working portfolio

MATTHEW SCHEXNYDER

M ARCHSEGMENT I2008-2010

CONTACT 31 Linden Place, Unit 5 Brookline, MA 02445 617 459 5828 [email protected]

EDUCATIONJanuary 2008 - Present Boston Architectural College [Currently enrolled in Master of Architecture program]

July 2005 - July 2006 University of Oklahoma [Human Relations, Continuing Education Program]

May 1992 - May 1996 United States Air Force Academy [Bachelor of Science Degree, Human Factors Engineering]

EMPLOYMENTSeptember 2009 - Present Menders Torrey & Spencer Architects, Intern Architectural Designer

Fall 2009 Boston Architectural College, Teaching Assistant, Architectural History

May 2008 – September 2008 Miller, Dyer, Spears Architects, Revit/AutoCad Drafter

June 2008 – August 2008 Boston Architectural College, Summer Academy Design Studio Leader

March 2007 – September 2007 Air Logistics Alaska, Commercial Helicopter Pilot

September 2006 – March 2007 Heli USA, Commercial Helicopter Pilot

May 1997 – July 2006 US Air Force, Officer, Pilot

May 1996 – May 1997 US Air Force, Officer, Teaching Assistant, Human Factors Engineering

SKILLSFreehand drawing, orthogonal and technical perspective drafting

Abode Creative Suite, Revit, AutoCad, Rhinoceros 4.0, SketchUp and other visualization software

Scale model-making and computer generated model design and rendering

On-site existing conditions surveying and documentation

Sustainable design principles and LEED certification document preparation

LEED® Green Associate

RÉSUMÉ RÉSUMÉ

CONTENTSTABLE OF

A STUDIO //POINTS, LINES,PLANES

A STUDIO//WEARABLE DEVICE/INHABITABLE WALL

A STUDIO//MUSIC ANALYSIS

B-1 STUDIO//20th CENTURY HOUSE ANALYSIS

B-1 STUDIO//BOAT HOUSE

B-2 STUDIO//PROJECT 0

B-2 STUDIO//ARBORETUM

B-2 STUDIO//CHINATOWN CULTURAL CENTER

FREEHAND DRAWING

ARCHITECTURAL SKILLS

PERSPECTIVE DRAWING

STRUCTURES I

STRUCTURES II

PRACTICE

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

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ACADEMIC2008-2009

The goal of this project is to investigate figure-ground relationships in 2D and discover how they might be expressed in 3D. Emphasis is placed on abstraction, figure-ground ambiguity, and visual heirarchy.

After exploring multiple arrangements of 2D elements, the process of creating 3D models focuses on concepts of extrusion, intersection of planes, mass/void relationships, and enclosure. Ultimately, the 3D model becomes a scaleless object that can be viewed from all elevations.

REQUIREMENTS Arrange several 2D compositions using black and white paper on chipboard. The compositions should create deliberate figure-ground ambiguity. One composition is then extruded and transformed into a final 3D object. Sketches, sketch models, and measured drawings are employed to invesigate and document.

CONVERTING 2D TO 3D: POINT, LINES, PLANESStudio Leader : Mila ChunDuration : 4 weeks

Final model.

A-1 STUDIOSPRING 2008

Preliminary sketches, early identification of diagonal movement, pixels evovling into curvilinear planes.

A-1 STUDIOSPRING 2008 9

The three figure-ground compositions to the left are the products of exploring the visual potential of points, lines, and planes. While these derivatives of my preliminary sketches appear formally diverse, they all express a common dynamic of diagonal movement. Unhappy with the rigidity of the pixelated grid, I wanted to further explore the properties of motion using curvilinear planes or freeform ribbons. This preference for the curvilinear allows for an exploration of interlocking/overlapping figure-ground relationships while exploiting the movement of diagonal elements.

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Thumbnail sketches and Initial sketch models (opposite page) are interpretations of the chipboard compositions in the language of curved, intertwined planes. Constructing them proved very instructive in defining how curved planes intersect in 3D.

As part of the exercise, we were instructed to visialize/reinterpret the figure-ground studies as intersecting planes. Placed on two sides of a cube and extruded, what resulting 3D geometries appear? More importantly, what fields become masses and what fields become voids? Based on the planes illustrated on the left, I constructed a model and drafted sectional drawings to explore not only the emergent structure, but the scale and spacial qualities of the resultant open and enclosed volumes.

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Based on critiques from my studio leader and colleagues, I made several adjustments to the model on the previous page. The final model reflects a greater attention to connecting previously enclosed spaces and eliminating features that had appeared to be “added on” to the exterior. As a result, the final model evokes the language of the initial figure-ground studies while establishing a balance of mass, structure, enclosure, and volume.

To reflect on the transformation from 2D composition to 3D model, we were asked to construct sectional studies of the final model as 2D figure-ground works on chipboard. By doing so, a complete cycle of evolution can be traced from 2D to 3D and back again to the source of investigation.

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Project requirements: Through a series of visual and measured studies, analyze a particular movement/action. Based on these observations, design a “wearable” device that evaluates this specialized action. Considering this device, then design a wall that can be inhabitated based on the priciples of the movement and device. Develop sketches and models to illustrate these concepts.

This project is divided into two distinct design phases. First, a device must be designed to assist or support a particular action or movement. This process requires the documentation of the human scale, the analysis of kinesthetic mechanics, and finally, the construction of the device at full scale. Based on the findings and observations for this “wearable” device, the second project phase represents a change of scale. An “inhabitable wall” is designed as a metaphorical extrapolation of the human scale device and the movement it articulates.

Through this exercise, I observed that while there is a relationship between mass and structure, structure does not always reveal the center of gravity or character of mass. At some point in the act of sitting, the structure of the body must be assisted by the chair. The device exposes this tenuous balance between the demands of mass and the limitations of structure. The wall expresses this relationship by suspending the mass of the room from an exposed, precarious structure.

WEARABLE DEVICE/INHABITABLE WALLStudio Leader : Mila ChunDuration : 4 weeks

A-1 STUDIOSPRING 2008

I chose the relatively mundane act of sitting as my movement of analysis. I wanted to investigate this action precisely because it is mundane to the point of being reflexive/involuntary. By examining a series of photgraphs, I began to isolate the stages involved to the process of sitting.

The action is mundane, but physically complex. A second series of photographs more closely documents the structural aspects of sitting. The body’s structure only supports the body for half of the process. This reveals the assumption that some thing external to the body’s own structure will intervene to support the mass of the body.

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My device maps the skeleton and attempts to expose the geometry of the body. By employing this device, it is possible to isolate the structural activity of sitting to determine the point at which the skeletal system reaches its limit to support the mass of the body. As the arms and spine move forward to balance and the legs bend to lower the body, the geometry of this structural map reveals the complex demands a shift in mass can create. It also reveals a dependence on external structure.

For the final version of the device (below), I asked myself, “What would be the most minimal addition to the human structure to enable sitting without the influence of peripheral structures? The final device incorporates an “extension” of the spine and demonstrates “suspension” of mass. Ultimately, sitting is an act of confidence, based on our assumuptions about intervening structures and our certitude in their strength.

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Details (right) show the PVC structure of the device and the straps which connect the device to the user.

The essential stages which express the essemce of the action, the transition of the body's weight from the skeleton to the device, are shown below.

1mass carried by skeleton 2mass needs external support 3mass is suspended from device

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By sketching and isolating examples of mass and structure, I began to conceive of a wall design to express the physical relationships of the wearable device. An initial model (top) shows structure but does not have any mass. It was clear that my inhabitable wall would have to express both mass and structure as unique elements and that a third connector element would have to be introduced to allow for the suspension condition that takes place in the final stages of the device action. For that purpose, I began to think of spheres as placeholders for body mass and an armiture and cables as means for an articulated, independent structure.

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To further explore the mass/structure relationship as it might relate to the “inhabitable” wall, I chose a class room wall that overlooks the street. Given that the wall is two stories above ground, it presents the opportunity to explore the physical aspects of suspension.

The final model (below) expresses mass as volumes that extend out of the room and above the street. The obvious structure from which the mass is suspended amplifies the message that this mass would otherwise be unable to support itself. As an interior, this structure/mass becomes a collection of inhabitable spaces. The exposed structure gives the user the confidence to step out of the room and work/reside above the street. This action is essentially the same as the mundane act of sitting, only here the metaphor is acted out at an amplified scale and at the risk of hovering two floors above the ground.

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subterranean homesick

alien

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homesick

departure attempt

departure attempt

homesick

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departure attempt

hopeful

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resolved

departure attempt

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The amorphic forms of my initial sketches (above) are place holders for specific recurring stanzas and emotions in the composition. They become formalized to express the complexity and specificity of those emotions as depicted in the diagram (right).

This studio project aims at transforming a musical composition into inhabitable space.

Project requirements: Analyze a piece of music from a group of compositions offered by the studio leader. Based on observation, visually record some aspect of the music. This visual record will serve as the basis for further exploration and eventual transformation of the piece into a proposed inhabitable space.

I chose the String Quartet’s rendition of Radiohead’s, Subterreanean Homesick Alien. My first impression of the composition was informed by the agitated and despondent atmosphere created by the strings. My analysis is in no way mechanical; instead it is an emotional response to the sequence, mood, and romantic nature of the piece.

By identifying and mapping repetitive segments of the song I discovered a cycle that along with the title, suggests a narrative. Despite the “homesick” tones of the strings, the structure of the song allows agitation to give way to hopeful resolution. My intial sketches (opposite page) record this narrative as a body attempting to depart from the inert, “homesick” state. In accordance with the segments of the song, this departure attempt fails several times yet the body remains resolute. By the end of the song, new musical arrangements signal a change, and the body is free to depart. My analysis reveals a narrative of persistence and hopeful departure.

A-1 STUDIOSPRING 2008 TRANSLATING CONCEPTS:MUSICAL ANALYSISStudio Leader : Mila ChunDuration : 6 weeks

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After developing an analytical understanding of the compostion, the studio was presented with a proposed site. While some site analysis was required, the real focus of the project remained on transforming the music into a three dimensional form with spatial qualities. Without a specific program, I began to adapt my interpretation of the song to the site. This was particularly challenging because the site revealed itself to be rather inadequate in length when I placed my interpretation at a human scale.

Unable to maintain the linear nature of my musical analysis, I identified the underlying principles that were indispensible to my interpretation of the music. Formally, I decided to loop the segments upon themselves. To adhere to the composition’s metaphor of departure, I extracted 3 axes from my analysis on which the visual metaphor of departure occurs. It is this disconnecting that is the most important emotion displayed in the composition.

Departure in 3 axes

Stacking the sequence to conform to the site and represent the metaphor of departure.

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I am working here towards resolving the newly assigned program into the music analysis sequence. The drawings show the sequence of departure in section and plan; a journey from the subterranean space for one to the detached/departed viewing space. The large area on Level 0 is an open air group space.

level 1+level 0

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The introduction of program added an additional layer with which to explore the concept of departure. The studio was directed to provide a space for isolation and a space for a group. The departure concept as defined by the musical analysis afforded the opportunity to ponder how one might move through a series of spaces and experience the emotional sequence of the song. The multi-level site was the first component in this sequence. By starting in the dark depths of the space, one is forced to wander, gaining and losing glimpses of the sky. This process of denial leads ultimately to upward movement, detatchment from the subterranean, and finally to departure. The last module of the space is literally detached from the structure to represent the final figure in the musical analysis and the metephorical departure of the homesick alien.

The final proposal (this page and following pages) is the synthesis of the musical analysis with site and program. The spirit of the initial analysis remains in two ways: 1) the metaphor and sequence of the compostion’s emotional narrative and 2) the visual expression of complex forms departing from the ground datum.

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Final proposal.

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Final model.

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A full understanding of a building is only possible through observation and analysis. By assessing the existing conditions and contexts of a well known 20th century residence, it is possible to develop a clearer knowledge of not only the structure and its surroundings, but the conceptual design principles that it make it unique. Focusing on methods of critical examination, the processes of identifying, mapping, and internalizing key design principles were at the heart of this project.

Out of a small selection of 20th century dwellings, I chose to study the early Modernist house, Tempe á Pailla, by architect Eileen Gray. This dwelling was built between 1932 and 1934 and still stands (albeit in rather poor condition) in Castellar, France. After researching all aspects of site, program, structure, daylighting, circulation, materials, etc., I attempted to record these elements through study models, measured drawings, and diagrams. This combination of analysis and diagramming was essential in developing an informed understanding of the architect’s intentions and successes. It was also essential in developing my appreciation for Gray’s ability to combine a uniqie layering of new and existing construction with Modernist ideals and personal eccentricities.

