Sampling of Michael Disher’s work with architectural design and graphic illustration.

1. MICHAEL DISHER - AICP
Portfolio
1997-2010

2. Introduction
The content of this portfolio is representative of my design work as a professional city
planner with City of Port Orange, from 1997-2010. I created these drawings, sketches, and
graphics as a way to communicate design concepts to developers, colleagues, and the
general public. Please see the Contents page for information about each drawing, then click
on the page number to view the drawings themselves.
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3. Contents
Architectural Design Main Street Buildings Page 11
I have always admired the design quality of buildings found on historical
Main Streets all across America – for their craftsmanship, simplicity of
LAMAR Billboard Page 4 form, attention to detail, and artistic expression. As part of the training I
would periodically conduct for my staff on architectural design, I used
These three slides show how a billboard was designed to comply with the such buildings as examples of how to modify a typical “box” so that it
“Florida Vernacular” architectural style required by the City of Port could be appreciated at the pedestrian scale; through the appropriate
Orange in its Town Center redevelopment district. Each slide shows my sizing of windows and doors, massing and proportion from bottom to top,
hand-drawn elevation, the version submitted by LAMAR with its building and use of architectural details. In our training sessions, I would have my
permit, and a photograph of the final product. staff apply these concepts on their own drawings. I drafted the sketch on
the left in one such training session. I created the rendering on the right
SuperTarget Page 8 while learning to use Google SketchUp.
The next two slides show the design evolution of the SuperTarget store,
negotiated between the land developer, City staff, and Target Corp. The
first rendering is the initial proposal submitted by the developer. The
second was staff‟s response, intended to communicate the City‟s
expectations of design and quality for the project given its location at a
prominent gateway at the I-95 interchange. The third rendering shows the Graphic Design
final concept agreed to by all parties and ultimately approved by the
City Council. The fourth picture is a photograph of the finished building.
Sustainability Relationship Page 12
Dollar General Page 10 I created this Venn diagram to illustrate the relationship between the five
components of Sustainability as described in the City‟s 2010
These two rough-sketch concepts were prepared to assist the developer Comprehensive Plan. For each component, I created five broad Smart
with “dressing up” the side elevation of the store, which was highly visible Growth strategies that the City will use to become more sustainable over
to northbound traffic along a busy thoroughfare. The developer had the next 20 years. To the left of the diagram is the text from the Plan that
placed the design focus on the narrow front entrance facing the main explains the purpose and intent of the Sustainability Strategies. To see the
street (not visible on the drawings but located on the left side), ignoring strategies themselves, click here.
the large blank wall that would be much more visible to on-coming traffic.
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4. Architectural Design
LAMAR Billboard – Front Elevation
Permit Plans
Rendering
Finished Product
Back to Contents Page 4

5. Architectural Design
LAMAR Billboard – Side Elevation
Permit Plans
Rendering
Finished Product
Back to Contents Page 5

6. Architectural Design
LAMAR Billboard – Rear Elevation
Permit Plans
Rendering
Finished Product
Back to Contents Page 6

7. Architectural Design
LAMAR Billboard – Pedestal
Rendering Permit Plans Finished Product
Back to Contents Page 7

8. Architectural Design
SuperTarget
Initial Applicant Proposal
Initial Staff Recommendation
Back to Contents Page 8

9. Architectural Design
SuperTarget
Final Staff Recommendation
Finished Building
Back to Contents Page 9

10. Architectural Design
Dollar General – Side View
Concept 1
Concept 2
Back to Contents Page 10

11. Architectural Design
Main Street Buildings
Conceptual Elevation
Hand-Drawn
Conceptual Rendering
Google SketchUp
Back to Contents Page 11

12. Graphic Design
Sustainability Relationship - Port Orange Comprehensive Plan
Sustainability Strategies
“The strategies of the past 20 years have served the City well in
realizing its vision of becoming a progressive, high-quality
community. For the next 20 years, a new vision is needed to
ensure that the City‟s quality can be maintained; so that it can
continue to build on its success. Twenty years from now, Port
Orange will become a city that is able to meet its needs in the
present without compromising its ability to meet those needs in the
future. This is the vision of sustainability.
The sustainable city will be one that draws together the various
uses that are necessary for it to function. It will be knitted together
by an urban fabric that is designed around the needs and scale
of people. It will be a “lifelong” community that allows its
residents to meet their needs at all ages and stages of their lives.
It will be a city in which its citizens have choices in how far to
travel to get what they need and the mode they choose to get
there. It will enable people to drive less and reduce the amount of
greenhouse gases their cars produce. It will use less energy and
resources while supporting a greater number of people, and will
produce a portion of its own energy and food supply. It will be a
city of unique places and spaces. It will be a place designed for
human interaction – the cultural amenity great cities offer their
residents known as „civic life.‟
The community will shift focus from growth to sustainability.
Realizing the vision of sustainability will take a continued effort
over the next 20 years to achieve. The City will
employ…strategies…which are organized into five categories
that form the foundation of the sustainable city: land use, mobility,
people, energy, and the environment.”
Back to Contents Page 12