wi2 (1.1 & 1.2)

356 Square Foot Apartment

When someone wells up with an emotion, the action that eventually takes place is the burst of that emotion. If you well up with tears in sadness, you eventually cry. If you well up laughter, a laugh will come out. In my design of a small, 356 square foot “apartment” with a 14 foot ceiling, my goal was to show this burst happening. Using only two rectangular columns and one wall, the spatial planning was a challenge. The wall is nine feet high and cuts the long space in half, separating public and private space. One column is placed in the kitchen and intersects 9 “shelves” of premium black granite. The first shelf acts as a table and continues to provide as a countertop. The next 7 shelves are smaller than the first and square. They climb up the column while the height separating each shelf gets smaller and smaller. The final shelf at the top travels over the interior wall and attaches onto the 2^nd column. The second column marks the perimeter of the bathing area, where the showerhead is. My concept of a burst is portrayed through this system of shelves and the columns. Starting at the bottom, the emotional path starts to produce and grow until it gets to its breaking point at the top where it spreads and bursts.

484 Square Foot Apartment

One definition of the phrase “well up” is to elevate and the idea of verticality. In a 22’ by 22’ apartment, my design portrays elevation and verticality with lofts and linear architecture. There are two main solids in this space. A solid basically describes anything that can be cut or molded from a mass (for example, the way a sculptor starts with a cube of clay or wood and forms something from it”. When you open the door to this space, you walk in beneath the loft space. The loft has two different levels to it and is the private space, consisting of the sleeping area and relaxing alcove for reading or personal reflection. This loft is comprised of vertical and horizontal planes overlapping each other, creating a private bathroom underneath. The vertical plane on the left of the foyer has vertical cut outs to encourage the concept while letting natural light enter the area, producing linear shadows. The other solid consists of several rectangular units creating areas for cooking and food preparation, eating, desk work, storage, then draws the eye upwards to a ceiling drop where it eventually leads back down to the floor with the same vertical cutouts as in the foyer.

712 Square Foot Apartment

Perhaps the most common definition of “well up” is to be in general full of emotion. The third and largest space I designed is 712 square feet and consists of 2 curved walls and a column. I wanted this space to show emotion with sinuous lines and to give off a beautiful and maybe overwhelming feeling upon entering. The main wall in the space starts in the corner away from the door with an almost full circle, where it twists around forming the boundaries that separate the kitchen area from the living area. The second wall is smaller and blocks off the far corner of the space for sleeping quarters. The column has a four foot diameter with an electric fireplace running through it and seating around it. The components of this space are large and perhaps oversized but it gives a feeling of luxury. The fireplace was added in the living room as a key piece for conversation to gather around or just for personal reflection. There is also a bar/table in between the kitchen and living room to encourage gathering. The idea of conversational areas is important to the concept because all sorts of emotions are likely to arrive when in the presence of family and friends.