christopher Ellington
Game and Narrative Design
Architecture
Yale Undergraduate
Plans, Models, Papers
Overview
As an undergraduate, I majored in Architecture at Yale University. Although I went on to design video games instead of buildings, I really appreciate the design experience I gained during this period. I've posted some highlights from the program here. Enjoy!
 Townhouse_gardener12b.png |  Townhouse_gardener1.png |
|---|---|
 Townhouse_gardener2.png |  Townhouse_gardener4.png |
 Townhouse_gardener3.png |  Townhouse_gardener28b.png |
 Townhouse_gardener19b.png |  Townhouse_gardener6b.png |
 Townhouse_gardener8b.png |  Townhouse_gardener5b.png |
 Townhouse_gardener26b.png |  Townhouse_gardener22b.png |
 Townhouse_gardener24b.png |  Townhouse_gardener27b.png |
 Townhouse_gardener11b.png |  Townhouse_gardener16b.png |
 Townhouse_gardener13b.png |
Gardener Townhouse
This New York townhouse is designed for an imaginary family with a penchant for gardening.
The spaces and program are designed to feed in and out of each other through the use of split-levels and indoor/outdoor spaces. Many aspects of the building's proportions utilize the golden ratio in their measurements.
Numerous sustainable systems are integrated into the design. This includes natural lighting, rainwater collection, solar thermal collection, solar panels, and cross-ventilation.
I drew and inked the plans by hand, crafted the model in wood, and the made the diagrams using Google Sketchup as well as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
 Tropical_house3d.png |  Tropical_house1b.png |
|---|---|
 Tropical_house2b.png |  Tropical_house7.png |
 Tropical_house4b.png |  Tropical_house6b.png |
 Tropical_house5d.png |
Tropical House
For this partner project, Aaron Otani and I designed sustainable, temporary housing for biology research students in Kauai. The complex would consist of four student "cabinettes," two researcher cabins, and a shared building for meals and bathing.
The structures were to be made of lengths of bamboo with steel-and-mortar joints and set on a wooden deck. The bamboo structures would be taken down at the end of the research season, and set up again on the wooden decks the next year.
I also used this project as a case study for a sustainability class. In that assignment, I redistributed the site plan to make better use of the elevation for rainwater capture. Rain falls on the cabin structures and flows down to the shared building for use by students and researchers.
Project Partner: Aaron Otani
 prefab_house3b.png |  prefab_house1.png |
|---|---|
 prefab_house2.png |  prefab_house4.png |
 prefab_house5.png |  prefab_house6.png |
 prefab_house7.png |  prefab_house8.png |
 prefab_house9.png |  prefab_house10.png |
 prefab_house11.png |  housepanels.png |
 planterpanel.png |
Prefab House
In this project, each student was asked to design a temporary living quarters from prefabricated materials. The structure was to be built on top of a famous Paul Rudolph Townhouse in New York City
The building was to house assistants to the Paul Rudolph Foundation so they could live at the Townhouse without harming the original architecture. In addition, the building needed to be temporary to it could be dismantled and removed without affecting the lower structure.
I decided on prefabricated wall and ceiling panels to solve this problem. The prefab panels would be made of steel structures clad in plywood, and connected to one another with removable steel joints and bolted inserts. Panels came in different types, some with builti-in windows, or even planting boxes for gardening.
 window3.png |  window1.png |
|---|---|
 window2.png |  window5.png |
 window4.png |  spiralfolddoor.png |
 window7.png |  window8.png |
 window6.png |  window9.png |
 windowdraw.png |  window10.png |
 window13.png |  window12.png |
 window11.png |
Window
For this project, we were asked to design a structure to modulate and interior/exterior boundary. This could be a window or a door, or both.
I designed a hinged structure with several folding panels. The panels were arrayed in two opposing spiral structures. These panels could be manipulated in a number of ways. One could make a window by opening only the smallest panels, or create a passage large enough to pass through, or endless iterations between.
As it is manipulated, the structure of the window blurs the interior/exterior boundary and claims space of its own. The added dimension of user input creates an experience that defies easy definition.
 TOGS_3.png |  TOGS_1b.png |
|---|---|
 TOGS_2.png |
TOGS - Competition
In this competition project, each student was asked to design Temporary Outdoor Gallery Spaces, or TOGS, for the Art City Austin art fair. A length of street is closed off and filled with artists displaying their work in designated 10'x10' spaces. A TOGS would be given to so each artist and designed to make maximal use of the limited space.
I designed aluminum and plywood wall structures to be joined to an aluminum and canvas ceiling piece. Artists could hang art from the walls or install shelving units that attach to the walls.
To break the monotony, I also added flexibible panel structures to each artist's TOGS kit. These could be easily moved and adjusted to allow artists to divide the space and hang additional work. Artists could use these flexibile pieces to blur the boundaries between their separate booths and create a truly unique outdoor gallery experience.
 sketches4b.png |  sketches1.png |
|---|---|
 sketches7b.png |  sketches3.png |
 sketches6.png |  sketches10b.png |
 sketches1a.png |  sketches2.png |
 sketches8.png |  sketches9b.png |
 sketches5.png |
Sketches and Drawings
This is a selection of drawings and diagrams from various architectural assingments. Drawings were penciled and inked on paper, scanned, and then inverted in Photoshop for better viewing.
Architecture Papers
As an undergraduate student at Yale University, I wrote a number of papers on many subjects. I've included two papers here.
The first document is a research paper from an architecture class. I compare two philosophies of architecture; Le Courbisier's building as machine and Louis Sullivan's building as organism. I conclude that the philosophy of building as organic machine fits perfectly with the ideals of sustainable architecture.
The second document is a final paper from a sustainability class. I and a partner discuss sustainability improvements to the Yale University campus.