jacob c. weldon portfolio

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2d 3D

2d3DJacob C. Weldon

Architecture Portfolio

Montana State UniversityMaster of Architecture 2013

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The premise of this book takes a simplified method of displaying

work from architectural design school. By freeing the content

from the typical hierarchy of the overarching project design,

the result is the most qualified work allowed to speak for itself.

As a way of arranging the content I have chosen a method of

2d/3d. The first section focuses on two-dimensional drawings and

illustrations which correlate to a three-dimensional perception of

space. The second section focuses on three-dimensional works

consisting of architectural models, details, and other built work.

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2dObservation DrawingPencil & Watercolor

Conceptual SketchesPencil & CharcoalRome Studio 2010Butte, Montana Studio

DetailsArt Gallery

CompetitionsArchtriumph Treehouse 2014Drylands Design William Turnbull Competition

ThesisPath & Place Weldon Ranch

Design StudioFinal Studio Elementary School

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Graphics Course

School Project: 4th Year

Summer 2010, Italy

Professor: Peter Kommers

Our graphics course consisted of learning free

hand perspective drawings. “Travel Drawings” as

they were refered to, were performed throughout

our studio’s time in Italy which resulted in roughly

a dozen sketches for each student. I found that

if I constructed the smaller loose sketch first

the final sketch became much easier and more

efficient to draw.

hanD graphiCS

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Site Parti- Center for Gismondi Model Rome

4th year

Section Studies- Center for Gismondi Model Rome

4th year

COnCepTual SkeTCheS

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Butte Greenhouse Tower

3rd Year

Bozeman Help Center

4th Year

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Museum/Outdoor Public Events Center

School Project: 4th year

Summer 2010, Rome, Italy

Professor: Peter Kommers

Partner: Michael Guiliano

Right Geometries were derived from plan for

circulation purposes. The subtle taper grew and

spread throughout the design and found its way

into section and elevation. First sectional studies

were literally done by overlaying plan sketches,

transforming them into sectional spaces to test

the spatial capacity and possibilites.

Next Page One of the initial concept sketches,

portraying a powerful and evocative relation-

ship on the site, beside the final site plan and

elevation drawings for the project. The power of

the initial sketch carries through to the merging

of the landscape and building, elevation and

section.

CenTer fOr giSmOnDi mODel

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Green House/Market

School Project: 3rd year

Spring 2010, Butte, Montana

Professor: Steve Juroszek

Top Right

First design of the semester in Butte, MT.

Perspective and sketches of the concept for a

green house tower.

Bottom Right

Second project entitled “Generating Exchange”

focuses on the notion of duality through the

manipulation of the landscape, the arrangement

of spaces on that landscape, and the materiality

of the spaces. The community center and

marketplace represent the solid and void. Every

other space in the program lays within the in-

between space, representing transparency.

buTTe DeSign STuDiOS

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eXiT gallerY

The Exit Gallery was designed for the Building

Construction Course in my 3rd year of

architectural school. The design consisted

of developing a design for an art gallery on

MSU’s campus. Other phases of the course

included creating axonometric exploded details

and integrating sustainable strategies with our

design. Energy simulation software was used

to generate the most efficient design possible

which correlated with our initial design intent.

Art Gallery

School Project: 3rd Year

Spring 2010, Bozeman, MT

Professor: Chris Livingston

Partners: Scott Friemuth

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nodecreative

EXIT GALLERYMONTANA STATE UNIVERSITYBOZEMAN

architect stamp date of issue - May 4, 2010

revis ion block

reviewed by Tyler Cal l and his posse

sheet number

Jake WeldonS cott Fre imuth

A5.1

Old Castle Fin-wall

HSS hollow round column 4-1/2”

brushed stainless steel hardware

concrete slab 5”

foundation wall 8”

