benjamin schulte architecture portfolio

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CENTER: Natural Granite Piece CONNECTION: Sculpture Park

QUARRY ART CENTER

Barre, VT | Design 10 | Competition | 2012Lyceum Fellowship Competition

“Connective Separation”

Since its beginnings, Vermont’s natural surroundings have been at the center of its growth. The degradation of its resources due to logging and quarrying has left broken moments throughout an illustrious piece of land. The addition of ART can bring life back to the disjointed landscape and heal the wound left behind on the LAND. The Wells-Lamson Quarry can become a blank canvas in which art can be inscribed upon its landscape to bring light to its history. Through ARCHITECTURE, a connection is made between the healing powers of ART and the celebration of its NATURAL context. Through permeability, the program creates a link from individual moments to form visual CONNECTIONS.

BOOK ENDS: Architecture DIVISION: Natural Granite Piece

PRIV

ATE

PUBL

IC

Art Center

CONNECTIONS

Vertical

Horizontal

Horizontal

SEPARATION

4

5

6

7

1 0

9

9

3

2

2

Barre, VT

Separate UnitsRotate for Connected Spaces +

Connected Site Views

Project to Topographical Conditions Separate ProgramsOpen Circulation for Connective Spaces

INTERACTION SECLUSION

Visual Art Studios

Barre, VT

“Quarry Edge” Memorial

Visitor Center

Art Center

BEDROOM 1

BEDROOM 2 *

BATH

BATH

Connected Divided

Resid

ent 1

Resid

ent 2

KITCHEN/DINING

LIVING

TOP FLOOR: COMMUNAL

Enter on Top Floor: Embedded in Topography

BOTTOM FLOOR: INDIVIDUAL

* Office in 2 Caretaker Units

Separation Wall Twist Separation for Floor Connection

Twist Exterior for Interior Spaces

Creating Axial Views Stacked Timber Constructionto Fit Vermont Context

Artist Resident Cabins

CLEAR View due to Transparent Acrylic Tubes

OBSTRUCTED View due to Walls

HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL

Atlantic City, NJ | Competition | 2010Atlantic City Boardwalk Holocaust Memorial

“Living Vigil”

“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the Spirit returns to god who gave it” – Ecclesiastes 12:7. In Hebrew, Ecclesiastes is rooted in the feminine participle “to gather.” A focus is given to the assemblance of personal experiences to form a group experience—one of a vigil. As a symbol of the spirit, light is emitted through transparent acrylic tubes to represent the connection between earth and god. Each spirit glows brighter as it is approached. This is achieved with a grid of weight sensors beneath the concrete flooring. Concrete stools penetrate through the flooring, facilitating unique individual experiences. As human presence increases, the vigil glows brighter. Delivering a universal message, each tube is inscribed with scripture in various languages. The memorial is a permanent vigil against genocide that will serve all humanity.

STOOL = Personal Experience due to 360° Views BENCH = Manipulated Experience due to Axial View

Vigil Experience | Night Floor Plan

Boardwalk View

Atlantic City, NJ

Memorial

Individual Experience | Day Floor Plan

traditional

motion

mmmmotion picture

clip clip clip F I L M=

WYNWOOD MEDIATHEQUE

Miami, FL | Design 7 | 2010Sundance Film Institute

Successful films are attributed to a fluid combination of clips. In an effort to spatially inhabit this concept, redefining program in the theater was essential. Sequencing individual clips in a space allows for the inhabitant to become uniquely connected with the film shown. The ‘Motion Theater’ also interacts with its user both mentally and physically, different from traditional theaters. The main circulation of the Mediatheque inhabits the ‘Motion Theater’ creating a continuous floor which branches into each auxiliary floor.

= + +

1entrance immersive

environmenttraditional

screensamphitheatre

2 3 4

1

2

2

2

3

4

33

1 2 2 3 2 3 3 4

Viewing Area

Instruction Floor

Miami, FL

m

w

6

5

Floor 2 1: Viewing Area2: Video Library

Floor 3 3: Instruction Area4: Archives

Mediatheque

typical terminal + hangar connection between to create a viewing area

SEAPLANE TERMINAL

Miami, FL | Design 6 | Competition | 2010Chalk’s Ocean Airways

“Transitions”

Change in axis creates a MOMENT.

