Window | Precinct | Housing | Thesis

Window for a Poet | Critic: Ann Pendleton-Jullian

In my first Master's studio, our first assignment was to re-think the window. What else could a window be besides a pane of glass in a frame? I tried to design a window that my friend Eric Norris, a poet, would enjoy using. His requirements:

"Ah, but were I to design an optimistic and serviceable external space,
I think I would design something with a Northerly view, the most free
from too much direct sunlight during the day. I would require a large
amount of desk space, enough for a computer, a printer, an ashtray, a
place for my coffee, a place to correct printed drafts, and a place to
pile books.
The desk top should be made of some durable substance that won't be
offended by spills and cigarette burns and ink smears, but easily
cleaned. A kind of arm lamp would be nice for the evenings, something
I could adjust.
And I would give myself a nice swivel chair, so I can turn away from
the work at hand and put my feet up on the ledge, look out the window,
and catch my neighbors unawares, in various stages of undress."

The window fits into the wall and stands the full height of the room, in this case seven feet. It opens up like a set of french doors, and is the thickness of the wall. It is three layers thick: The wooden layer is thickest and contains shleves for books, drawers for papers and computer, and a folding chair and tabletop for working. There are two translucent screens that can be slid in and out of pockets in the wall to adjust the sunlight as needed. And there is the glass itself, which keeps out the weather, but is operable to allow a breeze.

The first image above shows some models of the design, from early examples through to the final, displayed in a triptych. The second image is the hardline plan and section of the design, and the final two images show the model closed and open, in use and not, allowing light to enter the room in different ways.