tom prabowoportfolio

_In Tune

Tom Prabowo University of Michigan_M.Arch 2009Texas A&M University_B.ED 2003

tprabowo@gmail.com979.587.2850

_HyperVertical Delight_Arthouse-Icehouse

_Excess Ground_Galveston House

_Architecture of Objects_Multibrand Showroom_Fossil Accessory Store

_Modern Watch Company

In the realm of shifting landscapes, it is critical to employ an architecture that is capable of synchronizing itself into the changing patterns of its context to allow for circumstantial self-adaptation. We cannot rely on the conventional permanence of past architecture- it is crucial to shift the current architectural model from one which accepts its own static permanence into one that is capable in negotiating its ever-changing environment.

The architecture of this project scrutinizes and interprets the active forces within a shifting landscape to produce a reflexive architecture that is tuned to this impermanent site condition. It will exploit this condition as its driver and speculate towards the coming shifts in pattern intensities but will not fall victim to its own imperfect measurements.

In Tune_engaging the flawed surveillance

studio credits: dawn gilpin . jason young . will glover [advisors]

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1937

speculative drawing and model of the 94 year evolution of Stack Island relative to survey drawings provided by the USGS

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USGS survey drawings of Stack Island.

these drawings does not contain data of the water level condition of the mississippi river during the time of the survey. this missing information highlights a flaw within the process of land survey.

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Architecture is at risk!

In the realm of shifting landscapes, there lies a necessity to employ architecture that is capable of synchronizing itself to the changing context. This new context lies in an interstitial period; a timeframe that straddles one end of a cycle and creeps into the beginning of another. It is impractical to rely on the conventional permanence of past architecture, and it is critical to shift the current conversation from one of acceptance and passiveness into one that adapts to and negotiates its ever-changing environment.Architecture is an expression of forces at work.

low water condition

standard water condition

high water condition

Visible or invisible, these active forces shape the reality of Architecture in its context. Understanding the spheres of influence that various forces exert will determine the level of augmentation necessary for the architecture to exist. In light of the recent information on globalization’s impacts on culture distinction, there are still hesitations within society as a whole to take charge in altering their traditions to engage with the forces of change.

The current creative and productive mode of architecture remains essentially unchanged for the past few hundred years. Monumentality and

permanence are still one of the strongest drivers in the symbolism of an architectural resolution. These factors suggest affinities towards a resolution that is static and rejects notions of change. The love affair that society has with the ideal notion of permanence must change now! What does a culture suggest when it is based on the idea of permanence? How will it face the inevitable shifting and morphing conditions of the future landscapes? If a change in attitude is not in the immediate future, society runs the risk of being destroyed by its own aversion. As a direct translation and reflection of society’s attitude, Architecture will perish along with its patron.

possible transformation of the factory+

although the factory is capable of altering its form to be in sync with its current physical condition, it will not be able to escape its mode of production because of its ties to the assembly line logic that the United States Army Corps of Engineers is well accustomed to

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HvD is a housing proposal in Hong Kong which consists of 4000 housing units and its corresponding public amenities. The collection of towers conveys a social and aesthetic spirit of elegance that is capable of flourishing despite the current dense living condition of Hong Kong.

The overall morphogenetic form is made possible by the sinuous structure connecting the corners of each floor plate. The twelve structures grows through an elevated “ground” while changing itself along its vertical trajectory in thickness and porosity. The torquing gesture of the form not only allows for more sunlight to reach the inner cavities but it also allows for positive interaction between multiple towers. In these instances of interchange, the insertion of public programs will become the visual and physical connection that creates a strong image of unity through its architecture.

HvD_hypervertical delight

david erdman . clover lee [advisors]jason dembski . chi song [teammates]

studio credits:

porosity, elegance, lightness+

line studies to achieve qualities rendered by the core images

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parking area

parking area

initial topography modified topography

unprogrammed surface entry points

42nd floormorphology of towers morphology of towers

70th floor

penetrated topography

communal space

public

progra

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entry points into landscaped podium

entry points into landscaped podium

public program

communal space

communal spacecommunal space

tower insertion

morphology of towers112th floor

podium manipulation through landscape modifications, insertion of public program within the modified landscape and potential modes of movement within the twelve towers

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In HvD, the traditional residential tower podium of Hong Kong is replaced with a an integrated landscaped podium. This new landscape enables HvD to provide a space that is flexible and open for all types of activities to take place. While the traditional podiums of other housing towers ultimately become barriers that delineate space within the urban carpet, the landscaped podium of HvD enables itself to become an extension of the surrounding urban environment and allows outsiders to become active participants of its space.

the proposed landscaped podium of HvD will not only allow itself to be used for new forms of community interaction but its underbelly will be occupied and used in plaace of the traditional function of a tower podium

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reprogrammed urban space of a Hong Kong tower+

A series of sky lobbies occupies spaces where towers converge to become a mixing chamber of public programs and spaces. By strategically locating where these instances of tower convergence will take place and in effect placing public programs efficiently throughout the twelve towers, HvD gives ample opportunities for community interaction and growth with hopes of becoming a very cohesive and tight unit of habitation for its inhabitants. .

