PROCESS WORK ADAM OSWALD
PROJECTS Professional Work
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BIOSCIENCES PARTNERSHIP BUILDING
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02
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
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03
DUBAI CREEK HARBOR
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MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE
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RESTAURANT CEILING
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Academic Work
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LONDON DANCE FACTORY
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07
GRANVILLE SPACE EXCHANGE
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RESEARCH & COMPETITIONS
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BIOSCIENCES PARTNERSHIP BUILDING SCHEMATIC DESIGN – 100% CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS 2014-2015 with CO Architects The Biosciences Partnership Building (BPB) is a phase two project for the University of Arizona and follows the Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB), which is immediately south of the site and previously designed by CO Architects. This project was a 10-story lab building with public space and classrooms on the ground floor and administrative offices on the top floor. I joined the office near the end of the conceptual design phase. The fast-tracked project followed an accelerated schedule that immediately engaged the same subcontractor team and many building systems from HSEB. My contributions included computationally mapping the types and locations of the 5,400 copper panels of the building skin – a process completed manually in the first building – development of the west canopy and screen, schematic work on the building cores and plan layouts, and developing exterior details. Photography by Bill Timmerman, Chris Kaiser, and myself
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ALL COPPER FACADE SURFACES TO BE PANELIZED
2.
SLICES AT ESTABLISHED VERTICAL JOINT LEVELS
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MAP LEVELS TO SURFACES
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HORIZONTAL “COURSING” PATTERN TO PROJECT
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HORIZONTAL PATTERN MAPPED TO SURFACES
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REPEAT MAPPING TO EACH ELEVATION
FACADE PANELIZATION The “running bond” coursing of the panels, complex geometry of each facade, and necessity of minimizing the number of unique panels was addressed by projecting a flat panel map onto the tilted surfaces of the building, allowing seams to align with window mullions regardless of facade angle.
PANEL SORTING
ADAPTIVE COMPONENTS FAMILY
PANEL LOGIC Angled facade edges meant panels would not always be at right angles, so a hexagonal base grid was employed to allow freedom of all four corners. The end profiles, which generate the panel pattern, were normalized and scalable. The panel master family read numeric information exported from Grasshopper, which was generated to ensure end profiles of adjacent panels always aligned. BIOSCIENCES PARTNERSHIP BUILDING 15
CANOPY DETAIL DESIGN
CANOPY STRUCTURE Developed entirely in Grasshopper, the parametric model facilitated a rapid dialogue with the structural engineer and streamlined technical detailing. BIOSCIENCES PARTNERSHIP BUILDING 17
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SCHOOL OF MEDICINE CONCEPT THROUGH DESIGN DEVELOPMENT APRIL 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017 with Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign In the initial analysis of the given program, our project team recognized two factors causing us to approach this project differently from an ordinary medical school: this was a stand-alone building with no supporting campus, and the client sought to train doctors enabled to revolutionize medical care. Situated on a tight urban site with restrictive zoning codes, the project would ultimately need to perform at a high level for a variety of users over time, so our schematic development left spaces as open-ended and adaptable as possible. Personally, I was able to bring prior experience developing a concept for a forwardlooking medical school and continue a broader investigation into the future of professional education and the role architecture can play in its development.
classroom FIXED
THINK SPACE
27%
classroom
learning
9%
hands-on learning
learning resource
simulation
14%
SKILLS SPACE
student life practice integration
23%
simulation sp skills
collaborative workspace
17%
information support
faculty & admin
student wellness
office
support
11%
support
INITIAL PROGRAM
DO SPACE
ENGAGE SPACE
GENIUS BAR THRIVE SPACE
AND
RE-MIXED
FIXED SPACE
AND SPACE
PROGRAM RE-THINKING In our initial analysis of the given program, our team recognized two things necessitating a different program from that of an ordinary medical school: this was a standalone building with no supporting campus, and the client sought to revolutionize medical care.
FIXED PROGRAM AREAS
AND SPACES
EARLY CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT Our team developed conceptual and schematic solutions through a combination of sketching, foam block model, spreadsheet analysis, and digital modeling. In this early scheme, I proposed one way of organizing the ‘and’ space relative to the fixed elements and the site. SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT MODEL An updated model further expressing the development of the exterior facade system.