Old Castle Fin-wall

Structural Tee

brushed stainless steel hardware

KALWALL insulated skylight


1” thick concrete w/ exposed fasteners

6” rigid insulation

weld connection

steel c-channel

structural Tee

steel plate/hardware

30 lb felt

5/8” OSB

6” metal stud

KALWALL insulated skylight

Partition Track

brushed sttainless steel hardware

3-form Translucent Panel


W a l l t o R o o f C o n n e c t i o n

3 - f o r m p a n e l t o c o l u m n c o n n e c t i o n

F i n - w a l l t o � o o r c o n n e c t i o n1

F i n - w a l l t o r o o f c o n n e c t i o n

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DETAILS

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granD CanYOnDrYlanDS DeSign COmpeTiTiOn

Drylands Design William Turnbull Competition Entry

School Project: Grad School

Fall 2011, Grand Canyon, AZ

Professor: John Brittingham

Collaborators: Holly Mumford

Scott Freimuth

Sten Witmer

Bill Zanoni

Steph Johnson

Aggie Frisby

Amy Swinger

Charlie Langford

Darian Rauschendorfer

Tyson Kraft

Thompson Limanek

This project was fueled by a studio trip to Grand

Canyon National Park with the ambition to

redesign the South Rim of the park. As an entry

into the Drylands Competition, this submission

was from a graduate level class of 12 students,

the complete submission consisting of 18

(24”x36”) boards.

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SLOW FLOW is a phased remediation proposal for Grand

Canyon National Park's South Rim, its 5 million annual visitors

(projected to be doubled by 2050), employees, residents, their

annual water consumption and the cost of that consumption.

Each scale of the proposition is defined by a top down/bottom

up strategy mitigating the water-energy nexus that strives to

inspire dissemination and conservation through education,

exposure of systems, and enhanced visitor experience. The

multi-valent approach and scale begins with re-texturing the

landscape of the existing watersheds at the South Rim. The

introduction of inexpensive & easily implemented gabion walls

as a set of architectonic strategies works to slow the fiow of

water. Enhanced water retention, vegetation, habitat, visitor

experience through water consciousness, and connection

to the resource are the omnipresent themes. Phase one re-

textures the land. Phase two re-choreographs the existing land-

use th rough an understanding of environment, infrastructure,

and means of transport.

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granD CanYOnDrYlanDS DeSign COmpeTiTiOn

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existing water treatment plant

existing underground water storage

DESERT VIEW VILLAGEBOAT MUSEUM

project statement

captur ing divert ing stor ing

p a r t i s k e t c h

c o n n e c t i o n t o r i v e r DES

ERT

VIE

W W

ATE

RSH

ED

WILLIAMS

FLA

GST

AFF

DES

ERT

VIE

W S

ITE

PLA

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RO

POSA

LD

ESER

T V

IEW

SEC

TIO

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DES

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ERSP

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This intervention’s primary intent is to re_engage visitors with the landscape and make people aware of natural processes through therising and fall ing of water levels while providing views directly to the Colorado River. By monumentalizing the process of capturing, diverting, and storing water, people witness firsthand the preciousness of the material and its significance to the region.

1 2 3 4

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n e a r i n g t h e e n d o f t h e g a b i o n w a l l s , a g r a n d v i e w o p e n s u p t o t h e c a n y o n a n d a p r e s e n c e o f w a t e r i s s h o w n w i t h i n a l a r g e p o o l w h i c h a c c u m u l a t e s w a t e r d u r i n g t h e y e a r.

a s v i s i t o r s f l o w d o w n t h e s t e p s t h e y a r e h a l t e d b y f r a m e d v i e w s o f t h e c a n y o n . t h e s e s p a c e s a l s o c o n -t a i n h i s t o r i c b o a t s w h i c h o n c e f l o a t e d t h e c o l o r a d o r i v e r.

MICHAEL HEIZER’S DOUBLE NEGATIVEHISTORIC BOATS

The Grand Canyon National Park currently has over a dozen historic boats which once floated the Colorado River.

To provide a connection from River to Rim these boats were placed within voids overlooking the canyon and the river.

MARY COLTER DESERT VIEW WATCHTOWER

Built in 1931, the watchtower has profoundly affected how people en-gage the canyon and the river. My project attempts to enhance this ar-chitecture by allowing it to always be framed within the negative, giving peo-ple a sense of distance and location.

