architectural design portfolio 2008

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Mail to: 1932 e Kenilworth pl apt 21 Milwaukee,WI 53202

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contents data 00 chapter 01

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studio projects Design works brochure.

All images and designs by

Ahicar Cruz karabine. font by Jonathan Paquette ©2007 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

Copyright ©2007 A+ Design

hallway of serpentine gallery showing curved neon lights

skinboat workshop.......................................................6 caesar's park boathouse......................................................8 wishtrene ave redevelopment...................................10 community center..............................................................12 branch public library..................................................14 urban rowhousing..............................................................16

chapter 02

personal project

the potter’s boutique..................................................18

furniture.................................................................20 photography..............................................22 art..................................................................................24

Chapter 01 Architecture

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data My objective is to become a LEED certified architectindustrial designer. My career goals include to research and teach within the design field. Eventually I desire to start a design-build firm practice.

PHILOSOPHY: My approach to design has various influences ranging from Art Nouveau, German Expressionism, Deconstructivism, High Tech, Organic & Eco architecture movements. My inspiration also comes from a diverse range of fields. These include ethnic music, Buddhism, Taoism, Yoga, Magical Surrealism literature, Graphic Design, Painting, Engineering, Industrial Design, Biology, among others. My interest on design, is sustainable, biomimetic, holistic, functional and pop.

The digital age and new paradigms demand a constant evolution of ideas and forms that I am continuously researching. This requires an ever constant improvement of my skills.

B.S. ARCHITECTURE STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE

rendering of kitchen interior of urban rowhousing project

SOFTWARE SKILLS: Intermediate/Advanced: Adobe’s CS3 (Indesign, Photoshop & Lightroom), Autodesk’s (Autocad 2008, 3ds Max 8) Sketchup 6, MS Office & Open Office suites, Mindmanager pro Basic: Rhino 4, Archicad 10, Revit 9, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Flash.

ARCHITECTURE Design Drafting Visualization 3d modeling 3d printing FURNITURE Lounge chairs Side chairs Tables PHOTOGRAPHY Architecture Landscape Portrait Image Editing STD + CGI ART Illustration Logo Graphic design Sketching Drawing Watercolor Collage

Chapter 01 Architecture

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skinboat workshop

Project class: arch 420 core studio II; critic: James Wasley; date: spring 2006; location: along Milwaukee river, Milwaukee, WI

Design statement

The workshop is dedicated to the construction of traditional skin boats. The boat construction method consist of a stretched skin over a lightweight bentwood frame, this is used as the design metaphor for the project. Thus I used arched lightweight steel trusses with an assembly of square panels over it. These assemblies are made of a thin and lightweight thermoset resin panels reinforced with wood fibers on the exterior and insulated on the interior. The system has a double skin envelope with PFTE fabric on the interior layer allowing for a stable environment all year on the building. The workshop is constructed with modularity in mind, thus each two arches form a bay which can be positioned offset to each other; allowing for entry points and providing for articulation on the building’s plan. Inside a series of internal modules correspond to the instructor’s house and gallery spaces. These modules are self contained, raised on pilotis and are accessed through spiral stairs.

axon showing interior modules

conceptual studies

project dna: open plan, layered construction, double skin metaphor, composite panels, arched trusses, articulation of bay, internal organs, natural ventilation, stack effect, boat hull, inner/outer shell.

aerial of the building’s site is located near the former milwaukee river dam, south of north ave. in milwaukee city

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deconstructed perspective showing construction elements of a typical bay

1 owner house 2 gallery

north facade shadow study

building aproach through south facade

project dna: masonry base, timber roof & structure, site approach, storage vs display, observation tower, park ammenities.

Chapter 01 Architecture

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caesar’s park boathouse

Project: class: arch 420 core studio II; critic: James Wasley; date: spring 2006; location: along Milwaukee river, Milwaukee,WI

Design statement

The caesar’s park boathouse design brief specified a timber structure building with a masonry base. The purpose of the building is to store 3 types of river boats to be rented on weather permitting times. During winter time the place must be locked but it doesn’t required tight weather controls. I approached the design as an iconic building at the end of a public park.

