Laurel Johnston

Responsive

Respectful

Relevant

An architect’s aesthetic is fundamentally influenced by his or her view of life.

I choose to view life with a lightness of being inspired by words attributed to

Crowfoot (1830-1890), chief of the Siksika First Nation, “What is life? It is the

flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It

is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.”

These words ground my architectural aspirations to design buildings that do

not simply sit upon the earth, but are a part of the earth, within and upon it. I

wish my designs to arouse an appreciation for the simple beauty of life.

Residential, mixed-use, civic, and academic design best represent my

architectural avocation. However, it is important to me that I am also involved

in the greater issues of the day – such as low income housing and the full

spectrum housing needs of the aging population. It would be the ultimate in

job satisfaction to join a team of inspired architects dedicated to working their

collective imagination to create innovative, quality-of-life solutions for these

vulnerable people.

My passion for architecture translates to my desire to significantly impact the

built environment in a positive fashion. To stay true to my goals, I design to be

responsive, respectful, & relevant.

Statement of Intent

Laurel Johnston612.710.8717willowb@ksu.edu

Wildcat Winery

Fabrication Lab

Galileo’s Lab

Italian Sketches

Glass Fusion

Basilica of Saint Mary

Library

ProcessPlansExterior Renderings & Construction ModelInterior Rendering

Site Plan, Parti, & ProcessDiagrams & ProcessExterior Renderings, Laser-cut Model, & SectionsSection & Floor PlansSection Perspective3D Wall Section & DetailsInterior RenderingInterior Rendering

Site PlanDiagrams & Site PhotosDiagram, Perspective, & Lower Floor PlanUpper Floor PlanSketch & SectionsSections

Castiglion FiorentinoCastiglion FiorentinoFirenzeRoma

Graphite Pencil on Canson Paper

Murano Glass Duomo di Firenze & My Hand

Process & Basswood ModelBasswood Model

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Nestled in the Flint Hills of northeastern Kansas, the Wildcat

Winery was designed to preserve the essence of a previously

untouched native tallgrass prairie. The structure is set deeply

into the hill to minimize visual impact and to allow variation

of sunlight permeability for the fermentation, production,

and storage of wines. Structural walls, made from local

limestone, extend beyond the building to give order to the

exterior spaces and to foster an intimate relationship between

the winery and the landscape. The tasting room orientation

and sensitively sited winery blends with the surrounding

grasslands and takes advantage of the panoramic vistas and

the beauty of this unique site.

Wildcat Winery

Konza Prairie, Manhattan, KS3rd Year, Fall 2010, Thom AllenAutoCAD, Illustrator, Revit,3ds Max, & Photoshop

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First Floor Plan Lower Floor Plan

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Northern Balcony Looking West

Western Balcony Looking NorthConstruction Model

Construction Model

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Wine Tasting Area Overlooking the Konza Prairie

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In design, section, and elevation, the careful placement of the

library’s interlocking architectural masses come together in a

spatial dialogue of form and function. The immense overhang

at the front entry makes the library appear larger than

its actual size to give the building a suitable civic presence

within the city of Dallas, Texas. At the same time, the

overhang provides residents rain-free drive-through access

to the library and its book drop-off slot. A double height

lobby welcomes patrons into an engaging interior organized

into sections, each dedicated to specific activities. The library

features a community conference room, accessible even

when the library is closed, and a café with its own secluded

courtyard. Expansive glass curtain walls set back at the ends

of each rectangular form provide controlled natural daylight

to the interior. The leaf patterned fritted glass further shields

the books from intense sunlight and abstractly recalls the

foliage of the surrounding environs. The power and expressive

richness of the cleanly detailed building harmonizes with the

local vernacular yet stands out as an intended city landmark.

Library

Highland Park, Dallas, TX2nd Year, Spring 2010, Richard HoagHand Drafted and Hand Built

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Hand Built Basswood Model6

Basilica

Basilica of Saint MaryMinneapolis, MinnesotaSpring 2008Graphite Pencil on 16”x20” Canon paper

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Glass Fusion

Duomo di Firenze & My HandCastiglion Fiorentino, Italy - Glass Sculpting Class4th Year, Study Abroad, Spring 2012Clay, Plaster, & Murano Glass

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Italian Sketches

Castiglion Fiorentino, Firenze, & Roma, Italy4th Year, Study Abroad, Spring 2012Graphite Pencil, Pen, and Charcoal in Sketchbook

View from the Main Loggia

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My spring 2012 semester at the Santa Chiara Study Center in Castiglion Fiorentino gave me a true appreciation for old European architecture. I experienced Italy not as a tourist but as a design student. Hours spent sketching the buildings, spaces, and urban content of Italy allowed me to really see and intimately relate to its various venues.

