After four years of working side by side with undoubtedly some of the best and brightest designers of my generation, I have grown an extreme case of work envy. This is definitely the case when it comes to my good friend Heather Harmston. Her work shows a creative expression of modern design and a very focused point of view. I have had the pleasure of working with Heather on our recent Dining By Design table and look  forward to what else she has in store. This is a look at her Senior Thesis…

“In August 2009, during my semester break from college, I flew back to Fort Wainwright, Alaska where I had once lived for a year and a half, to welcome home my husband from Iraq. It was then that I had started to notice the poor living conditions that some of our single soldiers had to come home too. After doing research in the form of surveys, interviews, on site documentation, cold weather and environmental issues, army standards and so on, I realized that I needed to design a change …..

So I put the previous 15 weeks of performing arts center research on hold and focused on constructing  a modern Army barracks. My main goal was to increase a single soldiers quality of life, while holding true to the Army’s standards on building. Below is the thesis statement that defines my project.”

Macarthur Barracks takes a standard Army barracks as a point of departure and through a series of repeating shapes and patterns, achieves a new order. This building serves to increase the quality of life for single soldiers while considering low cost solutions to the United States government.

“My concept derived from the honeycomb shape found naturally in bee hives. After research, I felt that the way a bee lives and works within its hive parallels that of the way a soldier lives and works in the military. The actual shape of the hexagon (derived from the honeycomb) also provided me with a unique and visually interesting way to design the individual sleeping and living areas, which I like to call pods.”

“The barracks building is three stories high. Each floor has a central hub of amenities which includes bar/billiards club, swimming pool and gym, library and dining facilities. Each personnel quarters contains two secured  bedrooms, a shared kitchen/dining area and a full bath.”

“Other considerations and due diligence for this project consisted of the cold weather conditions of Alaska, staying true to Army standards, low cost building solutions, etc. Although the project is a work in progress, I am proud of not only the work that developed from it, but how much I learned about the United States military, the state of Alaska and the job my husband does day in and day out.”

A little bit about Heather right now:
As a military wife its hard to say or even know how long I’m going to be in one place. Right now I’m in Fairbanks, AK, where it is not only beautiful but it is a great conversation starter in the lower 48 states. Six months from now I might be in Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, the possibilities are endless, so for the time being I have been redeveloping my portfolio and resume and doing research on the available job market. If I could choose my ideal field of work it would be a toss up between Event Design and International Design work.

I have always been inspired and intrigued by third world countries, after going to Latin America a couple of years ago. I fell in love with the idea of cultural design and working on projects that benefit entire communities. Unfortunately there is not much of a design market up here in Alaska so I have begun offering free lance design services. If one day  I decide to open my own design business it may be called HNH Design Studios. So keep an eye out for it in the future! But if anyone is in the Fairbanks, Alaska area is in need of a design consultation, feel free to contact me at h.harmston@hotmail.com

Find Heather on Facebook to see more of her great work!

Are you addicted to the Twilight? Have you read all the books and know when the next movie comes out? If so then you like me are dying to know what the sets are going to be for the second movie in the series. Above is the home to the notorious Volturi. By the looks of the set I believe the team from Summit has the production quality down. When reading the book I imagined this space to be a darker moodier setting but the Architectural features are spot on. I can already feel what the rest of the space is going to look like. Though to be honest I really am looking forward to seeing what the real world office setting is going to look like that joins this space to the rest of Volterra castle.

I’m hoping the movie will still use the Cullen family home we saw in the first movie and not substitute a similar looking modern residence. This gorgeous piece of architecture really stood out and is a great play on old and new. Vampires being old; the house being new.

The Swan house, home to Charlie and Bella, is really a non-descript property that could belong to anyone in America. I think it is an affective piece of real estate for the portrayal of the small town police chief and his daughter. Though I wish Hollywood would have glammed up the character by finding a house with a front porch or a bit more interest.

From what we’ve been shown this square in Italy makes the perfect home to the fictional city of Volterra. I’m really happy that production allowed for filming in Italy rather than the use of some Hollywood back lot. The authenticity of the space really makes the difference when viewed on the big screen. The detail from an actual weathered stone building versus the manufactured set can really take the viewer into the seen.

I’m pretty much shocked and disgusted that this is the home of Jacob Black, New Moon’s leading man. In my mind I pictured something a little more striking with strong foundation though aged and weather beaten. Even the plastic shack/garage that becomes the one of the main environments has lost it’s sense of originality. Maybe this is exactly what the producers wanted and I’m sure it has been shot beautifully but I’m disappointed that the Black men are living in nothing more than a meth house. (This image was found on the internet and might not actually be the Black house set used in the movie.)

And last but not least a look at Forks High School from the first Twilight Saga film. This buildings architecture really works for the seen and makes complete sense for the location.

Blue Crystal from the brother team of Sven Sauer and Frank Sauer is a conceptual plan for an amazing piece of architecture.  It was created from the idea of a swimming world, as ice offshore Dubai occurred. Blue Crystal shall carry a multitude of luxurious restaurants, an underwater lounge and a ballroom on 5 levels. A blue landscape of ice that turns into a dreamy world of beautiful silence, far away from the hectic city.

2 Point Perspective in Chicago, IL is a husband and wife team who opened up shop a few years ago with the idea of becoming a leader in sustainable design. They have worked on projects varying from residential to the commercial work seen here. They also have an Architectural portfolio as well as one in furniture Design.

Residetial Interior projects from Architectural Interiors start the same way most do, with great conceptual renderings and a selection of the finest materials and design elements. The tuscan Interior has been created and recreated numerous times but this particular project brings the design forward.

Jonathan Garcia is a Spanish designer whose designs are a great reflection of what Modern design is today. His work, which you can find on Behance, ranges from the great residential design you see here to other Architectural concepts and interiors. This particular project is an example of a new modern mansion and I want it.

From Studio Dror a beautiful representation of modern architecture. Nurai Island is a man made island 12 miles off the coast of Abu Dahbi. Dror spent only 5 weeks on the plan for the Island which has been modled after a carpet. Main beach estates are blanketed amoung the beautiful lush Island scenery. This project is currently under construction.