Portfolio of design work completed while a student in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

1. C a e s a r s P a r k B o a t h o u s e
M i l w a u k e e , W I
One of the primary drivers behind this
design was the idea of knitting together the
various orientations of the artificial street
grids and the natural direction of the river.
This was not only a response to the site but
provided opportunities to take advantage of
the views while controlling the approach.
The boathouse and office programs were
separated into a pair of structures, oriented
along different axes.
These major axes represent the hard edge of
the shoreline and the pedestrian bridge to
the north. The ground between these axes
and the program assigned to them has been
inscribed with the memory of separation.
The resulting fractured wall and earthen stair
both trace the arc of this separation and serve
as armatures to unite the structures in plan
and section.
The space that evolved from investigations of site and history is
meant to be a synthesis of existing natural and imposed artificial
conditions along the Milwaukee River. The precipitous change in
elevation of some sixty feet from the surrounding residential blocks
to the water provides an environment of surprising repose in the
park, despite its being surrounded on all sides by active areas of
the city.
H o n o r a b l e M e n t i o n , U W M S t u d e n t D e s i g n C o m p e t i t i o n ( 2 0 0 6 )

3. G a l l e r y / S t u d i o / R e s i d e n c e
M i l w a u k e e , W I
This site lies at the junction of two competing grids, both in zoning and
physical orientation.There exists at this junction an opportunity to resolve
these patterns in a single site. The hybrid nature of this program - a series
of spaces serving the living and creative activities of a group of artisan
woodworkers- provides a particularly rich set of tools to accomplish this
resolution.

4. The commerical side of Downer Avenue is addressed with the most commercial
elements of the program, the workshop space and the gallery. The residential
program is situated along Belleview. The unifying element of this design is a wall
that alternately surrounds and penetrates the various volumes. This wall recalls
the facades of the shops along Downer in its material composition and normative
apertures while holding the scalloped edge of the residences as a retaining wall
for the front yard. There is an internal courtyard intended as a primarily private
space for the artisan-residents to congregate and pass from their housing to their
workshops. There is the opportunity, however, to occasionally open this space to
the public for outdoor displays, classes, or other events.
The gallery volume that punctuates the corner steps down into the workshop space,
allowing for a component of the gallery experience to involve the work in progress.
The workshop space makes an important transition between the multi-story retail
buildings on the west side of Downer and the single story coach-houses on the east
side. A series of rolling doors on the workshop facade serve the practical purpose
of allowing delivery of materials and equipment to the workshop while recalling
the garages down the street.

5. A r c h i t e c t ` s O f f i c e / S h o w r o o m
Milwaukee, WI
This design for a hybrid space in the rapidly developing Walker`s Point neighborhood of
Milwaukee combines a retail showroom for an architectural hardware manufacturer with
the offices of an architecture firm. A unique challenge for these related businesses was the
integration of program while maintaining separate entrances. The distribution of public
and private spaces within this program suggested the precedent of a basilica-and-cloister
plan. The more public retail spaces front Pittsburgh Avenue- the side aisle of the basilican
plan is reinterpreted as an exterior arcade, creating a multi-story entry space.
The creative activities of the architecture studio are arranged around the central cloister.
Workspaces all share a view of this meditative internal courtyard. At the junction between
these two programs, shared administrative and physical plant spaces serve as both the
literal and figurative lynchpin for the building.
T h i r d P l a c e , U W M S t u d e n t D e s i g n C o m p e t i t i o n ( 2 0 0 6 )

7. T r i a t h l o n T r a i n i n g C e n t e r
Milwaukee, WI
This challenging infill site in Milwaukee`s Fifth Ward afforded the
opportunity to both engage the historical context and offer an
advancement of the architectural language. The rigor and intensity
of ironman triathlon training seemed appropriately situated in this
gritty industrial neighborhood, directly bounded to the west by the
tracks of a freight rail line.
Byrespondingtotheregulatinglinesandrhythmsofthesurrounding
brick storefront buildings, a common starting point was established.
From there, elements of the immediate context morph into a
unified modern expression. The terra-cotta panel rainscreen system
recalls the surrounding cream city brick and the glass curtain wall
introduces a syncopation in the rhythm established
by the adjacent fenestration.
S e c o n d P l a c e , U W M S t u d e n t D e s i g n C o m p e t i t i o n ( 2 0 0 6 )

