Anthony J. Prizzi Master of Architecture Portfolio by AJ Prizzi

ANTHONY J. PRIZZI ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

LABYRINTH: KULTURHUS FOR BORN

12 RIVERVIEW HEALTHY CAMPUS CENTER ^ 115 22 TEMPETE 32 LAWRENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY

www.AJPrizziArch.com ©

2015 Anthony J. Prizzi 3

LABYRINTH: KULTURHUS FOR BORN FALL 2015 | ARCH 608 (ABROAD) COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

INTRODUCTION TO ‘KULTURHUS’ AND ORESTAD... My semester abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark marked a change in my perceptions of architectural design. The Labyrinth is a pavilion to display art, children’s book illustrations, and a variety of other mediums of culture for both children and adults to experience. The project is located in Byparken (City Park), a park located in the Orestad experimental neighborhood of Copenhagen on the island of Amager. The park’s creators envisioned this park to be a ‘Central Park-like’ area for students attending the Orestad Gymnasium located across the street. The designers also envisioned the park to be a place for experiencing the culture of the newly created Orestad neighborhood. In this neighborhood, we can find several architecturally significant buildings, including: Bjerget (Mountain Dwellings) and VM Husene by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG and JDS) and Orestad Gymnasium by 3XN. The neighborhood organization has tasked our studio with creating a ‘kulturhus’ (Culture House) for children and their parents.

...SITE ANALYSIS AND APPROACH The site of The Labyrinth is located in the experimental neighborhood of Orestad, just south of Copenhagenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s city center. The architects, Mutopia, took the concept of Central Park in New York City and applied it to this much smaller park in Orestad. Like Central Park, Byparken is surrounded by taller buildings on each side with a semi-central axis bisecting the park. The park is divided into different themes represented by the circular landscape forms. The goal of The Labyrinth was to take the idea of these extruded circular mounds and invert it so that the park-goer would be walking underneath the ground plane. Submerging the building achieved three goals: 1) Protecting potential visitors from the elements, most commonly wind and rain and 2) Creating interesting play-spaces on the ground surface on the pavilionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rooftop and 3) Residents of the Orestad neighborhood do not want a building that takes away from the beauty of the park.

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT... The idea for the Labyrinth came from a visit to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City, Missouri during the summer of 2014. The Glass Labyrinth exhibit on the front lawn of the museum, by artist Robert Morris, planted the seed for this idea in my mind before I left for Copenhagen. The idea for the pavilion was to create a interactive place for children to be adventurous and to explore culture. I first envisioned this project to be a continuous space with art displayed on the exterior walls. I found this to be too simple and very boring. I then recalled my experiences the past summer with Morrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Glass Labyrinth and thought that there needed to be more playfulness in the design. The key factor for this design was to create a pavilion in the spirit of a labyrinth without actually making it a true labyrinth where one could get lost. Visitors the pavilion by a ramp that cuts through the roof plane and follows the curve of the exterior wall into the lobby. Like a true labyrinth, the visitor starts from the outside and works his or her way to the inside courtyard. As for the central courtyard, I wanted to pay homage to the true labyrinth and create one that the children can play in. When the children first enter the maze, the walls are taller than them, but as the children get closer to the center, they are climbing an incline as well. At the terminus, the children are able to see a 360 degree view around them.

The Sky Gallery C

Special Exhibition Space

The Cave Gallery

The Jungle Gallery

B B

The Labyrinth Ramp

BELOW GROUND PLAN

The Sea Gallery

The Mountain Gallery

Lobby

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...EXPERIENCING THE LABYRINTH To reinforce the spirit of exploration and adventure that the pavilion creates, I implemented five themed ‘galleries’ in which the art exhibited inside reflects the theme itself. The five themes are: The Mountain, The Jungle, The Sea, The Sky, and The Cave. Art in each gallery would reflect the theme in some way. For example, there could be marble sculptures in the Mountain and watercolor paintings in the Sea. My hope is that these connections will be made in the children’s’ minds and that they can learn a great amount of knowledge from their visit to the Labyrinth. Another important aspect of the Labyrinth is the way it is illuminated. In each gallery, there is a skylight that also reflects the theme of the gallery. Above these skylights will be a reflecting pool that children can play in during the summer and possibly ice skate on during the winter. As the light reflects through the water it is transformed in a playful way that will hopefully enhance the experience for the children. At night, down-lighting placed tight to the walls of the corridor will illuminate the galleries. The Labyrinth will essentially absorb light during the day and expel light during the night, creating a beacon.

