Is Palladio For You?

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Andrea’s first sketch of the Rotunda from memory…before she got off the bus.

I am sitting in my Introduction to Architectural Design class watching and waiting attentively as my students attempt to draw, from memory, the plan, section, and elevation of Andrea Palladio’s Villa Capra, “La Rotunda.”

I am remembering the Fall of 1993 when I was put to this very task while studying architecture.  I was fortunate enough to be in Italy at the time and preparing for a field trip to the Veneto to see Villa Rotunda and several other Palladian masterpieces.  My instructor threatened that none of us would be allowed on the bus unless we could draw the building from memory.

I am also sitting here thinking to myself that at least one person in this class is going to go on in life to do something truly amazing in architecture – something that parallels the achievements of Palladio.  We know Palladio (and I should credit Scamozzi who championed the project after Palladio’s death) modeled the Villa Rotunda on the Pantheon, and we also know thousands of more recent buildings have modeled themselves on the Villa Rotunda, Jefferson’s Monticello among the most famous.

So why is this building so important? What is it about this building that has endured and seems to transcend time?  Is it its perfect geometry and complex symmetries?  Is it the durable materials?  Is it the bucolic setting – it is after all a farmhouse?  Perhaps it isn’t the house our clients come and ask for, at least not literally, but there is something about the experience of La Rotunda that is present in almost everything we do.

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A young architect makes her pilgrimage to the Villa Rotunda in 1993.

At VIA we strive to make buildings that respect, enhance, and interact with their surroundings.  We design buildings that could serve many generations to come.  We consider the sun, and views, and local materials.  La Rotunda is rotated 45 degrees off the cardinal axes as Palladio wanted to be sure all rooms received some direct sunlight.  In addition, the views through the building out into the open countryside are overtly emphasized and framed.  These are wonderful ways to connect a building to its place, making it belong and withstand changes of style and culture.

Several years from now when the aforementioned student accepts her or his Pritzker Prize (basically the Nobel  Prize equivalent for Architecture), I hope she or he recalls being intimate with Palladio, at least for just an afternoon.  I hope all my other students consider proportion, light, materials, and their connections to a place no matter where they go or what they do.

And, if you made it to the end of this post, perhaps you’re hooked as well.

– Andrea Murray

Interning at VIA

Addison_atwork1A week after graduating Middlebury College, I started as an intern at Vermont Integrated Architecture (VIA). The young firm is already up to its ears working on a range of projects, from a refrigerated apple storage facility to an island-home to an exciting new design for the Middlebury Town Offices.

Principals and founders Andrea Murray and Ashar Nelson served as lead advisers to the 2011 Middlebury Solar Decathlon Team and teach intro. studio architecture classes at the college, which is how I know them. They now advise the promising 2013 SD Team. As read-out-loud-worthy emails come in from students, I chuckle to myself, having been ‘there’ so recently. I feel somewhere between a proud graduate and a sneaky imposter.

The VIA office, located in Marbleworks across from the Medicine Chest and just behind Costellos, is spacious and well-lit, primarily by two large south-facing windows. The space used to be a Yoga Studio, and the smooth bamboo floor, high ceilings, and white walls – now decorated with architectural drawings, both hand and computer-rendered – are appropriately calming. Sometimes the music we play in the office, which we do often, accents this feeling of calm. Other times it does not, but sometimes you need a little action, right?

My desk is by the entrance and my computer faces the door, which keeps me honest as clients and subcontractors come in to discuss projects, or just to say hello. I sit next to Chris Nielson, a Midd and University of Oregon grad, musician, AutoCAD master, and Andrea & Ashar’s number two. I came in last Monday having used CAD only a handful of times, and bothered Chris all week trying to learn the ropes. I continue to bother Chris this (my second) week, but less frequently.

As an intern, I work primarily on editing CAD drawings that have been “red-lined,” which means that Andrea or Ashar have taken their carefully picked-out red pens to physical print-outs. I also get to make site visits, like last week when I visited a barn in Cornwall that Ashar is converting into a writing studio for a Sports Illustrated writer. Hours are relatively loose, which means I can do errands if I need to, or go skiing on a snowy day if I want to. I’m usually here regular shop hours, which are 8 – 5, but plan on taking a few Friday afternoons off.

I look forward to continuing my work at VIA for the next five weeks, and highly recommend the firm to architecture students looking for an internship!

– Addison

Andrea to Present at Better Buildings

VIA Architect Andrea Murray to Present at 2012 Better Buildings by Design Conference
February 8 & 9, 2012
Sheraton Conference Center
Burlington, Vermont

 

http://efficiencyvermont.com/for_our_partners/bbd/general/overview.aspx

One of 35+ interactive presentations, 50+ exhibits and demonstrations, over 1000 participants, Andrea and three Middlebury College students (Hilary Cunningham, Addison Godine, and Shane Scranton) will present the process and product of Middlebury’s effort in the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.  It is our intent to share with as many people as possible our experience designing and constructing a 100% solar-powered house for Vermont.  Yes, it can be done: solar in Vermont.  And, we know how.  Let our experience help you make buildings that don’t depend on fossil fuel for their operations and maintenance.  Let us also show you how we used local materials and expertise to make it happen.

Finally, we’ll let you in on our secret…idea sharing for Middlebury’s 2013 Solar Decathlon entry.

Join us at the event, or contact Andrea Murray at andrea@vermontintegratedarchitecture.com for more information about the presentation or the project.

