Archinect
Cody Soodeen

Cody Soodeen

Stroudsburg, PA, US

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Ship view from the Gym at night
Ship view from the Gym at night
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Blueseed Cruise Ship Design

Overview
The ship was designed as a community encompassed around a large central courtyard. Below deck we used the typical layout to cut down on renovation and remodeling cost. Wherever we created space from removing no longer necessary spaces we replaced them with shops, bars, lounges, cafeterias and or communal spaces. During our planning we noticed that on typical cruise ships, not all the cabins receive natural light, specifically the ones facing the center of the ship. The large recessed courtyard allows for the two decks below the main deck to receive natural light, which is also where most of the cabins are located. The courtyard gives them a view and also a backyard as well. This courtyard also creates a separation and a connection between the two sides of the ship. With crosswalks passing over the top of the courtyard, we connected each side and we were also able to daylight the courtyard using high luminance lighting placed underneath the crosswalks. All of our buildings are placed around the large central space with intermediate breaks that frame views of the ocean. With all of our buildings being lined around the courtyard we were able to create an unbroken view from corner to corner of everything above deck.
Plaza
When people arrive they dock near the front of the ship and walk into an open park. To the left of the park on the main deck we placed a single story plaza on both sides of the courtyard that has all the amenities of a community such as café’s, groceries, stores, conveniences stores etc. We choose to place the plaza directly in the center of the deck main deck plan for ease of access and to also create a tie the community together, acting as the connector between all the other structures located along the main deck.
Hotel (Google Complex)
Directly on top of plaza we placed a living/hotel structure the goes up 6 stories above the main deck. This living structure accommodates the junior, grand and guest suites. On top of the structure we placed a pool and lounge recreational area that can be accessed by everyone from the main deck by taking the elevators or the stairs to the top. The structure goes up above both sides of the plaza and is connected at the top by a crosswalk making it one complete building instead of two separate. Our living building is designed to allow large balcony spaces on each floor while also allowing for views down to the center courtyard. It’s like looking down onto the street from the window of an apartment building. Again it never connects until the 6th floor so there is no obstruction of the view.  The color selection was chosen to represent one of the top investors of Blueseed which is Google, hence the name Google Complex
Facebook Theater / Gym
Further down the ship towards to the rear we placed a theater. The theater was designed to be and elegant building where potential performance companies can hold shows. There is a movie theater on the main deck and a double story performance theater directly above it.  Directly next to the theater at the very rear of the ship is our gym complex. The gym complex was designed as a typical sports pavilion so that we could have indoor playing fields which are on second story of the gym. The main floor is where the general gym equipment is housed and directly below the main deck we have a lap pool. The color selection for the Theater and the Gym were selected to again represent one of the top investors of Blueseed which is Facebook.
Circuit Bar / Restaurant / Club
The rear of the ship is mostly our above deck recreational area but the recreational area does extend as far back as the rooftop of our living/hotel structure. The design of the restaurant was based off the fact that this ship caters to tech entrepreneurs and the façade is based off of a circuit board layout and is illuminated with electric blue lighting. The restaurant is divided into three separate areas. The first floor is mainly the outdoor/indoor pub area. The second floor is the lounge/club area. The third floor is the formal restaurant where more formal meals would take place, such as investment dinners. The Restaurant is directly connected to the Facebook Theater via a catwalk from the 3rd floor of the restaurant to the 3rd floor of the theater. This allows for a planned night of dinner followed by entertainment. The last and most important building located at the front of the ship is the Office Structure.
Blueseed Office
For the office space, we researched a few different precedents including Google, Skype, and AIM offices around the world. The idea behind this was to create a workspace that could be interactive and fun at the same time. Also we wanted to create a more open area that felt free and unconfined. We played with split levels to separate and define spaces. To create separation between work and play we integrated raised sections amongst the main floor for areas such as computer labs and fabrication areas. Vertical circulation is right in the center of the office space with stairs and two elevators. Around the perimeter of the office are ramps that also incorporate some break points to either converse or relax with a sense of seclusion away from the work area.

Entrance to Work Space
For residence aboard the Blueseed boat, the entrance to the office is located one deck below the main deck (Cabre deck), which is also where a many of the residential cabins are located. It is also directly on axis with the center of the courtyard. For investors coming aboard by a taxi boat, the dock would bring them up to the main level where they can access the office via the stairs at the edge of the park. Investors flying in have a separate entrance from the helipad located on the front of the boat, accessing the office again by stairs or elevator.
Main Floor
The main floor of the office holds spaces geared more towards group projects, physical models, and video conferencing. Also held on the first floor is the Blueseed café and lounge where entrepreneurs can take a break, grab some food or drink, relax and even play some pool or air hockey to unwind. Right next to the café we have set up conference areas with flat screen televisions that can be used for video conferencing and a small study/ library area located right by the main entrance. The first floor also encompasses a computer lab where projects can be worked on or printed and plotted. This would also hold an area for scanning and 3D model making. At the center of the floor, we constructed a workspace in the shape of the Blueseed symbol that can be used again for model making or an area to lay out large plans or just a lot of paperwork, sort of an inspiration / think tank area.
Floors 2-4
Floors 2-4 are geared specifically towards collaborative companies, group projects, and mass production of work with grouped desks ranging from 4 to 10 working stations. These floors are all open to the first floor, which allows for plenty of natural lighting and gives a more freeing, open feeling. There are bathrooms located on each floor along with an elegant lounge area at the corner which overlooks the water and the rest of the ship.  The 4th floor also holds a few smaller conference rooms accessible to anybody who would need them.
5th Floor
The very top floor of the office area houses specific conference rooms, ranging in size, that are used in a more formal basis for larger or more important conferences. These rooms would include screens for video conferencing and the space to accommodate 8-20 entrepreneurs and investors. The 5th floor can be accessed from the elevator inside the office or directly from the exterior elevators by the helipad, greeted by another reception desk.

 
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Status: Competition Entry
Location: Silicon Valley
My Role: Ship Design, Everything other than office sturcture
Additional Credits: Kevin Domschine head designer of the office structure on the boat.

 
Walking Past the Theater
Walking Past the Theater
Ship Theater based off Facebook
Ship Theater based off Facebook
Ship Restaurant and Bar based off Circuit Board
Ship Restaurant and Bar based off Circuit Board
Walking through hotel are during the day
Walking through hotel are during the day
Portico throught center of the ship
Portico throught center of the ship
Helipad at Bow of ship
Helipad at Bow of ship
Office Interior
Office Interior
Walking into the office
Walking into the office
Looking down from the top of the office
Looking down from the top of the office
View of Ship
View of Ship