Design that Moves You: Hip Hop Architecture Camp

“Representation matters”

— Joann Ware

In partnership with the University of Washington, NOMA NW (National Organization of Minority Architects), and NAIOP (the Commercial Real Estate Development Association), AIA Seattle’s Diversity Roundtable Committee helped execute the first ever Seattle-based Hip Hop Architecture Camp. The camp uses curriculum developed by Detroit-based designer Michael Ford to introduce minority youth to architecture through the lens of hip hop culture.

Seattle’s camp was hosted at UW’s campus, and had 43 students enrolled from over 20 different schools around the area. Students spent five days learning about architecture, urban planning and design from UW students and practitioners of color so that they could directly realize the power of representation in each of these fields. They created physical models of cityscapes based on rap lyrics, learned how to adapt and 3D print their designs with digital modeling software, and created their own rap lyrics about their hopes, dreams, and observations of Seattle’s built environment. The camp ended with the production of a music video, showcasing the students, their lyrics, and buildings in the area. - MK

Margaret Knight, Architect

Through volunteering with the Diversity Roundtable over the past four years, I have been involved in several youth outreach events focused on diversifying Seattle’s pipeline of design professionals. Each engagement opportunity is an exciting chance to connect with students and hopefully spark an interest in the field. My own interest in architecture started because of a fourth-grade field trip to a school of Architecture, Art and Planning, so I strongly believe that exposure is a key first step to opening the door for so many.

Being a part of the Hip Hop Architecture Camp was a particularly rewarding process because of the months of planning that preceded it. To finally have all the kids there and see them shine was incredible. They were all so talented and seeing their skills and confidence grow throughout the week was amazing. The camp also created such a sense of camaraderie between them, with students coming from so many different places, it was great to witness new friendships form in the span of days. The support they showed for each other’s work was also unbelievable to see, and made me even more excited to be a part of the camp next summer. - MK

Joann Ware, Architect

As a youth, I was interested in architecture but only knew of 5 architects: Frank Lloyd Wright, Michael Graves, the Brady Bunch’s dad, Maya Lin, and Filippo Brunelleschi. One of the five looked like me, and even that minimal presence reassured me that I could become an architect. Representation matters. This is why I volunteer with the AIA Diversity Roundtable’s Architects in Schools program and the recent Hip Hop Architecture Camp in Seattle.

Before the camp, I wondered how hip hop music and architecture could be combined into one curriculum. They have both been significant influences in my life, but very separate. Through the volunteer training and participation in leading the camp, I developed a new perspective of both art forms. Listen closely -- beyond infectious dance beats, hip hop lyrics reference significant places, the built environment’s use by urban youth, and social injustices perpetuated by failures in city planning. Like a 3D model or sketch, rap lyrics can also create a future vision for the built environment.

Michael Ford’s Hip Hop Architecture Camp is intentional about empowering youth of color to shape their communities. It provides tangible tools for communicating about the built environment – physical models, digital models, music. The camp participants inspired me with their creativity, confidence and innovative approaches to design challenges. The youth shone when sharing their cityscape models and song at the end-of-camp ceremony, and I can’t wait to see the final music video. I am hopeful they will become the architect, planner, designer, musician, and policy-maker role models for the next generation. - JW

New Frontiers: Video Rendering at the Workshop

With all the quickly-changing technologies entering the design world, it is essential here at the Workshop to figure out which new innovative ideas fit best into our toolbelt. This past summer, with the help of our invaluable intern Brian Lee, we began testing out Lumion – a 3D visualization software that produces high definition, VR compatible videos.  As the software was used to produce videos for two cohousing projects – Adams Creek Cohousing, and Skagit Cohousing – the staff quickly saw how useful Lumion would be in our design process, and in communicating design ideas. These videos, which demonstrated the immersive, site-specific, detailed capabilities of VR, are showcased in Symbiosis, the 22nd Annual Seattle Architecture Foundation Model Exhibit, which will close on November 23.

A few members of the Schemata Workshop team sat down last week to discuss the pros and cons of the technology, what they learned during the process, and how they saw the future of video rendering at Schemata Workshop.

Jocelyn Beausire, Marketing

Emma Sutton, Designer

Drew Scharnitzke, Designer

Jocelyn Beausire: Could you explain how Schemata started using Lumion, and how the software was introduced?