LEVEL 3 FLOORPLAN Levels 2 and 3 flexibly mix classroom and office functions, with students and faculty sharing amenity spaces.
LEVEL 4 FLOORPLAN The top floor serves the kitchen, cafe and fitness areas. The majority of the level is outdoor roof garden, with convening, yoga and meditation areas, in addition to outdoor fitness and dining.
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
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DUBAI CREEK HARBOR PRE-CONCEPT & CONCEPT DESIGN WINTER 2015/SPRING 2016 with Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign Dubai Creek Harbor is a new, city-scale development situated a few miles from Dubai. Yazdani Studio was enlisted by the developer to design two of the first residential towers of the project. The site is two neighboring plots located on an artificial island at the water’s edge, at the end of the primary pedestrian axis through the development, and with key views to the new landmark viewing tower and the Burj Khalifa, several miles away. In the pre-concept and concept phases, our team established the heights of the towers, whether two or three towers better achieved the client’s goals, orientation and location on the site, and programming and unit mix, which included serviced and non-serviced 1 to 4 bedroom apartments and a 200-key hotel. Working with a small team and fast-paced schedule, we developed a suite of custom digital tools, both to shorten the feedback loop on data reporting from the model and to better make an evidence-based case for our design decisions – for example, tying the developer’s pro forma directly to view analyses and computationally deriving each tower’s unit mix.
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TOWER SCHEME Two perspective views of the design option I spent my time developing, showing the incorporation of residential balconies and resolving the logic of the geometry at the crown of the building. Ultimately another scheme was selected and is now moving into construction.
DIGITAL TOOL DEVELOPMENT Building data streamed directly from digital models to diagram generation tools, providing live reporting of different options throughout the design process. This method also allowed us to drop graphics and associated metrics into slide shows for client presentations with minimal additional preparation.
DUBAI CREEK HARBOR
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MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT - CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS FALL - WINTER 2015 with Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign The Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem was designed by another architect but the long time Yazdani Studio client asked us to design the exhibit space in the two level basement, consisting of two large exhibit areas and a separate children’s museum. I joined the Studio early in design development and produced most of the working drawings for the children’s museum portion of the DD submittal. I also had the opportunity to interface with the engineering and exhibit design consultant team to design some exhibit spaces and led the design work for the exhibit space lobby between the two main exhibit areas (opposite). On this page is part of my initial proposal for the “Parting the Red Sea” children’s exhibit, which required working with a media consultant to incorporate equipment for an interactive projection space.
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SAND DUNE WALL The ‘Sand Dune Wall’ was the central organizing feature of the Children’s Museum and much of my effort went into rationalizing the geometry and working with the structural engineer and fabricator to define the structural design, establish the construction method, and select a finish material.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Documentation of the Children’s Museum was facilitated by translating Rhino model data into Revit model geometry through Dynamo. The workflow enabled rapid response to coordination issues and the ability to quickly visualize and share design changes throughout the process. MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE
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RESTAURANT CEILING DESIGN DEVELOPMENT SUMMER 2017 with Assembledge+ I joined this small restaurant project at the start of design development and immediately took on a study for the main dining room ceiling. We maintained an existing detail used on previous projects for the same client/contractor to facilitate the construction process. Starting from a plan layout of the dining room, I utilized computational tools to explore a family of possible options. Design parameters were accommodated through manual inputs into Grasshopper, defining a complex surface that served as the framework for the construction system. To support documentation, the script produced 2D section drawings for each ceiling element with dimensions and reference elevation tags, as well as a cable length schedule for the support infrastructure.
