Michelle Vander HeydenPortfolio

Michelle Vander Heyden

2010 Willamette St.Eugene, OR 97405

425-941-6010mvanderhe@gmail.com

University of OregonBachelor of Architecture

Glendale Affordable Family HousingLive

Troutdale Civic CenterEngage

Villa Sciarra-Wurts International SchoolExperience

The Hammock ChairRelax

Drawings from AbroadSketch

Glendale Affordable Family HousingLive

How do you make affordable housing good? My thesis project investigated how to make a half-acre site surrounded by bad context and make it an affordable family housing complex that makes life good.

UnitsDrawing from inspiration images of spaces that reached out into the landscape, the units were designed for the kitchen and dining rooms to be filled with light and air. Sliding glass doors open up onto small balconies that allow the dining area to be turned into an outdoor room.room.

Studio, 1 Bed

2 Bed

ConceptHow do you make affordable housing good? Concept

How do you make affordable housing good?

Winter

Summer

Family UnitsThe family units focused on making life easier for both adults and children. Two major ideas involved the planning of the units, the first is having ample amount of storage, specifically near the entrance, allowing an easier time of getting kids out the door. Secondly, the units aimed to allow for supervision, but also independence between parents and children. Sightlines are given from the kitchen into the living room through glass doors and outside to the small courtyard. The childrens bedrooms are also located right above the kitchen allowing the parents to hear loud “thumps.”

Family UnitsThe family units focused on making life easier for both adults and children. Two major ideas involved the planning of the units, the first is

storage, specifically near the entrance, allowing an easier time of getting kids out the door. Secondly, the units

allow for supervision, between

parents and children. Sightlines are given from the kitchen into the living room through glass doors and outside to the small courtyard. The childrens bedrooms are also located right above the kitchen allowing the parents to hear loud “thumps.”

Main Courtyard

Small Gathering Courtyard Family Courtyard

Family Courtyard

Grandma’s Courtyard

Alley

Parking Garage

Apartment Buidling

Small, Serene Courtyards

Large Piazzas with Activity

A Journey with Surprises

SiteSiteSiteThe site was inspired from the effeciency and fun of an Italian town. Starting with a site that is surrounded by a 1970s apartment complex, a parking garage and a mattress store, the first decision was to design the site internally focused. A journey is created as the main road winds through the site with small, serene courtyards and a large “piazza”opening up.

Glendale Affordable Family Housing

Troutdale Civic CenterEngage

ConceptHow do you make a community out of a bedroom city?The city of Troutdale was once a small, but energetic city located on the Columbia River, but now lays lifeless during the day with commuters leaving the town for Portland. The project aimed to use its prime location to engage and embrace the town and restore the traditions and community to Troutdale.

SitePieces of the program were laid out in order to best engage the community from the main road. The courtroom is used as a latern to attract residents and give them a glimpse of the legal system. The library is located on the quiet, interior of the site. These two spaces form the edges of the ampitheater which creates a gathering space for the community to hold events and celebrations.

quiet, interior of the site. These two spaces form

InteriorTaken from the French idea of a thin building for light and air, the administrative offices of the Civic Center are located along a two-story corridor with daylight and exposed structure. The offices sit off of a smaller courtyard located in the back allowing easy access for workers take a break and connect with the outdoors.

Troutdale Civic Center

Villa Sciarra-Wurts International School

Trapped in a state a disrepair, Villa Sciarra-Wurts sits on one of Rome’s famous hills hugging the historic city walls from the sixteenth century. With views down to the colosseum and pantheon, the site has great potential for an international school where children can learn by experiencing their outside world as well as in the typical classroom setting. During the two-week design charette, I designed a school for children to grow into well-rounded individuals shaped by their experiences.

Site

Each part of the program was placed with both Italian ideas of borrowing the landscape and layering on historic architecture as well as American ideas of placing buildings according to natural light and winds.

Intentions

Athletic fields located to capture summer breeze

Amphitheater backdrop is historic Rome

Experience

The open deck off of the library allows views down to historic Rome

The historic city walls are incorporated into the walls of the classrooms

The Hammock ChairRelax

ConceptWhy are hammocks so comfortable? I have many fond memories of spending a lazy summer day in a hammock reading, sleeping or hanging out with friends. I sought to create a chair that allowed one to be able to lounge either inside or outside with that same cool, relaxed feeling of a hammock.

DesignThe chair was designed around the stretchy middle section, allowing the chair to form around the body. The chair was difficult structurally because of the double angles of the four main supports and making sure the chair can withstand the compressional forces of the sling while not adding too much weight physically or aesthetically.

Drawings from AbroadSketch