The design goal was to provide also an observation tower on the rooftop to observe the river natural scenery. The program demanded the creation of one office for administration purposes, a main boat storage area, a repair deck, and a floating removable dock.

axon showing plan and structural arrangement

building approach through park’s paths

view of inside the boat storage area

boats depart down river from the floating docks of the boathouse

rooftop access walkway to observation deck

the building site is across the rive from the skin boat workshop

Chapter 01 Architecture ď ł

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wishtrene ave development

Project class: arch 645 Studies in Urban/Community Design Theory in Sri Lanka critic: Dr. Kapila Silva; date: winter/spring 2007 location: City of Negombo, Sri Lanka

original conceptual sketch 2

The marketplace as a community gathering generator

The city of Negombo in Sri Lanka is facing issues of rapid growth which is aggravated by a lack of a proper master plan.

Some areas of town are left as forgotten pockets by the city administration. For example, the three outdoor markets located at the edge of the Old Dutch Town are disconnected and marginal.

There is a need to create a more solidified place definition and in turn a place of gathering for the inhabitants; a place for living; and more importantly a place to sell their goods.

In this design study, I am focusing on the connection of the marketplaces in Negombo and the relationship among the above socioeconomic and cultural aspects. The proposed structures for the redevelopment are a market promenade,

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open air selling stands, re-introduction of foliage streetscaping, and housing. The creation of a strongly connected marketplace will give the people of Negombo an adequate location to actively participate in their economic independence and production.

The street development involved a series of phases. First on the site located around the historical Bo tree (ficus religiosa) an u-shaped market with a plaza was established. On the other side of the street to address the local housing problems and to remove a wall blocking visibility to a unused green space; a row of shop houses that connect the end of the ave. To the beach was designed. On this beach front axis end of the street a entertaining pier and food stands serve to attract people to this node point.

After this a series of row houses front the beach protected by a

Wishtrene ave- the red areas represent site redevelopment

buffer formed by a beach walk and a greenbelt of palm trees.

On the abandoned green space a field for soccer with seating was created to finally establish the complete sense of place.

Shop houses were designed on a modular bay consisting of four stores on the ground level and two houses on top.

These units when grouped together as row houses define the street edge and the site around the Bo tree. The units include lattice work made of local materials in every window as well in the ventilation stack on the roof.

Thus, the building is thoroughly cross ventilated to cope with the hot weather environment. The material palette for the project relied only on the availability of local materials and construction techniques such as clay for tiles and bricks; and bamboo veneers for flooring and siding.

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7 shop level

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5 housing level

section through typ. shophouses

Typ. shophouse unit program: 4 stores(abcd) x 2 houses (AB) 01 storefront 05 extra bedroom 02 storage 06 kitchen 03 adaptable living 07 bathroom 04 orig. bedroom

section through beach rowhouses

project dna: regional construction techniques, bamboo panels, latticework, clay brick and tiles, sacred space vs commercial space, shophouse vs storefront, green areas, natural ventilation, sense of community.

wide angle view of the central bo tree area of the open market street

Chapter 01 Architecture

community center

Project class: arch 420 core studio II, critic: James Wasley; date: spring 2006; location: Shorewood,WI

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Design statement

The project’s main concept was bricolage construction, on which design elements are combined in unexpected ways to create juxtapositions of the program’s requirements. The site program called for a series of pavilions that were intertwined together in the design process. As a result, places like the amphitheater backstage join a climbing wall from behind. Upon site analysis, two main areas for construction were determined to be ideal, these were the hill, north of the main entry tunnel, and the flatter river edge at the south.

These areas have their own characteristic feeling of place. On the hill, the theme of the tunnel is continued under the meditation space’s

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exploded axon of the yoga space

program 1 auditorium 2 yoga studio 3 gallery 4 meditation space 5 classrooms 6 wading pool 7 climbing wall 8 amphitheather

view of the three classrooms on the hill

east view of the raised meditation hall

ghosted section of the auditorium

approach to the amphitheather and climbing wall

site section through hill

south view of amphitheather

base, which serves as a plinth to raise it above the ground level’s mundane activities. Walking up the hill we have the yoga space raised on steel columns and the oval shaped forum enclosed on corrugated steel and featuring a star motif skylight. The project also includes as small art gallery and finally three interconnected classrooms for community workshops.

