A new look for the Russian-Speaking School of Austin
By Maxim Rebguns with the gracious assistance of Sergey Yudin (see "acknowledgements")
Copyright Maxim Rebguns 2024. Written June 2024
Disclaimer: The Russian-Speaking School of Austin is a diverse community of Russian-speaking Austinites from all over the world. The school is not affiliated with the Russian Federation, nor does it support Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It is a cultural center which aims to teach child and adult students useful schools such as Russian language, theater, and in my case, architecture. If you live in Austin and are interested, you can find the info on the school's official website.
See an accompanying presentation (Russian)
The Russian-Speaking School of Austin is currently renting facilities at the Northwest Hills United Methodist Church. Ideally, the school would have its own location to function. This presents less friction and scheduling conflicts, as well as allowing the school to have full control over its educational facilities. It is a Sunday school that offers a lot of different subjects, so that presents additional difficulties. A possible approach would be owining the building, while renting it out: the school happens on Sundays, and leases its facilities out to other organizations over the course of the week.
Our idea at the Russian-Speaking School of Austin architecture class was to create a design that could accomplish this goal. This page showcases every step that I took over the course of three years to bring this project to fruition. We went all the way from paper to a suitable 3D model. While this design is far from official, it could serve as the starting point for a development project in the future.
The new school building would have to follow a number of important criteria. These arise primarily due to the unique nature of the Russian school: it is a Sunday school with a very small class size and diverse set of activities, requiring multifunctional facilities for student and faculty use. For any minimal project, the following requirements would have to be met:
The end result must be sufficiently small, yet extremely versatile. The focus on multimodality would fully accommodate all the classes that happen on campus from theater arts to karate.
I started by sketching the school from different angles. Sergey (my mentor) and I went through a ton of different ideas. There were all sorts of designs that had their own advantages and flaws. It all starts with a scribble on the paper, which functions as the seed from which a project can be grown. These sketches are the brainstorming process that allows for new ideas to come to mind.
(This is a placeholder. Unfortunately I haven't got around to scanning them yet.)
Eventually, we settled on a two-story design with a central courtyard. This allows students to walk easily between classes and be able to rest in the courtyard. The courtyard serves as a focal point for school-wide events. Additional facilities are placed outside this core part of the school.
With the basic idea in place, I proceeded to draft floor plans and elevations. The school building itself is simplistic and functional. Large square windows provide natural light into every classroom. The courtyard is lit from a glass roof in the top.
(This is a placeholder. Unfortunately I haven't got around to scanning them yet.)
We proceeded to make an initial concrete version design using cardboard. This is a highly effective way to visualize the design without using CAD software. The approach allows for the model to be viewed and touched, something that digital images don't provide. This step is important especially when showcasing the design to others, since laymen are not always comfortable with reading 2D architectural drawings.
The front entrance of the school is attached to a foyer area that is large and spans two stories. The rounded entrance is made of glass panels, which allows for a connection to the outside world. In Texas, these windows are usually coated in a material that provides shade to occupants within the building. A similar method could be used in this case. The entrance is surrounded by two opposing trapezoidal forms that break the symmetry that the rest of the building exhibits.
An interesting part of the process was photographing in different locations and playing around with natural objects to enhance the realism of the model. Sergey found some twigs on the ground that we attached to the model. They look like little trees and help the viewer imagine the model's scale. Most photographs were taken at the Northwest Hills United Methodist Church and Murchison Middle School in Austin, Texas.
I decided to adorn the building with bright red geometric elements. While the classrooms themselves are meant to be standard and symmetric, this institutional feel is broken by the exterior adornments. These triangles, rectangles, and trapezoids make the building stand out in its natural environment. I am very satisfied with how the exterior design of the mockup turned out.
A big part of the design is the roof that covers the courtyard at the heart of the school. I experimented with different roof shapes, including sloped, covered, and triangular. In the end, for the mockup we used a arched glass roof which is extended in the front by a solid shade roof.
At the back of the building is the theater, whose roof is also a continuation of the arc shape. The round room is the library, while the angled room across from the library is the gym. I decided that while the classrooms can be standardized, I can afford to make the school's other multifunctional spaces different. Additionally, the classrooms occupy only one story each, while the multifunctional areas occupy both stories.
I carefully made the model so that the second story isn't actually attached to the first. This allows it to be removed so that one can peer in and see the bottom story and courtyard floor. During the process I accidentally glued them together a couple times and needed to remove them with a utility knife. I am thankful that Sergey is patient and walked me, a rookie, through the process of cardboard modeling.
