Thomas Bates Design

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: Confidential

Year: 2016

Description: Proposal for the transformation of a former Baptist Church in downtown Richmond, Virginia into a cutting edge learning environment for a local university.  The design approach seeks to balance the historic character of the building's interior, with a series of contemporary insertions that not only meet the client's programmatic needs, but redefine this forgotten building as the flagship collaborative learning space for the university's School of Business.

Credit: Work Completed with VMDO Architects Higher Education Studio

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: Clemson University

Year: 2014/15/16

Description: As the result of a 2008 study by VMDO Architects, this massive project combines: three residence halls, academic and retail dining, and the university's honor's college into an interconnected 260,000 sq. ft. building at the heart of the Clemson University's campus.  Working with Stevens & Wilkinson Architects and Sasaki Associates, VMDO lead the design of the three residence halls along with the honors college.  The result is a series of richly integrated living/learning spaces that seek to encapsulate and strengthen the Clemson experience.

Credit: Work Completed with VMDO Architects Higher Education and Residential Life Studios

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: Hollins University

Year: 2016

Description: Schematic design of the lobby of the Dana Science Building on the Hollins University campus in Roanoke, Virginia.

Seeking to position itself as a leading educator in the sciences, Hollins University is currently working with VMDO Architects to renovate a number of their labs to meet twenty-first century thinking and technology.  To more clearly convey these efforts to visiting faculty and prospective students, Hollins additionally asked VMDO to reimagine the lobby of the Dana building as a vibrant space, integrating contemporary technology and recognition of the great scientists who have passed through this historic university.

Credit: Work Completed with VMDO Architects Higher Education Studio

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: Liberty University

Year: 2015

Description: Study for a new education building on the Liberty University campus, intended to join together the Schools of Engineering and Computational Sciences, including a world-class garage for the school's Motorsports program.

At the center of the building is a communal lobby and exhibition space, which seeks to establish a collaborative approach to education that would not be possible with a series of individual buildings.  Cutting-edge maker spaces and collaborative learning environments supplement traditional classrooms and lecture halls, truly defining this building as an innovative space of twenty-first century learning.

Credit: Work Completed with VMDO Architects Higher Education Studio

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: Duquesne University

Year: 2015

Description: In the fall of 2015, VMDO Architects was asked to compete for a facility needs assessment of the A.J. Palumbo Center at Duquesne University in downtown Pittsburgh.

The university asked VMDO to define both short and longterm design goals to transform this outdated facility into a building that could truly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with top-tier collegiate athletic spaces.  Through aesthetic and programmatic modernization of the interior and significant redesigning of the exterior, VMDO sought to give the Dukes a completely reimagined space they could proudly call home.

Credit: Work Completed with VMDO Architects Athletics Studio

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering, Documentation

Client: Georgia Tech

Year: 2013/14/15

Description: Glenn and Towers residence halls at Georgia Tech were constructed in 1947, and in need of a significant upgrade. Partnering with Stevens and Wilkinson Architects, VMDO won the commission to update these outdated dorm buildings to current standards, while simultaneously incorporating a number of new programmatic elements to enrich student life.

The design dramatically redefines how these two residence halls engage one another, positioning a contemporary glass box structure between the two historic buildings that includes new: classroom, study, meeting, exercise, and multipurpose spaces.  Both of the historic dorms are subtly connected to this addition below grade, allowing the historic buildings to maintain their individual character, while giving students from both Glenn and Towers twenty-four hour access to these new living/learning spaces.  All resident rooms were completely renovated, new floor lounges were added to each floor, and a gracious and dynamic new circulation core was integrated into each resident hall.  The project opened in 2015 to many eager incoming freshmen and earned LEED Gold certification.

Credit: Work Completed with VMDO Architects Residential Life and Higher Education Studios

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: James Madison University

Year: 2014

Description: Spotswood Hall at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia was constructed in 1917 at the heart of the JMU campus.  The building has served as a residence hall since its opening, but VMDO was asked to study how this nearly 100 year old dorm building could be transformed into office space for the university's housing department.