By taking advantage of the height of HvD’s twelve towers, residents are able to rise above other neighboring residential blocks to experience and celebrate an uninterrupted view of the surrounding bay area.

sky lobby+

+ the introduction of the modified podium as a landscaped ground is advantageous because it eliminates the physical barrier caused by the traditional raised podium. it allows HvD to extend and open itself for an injection of life by the surrounding community into this new fabricated space

Can a built environment emulate the power that nature emits? Should it embrace nature? Or perhaps do both. With art house_ice house, i propose to harness the energy of the cold climate to create a spectacle and attraction for the community to enjoy from the exterior while harboring the energy and warmth of the community in the interior.

On the exterior, the skin of the building will grow thick as the winter month’s progress and later sheds its weight when spring arrives. Coincidentally, this cyclical progression coincides inversely to the growth of a tree and its losses of leaves. Matter is never lost; it is only transferred and transformed into a different material. This progression of build up and release will continue year in and year out along with celebration of the coming and going of the seasons. The skin of the building will record the passing of time by continuing to weather and age as time passes.

Arthouse_Icehousea response to the climatic alarm

malcolm mccullough [advisor] studio credits:

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weather chamber1learning center2reception area3service core4cafe - restaurant5theater - auditorium6gallery space7office space8

Located off the coast of Lake Michigan, the town of Grand Haven played a great role in the regional development of Western Michigan in the 19th and into the early 20th century. Its connection to the waterways of the Great Lakes allowed Grand Haven to be the transportation hub of Western Michigan. With the advancement of transportation, the small industries that utilized the waterways and drove the regional economies of past have all but disappeared and left Grand Haven. Arthouse_Icehouse is an attempt to reintroduce and reinforce the lost connection between the waters of the Great Lakes to the community of Grand Haven and beyond

+ mister system - misters blowing neighboring water from lake michigan will be activated in the event that the ice accumulation of the weather chamber is below the projected amount

seasonal timeline

zinc

before after

glass

douglas fir

copper

+ materials for the weather chamber was chosen based on the agingqualities of each material

+ elements used within arthouse_icehouse will play an active role in the recording of the changing environment. this conscious effort to link the exterior and the interior will only enhance the geographic awareness and build a sharper sensibility towards the ambient atmospheric phenomena to the users to the environment.

Architecture will be the facilitator of the summit, linking authorities with powers to change with a permanent space’s desire for reprogramming. It will bring together forces that once were at odds to trigger new potential for earnings and new forms of profit. It will be the broker between the periods of transformation.

The traffic produced will directly result in the return that it will yield. As a designated area for summit meetings, the grounds will be a host to two rivaling authorities and a third moderator party. In the global urban picture, the summit will be one of the many catalysts of change. Ideas generated during the summit meetings will become the path of action for those contested territories. Once that accord has been negotiated and finalized, the work of the space for that particular project has been completed. The summit ground will then be tasked to find new regions and territories that are being contested for and invite its warring parties to engage in talks within its neutral location.

Excess Groundsummit for the contested

robert adams [advisor] studio credits:

The machine is broken

Its been 7 years since I’ve last been home. All I want to do is go and see my parents, my brother and sister. I miss Jakarta, my home.

The machine is broken

I know this because 7 years ago, when I last set up the machine, Private John came through the window. That is not supposed to happen.

The machine is broken

In the 7 years since the incident, Private John is now working in the bureau as my assistant. We’ve been desperately trying to fix the machine. The bureau doesn’t know that Private John jumped the window. The bureau doesn’t know that I have the machine.

The machine is broken

Its been 7 years since I last tried the machine. It hummed as if it was going to work but the window never opened. All I heard was the distant laughter and whisper of my 2 year old nephew.

The machine is broken. I need it fixed.

+ screenshots from the short film “Broken Machine”

The architecture is designed to reduce conflict and promote interaction between the parties involved.Architecture will set the stage for the terms of negotiations and debate. The summit meeting will act its role, and the architecture will be its audience. It is neutral, but willing to swing in favor of where the action is.