Creating structures from cardboard is actually a really awesome experience. All you need is cardboard/paper, a utility (X-Acto) knife, and liquid school glue (yes, really, Elmer's school glue will do!). The process is simple, but requires patience. First, you squirt a tiny amount of glue onto your finger. Next, you rub your finger smoothly along the surface that needs to be glued. Afterward, you quickly attach the two surfaces that need to be glued and hold them together for 30 seconds to a minute. You can then let go: the glue will magically harden and become invisible over time.
As for the cardboard itself, I cut it all using a utility knife over a cutting mat. The key for cutting cardboard is to run the knife over the cut multiple times, cutting through a layer each time. This is time-consuming work that is tempting to rush. As I learned, rushing produces poor, jagged cuts, which do not look good on such a small and intricate model.
As is the case with most crafts: think before you act. Measure twice, cut once.Or, as the Russian saying goes, measure seven times, cut off once (семь раз отмерь, один отрежь) I could have saved myself a nasty utility knife cut if I were more careful and patient.
An exciting step after I created the cardboard model was photographing it. Sergey and I took it to many places around the church and nearby school. We took shots from different angles, at different distances, and with different backdrops. The camera itself is a powerful tools to create optical illusions and interesting compositions. I also played around in GIMP to paste the school into photos I have taken. They don't look photorealistic, but are detailed enough that they provide a good overview about my vision as an architect.
After countless hours on the model, it turned way better than I had ever anticipated. Upon close inspection you can see the wiggly cuts, uneven shapes, and imperfect gluing. However, the model meets all the requirements and accurately portrays my vision.
When I talk about myself doing things, the whole time I have a teacher there at my side willing to help. After getting a doctorate in architecture in Moscow, Sergey worked as a professor in Mexico, teaching first year architecture students like myself how to make similar structures. Craftsmanship is something that may be overlooked in the age of AutoCAD and Revit, but it is an important step in any architect's journey. I am grateful to have been mentored by a knowledgeable architect like Sergey.
The final stage of my process involved a lot of experimentation. A digital representation of a building is a key feature of any modern architectural project. Unfortunately, what you can and can't do in this stage heavily depends on what software you have available. Architectural design software is highly complex: it has to be simple enough to not be a burden, yet also allow for extremely flexible and unique designs. This step in my journey was full of ups and downs, and unlike in previous steps, I had to rely a lot on online forums and trial and error to get things accomplished.
The first program that I attempted to use was FreeCAD. FreeCAD is one of the most complex and feature-rich multipurpose CAD (Computer Aided Design) solutions available as free/libre software. It comes at no cost and development is done by volunteers. This makes very versatile and community-driven. I have used FreeCAD before to make small 3D-printable models and it did the job, but I had never tried its architectural features.
Architectural plans in the 21st century are developed using BIM (Building Information Modeling) software. A BIM program is a tool that architects and drafters use to create a digital representation of a real-life site, such as the school that I am making. FreeCAD comes with a separate BIM workbench which has tools such as walls, doors, and windows. However, what counts as a "wall" or "window" to the program is irrelevant – it only knows when I mark objects as such. This allows me to create custom wall shapes using FreeCAD's modeling tools and then mark them by their type accordingly. This grants me a great deal of flexibility when designing a pretty intricate building like the school.
Unfortunately, what you see in the image is as far as I got before giving up on FreeCAD. As a firm believer in the importance of free software,Free as in freedom, rather than cost. This article explains the distinction well. I tried really hard to model the building despite FreeCAD's quirks. I ran into a number of issues when trying to make the building. In particular, every step felt tedious and it was as if I was fighting the program to get things done. I came across issues with ensuring proper distances between various components, since moving and properly positioning things is difficult. Additionally, the lack of features such as proper mirroring (the windows are basically the same on both sides of the building) made the process slower than it needed to be.
That being said, I am extremely grateful for the FreeCAD team for constantly pushing out improvements. I understand that this is free software, and that I have absolutely no right to complain. I am just pointing out some issues that made it difficult for me to use FreeCAD for this type of project. Still, I am amazed by the amount of features that have already been implemented. I highly recommend checking out FreeCAD developer Yorik van Havre's blog in order to understand his motivations and processes behind developing the BIM workbench.
With the first model abandoned, I searched for another program that would be capable of getting things done. To my surprise, another libre program exists that solved many of my needs: Sweet Home 3D. This application is mainly aimed at interior design for people looking to solidify their vision for a dream home. I knew right from the onset that it wasn't designed with the technical architect in mind, but figured that I might as well try.
