Aaron Tkac Architecture Portfolio, 2021 by Aaron Tkac

A A R O T K A A R I T T U P O F O O ‘

N C C E R R L 2

H C E T I 1

[resume] aarontkac@gmail.com (614) 203-1709

CHAPEL OF CHRIST THE ÆSIR

HOW THE RAILROAD SAVED AMERICA

SCREEN THEORY

LUMIÈRE EXOTIQUE

RUBBER DUCKY DREAMSCAPE

CHAPEL OF CHRIST THE ÆSIR parafiction, storytelling, religion, mythology 2021, Graduate Thesis photoshop, illustrator, rhino, vray After generations of war with the Christians, the Norse people of Dardin, Switzerland were finally conquered and converted to Christianity. Through a series of misinterpretations, they came to practice a new religion, which included elements of Christianity and Norse mythology, called Christoheiðni. Their practice of this religion was recorded in a triptych painting and the writings of a French medieval missionary. The history of Christoheiðni in this area is culturally significant to the locals, virtually unknown to outsiders, and completely fabricated for the sake of this project. The design of a contemporary chapel for the people of Dardin based in a fabricated history and mythology is intended to highlight aspects of belief and doubt inherent within religion as well as within architecture and to propose alternative ideas of what the church could be. The mythology and the chapel were created in tandem, each influencing the other through constant conversation at a number of scales. 03

This project began with a series of transformations to the architecture and the history of Old St. George, a church on the University of Cincinnati campus. These architectural transformations resulted in new story elements, and the new story led to architectural shifts. The resulting concept was a church comprised of three spaces which practitioners progress through as part of a three-step spiritual cleansing process, interacting with one third of the Holy Trinity in each step. 04

Moving the site to Dardin, Switzerland, the story began to make further shifts inspired by new ideas for the architecture of the historic Christoheiðni church. The identity of the church and the people who worshiped there was recorded by Amis, a Christian monk visiting on behalf of the Church. In reality, Switzerland never had a Viking population, so the parafictional elements of the project stem from the very beginning of the story, allowing everything that follows to take root in the mythology. 05

The triptych painting was created by layering hand-painted elements with cut-outs from images depicting scenes from both Norse and Christian mythology. This painting is meant to express the confusing nature of what the people of Dardin believed to be the story of Christianity as well as to show the various stories in a landscape that the villagers can relate to and interact with.

Continuing the story as a contemporary re-interpretation of the Christoheiðni church depicted in the triptych, a brief timeline of evolution was created by referencing other Christoheiðni churches and chapels in the area. These changes over time acted as the lead up to the Chapel of Christ the Æsir, grounding it in a centurieslong history of religious development. 08

The Chapel, similar to the church shown in the painting, consists of three major steps in the spiritual cleansing journey: confession at the well of Odin; offerings, prayers, and baptisms at the altar of Thor; and communion and worship at the table of Freyja. These steps progress away from the mountain village of Dardin, facing east and out to the Swiss Alps over the Verderrhein River. This begins at the confessional well, where visitors turn their back to a world of sin, and it is at the communion table where they are offered a celebratory view of the beautiful world the gods have built for them.

Connections to Viking history and Christoheiðni mythology can be seen in each of the four major parts of the Chapel. The first piece is the confessional well, where Odin visits practitioners to offer them clarity and wisdom as they depart on their journey. The second piece is the realm of man, where practitioners refine and filter themselves, just as the wood screen filters the light. The deeper water on the exterior of this space is used for baptisms, and the thin stream of water constantly flowing over the highest point of the roof baptizes the Chapel so it remains Holy. The third piece is the realm of the gods, where man and god intersect. This is where the altars are located, as it is the bridge between worlds - the place with the most direct connection to divinity. The fourth piece is the communion table, where practitioners rejoice and sing praise with Freyja, reconnecting to the world as a spirit renewed in the favor of the gods. 11

This drawing summarizes the whole story; the history, the mythology, and the present are all visible at once so connections can be visualized without a sense of the interference of time. Here, the present people are in constant interaction with their past and their religious figures, seeing them and their stories throughout the world in their everyday lives. 12

This Chapel both creates and is created by stories of religious turmoil, misinterpretation, persecution, and eventually celebration which took place over many generations. It is inspired by - and deeply connected to a forgotten history and a mythological landscape which openly confounds multiple religious narratives but still remains a very important piece of the identity of the Norse people of Dardin, Switzerland. 13

