As a CAD drafter/designer in civil engineering and design/build contractor environments I have extensive experience both in the office, where I’ve designed and drawn grading, earthmoving, topographic models and maps, drainage, erosion control, underground utilities, retaining walls, foundations, and commercial buildings; and in the field, where I’ve helped build all those features. I also have some experience in road design and construction, in property surveying, and in GIS procedures. In all cases I’m fluent in 2D and 3D modeling, problem-solving, and presentation.
Samples of work produced for BAI Engineering:
This project is typical of the residential projects that I was involved with at BAI. The client was architect IDG of Pacific Grove and BAI provided civil engineering services and project permitting. As drafter and designer, I designed the grading, drainage, erosion control, retaining walls, and underground utilities. The lead engineer approved my design and I then executed about half the drafting, with the balance drawn by others to my redmarks. Following submittal and initial plan check, I also wrote responses to comments from Monterey County Planning, the local fire protection and watershed management districts, the California Department of Water Resources, and the California Coastal Commission. The civil planset as reproduced here was drawn in 09/2006 and submitted for permit in 01/2007.
Again, this project is typical of my work at BAI. The client was architect WR&D of Monterey and BAI provided civil engineering services and project permitting. As drafter and designer, I performed about a third of the drafting, drawing grading, drainage, erosion control, and retaining walls that had previously been designed by a contract engineer, then myself designed and drew the sewage disposal system and revisions to the drainage system. I also performed all grade check and cover check.
The civil planset as reproduced here was drawn in 09/2006 and submitted for permit in 01/2007.
This is typical of the commercial projects that I was involved with at BAI, with the office again providing civil engineering services to architect IDG of Pacific Grove. As a drafter, I drew engineer’s redmarks on all phases of this project and also performed tasks like checking sewer gradients and cover. Before submittal I drew, checked, or corrected nearly every element on these nine sheets. As a designer, I also researched, designed, and drew the traffic plan, erosion control plan, fire protection system, stormwater retention system, and the groundwater contamination remediation system. Additionally, I wrote responses to jurisdiction comments following initial submittal.
The civil planset as reproduced here was drawn in 02/2006-07/2006 and submitted for permit in 07/2006.
Sample of work produced for GSI / Bioscapes:
This subdivision project was owned, designed, constructed, and marketed by my employer, GSI/Bioscapes. As lead drafter and member of the survey crew, I was involved with this project in several capacities: I was a member (and occasional foreperson) of the field team that collected the initial topographic data and then performed grade check and machine control during construction; I executed all AutoCAD drafting and topograhic modeling of the existing terrain and property features; I designed the initial versions of all proposed roads, driveways, and grading using CAD-based 3D modeling software; and, I coordinated GSI’s activities with those of both our own subcontracted civil, water, and soils engineers and the engineering departments of the relevant jurisdictions and utilities providers.
Reproduced here are the Designated Disposal Area sheet, drawn by me in 12/2005, and the Existing Topography sheets, drawn by me in 01/2006; the three sheets show the completed model of the site’s existing topography that I executed in 08/2005-10/2005.
As a CAD drafter / designer in millwork manufacturing environments I have experience in the office, where I’ve designed the look and function of millwork projects, drafted and maintained shop drawings, interacted with clients and architects, and managed the project over its entire life cycle; on the shop floor, where I’ve been involved with every aspect of fabrication and veneering; and on site, where I’ve been part of the installation team. I also have some experience in CNC coding and milling.
Samples of work produced for Intratecture:
The client owns a software company and wanted to remodel his condominium to showcase his two favorite pastimes: glassblowing and woodworking. I met with him late in 2002 and then designed this space in about a week. He had very particular ideas about how the kitchen area would function, and he wanted Intratecture to show off its technical skill with difficult veneers and curved panels; beyond that, he gave me a very free hand in determining how the space would work visually. Beside my responsibilities for the design and the shop drawings, I also had hands-on involvement in most aspects of veneering, fabrication, and installation.
This series of sketches gives some insight into my design process on this project. The series zeroes in on the design of one of the elements in the space: the display cabinet. The sketches are shown in order beginning with the most abstract and conceptual and progressing toward the final design that was approved and built.
The client was a developer who wanted a “Biederman deco” [his term] interior that would have very simple lines and forms while at the same time imparting a sumptuous, even antique feeling by using very warm and complex veneers. I designed this millwork in February-April 2004 and then drew the shop drawings, with the client maintaining a very intense involvement in all phases of design and construction. I also selected, matched, and cut all the veneer, assisted with veneering, sanded all the flat and curved panels, and assisted with the millwork installation.
I completed one semester of coursework towrd the M.Arch. degree at Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Samples of work produced at AAU:
I executed this quick study of the Global Ecology Research Center as part of my coursework at AAU. The Center was designed by EHDD Architecture of San Francisco and is a notable recent example of a green building. I studied the Center for about three hours early on a Sunday morning.
I executed this quick study of San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts for coursework at AAU. The Palace was designed by architect Bernard Maybeck for the 1915 exposition and is probably his best-known work. I studied the Palace for about two hours late on a Sunday afternoon in February and as the sun was setting I rushed to produce this little narrative, which zooms in from the very general to the particular.
I executed this quick study of the exterior of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts as part of my coursework at AAU. The Yerba Buena Center was designed by architect Fumihiko Maki in 1993. I studied the exterior for about three hours late on a very cold afternoon in January, and subsequently returned to explore the interior of the Center.
Some artwork that I’ve produced for fun:
This map is a record of my travels around California. One of my most important hobbies is driving, which I approach as an exploration of some of my other interests: geology, geography, architecture and urban planning, and industrial history. Since the project is to see as much as possible, and to appreciate firsthand how things overlap and interrelate, I’ve only mapped my travels made via ground transportation during daylight hours. Soon I expect to have driven every mile of California’s state highway system during daylight.
I’ve also driven extensively across all the states, most of the provinces, and the northern tier of Mexican states. I remember everything, in detail: my friends call me “the human road atlas.”