Emma Sutton: We heard of the software because of Sarah, she’s on our innovation task force and has been keeping an eye on technology that we might implement in the office.

Drew Scharnitzke: I think one of the main reasons we veered toward a rendering visualization software as opposed to just rendering from Revit was to be able to create more live-design-analysis kind of situations, where we could very quickly try out different design options. With one project in particular, where our grade change was really significant and we had to be very meticulous, there was only so much that looking either at a 2D plan or even zooming through in Revit can really do.

“For me, actually being able to get that model into Lumion gave me a better sense of the relationship of the site, the size of the buildings, and the scale of the people that go with it. ”

— Drew Scharnitzke

JB: How much do you usually use three-dimensional visualizing techniques during your normal design process? How much of a change is this for you?

 ES: It’s a pretty big change. One of the reasons that we use Revit is because it’s such a robust 3D modeling system. As architects we are really familiar with how it looks and what the output looks like, and what we’re drawing, and what plans mean in 3D. Sometimes we export 3D views, but they’re usually just little sketch views. The idea was that if we bring it into this program then we can have marketing-ready materials throughout the design process and not just at the end, and also that we can really get a sense of what it’s like to walk around the site. In 2D plans we get a sense of scale in that regard, but in 3D we have a sense of scale from the ground up and get a sense of the spaces that we are creating.

DS: I think we are also able to get a better sense without having to navigate through a series of static views. I think that the automation - being able to take a step back and kind of watch as you go in perspective views through the site or the building - it unlocks a different, expanded perspective. I work a lot in 3D space in Revit myself, while I’m putting a model together because it helps me to visualize. But in Lumion, rather than having to be the person trying to show somebody else or navigate through it, I can use my attention and focus on things I otherwise may not if I were simply scrolling through.

ES: This tool lets us offer the client an ability to really see things comprehensively, because Revit output isn’t very intuitive on its own.

JB: How did using the Lumion software, or seeing the video output for the two cohousing projects that Brian worked on, affect your understanding of the projects?

ES: I don’t know if it changed how I imagined the 3D space on the project, because Drew and I have been in those projects for so long so we have a pretty solid sense of the kind of spatial scales that exist. The thing it really did help was to understand and prioritize when working in Revit. The output we create when working in Lumion is a direct representation of the Revit model, and so the Revit model has to look the way you want it to look in Lumion. I think that has been really helpful in influencing our Revit drafting and modeling process because it means we do things really intentionally early on in the process, and we set different, abstract material standards, and it just makes it as simple as possible to work in later on.

DS: To build off what Emma is saying, even Brian’s earlier work, when he put the Lumion walk throughs together, he spent a lot of time on plantings and actual landscaping because otherwise the model felt barren. I think that is actually a great design tool that we can utilize as well, while we are focusing on the buildings, being able to integrate those things, and being able to designate different spaces, for a garden, for outdoor play, for terracing or a fountain or other plantings.

ES: I think that’s a really good point. Lumion offers views of things that Revit doesn’t do particularly easily. For example, you can work on lighting in Lumion to get a really good sense of where things need to fall in the space based on actual preferences and not just based on plan layouts. It is a lot nicer to be able to essentially sit in a space and experience it, as opposed to experiencing it from whatever view Revit is giving you.

“ Lumion offers views of things that Revit doesn’t do particularly easily. ”

— Emma Sutton

JB: You both alluded to the possible application of Lumion in communicating with clients, which is really interesting. Do you think there is any place for this technology in the participatory design process, or in workshops, or what do you see as its limitations?

ES: I think that it could be applied at every stage of the participatory design process. Even showing people “this is what it feels like to walk through your site” without any building volumes on it, then slowly adding things, it really gives you the opportunity to offer comparisons that they wouldn’t be able to pick out from a plan or from a site view.

