About
OOFA (Out of Focus Area) is a multidisciplinary design service, established by James Anderson in 2014. OOFA exploits technology and digital-fabrication to produce precise, complex, and subtle design solutions.
James earned his Masters in architecture from the University of Colorado Denver, where he and four other students designed and built the New York Times published Nakai House. Beginning his career at the award winning firm Marmol-Radziner, James was introduced to professional high design. He has assisted photographer Frank Ooms and has architectural photography published in ArchDaily, Dezeen, Westword, and Frame. Photographic clients include Colossal Media, Spotlight Home Tours, and Fin Art. James is also fascinated with virtual photography and has produced photo-realistic renderings for Cinearc and Studio PBA. Extensive carpentry work is seen at Forest Room 5. James has renovated several homes and creates fine art in his free time.
Contact: JPASIX@GMAIL.COM
Federal Coffee
2018
Design+Photography
Defined by a large bar typical of a saloon ample room for seating and service is provided, while freeing the remaining space to be flexible, catering to parties and performances. The bar's surface is punched by abstracted landscapes up for the user's imagination to interpret. The assembly is comprised of custom steel piers, punctuated by burnt cedar slats, harnessing a 6" thick CNC milled glue-lam beam finished with epoxy. The design fosters a disarming social dynamic, atypical of the more introverted tendencies of the common coffee shop.
Nakai House
2012_Design+Build+Photography
Collaborators:
Milen Milev
Cameron Minor
Rick Summerfield
The Nakai house was designed and built by five students within one school semester for Navajo Nation native Loraine Nakai. The budget was twenty-five thousand dollars, with reclaimed and donated materials largely dictating the design. The bed, bath, kitchen, and storage are all tucked within a bookshelf spanning the entire 50' length of the building. The generous shelving barely contains her vast collection of books and personal items. An unobstructed five hundred square feet is left for Lorraine to pursue her interests in comfort, protected from the harsh desert climate. The home sits respectfully among the structures of her youth and reflects the landscape with black spandrel glass from a demolished skyscraper in Salt Lake City. The Navajo Nation is a place of disenfranchisement and brutality, as well as sublime beauty and significant culture. Any luxury is exceedingly rare, and the Nakai house will provide a source of pride and comfort to Loraine and her family for generations to come.
Forest Room 5
2017_Design+Build
Assistance:
Craig Nice
Caleb Stout
Forest Room 5 is an eclectic hot-spot in Denver Colorado. The owner Thomas Nesler has a vision of bringing the outdoors to the city, and it was my job to translate his ideas into reality. Working with Tennessee Hickory sticks, live edge burl wood, and assorted plastics. Design was only limited by the rule of utility. Work varied from repairing floorboards and designing a private "tree-house," to remodeling an Airstream trailer.
Mound Lounge
2012_Digital-Fabrication
Topographically inspired, recycled cardboard chaise.
Inca House
2018_Design+Build+Photography
Full remodel of a 1920's bungalow. Floors, furniture, and fixtures fabricated from a salvaged bundle of Oak.
1x2 Ripped for flooring.
Architecture
Rec Center
2013_Design
Contributor:
Cameron Minor
Proposal for a recreation center on East Colfax, Denver CO. Our goal was to design a high-performance building that would revitalize a neglected area and provide all of the required services in a visually arresting envelope. The double skin "breathing" facade is articulated by glass fins running directionally along two ramps. The ramps serve as running tracks as well as building circulation. A giant atrium tapers inward from the ground floor basketball courts, up to a pool on the roof. Two concrete "bookends" on either side provide utility space and support floor height vierendeel trusses spanning the length of the building. Through integrating the program vertically, a large portion of the site remains open for outdoor activities and public use.
Artifact Museum
Design_2009
Our task was to design a Nuclear artifact museum on the pockmarked landscape of the nefarious Nevada test site (NTS). The building explodes out of the ground, beginning with a large exhibition space, leading to a mezzanine/cafe, finally culminating with a 100' high observation deck. Here a glass floor etched with information hovers a scale model of the (NTS), allowing the user multiple vantage points of the landscape. The dark history and immeasurable gravity of the location demanded an extreme design solution.
Women's Shelter
Design_2011
Abused women are some of the most vulnerable people in society and it was our task to design an inner city sanctuary for those in need. Appearing nondescript and formidable from the street, a light soaked and inspired space is found within. By pushing the living spaces to the perimeter, a vast atrium is created providing as much privacy or interaction as desired.
The Kitchen
Design_2007
The Kitchen is a well known farm to table restaurant in Boulder CO, that prides itself on not having a freezer. Our task was to design a new restaurant, instilled with a "slow food" philosophy. On our site there was an existing historic structure to be integrated. I chose to envelope this structure, making it a key design feature seen from all angles. Transparency was empathized turning the patrons and staff to actors, in a show for the street.
Dinner Pavilion
Design_2007
Created for one couple to have one meal on a single day, the ultimate fine dining experience was considered. In this setting the couple slowly ascends a gentle slope, only to be submerged into a kitchen to prepare an exquisite dish. The meal is then enjoyed while gazing at the grape vines from which their wine was harvested.
Photography
Caught on Colfax
Photography_2015
Art
Coming Soon