studioellsworth.

Client // Lutheran Church of Boedigheim
Location // Boedigheim, Germany
Date // Summer 2009
Project Team // Ecker Architekten, Prof. Frank Flury, IIT Design/Build Studio
Personal Role // Conceptual design, Detailing
Materials // Local lumber & stone
Photographs // Brigida Gonzalez
Website // Flurkapelle Buchen/Bödigheim

“We’re not able to contain our enthusiasm… it’s such an honest building.” – AIA Chicago Awards Jury

The result of an international collaboration between students of the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, and Father Moser of Boedigheim, Germany, this field chapel is an extraordinary place for quiet repose and worship.  Typical of the German countryside, field chapels are often built as a memorial, or as a destination for pilgrimage.  Built of local materials by volunteer labor, this small chapel serves as a testament to the hard work and effort provided by so many.  Once inside, pure light fills the interior, both physically and metaphorically.

Client // Design Cloud Chicago
Location // Chicago, Illinois
Date // Fall 2011

Design Cloud Chicago is an upcoming group of designers and creators that are redefining what a design studio should be. This studio, located in Chicago’s West Loop, is a creative workplace & art gallery. They believe that the best way to stimulate and improve the creative process is to continually interact with other disciplines and understand their many different ways of thinking.

The space is designed as a workspace within an art gallery. I was fortunate enough to meet this exciting group early in their development, and consulted on the overall space design/aesthetic, and custom furniture design and fabrication. Design Cloud Chicago is a creative launch pad for clients and freelancers alike.

Location // Lewisville, Idaho
Date // Fall 2007
Materials // Salvaged redwood & brick

I have always had a strong interest in materials.  It is amazing how much difference a slight variation in color, texture or light can make.  I would say that architects are masters of material, and the best details are almost always found where two materials meet.  This project is a quick study on the relationship between brick and wood, and how the two are able to interact with one another.  Built as a small fence to conceal a water pump from view, this small project is still one of my favorite.  The brick is made to be a little rough and messy, and the wood is the sharp counter-weight.  Masonry details continue throughout the project to help tie the materials together.