“Compartment Building” is a miniature tower that consists of three 4”x4” squares of 2” thick red walnut stacked on a 6”x6” piece of 1” thick black walnut. On top of the three square blocks is a sloping triangular prism of black walnut. This piece shares many design features with “Smokestacks”—the base is also black walnut, the blocks that make up the building are also red oak inlaid with black walnut to imitate windows and doors, and the piece on top that represents a roof is also made of black walnut. Like “Smokestacks,” the natural grain of the wood emulates building materials that are used to construct the larger buildings that these miniatures imitate.

Hidden from the viewer, “Compartment Building” features a wooden dowel that runs through one corner of the building from the base to the roof.  This serves as a pivot point for the red oak blocks, which swing out to reveal that each has a shallow compartment for storing items. These blocks can rotate a full 360 degrees, and snap into place thanks to hidden magnets when returned to their initial tower position.

Like the other miniature buildings, “Compartment Building” also uses wood grown, felled, and milled at Haverford College. Only after many hours of work is this rough timber ready to start being used for woodworking.

As with the rest of the miniature city, with “Compartment Building” I sought to create a piece of woodwork that is equal parts decorative and functional. Like the other miniature buildings, the function of this miniature building is not clear at first glance. The beauty of its function is only apparent with human interaction—showing that this woodwork is not meant to be enclosed in a glass case in a museum but used, loved, touched, and interacted with.