The assignment culminates with an “intervention” of the existing dwelling based on the key principles uncovered through the building analysis. I proposed a single guestroom addition that would reflect the key design principles while respecting the priorities of the original design.

ANALYSIS AND DIAGRAMMING/DESIGN PRINCIPLES OF A 20th CENTURY HOUSE Studio Leader : Bob CookDuration : 4 weeks

B-1 STUDIOFALL 2008

Base drawings of the existing structure. The architect built upon existing stone cisterns and, in fact, used similar stone in parts of the new construction.

existing

cistern

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Gray built upon two existing stone cisterns. In fact, these elements informed her original design in two ways: structurally and materially. The model (left) shows the layering of new and old structural elements. The diagrams depict the sequence and manner in which Gray augmented the existing stone walls; the result is an irregular structural grid and reinforced retaining walls to tame the narrow, hillside site.

Key concept #1.

Existing and New construction: Gray’s new construction essentially conforms to the site: terrain, existing structures, and existing paths. But upon this canvas, Gray overlays an irregular structural grid that unifies the existing fieldstone walls and new concrete volumes into a textured whole. Strategically, Gray extends the stone walls to provide a contrast for a Modern vocabulary: concrete and rectilinear mass. As one writer suggests, Gray’s interest in the layering of new and old demonstrates the “material’s expressive potential versus an interest in tectonics.” The existing substructure then serves multiple purposes; most importantly, it provides an impermeable boundary between dwelling and public. But while doing so, it becomes a “texture”, a material to be manipulated. By honoring the history of the site, the spirit of the project predates and enriches the Modern and expresses Gray’s avant-garde tendencies.

TEXTURES/STONE AND CONCRETE

RECESSED LAYERS

The sequence of construction (this page, top). Stage 5 marks the beginning of the architect’s involvement with the site.

The diagrams at left highlight the architect’s use of material and recessed volumes to created a highly textured facade. The use of a variety of materials and the manipulation of depth to break up the elevation are the primary visual strategies used on the exterior of the building.

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Key Concept #2.

“Bridging” and Privacy.First and foremost, Gray designed this building as a personal retreat from her Paris lifestyle. By rejecting the “free plan”, Gray has created a space shifting ground plans, functional zones, and semi-independent compartments. Special emphasis is placed on threshold and boundaries. The “corridor” is entirely removed from the plan and relocated to the exterior (pedestrian pathway) to maximize the use of highly specialized zones. The line between architecture and furnishing is blurred and spaces are allocated multiple, specific functions, e.g.: studio/living room and entry/dining area. The home is designed inside out with greater priority given to functional, interior volumes over exterior, formal gestures.

In addition to primary entryways, Gray offers two alternative access routes. Both of these routes are exterior “bridges”. One is a literal bridge between the terrace and garden and the other links terrace, guestroom, and street. It seems the primary purpose of these lanes is not convenience, rather privacy. In one case, a bridge joins home and garden while circumventing the public path. In the other, the guestroom is connected to the street and terrace while avoiding contact with the main living spaces. This speaks to the dwelling’s primary, stated purpose of “isolated retreat” and highlights Gray utmost regard for privacy.

The building is unusual because it lacks a central interior corridor. The corridor is removed to the exterior; there are even two entrances, one for the owner and another for the live-in house-keeper. One literal bridge and a stairway that acts as a bridge allow access to the main living area while avoiding trespass of the “private” zones.

The narrow site is defined by the terrain, the existing public path, and the street. The retaining wall facing the street deliberately becomes a boundary between public and private.

CIRCULATION/BRIDGING

SITE FORCES/AXES

The dwelling can be broken into unique, semi-independent volumes. Boundaries are strategically employed to highlight thresholds between private and public spaces.

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external roomsslab/bridges interior volumes owner’s domain axon wireframe terrain

DAYLIGHTING FIGURE-GROUND ELEVATIONS

terrain

GRIDS AND ALIGNMENTS

VOLUMETRIC STUDY MODELS

I attempted to document as many aspects of the building as possible through a variety of media. Work on this page and opposite contributed directly and indirectly to my overall understanding of the building’s situation on the landscape, its program, and its components.

The models here document the three dimensional shapes of Gray’s interior spaces which guided the formal development of my “intervention”.

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INTERVENTION

Based on my understanding of Gray’s compostion, I found that the key concepts of mixing existing and new construction and “bridging” would be necessary and logical components of any built intervention on the site.

The nature of this project, approaching an existing site and building upon what is already there, is sympathetic to Gray’s original design. After all, even she appropriated the existing elements of the site to guide her own composition.

As I began to sketch through possible formal and programatic additions to the existing structure, I looked for opportunities to built upon existing physical elements. Hoping to use an existing garden wall adjacent to the front patio and garden bridge as a foundation, I sketched ideas of a detached guest house. Materially, this would also present an opportunity to use the field stone of the old walls and the concrete of Gray’s Modernist pallet.

The second key design principle, bridging, is also appropriated in my design intervention. By locating the detached guest house on the garden side of the existing patio bridge, I am able to respect Gray’s relatively strict divisions of private and public space. Like the original, the circulation to and from the guest house is kept outdoors. Access from the guest house to the semi-private front patio is accomplished by using the patio bridge without trespassing the private domain of the main residence. Sketches here explore the siting and form of the new

guest house. The result is a “bridge tower” that mirrors Gray’s formal elements while respecting the division between public and private zones. The square footage of the guesthouse is approximately based on the size of the existin housekeeper’s quarters.

The guest house (upper left of axon) features several elements of the original: a dedicated stair, a retaining wall, full length glazing oriented to the west, and a mix of existing and new structure. The overhangand long column of the new construction mimick the pole and shading feature of the existing front patio.

The interior (right) features formal elements and built-in furniture inspired by Gray’s design.

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Gray’s priority for privacy is articulated through the use of semi-independent living units and external bridges and corridors. The new guest house and resulting program are based on this model. The diagram at bottom left highlights the role of bridges and external stairs as links between uniques functional (private and semi-private) volumes.

The elevations (right page) show how materials not only create a variety of textures, but also link the present and the past. In this case, the stone material of the foundation walls visually links Gray’s residence with the new guesthouse. Also note the new retaining wall (in plan) which, like the main residence, is required to site the addition on the steep terrain.

SITE FORCES/AXES

NEW CIRCULATION

The digrams on the opposite page highlight additional links between the existing and new construction. The Site Forces/Axes diagram indicates that the axis of the new retaining wall is derived by continuing the array between the existing road/retaining wall and the existing footpath. In other words, the angle of the new wall is drawn from the intersection (origin) of existing axes.

The final diagram (this page) documents the evolution of the site from a period prior to any built structure through the addition of my proposed guest house. This is a means of linking the spirit of my intervention with that of Eileen Gray’s.

Aside from learning valuable lessons regarding Gray’s design methods and process, this project demonstrates the unique potential of adaptive reuse, a potential that Gray realized in 1932. The critical assessment and understanding of existing structures can lend a rich texture, inspiration, and meaning to new construction. Also, analysis and diagrams are essential tools for documenting and developing that understanding.

SITE FORCES/AXES

NEW CIRCULATION

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Site analysis is essential to establishing the context for new construction and an invaluable method for balancing specific program and functional needs. This project focusesd on site analysis as a basis for site programming, building programming and designdevelopment. Tasked to design a boat house on the Charles River,I chose to provide a link between the Back Bay community and theriver by creating improved access opportunities, a public boat house to introduce the activity of rowing to the community, and landforms to add to the value of the riverside green space. The site and building offers visual, physical, and activity-based connectionsto the Charles River. The site and building offer visual, physical, and activity-based connections to the Charles River.

SITE ANALYSIS:CHARLES RIVER BOAT HOUSE Studio Leader : Bob CookDuration : 10 weeks

Evolution of the Charles River

Community Greenspace River

B-1 STUDIOFALL 2008

Site Circulation Proximity to Community InfrastructureB-1 STUDIOFALL 2008

The diagrams on the opposite page depict the broader context of assigned site, the Charles River. Conceptually, the evolution of the Charles River has been shaped by human needs. As in the past, we look at the site with our own needs in mind.

The diagrams here document the site as it exists today; its challenges, potentials, and relationships to adjacent infrastructure. This analysis reveals a site with limited physical connections between the community and the river, despite an apparent desire of local residents to experience the recreational potential of the riverside area.

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Boston has a long relationship with the Charles River. While not an outright antagonistic relationship, it is one charaterized by manipulation and human intervention. Since the 18th century, we have seen the Charles River as obstacle, opportunity, and object of desire. Clinging to those various attitudes, we have been inspired to reclaim the marches, build roads over what once was water, harness and reshape the river to suit the demands of an expanding urban population, and in some cases, sculpt the river to rekindle connections between man and a domesticated nature. While our intentions toward the Charles River habitat have spanned the reange between abuse and romantization, we have always felt it quite appropriate to modify the landscape, for which there are many historical examples.

Today, the existing conditions are challenging. The road system is essentially a semi-permeable barrier between river and residence. As a general site concept, I would attenp to restore the connection between city and river. My intervention is shaped by a reaction to the attitudes of those that came before us. To restore our physical connections to the river habitat, I propose a reshaping of the landscape that would 1) provide new pedestrian connections, 2) re-integrate the river park into Back Bay by bridging over the vehicle lanes, and 3) create a land expansion to accomodate new river park features and the proposed boat house.

The precise site location (this page, top) was chosen for its potenial to be framed from various

veiwpoints; ideally, the site should also have a close proximity to existing pedestrian access and

have the potential for new, convenient access.

This diagram and the diagrams on the opposite page demonstrate my site concept: Isolation

of community and river are transformed by integration and expansion.

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The diagram at right and conceptual model below attempt to more clearly show the extent

of the proposed land development. Unlike past efforts of reshaping the Charles river bank (e.g.,

Olmsted, late 19th century) my proposal is overtly “man-made” as opposed to “picturesque”. This

will hopefully convey some honesty regarding the manipulation of the habitat for human use.

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Below, conceptual sketches of two rectilinear forms that diverge yet share a common circulation space. These sketches are formalized in the diagram shown above.

The introduction of program on the site allows the opportunity to address the community and its relationship with the river. If the site analysis and modifications help stregthen physical connections between the community and the riverside, then the boat house program reinforces that connection through activity. Since my concerns thus far relate to community needs, I chose to specify that this boat house proposal be a “community” boat house that would be open to the public. This determines that the program would then have two objectives: 1) to serve the public and give access to a unique activity, and 2) serve the needs of the elite athletes and staff who might use the facilities for training.

To better understand (or represent) this dual function of program, I turned to the sport itself. The two fundemental reference points in the rowing stroke are the catch where the blade is placed in the water, and the extraction where the oar blade is removed from the water. Pondering this analogy, I began to sketch ideas that might express the dual purpose of the program in one unified form.

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The catch and extraction metaphor implied to me two linked but distinct and diverging rectilinear forms oriented in a “v” shape to express the two actions of the rower’s stroke. The down river form is the catch phase. Implying the blade of an oar, this form houses community and event program functions. I feel this is fitting for two reasons: 1) newcomers and the community not familiar with the sport will interact directly with this form as it will house classrooms, event spaces, and community orientations to the sport and 2) this introduction of the community is much like setting the oar onto the river for the first time. The second form is larger and positioned to appear as if being extracted from the river. This is to illustrate the final phase of the rowing stroke and appropriately houses the more technical elements of the program, athlete training and coaching. Assuming that there will be a more organized base of users, e.g., teams in training from local schools or clubs, this extraction form will accommodate team meeting rooms, coaching offices, and weight training facilities.

As I stressed in my site concept, I am seeking to increase connections between the community and the river. Regrading this concept of integration, there are several aspects of the boat house design that attempt to reiterate this concept. While there are two distinct functions and forms that constitute the boat house, I intend for them to be integrated, not independent. This will be accomplished by using the boat storage area as a common circulation area between athlete and community functions. The boat storage area will have common access and serve as a place where elite and novice athletes can interact. The boat house proposal offers users and the general public a platform from which to experience the river visually and/or through activity and interaction.

This diagram (left) plots the axes of visual and physical connection between the community (or river park users) and the river. Visual connects are achieved with glazing while physical connections imply access to the water’s edge. Essentially, the two forms become ducts through which the user may have varied, experiential connections with the river.

The sketches (opposite page) are explorations into the siting of the two rectilinear forms and the experience they might create for the user. The sections on the right show the diverging arrangment of the two forms; one angled towards the water’s edge, the other lifted high out of the water.

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Diagrams document the proposed changes to the

site and the addition of the community boat house.

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The final drawing set (this page and opposite).

The two detailed drawings (this page, bottom) are sections through the entrance and depict some material choices.