The lobby welcomes guests with a historic photo of the university taken shortly after the completion of Spotswood Hall, and overlaid with a map of the region from the same time. Maintaining the existing structural grid of the building, hallways were widened on all floors, and glass was introduced wherever possible to bring light deeper into the building's core.  A large area of the second floor was removed to create an informal, double-height meeting space and a more dynamic opportunity to circulate upstairs.  Without impacting the historic exterior of the building, the design completely redefines the interior of the building as a welcoming, collaborative, and visually transparent contemporary office space.

Credit: Work Completed with VMDO Architects Residential Life Studio

Responsibilities: Modeling, Rendering

Client: Liberty University

Year: 2015

Description: Working with Liberty University to design many of the new athletic facilities for The Flames over the past half-decade, VMDO Architects was asked to study how a new indoor practice facility could work in concert with a proposed addition to Liberty's football stadium.

The design positions a gracious plaza between these two new athletic structures, linking the buildings with a grand staircase and dramatic lighting design.  As a result, a strong programmatic link is established between the two buildings, and fans have a vibrant place to gather before games.  Located at one of the primary vehicular entry points into campus, the buildings were designed to be dramatic in form, making the strong statement that you have now arrived at the home of The Flames.

Credit: Work Completed with VMDO Architects Athletics Studio

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: Sweet Briar College

Year: 2013

Description: In late 2013, Sweet Briar College was working with VMDO Architects on a renovation and addition to their campus library, when they asked VMDO to study how the turn-of-the-century Benedict Hall could be renovated into a twenty-first century learning environment.

The proposed design maintained the building's historic exterior while redesigning the interior as a space defined by technology and collaborative learning environments.  The reimagined lobby put the school's new graphic identity front-and-center, and allowed students to engage with a touch-screen interactive to learn about the school's history and many prominent alumni.  More traditional classrooms and offices were supported by technology-rich breakout spaces, and a centrally located lecture hall to project the university's commitment to continually evolving and pushing forward its approach to contemporary learning.

Credit: Work Completed with VMDO Architects Higher Education Studio

Responsibilities: Modeling, Rendering

Client: Virginia Wesleyan College

Year: 2015/16

Description: The Greer Environmental Sciences Center at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Virginia serves not only as a new home for the school's expanding environmental sciences program, but simultaneously fulfills university president Billy Greer's commitment to establishing a nationally renowned science program at the university.

At the heart of the building are four main teaching labs, surrounded by offices, meeting spaces, classrooms, and a double-height, naturally lit event space.  Connected by an enclosed bridge on the second floor, the wood-clad "boat" offers a large scale lecture hall, large and small scale learning spaces, and is surrounded by outdoor classrooms.  The building employs: photovoltaic panels, a geothermal well field for heating and cooling as well as domestic hot water, an extensive green roof, and bioretention basins and constructed wetlands to manage stormwater on-site.  The building is scheduled to open in 2017 and is tracking LEED Platinum certification.

Credit: Work Completed with VMDO Architects Higher Education Studio

Responsibilities: Modeling, Rendering

Client: Harrisonburg City Public Schools

Year: 2014/15

Description: With Harrisonburg City Public Schools seeing dramatic growth in enrollment over the past decade, VMDO Architects was asked to study how a stand-alone Early Education Center could work in harmony with a new K-5 Elementary School to help Harrisonburg move into the next decade.

The building houses nine classrooms for Pre-K students, offices, support space, and gracious outdoor play spaces.  All classrooms are positioned along a dynamic two-story corridor packed with opportunities for students to play together, share a snack, and engage in both large and small group learning.  The building is set to be completed in two phases, and will redefine early education for Harrisonburg City Public Schools.

Credit: Work Completed with VMDO Architects K-12 Studio

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: VS Furniture

Year: 2014

Description: The 120-year-old, German-based furniture company VS has been at the forefront of school furniture design and production for decades.  Recently, they secured the rights to start manufacturing the stunning furniture pieces designed by renowned American modernist architect Richard Neutra.  Fellow designers Dina Sorensen and Joe Celentano AIA were asked to design an exhibition booth to help launch this new line for VS, and immediately asked if I would join their design effort.