Due to the seaplane’s unique means of transportation, the transition between land, water + air became the key element for the seaplane terminal. The essential move was to create a change in axis in order to provide a moment for the passengers to view the city of Miami and the transition between the three elements. The perspectival structure and the glass floor accentuate this moment. Watson Island provides unique views of not only the city’s skyline but also the bright, glowing causeways at night. Since the terminal is bridging the gap between land, water and air, the terminal is lit at night to complete the lights around Biscayne Bay.

push + pull to accentuate the views + programglass floor to see transition from sea to land

CHANGE IN AXIS to create a moment of interactionpinch to accentuate the perspective

Miami, FL

Seaplane Terminal

Departures | Floor 1

Arrivals | Floor 2

-4’

-4’

+3’

+3’

Reverse the existing slope to define the edge of the piazzaInscribe Piazza San Silvestro with a perfect square to bring order to the irregular building conditions surrounding the existing piazza

PIAZZA SAN SILVERSTRO

Rome, Italy | Design 9 | 2011Roma Capitale

“Piazza Quadrata”

Rome the city of Piazzas; ones of all shapes, sizes, and historical significance. Yet, they are only defined by their context buildings. Piazza San Silvestro’s existing design lacks a definitive edge. Thus, the design introduces a perfect square, which inverts the existing slope of the piazza to create a physical boundary. Entrance is then defined on each edge boundary. Roman piazzas also lack structure to create a programmatic use; which was a key issue in the design approach. Creating seating and definition in each section of the piazza allows for each to transform into other functions.

Cut axes through the piazza to connect major entrances.Main axis (Decumanus) connects the Church of San Silvestro in Capite with the Church of San Cladio.

Secondary axis (Cardo) connects the auxiliary building entrances.

The 4 quadrants resemble the Roman Quadrata, which is thought to be the original settlement of Rome.

Each quadrant differs: a fountain, an open space, a park, and auditorium.

Rome, Italy

Piazza Quadrata

Site Plan

A

A

B

B

Rome, Italy

Section A-A

Piazza Quadrata

Section B-B

Bench Detail

Inserting a mass into a street like site condition will leave unusable exterior spaces.

Moving the programmatic elements of the market allows for the ground level to become PERMIABLE.

OCTAVIAN FISH MARKET

Rome, Italy | Design 9 | 2011Jewish Ghetto Fish Market

“La Nuova Loggia del Pesce”

The site of the fish market is to be located in essentially a street section, thus the design should not block surrounding views. In an effort to alleviate a massive building structure, secondary program was located underground, freeing up the plaza to function solely as an open market. Due to the surrounding context having such a rich architectural history, there was a necessity to design a building with perforation.

Day:Light enters the underground offices through transparent structural light wells.

Night:Light emits from underground, transform-ing the columns into lanterns.

A

B

B

Section A-A

Ground Floor Plan

Rome, Italy

A

Fish Market

Harrison style entryDraws from the Great Hall aboveCreates an opening without piercing the form

Front EntryAllows one to see into each space from center collumn

Back EntryMoves people away from the centerEngages people with entire exhibition floor area

NYSCI: REGENERATION

Flushing, NY | SITU Studio | 2011NYSCI: New York Hall of Science

The Wallace K Harrison designed New York Hall of Science houses an exhibition space with one of the most unique coffered ceilings. The tree like structure holds a prominent role in the space, thus the design needed to revolve around.

Two issues in the space needed resolution, organization and light. Light regenerates every day making it one of the most ephemoral elements on Earth, yet it needs to also organize space. The solution was to create hollow ‘light rays’ which hold elements of the ReGeneration exhibit but also create a canvas to display externally.

Solid Ground PiecesCreates a landscape of functional piecesFunction as bench or display units

Mix of Fabric + RopeCombination of Fabric and Rope creates a ‘spot light’

Vertical Strip FabricCreates an individual ‘light ray’Each strip allows for different oppacities

Flushing, NY

UP

UP

UP

UP

UP

UP

UP

UP

UP

UP

UP

ReGeneration

POP-UP CHAPEL

New York, NY | SITU Studio: Competition | 2011The Knot + Architizer: Pop-Up Wedding Chapel

The Pop Up Chapel is a single, diaphanous dome constructed out of the most essential celebra-tory materials: silken cord, silver rings and giant white balloons. Taking example from Gaudi’s catenary experiments, a network of flexible cords are gently floated up into position by balloons, finding its own most natural and elegant form.

The dome is created by tying 24 pieces of white, silken cord to the perimeter of an 8’x8’ square, wooden platform in a specific pattern. Where two cords intersect – a metal ring that tethers a large, white, helium-filled balloon is clipped on, coupling the cords together and lifting that section towards the sky. As more and more balloons are tied to the silken meshwork, the chapel literally “pops up” from the ground. The pattern of cords is placed such that one corner of the square platform remains open for the wedding party to enter. The officiant takes position at the opposite corner, the two witnesses on the sides, and the wedding couple right in the center, able to look up directly into the apex of the floating silk dome.

New York, NY

Pop-Up Chapel

bensch.usBENJAMIN SCHULTE

For Sketches + Additional Work:

Benjamin Schulte

[email protected]

Benjamin Schulte | www.bensch.us | [email protected] | 1.651.324.5318

benjamin schulte architecture portfolio

Documents

kitchendininglivingtop

topographybottom floor

addition of art

floor connectiontwist

healing powers of art

granite pieceart

natural context

individual moments