portfolio

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Robert A. Cox M.ARCH. COLUMBIA GSAPP

- HOUSING

- AIR LAB

- STUDIOLO

- LIBRARY

- MORINGA PACK

- LAB CELL

- DESK

- ILLUSTRATION

- ART

- FILM PHOTOGRAPHY

- DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

THE DUALITY OF THE CITIZEN/CONSUMER

HOUSING

Two roles, among many, dominate an urban life: that of consumer and citizen. We live in communities of neighbors and of commerce, as social life and commercial life intertwine. These apartments, sitting atop an existing big-box grocery store, incorporate and reflect the benefits of commerce through focused attention to a central market and the ability of resi-dents to gain income from billboard-like screens surrounding the building. But residents are also encouraged to interact with neighbors as they fill the terraces overlooking this central market, utilizing this screen as it transforms inside into a flexible framework for courtyard life.

Inside the apartments, residents can transition between two experiences of the city: the glowing, electronic striations of their billboard, or the light and plant-filled terrace of their courtyard.

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HOUSING

AIR LAB

Science (capital “S”) isn’t just some monolithic institution, something that brings down a few new articles from a secular Mt. Sinai every year. It’s made up of individuals, interacting and working with each other, often messily. It’s a human endeavor, not something distant and institutional, so the exterior is active, personal, and a bit disordered.

AIR LAB

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AIR LAB

I based this design for a study carrel on early medieval Cis-tercian monasteries, focusing on a sense of seclusion, thick walls, and the effects of light on those walls.

STUDIOLO

GROWING WALLS

Silence and personal space are commodities in the city. Libraries are public places that provide this commodity. As patrons ascend from the noisy, open street level, they are further and further contained by the growing, thicken-ing walls that in turn become shelves, seating, and private reading spaces.

GROWING WALLS

LIBRARY

LIBRARY

The iconic profile of the tree, used as a simple, graphic indication of correct stacking order.

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The backpack project, our first full assignment on entering GSAPP, became, for me, an ef-fort to design something simple for a complex situation. Taking the mechanics of an existing military-grade backpack, I utilized the potential power of this machine and applied it to the need for ready water purification in developing countries. By dividing the mechanics into three units, the responsibility, benefit, and physical weight of efficiently purified water falls into the natural leadership structure of an extended family. Because the task of water-gathering usually falls to women in these cultures, the matriarch takes charge of who in family tree shoulders the responsibility of the pack.

The moringa tree, a na-tive of tropical and sub-tropical climates, has many uses to local cul-tures, including its roots’ use as a water purifier.

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MORINGA

LAB CELL

This project asked us to design a one-man monitoring station for air quality, and in my work, I placed this sta-tion in a highly visible place: on top of a smokestack. These structures dominate many skylines across the country, and often, as in my hometown, they stand as reminders of an industrial past — one partly respon-sible for widespread problems with air quality and climate change. So, these monitoring cells sit (and turn) in the wind, perched on top of these strong sym-bols of pollution.

After a summer working for a small fine furniture company in North Carolina, I was able to build my own piece: a lap desk designed for reading and writing in bed. I included spaces for paper storage and a coffee mug for convenience, and made it out of soft cedar and impressionable leather to age well as I wrote on it.

READING IN BED

DESK

ABSTRACTION

Using a Roman sarcophagus frieze as a basis for pattern and linear arrangement, a series of charcoal drawings emerged that abstracted the stone fig-ures first into triangles, and then into eroded, organic figures. I wanted to communicate depth and slow movement, like ice fragments flowing in layers over water.

DRAWING

These paintings come from a series dealing with the po-tential ambiguity of images, illustrating a formless folk tale. Through the use of re-peated, mysterious imagery and flexible ordering, these illustrations let the viewer construct his own narrative.

DRAWING

I have been writing and illustrating stories for chil-dren since I was a child myself. It’s a rich synthesis: narrative and image, working together to create an individual world of balancing direct communication with the subtleties of the illustration.

“You see, the cloud didn’t have anywhere to go. His family had sailed over the mountains that night, and accidentally left him behind (it had been dark, remember, and I hate to say it, but clouds do look awfully alike...)”

“The one problem with the moon, though, is that he really is a pretty vain creature. He’s very proud of his good looks, and the stars are always complaining about how often he asks if there’s anything stuck in his teeth. Usually, though, his vanity is harmless -- except one night, several years ago, when it got him into trouble...”

When Imaginary Friends Come to College

Sheriff Horncorft and Adam Miss Bunnikins and Claire

DRAWING

I saw two buzzards then,gently pushing down around a rotting pinpoint.They saw me, too, I suppose,As I backed back through the briars,Another center for another day.

-R. Cox, 2009

Prayer

The following photos are about shape, line, motion, and arrangement, captured in the everyday and the discarded. Chaotic flow, stylized exuberance, and vibrant decay resonate throughout these works and many of the pieces I develop in my darkroom.

These are images of decay-ing machinery I found in the woods near my home. The forms of these objects echoed classical statuary in my mind, prompting me to digitally pair them with the Nike of Samothrace and The Sleeping Hermaphrodite from the Louvre.

FILM

FILM

DIGITAL

EDUCATION COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New York, New York, May 2013 (expected)Master of ArchitectureWAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, May 2009 Bachelor of Arts in Art History with a minor in Studio Art, study concentration in Architectural HistoryGPA: Cumulative 3.48, Major 3.87HONORSCum Laude graduateOmicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honors Society: Inducted Fall 2007Robert P. Holding Scholar: Awarded on the basis of exceptional leadership and academic promiseMary and Elliot Wood Scholar: Given for leadership in cultural, civic, and ecological affairsEagle Scout

TRAVEL-STUDYStudent, Falmouth, Jamaica: University of Virginia’s Falmouth Field School in Historic Preservation, Summer 2008• Studied the architectural history of colonial Jamaica through site visits to plantations and historic urban structures • Recorded threatened and damaged structures through detailed scale drawings and surveys• Participated in carpentry and masonry work on historic structures Researcher, Northern and Southern Italy, Contemporary Religious Architecture in Italy, Summer 2008• Conducted research on the current state of religious architecture in Italy, concentrating on four recently-construct-ed churches in Bergamo, Rome, and San Giovanni Rotondo, through observations and interviews with Italian architects, priests, and congregants • Presented findings at a research symposium and in a research paper

WORK Intern, Skram Furniture, Hillsborough, NC, Summer 2011• Built handmade, contemporary wooden furniture in a small workshop setting• Designed and produced my own pieces of furnitureInstructor, Teaching Assistant, and Counselor, NC Governor’s School, Winston-Salem, NC, Summer 2007, 2009, and 2010• Led discussion-based classes on personal beliefs, community values, and critical thoughtSubstitute Teacher, Asheboro City Schools, Asheboro, NC, August 2009 – May 2010• Acted daily as substitute teacher for grades kindergarten through 12th in a public school system

SKILLSComputer skills: AutoCAD, Rhinoceros, 3dsMax, Catia, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and PremiereForeign language: Proficient in Italian and Spanish