DS: I agree, I think it creates less of a vacuum. For example, you can use a mapping plug-in that basically allows you to place yourself on a street, and a kind of obelisk-form buildings appear, so you don’t have to actually spend time modeling those or integrating your own base-mapping software. In addition, if you have a 360-degree photo you can make what’s called a “skybox” and you can put the surroundings of your site on top of your site from a certain vantage point. Being able to do something like that provides a level of reality to a client. I think the danger that you can run into is because of how easy it is to switch out materials and all this stuff, may take you into the headspace of focusing on things that are not necessarily important in a certain phase of design. I think there might be the temptation to say, “Here, I’ll show you three different roof finishes with three different siding finishes,” and I think that could cause you to spin your wheels. But I do think there are enough opportunities to level the playing field in terms of how people understand site and how people understand the scaling of their building.

ES: Do you want to speak a little bit about putting in the view of Mt. Adams from ACC’s Common House?

DS: For Adams Creek Cohousing, there is a very compelling view of Mt. Adams from the site, and will be prominent seen from the Common House. There was actually some issue about where the mountain would be visible from, and how the massing was going to impact the views from certain units and certain points on the site. It was really valuable being able to utilize a site-based photograph and quickly generate what those actual viewpoints would be, in addition to showing the relationship between the landscape and Mt. Adams. I think it could have actually quickly helped design decisions be made because it would have made it clear that depending on what we do, the mountain either would or wouldn’t be visible.

“...as architects, the more perspectives we have access to the better, and the more well-rounded, more thoughtful the design can be.”

— Emma Sutton

JB: Any last comments about Lumion, the role of technology, and how you see these tools fitting into the practice?

ES: I think Lumion is really exciting because it will allow us perspectives and vantage points that we don’t normally get to touch on, and I think as architects, the more perspectives we have access to the better, and the more well-rounded, more thoughtful the design will be. That’s great for both the design team and client.

DS: I used Lumion to assist with a feasibility report for the Enumclaw aquatic center project. That design is very conceptual, and doesn’t have much detail at this time, but compared to our Revit model, the Lumion-generated views really helped provide a look and feel to the building. This was in addition to materiality and being able to modify weather and daylight settings. So even at a rough level, the Revit model can be made much more informative.

ES: I think that’s a really good point. Revit is accurate in its modeling to an exact science, and Lumion is really about being evocative.

Production Kitchen - Cohousing Pattern #12

The common kitchen should be designed with large-scale food production in mind. Commercial appliances should be prioritized, whenever feasible. Stoves with 4-6 large burners should be centrally located to allow for maximum utility in kitchens designed for cooking teams greater than two. A water tap (or pot filler) located near the stove will reduce accidents resulting from the filling and transport of heavy pots.

Commercial ovens can accommodate numerous large baking pans and maintain constant temperature. Commercial refrigerators can accommodate large boxes of produce and bulk quantities of meat and dairy products.

While it is possible to compromise on commercial stoves or ovens, the most important and necessary commercial appliance would be the dishwasher. In addition to a quick cleaning cycle (2-3 minutes) commercial dishwashers can accommodate a large number of dishes, especially oversized pots and baking pans, and provide a higher degree of sanitization due to hotter water temperatures.

Jernstoeberiet Cohousing in Roskilde, DK. Designed by Jan Gudmand Hoyer, Jes Edwards og Helge Christiansen

Jernstoeberiet Cohousing in Roskilde, DK. Designed by Jan Gudmand Hoyer, Jes Edwards og Helge Christiansen

Jystrup Savvaerket in Jystrup, DK. Designed by Tegnestuen Vandkunsten

Jystrup Savvaerket in Jystrup, DK. Designed by Tegnestuen Vandkunsten

Jystrup Savvaerket in Jystrup, DK. Designed by Tegnestuen Vandkunsten

Kaephoj in Roskilde, DK. Designed by Jes Edvars.

Please Note:

This series of blog posts is focused on explaining common design patterns in cohousing. Grace Kim, a founding principal and owner of Schemata Workshop, has identified patterns applicable to cohousing from "Pattern Language" by Christopher Alexander and has added some of her own.

Grace's additional patterns pay particular attention to the Common House because its design requires special consideration. As the living room for the community, the Common House sets the initial impression for visitors about what cohousing is, what your community values might be, or the perceived benefits of living in community. Schemata Workshop has analyzed scores of common houses in Denmark and North America to discern what does and does not work. Following Alexander's concept of Pattern Language, Grace has thoroughly documented the necessary programmatic and design elements for a successful Common House.

To learn more about cohousing at Schemata, visit our cohousing page.