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Sequence above: This model shows the interior of the diverging forms and the common circulation that connects them. Note that the skin of each form is unique; one form is rendered in structural glass while the other is rendered in wood. These material choices come form the highly glossed boat hulls (glass-like) and the polished texture of the wooden oars.

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Sequence below: The model at far left is an earlier conceptual model exploring the juxtaposition of two unique forms. This later evolved into the final conceptual models (and proposed building) which show the skin of each component rendered in

opaque glass and wooden panels respectively.

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1NOTCH & JOIN This is a method of forming connections between two or more components. The operation of notching allows each component the ability to interlock with other members in a modular system.

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This studio project focuses on tectonics. Given a series of random detail drawings, we were tasked to explore the tectonic potential these details might present through sketching and/or model building. Out of these initial explorations, I chose one detail to further investigate. This detail is then explored further through sketches, measured drawings, and physical models. We were also encouraged to look at the tectonic at a variety of scales. I found it helpful (and quite necessary) to also use computer models to manipulate the tectonic in the numbers required to form architectural scaled surfaces.

While this was considered a short studio assignment, I found great pleasure in developing a working tectonic logic from a simple, somewhat ambiguous detail drawing. I tried to develop my presentation of the tectonic, its evolution and its logic, through the use of a storyboard. The work samples here are presented as close as possible to that storyboard sequence. By relating the development of the tectonic chronologically, I feel it best presents the nature of its evolution and logic.

I found this exercise helpful in looking for a certain logic in tectonic strategies. It is not only helpful in the following studio projects, but helpful in comprehending the logic (or lack thereof ) in our current built environments.

PROJECT 0:TECTONIC INVESTIGATIONStudio Leader : Ned BaxterDuration : 3 weeks

B-2 STUDIOFALL 2009

The explorations on this page and opposite were not chosen for further development. However, I include them here because these early investigations helped be better understand and document the

potential of tectonic relationships. I eventually chose a fourth tectonic detail for development (as depicted throughout the following pages).

ENCLOSED VOID

OPEN VOID

MASS

MASS

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B.2 COLLIDE & FUSE This detail shows an intersection between two units, one a mass with an enclosed void, another mass with an open void. My study looks at what might happen when the intersection is exaggerated to create a spatial link between the voids of each object. In this case, the mass is always subordinate to the void to reveal a connection to the enclosure.

B-2 STUDIOFALL 2009

3 COLLECT & COVER The detail desribes a collection of objects packed into a congruous form. This collection is then uniformly covered by a thin material layer. The operation of “covering” becomes most significant since the number, size, and arrangemnet of the objects can change. The “cover” drapes the objects then records the resulting terrain.

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project 0

ANGLE & PIN

geometry

1. A fourth detail inspires a basic connection: two members joined by an angled pin.

5. Here the tectonic changes as a result of studio feedback and the admission of the limitations of the previous method of joining with a bent metal plate (aesthetic and structural limitations). The single pin connection (a screw) reduces weight, is easier to assemble, and can be counter-sunk to both strengthen and hide the connection.

6. To make the single pin connection work, the geometry (previously a property of the angled plate connector) is transposed from the connector to the tile member itself.

2. Through sketching, I attempted to discover how this simple joining logic could be used to form a surface; the rigid, angled connect established a geometry while the tiles form an undulating surface.

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CONNECTION:

PIN

ANGLED TILE

TILE

UNIT 1:

UNIT 2:

CONNECTION: ANGLED PLATE

TILEUNIT:

3. A scale model with a finite number of members; presumably, this pattern could be extended (until we run out of pieces!)

7. The single pin connection basic components. 8. Imagine this forming an infinite undulating surface. Varying the arrangement of the tiles will yield variations in pattern (this variation will also create curves that help the surface carry its own weight).

4. These sketches and digital model samples are attempts to discern the logic of the connection and surface: how many components are really necessary to form a surface, or are there other potential patterns?

65

passing through

pattern turning corners

2x

1x

1x

the final version emphasizes the method of connection; the method of connection becomes part of the pattern.

9. I explored the tectonic’s ability to form patterns and turn corners via digital model. The digital model made it possible to test the potential of the tectonic as an assembly of hundreds of pieces (something not possible to do with physical models given the short time frame of the project).

13. Again, imagine this continuing in all directions! One property of the final assembly that I did not anticipate is that the rather mechanical assembly pattern is juxtaposed with the warm grain of the wood. This pattern rendered in another material (perhaps metal) would not be nearly as evocative or appealing to the senses.

14. The project concluded with an assignment to employ the resulting tectonic assembly at various scales. This shows a self-supporting wall and ceiling assembly.

10. However, I did construct a physical model to scale with a finite number of components. The final assembly underwent two last changes; the single pin connect is replaced by two screws and the angled tile is routed on two sides to accommodate the connectors. Unlike the previous version, this method makes the connection method visible, adds another layer of texture to the whole assembly, and improves the strength of the assembly.

12. Detail of typical corner geometry.

waiting for aidfinding a path

Front

Top

Section

Section

Typical Connections/Geometry

Right

Front

Section

Typical Corner Connection/Geometry

15. Here the tectonic is deployed as a screen to divide outdoor spaces. 15. Here, instead of 3” wooden tiles, the tectonic utilizes 6’ square sheets of plywood.

11. Final assembly.

67

Building upon the tectonic investigations of Project 0, this project looks at the tectonic as it might relate to a specific site. The Peter’s Hill area of Arnold Arboretum is a somewhat isolated (and perhaps neglected) site with a great potential for improved development and facilities. This studio project aims at proposing a new visitor’s learning pavilion to promote accessibility and the visitor’s experience. With relatively simple program requirements (an office, utility closet, restroom, and a semi-enclosed outdoor gathering space) it is a perfect opportunity to employ the previously explored tectonic assembly. However, given the rich history and sensitive community issues of the site, this tectonic strategy must be balanced with a critical analysis of the site and its contexts. Through careful observation and site analysis, the resulting proposal should be useful to the park’s visitors and make a positive contribution to the landscape and experience that is the Arnold Arboretum.

The first task was to propose a small bus stop adjacent to the proposed site (this structure is independent of the pavilion assignment). This is a chance to use the tectonic assembly at an architectural scale. I found that my assembly could in fact be manipulated to accommodate a simple program. Its primary limitations are aesthetic as the strict geometric rules it relies on for structure dictate the form. Nevertheless, I was able to scale and shape it for practical use.

PROJECT 1:ARNOLD ARBORETUM EDUCATIONAL PAVILIONStudio Leader : Ned BaxterDuration : 4 weeks

B-2 STUDIOFALL 2009

The bus shelter shows how the tectonic can be deployed to accommodate a specific scale. I resized the tiles to 18” (the width of a typical chair seat) so that it could be used as seating.

69

Peter’s Hill

residential

informal trail

bamboo “screen”

to park gate

formal path

commun

ter ra

il

stree

t

site forces

Of the two possible sites at Peter’s Hill for the proposed pavilion, I was immediately interested in documenting the site which overlooks a small, flat meadow toward the residential area of Jamaica Plain. I feel that this sight has the strongest potential relationship (practical and visual) with the community. There is also an existing feature on this site which prompted me to translate some of the concepts from my tectonic exploration. I found the properties of an existing bamboo grove to be similar to my assembly; both form a screen whose apparent density changes based on the viewer’s perspective.

My documentation and analysis of the site prompted me to consider the proposed pavilion as an addition to the existing bamboo grove.

70

proximity extends existing natural screen

proximity highlights pattern and density

Peter’s Hill, Arnold Arboretum SCALE : 1:50 0 50’ 100’ 200’

1 East - West Section Through Site 1 & Site 2

3 North - South Section Through Site 2

2 North - South Section Through Site 1This bamboo grove and elevation change form trail to open, flat meadow are the most striking features of this site; I was immediately interested in the potential of these conditions

71

The placement of the proposed pavilion on the Peter’s Hill site is intended to provide a visual and symbolic connection between the community of Jamaica Plain and the Arboretum. Like my tectonic solution, the pavilion will “connect” to the terminal end of an linear, existing bamboo thicket. The pavilion will join this site feature through proximity and site placement to increase the presence of this barrier. But unlike the bamboo barrier, the structure will provide and highlight a method of passage through (rather than around) the barrier between the exhibit space and gathering space. This attribute will take advantage of (and hopefully improve upon) an existing, informal trail that cuts through this area.

The structure itself is based on the method of joining elements together at an angle. On a large scale, the walls, ceiling, and floor planes behave like units within the tectonic assembly that I have explored in the last few weeks. At a smaller scale, that same tectonic strategy will be employed to create walls and ceilings of varied porosity. A key element will be the use of solid and perforated elements to frame views from the interior to exterior and establish the relationship of interior exhibit space to the outside environment, particularly the existing bamboo grove.

Peter’s Hill, Arnold Arboretum Roof Plan and Floor PlanSCALE : 1/8” = 1’-0”

1 Roof Plan

2 Floor Plan

1. Existing Bamboo2. Exhibit Space3. Passageway/Entry4. Office5. WC6. Utility7. Gathering Space (Semi-Enclosed)8. Park Path

2. 3.

RAMPDN

8.

7.

4.1.

5.6.

Peter’s Hill

residential

informal trail

bamboo “screen”

to park gate

formal path

commun

ter ra

il

stree

t

site forces

This siting diagram shows the proposed pavilion’s relationship to existing site elements.

72

Peter’s Hill, Arnold Arboretum Elevation and SectionSCALE : 1/8” = 1’-0”

3 South East (Facing Public)

A Section A

Peter’s Hill, Arnold Arboretum Elevations and SectionsSCALE : 1/8” = 1’-0”

3 North West (Facing Park)

B Section B 4 South West (Adjacent Bamboo)

C Section C 5 North East (Facing Poplar Gate)

Section A Section B Section C

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1

2

3

4

PLANAR COMPONENTS

JOIN GEOMETRY

FOLD (ANGLE) FOR ENCLOSURE

BEND FOR SITE


mesh

core

floor plane

mesh

solid

The diagrams on this page show the methodology behind the form of the proposed structure. In the diagram on the left, the tectonic is used at a macro scale; the elevations of the building act as singular planar components that are then joined. The angles of those joints are then manipulated to create inhabitable spaces.

The exploded axon above shows the two smaller scale uses of the tectonic. The mesh of the semi-enclosed gathering space and the screen of the far end of the covered hall are variants of the tectonic assembly.

74

This “unfolded” study model shows the grid-like arrangement of planar components as it resembles earlier photographs of the tectonic from Project 0.

The model of the final proposal, above, shows how the final form is bent to conform to the existing path while maintaining its adjacency to the existing bamboo grove. The building is meant to be a screen through which the community can enter the park.

75


proximity highlights pattern and density

The proposed Peter’s Hill pavilion attempts to tie directly into the existing features of the site. It is not meant to be viewed as an isolated or singular entity in the landscape. Like the foliage that the Arboretum is dedicated to preserving for the enjoyment of the community, the pavilion has varied layers of density and opacity. This is achieved by employing the tectonic at varied scales; from a macro scale that defines the overall shape to a micro scale that defines the level of visual permeability of certain walls. In some cases, the patterns and density of the tectonic are highlighted by their proximity to site forces. The end wall adjacent to the existing bamboo, for example, is designed to give the visitor a visual connection to the bamboo. Unlike glazing, the tectonic would allow air, smells, leaves, and sounds to pass between zones, hopefully sparking an awareness of the park’s beautiful natural features.

76

Boston’s Chinatown is a place with a rich cultural history; it is sometimes difficult to sort out exactly what forces are at work. The object of this project was to apply site analysis and tectonic strategies to a proposed Cultural Center for the Chinatown District. A site was assigned for the project. It is a small lot squeezed between a typical concrete multi-use building and a small greenspace with a large brick exhaust tower. Located near the main gate of Chinatown, this site has the potential to be transformed into a cultural gateway; a place to celebrate and explore the cultural identity of Chinatown.

This project was completed through several phases. First, much site analysis was accomplished to discern the prevalent character of the district. Soon after, elements of program for the final center were introduced including a performance space, a gallery, office space, and live/work quarters for three resident artists/performers. Building upon site analysis and documentation, a small assignment was undertaken to design a facility for a specific piece of program for a Chinatown site other than the assigned site. I found this step instrumental in finding my direction for the final proposal. Lastly, we were tasked with offering a formal proposal for the center that not only addresses the cultural character of the district and needs of the users, but makes a logical tectonic statement.

The sampan and paifang are both cultural symbol adopted by the Chinatown community. The sampan can be seen on the existing site in the form of an abstract mural. The paifang (or “gate”) is the most recognizable

feature of Boston’s Chinatown. Both of these symbols reference the hope and good fortune of the community; these symbols inform my approach to

this project.

