each other through physical and visual integration and IG activities.
Project Summary:
This project is 30,000 square feet, 10,000 of which is administration. The site is on the corner of 7th Street and P Street in the community of Shaw in northwest DC.
Project Concept:
When I was young, my grandfather started building a ‘tree fort’ which, as we grew in number and age, he expanded into zip lines, slides, swings, gardens and ponds. For us, it was a place where we could explore our imagination, spend time outside and connect to our grandfather. For him, it was a way to spend time with us, but also exercise his mental and physical abilities. In a way, this is the connection the IG center is striving for; giving the elderly purpose and the children a place to be creative while able to learn the life skills of communicating with the elderly.
FALL 2015
UNIT 1-The Passenger
Project Summary:
Four week-flash project to design a bar in the historic district of Shaw in Washington, DC. The owner of the beloved DC bar, The Passenger, came to CUA for help to reinvent the reopening of the bar. He is converting an old DC row home in the historic district of Shaw and renovating it to house his locally-infamous bar.
Project Goals:
Because the bar is converting a traditional DC row home, the goal is to not only reveal the spirit of the Passenger, but to be most efficient in layout.
Project Concept:
The Passenger is about living every moment to its fullest, a theme he wanted to carry throughout this new space as well. While I was trying to recreate a moment that existed in his old bar- a wall that made you feel as though you were an actual passenger on a train by placing pictures on the wall that were both blurred and in focus, I began to extrude this moment into a space. It was pieces of paper that as you turned them, they would create a continual white film, yet you could still see some of the lapses. Within these lapses I had placed red pieces of paper on the inside in order to catch your eye. As I kept twirling, I realized that I had essentially created a clock- while the clock kept moving, their were moments that were significant and would catch your attention- the passenger stopping and paying attention to his surroundings before moving on.
So I decided the theme of the new Passenger would be to diagram time. On the first floor, you have your traditional bar with linear movements from your seat or place- to getting your drink- and then back again (the hands of the clock). The to the second floor, the space becomes more communal and you have the option to gather around a table and be served (resembling the gears working together inside of a clock). And then for the finale, the roof top bar, you are able to look across Shaw and throughout DC. In this moment, you are able to reflect on the history that Shaw has overcome and understand the moments and community needed to bring it together. Pn the roof top, there is a sun dial, another form of diagramming time and another way of revealing the theme.
Time as a theme is monumental, and may seem too broad for a small bar in Shaw. But the revelation of the theme is gradual, and is portrayed through visual moments of repetition and familiarity; much like the moments the Passenger is trying to highlight.
SPRING 2015
UNIT 2- Final Project
Project Summary:
Our final project was to design a Yoga Studio on an existing green site on H St NE, DC.
Project Goals:
To learn how to design with respect to program, site and its context.
Project Concept:
Not only did we take numerous visits to the site and the surrounding community, but we participated in yoga as a class. In this hour, we were taught the basics of yoga as we were eagerly trying to figure out how to connect such a sacred act to a profane area such as H Street. H Street is on its way up from a historic slump; the 1960s riots left H Street nearly abandoned. however, H street today is one that has transformed from its ruined state to a proud historic district. Not only that, but at night, people from all over the city come to celebrate in its night life. But how does that make it the right place for a yoga studio? What I learned through yoga, is that the connection between profane and sacred is made through a gradual transition. This transition makes your body and mind aware of the transition through repetition and focus. I decided to focus on the ambiguous transition made by both H Street and yoga. I capitalized on this transition through designing the signature red bridge, that not only defines a public courtyard keeping the site a rare green space, but a way to mentally and physically prepare the passenger for the experience they were about to embark on. The bridge takes them from profane ground level and wraps around the sacred yoga studios, touching each one as the passenger passes along the site. The light is able to pass through the openings and visually prepare the passenger for yoga as they can audibly hear H Street beneath them, reminding them what they are leaving behind. This calculated warm up is designed to enhance the person's experience of yoga by including the site and community into their process.
UNIT 2- Final Project
Project Summary:
Our final project was to design a Yoga Studio on an existing green site on H St NE, DC.
Project Goals:
To learn how to design with respect to program, site and its context.