The Sky Gallery

Site Section

Section AA 10

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Detail Section B

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Detail Section C

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RIVERVIEW HEALTHY LIVING CENTER SPRING

2014

ARCH

409

KANSAS CITY’S HEALTHY CAMPUS INITIATIVE... The problems I was trying to address during this studio was the incompleteness of urban neighborhoods and trying to find solutions to the incompleteness using urban renewal programs. Riverview, a neighborhood near downtown Kansas City, Kansas, has a rich and diverse history spanning 120 years. A prominent neighborhood up until World War 2, it has been subject to the effects of urban sprawl, neglect, and high crime rates until recent. After extensive research of the community, I discovered a few important facts: there is a food and health care desert that is effecting the obesity rate of the community, the public transit and sidewalk system is inadequate, and there is a grassroots effort to help create more community activities and programs for youth and adults alike. My goal was to create a central hub for the neighborhood that would have a threefold effect on the neighborhood: creating a community center that promotes an active lifestyle and houses several community programs for kids, teenagers, and young adults, implementing an urban garden and farmer’s market that will help engage the community into healthy living, and organizing series of complete streets that help connect the different parts of the neighborhood together. All of this would also correlate with the mayor’s Healthy Campus Initiative for Big Eleven Lake, a public park within the neighborhood.

Kansas City Metro with Riverview Highlighted

Big Eleven Lake Area

Street Corner of Big Eleven Lake 14

...NEIGHBORHOOD ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS

- Schools/Community Centers - Bike Trail Additions

The design of the Riverview Healthy Campus Center is based off the interconnection between three different scales: large (city), medium (Riverview), and small (Big Eleven Lake). I proceeded to gather information about the neighborhood at these scales and took a topdown approach to the design of the building; where each scale starting with the large scale would supplement the smaller scales. Ultimately, the synthesis of the information gathered on each scale would drive the design of the community center. In the large scale, I wanted to address the disconnection between the schools and the existing parks and community centers. My solution to this problem was to add designated bike paths and trails throughout the neighborhood to help reduce car traffic, create a safe environment for biking (which also encourages active living), and help bring together the diverse neighborhoods of the Riverview area. Another problem that is prevalent in the community is the separation of the park systems by incomplete sidewalks. Some sidewalks end mid-street and deters people from walking. By fixing these sidewalks, we can create a inter-connected neighborhood where citizens can walk to public transportation or to their desired location.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION... The public transportation system of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area is an essential mode of transportation for many citizens to get to and from work. In Kansas City, KS and more specifically, the Riverview Neighborhood, public transportation is spread out too thin and only stops at a few select spots. The system, however, does not stop in key central residential areas. This forces residents to walk long distances to bus stops and creates a discouraging environment for the use of public transportation, or even walking in general. Looking at different public transit systems of Portland, OR and St. Louis, MO, and by asking members of the community about their commutes, I determined the key locations that bus stops should be added. The location of the Healthy Campus, Big Eleven Lake, was a 10 minute walk away from the nearest bus stop. Even so, there are so few residential neighborhood stops (and even fewer that stopped near Big Eleven Lake) that it would take some residents 20-30 minutes to walk to that stop. As seen in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Proposed Changesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; map, I was able to add seven stops that addressed key neighborhoods surrounding Big Eleven Lake and Waterway Park to the south. The most important aspect of creating stops is not just simply adding more, but adding stops that have connections to other existing bus routes. In addition to the newly created stops, I also added two new express bus routes that focus on connecting the residents to the parks. 16