INDIAN STEPWELLSDerived from ancient methods ofharvesting water, stepwells provided a captivating intuitive approach in how people will be engaged with water and the landscape.

As a passive process the rising and fall-ing of water levels reflects the amount of water available during the year, creat-ing an experience unique to this region.

As a part of the land art movement in the early 1970s, the Double Negative provided philosphical along with physical attributes that greatly influenced the design at Desert View.

Ideas such as how subtractive qualities can construct an implied object and how something must not be seen into but actually viewed from within were seen as profound new ways for people to engage themselves with the landscape at the Grand Canyon.

T157T144T049 T148 T150 T153 T154 T155 T156 T157

T049 T144 T148 T150 T153 T154 T155 T156 T157

DESERT VIEW WATCHTOWER

CAPTURE

DIVERT

BOAT MUSEUM

STORE

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Boat Museum Design Presentation

Best in Category, Graduate Student:

Design Image 2012 DCA Exhibition

www.designcommunicationassociation.org

6granD CanYOn

DrYlanDS DeSign COmpeTiTiOn

The boat museum tells a story of Colorado River boats.

These boats played a significant role in the canyon’s history

and a major role in mitigating dams along the entire river.

Historic boats are placed within small spaces. Large

enough to hold a comfortable amount of people but small

enough to give a sense of privacy and intimacy. Every

boat is sacredly contained within its own space, separated

along the rim of the canyon, each with its own unique view

to the river 3,000 ft below. This separation provides rhythm

of prospect and refuge along the rim, encouraging visitors

to explore and constantly be reminded of the difference

between the inside and outside as well as the rim and

river. The boat houses embody qualities of Mary Colter’s

watchtower nearby; giving distance and reference to time

and place.

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arChTriumph TreehOuSe 2014

ArchTriumph 2014 Treehouse Competition Entry

Personal Project

Spring 2014, Petrified Nation Forest, AZ

Partner: Michael Guiliano

PROJECT SUMMARY

This project challenges the idea of a treehouse setting and engages the

inhabitants through an entirely new experience and interaction within their

surroundings. Interactions between the body, the mind, and the earth,

provoke an understanding of time and memory outside their place in the

world. Though basic, these cyclical bodily experiences in everyday life

become significantly transformed when in contact with new material, thus

reinventing the usefulness of a tree.(1)

“Architecture domesticates limitless space and enables us to inhabit it, but

it should likewise domesticate endless time and enable us to inhabit the

continuum of time.”

- Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin (2)

A tree is most commonly understood as a woody perennial plant, typically

having a single stem or trunk, growing to a considerable height and bearing

lateral branches at some distance from the ground. However in this

landscape lies only the memory of the tree. Thus a treehouse in this landscape

encapsulates the significance of memory and time. Fragments of petrified

wood are placed throughout, reflecting the programmatic functions that take

place in the treehouse. Each individual space recognizes the posture of the

individual by placing the fragments in such a way that intimacy with these

remnants can not be ignored.

SITE CONTEXT

The site is located in Arizona (southwestern United States). It sits roughly

1657m above sea level and receives an average of 267.7mm of precipatation

annually. The average anual temperature ranges from 3.8° C to 21.5° C.

Petrified Forest National Park is managed by the federal government and was

declared in 1962. The park is considered a semi-desert shrub steppe and

contains a large variety of fossils that date back to 250 million years ago. (3)

Triumph Mention- Archtriumph Architectural Treehouse Awardwww.archtriumph.com

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Independent Thesis Project


Spring/Summer 2010, Billings, MT

Professors: Chere LeClair

Zuzanna Karczewksa

Barry Newton

paTh anD plaCeThesis statement

Overall, this writing aims at creating mindful

connections between path and place. Moreover,

discover how those connections influence

architecture’s ability to instill within people a

pace to experience their surroundings, either

accustomed or unfamiliar.