Our design placed as many of Neutra's pieces of furniture into the footprint of the booth as possible, allowing visitors to experience this master architect's work first-hand.  We used just two graphic-wrapped walls as backdrops, and a simple wood-clad frame, dubbed the "Boomerang Bar", to elevate and highlight Neutra's iconic Boomerang Chair.  As a nod to the location of so many of Neutra's iconic houses, we included a small cluster of California-native cacti in one corner.

Credit: Freelance Work Completed with Dina Sorensen

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: VS Furniture

Year: 2015

Description: After a successful experience working with VS Furniture to design a custom exhibition booth for the launch of their Richard Neutra line of furniture, fellow designer Dina Sorensen once again asked me to team with her.  This time, we were asked to design a booth for VS to take to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York.

The final design consists of just two primary elements - a "frame" that showcases three marquee chairs that VS was promoting at the show, and a timeline wall that served as a backdrop, chronicling five major designers who helped define VS over the past century.  The color palette of the booth was intensely saturated, while the furniture pieces were kept almost monochromatic, creating a strong dichotomy between the products on display and their environment.

Credit: Freelance Work Completed with Dina Sorensen

Responsibilities: Modeling, Rendering

Client: VS Furniture

Year: 2015

Description: This was my third partnership with fellow designer Dina Sorensen to design a booth for VS Furniture.  This time, VS was looking to go all-out for the EDspaces conference in 2015, showing off numerous pieces of furniture from their education and office collections.

The design breaks the exhibition footprint into four distinct quadrants, intended to showcase four distinct approaches to collaborative learning aided by the most cutting-edge VS furniture pieces.  From the exterior, the booth presents only a handful of obscured glimpses into its brightly hued interior; once inside, visitors are surrounded with the dynamic, playful, and bold designs of VS, set against vibrant backdrops of yellows and blues.

Credit: Freelance Work Completed with Dina Sorensen

Responsibilities: Modeling, Rendering

Client: Telstra

Year: 2013

Description: As the leading telecommunications company in Australia, Telstra asked Downstream to design a cutting edge space for prospective corporate clients and the general public, packed with technology and pushing the boundaries of contemporary design thinking.

The final design located a handful of large-scale, immersive digital experiences integrated into the dynamic architecture.  From the soaring digital wall that greets guests immediately behind the reception desk, to the twenty-foot diameter digital ring that floats weightlessly at the heart of the lobby, Downstream created a truly forward-thinking experience for a forward-thinking company.

Credit: Freelance Work Completed for Downstream Design

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: Johnson Controls Incorporated

Year: 2013

Description: Johnson Controls is a company well known for its innovations in the world of building controls and HVAC equipment.  However, it works in many more fields, employing over 130,000 employees, with major offices on every continent except Antartica.  Downstream was asked to demonstrate the company's global impact in a new Executive Briefing Center located in Shanghai, China.

A 20 foot long, interactive map of the world greets visitors as they step off the elevator, allowing them to explore JCI's impact across the globe in different market sectors.  Just around the corner, visitors are met with floor-to-ceiling digital interactives, which allow them to dive deeper into each of JCI's diverse industries.  The backdrop to these digital displays is a "patent wall", displaying the numerous patents JCI has secured over its 120 year history.  The culmination to this experience is the gallery, where JCI's three major industries take center stage.  From building controls and HVAC, to car seat manufacturing, and even industry leading battery design, all of JCI's cutting-edge thinking comes together in one dynamic space that leaves visitors with a deeper understanding of JCI's global impact on an array of industries and technologies.

Credit: Freelance Work Completed for Downstream Design

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: TATA Consultancy Services

Year: 2012

Description: Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, and slated to be completed in 2018, TATA Consultancy Services is building a twenty-three acre, three phase campus in Mumbai, India.  In 2012, with the completion of phase one on the horizon, Downstream was asked to develop conceptual ideas for a dynamic sculpture that could activate the main building's central atrium space.