Project Concept:
Not only did we take numerous visits to the site and the surrounding community, but we participated in yoga as a class. In this hour, we were taught the basics of yoga as we were eagerly trying to figure out how to connect such a sacred act to a profane area such as H Street. H Street is on its way up from a historic slump; the 1960s riots left H Street nearly abandoned. however, H street today is one that has transformed from its ruined state to a proud historic district. Not only that, but at night, people from all over the city come to celebrate in its night life. But how does that make it the right place for a yoga studio? What I learned through yoga, is that the connection between profane and sacred is made through a gradual transition. This transition makes your body and mind aware of the transition through repetition and focus. I decided to focus on the ambiguous transition made by both H Street and yoga. I capitalized on this transition through designing the signature red bridge, that not only defines a public courtyard keeping the site a rare green space, but a way to mentally and physically prepare the passenger for the experience they were about to embark on. The bridge takes them from profane ground level and wraps around the sacred yoga studios, touching each one as the passenger passes along the site. The light is able to pass through the openings and visually prepare the passenger for yoga as they can audibly hear H Street beneath them, reminding them what they are leaving behind. This calculated warm up is designed to enhance the person's experience of yoga by including the site and community into their process.
FALL 2014 FINAL
POCKET PARK ON H STREET
Project Summary:
Design a pocket park that integrates the variety of architectural elements surrounding the site.
Project Concept:
There was a lack of vernacular to the street elevation when they first revealed our site; to be honest, it took me longer to find a connection to the site than it did to design. What I finally discovered, it that our site had the opportunity to be the 'bridge' to the street elevation. In music, the bridge is the part of the song that occurs about two-thirds the way through the song and is right before the grand finale. It is a piece of the song that doesn't match the rest of it, but rather compliments it. While I found similar design elements between the row homes and the church, until I realized it had the potential to be the 'bridge' between the elements, I was at a loss when trying to connect the elements of the tea house to the adjacent buildings.
I designed the piece as if I were a composer, with moments to pause and eat, an area that echoes itself and an area to dynamically change and you are physically transition to another floor. Through this musical theme, the area was able to visually connect to the surrounding site, but also create a tranquil, fluid space to enjoy your time and tea.
POCKET PARK ON H STREET
Project Summary:
Design a pocket park that integrates the variety of architectural elements surrounding the site.
Project Concept:
There was a lack of vernacular to the street elevation when they first revealed our site; to be honest, it took me longer to find a connection to the site than it did to design. What I finally discovered, it that our site had the opportunity to be the 'bridge' to the street elevation. In music, the bridge is the part of the song that occurs about two-thirds the way through the song and is right before the grand finale. It is a piece of the song that doesn't match the rest of it, but rather compliments it. While I found similar design elements between the row homes and the church, until I realized it had the potential to be the 'bridge' between the elements, I was at a loss when trying to connect the elements of the tea house to the adjacent buildings.
I designed the piece as if I were a composer, with moments to pause and eat, an area that echoes itself and an area to dynamically change and you are physically transition to another floor. Through this musical theme, the area was able to visually connect to the surrounding site, but also create a tranquil, fluid space to enjoy your time and tea.
SPRING 2014 FINAL
La Villa Muller- Adolf Loos
We were randomly assigned a house built by a famous architect and were instructed to recreate the plans, physical model and our own interpretation through diagrams.
La Villa Muller- Adolf Loos
We were randomly assigned a house built by a famous architect and were instructed to recreate the plans, physical model and our own interpretation through diagrams.
FALL 2014
HISTORY I AMPITHEATER
Group Project to design an amphitheater on campus for our drama school.
Project Members: William Wantz, Matthew Barton and Robert Tomas Cruz Michael Vince
HISTORY I AMPITHEATER
Group Project to design an amphitheater on campus for our drama school.
Project Members: William Wantz, Matthew Barton and Robert Tomas Cruz Michael Vince
FALL 2014
MONDRIAN INSPIRED PROJECT
We were assigned a work by Piet Mondrian and instructed to dissect and interpret the piece. Then, we were to create a physical model representing the artwork from all angles.
MONDRIAN INSPIRED PROJECT
We were assigned a work by Piet Mondrian and instructed to dissect and interpret the piece. Then, we were to create a physical model representing the artwork from all angles.
FALL 2014 SKETCHBOOK EXAMPLES
During the Fall of 2014, our studio class would explore a variety of sites in DC in order to develop our field sketching skills. We would also have homework assignments to practice our freehand drawing skills at home with newly learned architectural elements.
During the Fall of 2014, our studio class would explore a variety of sites in DC in order to develop our field sketching skills. We would also have homework assignments to practice our freehand drawing skills at home with newly learned architectural elements.