HOW THE RAILROAD SAVED AMERICA alternate reality, speculative, nomadic tribes, propaganda 2020, Aaron Tkac and Bryan Raymond photoshop, illustrator, rhino, vray Between climate disasters, reaching out to new places, and introducing different ideas of urbanity, the railroad has been at the center of a large portion of American history. Excessive rail development after westward expansion put the Union Pacific Railroad in a position to capitalize on the climate issues that they had a major hand in causing. Because of nation-wide seasonal climate migration, static cities were no longer able to thrive and industries such as farming, mining, and production were no longer feasible in many areas. The UPR marketed their railroad as a way of moving people to seasonal “safe zones” where they could find work and a place to stay. New temporary cities, built to be transported, supplied, and modified by the train, quickly developed inside and around the remains of the old cities which could no longer survive. While the UPR’s infrastructure may have saved America by allowing people to migrate, redefining what makes a city, and providing important connections for resource- and culture-sharing between communities, they also saved themselves. They profited immensely by forcing people to rent expensive train cars and pay a hefty tax for train service. When people could no longer afford to pay, they were left stranded on the side of the tracks, unable to escape the changing climate. In the end, the Union Pacific Railroad became the ruling body as the people depended on them for everything. This is how the railroad saved itself at the expense of America. 15

THE FARMS DENSITY: LOW ACTIVITY: MEDIUM

PICTURED HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE SETTLED AT A THE DOCKS DENSITY: HIGH ACTIVITY: MEDIUM

VARIETY OF DIFFERENT CONDITIONS.

ON THE LEFT, YOU WILL SEE THAT THE

SETTLEMENT IS ALONG THE RAIL LINE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PLOT OF FARM LAND.

THIS COMMUNITY USES AS MUCH OF THE LAND SURROUNDING THEM AS POSSIBLE

BECAUSE OF THE RARITY OF GOOD FARMLAND.

ON THE RIGHT, YOU WILL SEE A SETTLE-

MENT SITUATED IN AN INDUSTRIAL AREA.

THIS SETTLEMENT TAKES ON THE ROLE OF A DOCK OR A DISTRIBUTION CENTER, MOVING THEIR HOMES AT A DISTANCE FROM

THE RAILROAD TO EASE THEIR WORKFLOW.

HERE, YOU WILL SEE A COMMUNITY THAT

THE MARKET DENSITY: HIGH ACTIVITY: HIGH

HAS SETTLED IN AN URBAN AREA, TAKING OVER THE STREETS AND OPEN SPACES

NEAR THE RAIL LINE. THIS SETTLEMENT TAKES ON A MORE PARASITIC QUALITY, TOUCHING AND EVEN STACKING ONTO

EXISTING STRUCTURES THAT HAVE LIKE-

LY BEEN ABANDONED. DUE TO THE HIGH

TRAFFIC THROUGH THIS AREA, THIS COM-

MUNITY HOSTS A LARGE OPEN AIR MARKET BETWEEN THE TRAIN TRACKS AND THE SPRINGFIELD COURTHOUSE.

TRAIN CAR RENTAL CATALOG

THE MOBILE CITY

THE SOCIAL GRADIENT

THE RANDOMIZER

THE CENTER FOCUS

THE SLIPSTREAM

MOBILE UNIT STACKS DESCRIPTION: THIS RENTABLE TRAIN CAR INCLUDES A STURDY SCAFFOLDING SYSTEM INTO WHICH UNIQUE HOUSING UNITS CAN BE STACKED. ROPE BRIDGES BETWEEN CARS ARE ALSO OPTIONAL. CAN HOLD UP TO 8 UNITS.

FIRST CLASS - PRIVATE UNIT

AMENITIES: STRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTABILITY FOR OTHERWISE STATIONARY, POTENTIALLY UNSTABLE HOMES (WATER AND ELECTRICITY CAN BE RUN THROUGH THE SCAFFOLDING BUT ARE NOT PROVIDED).

8'-3 21"

DESCRIPTION: THIS CAR IS THE TOP OF THE LINE AS FAR AS QUALITY, SPACE, AND PRIVACY. IT IS AN EASILY TRANSPORTABLE HOME WITH LOTS OF NATURAL LIGHT AND AS MUCH COMFORT AS CAN FIT IN A TRAIN CAR.

