The Presentation: Part 1

A rather rich and prestigious Luthier

titled William McCanter desired the creation of a building.

What fostered from his appreciation casted to life a wonderous work

that expressed the Guitar center as a masterpiece of wood skill and devotion.

With the quality of light a mere tinkling of value is cast upon the viewer.

Tree Choice: your choice?

I'll lie here and learn How, over their ground,
Trees make a long shadow And a light sound.
- Louise Bogan, 1898-1970

With the creation of a building comes the

creation of a site.

With the creation of a site comes the 

choice of vegitation.

What mere choice could equal the detail within 

this structure?

California Pepper Tree

California Pepper Tree

Carpet Juniper

Maple

With these choices the relative accuracy I find to be wonderful. With the quality of thin lines the building displays, the pepper tree compliments the movement with the hanging leaves and tall thin trunk. This allows the space outside to cover the walls of the neighboring buildings and create an enclosure of space. The Juniper blankets the ground like the flooring of the building once again complimenting the movement of the building and contrasting with the height of the pepper and maple trees. Lastly, the maple exhibiting a strong trunk and powerful branches fill the last part of the space with one singly centered piece where all points converge. Like the building the single stage extruding from the building compliments the maple in the same way. The maple as well is understood as a strong proponent of the guitar world as a wondrous wood used in the fret board.

The growth rate pertaining to the pepper tree and juniper are quite speedy and used due to this reason. Though the maple does not hastily grow it becomes a 'ritual of growth' which pertains to the creation of guitars--a process of time and patience.

The Blues Process Pin-up: Guitar Center Drawings

Here lies a pin-up of the essential design elements within the 

Guitar Center Building. Within this set 

there are plans, elevations, sections and details.

Portico Perspective

Interior Acoustic Fans

2 Stage Section

Initial Plan

Music Stage Section

Light-well and Lever Reflectors

The Bathroom

First Elevation

Second and Third Elevation

Speaking Stage

Floor into Wall cladding

Front Portico band

Structural Timber Plan

Roofing, Insulation and Purloin Vault

Built in gutter system

Back Elevation

Front Elevation and Store Elevation

Front Elevation with Portico band

Detailing End beams in Hierarchy

Detail of beams and Purloins

Slit in wood with window/bathroom wall

East Cloister

Store Interior and Floor to Wall cladding

Rosette window mullions

Elevations

Floor Plan

Detail of bathroom wall

Detail of Purloin and Beam Joint

Sun Shade Peg system

Materials: Spruce or Ceder Walls

Materials: Walnut Floor

Site Location: Healdburg, CA

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Structure: the breakdown of timber

“True ornament is not a matter of prettifying externals. It is organic with the structure it adorns, whether a person, a building, or a park.”    Frank Lloyd Wright

With the first achievement of a structural design, true light may penetrate the outer shell to find usefulness within. Heavy timber or laminated beams have become a device of evil for it allows a wood building to span many feet. Indeed this is a wonder though I am failing to fight the temptation of something so large. Already spanning 100ft in both directions, this light guitar center has become a massive structure.