Marked with an arrival and departure time, the transient will constantly move and construct new conversations for the next settlement as it did in the previous one. It becomes a reference point to which one can see while predicting significant changes occurring in the near and far. With the arrival comes new propaganda for the surrounding; touch ups, facelifts even a complete renewal has the potential to materialize. How it plays out depends on the participants. Architecture characters and personalities will emerge through the process, some familiar and some entirely new.

Upon finding a chosen site, agents will scramble from the base and occupy the vacant spaces and territories in decline. It will enclose and secure the site while acting to build renewed confidence to the forgotten territory. Working as a forensic investigator, the agents will collect data, clues and artifacts to determine possible solutions for use in the summit meetings. Its ability to manipulate perceptions of the content and play up its potential in the given territory is crucial to the success for the future architecture and its users. New transformations will be within the boundaries of the contested territories.

moderator entrance1agent entrance2green room3strategy room4progress / propaganda screen5the pit corridor6escape routethe pitannouncement plinthprivate quarters

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+ viral map of the export of intellectual influence derived from one summit to the next

The Galveston House attempts to achieve an elegant balance between transparency and privacy with the same stroke. Utilizing the typical Galveston vernacular form of a gabled house, this house differs by generously connecting the interior rooms with the natural ground through a deep exterior space. This interconnectedness not only reign supreme interior-exterior relationship but also within the interior public spaces by essentially mixing the entire first floor into one giant great room that is differentiated only by the arrangement of the furniture.

This home’s simplicity makes it a convincing modern rendition of the typical housing vernacular of Galveston Island. The surprising thing is how the pared down approach to the design has made the Galveston House feels united with its surrounding community.

Galveston Housetwo step vernacular

gus hamblet [advisor] studio credits:

living area1

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kitchen2guest quarter3study4bedroom5master bedroom6media room7

+ exploded axonometric view

The architecture of objects series examines the interesting crossroads between the object for art and object for function. Distinguishing these two characteristics of a given object, the projects presented within this series attempted to delve deeper into this exploration with the outcome that can only be explained as with the title of the class – the architecture of objects.

Employing a mixture of new technologies and skilled craftsmanship as part of the manufacturing process, the finished product managed to also exude a hybrid but yet contradictory quality of machined cleanliness with a slight imprecision of the hand.

Architecture of Objectsseries 01_vase, coatrack, lamp

shaun jackson [advisor] studio credits:

+ this torquing coatrack is formed by combining seven douglas fir rods into a starch printed connector piece. the appearance of the piercing rods through the connector piece will add a playful touch to the interior of a modern room

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a profile of the side rails is digitally modeled and swept along a path to build the walls of the vase

3D model is starch printed then finished and waterproofed with clear lacquer

birch plywood veneer is laser cut then finished in wax and fitted into the shelves of the vase sidewalls

finished piece

+utilizing the double layered paper of the lampshade, the simple form of the lamp becomes much more interesting when the lamp appears to have two different effects depending on whether the light is on or off

As the main showroom for all of the Fossil license brands, the Multibrand Showroom will be the venue for the various brands that simultaneously showcase their products within the 15,000 sqft space. To distinguish spaces of the various brands, large graphic holders will be in place to create the meeting rooms for each brand. The graphic holders will also function as a backdrop for the products being showcased during the showroom meetings. The very limited color palette used gives the space a sense of neutrality in order to limit the space into favoring a any certain brand using the space.

Multibrand Showroom35th and Fifth Ave_NYC

kyle jeffery . michael cerda [teammates] credits: fossil inc.

As the face of the Fossil brand, the accessory store concept needed to fully emanate the culture and sprit that the Fossil brand embodies. Hip, modern with an ageless spirit, this concept captures the energy and essence of the brand.

Walking into the store, a customer would feel a familiar sense of belonging similar to the comfort of entering their grandparent’s house. Along with products and merchandise available for purchase, the store presents objects found in a typical home to add to the friendly touch and warmth of a lived in home. This harmony was intended to create a cozy retail experience so customers would feel comfortable and relaxed during their stay in the store.

Fossil Accessory Store

kyle jeffery . michael cerda . shawn gottschalk . stacie thompson [teammates] credits: fossil inc.

As an extension of the Fossil brand, Modern Watch Company was designed to be a luxurious retail experience for a customer in search for the perfect accessory. Modern Watch Company unites watch brands from a wide spectrum of pricepoints into a single retail space.

The innovative mixture of low end materials with materials traditionally linked with high end retail provides a playful twist in the shopping experience. As customers enter the translucent blue plexiglass framed entryway, they cross the will be warmly greeted by the tones of the multiple wood mixture used throughout the furnishings of the store. A mixture of the lighting tones used within the space of the store also complements the tones of the materials as to not interrupt the visual flow of the retail experience.

Modern Watch Company

kyle jeffery . michael cerda [teammates] credits: fossil inc.