Chapter 01 Architecture 

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branch public library

Project class: arch 410 core studio I; critic: Dr. Kapila D. Silva; date: fall 2005; location: Milwaukee,WI

Design statement

The library is a repository of knowledge, in such function it holds an important position in society. The library thus must be a building that is desirable and attractive. The library as an institution is central in the development of a community’s intellectual, social and cultural activities. The location of this particular project is in the heart of the entertainment district of the east side of Milwaukee, hence its must stand out as any commercial establishments in the area turning itself into a place of community pride.

The concept are the pages of a book folded into curves while being flipped through. It is these curves which define the envelope of the building. The circulation then doesn’t have to be straight lines but curves which in turn shape the interior. This project exploits these ideas into an organic metal structure that’s not afraid to stand out in this busy district of the city.

section through library atrium

south facade of library on North ave.

west facade of library on Cramer st. program: 1- auditorium 6- adult collection b 2- coffee shop 7- multimedia room 3- adult collection a 8- young adult books 4- children’s books 9- employees lounge 5- sorting room & main desk

ground floor

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north. avenue concept development studies

first floor

commercial areas on north ave. project dna: organic shapes, metal structure, habitable green roofs, tinted green glass, circulation defines form, symbol/status, cell structures, user control, circulation vs. non-ciculation. modeled in sketchup, sketches, computer-paper design iterations.

Chapter 01 Architecture ď ł

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urban rowhousing

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Project class: arch 410 core studio I; critic: Dr. Kapila D. Silva; date: fall 2005; location: Milwaukee,WI

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Design statement:

The brief called for a 9-unit urban rowhousing development for a community of artists to use as live/work spaces.

The project explored the notion of sharing community services and the structural implications of a repetitive building unit. Also the program required the analysis of semipublic and private spaces within the house and community. I aproached this as degrees of separation between what is work, living and entertainment inside the house by increasing the privacy proportional to height. The house unit structure is pragmatic and relies on technology for onsite energy generation and system controls.

3 rendering of studio interior

2 1 project dna: economic construction, live/work space, shared community space, covered parking, block bearing wall, open-web steel joist support for precast floors, bamboo plank interior terminations, skylights, brick exteriors, precast window support, wood shading, wind energy, living roof, smart ventilation system, insulated cavity wall.

view of prefinished housing level

urban rouhousing units front facades

Chapter 01 Architecture 

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the potter’s boutique personal project; date: fall 2007

Design statement

The potter’s boutique is a personal project designed to explore ideas of shape merging in organic design. My intent was to explore a curved roof that merged with the walls forming a solid monocoque structure. The secondary main goal to the project was to learn the use of parametric bezier curves for architectural design in the 3d max modeling software.

Finally, the exploration allowed me to create prototypical forms designed as templates with the aim of future project creations.

perspective of boutique’s back view

rendering of boutique interior

front pespective of building

facades, roof plan, int plan of the potter’s gallery boutique

Chapter 02 Furniture

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lounge chairs 3d prototypes Independent study; critic: Dennis Manley; date: fall 2007-ongoing research

On my last semester of school I decided to take and independent study on furniture design with special focus on chairs. The approach began with ergonomic studies and template data for the lounge chair. Based on this research I created a template chair and a human skeleton with the most ideal ergonomic positions for relaxed seating. Afterwards i began desingning over 32 chairs each exploring a different aspect of what constituted a chair.

Over the design development I started to discover new tools and methods in 3d modeling to improve the aesthethic flowing appearance of the chairs. This discovery freed me to develop the chair further into my vision inspired by avant garde modern designers such as Ron Arad and Karim Rashid. My intent is to create chairs that are innovative, fun, curvy and relaxed. I wish to create new products that are eco friendly, pragmatic, forward looking and up to date with parametric computer modeling techniques ubiqitous in the digital age of design.

Chapter 01 Photography ď ł

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capturing the built environment

Chapter 02 visual art

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digital & traditional media expressions