I was very surprised by the versatility of Sweet Home 3D. The simplicity of the interface allowed me to get things done very quickly. I especially loved the distance guiding feature when inserting objects, allowing me to precisely place things in a fast manner. Despite the program not being made for my use case, I got most of my vision transferred onto the canvas. Unfortunately, the program doesn't have the concept of architectural elements like columns. While one can import any 3D model, the lack of parametrization features essentially means that the 3D model must be custom-made for the building at hand. This, combined with the lack of features like an easy way to create roofs, limits this program to hobbyist use cases. Once again, I greatly appreciate the work that the community has put in to make this piece of software possible.
I would have wrapped the project up here had I not learned from fellow architecture guru Nelly Bogner that Autodesk provides its whole software catalog for free to students (ranging from primary school to university). Going to the Autodesk education gateway an uploading a copy of my transcript gave me access to the whole suite of Autodesk programs, including AutoCAD and Revit, two industry standard programs for architectural drafting.
Given that Revit has gained significant traction in the architecture world, I decided to use the program to model the school once again. Luckily, I had a whole week of spring break to figure out how to use the program. To my surprise, I ran into little friction and managed to get most of the work done over that week. Being a more mature proprietary program, Revit has a lot of features that make building things easier. While it isn't perfect, I was able to get almost everything that I envisioned for the school into the model.
To me, Revit was easy to learn. I mostly relied on the official documentation when looking for help. There are a series of short official tutorial videos that I found helpful when starting out. While the building is extremely detailed, it is by no means a final draft from which something can be built. I didn't model the electrical elements, pipes, and other necessary features required by building code. These elements rely on engineering knowledge and building codes, things that were not of interest to me for this project.
As you may have noticed, with every iteration I made changes to the school's design. Switching to a new medium allowed for Sergey and I to tweak things and add new details. The model in Revit is by far the most fully-featured. I spent all spring 2024 adjusting the model and working things out.
Throughout my iterations, the courtyard-centered design remained mostly unchanged. There are still twelve main classrooms, with 6 on each level. The entrance is flanked by two rooms: the conference room on the left and office on the right. In this iteration they are round and symmetrical. My main idea of having the core educational facility be standard, while other rooms are more "out-of-the-box" in terms of shape and exterior features, remained consistent in this design.
The courtyard transitions smoothly into a lobby that enters the theater. The lobby was introduced in the Revit design to provide yet another space for people to gather for various events. The gym on the west side of the building is nonstandard. Normally, this would present an issue for a public school which has a "professional" team. However, because this is a Sunday school, the main function for the gym is unstructured athletic activity. The round room on the east side opposite the gym is the library. Just like the gym, it extends two stories in height. Notice how the shelves continue the angle set up by the gym wall.
The Revit model of the school is heavily influenced by deconstructivism. Notice the angle at which the gym's north wall is at. If you were to draw an imaginary line from the gym, you'd be tangent to the circular wall of the library. I decided to play around with breaking the standard parallel-perpendicular construction by including an additional axis to which parts of the building are aligned. Notice also the fountain in the courtyard and the concrete foundation slab which the building stands on – they form a part of this deconstructivist reality.
A big change that I made in the latest design is the introduction of an outdoor amphitheater, extending the inner stage with a complementary outdoor stage. On sunny days, the outdoor stage can be used for large-scale community events. In the case of rain, things can be moved quickly to the corresponding indoor stage through the large central folding door. To the left and right of the stage are areas for performers and props. There is also a storage area adjacent to the southeast end of the indoor theater.
The school's entrance is a multistory glass curtain wall. The design continues upward in the triangular glass roof that goes across the courtyard. To the left and right you can see the office and conference room on the first floor. The second floor has two small open viewing areas that you can see through the second floor windows.
Finally, I decided that the best way to present my design to others would be through 3D renderings. Architectural drawings are hard to quickly comprehend for laymen. With the power of modern architectural software, creating rich renderings is easy. As a student, I also had access to unlimited cloud rendering by Autodesk.
This walkthrough is fast-paced because I had to render each frame on my Windows laptop. One area where Revit struggles is creating walkthroughs, since adding points afterwards is tedious and error-prone. I used FFmpeg to join the frames together into a video.
Playing with different rendering options and angles was very interesting. I put in some furniture and landscaping details to bring the building to life. The Autodesk built-in library has most important building components. For some select items such as the fountain, I found them pretty easily online. Many companies that sell construction-related products have free Revit families on their websites which you can download.
Apart from the sloped roof, the rest of the roofs are flat and surrounded by parapets. In reality, the roof would be slightly tilted so that water would flow into drainage pipes when it rains. I did not model this complexity, but it was fascinating to know that it exists and has to be taken care of. Even a project as simple as a house requires tons of planning and the expertise from multiple people working in conjunction.
The foyer is meant to be welcoming and serve as a central connector to the rest of the school's rooms. It may have a reception area, which can be set up in front of the main office entrance. Whether a student goes to the right or to the left, they'll be able to take a staircase up to the second floor. The two staircases intersect and allow for traffic to pass freely between floors. The school also has an elevator, which can be found to the right of the theater foyer (you can see it to the right of the fountain in the image above).