8. basement
first floor
second floor
third floor
fourth floor

9. A p e r t u r e A n a l y z e
Sectionally, the space is initially
compressed as one ascends to
the cantilevered entry. Both the
change in ceiling height and the
opening in the roof above the
hearthismeanttodrawoneinside.
The plan seeks to retain the
original element of a stacked
wood wall. The metal tube
volume allows the desk to
be facing the only fully open
window in the structure. The desk
aperture is a reinterpretation of
the Jaapanese tokonoma with its
staggered height shelf. The shelf
becomes the writing desk and the
enshrined object becomes the
view of Walden Pond. The point at
which the desk height steps down
is aligned with the entry axis.
Starting with an idea about Thoreau`s airy cabin clad with
widely-spaced boards as a primary aperture, I began to develop
what was essentially an inhabitable wood shed. The stacked
wood acted functionally as both a secondary skin and fuel for a
small hearth. The cycle of accumulation, use, and replenishment
served as a gauge for the seasons; a kind of constantly evolving
veil that was airy in the summer months when the need for
wood was low and relatively opaque during the winter when
the hearth was more active.
The irregular interstices created by the courses of stacked wood
achieved the striations of dark and light I proposed as Thoreau`s
view of the world outside.
H o n o r a b l e M e n t i o n , U W M S t u d e n t D e s i g n C o m p e t i t i o n ( 2 0 0 7 )

10. Each elevation shows a slightly different intersection of the three materials, as well as a different interpretation of transparency and the veil. The four faces
are meant to have an equally diverse effect on the interior spatial experience, alternately allowing some views and suppressing others.
east elevation south elevation north elevation west elevation
exterior looking north interior looking north final modelexterior looking south

11. A I A 1 5 0 A f f o r d a b l e H o u s i n g
R a c i n e, W I
2 0 0 7 N C A R B P r i z e W i n n e r
Pictured here is the final prototype
for the Racine site team. Each
team member was responsible for
design, detail, and construction
documentation. Community
meetings, presentations for local
government officials, and master
planning activities were all part of
the studio process.
The final design is for a two
bedroom home with two full baths,
open plan living/dining/kitchen,
and second floor laundry space.
Sustainable finishes such as bamboo
flooring and low-voc paints lessen
the environmental impact of this
structure. On the exterior, fiber
cement siding, a standing seam
metal roof, and rain garden continue
the theme of sustainability.

12. interior perspectives section looking west section looking north
first floor plan
second floor plan

13. M u s e u m o f W i s c o n s i n A r t
Milwaukee, WI
This project was an investigation of the small, regional art
museum. Special care was given to allowing gallery spaces
to receive as much natural light as possible while adhering
to lighting guidelines regarding delicate and sensitive
works of art. The solution was to use doubled channel glass
in combination with operable shading scrims. The channel
glass also became the sole facade expression, translucent
during the day and luminous during the night. Set at the
base of a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, the central court
of the museum is on axis with a 19th century stone water
tower. From the lakefront drive, the structure becomes both
a base and framing device for the tower.
More than half of the gallery space is below ground in a
series of spaces washed with light from strategic cuts in the
floor above, aligning either with the channel glass facade
or the ring of skylights at the center of the courtyard. These
skylights also draw attention to the pride of the collection,
a panoramic painting meant to be displayed in the round.
This painting is displayed in a cylindrical room at the center
of the lower level, below the ring of skylights. Visitors enter
underneath the painting, where seating incorporated into
the cylinder walls allows them to view the painting in its
original, unbroken state.
F i r s t P l a c e , U W M S t u d e n t D e s i g n C o m p e t i t i o n ( 2 0 0 7 )

