Portfolio of Selected Works: Heather LaHood Dietz

portfolio of selected worksHEATHER LAHOOD DIETZ

Tiresius Institute for the Blind & Visually Impaired 2 Seattle, Washington, USA

Japanese Cultural & Community Center 6Seattle, Washington, USA

Caritas Welcome Center & Museum of Immigration 10Porta Maggiore, Rome, Italy

“Picture THIS” 16Strömkajen, Stockholm, Sweden

[Re]Territorializing Infrastructures 18Vigsö, Jutland, Denmark

<<< IMMEDIATE SITE CONTEXT: BELLTOWN [SEATTLE]

CYCLOPS CAFE >>>

<<< INITIAL SITE MASSING ^^^CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT & FRAMING TECTONICS

TACTILE LANDSCAPES

[PERIPHERAL VISION]The initial concept for this project dealt with the idea of a quality of vision/life limited to the peripheral. While it is a common type of impairment amongst the blind, peripheral vi-sion, in this case, became defined in the project as an alter-nate means of navigation through space. Habitual methods of learning a new space, such as feeling walls, memorizing window locations and light patterns, and leading with a cane are accommodated and emphasized in the building. Peripheral information is manifested in wall texture, lighting (both natu-ral and artificial), the tectonics of the building skin, and plan configuration, which are designed to load circulation corridors with information to establish landmarks for the users.

SECTION A: THRU STAIR

CONCEPT MODEL MONTAGE >STAIR SKETCH CONCEPT >>

[TECTONIC MODEL] LOOKING DOWN STAIR >>>

<TECTONIC MODEL...................................................................^^^FISH-EYE ELEVATION VIEW^^^

LEVEL 3: MOVEMENT STUDIO scale: 3/32” = 1’-0”

LEVEL 2: CLASSROOMS (1), KITCHEN (2), DINING (3) scale: 3/32” = 1’-0”

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SOUTH ELEVATION: scale: 3/32” = 1’-0”

SECTION B: scale: 3/32” = 1’-0”

SECTION C: scale: 3/32” = 1’-0”







SECTION B

SOUTHEAST ELEVATION

SECTION CLEVEL 1

LEVEL 2

LEVEL 3

<TECTONIC MODEL...................................................................^^^FISH-EYE ELEVATION VIEW

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.......................de-mountable tea pavilion charette...................................................................

.......................de-mountable tea pavilion charette..........................................................................................de-mountable tea pavilion charette...................................................................

SITE STRATEGIES: peel...............................................fold......................weave.................................loop.............................................................................................................................

1. cafe/auditorium entrance ramp2. roof garden/reflecting pool3. library4. scholar accommodations5. sunken courtyard (below)6. sculpture garden, great hall (below)

<<<SITE/’SIGHT’ LINE MAPPING

^^^TOPOGRAPHY STUDYSITE PLAN LEVEL 0>>>

[LEVEL WITH NE CORNER]

<<<MOBILE TEA PAVILION

The idea of the “alternating turn” in Japanese architec-ture is culturally significant. In temple complex design, for example, perpendicular intersections in plan allow the choreography of an experience that is sacred – turn-ing a corner can indicate the crossing of a threshold into more sacred spaces and, on a symbolic level, more de-veloped stages of enlightenment. A sense of humility is also embodied in the alternating turn, allowing more time for reflection as the user progresses to a predetermined destination.

[ALTERNATING TURNS]

SITE STRATEGIES: peel...............................................fold......................weave.................................loop.............................................................................................................................

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<LEVEL -1<<LEVEL -2<<<LEVEL -3

MOBILE TEA PAVILION @ KUBOTA GARDENS>

<FINAL MODEL.................^SW ENTRY THRU BERM........WEAVING STUDIES>

EAST ELEVATION

The Japanese Cultural and Community Center for Seattle eschews cliché architectural typologies in exchange for this subtle concept. The project itself evolved into a complex configuration, in which the user is invited to explore several pathways that lead to spaces which are buried in the existing topography of this site. Alternating turns were derived from the intersections of four “sight” lines, which were drawn af-ter the initial site visit and based on the available views of the extended context: Mt. Rainier, Beacon Hill, and Down-town.

<<<VIEW FROM NE CORNER CAFE ENTRY....................................................^^^VIEW SOUTH TOWARDS MOUNT RAINIER ON RAINIER AVE

SECTION THROUGH CAFE/LECTURE HALL/KITCHENscale: 1/8"= 1'-0"

SECTION A: THRU CAFE & AUDITORIUM

<<<VIEW FROM NE CORNER CAFE ENTRY....................................................^^^VIEW SOUTH TOWARDS MOUNT RAINIER ON RAINIER AVE

^STUDY MODEL #2^^SITE STUDY [RUINS, ROADS, SCAFFOLD]

<STUDY MODEL/GOOGLE EARTH/AQUEDUCT SHADOW STUDY<<STUDY MODEL #1

The initial design process for this intervention was modeled after an archeological graft. Conceptually, the investigation involved stripping away layers of the site - topographically, historically, and contextually - to derive geometries and forms for programmatic or-ganization. Historical maps, photographs and architectural draw-ings provided evidence for what certainly had existed, and on-site observation verified what remained on the surface. The project itself became a means of exhuming a palimpsest - to expose and express subsurface conditions.