Existing Transportation

Proposed Changes

...SITE DESIGN AND PROGRAMMING

Site Plan

The site of the project, located at 11th and State Avenue, is an existing park with a lake and the existing community center. The goal of this project would be to keep the existing lake and replace the existing community center. The main goal for the site and the surrounding streets is to implement the concept of complete streets to the bordering streets of the park. Complete streets consist of a series of layers that help protect pedestrians and promote community interaction. The goal of the streets, in connection with the healthy campus, is to create a realm where the street creates an area for interaction between people on the sidewalk and the programs that they pass inside of the community center. The site also contains two other buildings and an amphitheater. The two existing buildings are Gates BBQ and an abandoned Aamco station. Only Gates BBQ will remain since it is a large part of the Kansas City community. The overall site will consist of the existing lake and several additions to help create a healthy campus for the Riverview neighborhood. Some of these additions include an urban garden, a fishing dock along the lake, a courtyard between the building , and a farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market that is in coordination with the urban farm. Additionally, a community bike trail that follows State Avenue will link into the park and provide a place for cyclists to rest and rehydrate.

BUILDING PROGRAMMING AND DESIGN... The program at the heart of the Riverview Healthy Campus is the Big Eleven Lake Community Center. This center will house several of the existing community programs plus room for additional programs. The overall goal of the building is to provide each program with a direct connection to the complete street adjacent to it. Another goal is to create an adaptable central spine of the building that can house spontaneous events comfortably without hassle. The main design of the building is based off a street-scape from case studies in Lawrence, KS and Seattle, WA. These two cities do an excellent job of combining storefronts to streetscapes while incorporating complete streets. The new community center is to act as the ‘city block’. In this ‘city block’, pedestrians are able to access each programmatic part of the building separately without having to go through the main entrance. This flexibility allows the supervisor of each program to control his or her hours and create a more accessible environment for the members of the community. On an urban scale, a city block is seen as a single infrastructure with different programs or shops within; the community center becomes the city block and contains different programs that also can be accessed from the street. This link between the street and building will create a more engaging experience for the pedestrian and the community members who use this building. 18

Program List: • Community weight room • Men’s and Women’s locker rooms and showers. • Gymnasium with retractable seating • 2 Dance Studios • A Teaching Classroom with Offices • Public Men’s and Women’s Restrooms Community Meeting Room

• Computer Lab • Community Meeting Room (seats 120) • Wellness Center (With Nurse Practitioner on staff) • Farmer’s Market • Storage Space • Mechanical Room • Outdoor courtyard with Swimming Pool (Converts to Ice Rink in Winter)

Computer Lab

Cafe

Teen Room Teaching Space Restrooms Dance Studios

Showers/ Locker Rooms

Storage Room

Wellness Center

Gymnasium

Gymnasium (Below) Weight Room

Mechanical Room

Farmer’s Market

Street Level Floor Plan

Basement Level Floor Plan

...WALL SECTION AND DETAILS

Sectional Model at 1/2” = 1’

Excerpt from “The Perfect Wall”

One of the main goals for the studio was to create a detailed wall section of the building we were to design. The location of the section is the north wall of the cafe. The wall section shown here shows an overhang over the sidewalk. The overhang provides an area for people to gather outside of the sidewalk cafe. Pedestrians can sit and enjoy their coffee while enjoying the company of their fellow community members. Architectural detailing was a crucial part of this design studio; by properly detailing walls and joints, we are ensuring that the wall is performing its function of keeping the elements out. The wall system that I designed is based off of an article by Joseph Lstiburek titled, ‘The Perfect Wall.’ He explained that a wall needs the following: Cladding (to repel the majority of the elements), the Control Layers (the vapor and thermal control layers), and the Structure. Lstiburek says that, “In concept the perfect wall has the rainwater control layer, the air control layer, the vapor control layer and the thermal control layer on the exterior of the structure. The cladding’s function is principally to act a an ultra-violet screen.” The material used for the wall cladding are recycled slate panels. The insulative part of the wall is actually the glazing; I am implementing R15 Aerogel insulation within R15 vacuum -insulated glass panels. This will allow a large amount of northern light into the building while still retaining a proper insulative value for this region. 19

Site Section - Looking South

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Site Section - Looking East

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Building Section - Looking West

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Building Section - Looking South

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Sectional Perspective - Looking South

Sectional Perspective - Looking West

T E M P E^ T E 1 1 5 FALL

2013

ARCH

409

A STORM RESISTANT HOUSING TYPOLOGY... This semester of studio was focused on building technology and its incorporation into design. The goal of the semester was to design a storm resistant house and create a neighborhood from it that would promote healthy and safe living. We developed a master plan of the community and proceeded to build a part of this house to help us understand building construction. An important aspect of this course was group work and how to organize teams to create one project. I learned that it is easier to divide the work and then maintain constant communication between the design phases. This project was done as a studio. We all contributed to each part of the design and construction. This studio was a prime example of how a team should work together to accomplish a task.