The office is where the principal and other school administrators may work. It is a round room with windows looking out onto the parking lot and entrance.
The courtyard is a multifunctional area at the heart of the school. Above it is a glass roof through which you can see the sky. The school's main halls go around the courtyard. The second floor hallway is identical to the one on the first floor, which allows students to peer down onto the courtyard from above. The fountain, benches, and trees create a park-like relaxing atmosphere. Behind the courtyard is a foyer area which provides access to the theater.
As a theater kid myself, I put a lot of importance on this part of the school. In fact, the school building has two stages which sit back-to-back. The inner theater stage has a large white foldable door (which you can see in the image above) which connects to the outer stage. This allows for performances to happen both inside and out in fresh air. On the left and right are two actors' rooms that have exits onto the stage. While the stage in the Revit design is plain, it could be extended to be a fully-featured theatrical stage if need be. For example, a curtain could be hung near the back to allow actors to pass from one side to the other.
The door that you see in the middle of the amphitheater stage is the same one that's on the inner stage. The two stages are identical in size. The Russian school has many events that are held in open air. The amphitheater serves as another multipurpose facility that could accomplish this goal.
The library is a large two-story facility that has ample space for bookshelves and seating. Throughout this project, I changed its shape multiple times. In the final Revit version, it is a single elegant arc that has large windows to let in light. It is meant to look grand, modern, and simple. I envision walking in and pulling out a work of Pushkin or Checkhov from the shelves before comfortably relaxing and reading it the natural light that seeps in from the windows.
As I said before, the classrooms are meant to be standard for the sake of education. This part of the building is relatively simple and rectangular. Sergei and I played with ornamental elements such as shades. These provide protection from the sun, but also create interesting patterns of light that break up the building's monotony.
Classrooms are perfectly square and have matching rows of rectangular windows broken up into squares. The shape of the room implies little of its function. This is mainly because the Russian school has a very diverse set of activities, from math to sculpture. Classrooms can be furnished and organized as needed. Two classrooms on the first floor have emergency exits directly outside. This enhances safety by allowing students and staff quick escape in the event of an emergency.
On a final note, I found lighting to be tedious, yet able to create very interesting results. It took a lot of tweaking before day and night lighting both looked fine. In the image above you can see various light fixtures that I attached. Panel lights, arena lights, and street lights all helped make the building look more realistic during the day and night.
I really enjoyed working with Revit to make my vision a reality. I have many complaints about the software, but overall the experience was smooth and I made a lot of progress in the past two months. I went from not knowing anything about the program to being proficient in basic tasks (enough to build the result you see now) in a couple of weeks. It's really cool that Autodesk lets students access their super expensive stuff for free. I talked to an architect who told me that even her work Autodesk account had limits on what she could build, whereas students get no limits whatsoever. If you're interested in architectural design, I recommend checking all of these programs out.
This June marks a bittersweet end to my Russian school project. Who knows? Perhaps, I will live to see the day that this is built. I learned many narrow and broad things about architecture, art, technology, and handcraft. A vital thing that I've learned is that it's important to have a grasp on what it means for a building to exist in reality. The complexity of modern-day constructions is impressive, but it all starts with a paper and pencil. Yes, you can jump straight into 3D programs, but you won't have the spacial awareness that you get by drawing and building physical models. Doing a project in stages allows you to move on from less to more complex, while experimenting and making changes along the way. This process is extremely valuable and allows you to intentionally make each single decision about the final result.
As Sergei taught me, an architect's job is to create a spacial environment in which social and functional processes take place. In my case, that was a school. I would say that I successfully accomplished this mission. Right now, it's simply some papers, a mockup, a set of 1s and 0s on a computer. Yet this "paper architecture" is the essence of what it means to be an architect. It is a vision from which stems an actual construction. It all starts with a thought that evolves into something greater. Ultimately, the tangible building is the application of this powerful idea in reality.
Thanks for stopping by and learning about my project. I would like to thank Sergei Yudin, who patiently and wisely guided me through my architectural journey. Without him, none of this would be possible. He brought reason and truth to my learning process, and his teaching is what made me capable of picking up a pencil and conjuring up a building in the first place.
Additionally, I would like to thank Nelly Bogner. She was the person who informed me that Revit is a thing that's accessible to me, and she helped me understand how to handle the unwieldy program. Her passion for architecture inspires me to continue creating.
Finally, I am indebted to the Russian Speaking School of Austin for making the paper architecture class possible. I have come a long way thanks to the sage advice of many in that institution.
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