Lewiston, Vermont is a small, former railway town across the river from Hanover, New Hampshire (where Dartmouth is located). Due to a flood, the end of the railroad era, and much of the town being demolished in highway construction, he town has been in steep decline over the past 50 years. In this project, each student had to pick find some way to use architecture to restore the town. I chose to restore the old freight depot, keeping much of its rusty and abandoned shell and reimagining it in the style of environmental brutalism.

Inspiration

My renovation – The Depot: Restaurant and Garden

With greenhouse windows and roof, a fountain, and plants galore, the building would be a natural oasis year round where one could step away from the world to work, read, or get a coffee on a cold morning. A row of tables, vines and plants go around the perimeter fo the second floor, but the middle remains open to let in light. This open center, in combination with the clerestory-like windows keep an open and airy feeling in the building. At the same time, the hedges and plants used to absorb sound and obstructed sight lines curate a cozy and quiet environment where one can always find a new nook perfect for reading or a private conversation.

If At night, the middle of the first floor becomes a lively restaurant scene reminiscent of an outdoor beer garden. More relaxing and quiet dining areas on the second floor and ground floor would retain their privacy while still feeding off of the lively energy. The side greenhouse on the first floor could be rented out for private parties or function as a swing space, where you could close the doors to create more private seating or leave them open to expand the beer garden area, depending on demand.

Screen Shot 2022-11-03 at 5.47.11 PM.png

Project 2: Sketch, Model, Build

This project challenged every student to pick a cooking tool to take a close look at. I chose a peel, commonly used for putting pizzas and other flat bread items into and out of ovens. As the name suggests, we then had to sketch the tool, create a 3D computer aided design (CAD) model of it in Rhino3D, and then physically build the tool. This project helped to develop skills in technical illustration, 3D CAD modeling, and executing plans to physically create a piece.

Sketch

Model (Using Rhino3D)

Screen Shot 2022-11-03 at 6.27.37 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-03 at 6.28.03 PM.png

Build

Screen Shot 2022-11-03 at 6.27.45 PM.png

Project 3: Invisible Cities

"Invisible Cities" is a novel by Italo Calvino about the imaginative reports that Marco Polo sends to his emperor about the cities he has been to. Each page is about a new city, and the illustrative explanations describe the cities as if they had appeared to him in dreams. Each student picked one city to represent, sketch and build however they saw fit. My city's description highlighted coral gates, people dancing in big glass windows above the city and, above all else, the contrast between the city's shiny facade and its rotting support structures. He describes a city where, just by rounding a corner and looking back, you see a completely different side of the city. This is dichotomy is communicated in my city plan and in my model, which from some angles shows the glamorous facade, and from others displays the hidden and deteriorating parts of the city.

City plan sketch, with fancy houses on the main roads obscuring the crumbling city behind them

Model of the city with its coral gates and a wall that is crumbling from behind.

Model of prominent house, with hedges and blank walls to hide the less glamorous parts of the city from view

Sketch of prominent house with glass windows