PROJECT 2:CHINA TOWN CULTURAL CENTERStudio Leader : Ned BaxterDuration : 8 weeks

B-2 STUDIOFALL 2009

sampan

paifang

C H I N A T O W NC U L T U R A LC E N T E R

chinatown gate

hudson street

albany street

BOSTON CHINATOWN

public green

industrial

commercial

institutional

mixed use

residential

0ft 300ft 600ft

0ft 150ft 300ft

My initial documentation of the site focused on geography and

the area’s relationship to adjacent districts.

79

6 4

4 4

4 311

820

17

69

62

BACKBAY/BEACON HILL

SOUTH ENDSOUTH BOSTON

EAST BOSTON

DOWNTOWN/CENTRAL

CHINATOWN

IDEN

TIFI

ES S

ELF

AS

ASI

AN

(%)

ASI

AN

LA

NG

UAG

E SP

OKE

N IN

TH

E H

OM

E (%

)

LOCALIZED

SENSE OFCULTURE

ETHICITY & LANGUAGE IN THE HOME

69K

32

42K

23

31K

33

40K

38

41K

29 15K

2

BACKBAY/BEACON HILL

SOUTH ENDSOUTH BOSTON

EAST BOSTON

DOWNTOWN/CENTRAL

CHINATOWN

MED

IAN

HO

USE

HO

LD IN

COM

E ($

)H

OU

SIN

G T

ENU

RE, O

WN

ER O

CCU

PIED

(%)

MARGINALIZED

SENSE OF OWNERSHIP

INCOME & RENTAL HOUSING

My research on Chinatown revealed that culture is preserved in the home in the form of language; statistics show that the majority of Chinatown residents speak an Asian language in the home. This establishes a need in the community to have a cultural center that provides another outlet to promote culture through language, performance, and the arts.

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enclosedprivate

openpublic

enclosedsemi-private

Typical Arrangement of Chinatown Residential/Commercial/Public Space

LA

NG

UA

GE

CU

LT

UR

E

S

TR

UC

TU

RE

A central community bulletin board stood here until 1991. The bulletin board was a long-standing tradition in Chinatown, emulating the custom in China where announcements, job notices, news items, and cultural events were posted in a similar fashion. The bulletin board helped to foster com-munity cohesiveness and served as a neighborhood resource center.”The Bostonian Society (http://www.bostonhistory.org/?s=education&p=histmarkers&sub=m_china) “As the wall became a fixture of immigrant life, so did the myriad of family associations, regional associations, Chinese schools, and faith communi-ties. In many ways, these social institutions sustain the fabric of Chinese culture and chronicle the changes through the generations from the Chinese Exclusion Act to the immigration growth in latter half of 20th century.”Samuel Tsoi, Sampan Newspaper (http://sampan.org/show_article.php?display=2004)

PRESENTPAST

COMMUNITY

COMMUNICATIONNETWORKS &

BULLETIN BOARDS

My initial reactions to the district focused on the mass of the built environment. . It is not surprising then that signage is so prevalent. In fact, signage here is not new.

A community bulletin board existed in Chinatown until the early 1990’s. I want the final proposal to promote communication by being more visually accessible.

81

performance space chinatown gate

stage

stage

seating

street

seating above

ram

p

chinatown gate

boston common

FILMS AT THE GATE . ORG

C H I N A T O W N P E R F O R M A N C E S P A C E

TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL

P E R F O R M A N C E

The Chinatown Performance Space allows local residents and visitors the opportunity to venture into the interior spaces of the typical Chinatown built environment. Like an “interior” vacant lot, the use of this space is intented to give life to the local culture. It provides the occassion to explore (in cultural, vertical, and horizontal senses) in a more experiential way than simple passing the many storefronts. While the typical storefronts strive to communicate and outward hospitality, the mass and solidity of this post-industrial sector can create a boundary between the pedestrian and the bustle and activity of Chinatown’s interior spaces. For the non-local visitor, the perfornace space and the activities it hosts can begin to give meaning to the unexplained signage, sights, and traditions of Chinatown. For the resident, it is a conduit to communicate to a curious public; a vehicle to promote and celebrate a sense of community, culture, and ownership.

TYPI

CAL

RETA

IL

TYPI

CAL

RETA

IL


stage

stage

seating

street

seating above

ram

p

chinatown gate

boston common



TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL



TYPIC

AL

RETA

IL

TYPIC

AL

RETA

IL


stage

stage

seating

street

seating above

ram

p

chinatown gate

boston common



TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL



TYPI

CAL

RETA

IL

TYPI

CAL

RETA

IL

The first design assignment of this project was to consider a Chinatown site to place one particular element of the assigned program; I chose the performance space because it is a perfect vehicle for displaying culture and fostering public interaction. This exercise is not part of the final proposal, but just an exercise to test-drive some early design intentions. I was interested in a garage entrance because unlike the rather solid facades of Chinatown, the garage opens into a wide, well-lit slope; I imagined a concert or gallery performance in this unusual space.

The Chinatown Performance Space allows local residents and visitors the opportunity to venture into the interior spaces of the typical Chinatown built environment. Like an “interior” vacant lot, the use of this space is intended to give life to the local culture. It provides the occasion to explore (in cultural, vertical, and horizontal senses) in a more experiential way than simply passing the many storefronts. While the typical storefronts strive to communicate an outward hospitality, the mass and solidity of this post-industrial sector can create a

boundary between the pedestrian and the bustle and activity of Chinatown’s interior spaces. For the non-local visitor, the performance space and the activities it hosts can begin to give meaning to the unexplained signage, sights, and traditions of Chinatown. For the resident, it is a conduit to communicate to a curious public; a vehicle to promote and celebrate a sense of community, culture, and ownership.

what happens inside

what does that mean

what are they saying

now i might

under-stand

physical barriers, lan-guage barriers, local-ized culture, stereo-types, cultural barriers, immigrants, americans, isolation, exclusive cul-ture, minority, novelty, commerce, identity, ownership, introverted,

sound, drama, mu-sic, comedy, politics,

action, activism, fes-

communication, information, mis-information, pri-vate life, public sphere, commod-ity, signage, food, income, history, propriety, righ-teousness, honest, humility, potential

tival, memorial, gathering, inclu-sion, exploration, dialogue, mono-logue, education, inspiration, com-mitment, fun, ro-mance, tragedy, communication, curiosity, culture

site section of a monolithic chinatown

site section of a permeable chinatown

After considering the site context and the performance space assignment, I committed to a final design that would convey a sense of openness, as if one could simply pass through and in the process discover something new about the culture. These diagrams are elements of a conversation that might take place between the

community and a broader public through the vehicle of a cultural center.

83

A

B

A

B

existing structure

entry from greenway

reception/staircase

lower exhibit

entry from community

services (public)

bulletin board

peformance

entry/stairs for live/work;2nd egress performance

ramp up (garden)

ramp up to entry (gathering)

sidewalk

sidewalk

existing building

level 1roof

A

A

BB

public/staff mtg

level 2

staff

live/work

The drawings and model on this page are my first iteration of the cultural center. While the needs of the program are met, the building does not convey a sense of openness. However, the element of providing a covered area above the sidewalk (by pulling the street-side facade into the building) is feature retained in later developments.

paifang

84

After feedback from my first iteration, I realized that I could build upon my initial efforts by adopting the sampan and paifang as design elements. In some ways, my previous performance space design acted as a broad

gate; this generous entry both makes the building visually accessible and presents the cultural activities in plain view. Additionally, the sampan offers

a perfect metaphor for the guest artists’ live/work units; they are like small boats docking in the center for a short time to share their knowledge and

creativity. From these images, I derived my final proposal.

sampan

paifang


stage

stage

seating

street

seating above

ram

p

chinatown gate

boston common



TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL



TYPI

CAL

RETA

IL

TYPI

CAL

RETA

IL

live/work units as independentmodules

building as gateway

85

CTCC section a section b

1 2 3

1. Entry2. Performance3. Backstage4. Gallery5. Reading Room6. Studios

7. Live/Work8. Director’s Office9. Conference Rm.10. Staff Lounge11. Staff Office

1

1

2

2 2

3

4

4

5

6

7

7 7 7

7

7

89

11

10

Because I have chosen to associate the live/work units with the image of the sampan, they are allowed to “float” free of the main structure of the building. They are deliberately arranged at angles to show that they are independent elements. This also

plays into the image of the building itself as a gate. On one side the sampans enter and dock. On the other side, pedestrians enter through a broad glazed entry adjacent to and in view of the performance space. The building is a gate on both street

sides, while the elevation facing the green space remains relatively solid (its openings are veiled by an exterior copper mesh).

86

CTCC site plan

CTCC site section

live/work

2

1

87

To complete the metaphor of building as gate, I sized the performance space according to the proportions of the existing Chinatown gate; the model opposite top shows this relationship. The bottom three pictures on the opposite page show detail views of one sampan (live work unit) and its relationship to the main building’s floor plane. It is deliberately placed just a few inches off the second floor to accentuate its “floating” situation. It is supported by thin steel pylons.

Renderings of the final proposal act as study models for material conditions. Because I want the whole building to read as a gate, it is necessary to veil the upper openings; this makes the street level access more apparent as it functions as a gate. The section rendering visualized the relationship between the sampans and the core vertical circulation of the building.

89

COPPER AND BRICK CLADDING RENDER MASS AS UNIFIED

WHOLES. IN DAYLIGHT, COPPER AND BRICK CLADDING

SHARE SIMILAR QUALITIES: COLOR AND TEXURE GIVE A

UNIFYING APPEARANCE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

COPPER CAN BE TILED TO CREATE PATTERNS AND VARIATION;

A KEY CHARACTERISTIC OF A MODULAR UNIT SUCH AS BRICK. BY CHANGING THE SCALE AND

MATERIAL OF THE UNIT, COPPER CLADDING IMITATES THE LOCAL

NEIGHBORHOOD WITHOUT COPYING IT.

HOWEVER, COPPER SCREEN BEHAVES DIFFERENTLY BY CONCEALING SCALE. WITH

COPPER, SCALE IS REVEALED WHEN ILLUMINATED

FROM WITHIN. THIS IS A CHARACTERISTIC CONTRARY

TO OPAQUE, MASONRY CONSTRUCTION. COPPER

ALLOWS US TO “SEE” INSIDE.

COPPER SCREEN CONCEALS OPENINGS WHILE MASONRY IS MEASURED AND PUNCTUATED BY THEM. COPPER CLADDING

REVERSES THE LOCAL CONDITION OF MASS AND OPACITY.

WHEN THE SCREEN IS PUNCTURED, IT ALLOWS AN

OPPORTUNITY FOR MATERIAL CHANGE AND THE CHANCE TO

EXPRESS THE DEPTH OF THE ENTRY OR APERTURE.

copper brick

a

b

a. David Chipperfield, Des Moines Public Library, Iowa; b. TEGET Architectural Office, Istanbul, Turkey; c. Mangado y Asociados S L, Archeology Museum of Vitoria, Spain.

b

a

c

m a t e r i a l s / f a ç a d e

6 mm single-pane security glass on the outside,an expanded copper inlay in 2 mm cavity6 mm single pane security glass with a sun and heat protective coating14 mm air-filled space6 mm single security glass pane.

The triple-glazed Okatech cladding elements were assembled in Germany by Okalux and shipped to the US as sealed units.

The facade elements used in Des Moines were then silicon-bonded to an aluminium sub-frame, which was in turn bolted to steel fixtures set into the concrete floor slabs at 4ft centres.

The Community Center façade borrows from the deep entrances and cut openings of the local neighborhood but manipulates this language to subvert the mass of the typical masonry conditions. a) The deep entrance cove is widened to open the activity of the ground level program to public view. b) Since the mass and texture of the building is passed on to the copper skin, glazed openings are expanded. And since they do not measure scale as in the masonry construction, they are allowed to evade regular placement and size. Instead, they are placed to suit program and lighting requirents and remain masked (until illuminating interior spaces.)c) The building is essentially a shell similar to the local typology. However, the openings of this shell are exaggerated and are veiled by a cladding that subverts perceptions of opacity and scale.

m a t e r i a l s / f a ç a d e

The models above show the principle features of the final building: the wide entry on one elevation, the live/work units extending from the main building on the second

elevation, and a copper mesh skin covering all but the main openings.

Below are study models executed before I chose a method of rendering the exterior. My main concern was to allow views out of the building while maintain the

“appearance” of a massive building for the purposes of maintaining the metaphor of a gate. I finally chose a copper mess for the qualities discusses on the opposite page.

