Partial representation of undergraduate work.

1. .....................................................
claire showalter

2. house: a residential study 3
sauna: a cultural investigation 7
villa: a new villa typology 11
urban multi-family housing 13
new mexico: an independent study 15
Claire Showalter
16
301 Davis Avenue
Marietta, OH 45750 USA other various sundry graphic works
Phone: 1.740.336.8639
showalcm@muohio.edu
1 portfolio claire showalter claire showalter portfolio 2

3. The house is organized along one single axis, with a cross-axis projecting out
into the surroundings, possibly with the potential to extend further for an outdoors
immersion experience the
for disabled sister.
This axis
begins with carport entry,
the and
a semi-transparency with slated wood, still allowing a fairly open connection with the
[house].
environment. The main body of the house has more
a typical balance of transparency
Designed for a pair of middle-aged sisters, one fit and active, the other
wheelchair-bound yet still longing for outdoor experiences, the home
was to be suited to a rural, fairly isolated locale. I took the loose
program as an opportunity to explore some more conceptual ideas, such
as a truly isolating interior, abstracting the relationship between nature
and indoor living space, and varying transparencies through materiality.
3 [house]. claire showalter claire showalter [house]. 4

4. 5 [house]. claire showalter claire showalter [house]. 6

5. sauna:
revitalize
This project was completed for a class while studying in Finland and proved A sauna requires a person to let go of the outside
difficult in the beginning stages due to the specific cultural nature of the sauna world, to fully relax and enjoy only the immediate
in Finnish society. Once I grasped its place and purpose, I was able to think surroundings. This idea became the driving force in
creatively and design with my new cultural identity awareness. Comparing my the design, creating a building that seeks to control
results with my Finnish peers also provided a learning opportunity, spotting the visitors experience and connection with the lake.
differences such as the abundant privacy in my design that was non-existant in Beginning with the arrival, the sauna is designed
others, labelling mine a
as clearly American attempt, uncomfortable with exposure. so that a visitor cannot fully view the lake once
he or she arrives—only pieces are visible through
the screening of the main terrace and entry. The
v-shape of the building then opens the view wide up
to the visitor once he has entered the main terrace,
as well as effectively discouraging views backwards
towards the access route and busy everyday life.
Completed the
for Sauna the
At Pirkkala
Parish
Shore
competition Tampere
at University Technology the
of in spring 2009:
of earning Upper
an Class
designation.
7 sauna: revitalize claire showalter claire showalter sauna: revitalize 8

6. The sauna and communal buildings are
separate to distinguish the experience in the
visitors’ mind, and features darker wood that
wraps the building and provides a bench as
well as a screen to the windows of changing
and washing facilities. This wrapping motion
represents the sauna’s intent to embrace the
visitor and provide an inclusive environment,
separate from that of the day-to-day world.
9 sauna: revitalize claire showalter claire showalter sauna: revitalize 10

7. The villa also attempts to maintain a unique relation-
ship to the earth. At the entry side, the buildings are
solidly ground within the earth, then project further and
further from hillside explore different
out the to a kind of
closeness to the earth, being amidst the environment.
oregon villa
The aim this
of project was study villa
to the typology and
create a contemporary response. In particular, I chose to
investigate the structure’s relationship to its site and to
break apart the plan to play with ‘path’ and ‘procession.’
11 oregon villa claire showalter claire showalter oregon villa 12

8. urban multi-family housing The project also looks to step down the hillside, using varying levels to create
an unusual and dynamic relationship between housing units.
cincinnati.ohio
Of the countless issues to be explored in multi-family housing,
the main objective of this investigation was a focus on integrat-
ing a higher-density building type into both a medium-density
urban environment, as well as maintain some essence of the heavily
wooded quality of the site itself. This was accomplished by lightly
touching the site with an exposed steel framework, suspending the
mass of the units above the ground and crossing through the trees.
13 urban multi-family housing claire showalter claire showalter urban multi-family housing 14

9. As an independent summer
graphic work
study, I traveled in the Ameri-
can Southwest to study the ruins
of the ancient Puebloans. After
observing the way in which the
ruins fit into their context in a
way the original buildings did not,
I developed an idea dealing with
a more temporary architecture.
In this pursuit, I investigated an
architecture that is created with
the acceptance of mortality and
the intention of deteriorating into
its environment once abandoned.
connecting cultures:
finding common ground through architecture
bioswale diagram
interior workspace physical model of library
15 connecting culture claire showalter claire showalter graphic work 16

10. Beginning with a series of two-
dimensional compositions, a storefront
was developed through a process
of color and depth investigations.
Intended to be a project to reveal that
something can come from nothing.
a conceptual process becomes a storefront
17 graphic work claire showalter claire showalter graphic work 18

11. study of rock face-watercolor
linear and spatial studies-watercolor
landscape contour-oil pastel
19 graphic work claire showalter claire showalter graphic work 20

12. Claire Showalter
301 Davis Avenue
Marietta, OH 45750 USA
Phone: 1.740.336.8639
showalcm@muohio.edu