VIA Selected for Community Center

Along with eight other Vermont firms, VIA submitted a proposal for the design of this 14,000 square foot facility, which will house Hinesburg’s Police, Fire, and Ambulance services as well as a large community gathering space.  Adjacent to the building will be a public park intended to serve the community in a variety of ways.

VIA is pleased to have a highly skilled team supporting this great effort, including:

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Engineering Ventures (structural engineering)

Otter Creek Engineering (civil engineering)

Pearson & Associates (mechanical, electrical, plumbing engineering)

Chase Engineering (fire protection engineering)

SE Group (landscape architecture)

Erickson Consulting (budget management & cost estimating)

The entire project, design and construction, is up for a bond vote at Town Meeting.  If all goes well, construction will begin in the late fall 2012 and the facility complete in the Summer of 2013.

Thank you to our references and our talented consultants for supporting the proposal effort.  Thank you to the folks in Hinesburg for this terrific opportunity.  We look forward to helping you realize your vision.

Middlebury Solar Decathlon 2013!

Big News! Middlebury College Selected to Participate in 2013 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon!

 

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We’ve barely wrapped up the 2011 project, but here we go again.  Andrea and Ashar will act as faculty advisors to the young team, which already has interest from over 90 students on campus.  Our proposal is to design “In-fill Home;” or a house that addresses an urban context by filing in underutilized spaces in cities nationwide.

Andrea and Ashar will be teaching courses in parallel with the required deliverables and deadlines set forth by the Department of Energy.  We now have 22 months to design, build and transport our house to sunny, Irvine, California.  Yes, California here we come.

In addition, we are excited to learn that Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont was also selected to participate in the 2013 event.  We are immensely proud that two great schools, out of the total 20, will represent the great (even though small) state of Vermont and its spirit and commitment to solving energy issue problems.

To read more about the event, please visit: http://energy.gov/articles/solar-decathlon-2013-new-teams-new-location

First Annual VIA Open House

Thank you clients, friends, collaborators, and supporters for coming out in the rain to celebrate the holidays and a successful first year of business.  Who knew we could fit so many of you in our little studio space?  Happy New Year to you all, and we look forward to working and playing with you all in 2012.

VIA Supports Students in Solar Decathlon

October-5Local Architects and Middlebury College Faculty Andrea Murray and Ashar Nelson recently returned from the 2011 Solar Decathlon in Washington, DC where they acted in support of Middlebury College’s Solar Decathlon Team.

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an international competition for graduate and undergraduate student teams to design and build 100% solar-powered homes that are attractive, functional, and affordable.

The competition includes 10 contests – hence the name, “decathlon.”  These contests range from architecture and engineering to affordability and energy balance.  Team Middlebury placed first in three of the ten categories landing them in 4th place overall at the end of the competition.

“Not too bad for a liberal arts college without professional programs in architecture or engineering,” notes Murray who has been involved with the project since its inception.  “We surprised everyone with a sweet little house that was thoughtfully designed and constructed.”

The Middlebury College entry is called, Self-Reliance, after Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay that encourages people to challenge the status quo, or convention.  “Our students have done this every step of the way.  They have challenged everything from the way a family feeds itself to typical construction methodologies,” added Murray.  Self-Reliance features local, natural materials, a very very well-insulated building envelope, and a greenhouse wall in the kitchen where a family may grow its own herbs and vegetables year round.

“It’s difficult to put it into words,” said Nelson, “but we are so proud of what these students have achieved.  They have learned a great deal about buildings, but more importantly, they have learned how to collaborate with each other and members of the community to create something representative of their ideals.”  Murray added, “They have also learned the value of a really hard day’s work.”

The student-led Middlebury Team did everything from developing a website for the project to raising the money to build and transport the house to DC and back.  Team Middlebury also is very grateful to the professional mentors and craftspeople within the community who taught them how to do many things from welding to cabinetry to electrical wiring and plumbing.  “Some of the houses on display in DC were not student-built.  Even though there are a few imperfections here and there, I am so pleased that our kids actually got their hands dirty and put this thing together themselves,” noted Murray.

When asked about the challenges of advising this team, Murray noted, “The most difficult part is restraining myself from doing the work for the students.”  Nelson continued, “It was our job to let the kids skid off into the ditch on occasion; we just couldn’t let them go over the cliff, as the greatest learning often comes from making a few mistakes.”

“I would also add that I have learned a great deal from these students.  I have learned to always question convention and that it is never too late to make a difference in the world.  These are things I think both Ashar and I have proudly taken into professional practice,” Murray said.

Self-Reliance returns home to Middlebury in module this week and will be assembled on Porter Field House Road.  “We look forward to opening up the house to the public in the weeks ahead,” offered Nelson.  There are so many cost-effective and energy-saving strategies in Self-Reliance that we could all apply to our homes.  It will be great to share that with our community.”

 

In addition to teaching at Middlebury College, Murray and Nelson are partners in Vermont Integrated Architecture, or VIA, in Middlebury.  VIA focuses its energies on strengthening communities, supporting

local economies, and sustaining healthy environments while also creating beautiful, functional spaces where people live, learn, work, and play.

To learn more about VIA, contact Ashar and Andrea at 802-349-4717, www.vermontintegratedarchitecture.com.

To learn more about Self-Reliance, visit the project website at http://solardecathlon.middlebury.edu.