COST: $16,000/MONTH (SCAFFOLD STRUCTURE AND TRAIN CAR)

9'-11 21"

AMENITIES: HOOKUPS FOR ALL UTILITIES (INCLUDING WIFI) ARE INCLUDED IN THE CAR STRUCTURE ITSELF, ALLOWING FOR A QUICK AND EASY SETUP OR TEAR-DOWN

9'-11 21"

COST: $8,000/MONTH

88'-3"

9'-11 21"

20'-2"

9'-11 21"

20'-10 43 "

9'-11 21"

10’-6”

16'-10”

20'-10 43 "

681 '-6

1 2"

7'-

1 2"

7'-

1 2"

'-1

1" 10 2

'11

7'-

1 2"

'-4

7'-

16 1 2"

POD UNIT CAR DESCRIPTION: THIS STACKED POD UNIT CAN HOUSE UP TO 42 PEOPLE, MAKING IT THE MOST AFFORDABLE AND DENSELY POPULATED TRAIN CAR ON THE MARKET..

AMENITIES: COMES WITH ITS OWN DEDICATED WIFI, A BED WITH A WINDOW FOR UP TO 42 PEOPLE, 2 SHARED RESTROOMS WITH SHOWERS PER LEVEL (01, 09). COST: $30,000/MONTH

CORRIDOR

43'-11 41"

43'-8 21"

22'-2 43 "

11'-4"

10'-2 43 "

50'-0"

20'-10 43 "

14'-3 21"

MARKET STALL TRANSPORT 93

'-6

'-1

DESCRIPTION: THIS DOUBLE-DECKER CAR IS DESIGNED WITH STABILITY AND EASE OF ACCESS IN MIND. WHILE TRAVELING WITH YOUR BUSINESS, YOU CAN REST ASSURED THAT THIS CAR WILL GET YOU AND YOUR WORK TO YOUR NEXT STOP SAFELY AND SMOOTHLY.

1 4"

1" 64

9'-

1" 10 2

AMENITIES: ONCE FULL, CARS ARE WRAPPED TO KEEP FROM SLIDING AND SHIFTING COST: $10,000/MONTH

1" '-2 4

'11

WITH CONSTANT MOVEMENT COMES CONSTANT CHANGE. OUR TRAIN CARS ARE DE-

SIGNED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY CAN BE ASSEMBLED IN VIRTUALLY ANY ORDER! A

VARIETY OF RELATIONSHIPS CAN BE FORMED FORMED BY VARIOUS INTERACTIONS BE-

TWEEN DIEFFERENT CAR TYPES, ALLOWING

YOU TO CATER YOUR COMMUNITY’S TRAIN TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS.

PROVIDED ARE SOME SAMPLE LAYOUTS. “THE SOCIAL GRADIENT” POSITIONS FIRST CLASS

TRAVELERS AT THE FRONT AND SEPARATES EACH CLASS WITH WIND TURBINES. “THE

RANDOMIZER” MIXES ALL SOCIAL GROUPS TOGETHER WITH THE MARKET AND RE-

SOURCE CARS. “THE CENTER FOCUS” PUTS THE PASSENGER AND ARCHITECTURAL

TRANSPORT CARS IN THE MIDDLE, BOOKENDING THEM WITH THE RESOURCE CARS. FINALLY, “THE SLIP STREAM” IS ORGANIZED BASED ON THE HEIGHT OF THE CARS.

12'-7 43 "

SCREEN THEORY transparency, streetscape, materiality 2019 photoshop, illustrator, rhino, vray, basswood, plywood, concrete Designing an athenaeum to sit on a long, narrow plot in the heart of Columbus, Indiana was the task of this studio. With a heavy focus on materiality and joinery, the final product was a series of drawings, collages, and a pair of models which reflect the simple, earthy palette of local limestone and white cedar that I chose to work with. The concept of screening or filtering light is an examination of the gradient between public and private and how that can be expressed on the exterior of the building through use of very few materials. This is a space for learning and for celebrating knowledge with a diverse group of people, and the architecture is intended to emphasize shifting perspectives and a variety of social conditions from private residences to a public cafe. 23

[click for ground-up animation] 24

Each space within the athenaeum is represented by blocks of varying heights and sizes, the most important public spaces featuring a sloped roof and vertical screening as opposed to the flat roofs and horizontal screens found everywhere else. More private spaces have a more dense screen at the facade and are located far from the cafe and main gathering space. 25

Different positions within the interior provide unique but familiar views, similar to how the light passing through the wood screen is constantly changing with the angle of the sun. Overlaying different perspectives of the same space and highlighting the light within provides a more holistic sense of the space rather than just seeing from one perspective - in essence, this is a time-lapse or an echoing memory of the space.

