FACS 460
Interior Design IV
MIXED-USE URBAN IN-FILL PROJECT
PROJECT SUMMARY
For the semester-long project, students were provided with a vacant commercial lot located in the heart of downtown Lynchburg, VA. Students were expected to research the needs of a thriving downtown and thoughtfully select tenants to create a building for the site to enhance the downtown economy. My project features a nine-story mixed-use Neo-Classical influenced building which includes tenants such as a laundromat, Trader Joe’s, coffee shop, boutique, pilates studio, dental office, and apartments.
3D IMAGES
Front View
Back View
Main Entry
SITE SUMMMARY
For the Zoning Summary (PDF below), students were instructed to create a one-page summary which includes general information of the site such as photographs of the site, address, detailed description of the property, current zoning, current ownership, and possible uses for the site based on the zoning
The Needs Summary (PDF below) allowed students to apply knowledge, and the skills learned to identify and define any issues which were relevant to the design problem of this project. Students were instructed to do detailed research of downtown Lynchburg, its needs, and suggest improvements. The summary was to include photographs of the side, address, summary and recommendations for uses of the building, a map of the site area with graphics, and a pro/con lust of the site.
PROCESS WORK
For the Adjacency Matrixes Assignment, students were instructed to show the relations of each space whether primary, secondary, or undesirable adjacencies. For the Bubble Diagrams Assignment, students were to utilize the previously created adjacency matrixes to guide the layout of each space. Students needed to show through line-types the relations and adjacencies of each space. The bubble diagrams also needed to communicate general information such as access to natural lighting. Both assignments were created through the use of Goodnotes and Canva.
For the stacking plan, students needed to use the same color coding from previous process work and the completed plan should successfully communicate which occupancy type would be on each floor. For the Blocking Plans Assignment, students were instructed to utilize the bubble diagrams and find the general dimensions and footprint of the building. Using this information, students were directed to create room shapes, area allocation, and arrows which directed traffic flow. The blocking plans also needed to be color coded to match other process work to keep everything easily interpretated. Bothe assignments were completed through the use of Goodnotes and Canva, and the blocking plans were also created with AutoCAD for size reference for vertical transportation.
CONCEPT SKETCHES
For the Concept Sketches Assignment, students were required to sketch 30 preliminary sketches (pictured left) where 4 would later be selected to be developed into refined concept sketches (pictured above). The areas that should have been focused on should be but not limited to the exterior facade, key areas of your selected tenants, or public spaces. All sketches were developed and drawn using Goodnotes.
FF&E
The FF&E Assignment of this project allowed students to demonstrate their ability to specify appropriate products and materials in relation to project criteria. For this assignment, students needed to create a comprehensive furniture, fixture, and equipment selections for key areas of their buildings which were identified in the Preliminary Plans Assignment. Students were also instructed to make FF&E selections for public areas of the building such as restrooms, vertical transportation, elevator lobbies, corridors, and entryways. All selections needed to be ADA compliant and have at least on sustainable attribute whether it be FSC Certified, 3rd Party Certification for IAQ, Recycled Content, or Locally Sourced. The overall assignment needed to be logically organized either by the area or floor. The FF&E sheets are located to the left and were produced in Excel.
PRELIMINARY PLANS
For the Preliminary Plans Assignment students demonstrated their ability to apply space planning techniques and understanding of the impact of vertical transportation on design solutions. Students were advised to work from the blocking plans and begin with stairs, then the walls and provide dimensions for all key areas. Students were instructed to test the sizes of each space created to ensure the spaces would function the way intended. The sketched plans were then to be refined with each space labeled with general dimensions. A scale and north arrow were to be included for each plan. Students would develop one floor plan further by creating a furniture plan and reflected ceiling plan for the space. These plans were to use the same color code as previous work. All plans were developed using AutoCAD and drawn by hand in Goodnotes.
PLAN SET
The Plan Set Assignment is a bound copy including a cover sheet, refined floor plans, and life safety plans. The cover sheet was to include 3D images of the project, a sheet index, and abbreviations used in the documents. The refined floor plans were created off of the preliminary plans showing 5' turnarounds in public restrooms. A refined reflected ceiling plan was also to be included which showed all light fixtures, ceiling heights, a lighting legend, and placement of strobes, sprinklers, and exit signage. The life safety plans were also to be included in the plan set. These plans would show the means of egress which included the locations of standpipes, fire hose cabinets, and extinguishers. Dimensions were to be included for each distance and arrows which show the direction of egress. All sheets and plans were developed in AutoCAD.
3D ANIMATION
For the 3D animation, students would use software such as SketchUp, Revit, and Lumion to effectively create a visual representation of their building. Using geolocating tools in Lumion, students were to place their buildings in the site space on Main Street and create a fly-through. This fly-through was to include the exterior of the building which would showcase the finishes used, shape, and entry, then the animation was to continue in the entry of the building all the way to the key tenant where the video would show the key areas of the space to highlight design features. The building to the right was designed in Revit, SketchUp, and Enscape and rendered in Lumion where the animation was performed.
POSTER BOARDS
For the final presentation of the Mixed-Use Urban In-Fill Project, students would create a graphically cohesive and professionally executed series of posters that would be presented as a unit. These posters were to include exterior images of the building, stacking plan, examples of floor plans, photorealistic images of key design areas, a site plan, key FF&E, key design features, sustainable design features, elements and principles used, and a design statement. The posters below were designed with Canva and Photoshop.