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DESIGN DRIVERS AND LIVE MODEL TAKEOFFS
FINAL DINING ROOM RENDERING
RESTAURANT CEILING
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LONDON DANCE FACTORY TERMINAL STUDIO: [PER]FORMING LONDON WINTER/SPRING 2014 My terminal studio was an investigation of the integration of performance and production with postindustrial city life. Using dance as the medium, the project brief calls for a multi-stage theater building with in-house production spaces and public elements connected to the adjacent public square. Responding to the given program and context of hundreds of small shops, dwelling units, and public markets, I developed a building that serves the makers of dance – performers, choreographers, technical crew, set designers, costume designers, and managers – rather than the public audiences. The project is economically rooted in a post-industrial
“maker” context. Rather than mass produce dance performance for one generic Audience, the idea is to create spaces specifically tuned to the production of dance(s) for myriad diverse audiences. The spatial experience of the building reinforces the idea of the program: an urban series of interconnected yet diverse, punctual moments that flexibly serve the needs of different forms of dance making. But the building also creates a distinct sense of place both in and for Gillett Square with a 156-ft. tower establishing an imageable beacon for the artistic community of Dalston. Users benefit from introverted production spaces, enabling the artists to set the terms of their public interface.
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PRE-DESIGN INVESTIGATION Pre-design work included extensive research and diagramming, concluding with an evidence-based thesis statement about the parameters of my project.
RELATING TO GILLETT SQUARE AND LONDON The massing breaks down to relate to the immediate neighborhood context and not impose on the public square, but the small tower also serves to connect with the broader context of the city. LONDON DANCE FACTORY
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PANORAMA AT BUILDING ENTRY, FROM MIDTERM PROGRESS WORK
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PANEL SUPPORT SYSTEM: 1.5X5 STEEL TUBES
PRIMARY CEILING STRUCTURE: 8X14 TUBES
PRIMARY COLUMN SYSTEM: 12” WIDE FLANGE
PANEL SUPPORT AT SOUTH FACADE
GLASS MULLION SYSTEM FOR EXPOSED GLAZING
STRUCTURAL & FACADE SUPPORT CONCEPT
4TH DRESSING
3RD COSTUME SHOP
6TH REHEARSAL STUDIO
5TH REHEARSAL STUDIO
7 TH RESTROOMS
8TH SKY LOUNGE
9TH SKY LOUNGE
10TH VIEWING DECK
GILLETT TOWER - LEVEL 3-10 0 10 20
50 feet
SHOP ADMINISTRATION
SMALL THEATER STAGE MECHANICAL
SCENE SHOP
ELECTRICAL
COMMUNITY MAKER SHOP
STORAGE
STORAGE
SHOP AND SET STORAGE
LOADING & RECEIVING
SECOND FLOOR - SHOP ADMINISTRATION, TOWER MECHANICAL SHOP ENTRY
PERFORMANCE ENTRY
0 10 20 50 feet
BOX OFFICE ARENA FOYER ADMINISTRATION
TOWER ENTRY
SMALL AUDITORIUM
PERFORMER ENTRY
UPPER FOYER
COMMUNITY SPACE
ADMINISTRATION
LOBBY
REHEARSAL THEATER
MAIN ENTRY
VIEWING BRIDGE CHOREOGRAPHER OFFICES
GROUND FLOOR - PUBLIC + PERFORMANCE
FIRST FLOOR - PUBLIC, ADMINISTRATION, CAFÉ
0
0 10 20
5
10
20
50 feet
KITCHEN CAFÉ
50 feet
FLOOR PLANS LONDON DANCE FACTORY
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GRANVILLE SPACE EXCHANGE STUDIO PROJECT SPRING 2013 Study Abroad Vancouver In 1972 Granville Island was repurposed from an industrial center to “an urban park for the people of Vancouver.� The character of the island today is a cross-section of an organic, bottom-up series of incremental adaptations that have built the island into a marketplace and destination for locallyproduced art, crafts and food. The purpose of this project was to support nightlife on the island for the people of Vancouver as streets, blocks, public spaces, buildings and rooms experience a continuous evolution of use. The building emerges from the fabric of Granville Island: an urban park with an industrial heritage and culture of artisan production. The experience of the building is an outdoor public space that extends inside, a flexible gallery that intersects with a restaurant, and a roof terrace that connects the building with the bridge and skyline.
MARITIME ACTIVITIES INCLUDE BOAT RENTALS, TOURS, CRUISES, AND FABRICATION. THE SITE IS STRATEGICALLY POSITIONED TO SUPPORT AND COLLABORATE WITH THESE ELEMENTS.
EMILY CARR UNIVERSITY IS THE ONLY PERMANENT INSTITUTIONAL PRESENCE ON THE ISLAND, BUT WILL SOON BE RELOCATING, LEAVING A GAP.
