david m de céspedes_selected works_architecture & urban design

David M de CéspedesSELECTED WORKSARCHITECTURE & URBAN DESIGN

GATESHOUSING FOR A NEW-AGED COLLECTIVE

CORN BELT MIGRATIONOCCUPYING THEMISSISSIPPI RIVER

INUNDATIONURBANISM ANDINFRASTRUCTURE INJAKARTA

TRANSIT ECOLOGYHIGH SPEED RAIL ANDDEVELOPMENT IN DETROIT

VERTICAL TERRITORYENGAGING ROBOTICFABRICATION

g_01HOTEL

BOUTIQUE ACCOMMODATIONS NEAR TRAIN STATION

CREMATORIUMTHE DEAD ARE HUMANELY AND EFFICIENTLY PROCESSED

COLUMBARIUMRESTING PLACE FOR

LOVED ONES

RIP

MASTERPLAN: TOWERS ON THE PARK

FLIP !

MASTERPLAN: TOWERS ON THE PARK

NEW COLLECTIVE FORM

RESIDENTIAL2000 UNITS 40 FLOORS

GARDENSVERTICAL GREENHOUSE LOCATED AT ENTRY TO

SPINE PARK

SHOPS30 RETAIL SPACES IN THE BASE OF THE BUILDING

G a t e s

HO

USI

NG

FO

R A

NEW

-AG

ED C

OLL

ECT

IVE

YON

GSA

N, S

OU

TH

KO

REA

Adv

isor

sV

ivia

n Le

e, E

l Had

i Jaz

airy

Col

labo

rato

rsPo

oja

Dal

al, J

orda

n H

icks

2012

proposed site condition with housing structure

g_02

HOTELBOUTIQUE

ACCOMMODATIONS NEAR TRAIN STATION

CREMATORIUMTHE DEAD ARE HUMANELY AND EFFICIENTLY PROCESSED

COLUMBARIUMRESTING PLACE FOR

LOVED ONES

RIP

MASTERPLAN: TOWERS ON THE PARK

FLIP !

MASTERPLAN: TOWERS ON THE PARK

NEW COLLECTIVE FORM

RESIDENTIAL2000 UNITS 40 FLOORS

GARDENSVERTICAL GREENHOUSE LOCATED AT ENTRY TO

SPINE PARK

SHOPS30 RETAIL SPACES IN THE BASE OF THE BUILDING

g_03

The proposal for Gates as an urban megaform in a derelict context outside Seoul, South Korea began as a formal response to the master plan laid forth by the collective studio. In that plan, the district’s infrastructural spine (a constructed landscape that covered rails and highway) was lined by towers. Gates inverts this condition; the towers become voids. This new collective form is a modern parallel to Seoul’s medieval fortifications. It is a wall punctuated by gates, drawing a sharp division between the city and the spine through a lush forested landscape.

The gates, meanwhile, articulate connections. Pedestrians pass through the northern gate to access the top of the spine. The part of the building around this gate features community greenhouses. An arterial road passes through the southern gate, leading to Yongsan’s central train station, and the urban fabric across the spine. This gate houses a hotel. The central gate houses a crematorium and columbarium – necessities in South Korea, where cremation is subsidized and land for cemeteries is scarce.

section through units and public corridor

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section through housing corridor

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The configuration of housing units capitalizes on the building’s massing. The project is a single loaded corridor, 40 stories high and 460 m long. All of the housing units line the northwestern side of the building, with the bedrooms along the exterior wall, overlooking the city. The units are small and simple. The sunny southeast side of the building, overlooking the spine, is a 7m wide corridor full of small areas for social interaction, recreation, and communal amenities (from ping pong tables to planter beds to exercise bikes to barbeques to telescopes) helping elderly residents to stay active in their community.

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Public corridors expand and contract, allowing for spontaneous occupations of collective spaces.

plans

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Along the edge of each void, circulation bays create a connection between housing corridors and surprise programs.

Circulation bays act as expansion joints, utilizing a lightweight grill material which enables transparency forty floors high.

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Unit A

Unit B

three unit types within housing structure

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Unit C

Each of the three unit types take advantage of the 3.5 meter width of the structural grid. The unit types are dispersed throughout the spine, favoring irregularity in both the units and the public corridors. In all cases, the private bedrooms face the city of Yongsan and in the distance, Seoul. During the daytime, Gates reflects the city back on itself, reflecting structures and open sky. At night, the building becomes a collectivized beacon, positioning the aging Seoul population at the center of the city, both visually and psycologically. On the opposite side of the structure, the ciirculation corridors always face the spine, acting as a vertical continuation of the public activities along the spine’s landscape.