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path and placeindependent project by jake weldon

weldon ranch

The intent for this project is to create a better sense of place through the experience of path in the landscape on the Weldon Ranch. Through a coupling of time, measure, dwelling, and demarcation of material people will gain a better understanding of the history and geologic makeup of the landscape.

first dwelling

evolution of land ownership

second dwelling third dwelling fourth dwelling fifth dwelling

3rd, 4th, 5th dwellings

barling dwelling

1st dwelling 2nd dwelling

past dwellings

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5

5

5

5map legend

paths

property l ine

fence l ine

township grid

structure location

weldon ranch map

1 m i l e0

500’

0 1500’1”= 500’

1”= 500’

2 1

site_3 extending boundary

feeling of confinementmaterial connectionatmosphereconnection to measure

plan

west elevation

1”=10’

1”=10’

site plan

1”=100’

first dwelling

site analysis

1st dwelling locatioin

distant view near view

the structure on site three rests in a former grain field and directs one towards the first dwelling of the weldon family. farm machinery measurements are translated into the design of the structure. the main influence however is the junipers which l ie along the edge of moonshine creek. the material has been util ized for the 20 miles of fence on the ranch. the character of the space is similar to a fence and is an extension of that boundary but also preparing one for the character of the place. specif ically at the first dwelling site, which is now a graveyard.

site_4

s1

east elevation

feeling of confinement material connection connection to path connection to measure

plan

near view

s3

s2

s1

1”=10’

1”=10’

1”=10’

s2

s3

site analysis

occupying the interval

the structure on site 4 directs one to the second dwelling of the weldon family which was built on a small peak to experience the distant views from the site. the structure is located on a former grain field and is influenced by the interaction of machinery with the site. the measurements of the farm equipment that plowed and collected the material from the site along with the path of the machinery are translated into the design of the structure. clay and sand from a nearby coulee are used to create a series of rammed earth walls to represent the connection to measure. occupying the interval of space created by the walls generates an experience of confined and open space further connecting an observer to the second dwelling.

distant view

site_5 marking the void

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5

5

5

concept diagram

the structures on these sites mark the absence of former dwellings from past families that lived in the area. all that remains of their dwellings are subtle voids in the ground left by their underground root cellars. a simple concept was generated to connect to these voids by using rammed earth posts as a way of marking these locations to be seen from a distance. the volume of the posts is similar to the volume of the void and to the height of a person. the presence of the earth reveals the absence in the earth.

site_1 framing erosion

material connection historical connectiongeological connection

site analysis

section

1”=10’

plan 1”=10’

far view

detail

small stone hay balebentonite clay 2x8 wood member 4 inch pipe

1/2” = 1’

the structure for site one is located on leased land and is influenced by historical connections with gathering water along with the erosive qualit ies of the creek. the structure situates you down to the level of the ground to create nearness to the creek and to extend the height of the hillside. small stones from a nearby hayfield are deposited to create a pool by the creek which frames accumulating water throughout the year.

site_2 extending the creek

feeling of confinement material connection extension of the creekconnection to path

east elevation

floor / roof detail

small stone

metal cage

corrugated metal roofing

2x4 wood beams

60” railroad tie

reused lumber

river stone

bentonite clay

large stone dry stacked

1/2”= 1’

1”=10’

plan 1”=10’

site plan 1/128” = 1’

s ite analysis

distant view

the structure on site two is located on a hill east of the current dwelling. the design was influenced by the notion of absence and implied space and volume. the structure util izes large sand and river stone to imply a boundary and to extend the creek to this location (so the thing which made the hill a hill is represented in the space.)

near view

Design Intention

The intent for this project is to create a better

sense of place through the experience of path

in the landscape on the Weldon Ranch. Through

a coupling between time, measure, dwelling,

and demarcation of material people will gain a

better understanding of the history and geologic

makeup of the landscape. The architectural

proposal consists of four major structures which

intervene along one’s path in locations that are in

the proximity of a former (and in one case current)

dwelling. These structures provide pause within

one’s motion and rhythm of movement and in

pausing one is directed to places of inhabitance,

whether fully present, somewhat present, or

absent. Through demarcation of material,

relating to either specific dwelling material or

material directly from the site, the character of

each shelter one will influence and familiarize

one with this landscape.