THE “UNDER THE BRIDGE” AREA HAS A DISTINCTIVE IDENTITY, SERVING AS AN ARRIVAL POINT TO THE ISLAND AND CONNECTOR TO RAILSPUR ALLEY.
THE SITE IS POSITIONED ALONG A CENTRAL SPINE AND AT THE CONFLUENCE OF THREE ARTS HUBS, AS WELL AS THE ISLAND’S MOST ACTIVE MARKETPLACE.
GRANVILLE SPACE EXCHANGE 49
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4
Ground level massing of the site suggests opportunities for pedestrian connection.
The gallery creates a form reminiscent of the island’s nautical context, creates visual interest and imageability.
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5
The second level stretches along the pedestrian thoroughfare.
The third level can’t be too close to the bridge, but the east half of the site is perfect for a taller element that responds to the speed and scale of drivers above.
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The second level restaurant and gallery orient to present a clear visual connection to the entrance of the public market.
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The keel can be seen from the Granville Bridge and serves as a “crow’s nest” public viewing platform.
MIDTERM STUDY MODEL GRANVILLE SPACE EXCHANGE 51
VDC TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP
RESEARCH & COMPETITIONS During my time in school, my interest in design computation was balanced against the rationalism and sustainable design focus of my curriculum. This shaped my approach digital design in a crucial way: it instilled the importance of balancing what’s possible using digital tools with having practical reasoning for when and why they are deployed. In architectural practice, opportunities for dedicated research and development are extremely rare and traditionally occur at lower rates than other industries. However, as the profession places a growing emphasis on performative and data-driven design, the importance of strategic research initiatives in architecture is greater than ever. I get excited to work on things that haven’t been done before, whether through design exploration or process innovation. That interest has found a natural fit doing design computation, BIM and VDC management, and technical design. But I’m also interested in workflow formulation and process design. Another way that manifests itself is through an interest in the intersection of spaceflight and architecture: finding opportunities to contribute to and help define the nascent field of space architecture. This is a largely research-centered field for the moment, but as is often the case with technology and processes emerging from space exploration, work in space architecture frequently finds corrolaries in terrestrial architecture, particularly in engineering design and designing for extreme environments. The next few pages are an overview of work ranging from pure ideas exploration to analysis tools developed for specific design projects.
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OPTIMIZED SOLAR SHADING
RUDIMENTARY MACHINE LEARNING - SHADING OPTIMIZATION BPB’s initial solar shading design called for 18” deep fins at every mullion, which became a potential costsaving item during value engineering. While shading the north facade is not as critical as the others, Phoenix still gets a few hours of direct sun on the north side, which contributes to the thermal loads of the buliding and affects occupant comfort. The goal of this study was to determine whether a computational approach to locating and sizing the fins could match or exceed the performance of using one fin length everywhere. Since we knew the fins would be copper, we could balance the overall material takeoff against solar performance. In the study, I varied the bounds for allowable fin depths and developed a simple equation to weight the
importance of shading performance against the copper used: f(A,I) = x·A + y·I / A where I is total insolation, A is total copper fin area, and x and y are coefficients used to correct relative units and allow the design team to influence the result. The multi-goal optimization ran in Grasshopper, Galapagos, and DIVA. After arriving at a satisfactory solution, my final pass was a manual revision, which included standardizing fin lengths to three types and working with senior designers to make aesthetic adjustments. The final result (opposite page) beat the performance of the proposed VE reduction for a similar cost savings, while enhancing the unique aesthetic of this facade.
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CUSTOM FLOOR TILE - MATERIAL OPTIMIZATION A quick study during construction administration, I applied an optimization model to a tiling pattern, which had already been designed and documented manually, to develop a material takeoff. The resulting analytical model helped the contractor make an informed decision about material cost and contingency.
LEVIATHAN: PLANETARIUM COMPETITION ENTRY
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UNITS BY MODULE
UNIT MIXER This was developed as part of a suite of computational analysis tools to track key metrics while iterating through massing options. The goal was to organize a generative, modular massing into the unit mix targeted by the developer client, then interface with tools optimizing for views and shading.
‘MOONTOPIA’ COMPETITION ENTRY
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adamoswald@gmail.com 503-724-8991