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Secondary Voids

ElevatedPublics

Tunnel-FormConstruction

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If the housing units provide the glue for the megaform, the punctuation of public corridors, secondary voids, and diversely programmed gates offer a productive counter-argument to the perceived banality of the a large, dense structure. Although the city-side of the building offers a disciplined repetition of rectangular bays, the view from the spine offers a façade of constant

RampedCirculation

ExpansionJoint

exploded axonometric of structure

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activity and difference. Rhythms are negotiated at different scales; three gates of varying heights offer vastly different programs, expansion joints provide secondary repetition through the height of the building, ramped circulation routes ease transitions for residents across mulitiple levels, and secondary public voids allow for the future programming and community-building by the residents.

vt_01

V e r t i c a l T e r r i t o r y

ENG

AG

ING

RO

BOT

IC F

ABR

ICA

TIO

N

TH

ROU

GH

TH

ERM

OD

EPO

SIT

ION

AN

N A

RBO

R, M

ICH

IGA

N

Adv

isor

sM

atia

s de

l Cam

po, A

dam

Fur

eC

olla

bora

tors

Ziul

iang

Guo

, Jus

tin

Ting

ue, A

ndre

w W

olki

ng

2012

01

final model of vertical territory test subject

vt_02

V e r t i c a l T e r r i t o r y

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High Amplitude Frame

Omni-Directional Interpolation

Derivative Interpolation

Contoured Compatmentalization

Exclusionary Interpolation

Transitory Aperture

vt_04

Vertical Territories of Recursion worked through the lense of “apophenia,” or the unmotivated seeing of connections. The complementary nature of robotic fabrication and non-euclidean spatial constructs set the stage for exploring alternative futures in which the architect’s role has shifted: from the designer of controlled space to the programmer of controlled chaos.Combining the capabilities of Processing, Maya,

and Grasshopper, several spatial explorations tested degrees of enclosure; each test leading to both physical and digital models. Though slight variations in scripts yields vastly different spatial configurations, the transition from pattern to mesh moved to the fabrication phase. Further, the transition from 3D printing to robotic thermodeposition warranted an entirely different approach for the same outcome.

Low Amplitude Frame

Continuous Interpolation Enclosure

Continuous Interpolation Matrix

Topological Aggregation

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proposed site condition with housing structure

vt_06

Various rudimentary extrusions helped to manifest clear capabilities and limitations of thermodeposition. Definitions of height, thickness, and width translated to temperature, speed, and force. This translation of languate equated to spatial definitions not based on space, but on thermodynamics.

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planar sections through structure

vt_08

Planar sections through the vertical territory identify varations in spatial opacity. After each layer of deposition, 3D scanning identifies several z-coordinate nodes, acting as the moments of subsequent deposition. Thus, the rules governing height and opacity translate into an indeterminate form. The vertical territory can theoretically construct itself infinitely; although each new layer is dependent on specific coordinates, no two levels are identical.

vt_09

vt_10

te_01

T r a n s i t E c o l o g y

HIG

H S

PEED

RA

IL A

ND

URB

AN

D

EVEL

OPM

ENT

DET

RO

IT, M

ICH

IGA

N

Adv

isor

Mar

ia A

rque

ro d

e A

larc

on

2011

te_02

proposed site condition with housing structure

T r a n s i t E c o l o g y

The context of Delray - a community within the City of Detroit - served as a basis for mapping issues related to depopulation, unemployment, and brownfield redevelopment. The argument of transit-oriented ecology positions Delray not as a context on the brink of resurgence, but as a spatial resource for the region, ripe for development not based on inhabitants, but on industries of production and industry. Thus, Delray is envisioned as a simultaneous condition of transit hub, industry, and unpopulated wilderness.

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Potential plots of development and remediationin Delray.

Correlation between rail infrastructure, abandoned properties, and unemployment.

proposed site condition with housing structure

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funding and organization structure for Delray

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plan

s of

sta

tion

and

conn

ecte

d de

velo

pmen

t

te_05

+ 18 ft.

Ground Level

+ 46 ft.