Structure Location Strategy

Each structure is located on a path and directs

one towards a dwelling (a location representing

time). Every structure is perpendicular to the

path so as to create a change in one’s direction

and posture similar to approaching a fence and

having to cross that boundary. Only through

crossing these structures’ boundaries one is

familiarized with a part of the place.

“Character of place is a function of time; it changes with the season, the course of the day, and the weather, factors which above all determine different conditions of light.”

Christian Norberg-SchulzThe Phenomenon of Place

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Right: The structure on site 4 directs one to the second

dwelling of the Weldon family which was built on a

small peak to experience the distant views from the

site. The structure is located on a former grain field

and is influenced by the interaction of machinery with

the site. The measurements of the farm equipment

that plowed and collected the material from the site

along with the path of the machinery are translated

into the design of the structure. Clay and sand from a

nearby coulee are used to create a series of rammed

earth walls to represent the connection to measure.

Occupying the interval of space created by the walls

generates an experience of confined and open space

further connecting an observer to the second dwelling.

paTh anD plaCe

“… landscape denotes the external world mediated through subjective human experience in a way that neither region nor area immediately suggest. Landscape is not merely the world we see, it is a construction, a composition of that world. Landscape is a way of seeing the world.”

Juhanni Pallasmaa Reading American Landscape May Watts

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The design molded itself according to the

relationships of program and responding to the

public edge along the east side, giving the plan

a kind of monastic quality, focusing on a central,

more introspective spatial arrangement. Within

the walls of the school the U-shaped plan allows

the inhabitants to view the exterior of the school

ultimately placing themselves within the site.

Scale influenced spatial hierarchy and

introspective spaces which were executed

through the use of the pure geometric form of

a triangle. Children are able to occupy space

which may be unsuitable for larger adults,

giving children a hierarchy and more freedom to

discover.

Shared learning spaces promote freedom,

discovery, collaboration and private places to

work. The idea that an older student, familiar

with the school, can still discover new spaces

according to his/her tasks through their years

as a student created a poetic result from the

plan and sectional studies made in the design

process.

elemenTarY SChOOl

Elementary School



Professor: Barry Newton

Final Graduate Project Chosen for AIA NWPR Student

Competition Image Accepted into 2012 DCA Exhibition

www.designcommunicationassociation.org

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east entranCe

east entrance provides views/transparency into the central courtyard from the primary traffic and public street.

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building sectionsnts

b

building sectionsnts

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2nd floor plannts

a

b

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EntrancE

officEs

library

computEr lab

sharEd lEarning

sciEncE lab

art lab

music

gymnasium

cafEtEria

kitchEn

playground

rEstrooms

ElEvator

mEchanical

classrooms

storagE

outdoor classroom

lEgEnd

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1

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suspended steel Cables

Planting wall exterior space

metal tray

Planting Box

Various Plants

waLL seCtionnts

1

an exterior grow space was designed within the transition space to the classrooms to provide a connection to the exterior as well as connecting to the pedgogy of learning through the senses.

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CLassroom Corridor

Providing evocative sectional qualities and wider corridors for community gathering to the traditional double loaded corridor.

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waLL seCtionnts

2

4” Concrete Pavers

Floor assembly outside to inside

3” sand

Gravel

in situ Concrete filled to drain

Backfill

6” metal Louvres on steel track

Cedar siding

wall assembly outside to inside

air Gap provided by secondary structure on metal brackets

waterproofing Layer

6” sip Panel

Vapor Barrier

1/2” Gypsum Panels

metal seamed roofing on Cold roof

roof assembly outside to inside

air Gap

waterproofing Layer

8” sip Panel

Vapor Barrier

Primary structure

1/2” Plywood sheet

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phyical modelsMaterial & Presence

Dialectical Pairings

Wood / SteelGuitar Stool

Steel Frame

Designing in DetailHandrail

ConcreteSculpture

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maTerial anD preSenCe

Infill Project- Woodshop

School Project: 2nd Year


Professor: David Fortin

wooshop

display office

residence

street

Though a number of mediums were used to

communicate a cohesive language and con-

cepts the laser cut technology allowed another

level of precision to allow for the greatest level

of craft and ability to communicate those ideas.

sketch depicting proposed move-

ment through display space

The knot breaks the rule within an ordered and consistent system, thus creates an emphasis on the knot rather than the ordered system. The

premise was to create an ordered and consistent architectectural language and find a way to break that system. Thus once the system is

broken an emphasis will be made on that which broke it (the knot).

