Dress for the Weather
Class: ARCH 549 (Spring 2022)
Committee: Blair Satterfield (chair), Dr. Allison Earl, Roy Cloutier, Katy Young
Master of Architecture Graduation Project
This thesis was an attempt to extend the dwelling-as-clothing metaphor of architects and theorists like Glenn Murcutt, Adolf Loos, and Gottfried Semper to develop a seasonal design vocabulary that is well suited to weather the variable climate of the Similkameen Valley in the interior of British Columbia.
The design methodology for this project was driven by a process of iterative testing, model-making, and experimenting with representation. With this thesis I hoped to provoke questions about what is the role of the architect, and what happens when the architect takes on other roles. For this project I acted as the architect, and understudied for the roles of dressmaker and sommelier.
Study Model 01:
Facade Model Inner Layer: Reflective Porous Lamé
Study Model 01:
Facade Model Middle Layer: Insulated Down Puffer
Study Model 01:
Facade Model Outer Layer: Ripstop Nylon Shell
Study Model 04 - Partially Opened Quilted Model
Study Model 06 - House Hoodie (Cropped)
Study Model 03 - Vertical Space Curtain Model (in Motion)
Study Models [Cutting Room Floor]
After building these models, and selecting an 11-acre Organic vineyard in Cawston, BC as my site, I elected to design a trio of cloth-dressed pavilions that would provide flexible spaces for both wine-tasting visitors and seasonal farmworkers to occupy and enjoy. The final design proposal for the three tasting room spaces can be viewed below.
The three tasting room spaces were designed to be paired with three wines that I have fermented as part of my design process.
Veiled Curtain Tunnel
Tasting Room for 2022 Merlot (12% ABV) Notes of Blackberry + French Oak
A merlot with notes of blackberry and French oak can be found in the veiled curtain tunnel. The structure of the cruciform tunnel is formed by a tapered brick arch, a material reference to the Georgian clay qvevri vessels that the winery uses to age their wines. Burying the tunnel into the hillside provides thermal stability and limited daylight for ideal cellar conditions. In plan, the arm of the axis is rotated to follow the slope of the site. The tunnel is punctured with a series of cylindrical skylights, and attached to each skylight is a long skirt of translucent fabric. The fabric from each skylight can be traced around the tunnel using a matrix of anchors and extenders to define what is occupiable space.
Tunnel Plan + Section
Tunnel Section Detail
Tunnel Model Perspective
Merlot Wine Label (Front)
interior Render
Caged Inflatable Trellis
2022 Pinot Gris (11.3% ABV) Notes of Smoked Apricot
Trellis Perspective
A smoked apricot pinot gris can be found in the caged inflatable trellis. The trellis is a notional sketch of a wine-tasting space formed by inflatable membranes that are caged in the wooden trellis frames that extend past each row of vines. When the membranes are fully inflated the trellis can provide a covered and semi-temperate space for vineyard staff who might work tying the vines in early spring, or picking grapes in late summer. The idea for this design is that the inflatable volumes can be deflated, removed from their frames, and quickly installed in another location in the vineyard as necessary. At the peak of summer these inflated trellis spaces could provide a unique wine tasting space in and among the vines, so that occupants might feel closer to the product and the process.
Wine Bottle Puffer Sleeve
Pinot Gris Wine Label (Front)
Caged Wine Bag Inflatable Model
Draped Silk Tower
2022 Rosé (11.6% ABV) Notes of Cantaloupe + Chamomile + Sarsaparilla
A dry rosé with notes of cantaloupe, chamomile, and sarsaparilla can be found in the draped silk wind tower. The design for this space was based on a folding fruit-picking ladder, and it is intended to shift its form from season to season. As its form shifts and it changes into its colorful dress it signals to passersby a change in activity: summer is here, the rosé is flowing - come get some. The base of the tower is anchored into the hillside and it provides the structural support for the articulating tower alongside public washrooms, a point-of-sale counter, and a material storage closet used to store the out-of-season dresses.
Tower Plan + Section
Seasonal Tower Configurations
1:50 Scale Model
1:50 Scale Model
1:50 Scale Model
Rosé Wine Label (Front)