Welcome to my portfolio
My name is Paola Castillo and I am a designer who finds inspiration in my everyday. When I am not designing, I enjoy spending time with my family, drawing, cooking and gardening.
In this page you will find some of my architectural projects and my collection of works of Art.
VILLA A LA MANIERE DE CORBU
 Perspective View á la manière de Cor |
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In this project I imagined myself as an architect á la manière de Corbu, that is, one who designs in the style or manner of Le Corbusier. I implemented Le Courbusier's Dom-ino and Five points: pilotes, free plan, roof garden, ribbon windows, and free facade.
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The ground floor contains a “compressed organ” THAT houses an entry hall and stair to the main level, A ramp, and a utility room. The first level above ground contains the bedrooms and bathroom. This arrangement inverts the normal arrangement of the living room on the first floor (like Garches). On the main second level from the ground, there is a living room, dining area, a kitchen, and a small toilet room.
OAKBROOK CONDOMINIUM
MY INSPIRATION FOR THIS PROJECT CAME FROM A VISIT I MADE TO SAN DIEGO, CA. I REMEMBER HAVING BRAINSTORMED AND SKETCHED A CONCEPTUAL IDEA AT A CAFE. I CONDUCTED SPACE PROGRAMMING AND DEPENDENCIES CONFORMING TO INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODES AND LOCAL ZONING ORDINANCES.
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FOR THIS PROJECT, I CHOSE MEDITERRANEAN ROOF TILES, STONE SIDING, AND STUCCO FOR THE EXTERIOR WALLS. I ALSO DESIGNED MY OWN CUSTOM WINDOWS. IN ADDITION TO this, SUSTAINABILITY WAS ESSENTIAL, SO I IMPLEMENTED PASSIVE SOLAR SYSTEMS, CLERESTORY WINDOWS TO GAIN SUNLIGHT DURING THE DAY AND MINIMIZE ELECTRIC USE.
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In terms of landscape, I made sure trees and shrubs were in accordance with climatic zone 4. One final contribution to this design was making sure the space fomented community integration.
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One particular challenge on this project was how tight the space requirements were. But I was able to reduce the size of spaces and keep it to a minimum by code. I also made sure the condo had open kitchens and ada compliant rooms. Another challenge was trying to fit staircases for every unit. fortunately, I was able to tweak our plan to leave circulation space on the breezeway.
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DWELLING AND NEIGHBORHOOD
The proposed design has open eating area. Clients enjoy meditation, reading and working at home. They also enjoy cooking dinner, once a day. The windows on this design are located on the south for passive solar glazing. To minimize footprint, the design is built vertically. It is also a modular construction in order to reduce overall cost. In addition, there are two separate wall assembly for rear playground noise.
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To allow for easy space arrangement when needed, the rooms count with dividers and panels. This is a multifunctional design because there are bookshelves below the staircase. it counts with accessible/multifunctional beds.