te_06

Roofscape +Water Capture

Circulation +Light Apertures

Elevated Plane +Terminal Entry

Terminals +Objects

Ground Plane +Intermodality

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01

pers

pect

ive

of p

ublic

pla

in

te_07

rendering of central space of train station

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breakdown of developm

ent uses

i_01

I n u n d a t i o n

ENG

AG

ING

INT

ERSE

CT

ION

S O

F FL

OO

DIN

G,

URB

AN

ISM

, AN

D IN

FRA

STRU

CT

URE

MEN

TEN

G, J

AK

ART

A, I

ND

ON

ESIA

Adv

isor

sM

ered

ith

Mill

er, E

tien

ne T

urpi

nC

olla

bora

tors

Eliz

abet

h N

icho

ls, K

lara

Pus

pa In

draw

ati,

Shin

ta H

adia

nti M

ecca

Din

a, A

nita

Jue

Yan

Vio

la Z

hang

2012

i_02

existing site, Manggarai Lock, Jakarta

I n u n d a t i o n

Cili

wun

g Ri

ver a

nd th

e Ja

bode

tabe

k Re

gion

i_03

The Ciliwung River, originating at Mount Bogor, serves as the primary watershed for Jakarta and surrounding cities. The megaregion is referred to as “Jabodetabek,” and includes a broad area that contains approximately twenty million inhabitants. The visual research on Manggarai, a small community largely consisting of informal settlements along the Ciliwung River.

i_04

Manggarai Lock in relation to M

enteng, Jakarta

Urban Canal System

Menteng Neighborhood

Manggarai River Lock

Ciliwung River

i_05

The Actor-Network diagram spatially maps the various agencies, organizations, and levels of government who work collectively to mitigate extreme flooding conditions. Although many of the actors work cooperatively, especially during times of extreme weather conditions, our research found several redundancies, miscommunications, and gaps with regards to managing Jakarta’s intricate system of canals and rivers.

The site of interest along the Ciliwung River is located at the crux of three different water systems, all of which disperse water away from Menteng - the wealthiest neighborhood in Downtown Jakarta. The Manggarai Lock is a series of barriers, allowing or restricting flows of water, sediment, and waste. The water index [right] depicts the various potential situations of water flow, identifying differences based on season, rainfall, and water volume.

Actor-N

etwork D

iagram of social and infrastructural relationships

i_06

lock

ana

tom

y an

d flo

odin

g/va

riab

le m

atri

x

i_07

WATER LOCK

TRASH GATE

SEDIMENT/WASTE REMOVAL

MANGGARAI LOCK

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i_09

Sectional studies of accessible riverfront conditions

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Although residents largely turn their back on the various water systems throughout Jakarta, the Ciliwung River represents many challenges of the city; the water acts as a barometer, indicating the overall health of the region’s infrastructures of water, waste treatment, and pollution. The lock was therefore analyzed for its spatial possibilities. Two scenarios along the river indicate potentials for the river where inhabitants play an active role in improving the health of the water system.

Accessible scenarios along the river’s edge

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C o r n B e l t M i g r a t i o n

SPA

TIA

L PR

OT

OC

OL

FOR

MIG

RAT

ION

,RE

SET

TLE

MEN

T, A

ND

OC

CU

PAT

ION

OF

TH

E M

ISSI

SSIP

PI R

IVER

Adv

isor

Rani

a G

hosn

2013

cb_02

proposed site condition with housing structure

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C o r n B e l t M i g r a t i o n

Upper M

ississippi Lock & Dam

Map

cb_03

The proposal for Gates as an urban megaform in a derelict context outside Seoul, South Korea began as a formal response to the master plan laid forth by the collective studio. In that plan, the district’s infrastructural spine (a constructed landscape that covered rails and highway) was lined by towers. Gates inverts this condition; the towers become voids. This new collective form is a modern parallel to Seoul’s medieval fortifications. It is a wall punctuated by gates, drawing a sharp division between the city and the spine through a lush forested landscape.

The gates, meanwhile, articulate connections. Pedestrians pass through the northern gate to access the top of the spine. The part of the building around this gate features community greenhouses. An arterial road passes through the southern gate, leading to Yongsan’s central train station, and the urban fabric across the spine. This gate houses a hotel. The central gate houses a crematorium and columbarium – necessities in South Korea, where cremation is subsidized and land for cemeteries is scarce.

“We don’t talk about the farm much anymore. From what I can tell from the drone monitors, the crops seem to be doing fine...”

cb_04

“All of us at Safe Zone 01...I’d say about 200,000 farmers and their families, live on the ring - I hear it’s to protect the prairie land inside the zone.”

cb_05

All of us at Safe Zone 01...I’d say about 200,000 farmers and their families, live on the ring - I hear it’s to protect the prairie land inside the zone.

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Not sure what the Army Corps has been up to on that island anyway, word is they’re trying to find a way for us to get back to the corn belt.

cb_07

“...look to the island and all you see is prairie and the Mighty Mississippi, but turn to the horizon and corn grows right up to the edge of the safe zone.”

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“The plains – six...well I guess you’d call them plazas – are spread out around the ring...on the weekends it feels like New York City’s Chinatown; all those people roaming around, dipping below the surface to the markets, then popping back up for some fresh air.”

cb_09

“They say it won’t be safe for another few years.”

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Maybe it’d be nice to go back, but the Safe Zone’s home now.”