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sketch depicting proposed move-

ment through display space

The knot breaks the rule within an ordered and consistent system, thus creates an emphasis on the knot rather than the ordered system. The

premise was to create an ordered and consistent architectectural language and find a way to break that system. Thus once the system is

broken an emphasis will be made on that which broke it (the knot).

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The discovery of this project was a simple one; the Bridger

Mountains that lay northeast of the city provide orientation

and a soothing atmosphere for its people. The design is a

play between solids and voids which provide views of the

surroundings within the transitions from outside to inside

and prepare one for prospect and refuge.

DialeCTiCal pairingS

Apartments / Art, Music, Wine Gallery

School Project: 3rd Year

Spring 2009 Bozeman, MT

Professor: Barry Newton

MOMENTARY WEIGHTLESSNESS:

“Japanese Ma- Ma is in the gaps between stepping stones, in the silence between the notes in

music, in what is made when a door slides open, when a child's swing reaches the point of neither

rising nor falling and momentarily weightless... There is ma.”

- gaps (space) between stepping stones (object)

- silence (space) between the notes (object) in music

- what is made (space) when a door (object) slides open

- swing (object) reaches point of neither rising nor falling and momentarily weightless (space).

EMPTINESS:

“Emptiness points us towards the beauty in life's openness and

beckoning: in window gleam, in dust motes on an oak table.

Architecture with emptiness is thus always unfinished: if not literally,

then by the space it makes and potential it shows. We become

engaged with the intervals and open end.”

Benedikt, Michael. For an Architecture of Reality. New York: Lumen, 1987. Print.

Benedikt, Michael. For an Architecture of Reality. New York: Lumen, 1987. Print.

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Furniture/Materials Class

School Project - Fall 2011

Professor: Bill Clinton

Left This piece combines the function of guitar

stand and stool into one. A split slab of douglas

fir was connected together with custom dovetail

jointery. A remnant of the slab became the

bottom support placed both for the guitar and

guitarist’s foot.

Right Picture frame made with a plasma cut

sheet of quarter inch steel plate and gun blued

finish.

STeel & WOOD

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hanDrail DeTail

Stair Handrail for Elementary School



Professor: Jack Smith

Bill Clinton

As a way to compliment one design with another

a stair handrail was designed for the elementary

school I was developing for my final design

studio. My memory of a stair handrail was still

evident from a site visit to a local school earlier

in the semester. The need for two handrails

provided to be an interesting design problem to

develop for the design within the school.

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Vestige: -a mark, trace, or visible evidence of some-

thing that is no longer present or in existence:

The sculpture incorporates biological time (the

tree seen by man) as well as geological time

(natural time). The unfamiliar combination of

material, texture, and scale gives the sculpture

its presence, but it is what we cannot see that

gives this piece its significance. I was greatly

influenced by Tao Te Ching’s Verse 11 of Lao Tzu:

“Shape clay into a vessel;

It is the space within that makes it useful.

The usefulness of what is

depends on what is not.”

The impression of the tree on the stone evokes time

and absence. The sculpture is a monument in the

landscape as well as part of the landscape. It is a

mark, or trace of something which is no longer there.

VeSTige Sculpture of Absence and Time

Vestige

2012 - 2013

pumice concrete, charred wood

36 x 96 x 9 in.

Independent Study Project: Grad School


Professor: Vaughan Judge

Bill Clinton

Nomination, International Sculpture Awardindependent study, Vaughan Judge 2012

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Jacob C. Weldon Architecture Portfolio

Montana State UniversityMaster of Architecture 2013