Architecture Portfolio 2012

Dennis Verlo LaPradeArchitecture Portfolio

“We comfort ourselves by reliving memories of protection. Something closed must retain our memories, while leaving them their original value as images. Memories of the outside world will never have the same tonality as those of home and, by recalling these memories, we add to our store of dreams” Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space

Photos

Drawings

Chair

House

Community

Narritorium

WallDennis Verlo LaPrade B.S.Arch 2009Portland State University School of [email protected]

I was raised in Virginia and decided to migrate to the Northwest with becoming an adult. Taking in the culture and life of the Northwest, I made my way to Port-land, Oregon where I went to school for architecture at Portland State University in the heart of Portland, Or. My time in the program I found myself fascinated with the relationship of architecture with the human body and mind. I found myself studying how architecture relates through philosophy and psychology.

I believe that we are all connected through architecture even though we see and experience architecture on a very personal level through memories. I have found my interest in trying to connect with architecture by designing in the sense that is personal to me in hopes to make it relatable to others.

Now that I am finished with my time in college, I have migrated back to the East Coast in hopes of expanding on what I have learned in college and applying it to the real world.

i was here.

Wall

In this world, in its current conditionthis block seems to be unnoticed

as we all walk past it each daywrapped up in our own worlds

dealing with our own barriers that we createthose same barriers that make us feel alone

This wall struggles to find peace and a balancewithin its symmetry it keeps adding

as the ground rises and takes it away inch by inchTowering columns line the block to create this presence

of a building that is not here.Its centerpiece, the sitting areais in a constant state of unrest.

I want to take a stand, I want to draw a horizontal line to define the wall

This new void would be filled with wood beamssquare, five inches, four and a half feet long

with gaps between each oneas the stone wall drops down with the elevation

a new set of beams grabs the previous onesto continue this line and conversation with the stoneAt the center of the wall running along the sidewalk

the ground will go flat, matching the horizontal line of the new wallwithin this area, it will be squared off

with vertical beams marking the perimeter of the space, just like the beams that make the new wall

each one would have a small gap between each beamNever really protecting, but still providing a comfort

Within this pattern, every fifth gap will have a thin mirror insetso that one may catch that glimpse of themselves

as a reminder that they are in fact here.Over head a wood ceiling seems to jut out

Thick beams of wood seem to provide the supportfollowing the ceiling back over the rest of the block

it connects to a wood house with a single dooronly in view when a train isn’t at rest between the two buildings

As I sit here, this area would take me back to a placeof my childhood, with the thin trees and flat terrain

the ceiling acting as that canopy of thick leaves.This place asks for no barriers, it asks for no age

All it wants is a chance to rememberOne’s self within nature, even within the heart of the city.

And with this reclaiming of feelings one may be compelled to mark this moment in time

with the soft wood willing to give way to pressure of a sharp objectas we leave our marks as that reminder

that I was here.

Wall

WallIn a sense to feel grounded to a place one lives, I have designed a memorial to the everyday person by taking an existing wall in Downtown Portland, OR that sits on a sloped site. This wall’s original design is attempting to be symetrical yet because of the slope creates the opposite of that. My design intervention takes the existing wall and adds to it, from the highest point on the wall I drew a horizontal line and in that void, I filled it in with a wood pattern that reflects the pat-tern ration of the stone work. The center of the wall, I leveled out the space to create a stable covered area that provides protection while allowing in an abundance of light fragments.

Wall

In a way to remove our filters on how we interpret the world, I broke down the space and materials to their root meanings and created some-thing that related to my own personal history and how I experience the world. By using a very personal experience in my childhood I was able to create something that could translate to others in their own personal way.

Wall

Narritorium

A narritorium is a fictional place that is a collection of stories and maps that document a city’s history through the eyes of the individual, allowing the viewer to create their own knowledge of historical information through personal experiences, as well as giving the viewer a chance to record their own stories and experiences of a city’s past. The site of the building is located roughly in the center of Portland, OR, giving the viewer a unique experience with understanding and seeing the city.

Narritorium

The building is divided into two parts, the horizontal and the vertical. The horizontal houses all the verbal stories that can be told either formally on stage to an audience or informally to small groups of people over food and drinks in the cafe. The veritical houses the store which is where one could purchase maps and collections of stories to take with them while experiencing personal walking tours of the city.

Narritorium

Above sits several floors of the library where one could im-merse themselves in reading and listening to stories of the city. Further up sits the record-ing studio where one could document their own personal stories of the city through audio or written documentation.

Narritorium

At the top sits the curator’s office and observation deck where one could reflect upon the city they are in.

Community

A low-income community in Oregon City, OR that was meant to house a collec-tive number of families on the site as well as be a sustainable development. My exploration involved designing a sustainable environment that puts the user first.

Community

The units are a com-bined two and three bedroom units that are linked together with a common ground in the middle for the families. There is also a small community garden in the space at the end of the parking lot for families to grow food.

Community

The units are prefabrication that make it easy to build off site and ship to the needed locations and piece together like a puzzle, with a third bedroom on the second floor for the three bedroom unit.

House

Weinstein Residence 2000Thompson and Rose Inc.

House

The Weinstein Residence is a house built on top of an old warehouse in nyc. The idea for the house was to focus on the open space in the middle of the house and feel as if it gives shelter from the big city.

Chair

Charlotte Perriand Ombra Lounge Chair1953

Drawings

Drawings

Photos

Photos