Dana Blaschko

Master of ArchitectureUniversity of Texas at AustinDecember 2009

Bachelor of Science in DesignUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnMay 2007

Dana Blaschko

The McDonald Observatory is one of the premier astronomical observatories in the world, with scientists traveling far for time with the 82 inch telescope. The facility is in need of new hotel and support facilities. This design is situated to take advantage of the views into the Davis mountain range. The hotel structure is a dual-cantilevered steel truss in which the rooms are housed.

McDonald Observatory Hotel and Support FacilityMount Locke, TXUniversity of Texas at AustinSpring 2009Partner: Erin Stark

5/8” PARTICLE BOARDPLASTER FINISH2” FURRING STRIPSBIRCH DIMENSIONAL LUMBER

PAINTED STEEL SLIDING DOORSLIDING WINDOWSTEEL CABLE RAILING

2’ 9” DEEP WATER BASIN1” METAL LINING

2” POLISHED CONCRETE TOPPING4“ RIGID THERMAL INSULATION R=166” CONCRETE SLABCORRUGATED METAL DECKING

Dana Blaschko

A full 26 page drawing set was created for this project, includ-ing construction details, HVAC and plumbing plans, interior room details and elevations, and a complete interior finish schedule.

McDonald Observatory Hotel and Support FacilityMount Locke, TXUniversity of Texas at AustinSpring 2009Partner: Erin Stark

Dana Blaschko

Dana Blaschko

When most Texas county courthouses were built, around 1900, these monumental structures not only served their governmen-tal function but also as venues for social interaction and even entertainment, with trials being widely attended. However, these courthouses no longer serve that function. As such they should not monopolize the central square without making the provision of those social services a priority.

Caldwell County CourthouseLockhart, TexasUniversity of Texas at AustinFall 2008

Caldwell County CourthouseLockhart, TexasUniversity of Texas at AustinFall 2008

In my design, the courthouse facilities are submerged underground, opening up a plaza above to support social functions: community parades and festivals, the local farmer’s market, wedding receptions in the covered courtyard and public movie nights. Connection of the two planes occurs through the light wells by which natural daylight is brought into each courtroom, the central courtyard covered by a cantilevered canopy and the change in ground plane based upon the height of the spaces below. The plaza is programed to support specific civic functions ensuring community use.

Dana Blaschko

Dana Blaschko

Dana Blaschko

I designed and built this cabinet of solid Texas pecan wood. The piece is 5 feet 6 inches long and 17 inches tall. It is constructed of through mortise-and-tenon joints pegged with aluminum dowels. I planed each of the boards used in construction to a thickness of 5/8 inch. The darker heartwood of the pecan creates interesting variation within each plane of the piece.

Media CabinetWood DesignUniversity of Texas at AustinFall 2008

Dana Blaschko

Entertainment centers typically are designed as dual compartment pieces of furniture. These designs are poorly suited to modern theater equipment. The three bay design better serves this equipment configuration by providing a centralized bay. It also features three drawers which are hidden by a single face place; this creates a uniform front facade for the piece.

Media CabinetWood DesignUniversity of Texas at AustinFall 2008

Dana Blaschko

This house is naturally ventilated and is situated to optimize astronomical viewing area. This structure has minimal interior space and emphasizes the use of outdoor living spaces. The steel telescope shelter is retractable and moves by way of rails on either side of the house to open up the viewing platform.

House for an Amateur AstronomerMount Locke, TXUniversity of Texas at AustinSpring 2009Partner: Erin Stark

Dana Blaschko

The diver’s body represents perfection in human proportion and musculature as well as the quality of grace. I chose this subject so that I could explore the human form and try to capture that element of graceful movement.

“Diver”Castiglion Fiorentino, ItalyUniversity of Texas at Austin - Study AbroadFall 2009

Dana Blaschko

This piece was created through the lost wax casting process. It was first created in clay, then cast in wax, where finer details were sculpted and finally cast in bronze.

“Diver”Castiglion Fiorentino, ItalyUniversity of Texas at Austin - Study AbroadFall 2009

The concept behind this design was to create an underground structure which through the undulation of its elements would create an altered ground plane. This will make users the above Saarinen museum and library aware of the addition without marring the impression given by that designer’s work.

Competition entry: Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum and Library AdditionBloomfield Hills, MIUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnSpring 2007

Dana Blaschko

Dana Blaschko

The tubes ask the viewer to walk over them and experience a man-made topography which stands a sharp contrast to the naturalism of the nearby woods. The museum tubes are lined with fiberglass shells which serve to house and light the art.

Competition entry: Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum and Library AdditionBloomfield Hills, MIUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnSpring 2007

This bus stop was designed for a nondescript site in Lincoln, NE. My design goal was to create a simple structure with minimal design moves that should support all functions of a bus stop: shade, shelter, and seating. The slot in the roof helps to provide sun and water to the grass planting in the bus stop bench. It also serves to make the interaction between the sun and the shelter more dynamic.

This design was part of a class wide design competition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This design won class choice.

Bus StopLincoln, NEUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnFall 2006

Dana Blaschko

Based upon psychologist Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences, this al-ternative education elementary school portrays both the conventional aspects of the educational process retained in the theory and the innovative changes. This system is based upon group learning and teaching so that students learn from each other as much as the instructor guides them. The glass web of the inner facade creates spaces to foster student interaction and serves as a reminder that this school is different and that each of the different types of intelligence a person can have is equal.

Alternative Education Elementary SchoolAustin, TXUniversity of Texas at AustinSpring 2008

Dana Blaschko

Dana Blaschko

The most striking thing about an architecture school is that it is occupied and people are moving throughout the space at all hours of the day. I wanted to use my design to highlight and display this movement of people. This linear building pushes all of the circulation to the atrium space. Movement can be observed at all levels of the building from this central vertical space. The lighting scheme reinforces the circulation paths and aids in the display of the movement of people.

Architecture Hall AdditionLincoln, NEUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnFall 2005

Dana Blaschko

For this design I took inspiration from the structure of central-pivot irrigation systems to re-think the conventional space frame structural concept. This canopy provides shade and shelter from rain and snow for the farmer’s market it hosts.

Market CanopyLincoln, NEUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnSpring 2005