The 3/16” = 1’-0” bay model is a cut through the 3-story cafe on the right - which functions as the main circulation space as well as the main gathering space - and the entrance, archives room, and rooftop garden space on the left. The floors of the model are plywood, used to represent CLT, while the walls use basswood sticks for framing, bristol to act as a supporting layer of plywood, and handcut basswood panels to represent limestone paneling as the finish material. 28

The 1/16” = 1’-0” model is a less detailed model of the whole building, highlighting the stone and wood material choices as well as the different screen treatments and roof conditions throughout the various spaces. The structure of this model is made of basswood which was coated in concrete and then sanded, giving it an aged stone-like appearance and subtly revealing a wooden structure beneath. The screens are made of basswood sticks, and the base of the model allowed it to quickly and easily be placed into or removed from a site model that the whole class shared as to not distract from the conversation. 29

LUMIÈRE EXOTIQUE filter, composition, atmosphere, optimal generation 2019, Aaron Tkac, Brendan Girten, Grace Choi photoshop, illustrator, rhino, vray This studio was a collaborative experiment between architecture students and composition students from UC’s College Conservatory of Music. It was a processbased studio, intended to develop methodologies for the interactions between architecture and musical composition. The process was give-and-take, each medium learning from and then passing on to the other in a cycle of development and meaningful connection. This project utilized the concept of visual and sonic filtering to achieve different densities of light and sound, acknowledging these filters as deviations from a purely natural truth, or distortions of reality. The composition and architecture - developed together - are the result of these processes and this thesis spatially, structurally, and compositionally. Link to the accompanying musical composition and timelapse video: https://youtu.be/ukzePpeHo4Y 31

(Figure 1) The motion of unfiltered sounds (0:00-0:48) rhythm and

The afore-mentioned transformations are utilized and structured throughout to create various complexities. Conversation between the original White Crested Garrulax birdsong and the distorted sound (Figure 2) appeared again with overlapped, transposed, and more stressed sound qualities. In the initial rhythm (Figure 1), the lower frequencies were utilized; at another point in the piece, the higher frequencies were isolated to create rhythm. The sound of the birds twitching is transformed with tremolo filter.

bird songs (Figure 3) Conversation between two distorted

With a progressive transformation between natural and distorted sounds, we were able to juxtapose the timbral qualities of each. Once this structure was established, conversations between individual sounds began to appear, as seen in Messiaen’s work.

(Figure 2) Conversation between the original sound and the distorted sound (1:14-1:43)

sounds (1:45-2:02)

There are a variety of developments of the original (natural) sound sources; for example, the original White Crested Garulax birdsong (Figure 1) was transposed to lower frequencies (Figure 4) and repeated at shorter intervals. The original sound of the Indian Shama and its flipped sound were played at the same time.

(Figure 4) Transposed

(Figure 5) Combination of Indian shama birdsong and its flipped sound

White Crested birdsong

(Figure 7) Birdsong with tremolo filter

Following our analysis of Olivier Messiaen’s Oiseaux Exotique - which dealt mainly with the filtering, distorting, or reconstructing of bird songs - we began to study ways in which these filters and structures could be utilized and connected between architecture and composition. Working together, we created a structure based on a sun path and a specific site condition, zones of density and complexity which correspond between the composition and the architecture, and a filtering system within these zones that achieves specific levels of density throughout the composition. The main themes we carried forward were the use of bird songs, distortion of natural sounds through a more human medium, controlling timbre through density and layering of bird songs, creating form with rhythms under the bird songs, and gestures or motions (repeating the same notes and going up to high pitches). For our composition, we started with natural bird songs and rarely used filters. There are some rhythmic chords made from the lower frequencies of the Baltimore Raven’s song. Layered over these rhythms are conversations between a variety of different birds. These conversations were also a main tool employed in Messiaen’s work to control timbre. Until about the one minute mark, these sampled songs were not drastically changed from the original sounds; but after that, we began to distort them gradually building up to complex noises

that no longer sound natural.

