OlsenBeal update

Here are the most recent construction photos from the OlsenBeal Addition. The corten panels are going up and the exposed steel has been treated. Insulation and drywall is starting this week and the brick and corrugated panels will be going up in about a week and a half.

Beacon on 100

Here is a sneak peak at a project that I am designing at Scholz. It is located in the heart of conservative Provo, but surprisingly I think the city is going to go for it. The city wants to set this as the precedent for new construction of this type in the city. We are incorporating many urban design principles and sustainability concepts into the design and may go after a LEED certification on the project. To my knowledge it would be the first of its kind in all of Utah County.

11-23-09
I just received an email from the city planner assigned to our project. He told me that he doesn't like the windows. Hum, stick to planning buddy!

Wasatch Elementary Artist Evening

Last night I was invited to display and talk about some of my architecture to elementary school students at Wasatch Elementary. I was part of a group of 20 local artists that were asked to participate. I brought my masters project model and a few sketches, including sketchbooks from Spain and India.

I wanted to show examples of contemporary design (both my own and others) to talk to the kids about imagination and broadening their vision for what architecture is and more specifically what a home could be. It was fun to see their eyes light up when they saw some of the "funky" designs from some of my books and some of the sketches that I have done. I asked a few of them if they could see themselves living in some of the houses from my book and the answer was an absolute yes. This gives me a lot of hope for the future generations and their appreciation of what could be in architecture. These little people are the ones that we should be educating in art and architecture.

The highlight of the night was my "Hip Hip Architecture" model for sure. The kids loved seeing all the little people in the model and almost fell over when I took it out of its base and then pulled it apart so they could see inside it. It was fun to be able talk about building sections, model making, sketching, and imagination. The kids were fantastic!


The kid in the red shirt loves architecture and wants to be an architect. I told him that I hear many people tell me that they thought about being an architect when they were younger but never did it and that he should follow his dreams and never give up. I think he probably went straight home and downloaded sketchup.


The kid holding the model asked me about a million questions. "Have you ever thought about designing a building that floats in the sky?" "Have you ever thought about designing a building that is in the ocean?" "Have you ever thought about designing this building with really tall towers on it?" "Have you ever designed a building that is in the mountain?"......... I think you get the idea. I think he was at my table for at least 45 minutes. Don't worry, the guy on the right didn't want to kill me, he just looks that way.


This little guy wanted to trace all of my sketches from my sketchbook. I handed out tracing paper to all the kids that came by and they had fun drawing. One kid I asked to draw me a house and so he did. It was the typical pitched roof with a central door and windows on the sides. Then I showed him a photo of a contemporary house that had a ribbon structure that formed the walls and roof. He immediately started to change his drawing and do some crazy stuff to it. It is fun to see a young mind change in an instant.

sketching

The other day I took my students on a sketch day and visited a couple places in Salt Lake City. While my students were busy sketching I decided to rest and do a sketch of my own. Here you go.




Other Sketches

Tokyo, Japan

Salt Lake City Library, Utah

City Palace, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Details, Segovia, Spain

Parc Guell, Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, Spain

Alley, Tokyo, Japan

Figurines, Japan

Shack, Japan

Section, Kyoto, Japan

Site Plan, Kyoto, Japan

Cathedral, Valencia, Spain

Antelope Island Visitor Center, Utah

Antelope Island Visitor Center, Utah

IMAX Theater, City of Arts and Science, Valencia, Spain

Concept sketch

Cuenca, Spain

Door Rubbing, Segrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

Watts Towers, California

BoConcepts

BoConcepts

The Wolfe Den

The Wolfe Den by MJ Neal Architects

2,400 sq ft
Austin, TX

Single family dwelling for a young professional couple. The site is a small 47′ by 125′ rectilinear in-fill lot situated within a twenty minute walk of downtown.

The house consists of two parts, a simple rectangle along one side of the lot and an adjacent courtyard. This configuration provides privacy from the street while allowing the interior living areas to open onto decks and garden. An overhang with lattice provides the transition to the garden and protection from the west sun.

The house, although conventionally framed, used green methodology and materials: Slab on grade with diamond ground finish. Bio-base (soy) blow-in insulation for the exterior wall and roof. Recycled denim insulation on the interior walls. Recycled rubber flooring on the upper level. Formaldehyde-free plywood. Low-voc paint. Ipe hard-wood from sustainably managed forests. Locally manufactured brick. Fluorescent and low voltage lighting. Geothermal HVAC system. The house is also photo-voltaic ready for when budget allows.

White Washing

New York Street Advertising Takeover