projects: unbuilt

The Scottsdale Canal Dry Up Project revolves around the idea of renewal and rebirth prevalent in the lore of the Phoenix. Canal water flow must be dammed in order to be cleaned and maintained - thus allowing the irrigation to continue and the fish to survive. Similarly, our project mimics this cycle of revitalization. The project is constructed of homemade, un-fired terracotta blocks that are designed to dissolve back to silicate when water is rereleased back into the canal. From within this temporary structure, aquatic foam toys spring up from the structure, suggesting rebirth. The blocks, being...

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Utilizing public art as a method to re-brand an overlooked area of the city: A 6-mile stretch of Broadway, lined with junkyards, will be widened. With limited space for applying public art, and limited resources, we propose creating five large shade canopies that spell an acronym for the neighborhood. These would be viewable from the Phoenix flight path, readable from cars on the street, and enjoyable as a series of “gateways” by local pedestrians. The fonts of the acronym are taken from car “badges”. Car hoods purchased at the local junkyards create the canopies, attached to sculptural...

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Expressing the audacity of our desert oasis: Shade structures are required at four diverse locations within a large park. The visibly adjacent, raised earth-buttressed canal brings water 350 miles from the Colorado River to Phoenix as the city continues to grow. We sought a way to describe the precarious scale of human intervention on the landscape. Comparing such an endeavor with weightlessness moments found in sporting events, 6,000 pound local stones can be quarried and set on posts in various configurations around the huge soccer tournament park, surrounded on 2 sides by the canal. Shapes mimicking...

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Working with the community, the creation of a public venue was to take shape in a city with very little public space. Hired to create artwork at a new light rail station, it is decided to add a public venue adjacent to the station. The design incorporates infrastructure at the station to enable the local community to sell goods and produce. The venue would also function when a market is not taking place by providing landscape, shade, and seating in order to make the option of public transportation more inviting. The polished stainless steel canopy reflects the activity of the market to the busy...

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A couple has purchased a large developer house because of its amazing proximity to a mountain preserve, but find it too large to comfortably live within. The existing house is too complex, and the views too limited. The design followed strict HOA guidelines stating the front, sides and roof could not be altered. At first, the couple suggests they would like to live as much in the out doors as possible. In order to achieve outdoor living, to reduce the scale of the house, and to bring the landscape into the house, the first plan literally splits the house into 2 pieces. Living and guest spaces are placed...

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This proposal for a temporary art installation asked that the Arizona State Fair be moved to coincide with the opening of a new carpool lane on the freeway system. Recognizing that freeways are a lifeblood of a city such as Phoenix, and that this particular interchange is a focus and center for residents, this project sought to put people in contact with such massive civil structures, as well as each other. The event would create one of the largest parties in the City’s history, while celebrating the addition of a lane for environmentally conscious drivers. The highlight of the project would...

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What started as a fascination with billboard structures became an obsession to utilize existing structures around the city to house its highly mobile citizens. Interior spaces are slipped into the city, barely noticeable. Unbelievable views abound. Each existing billboard configuration and location would offer new benefits and possibilities- from the ground huggers to the monumentally high reaching signs. Living space for singles is created with leases based on the 16-week contract of the billboard’s changing advertisements. By associating one’s self with a particular ad, a young transient...

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Billboard Bridge Public Art Proposal Tucson, Arizona; 2000 Bridges connect two locations physically. With a cladding of photos of famous bridges from around the world, this bridge connects its users to many locations mentally. Hill Bridge Public Art Proposal Tucson, Arizona; 2001 To connect a park and a housing development, a bridge is designed as a hill. From the freeway below, the bridge begins to mimic the mountains in the distance. Experiencing the structure begs to have the question asked: When is something Natural? Amphitheater Bridge Public Art Proposal Phoenix, Arizona;...

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The Ark Bridge Public Art Proposal (w/ Gotz Stockmann) Phoenix, Arizona; 2002 Canals bring water, the savior, to the center of a desert city. So a proposed bridge is designed as an inverted ark, also resembling a mountain. Within the bridge, seating with text depict ark and flood stories from around the world including Native American myths. These stories are mixed with historical facts about the development of Phoenix as a city and the importance of water. Isaac Bridge Public Art Proposal Phoenix, Arizona; 2006 As a connection between a neighborhood park and a middle school, the bridge...

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Nearly 40% of Phoenix’s population changes every 5 years. We took an urban design challenge at the city’s center as an opportunity to provide a location for transitional housing for those either arriving or leaving. Each apartment has a front room for displaying goods for sale, or for storing goods collected. The venue is completely drive through, showcasing the car and movement as the most important aspect of the city. A performance space at the center recalls old western inns, and the fabric architecture of the apartments recalls covered wagons, recalling the city’s origins.

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