91

This course offered a broad introduction to freehand drawing and visual composition using a variety of media. With an emphasis on visual proportion and drawing from observation, this instruction included still-life, figure, gesture, perspective, and contour drawing methods. Drawings were accomplished in graphite, charcoal, ink, and color pencil.

This course was a great re-introduction to freehand drawing. For years I have kept a sketchbook. However, the exercises completed in this semester provided an opportunity to improve my visual observation and drawing skills.

Methods of drawing and observing learned in this course have broadened my ability to express my ideas.

FREEHAND DRAWINGInstructor: Mike DanielsDuration : 1 Semester

SPRING2008

92

Architectural Skills was my first introduction to technical architectural drawing. I found it very satisfying to learn the art of drafting. Perhaps more importantly, I began to develop a knowledge and appreciation for drafting conventions and standards. In fact, I found that learning the essentials of laying out a drawing actually improved my drafting skill and speed.

The collection of drawings presented here were all assigned by the instructor. Accomplished by drawing from a template, it was necessary to scale all of the drawings (there was no tracing). A special emphasis was placed on line weight and legibility. The assigned drawing cover site plans, floor plans, elevations, and details. Architectural lettering and tables also had a special emphasis.

I have always enjoyed drawing...but this was a lesson in drafting. I can say that this course have even improved my CAD drafting.

ARCHITECTURAL SKILLSInstructor: John MurphyDuration : 8 Weeks

SUMMER2008

96

Perspective drawing covered the theory and practice of one and two-point perspective drawing. By methodically studying and applying various tools such as station point, cone of vision, horizon line, etc., the techniques of perspective drawing were employed.

I was most interested in learning techniques for drawing measured perspectives from an existing scaled plan. This has become a valuable tool a making quick interior study sketches and renderings.

While most of the class assignments were practice exercises, the final project was a series of drawings of an existing building. I chose a villa by architect Charles Pictet in Frontex, Geneva, Switzerland. I was interested in this building because the architect reused an existing stone barn. The combination of old and new yields some interesting textures and in this case, interesting angles. I find the contrast between the existing building and the sleek, new concrete construction to be an interesting juxtaposition and tried to render that quality.

PERSPECTIVE DRAWINGInstructor: Dave HarrisDuration : 1 Semester

FALL2008

98

Structures I provides an introduction to static mechanics. For my final project, I have designed a roof system that relies on a cantilever deck, support cable, and post-tension backstay system. I have elected to keep the members one material, concrete, for aesthetic purposes. I wanted to design a very slender concrete structure in which the towering backstay members share similar dimensions and proportions with the underlying support column and beam. The entire system (covering 20,000 SF) is divided into 11 of these structures positioned at 20’ intervals. I have spanned these structures with a steel/concrete deck. For materials, I have selected fly ash concrete and recycled steel to address sustainable issues.

My analysis revealed that the highest compressive forces are in the tilted support column beneath the deck. However, to keep all of the concrete members the same dimensions, I had to size them based on the S/D ratio of the 60’ concrete, horizontal member (beam) that supports the deck. This results in a very deep structural member (36”) which I feel enhances the overall visual proportions of the design. Unfortunately, this increases the overall dead weight and dictates in a heavier structure.

This design is possible but would require significant steel reinforcement in the concrete members. This is especially true for the beam which is subject to complex forces over its total 100’ span. Another area which generates concern is the backstay member subject to tension. Since concrete is not the suited for tension, I specified a post-tension system and noted the required cable gauge to cope with the forces.

Lastly, I included two details. These details show the connection between the support cable and the backstay and the cable and the deck. This includes information regarding the reinforcing plate sizes to anchor the connection.

STRUCTURES IInstructor: Kurt BenedictDuration : 1 Semester

FALL2008100

details for upper and lower cable anchors.sketch for concrete/steel deck

dimensioned engineering sketches

101

STRUCTURES IIInstructor: Garrick GoldenbergDuration : 1 Semester

FALL2009

engineering sketch frames rest on 2, 12”x24” douglas fir beams

Structures II builds upon the foundation of Structures I. This course features a more in-depth discussion of beam and column behavior. Particularly, the course covers slenderness ratio, bending moments, and modulus of elasticity. It is a thorough review of statics as required knowledge for architectural designers.

The course culminated in a final project. We were tasked to design a small structure with a simple but specific program. Materials could be specified at the designer’s discretion. In addition to designing the formal elements, we then had to make all of the calculations to safely size the structural members. I included specially designed brackets to connect the frames to the beams.

I chose to design a wooden structure with the simple program of “observation”. This wooden structure is designed to frame a view from a hillside. The box consists of exposed “frames” and is made rigid by fastening wood panels as floor, walls, and ceiling. The assembly rests on two cantilevered timber beams which sit on two pairs of timber posts. By exposing all of the structural components on the exterior, the interior is rendered as a smooth, empty box. This allows the visitor to step off of the hillside and into a perfectly framed vista.

102

engineering sketch frames rest on 2, 12”x24” douglas fir beams9 pairs of frames (2”x8” pine) w/steel brackets 1” wood plank floor, walls, ceiling; 5/8” plywood subfloor

18 x brackets for top corners of all frames

103

PRACTICE2008-2009

1 LAYER 5/8" GWB ONEACH SIDE

(E) STRUCT.DECK (VARIES)

METAL STUD

FIRESTOP SEALANT, TYP.

2 LAYERS 5/8" GWB

C-H STUDS @ 24" O.C.

METAL STUD TRACKFASTENERS@ 2'-0" O.C.TOP & BOTTOM

1" GWB LINER PANEL

SHAFT SIDE

ACOUSTICAL SEALANT @TOP, BOTTOM & ALLPENETRATIONS


METAL STUD

DEFLECTION TRACK &1/2" DEFLECTION SPACE,FRICTION FIT STUDS


DEFLECTION TRACK &1/2" DEFLECTIONSPACE, FRICTION FITSTUDS

1 LAYER 5/8" GWB ONROOM SIDE

(E) STRUCTURALDECK (VARIES)

METAL STUD



3" SOUND ATTENUATIONBLANKET

2 LAYERS OF 5/8" GWB ONCORRIDOR SIDE

1 LAYER 5/8" GWB

(E) STRUCT. DECK (VARIES)

METAL STUD




2 LAYERS OF 5/8" GWB

1/2" RESILIENT CHANNEL

1 LAYER 5/8" GWB ONSTAIR SIDE

(E) STRUCT. DECK(VARIES)

METAL STUD




2 LAYERS OF 5/8" GWBON CORRIDOR SIDE

1/2" RESILIENT CHANNELON CORRIDOR SIDE1/2" RESILIENT CHANNEL

ON ROOM SIDE

(E) STRUCTURAL DECK(VARIES)

2 LAYERS 5/8" GWB

METAL STUDS,STAGGERED 12" O.C.






1 LAYER 5/8" GWB

METAL STUD




1 LAYER 5/8" GWB

METAL STUD




3" SOUND ATTENUATIONBLANKET (TYPE 04)1 1/2" SOUND ATTENUATIONBLANKET (TYPE 04A)

1 LAYER 5/8" GWB

1/2" RESILIENT CHANNELAT 16' O.C. MINACOUSTICAL SEALANT @TOP, BOTTOM & ALLPENETRATIONS

STRUCTURAL COLUMNOR WALL





METAL STUD





2 LAYERS 5/8" GWB




1 LAYER 5/8"CEMENTITIOUSON WET SIDE


CLEAR

CLEAR

FINISHEDCEILINGSEE RCP.



2 LAYERS 5/8" GWB



1 LAYER 5/8" GWB

EXIST.


1/2" RESILIENTCHANNEL


METAL STUD





2 LAYERS 5/8" GWB ONEACH SIDE


METAL STUD




METAL STUD





CLEAR

4 7/8"

3 3/4"

7 1/4"

4 7/8"

3 3/4"

7 1/4"

5 1/2"

6"

6"

1'-0"

4 1/4"

3 1/8"

4 1/4"

3 1/8"

2 1/4"

4 7/8"

1'-0"

1'-1 7/8"

1'-3"

6"

3 3/4"

MATCH

3 3/4"

1 1/8"

6 1/8"

5"

9 1/4"

8"

01

01A

01B

02

02A

02B

11

12

21

22

03

03A

04

04A

04B

05

1314

23

15

25

24

24A

26

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

01 STC 40, UL U419-STANDARD3 5/8"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

01A STC 40-STANDARD2 1/2"

01B STC 40-STANDARD6"

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP


PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

02A STC 45, UL U419-STANDARD2 1/2"


SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

11 STC 50, UL U4651 HRHI-IMPACT3 5/8"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

12 STC 59, UL U4521 1/2 HRHI-IMPACT3 5/8"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP


PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

NO

N-R

ATED

1 H

R R

ATED

2 H

R R

ATED

22 STC 57, UL U4932 HRCEMENTBOARD

3 5/8"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP


PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

03 --STANDARD3 5/8"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

03A --STANDARD2 1/2"

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

04 --STANDARD3 5/8"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS


04B --STANDARD1 5/8"

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

05 --STANDARD1/2"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

13 STC 40, UL U4191 HRSTANDARD3 5/8"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS


2 1/2"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP


PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

25 -2 HRHI-IMPACT2 1/2"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP


PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

24A STC 50, UL U4192 HRHI-IMPACT2 1/2"

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

26 -2 HRCEMENTBOARD2 1/2"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

MILLER DYER SPEARS INC.99 CHAUNCY STREET

BOSTON, MA 02111617-338-5350 tel617-338-0033 fax

WWW.MDS-BOS.COM

architectureplanninginteriors

Drawing Number

DescriptionDateNo.

Drawing Title

Revisions

DescriptionDateNo.

Issues

Project Status:

Drawn By:

Checked By:

Issue Date:

Key Plan

Project No:

c Copyright Miller Dyer Spears Inc.

MASSACHUSETTSINSTITUTE

OF TECHNOLOGY

UNDERGRADUATE DORMITORYBUILDING W-1

Not to scale

1" = 1'-0"

8/19

/200

8 10

:09:

53 A

MC

:\Rev

it Pr

ojec

ts\0

842

- MIT

-W1_

MS.

rvt

PARTITION TYPES

A0.2

Author

Checker

JULY 25, 2008

0842

PARTITION NOTES:

1. SEE FINISH SCHEDULE FOR ADDITIONAL FINISHES.2. SUBSTITUTE 5/8" CEMENTITIOUS BACKER BOARD FOR 5/8" GWB AT ALL WET PLUMBING WALLS AND AT LOCATIONSSCHEDULED TO HAVE TILE FINISH. SEE FINISH SCHEDULE.3. PROVIDE 20GA. CONTINUOUS SHEET METAL BLOCKING FOR GRAB BARS, LAVATORY TOPS, MIRRORS AND TOILETACCESSORIES AS REQUIRED. SEE BATHROOM/TOILET ROOM PLANS. SHEET METAL MUST EXTEND OVER (3) STUDS MIIN.4. PROVIDE FIRE STOPPING SEALANT AT ALL RATED PARTITIONS.5. HORIZONTALLY BRACE STUD WALL FRAMING AS REQUIRED.6. INFILL ALL GAPS BETWEEN PARTITION AND UNDERSIDE OF STRUCTURAL DECK WITH MINERAL FIBER INSULATION.7. STC VALUES ARE BASED ON ?????????? AND MAY DIFFER FROM ACTUAL STC VALUES.8. VERIFY REQUIRED STUD SIZES AT NEW PARTITIONS TO MATCH EXISTING WALL THICKNESS.

TESTING

105

During the summer of 2008, my work at the Boston architectural firm, Miller Dyer Spears, involved extensive existing conditions drafting for a student dormitory on the MIT campus. My role included on-site surveying, Revit/AutoCad/SketchUp plan and detail drafting. I also worked directly with project team members, consultants, contractors, and facility managers. The examples here represent the range of the products and applications I worked on for the project. This was my first opportunity working in a design firm. I was surprised at how quickly I was included in the firm’s projects.

The most valuable skill I took from this short internship (aside from learning what a collaborative process architectural design can be) was a working knowledge of Revit. This was my first experience using BIM software; the firm was fully committed to using the software with its team members and staff. It was a great learning experience and it really taught me how I might incorporate this methodology in my own studio projects.

The work samples here are all products that I helped create. An interesting aspect of Revit is that any single model or drawing is really the product of several project members. This increases productivity and is also a good way of sharing information. The partition details on the opposite page where my first drafting assignments; it’s hard to convey how much these simple details taught me about drafting expectations in the design profession!

Drafting/ExisingConditions

N

MEMORIAL DRIVE

MASSAC

HUSETTESAVENUE

AMHERST ALLEY

c Copyright Miller Dyer Spears, Inc.