The proposed design reinterprets the dangling root forms of the namesake banyan trees that are plentiful on the site.  Hanging from the ceiling, and connecting to the surrounding walls at key structural points, the sculpture is composed of over 500 individual components affixed to a concealed steel frame.  The sculpture can be programmed to glow subtly, change color with the rising and setting of the sun, or even react to a visitor's movement through the space.

Credit: Freelance Work Completed for Downstream Design

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Year: 2010

Description: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a government agency who's reach spans from the surface of the sun, to the greatest depths of the ocean floor.

HOK Architects out of San Francisco designed the new Inouye Regional Center for NOAA on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  The project involved the adaptive reuse of two World War II era Air Force hangers (totaling nearly 250,000 square feet), and over 100,000 square feet of new construction, along with extensive site development.  Downstream was brought on board to develop a world-class visitor experience that would communicate NOAA's mission to its key constituents and the visiting public, as well as incorporating unique environmental aspects of the Pacific region.

The design of the main interpretive displays draw their inspiration from the undulating surface of the Pacific Ocean itself, rising out of the floor like waves cresting on the surface of the sea, and are constructed of locally sourced Ohia hardwood.  The overall exhibit ranges from these freestanding interpretive displays, to a site-integrated timeline, large-scale projection, and even a 40-foot tall interactive display that incorporates live NOAA data from around the Pacific region.

Credit: Work Completed with Downstream Design

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: NCR Corporation

Year: 2010

Description: With the NCR Solutions Center, the goal was to design an environment in which NCR's cutting-edge technologies and invaluable employees are brought to the forefront against a clean, flexible backdrop.  The result is a space that connects visiting customers to not only NCR's technical solutions, but the people behind those solutions.

At the heart of the Solutions Center is a gallery-like space, designed to showcase and communicate NCR's industry-leading technologies and business solutions.  It is not simply a "product showroom".  Visitors are allowed to interact first-hand with physical and digital examples of NCR's products, and in this way, the center becomes an engaging and dynamic space, where presenter-lead demonstrations seamlessly give way to hands-on customer exploration.

The display fixture system is designed as a kit-of-parts, and can be reconfigured to any visitor's area of greatest interest.  This flexibility allows NCR to consistently showcase their newest and most relevant products, keeping them at the forefront of their industry.

Credit: Work Completed with Downstream Design

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering, Documentation

Client: Autodesk

Year: 2008/09

Description: Autodesk's customers use its diverse range of software to design, visualize, and test some of the most innovative and inspirational products being created today.  Instead of a simple showcase for Autodesk software, Downstream envisioned a public space that could serve as a constantly rotating gallery for examples of world-class design work assisted by Autodesk software.

Downstream conducted extensive research about Autodesk's core customers, identifying over twenty of the most unique and rich stories; and from this, developed a series of modular exhibit systems flexible enough to tell the story of a single chair, or a 410,000 square foot building.  The result is an immersive space rich with graphic design, dynamic video content, interactive digital displays, and even an eight-foot-tall LEGO dinosaur.

The Gallery at One Market Street in San Francisco brings transparency to the role of software in design, and thereby honors the designers, architects, and manufacturers who are at the core of Autodesk's success.

Credit: Work Completed with Downstream Design

Responsibilities: Design, Modeling, Rendering

Client: Verizon Wireless

Year: 2009-2012

Description:  Verizon Wireless has partnered with Downstream on numerous occasions to design dynamic spaces to showcase its industry-leading solutions and technologies.

Each Innovation Center was approached as a unique design challenge, intended to showcase different facets of the many industry sectors in which Verizon is involved.  From the latest in mobile phone technology, to wireless solutions integrated into home appliances and electronics, the Solution Centers put the most cutting-edge Verizon design work front and center, against a backdrop of graceful interior design and custom display systems.

Credit: Work Completed with Downstream Design