Andrew Becker
Solar Home Passive Solar House 3rd Year : 4 weeks
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Problem: Design a residence for a middle-aged, professional, single woman that incorporates passive solar design techniques. The site is located in rural Iowa, with views to the south and overlooking a golf course to the west. Solution: This small, two-story home takes advantage of the surrounding views with expansive glass to the south and west. The amount of glass is calculated to allow for an efficient relationship between its surface area and storage mass in the floor system. Additional thermal mass lies in the north wall which serves to retain the hillside the home is built into. The open floor plan allows for convective loops to continuously condition the air dependent upon the environmental influences of the seasons.
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N
Perspective From South
Section 1
Section 2
Living Room
NYC Housing Modular Construction 3rd Year : 6 weeks Problem: Design a mixed use development located in southern Manhattan. The building program requirements consist of forty residential units with parking, two floors of leasable commercial space, and a roof terrace. Solution: The design offers each resident a two bedroom loft with a private balcony that allows seclusion from neighbors, but engagement with the surrounding city. Each unit is entered off of an airy central atrium that stretches through the entirety of the building. The facade is derived from the articulation of window details and floor\unit delineations together crafting an appearance of building with human scale and character.
Unit Plans
Section 1
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Floor Plan 3,5,7
Interior: Unit 1
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3 Perspective From South
401 N. Wabash Parking Garage
Perspective From East
hA Wa bas IBM Building
Solution: Design a mixed-use tower that focuses on how the building connects with the people and urban fabric of Chicago. By meshing these social elements together in a manner that coincides with the buildings structure and public spaces, one can increase the engagement of the inhabitant through the entirety of the building. Stretching the tower to visually and physically connect with the lower layers of the city creates a honest engagement between the building and its inhabitants. Creating this relationship, users interact with building in a less intimidating manner and are drawn up through the building’s vertical axis to take advantage of the height and beautiful views that skyscrapers inherently possess.
Wrigley Building
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Problem: Investigate the building typology of skyscrapers with intent to formally analyze the interjection of an iconic building into an urban context.
Chicago River
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Site Plan
n Ave.
5th Year : 5 Weeks
Michiga
Typology Study
Wacker Dr. Pedestrian
Vehicular
Massing Orientation
Watercraft
Structural Principles
Offices
Hotel
Public/Commercial
Residential Units
Stayed-Mast Dynamic Load Distribution Floor Dampening System
Building Core Reveal Terrace Lounges Building Lobby Pedestrian Access Small Watercraft Launch Small Watercraft Storage Vehicle Drop-off Open Street Level Plaza Tower Foot Print River Walk Shopping\Restaurants
Perspective From South Building Program
Pre-Fab Housing Portable Housing Design
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Problem: To understand and deliver the unique characteristics of pre-fabrication into a residential design that can perform in scenarios ranging from high-density communities to rural landscapes.
Storage
Closet
Closet
W/D
Solution: The design of the floor plan offers a balance of spaces that caters to both single occupancy and a small growing family. The home benefits from varying volumes and selective transparencies between interior and exterior elements. The building’s envelop is a panelized system that has been selected for its flexibility of material choices. Factory production allows for precision tolerances that enable the building to expand once on site. Additionally, an efficiency in planning allowed the structure to strike a balance between transportation constraints and maximum relation between footprint and livable area.
Open to Below
5th Year : 4 Weeks
Closet
Transportation Constraints
Space Planing
Site Modifications
Views
Exterior
Living
Private N
West Elevation
Transportation Constraints
Compacted Structure
Expanded Structure
Volume Organization
Second Story Expansion Car Ports
Service/Utility Wall
Entry Sequence
Thin-Panel Facade System Second Floor Plate Main Floor Plate Optional Site Items Exterior Deck Detached Garages
Wall Section 1
Solar Decathlon Mechanical Systems 5th Year : 4 Weeks Problem: To develop a creative video presentation detailing the mechanical systems of Iowa State University’s Interlock house. The video series is to be utilized during the team’s presentation of the house on the mall of Washington D.C. during the Solar Decathlon competition and provide detailed information for the team website. Solution: The three part series details the components of each mechanical system that supply the house with water, electricity and air. The materials of the house are stripped away to reveal the heart of the house, a complex but efficient mechanical system. During all three videos, the viewer is taken on a journey through the house describing each component, its location and role in the process of providing the house with innovative, clean and efficient life. The final output is comprised of composite, layered video and effects that are presented in an interactive flash or linear video format.
Water
Kitchen Looking Towards Hall
Electrical
Iowa State University
Mechanical Systems
Air
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03:00
02:57
01:48
00:51
00:00
02:06
00:42
03:02
01:31
00:36
00:00
Analytical Drawing Study Abroad Semester 4th Year : 6 Weeks These drawings are examples from a hand drawing course that focused on techniques ranging from the power of quick sketches to detailed studies. Top Left: Italian Shutter Concept; Top Right: Piazza Navona; Bottom Left: Greek Temple; Bottom Middle: Quaint Italian Setting; Bottom Right: Roman Statue; Opposite Page: A recreation of Basilica Julia, once a major monument located in the Roman forum that now sits in ruin.
A Chess Set Fabrication Exercise 5th Year : 2 Weeks The chess pieces are designed to accentuate a balance between a rethinking of the way traditional characters are represented and visual legibility during the course of a game. Each piece has been designed in a tri-parti stratification. The first component, the base, provides weight and balance to the rest of the piece and illustrates a secondary graphic representation of the team. The middle portion represents the direction qualities that the piece possesses as it moves about the board. The pieces exhibit a hierarchy of heights to help delineate each character; this is strengthened through the upper section of the piece that serves as another indicator of character and in addition acts as the primary indicator of the team. The board is designed to serve as a presentation platform for the chess pieces when they are not in use. During use, the board can be illuminated from beneath in order to reveal the checked pattern as well as to highlight the luminescent qualities of the chess pieces themselves.
Queen Knight
Illuminated
Pawn
Presentation
Rook
King
Bishop
1610 N. Honore Internship Drawing Examples Summer 2008 Construction documents were created during a summer internship at Gerhard Zinserling Architects. The project consists of a full renovation and new second story to an existing building located in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. In addition to generating a full drawing set, responsibilities included: materials research, mechanical systems integration, and energy production features.
Second Floor
Main Floor
Ground Floor
East Elevation
South Elevation
Kitchen/Living
N-S Section
South Elevation
West Wall Section
Andrew Becker
Email: andrewbecker0@gmail.com
Phone: 630.212.1279
Address: 227 Grant Ave. Geneva, IL 60134