DESIGN-BUILDARCHITECT:

MDS / MILLER DYER SPEARS99 Chauncy Street

8th FloorBoston, MA 02111

(617) 338-5350

OWNER:

MEP ENGINEER:

FIRE PROTECTIONENGINEER:

DATE ISSUED:

MDS JOB NUMBER:

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY77 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02139-4397

R.W. SULLIVAN ENGINEERINGThe Schraft Center

529 Main Street, Suite 203Boston, MA 02129-1107

(617) 523-8227

HUGHES ASSOCIATES, INC.5 Mt. Royal Avenue

3rd FloorMarlborough, MA 01752

(508) 624-7766

DESIGN-BUILDCONTRACTOR:

SHAWMUT DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION560 Harrison Avenue

Boston, MA 02118(617) 622-7000

STRUCTURALENGINEER:

SOUZA, TRUE AND PARTNERS653 Mt. Auburn StreetWatertown, MA 02472

617-926-6100

8/28/2008 3:45:57 PMC:\Revit Projects\0842 - MIT-W1_MS.rvt

UNDERGRADUATE DORMITORY BUILDING W-1


DEMO - PHASE IAUG. 25, 2008

0842

DRAWING LISTNO. DRAWING TITLE

P2.1 PLUMBING FIRST FLOOR PLANP2.2 PLUMBING TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN (2ND - 6TH)P2.3 PLUMBING ROOF PLANP3.0 PLUMBING WATER RISER CONCEPT DIAGRAM

07 COMMUNICATIONST0.0 COMMUNICATIONS LEGEND, DETAILS AND NOTEST1.0 COMMUNICATIONS GROUND LEVEL DEMO PLANT1.1 COMMUNICATIONS FIRST FLOOR DEMO PLANT1.2 COMMUNICATIONS TYPICAL FLOOR DEMO PLANT2.0 COMMUNICATIONS GROUND LEVEL PLANT2.1 COMMUNICATIONS FIRST FLOOR PLANT2.2 COMMUNICATIONS TYPICAL FLOOR PLANT4.1 COMMUNICATIONS PART PLANST4.2 COMMUNICATIONS TYPICAL UNIT PLANST5.1 COMMUNICATIONS RISER PLAN

08 FIRE PROTECTIONFA-100 FIRE ALARM SYSTEM GROUND FLOOR LAYOUT PLANFA-101 FIRE ALARM SYSTEM FIRST FLOOR LAYOUT PLANFA-102 FIRE ALARM SYSTEM TYPICAL FLOOR (2 THROUGH 6) LAYOUT PLANFA-201 FIRE ALARM SYSTEM RISER DIAGRAMFP-100 SPRINKLER SYSTEM GROUND FLOOR LAYOUT PLANFP-101 SPRINKLER SYSTEM FIRST FLOOR LAYOUT PLANFP-102 SPRINKLER SYSTEM TYPICAL FLOOR (2 THROUGH 6) LAYOUT PLANFP-201 SPRINKLER SYSTEM RISER AND DETAILS

09 FOOD SERVICE DRAWINGSFS1.0 FOOD SERVICE

XX Design Sheets1 FIRE COMMAND CENTER OPTION A2 FIRE COMMAND CENTER OPTION B3 FIRE COMMAND CENTER OPTION CXX-3 EGRESS PLANGrand total: 153


H1.0 HVAC GROUND LEVEL DEMO PLANH1.1 HVAC FIRST FLOOR DEMO PLANH1.2 HVAC TYPICAL FLOOR DEMO PLANH2.0 HVAC GROUND LEVEL PLANH2.1 HVAC FIRST FLOOR PLANH2.2A HVAC TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN (2ND - 6TH) BASE OPTIONH2.2B HVAC TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN (2ND - 6TH) FAN COIL OPTIONH2.2C HVAC TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN (2ND - 6TH) VALANCE OPTIONH2.3 HVAC ROOF PLANH3.0 HVAC MECHANICAL ROOM PART PLANH3.1 HVAC SUPPLY AIR RISER DIAGRAMSH3.2 HVAC EXHAUST RISER DIAGRAMSH3.3 HVAC PRESSURIZATION RISER DIAGRAMSH3.4A HVAC FINNED TUBE RISER DIAGRAMSH3.4B HVAC FINNED TUBE RISER DIAGRAMSH3.5 HVAC FAN COIL RISER DIAGRAMS

05 ELECTRICAL DRAWINGSE0.0 ELECTRICAL LEGEND AND GENERAL NOTESE0.1 ELECTRICAL SITE PLANE1.0 ELECTRICAL GROUND FLOOR DEMO PLANE1.1 ELECTRICAL FIRST FLOOR DEMO PLANE1.2 ELECTRICAL TYPICAL FLOOR (2ND - 6TH) DEMO PLANE2.0 ELECTRICAL GROUND FLOOR POWER PLANE2.1 ELECTRICAL FIRST FLOOR POWER PLANE2.2 ELECTRICAL TYPICAL FLOOR (2ND - 6TH) POWER PLANE3.0 ELECTRICAL GROUND FLOOR LIGHTING PLANE3.1 ELECTRICAL FIRST FLOOR LIGHTING PLANE3.2 ELECTRICAL TYPICAL FLOOR (2ND - 6TH) LIGHTING PLANE4.1 ELECTRICAL PARTIAL PLANSE4.2 ELECTRICAL TYPICAL UNIT PLANSE5.1 ELECTRICAL RISER DIAGRAME5.2 ELECTRICAL RISER DIAGRAM ALTERNATE #1E5.3 ELECTRICAL RISER DIAGRAM ALTERNATE #2E5.4 ELECTRICAL RISER DIAGRAM ALTERNATE #3E5.5 ELECTRICAL RISER DIAGRAM ALTERNATE #4E6.1 ELECTRICAL SCHEDULESE7.1 ELECTRICAL DETAILS

06 PLUMBING DRAWINGSP0.0 PLUMBING LEGEND, DETAILS AND GENERAL NOTESP0.1 PLUMBING DETAILSP0.2 PLUMBING SHEDULES AND GENERAL NOTESP1.0 PLUMBING GROUND LEVEL DEMO PLANP1.1 PLUMBING FIRST FLOOR DEMO PLANP1.2 PLUMBING TYPICAL FLOOR DEMO PLAN (2ND - 6TH)P2.0 PLUMBING GROUND LEVEL PLANP2.0UG PLUMBING UNDERGROUND PLAN


A4.1 BUILDING SECTIONSA4.2 PARTIAL BUILDLING SECTIONSA4.3 ELEVATOR PLANS & SECTIONSA4.4 KITCHEN & EAST ELEVATOR PLANS, SECTIONS & DETAILSA4.5 ELEVATOR DETAILSA4.6 STAIR #1 PLANS, SECTIONS & DETAILSA4.7 STAIR #3 PLANS, SECTIONS & DETAILSA4.8 STAIR DETAILSA4.9 UnnamedA5.1 EXTERIOR DETAILSA6.1 INTERIOR ELEVATIONSA6.2 INTERIOR ELEVATIONSA6.3 INTERIOR ELEVATIONS - GROUND FLOORA6.4 INTERIOR ELEVATIONS - GROUND FLOORA6.5 INTERIOR ELEVATIONS - LOBBYA6.6 INTERIOR ELEVATIONS - SERVERYA6.7 INTERIOR ELEVATIONS - DINING ROOMSA6.8 INTERIOR ELEVATIONS - FIRST FLOORA6.9 INTERIOR ELEVATIONS - TYP. RESIDENTIAL COORDIOR, LOBBY, LOUNGEA6.10 INTERIOR ELEVATIONSA7.1 INTERIOR DETAILSA8.1 DOOR SCHEDULE - PART 1A8.2 DOOR SCHEDULE - PART 2A8.3 DOOR SCHEDULE - PART 3A8.5 FINISH SCHEDULEA8.6 FINISH SCHEDULEA8.7 SIGNAGE

03 STRUCTURAL DRAWINGSS0.1 GENERAL NOTE AND TYPICAL DETAILSS0.2 TYPICAL DETAILS AND SCHEDULESS0.3 TYPICAL DETAILS AND SCHEDULESS1.0 GROUND FLOOR / FOUNDATION PLANS1.1 FIRST FLOOR FRAMING PLANS1.2 SECOND FLOOR FRAMING PLANS1.3 THIRD FLOOR FRAMING PLANS1.4 FOURTH FLOOR FRAMING PLANS1.5 FIFTH FLOOR FRAMING PLANS1.6 SIXTH FLOOR FRAMING PLANS1.7 ROOF FRAMING PLANS2.0 TYPICAL SECTIONS AND DETAILS

04 MECHANICAL DRAWINGSH0.0 HVAC LEGEND AND GENERAL NOTESH0.1 HVAC DETAILSH0.2 HVAC DETAILSH0.3 HVAC DETAILS


00.2 Unnamed00.3 Unnamed

00 GENERAL00.1 DEMO PHASE I COVER SHEET00 COVER SHEET

01 SITE DRAWINGSC1.1 SITE PLAN

02 ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGSD0.1 DEMOLITION NOTES, SCOPE DESCRIPTION & DETAILSD1.0 GROUND FLOOR DEMOLITION PLAND1.1 FIRST FLOOR DEMOLITION PLAND1.2 SECOND FLOOR DEMOLITION PLAND1.3 THIRD FLOOR DEMOLITION PLAND1.4 FOURTH FLOOR DEMOLITION PLAND1.5 FIFTH FLOOR DEMOLITION PLAND1.6 SIXTH FLOOR DEMOLITION PLAND1.7 ROOF DEMOLITION PLAND1.8 PARTIAL DEMO ELEVATIONSA0.1 CODE ANALYSIS & EGRESS DIAGRAMSA0.2 PARTITION TYPESA1.0 GROUND FLOOR PLANA1.1 FIRST FLOOR PLANA1.2 SECOND FLOOR PLANA1.3 THIRD FLOOR PLANA1.4 FOURTH FLOOR PLANA1.5 FIFTH FLOOR PLANA1.6 SIXTH FLOOR PLANA1.7 ROOF PLANA1.8 ENLARGED PLANS - APARTMENTSA1.9 ENLARGED BATHROOM PLANS, ELEVATIONS & DETAILSA1.10 GROUND FLOOR FURNITURE LAYOUT PLAN (FOR REFERENCE ONLY)A1.11 FIRST FLOOR FURNITURE LAYOUT PLAN (FOR REFERENCE ONLY)A1.12 TYP. RESIDENTIAL FLOOR FURNITURE LAYOUT PLAN (FOR REFERENCE

ONLY)A2.0 GROUND FLOOR RCPA2.1 FIRST FLOOR RCPA2.2 SECOND FLOOR RCP - TYPICALA2.3 THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH FLOORS PARTIAL RCPA3.1 NORTH & SOUTH EXTERIOR ELEVATIONSA3.2 EAST & WEST EXTERIOR ELEVATIONSA3.3 COURTYARD ELEVATIONSA3.4 ENLARGED ENTRANCE ELEVATIONS, SECTIONS & DETAILSA3.5 WINDOW SCHEDULE & DETAILS

LOCUS MAP

EXISTING IRONWORK TO BE REPAIRED

LAWN

BLUE STONE TERRACE

W-1

PLANTING PLANTING

PLANTING PLANTINGADJACENT BUILDING

FOODSERVICECONDENSORS

EMERGENCYGENERATOR

DUMPTERS

1-STORY ROOF

1-STORYROOF

LOADING AREA

BICYCLE STORAGE

WALKWAY

EXISTINGLAWN

1-STORY ROOF

NEW CANOPY

BLUESTONETERRACE

RAMP

RAMP

RAMP

BLUESTONESTAIRS

EL +4.00

EL +0.00NEWMANSORYPIERS

PLANTING

PLANTING

AMHERST STREET

MAS

SAC

HU

SETT

S AV

ENU

E

BIKE STORAGE


BOSTON, MA 02111617-338-5350 tel617-338-0033 fax

WWW.MDS-BOS.COM


Drawing Number

DescriptionDateNo.

Drawing Title

Revisions

DescriptionDateNo.

