The Island and the QuarryThe United States is experiencing difficult times: not only are we a nation at war, but also a country in the midst of an economic crisis. The pinch of new financial burdens has started to impact our way of life, forcing communities to gather in order to voice their concerns. However, one group has gone largely unnoticed: the young artists. Both hungry and thirsty for creative opportunities their voice has gone unheard. With the desire to embrace and cultivate the young artist’s energy, I have proposed the Island and the Quarry – a set of studios where worries and stresses are mitigated by light and space.

Each studio is within close proximity of a supporting entity (the Artemis Institute in MT and the Mexican American Cultural Center in TX). As artists rotate between each location, they will experience the social and cultural conditions specific to the urban and rural context. By creating a place for artists to create unabatedly, the Island and the Quarry address the hu-man conditions that exist in our time.

With the stipulation of one program, two sites, the distinct phenomenological conditions were explored via drawing and physical models. This process allowed the form and place making criteria to emerge.

The Island Studio : Austin, TX

Interior : North studio

Water Plaza

Submerged entryway

The Quarry Studio : Paradise Valley, MT

Interior : West Look

Interior : East Look

Main Entrance

65°

117°243°

297°

Exterior wall provides light redirection and sunlight protection

Precast concrete panels hand finished on site Locally quarried granite with story of extraction maintained

Vertical seams house operable windows allowing cross ventilation

305°

235° 125°

57°

MorningAfternoon

Horizontal seams provide a path for diffuse sunlight

Austin : Space Paradise Valley : Air Austin : Air

Combinatorial Explorations

Paradise Valley, MTAustin, TXGenesis sketch : Water meets land

Material Inspiration

Paradise Valley : Water

Paradise Valley : Air

Austin : Air

Natural Ventilation

Daylighting

Design orientated to take advantage of prevailing southern winds

Artemis

MACC