[SCAVI///SCAFFOLD]

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN & EXISTING SITE CONTEXT>>>

1. museum entrance ramp2. reception3. research center4. public restrooms 5. facility restrooms6. study lounge7. cafe8. scaffold warehouse9. courtyard10. sunken courtyard (below)11. museum exit ramp

^^^FINAL MODEL

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN & EXISTING SITE CONTEXT>>>

1. museum entrance ramp2. reception3. research center4. public restrooms 5. facility restrooms6. study lounge7. cafe8. scaffold warehouse9. courtyard10. sunken courtyard (below)11. museum exit ramp

^^^FINAL MODEL

The grafting process was employed for this specific location [Porta Maggiore] to emphasize with the current dilemma of how to reconcile modern interven-tions in historically loaded sites. In this case, the ruins are not “untouchable.” They are integrated into the users’ experience of the facility with the purpose of connecting them to a past/present in which their participation is the most recent layer of the palimpsest.

^^PORTA MAGGIORE....................>>

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EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS

The grafting process was employed for this specific location [Porta Maggiore] to emphasize with the current dilemma of how to reconcile modern interven-tions in historically loaded sites. In this case, the ruins are not “untouchable.” They are integrated into the users’ experience of the facility with the purpose of connecting them to a past/present in which their participation is the most recent layer of the palimpsest.

^^PORTA MAGGIORE....................>>

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EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS

MIGRATING SCAFFOLD EXHIBIT CONCEPT

SECTION C: RAMP ENTRY TO MUSEUM

SECTION D: THRU SUNKEN GALLERY AND COURTYARD

^EAST ELEVATION: PORTA MAGGIORE<SECTION THRU LIGHT WELL

SECTION A: THRU MUSEUM ENTRANCE RAMP

SECTION B: THRU MUSEUM EXIT RAMP, LIBRARY, CLASSROOMS, & WORKSHOP

WEST ELEVATION: FACADE SCAFFOLD

MOBILE ART CONCEPT: SCAFFOLDING]....................................................WEST ELEVATION...........>>>............FACADE/SCAFFOLDING STRUCTURE [NTS]

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2.5m x 2.5m 3.125m x 2.5m 2.0m x 2.5m

2.5m x 3.125m 3.125m x 2.5m 2.0m x 2.5m

weathered steel frame surface

expansion joint

custom steel frame extrusion

exterior wood surface (4mm x 80mm)

plywood backing

90 x 45 timber framing below

20mm x 20mm vertical support


vertical structuretimber (240 x 45)

vertical steel support component for gutter (custom steel extrusion, angle, fasteners)

interior wood surface (4 x 40)

bent steel plate: gutter systemweathered steel finish



expansion joint



plywood backing









Drawing inspiration from the picturesque location, these structures are quite literally expressed as frames for public life along one of the most beautiful quays in Stockholm. From Strömkajen, ferries take thousands of passengers every year to the archipelago. The pas-sage is very active in the spring and summer months with people waiting for a ride to the islands, tourists visiting art museums along the quay, runners, and oth-ers enjoying a leisurely stroll.

<CONCEPTUAL MONTAGE

[PICTURE THIS]

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2.5m x 2.5m 3.125m x 2.5m 2.0m x 2.5m

2.5m x 3.125m 3.125m x 2.5m 2.0m x 2.5m


expansion joint



plywood backing










expansion joint



plywood backing










expansion joint



plywood backing









Conceptually, the idea of an art gallery is reflected in this project. As the structures would be located in front of the National Gallery and along the main pedestrian path to the Modern Art Museum, their form embraces an exhibitionist nature; framing moments of city life. The frames are designed with standard structural timber sizes in order to allow easy and affordable construction. Their configuration along the site is undeter-mined. Installation requires only a small pad footing, which is poured into a cut-out of the existing pavement. The materiality as shown, is only one suggestion – the regular structure and simple surface geometry allow for variation depending on what is desired.

FRAMING SECTIONS & DETAILS>>><FINAL TECTONIC MODEL

(RE)TERRITORIALIZING INFRASTRUCTURESEnfi lades through Landscapes of War at Stützpunkt Vigsö

Heather Lynne LaHood

AbstractDespite its contested history, the Atlantic Wall is valued as a transnational cultural heritage that should be safeguarded. The Atlantic Wall bunkers are signifi cant for their architectural quality, infl uence towards a new aesthetic cannon for modernity, and spatial relationships with natural and urban contexts. The extensive network of fortifi cations represents the largest physical artifact of collective European culture—embodying a public and shared memory of WWII.