Throughout the musical composition and the architectural space, there are a variety of densities to experience. These densities are created through stacking elements on top of each other, allowing them to converse and create something more complex than their individual selves.

In the composition, these elements are bird songs which are filtered digitally to

varying extents.

In the architecture, this is mimicked through the patterning of various densities of light and shadow as they correspond to different times of day and different sun

angles.

This is also evident in section and plan, as the most dense areas of shadow have more layers and more dense “units” shading them.

plan, a relationship between the complexity of the paths and the composition In

begins to emerge. The beginning and end of the path are most complex due to the site conditions, allowing the complexity in the middle to be represented with more layers of filtering.

MANAROLA, ITALY

In section, this creates a clear progression through different density zones which are a direct reflection of the composition’s complexity at a specific moment, as well as in the different layers/levels that can be experienced.

RUBBER DUCKY DREAMSCAPE constructed landscape, water management, intersection 2020, Aaron Tkac and Josh Funderburk photoshop, illustrator, rhino, vray This project utilizes an elevated topography intended to function as a water collection and filtration system for the Ohio river and runoff from Eden Park. It functions through the concept of landscape as a machine, distributing the water into streams and pools for the people to interact with in a variety of ways. This system works to deliver clean water to the buildings and send graywater back to the beginning of the filtration process. The elevated landscape attaches to the buildings below, creating intersections between the organic landscape and gridded urban fabric. Through the examination of several different types of interactions between the buildings and the constructed topography, architectural transformations such as cuts, lifts, deletions, and green interventions were implemented on the site. The lifted topography is a public extension of a proposed Nature Center found at the heart of the urban site with intended recreational and institutional functions. This whimsical approach to urban design and water management in a large-scale system addresses the need for functionality while putting a heavy focus on human interactivity in a constructed natural environment. 39

SITE CONDITION

BUILDING DENSITY

WATER INVASION

ELEVATED TOPOGRAPHY

COLLISION OF CONDITIONS

WATER MOVEMENT 0

250

500

With a long site between the Ohio River and a steep hill, we decided to make our urban development project into a water retention and filtration machine through the creation of a constructed parkscape which uses the buildings below as structure. In this parkscape, people are able to interact with the water at different stages of its filtration process, ending in a celebratory moment as the water is released into the river. 41

GROUND DESIGN SINGLE - TWO FAMILY RESIDENCE

TRAIN TERMINAL

SINGLE - TWO FAMILY RESIDENCE

TRAIN TERMINAL

MULTI-FAMILY

COMMERCIAL OFFICE SPACE

COMMERCIAL SHOPPING SPACE

HIGH DESNITY RESIDENTIAL

COMMERCIAL OFFICE SPACE

COMMERCIAL SHOPPING SPACE

HIGH DESNITY RESIDENTIAL

MULTI-PURPOSE: - COMMERCIAL GROUND - RESIDENTIAL ABOVE

INSTITUTIONAL

MULTI-PURPOSE: - COMMERCIAL GROUND - RESIDENTIAL ABOVE

INSTITUTIONAL

250

500

250

500

SITE DESIGN MULTI-FAMILY

BUILDING TYPOLOGY 01: SPLIT BUILDING

This elevated landscape interacts with the buildings on the site in a number of different ways, creating a variety of architectural conditions and programmatic shifts. Many parts of the landscape feature an interior space below the surface which serves as added office, retail, and residential area depending on the buildings it is intersecting. The open, circular path structure weaves in and out of the gridded urban fabric, allowing light to reach a high percentage of the street level despite its dense appearance.

BUILDING TYPOLOGY 02: NATURE CENTER SPACES

BUILDING TYPOLOGY 03: GREEN ROOF

BUILDING TYPOLOGY 04: ELEVATED BUILDING

PATH SURFACE ARTICULATION

The result is a rich, dense, fantastic landscape which interacts with the architecture above and below, and functions as a machine to collect and clean water, allowing people to interact with it recreationally or educationally throughout the process before it is eventually returned to the Ohio River. PATH SURFACE ARTICULATION

PATH SU ARTICUL

DENSITY AND INTERSECTION

PATH SURFACE ARTICULATION

PATH SU ARTICUL

PATH SURFACE ARTICULATION

PATH SU ARTICUL

[resume] aarontkac@gmail.com (614) 203-1709