Cooking Layout - Cohousing Pattern #11 [184]

The common house kitchen serves more than a purely utilitarian function - it provides a vital place for residents to work together, collaborate, and socialize.

“…it is essential that the cooking area be fashioned as a workshop for the preparation of food…. No need for the counter to be continuous or entirely built-in…it can even consist of free-standing tables and counter tops.”

The kitchen should be designed with the typical number of cooks in mind. This pattern identifies four main elements in a kitchen: stove, sink, food storage and counter. No two should be more than 10’ apart; total length of counter should be at least 12’; and no single section of counter should be less than 4’ in width.

Galley kitchens open to the dining room work for smaller cooking groups such as Overblik, Blikfanget and Sættedammen. A central work island accommodates larger cooking groups - Savværket and Leerbjerg Lod had central work surface, while Kæphøj, Trudeslund, Stavnsbåndet & Ibsgården had a central stove top. Bakken, Kilen, Munksøgård, Ådalen, and Drivhuset had separate cooking & cleaning areas to facilitate circulation flow.

Munksoegaard Cohousing in Roskilde, DK. Designed by Mangor Nagel

Munksoegaard Cohousing in Roskilde, DK. Designed by Mangor Nagel

Andedammen Cohoushing in Birkerød, DK. Designed by Hogsberg og Wested, Hoff og Windinge

Blikfanget Cohousing in Birkerød, DK. Designed by Tegnestuen Vandkunsten

Jystrup Savvaerket in Jystrup, DK. Designed by Tegnestuen Vandkunsten

Please Note:

This series of blog posts is focused on explaining common design patterns in cohousing. Grace Kim, a founding principal and owner of Schemata Workshop, has identified patterns applicable to cohousing from "Pattern Language" by Christopher Alexander and has added some of her own.

Grace's additional patterns pay particular attention to the Common House because its design requires special consideration. As the living room for the community, the Common House sets the initial impression for visitors about what cohousing is, what your community values might be, or the perceived benefits of living in community. Schemata Workshop has analyzed scores of common houses in Denmark and North America to discern what does and does not work. Following Alexander's concept of Pattern Language, Grace has thoroughly documented the necessary programmatic and design elements for a successful Common House.

To learn more about cohousing at Schemata, visit our cohousing page.

Eating Atmosphere - Cohousing Pattern #10 [181]

The dining room plays a special role in facilitating conversation and community during cohousing resident group meals.

“…when the table has the same light over it, and has the same light level on the walls around it, the light does nothing to hold people together; the intensity of feeling is quite likely to dissolve…. But when there is a soft light, hung low over the table, with dark walls around so that this one point of light lights up people’s faces and is a focal point for the whole group, then a meal can become a special thing indeed…”

Frank Lloyd Wright described this as creating a “room within a room” - the people sitting around a dining table forming the “walls” of this inner room. This will help create an intimate setting at the dining table within the larger dining room. Create a sense of intimacy by providing solid wood tables which comfortably seat 6-8 adults and placing a pendant fixture over each table. Conversation is easily maintained in a group of this size, if there are 10, then two separate discussions will occur because the people at the far ends of the table have a difficult time conversing.

Overblikket in Birkerød, DK

Stavnsbaandet Cohousing in Farum, DK. Designed by Ortving of Friis Jorgensen

Bakken Cohousing in Humlebaek, DK. Designed by Tegnestuen Vandkunsten

Ibsgården in Roskilde, DK. Designed by Jes Edwards, Helge Christiansen

Please Note:

This series of blog posts is focused on explaining common design patterns in cohousing. Grace Kim, a founding principal and owner of Schemata Workshop, has identified patterns applicable to cohousing from "Pattern Language" by Christopher Alexander and has added some of her own.

Grace's additional patterns pay particular attention to the Common House because its design requires special consideration. As the living room for the community, the Common House sets the initial impression for visitors about what cohousing is, what your community values might be, or the perceived benefits of living in community. Schemata Workshop has analyzed scores of common houses in Denmark and North America to discern what does and does not work. Following Alexander's concept of Pattern Language, Grace has thoroughly documented the necessary programmatic and design elements for a successful Common House.

To learn more about cohousing at Schemata, visit our cohousing page.