Charcoal Wood Column Detail Study Center’s Courtyard just after the Snow Melted

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Looking Back at the Ponte Vecchio from the FountainPonte Vecchio Seen from the Uffizi Gallery

I sketched what I saw, and as I sketched the nuances that made the particular locale uniquely special revealed themselves to me. Sketching allowed me to observe the locals’ interaction with and movement through the space and to objectively evaluate the space for what worked and what did not work. With pen and paper, I put to memory my lasting impression of Italy – a viewpoint I can recall at will to enhance my own architectural designs.

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Ancient Roman Columns Spanish Steps in the Springtime

The

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heon

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With its open-air, multi-level, mixed-use space carved into

the hillside, Galileo’s Laboratory interprets in a playful

way the intricate urban fabric of a small Tuscan hill town.

Zigzag staircases and piazzas culminating in the playground

rejuvenate a rundown part of Castiglion Fiorentino by

strengthening the stitch that connects the main road to the

Etruscan Tower. The underground section of the loose open-

air structure features a soothing water fountain, a sand fire

pit, and two sandboxes while the upper section features rocks

to climb and spaces to discover. The spaces are permeable

– whether below, upon, in or above, one is connected and

oriented to the playground and its natural landscape. The

large open-to-below area above the fire pit allows the stars to

be seen from within at night and during the day allows

the sun to stream to the interior creating a texture of lights

and shadows upon the old stone wall. The playground was

designed to evoke a sense of independence for its visitors

and to encourage the imaginative, creative, exploratory, and

meditative characteristics of the great Italian, Galileo.

Galileo’s Lab

Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy4th Year, Study Abroad, Spring 2012, Torgeir NorheimInk on 4 Sheets of 24” by 36” Vellum

A Playground for the Body & Mind

Site Plan

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Site Photos

Main Stitch with New Staircases Gradient Private - Slower - QuieterPublic - Busier - Noisier

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SiteMain StitchLow Pedestrian UseHigh Pedestrian UseHigh Car Use

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Perspective Looking in the Direction of the Arrow

Perspective Looking in the Direction of the Arrow

Geometry - Golden Rectangle

Lower Floor Plan

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Upper Floor Plan

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Sketch Looking Down from the Arrow

Section BB

Section AA

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Sketch Looking Up from the Arrow at the Stairs

Section CC

Section DD

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The fabrication lab was designed to give local residents of

Manhattan, Kansas access to clean workshops, building

material, and state-of-the-art tools. Two double height main

axes provide easy movement throughout the building as well

as a simplified means of transportation for large product and

work pieces. The workshops are situated along the north side

of the building to allow natural indirect light entry to the

workspaces. A light scoop, with kalwall windows facing south,

runs the length of the east-west axes. The kalwall diffuses the

harsh southern light. The light scoop’s plastered curved wall

guides the soft light into the main corridor and workspaces.

At night, the light scoop provides interest to the building’s

exterior as a warm glow from interior lights becomes visible

from the outside.

Fabrication Lab

Manhattan, KS4th Year, Fall 2011, Michael McGlynnAutoCAD, Illustrator, SketchUp,V-Ray, Photoshop, & Laser Cutter

Axial Parti

Sectional Process Sketches

Primary Axes on 1st FloorSecondary Axes on 2nd FloorVertical Circulation

Site Plan

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Structural Diagram Mechanical Diagram Forced Air Combined System with a VAVReinforced Concrete WallsPost-Tensioned Concrete Floor & Roof

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Section AA Section BB

Exterior Work AreaBack Entry (South Elevation)Southeast Corner

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Section CC

Lower Floor Plan

Upper Floor PlanFront Entry

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Section Perspective

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1. 1 1/4" Standing Seam Metal Roof 2. Roofing Membrane 3. Rigid Insulation 4. Weather Resistant Barrier 5. Post-Tensioned Concrete Slab 6. Air Space 7. Drip Flashing 8. 8" Reinforced Concrete Wall 9. AEPSpan Prestige Series Panel10. Metal Furring Channels11. 5/8" Gypsum Board12. 2" by 1" Metal Stud Wall13. Aluminum Curtainwall Mullion14. 5/8" Western Red Cedar Siding15. 2" by 4" Timber Batton16. Metal Z Ties17. Metal Soffit18. 1" AEPSpan Fascia Metal Panel19. Kalwall20. Plaster

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3D Wall Section & Details

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Balcony in Main Axis

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Entry Lobby

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