...CREATING A HOUSE We approached the design of the house in several ways. First, we researched storms and basic information that could influence our design. We discovered that tornadoes are most likely to hit around dinner time from the southwest direction. Secondly, we needed to make the house durable and aerodynamic. This meant that we had to design a reasonably sized house with structure that was to scale with the rest of the home. We then explored bermed earth-contact housing. The biggest problem we encountered with earth-sheltered housing is natural light and making the structure feel like a home. We synthesized all of this information and divided into groups. Several different approaches were explored but the option we chose was a structureheavy, semi-buried home that could be applied to a community scale project.

STRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY... The next step of the process was to develop the house further while simultaneously applying the house to the neighborhood. We did this by having separate teams work on important aspects of the project: Structure, Site Design, and Floor Plans. I worked with the Structure Group during most of this part of the project. I helped design and implement a space-frame structure into the house and adjusted it when floor plans were being revised. The space-frame consisted of steel members that supported the roof of the house. The space-frame was supported on the ground by vertical steel columns that acted as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;handsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; holding up the structure. The structure of this home is a tool to develop community in this neighborhood. I wanted the structure to be a driving force in the development of a common goal in the community: protecting their homes.

...CONSTRUCTION The final stage of our studio was the construction and presentation of our project. Once again we divided into groups so that we could all take part in a part of the final presentation process. The group I was assigned to was the Construction Group. We had the task of figuring out what scale we should construct the final model, what materials would be used, and actually constructing the model. We used a CNC Router to cut our large rectangular pieces while using the shop to create the smaller parts like the spaceframe. The following shows our process and final presentation of the structure. The remaining pages in this section show the details of what we did to complete this project.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

Bottom Left: Axonometric Roof Section

Exploded Structural Joint

LAWRENCE SPRING

2013

ARCH

PUBLIC 209

LIBRARY

INTRODUCTION AND PRECEDENT STUDY... The precedent I received was the Bloor and Gladstone Library in Toronto, Canada. This library consists of a older library and a new addition. I focused on the new addition since the square footage was approximately the same as our program. This is a steel frame building with a glass panel exterior wall. I took from this building its simplicity and functionalism. The library is also very bright and allows a great amount of natural light. It also does not let too much in as to cause glare.

...PLAN DIAGRAMS We were taught how to draw plan diagrams by our Professor (Stephen Grabow) and we did our first drafts. I was particularly pleased with comparing the plan and axonometric diagrams next to each other. I also started to explore how structure ties in with the floor plans of the rooms. This process led me to my first attempts at a building form. Although we were not at the schematic design stage, I kept this general shape in mind for that phase of the design process. I also explored the plan diagram through section cuts (longitudinal and transverse). These drawings helped align the floors and vertical circulation. This alignment also produced and interesting building form which I also kept in the back of my mind for the upcoming schematic design phase of the project.

SCHEMATIC DESIGN... The schematic design phase of this project started out by changing from drawing 2D models to drawing axonometrically. I found that this was helpful in understanding the spacial relationships between my programmatic elements. For the first time, I was able to visualize my design in a 3 dimensional state. One of the most important ideas that I took away from this process was the ability to draft by hand and using that skill to explore my design further. When drawing or sketching, you have to know the object you are trying to draw. I had to look at every piece of the building in high detail. Some of the design features I was exploring were clerestory windows, daylighting, natural ventilation, and the public square. The most challenging part of this process was trying to link the elements into the library and its function. The exterior of the building is corrugated metal and the rest of the exterior is a smooth-cast concrete.

Below Left: A preliminary study model exploring structure. Below Right: Axonometric drawing of proposed library.

A.. Level 1 Floor Plan and Elevation Drawings (NTS).

B. Site Section and Site Plan (NTS)

C. Longitudinal and Transverse Sections & Levels 2 and 3 Floor Plans (NTS).