Issues

Project Status:

Drawn By:

Checked By:

Issue Date:

Key Plan

Project No:



OF TECHNOLOGY


Not to scale

1" = 10'-0"

8/28

/200

8 4:

08:4

4 PM

C:\R

evit

Proj

ects

\084

2 - M

IT-W

1_M

S.rv

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SITE PLAN

C1.1

DEMO - PHASE I

Author

Checker

AUG. 25, 2008

0842

Summer InternshipMiller, Dyer, SpearsBoston, MADuration : 3 Months

SUMMER2008106

UP

UP

UP

UP

A3.1

2

A3.21

A3.1

A3.2

1

2

2

A4.1

A3.32

3

1

A3.3 54

272 SF

DOUBLE215

285 SF

DOUBLE216

114 SF

SINGLE214

114 SF

SINGLE217

113 SF

SINGLE213

113 SF

SINGLE218

136 SF

BATHROOM219

138 SF

BATHROOM212

263 SF

DOUBLE220

213 SF

DOUBLE210

STAIR #2S2-2

256 SF

DOUBLE221

280 SF

DOUBLE209

140 SF

BATHROOM208

169 SF

BATHROOM(ACCESSIBLE)

222

177 SF

SINGLE207

159 SF

SINGLE223

625 SF

GRT APT.224

288 SF

DOUBLE206

257 SF

DOUBLE226

278 SF

DOUBLE227

264 SF

DOUBLE228

131 SF

SINGLE234

245 SF


235

358 SF

TRIPLE229

225 SF

DOUBLE230

134 SF

SINGLE231

229 SF

DOUBLE232

352 SF

TRIPLE233

326 SF

DOUBLE238

224 SF

BATHROOM203

94 SF

IST CLOSET237

318 SF

DOUBLE202

270 SF

DOUBLE241

292 SF

DOUBLE273

65 SF

TRASH/RECYCLE

27573 SF

JAN. CL.276

650 SF

GRT APT.255

270 SF

DOUBLE253

263 SF

DOUBLE252

174 SF


244

233 SF

DOUBLE251

135 SF

SINGLE245

382 SF

TRIPLE246

260 SF

DOUBLE247

260 SF

DOUBLE249

277 SF

DOUBLE250

33 SF

F.A. CL.243

STAIR #3S3-2

91 SF

IST CLOSET242

174 SF

SINGLE272

176 SF

SINGLE256

140 SF

BATHROOM257

136 SF

BATHROOM271

275 SF

DOUBLE270

278 SF

DOUBLE258

211 SF

DOUBLE269

116 SF

SINGLE266

116 SF

SINGLE265

DOUBLE264

DOUBLE263

118 SF

SINGLE262

114 SF

SINGLE261

268 SF

DOUBLE259

139 SF

BATHROOM260

146 SF


267

STAIR #4S4-2

STAIR #1S1-2

1

A4.1

256 SF

DOUBLE268

269 SF

DOUBLE240

270 SF

DOUBLE239

882 SF

CORRIDOR200A

10 SF

F.A. PANELCL.236

8 SF

EMERG.ELEC. CL.

204

8 SF

ELEC. CL.225

112 SF

ELEVATORLOBBY

20077 SF


274

14 SF

ELEC. CL.254

16' -

7 1

/8"

545 SF

LOUNGE201

2

A4.2

A1.2

2

4

A4.6

D1.81

A4.3

4

A4.6

3

A3.4

1

A3.4

2

A1.9

4

A1.9

1

A1.9

2

A1.9

3

A1.9

5

1

A4.2

A6.6

1

4

A6.79

A6.7

1

10

11

12

A6.5

7

A6.943

A6.9

2

1

A6.9 56

3

A4.2

8' -

8"

A1.2

3

6' - 3" 7' - 0"

10' -

5 5

/8"

1319 SF

CORRIDOR200C

262 265

266

263

259 268

269

200C1

270258

256 272

255

253

245

200C2

213 218

217214

215 216

200B1

212

211 220

260

S4-2

210

275 276

273

254

252

251

246

247249

250

242

206

203

209 221

222208

224

200B2

228

235

231

229

227

226

223207

274

237240 239

202

238

234

241

233

257

225

219

S2-2

267

261

232 230

264

S3-2

243

271

205

204

S1-2

S1-2

236

36 SF

TRASH236A6.5

13

8' -

5 5/

8"

03A12

87

12 12 12

11

11

11

12

12

25 25

25

25

25

2525

25

251211

11

12

11

12

11

23

23

23

23

11

11

11

01

12

23

23

23

11

01A01A 01A

12

22 22

23

23 23

11

15

15

05 12 23

23

23

1101A

11 11

01A 01A

01A

2223

1123

2322

23

1123

23

1211 11

12 11 12

12

11 23

23 12

01

1122

11

23

23

11

01 11

23

23

12 12 12 12

12 1211

11 11

1112 11 12

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

11

12

25

12

25

25

22

15

1112

03A

8' -

3 5/

8"

8' -

0 5/

8"

11

25

11

11

23

2323

23

01A 01A

11

23

23

15

23

23

11 11 1212

12 1211

25 25

25 25

D.8

F.2

F.5

8' -

3 5/

8"10

' - 8

3/8

"

R

KITCHEN

BATHBUILT-INBOOKSHELVES

BEDROOM

ELEC.PANEL

LIVING

DINING

COATCLOSET

CLOSET

16.13

16.23

3

A4.2

12

25

25

25 01

0122

01

11

11

11

0101

01

01

01A 2323

23

2301A

01

01

01

PROVIDE DRAPERIES AT ALL WINDOWS IN DINING ROOMS AND FLOOR LOUNGES.

PROVIDE NEW FINISHED FLOORING THRU-OUT

PLAN NOTES

EXISTING WALL TO REMAIN

NEW FLOOR INFILL

PLAN LEGEND

STAINED WOOD PANELING

3

A4.2


BOSTON, MA 02111617-338-5350 tel617-338-0033 fax

WWW.MDS-BOS.COM


Drawing Number

DescriptionDateNo.

Drawing Title

Revisions

DescriptionDateNo.

Issues

Project Status:

Drawn By:

Checked By:

Issue Date:

Key Plan

Project No:



OF TECHNOLOGY


Not to scale

As indicated

8/19

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8 3:

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9 PM

C:\R

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ects

\084

2 - M

IT-W

1_M

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SECOND FLOOR PLAN

A1.2

BJ, JR

JULY 25, 2008

0842

SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0"2 ENLARGED GRT APT. PLAN-WEST WINGTYPICAL OF ROOMS 255, 355, 455, 555, 655MIRROR IMAGE FOR ROOMS 022, 122, 222, 322, 422, 522, 622

NOTE: FURNITURE SHOWN FOR REFERENCE ONLY

SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0"3 ENLARGED GRT APT-EAST WING



METAL STUD

FIRESTOP SEALANT, TYP.

2 LAYERS 5/8" GWB

C-H STUDS @ 24" O.C.

METAL STUD TRACKFASTENERS@ 2'-0" O.C.TOP & BOTTOM

1" GWB LINER PANEL

SHAFT SIDE



METAL STUD




1 LAYER 5/8" GWB ONROOM SIDE

(E) STRUCTURALDECK (VARIES)

METAL STUD




2 LAYERS OF 5/8" GWB ONCORRIDOR SIDE

1 LAYER 5/8" GWB

(E) STRUCT. DECK (VARIES)

METAL STUD





1/2" RESILIENT CHANNEL

1 LAYER 5/8" GWB ONSTAIR SIDE


METAL STUD




2 LAYERS OF 5/8" GWBON CORRIDOR SIDE

1/2" RESILIENT CHANNELON CORRIDOR SIDE1/2" RESILIENT CHANNEL

ON ROOM SIDE


2 LAYERS 5/8" GWB







1 LAYER 5/8" GWB

METAL STUD




1 LAYER 5/8" GWB

METAL STUD




3" SOUND ATTENUATIONBLANKET (TYPE 04)1 1/2" SOUND ATTENUATIONBLANKET (TYPE 04A)

1 LAYER 5/8" GWB

1/2" RESILIENT CHANNELAT 16' O.C. MINACOUSTICAL SEALANT @TOP, BOTTOM & ALLPENETRATIONS






METAL STUD





2 LAYERS 5/8" GWB




1 LAYER 5/8"CEMENTITIOUSON WET SIDE


CLEAR

CLEAR

FINISHEDCEILINGSEE RCP.



2 LAYERS 5/8" GWB



1 LAYER 5/8" GWB

EXIST.


1/2" RESILIENTCHANNEL


METAL STUD





2 LAYERS 5/8" GWB ONEACH SIDE


METAL STUD




METAL STUD





CLEAR

4 7/8"

3 3/4"

7 1/4"

4 7/8"

3 3/4"

7 1/4"

5 1/2"

6"

6"

1'-0"

4 1/4"

3 1/8"

4 1/4"

3 1/8"

2 1/4"

4 7/8"

1'-0"

1'-1 7/8"

1'-3"

6"

3 3/4"

MATCH

3 3/4"

1 1/8"

6 1/8"

5"

9 1/4"

8"

01

01A

01B

02

02A

02B

11

12

21

22

03

03A

04

04A

04B

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1314

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15

25

24

24A

26

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP


PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

01A STC 40-STANDARD2 1/2"


SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP


PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

02A STC 45, UL U419-STANDARD2 1/2"


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PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP


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GYPSUMBOARD

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SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

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12 STC 59, UL U4521 1/2 HRHI-IMPACT3 5/8"

PARTITIONTYPE

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SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP


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NO

N-R

ATED

1 H

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R R

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3 5/8"

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PLAN

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PARTITIONTYPE

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PLAN

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PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

03 --STANDARD3 5/8"

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REMARKS


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PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

04 --STANDARD3 5/8"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

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REMARKS


04B --STANDARD1 5/8"

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

05 --STANDARD1/2"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

13 STC 40, UL U4191 HRSTANDARD3 5/8"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

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REMARKS


2 1/2"

PARTITIONTYPE

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PLAN

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PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

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PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

25 -2 HRHI-IMPACT2 1/2"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP


PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

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REMARKS

24A STC 50, UL U4192 HRHI-IMPACT2 1/2"

SECTION ATBOTTOM

PLAN

SECTIONAT TOP

26 -2 HRCEMENTBOARD2 1/2"

PARTITIONTYPE

STUDSIZE

GYPSUMBOARD

FIRERATING

REMARKS


BOSTON, MA 02111617-338-5350 tel617-338-0033 fax

WWW.MDS-BOS.COM


Drawing Number

DescriptionDateNo.

Drawing Title

Revisions

DescriptionDateNo.

Issues

Project Status:

Drawn By:

Checked By:

Issue Date:

Key Plan

Project No:



OF TECHNOLOGY


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JULY 25, 2008

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PARTITION NOTES:

1. SEE FINISH SCHEDULE FOR ADDITIONAL FINISHES.2. SUBSTITUTE 5/8" CEMENTITIOUS BACKER BOARD FOR 5/8" GWB AT ALL WET PLUMBING WALLS AND AT LOCATIONSSCHEDULED TO HAVE TILE FINISH. SEE FINISH SCHEDULE.3. PROVIDE 20GA. CONTINUOUS SHEET METAL BLOCKING FOR GRAB BARS, LAVATORY TOPS, MIRRORS AND TOILETACCESSORIES AS REQUIRED. SEE BATHROOM/TOILET ROOM PLANS. SHEET METAL MUST EXTEND OVER (3) STUDS MIIN.4. PROVIDE FIRE STOPPING SEALANT AT ALL RATED PARTITIONS.5. HORIZONTALLY BRACE STUD WALL FRAMING AS REQUIRED.6. INFILL ALL GAPS BETWEEN PARTITION AND UNDERSIDE OF STRUCTURAL DECK WITH MINERAL FIBER INSULATION.7. STC VALUES ARE BASED ON ?????????? AND MAY DIFFER FROM ACTUAL STC VALUES.8. VERIFY REQUIRED STUD SIZES AT NEW PARTITIONS TO MATCH EXISTING WALL THICKNESS.

TESTING

107

I was employed at Menders Torrey & Spencer architects in September 2009. Hired primarily as a drafter, I have quickly become involved in a variety of projects. MTS is a small firm that specializes in historic preservation. While I can say that before I was hired I had an interest in adaptive reuse, I have learned in a few months that there is much more to the architecture of preservation. Sometimes reuse and preservation overlap. In any case, it is exciting to work in a firm where emphasis is placed on preserving, restoring, or reusing existing structures. Not only is it a sustainable practice, but much can be learned by studying the art and craftsmanship of historic architecture.

My role in the firm thus far has not been limited only to drafting. I have been tasked for site visits, documenting existing conditions, and surveying building envelope integrity on the Wellesley College Campus. After getting settled for a few months, I hope to expand my role to contribute more to larger project demands. I am currently learning about construction documentation while completing a drawing set for two local bank branches.

The work samples here document some of my early contributions at MTS. They include drafting revisions, finish schedules, and some code and accessibility diagramming. Also included are shop drawings that I coordinated with a manufacturer for an access ramp.

Besides being thrilled to be working in a firm, I think my own studio work is benefiting from the productivity skills and design approaches that I take from full-time employment.