Aligning with the ambitions of the Atlantic Wall Linear Museum, the design portion of the thesis proposes an intervention in the coastal landscape proximate to Stützpunkt Vigsö (Strongpoint Vigso), a former Nazi Army battery established in 1941 for the defense of the Skagerrak. Rapid coastal erosion has unearthed several bunkers that comprised the original formation, threatening to submerge the entire site underwater within the next 100 years. The proposed interventions—a jetty extended to reverse the process of erosion and a series of excavations that allow visitors to re-engage the architectural relics—are not an attempt to freeze the current state of certain infrastructural elements or landforms, but to confront the forces—both of nature and culture—that have shaped the site’s condition throughout history.

A thesis submitted in partial fulfi llment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture.

University of WashingtonCollege of Built Environments

School of ArchitectureSpring Quarter 2011

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Despite its contested history, the Atlantic Wall is valued as a transnational cultural heritage that should be safeguarded. The Atlantic Wall bunkers are significant for their architectural quality, influence towards a new aesthetic can-non for modernity, and their spatial relation-ships within natural and urban contexts. The extensive network of fortifications represents the largest physical artifact of collective Euro-pean culture—embodying a public and shared memory of WWII.

Aligning with the ambitions of the Atlantic Wall Linear Museum, the design portion of the thesis proposes an intervention in the coast-al landscape proximate to Stützpunkt Vigsö (Strongpoint Vigso); a former Nazi Army bat-tery established in 1941for the defense of he Skagerrak. Rapid coastal erosion has unearthed several bunkers that comprised the original for-mation, threatening to submerge the entire site underwater within the next 100 years. The pro-posed interventions—a jetty extended to reverse the process of erosion and a series of excava-tions that allow visitors to re-engage the archi-tectural relics—are not an attempt to freeze the current state of certain infrastructural elements or landforms, but to confront the forces—both of nature and culture—that have shaped the site’s condition throughout history.

[RE]TERRITORIALIZING INFRASTRUCTURESEnfilades through Landscapes of War at Stützpunkt Vigsö

<COVER DESIGN (BACK), COVER DESIGN (FRONT)>

[MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE THESIS]

^WANDERLUST MAPPING

PHOTO RECONNAISSANCE

TERRITORIAL MAPPINGFORTRESS EUROPE: MACRO SITE GEOGRAPHY

<SKAGGERAK MINE FIELD MAPPING

<UN-EARTHING (1976)...........^^TOPOGRAPHY (2010)........................................CARTOGRAPHIC MORPHOLOGY (1842-2001)>

GERMAN MAP OF HANSTHOLM (1944)

<UN-EARTHING (1976)...........^^TOPOGRAPHY (2010)........................................CARTOGRAPHIC MORPHOLOGY (1842-2001)>

FAILURE SEQUENCE OF RETAINING WALL @ VIGSO (1943-1944)

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LITTORAL + LANGUAGE

The design proposal recognizes that nature is disheveling the territorial net-works enforced by the German defensive strategy. Thus this study is at the intersection of cultural and natural histories. As the wind carves away at the coastline, the design interjects to reterritorialize the strongpoint. As a concep-tual exercise, the intervention suggests a manner of contesting the permanence of architecture in a built environment of war. Sited in a fulcrum of dynamic forces, the design itself acts as a catalyst.

TERRITORIALIZATION 1954-2011

JETTY

[RE]TERRITORIALIZATION

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SITE PLAN (150 YEARS)

The issue of rapid erosion is confronted in the perpendicular direction of the coastline with the construction of a jetty that extends past the original front of the strongpoint. The angle of the structure responds directly to the natural forces of wind and ocean currents in order to initiate the re-aggregation of the terra firma. The jetty, like the bunkers, is monolithic. Constructed by consecutive pours of concrete and sculpted to deflect the waves, the new infrastructure, unlike the bunkers, confronts the forces of nature directly.

JETTY SECTION [1]

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EXPERIENCE

As deposition increases over time, the jetty will also become part of the dry landscape. It is pos-sible the structure will fail. The process of erosion would then begin to carve away at the landform created by the jetty, and the bunkers would be unearthed once more.

SPIRAL EXCAVATION & REBURIAL

As deposition over the strongpoint occurs, the bunkers are reburied. The first excavation is suggested to occur in the southern corner of the strongpoint grouping in an area unexposed to the coastal erosion that threat-ens the front components. According to historic maps of the site, the standard bunker is oriented so that the close combat defense and the enfilade fire position fac-es north towards the coast—the direction of potential enemy invasion. The excavation takes the form of a spiral ramp, which funnels visitors to the strategic point of disarmament, facing the war voyeur with the enfi-lade fire position and the close combat defense behind. From this point the visitor can cross the threshold and explore the interior spaces.

Documents

Portfolio of Selected Works: Heather LaHood Dietz