14. NAME:
ERIK HANCOCK
PROJECT:
MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART
SHEET NUMBER:
A1.4
DATE:
04-06-2007
SCHOOL:
UW-MILWAUKEE
PHASE:
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
PLAN DETAIL - CHANNEL GLASS CORNER
1 SCALE: 1’-0” = 1’-0”
TRANSLUCENT SILICONE SEALANT
NEOPRENE GASKET BY PILKINGTON
PLASTIC CLIP BY PILKINGTON
3M S20SIAR400 UV FILM
ADHERED TO SIDE #2
PILKINGTON PROFILIT K60 OPAL
CHANNEL GLASS PLANK
PILKINGTON PROFILIT K60 OPAL
CHANNEL GLASS PLANK
GE LEXAN POLYCARBONATE
SHEETING
NANOGEL TRANSLUCENT
AEROGEL
TRANSLUCENT SILICONE SEALANT
90% OPAQUE FILM
ADHERED TO SIDE #3
PILKINGTON PROFILIT K60 OPAL
CHANNEL GLASS FLANGE PLANK
TRANSLUCENT SILICONE SEALANT
PLASTIC CORNER CLIP BY PILKINGTON
TRANSLUCENT SILICONE SEALANT
NEOPRENE GASKET BY PILKINGTON

15. ReClaiming
South Milwaukee, WI
M a s t e r‘ s T h e s i s P r o j e c t - I n P r o g r e s s
Innovative educators have learned to seek and nurture the potential in even the most challenging
student; by adopting a similar strategy as designers we may reveal the latent potential in maligned
buildingsandbanalsites.Theprojectproposalisforanalternativecharterschoolthatisoutgrowingits
currenthomeinaformerchurchbuilding.Thisschoolforat-riskyouthwouldtakeoveradeteriorating
strip mall, retaining and transforming the existing building shell both as a means of economy and
an act of truly sustainable development. Partnered with this school is an organization that uses an
innovative system of urban farming called aquaculture. Different from simple greenhouse operations,
thismethodallowscropstobegrownveryefficiently,combiningplantsandanimalstocreateanearly
closed system that mimics the ecology of a river.
Combiningthesetwoprogramscreatesthebenefitsforbothinstitutions;theurbanfarmhasanonsite
workforce and the students receive service learning credits for their labor while learning about the
technology and operations of this emerging field.

16. Classroom
Garden
Photovoltaic Array
Gallery Greenhouse
Urban Farmarm
Cafe
Tallgrass PrairieTallgrass PrairieT
SITE PLAN
SECTION @ CLASSROOM
SECTION @ GREENHOUSE
ENTRY CANOPY ELEVATION

17. entry perspective
section perspective @ breakout space
development sketches

18. Fruits &VegetablesFruits &Vegetables
Watercress
Lake Perch
Gravel Growth MediumGravel Growth Medium
4’
PlantingTray
Aquaculture systems duplicate the ecology of a river in miniature.
At the scale of a greenhouse, the various components of this
ecology are vertically stacked to conserve space. At the top of
the system are fruit- or vegetable-bearing plants like tomatoes
and cucumbers. Watercress, a valuable water-filtering plant, is
grownontheintermediatelevelandfishswiminthebottommost
trough. Once the aquaculture apparatus is established, the only
input is a small amount of electricity to drive the water circulation
system. The ecosystem is otherwise self-sustaining as the plants
and fish continually maintain the ph and nutrient balance of the
environment.Theharvestingofbothfishandplantsalsokeepsthe
system in check.
As part of the proposed school program, this system is a valuable
real example of humans acting as a partner in a balanced
ecosystem.
Diverse Prairie
Grasses Only
StoneRidge Bench
GlacialTill Pathway
PaPathofImpliedRetr
thofImpliedRetreaeatt
The size of the existing strip mall parking lot is well in excess of the requirements of the school, urban farm and cafe programs. Instead of
retainingthishardscape,theexcessareaisconvertedintoatallgrassprairie.Inkeepingwiththeeducationalgoalsofthisfacility,thelandscapeis
treated as a teaching tool to explain the origins of this regional ecology- glacial advance and retreat.The site is conceived of as a glacial moraine
inminiature,usingthenaturalwest-to-eastdownwardslopetodeterminethedirectionofimpliedglacialretreat.Themoraineisactuallyaseries
ofterracesthatdoubleasarainwatermanagementsystemforthesite.Exposedstoneridgesarerepresentedbyaseriesoflowgabionwallsand
gravel pathways represent glacial till deposits.The meaning and natural analogues for each element of the landscape are explained by a series
of instructional signs throughout the field.

19. school aquaculture systemschool aquaculture system
breakout space - kitchen
breakout space - study