Thomas J. Creedon
Academic and Professional Work
Crossing the River - Columbus Project
After having visited a nearly-completed multi-unit residential complex on the outskirts of Columbus, our studio was tasked with reimagining the site into something bigger: To accomodate a larger population, to provide for work space, to design circulation and to be cognizant of the setting (The Olentangy River bisecting the site; major highways encircling the site; the need for both autonomy and connections; etc). To that end, my team designed a series of buildings that layered program, sculpted the topography, acted as connected 'pods' and provided ease of access on and off the site. This required some inventive design details and some daring structural feats (the latter, however, being completely feasible), but the final product was fantastic - and totally unique!
Team credit and imagery shared with Meiqian Zhou and Diana Reddick
Union Station - Chicago Project
Situated between Daniel Burnham's fantastic Union Station and the Chicago River is a rather large, unremarkable building. Below ground, it functions as an Amtrak waiting area, ticketing section and has an open-format circulation that provides for baggage checking, a convenience store and a few small eateries. All in all, it's somewhat confusing, visually unimpressive and certainly not welcoming. And the above-ground structure is, itself, painfully dull and limiting. Pedestrians have little free-flow except around the building and the riverfront is almost completely ignored. Therefore, this project was a great study of how best to incorporate a large program in a complex urban environment while accentuating the neglected features of the site.
We were to manage not only the current program, but to add additional features ranging from a substantial bike shop to an ampitheatre. My own design emphasized the notion of a semi-park that encouraged foot-and-bike traffic as well as opening up the underground to sunlight via portal-like openings and a 'light tree'. In this manner, I wanted to create an island of calm where calm was not the norm. People exiting the trains would be greeted with sunlight (or, at nighttime, lit portals looking to the sky). Light columns emphasize and connect the world below with the world above. And on the surface, the buildings' arrangement seems like a single open structure; a formal entrance leads to a grand room which shoots off to the river or down another hallway. The partial dome of the ampitheatre allows for much of its space to still be usable during rain and there are numerous exits on and off the site, both above and below surface.
All in all, I felt that these simple solutions would provide a great reprieve from both the starkness of the current site and the hustle-and-bustle that the site must accomodate. And anytime a bit of peace can be incorporated into a large urban site, it's a good thing.
Contact House
In this project, we were instructed to design a small, two-story structure that displayed various 'nesses' of action and interaction. The ultimate aim of this project was to engage the two people who would inhabit this structure with various forms of interaction with each other and with the structure itself. It was also understood that our individual structures would be backed up against another classmate's project, so we had to accommodate for this type of addition. Given the very limited allowable dimensions, I examined not only personal movement, but also explored the idea of extruding part of the structure into furniture and trying to allow for as much floor space as possible on the ground level. This, I believe, successfully engaged the inhabitants with their environment while
also preserving clearly delineated public and private spaces.
Pedestrian Bridge Exercise
This project was a simple exercise in displaying, on a human scale, the opportunity for complex connections between places. Here, we exemplified this notion by designing a pedestrian bridge between two misaligned buildings. The program called for three conference rooms and accessability spanning at least two floors in each building. My solution was simple: 'Hanging' meeting rooms with undulating passageways.
A New Type of Barn Raising
McConnell & Ewing Architects, Inc.
While interning at an architectural firm, my employer was tasked with turning a barn on a client's property into a welcoming, habitable home. I was charged with modeling the design of the retrofitted barn in SketchUp. This became the primary model that was shown to the client - with positive results. This video shows the results of my modeling work.
Image courtesy of McConnell & Ewing Architects, Inc.
A New Libary Entryway
Craig E. Dillon Architects, AIA
This video is the result of work done for a university client who wanted to examine various possibilities for their library's entryway. Incorporated into the design was a pergola, a computer bar, student lounge areas and a stylized, sleek front desk (video of this desk can be found on my page for "Other Design Projects") . And considering the university's religious affiliation with the Swedenborgian Church, I was even able to incoporate the denomination's symbol into the plan view of the pergola. Overall, the effect was terrific and the client was pleased.
Image courtesy of Craig E. Dillon AIA Architects, Inc.