InternshipMenders Torrey & Spencer, ArchitectsBoston, MADuration : 4 Months

FALL2009

The two drawings above are revisions for an access lift.

Finish Schedule.

109

On this project I worked with a manufacturer to correct shop drawings for the access ramp railing. This project underscored the importance of communication and field verification. The project has been build and is currently in use.

110

I researched and documented life saftey and accessibility requirements for these diagrams of a local church vestibule.

111

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

2008-2009

113

Design CompetitionDuration : 1 Month

ICELANDIC “SKÝLI”

Shown here is my entry for Google SketchUp’s DesignIt competition. The guidelines required a design for a small shelter (less than 100SF) and the use of SketchUp to render the competition entry. I submitted an entry because I thought it would be a great way to become more proficient using SkethUp. As it turned out, I also got very interested in small structure design in general. I was living in Iceland during this period and based my entry concept on the Icelandic notion of shelter. The resulting proposal is shelter adapted for the wet, windy climate of Iceland.

The weather demands that Icelandic shelters or “skýli” must express the ideals of “enclosure.” This shelter focuses on the thermal envelope: a foundation of black lava stone collected on site, earth-sheltered on the uphill elevation, and black cladding to absorb the low angled Icelandic sunlight. The form relates to the Icelandic vernacular of farm buildings and mountain refuges: pitched roof, earth-sheltering, wood siding, and punched openings for operable windows. This proposed shelter on the mountain, Esja, (near Reykjavik, Iceland) is intended for tree planting volunteers and hikers. It is located in a highland area where trees are planted each season to mitigate soil erosion on the steep slopes. It is an inhabitable link between the humane shelter of the sparse forest and the vast scale of the exposed mountain heights.

SUMMER2009

In November 2008, Icelandic architecture firms began announcing dramatic layoffs due to the collapse of the building industry. By February 2009, an estimated

90% of Icelandic architects became unemployed as a result. After a decade of optimistic (perhaps unrealistic)

growth, designers were faced with the dire consequences of unbridled urban expansion. Olafur Mathiesen, an architect who now finds himself unemployed

after 12 years, explained that the lack of coordination between local communities and zoning and planning practices led to a form of ad-hoc urban development, resulting in a suburban sprawl of shoddily built multi-family housing, out-of-place highrise apartments, little green space, and a road structure so complex that it makes

public transportation slow and inconvenient. 1 Instead of planning for a sustainable future, the design and construction industries built themselves out of a job.

1Adda Birnir. “After the Gold Rush,” The Architect’s Newpaper, April 3, 2009.

Independent ReserchDuration : 1 Month

SUMMER2009

TILSÖLU

“Til Sölu” means “For Sale” in Icelandic. In the midst of the construction boom in 2006, 186 contracts for new homes were signed every week. As housing costs soared, the building boom went into overdrive. Architectural critic Guja Dögg observes, “People were just building and building, with no consideration for what anyone else was doing. It’s like they were all cowboys shooting into the air, and now the bullets are raining down on them.”1 Iceland is littered with empty, unfinished homes and the ubiquitous “Til Sölu” signs. In 2009, less than 30 contracts for new homes are signed weekly.

1Adda Birnir. “After the Gold Rush,” The Architect’s Newpaper, April 3, 2009.

During the summer of 2009, I moved back to Iceland. Given the economic climate and it affect on the building industry, I wanted to document my impressions of the state of the Icelandic architecture practice. These images and the text excerpts on the following pages were submitted for Practice Credit in the Fall of 2009.

TILSÖLU

The largest of Iceland’s recently nationalized banks, Landsbankinn, reports, “In recent years, housing prices have risen far more than construction costs, which has led to high profits for contractors. This trend has taken a sharp u-turn recently as building costs have increased by 33% over the last 18 months, while nominal housing prices have fallen by 12% over the same period.” The design community has been complicit in creating a built environment in limbo—a landscape in which contemporary life exists among ready-made ruins. KREPPA

15.990 kr.STARTBOX TILLAGA eldhúsáhaldasett 38 hlutir

89.900 kr.KARLSTAD hst stunginn/Grann hvítt

39.950 kr. MANDAL rúmgrind+geymslubox 160x200 fura/svart

5.290 kr.LJUSÅS UVÅS borðlampi rautt

34.950 kr.GRANÅS borð+4 stólar svart/gler

149.900 kr.ARILD 3ja sæta sófi Karaktär svart

Velkomin í

In late 2008, the Icelandic Krona lost over two-thirds of its value on world markets virtually overnight. To describe the ensuing collapse that followed, Icelanders use a single word, “Kreppa.” In Icelandic, this word means “crisis” and is used to generalize the fall-out and failure of the country’s economic and developmental policies. The days of designer dreams and IKEA fantasies have been put on hold. For a nation in which over 62% of the entire population are urban dwellers living in the capital city, could this be an opportunity to rethink the consumer behavior that is the ever-faithful companion of urbanism?

117

��

1

On June 17, 2009, an Icelander named Björn

Mikaelsson hired a bulldozer, drove it back to his

family’s brand new, five bedroom home, and

completely leveled the entire residence. Just one day

before the home was to be repossessed by the national

bank, the recently bankrupt Mr. Mikaelsson literally

and symbolically crushed any hopes of home-

ownership. This form of protest, though thankfully

quite uncommon, highlights the tenuous situation

many Icelanders find themselves in today. Mr.

Mikaelsson not only bulldozed his home, but perhaps

signaled a definitive pause in Iceland’s unchecked,

speculative building market. This event may also pose

a tentative question about the kind of unsustainable

development to which the industrialized world has

become so addicted; an addiction reiterated in

Iceland’s urban landscape and its failed ambitions.

��1�Title�photograph�by�HJH.��From�Nei,�June�18,�2009.��http://this.is/nei/?p=5932.�

�

It would be impossible for anyone visiting Iceland not to notice that

something has recently gone very wrong in the built environment. Where

just a few years ago there were unworkable fields of ragged, black lava rock,

covered by spongy and unbelievably green moss, there are now motley

rows of reinforced concrete structures. While many of these developments

have been occupied, serving some necessary function for housing a

growing urban population, a more unfortunate alternative has become

increasingly common. Due to many factors, which will be briefly addressed

in this essay, the new neighborhoods of Iceland are and will remain for

some time unfinished. In some cases, solitary residents live in half-realized

homes among streets lined by more uninhabitable, unfinished homes. I

would like to relay my observations of Iceland’s built environment as it

exists today: a function of over-indulgence and economic collapse.

Since January of 2009, I have been living in Iceland with my wife and our

new daughter. We live in a 450 SF flat in a multi-family apartment block.

The priorities of the Icelanders who designed this flat in the late 1960’s still

show through in the design. There is ample natural lighting and

ventilation, clean geothermal heating, access to a back garden and

adjacent greenspace, and the satisfaction of sharing a relatively small

footprint (by comparison to the single-family dwelling) with our neighbors

in the housing block. Despite the complete adequacy of this residence and

the fact that the small dimensions and communal set-up are quite normal

in Icelandic society, more and more Icelanders have adopted the desire for

the single-family dwelling over the last decade. Iceland’s new homes have

a larger footprint and are meant to reflect Icelanders’ increasing wealth and

prosperity. Indeed, until the recent collapse, Iceland had become one of

the world’s richest countries. Icelanders had begun to dream big, but this

dream was exploited in the last several years by rampant commercial

development and the marketing of an unsustainable future.

The trend of home-ownership and commercial development is not new to

Iceland. A 2004 report indicated that of all of the Scandinavian countries,

Iceland had the highest proportion of home-ownership due to housing

policies that encouraged private development over state involvement; a

policy diametrically opposed to that in similar European social-

democracies.2 Combined with a migration trend beginning in the mid-20th

century from small fishing settlements to a few urban centers, the pattern

of urban development in Iceland has had to content with sprawl and an

increasing impact on fragile ecosystems. But perhaps an equally dangerous

side effect is that of distorting market expectations beyond the capacity of

��2�Jón�Rúnar�Sveinsson,�The�Urban�Studies�Institute,�University�of�Iceland.��The�Formation�of�

Urban�Homeownership�in�Iceland.��Paper�presented�at�the�ENHR�2004�Conference�“Housing:�

Growth�and�Regeneration”,�Cambridge,�2–6�July�2004.�

118

the economic structure. In other words, the dream of Iceland’s urban built

environment is closer to the “American Dream” than it is to the more

appropriate models of Iceland’s Scandinavian cousins.

Iceland’s march of urban expansion ended so abruptly in 2008, that the

builders, designers, engineers, contractors, and job captains simply went

home and never returned to work. A Reykjavik architect, Aldis Nordfjord,

lost her job in October 2008—on the same day as all 44 of her co-workers.

She reported that as many as 75 percent of Iceland’s architects were fired in

recent months.3 What good is an urban plan or construction documents,

when the specialists responsible for them never return to work? Of the

endless contingencies designers plan for, a sudden meltdown of the

economy that fuels the industry is rarely addressed. This stresses the point

that designers must not only do their jobs, but also turn a critical eye on the

processes of urbanization and development on a macro level. We should

ask ourselves if our work is part of a sustainable strategy or if it is part of a

speculative wave that, if it fails, subjects the environment, the society, and

our own profession to unnecessary risk. The New York Times recently

quoted a local resident who lamented, “If you drive through Reykjavik, you

see all these new houses, and I’ve been thinking for the longest time,

‘Where are we going to get people to live in all these homes?’”4 I would like

to know if the architects and developers ask the same question.

The real underlying message with the failure of Iceland’s ambitions in the

built environment is one of sustainability. There are, of course, the matters

of unsustainable development, incursion into natural ecosystems by urban

sprawl, the IKEA fantasies of home consumerism, and material excess at the

heart of contemporary building modes. But Iceland also shows a more

persistent effect of what happens when reality catches up with a

speculative dream. The waste of halted development lags on behind the

end of economic collapse and manifests itself in the half-built, forsaken

wastelands of reinforced concrete. We are left with an incomplete built

landscape that, despite the warning signs, neither the designers nor the

society had anticipated. In their own ways, the exposed structural

skeletons, the streets grids of unrealized urban plans, and the lonely

residents dwelling in unadorned concrete boxes present an engaging

narrative. The narrative is not apocalyptic; it does not suggest a moral

failure or signal the decline of modern society. Instead, it serves as an

architectural signpost warning us that our best designs and best intentions

��3�Sarah�Lyall.�“Stunned�Icelanders�Struggle�After�Economy’s�Fall,”�The�New�York�Times,�

November�8,�2008.��

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/world/europe/09iceland.html?pagewanted=1�(accessed�

June�28,�2009).�4�Ibid.�

do have consequences. It also suggests that we should resist the urge to

design beyond our needs because of an ideological impetus to build a

bigger, newer, and more elaborate future.

While it took a little more than five minutes for Mr. Mikaelsson to destroy

his home, the after-effects of Iceland’s economic collapse will live on for

many more years. Mr. Mikaelsson’s desperate act, though extreme and

violent in its finality, is however just one indicator of a larger phenomenon

that is occurring within the built environment of Iceland. Iceland’s decade-

long construction boom and the optimistic speculation that propelled it are

absolutely over; the dreams of home-ownership and the voracious

expansion of the built environment have been totally squelched by

economic collapse. Iceland’s built environment today is a portrait of halted

development and bruised ambitions. Only time will tell if the lessons of this

era will be internalized by the next wave of Iceland’s designers.

Afterword

This essay and attached journal excerpts look at design at the urban scale. I

have attempted to include current research and facts associated with the

recent decline of Iceland’s building industry. I am particularly interested in

the casual/mutual relationship between that decline and the behavior and

practices of the design professions leading up to it. By photographing the

offspring of that relationship and matching it with the “facts”, I hope to

investigate what might have gone wrong. As a designer, it is an

opportunity to examine the difference between actual demand and

unlimited ambition.

The attached journal excerpts are also meant to illustrate the current

landscape of Iceland’s urban development. Evident in this landscape is a

tension between the built and natural environments. I have to say that this

tension is atypical of articulated environments in Iceland; the country has a

strong building heritage of harmonious interaction with nature which has

been quite respectful of the natural environment. It is the speed and scale

of the current mode of development that has shifted the balance. In these

new landscapes, there is an obvious disconnect between man, his dwelling,

and nature. Perhaps the passing of time will help these new places settle

into their own natural rhythm, but for now, they are monuments to lost

ambition. The photos and illustrations aim at capturing this moment in

time when materialism, desire, and audacity collide with disappointment,

austerity, and failure.

119

VISUALSTUDIES

VISUALSTUDIES

120

working portfolio

Documents

d models

d object

d elements

figureground compositions

figureground relationships

architectural history

us air force

human factors