Alex Koth | Undergrad Portfolio | Taubman College | University of Michigan by Alex Koth

PORTFOLIO Alex Koth

2019 | Undergraduate Architecture Portfolio

Index: Part 01: Raoul Wallenberg Thesis Acts of Recovery Part 02: Architecture Introducing Ballroom Airbnb Campsite Mirrored Housing Intergenerational Living

Part 03: Supplementary SLH Perspectives Construction Work Travel Documentation Darkroom Photography 3D Printing Works

01 2

Raoul Wallenberg Thesis

Acts of Recovery

Individual Work Arch 442 Winter 2019

Acts of Recovery | Arch 442

ACTS OF RECOVERY

Raoul Wallenberg Thesis

Inclusion was the main theme of the Raoul Wallenberg thesis studio in 2019. The professor of the studio narrowed down the theme by focusing on the architecture of health care. The site of the project was the backyard of the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house at the University of Michigan. At the beginning of the semester, research was done on the legacy of past university presidents. This project stems from Marion Burton, who passed away from heart complications while serving as university president in the 1920s. Taking this into consideration and the fact that cardiovascular disease is the number one 4

cause of death in the U.S each year, the thesis took on combating cardiovascular diseases. People dealing with heart issues are often times asked to exercise more by doctors. This typically starts with walking and then expands to other aerobic exercises. With this information, a path is designed from the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center to the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s backyard. Along the path are pavilions that house increasingly difficult interactive games that promote aerobic exercise. The idea is that throughout the recovery process, patients can use the pavilions as checkpoints to track their progress.

Acts of Recovery | Arch 442

Perspective of pavilion 3, where an interactive juggling game is used to promote exercise to the public.

Perspective of pavilion 5, where an interactive volleyball game is played for those who have recovered completely.

Acts of Recovery | Arch 442

(page 6) The path from the cardiovascular center to the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s backyard passes through the main drag of the Michigan campus. In order to respect the traditional diag, a grid is produced. The path is marked by material changes, specifically placed plantings and supergraphics. (page 7) The interactive games on the path get increasingly more difficult the further away they get from the cardio center. Additionally, three of the pavilions have public restrooms. 7

Acts of Recovery | Arch 442

Five basswood models were crafted in order to help design the form of the pavilions. At some parts of the pathway, a sloped path is introduced in order to increase the heart rate of the patients.

02 10

Architecture

Introducing Ballroom Airbnb Campsite Mirrored Housing Intergenerational Living

Group Work Arch 432 Fall 2018

Introducing Ballroom | Arch 432

INTRODUCING BALLROOM

Studio 3 Taubman College

The main ambition of this studio was to challenge ballroom design and improve it in some way. This was to push back on the fact that the typology of the ballroom has stayed the same for centuries.

stuffy and make an attempt to be fancy, (often times unsuccessfully) it felt appropriate to change the surrounding program to a beer garden. This allowed for a more casual, open ballroom for the community. The conventions of the ballroom were changed as the ballroom Ballrooms are too often large, rectangular seeps into the surrounding program and the spaces that lack natural light. They are also community. The glass almost solely found in a hotels. As we started is used to separate our design, we aimed to keep these themes the ballroom from in mind and improve upon them. The design the beer garden process started by inserting the ballroom into acoustically, but not a preexisting building. We picked the Toledo visually. This project Glass Museum in order to provide ample was completed with sunlight in our design. This allowed for an Sierra Davis. organic design that could go well with other program. Given the fact that ballrooms are 12

3 Beer Garden Program

2 Columns

Introducing Ballroom | Arch 432

4 Ballroom Program

1 Green Spaces

Introducing Ballroom | Arch 432

Individual Work Arch 322 Winter 2018

AirBnB Campsite | Arch 322

AIRBNB CAMPSITE

Studio 2 Taubman College

In the second studio of junior year, the main objective was to challenge the everyday living norms of sleeping, eating and bathing. This was done throughout the semester by designing multi-family housing. For the final project, a campsite Airbnb was designed so that people could experience a change to their everyday eating, sleeping and bathing habits temporarily. This allows someone to experience ideas taken from camping temporarily. The project includes traditional, separate housing units as well as a collective living situation in the main building, where guests are encouraged to sleep outside in sleeping bags. The social 18

norms of bathing, and bathroom use are also reformed as the showers and bathrooms are outdoors. The design includes a gradient of framework in order to create privacy and to blend the building with the surrounding nature as seen below.

AirBnB Campsite | Arch 322

Basswood Model

AirBnB Campsite | Arch 322

Individual Work Arch 322 Winter 2018

Mirrored Housing | Arch 322

MIRRORED HOUSING

Studio 2 Taubman College

This housing project was a design exercise from the fact that the given program could that looked closely at how architectural not be symmetrical. For example, a storage space calls for 500 square feet and there is plans can be used as a design tool. not program that could perfectly mirror that At the beginning of the studio, each student space. In response, an outdoor area for all was randomly given a design binary that residents is created that is 500 square feet. would help inform their design. The binary This tactic was used several times over to for this project was mirrored. In order to inform the rest of the program. create a compelling design, the plan is not just one mirror that creates a symmetrical floorplan. Instead, it is a mirror that includes “completed” and “incompleted” spaces. The completed spaces are the individual housing units designed for living. The incompleted spaces are outdoor spaces that are marked by their framework. This idea stemmed 26

Mirrored Housing | Arch 322

Conceptual model created to illustrate complete and incomplete spaces.

Mirrored Housing | Arch 322

Intergenerational Living | Arch 312

INTERGENERATIONAL LIVING

The final project of the first studio brings two very different groups of people together for the benefit of both.

Studio 1 Taubman College Individual Work Arch 312 Fall 2017

residents. At the end of the promenade, the resident ends up in their private apartment, where light only reaches a small portion of the space due to recessed windows. The Studies have shown that interaction with above diagram illustrates how the site was young people greatly improves the health of right along the edge of the University of elderly people. As a result, a housing complex Michigan (dark gray) and the city of Ann is created to bridge the two groups together. Arbor (light gray). The college students live rent free and close to campus and in return, they spend time each month doing activities with elderly residents who also live in the building. A promenade with a variety of interaction spaces is created for the residents to circulate as they move from their public to private life. This sets a stage for casual interaction among the

Intergenerational Living | Arch 312

1 2

4-6

7 3

Intergenerational Living | Arch 312

Basswood Model

03 40

Supplementary

SLH Perspectives Construction Work Travel Documentation Darkroom Photography 3D Printing Works

SLH Perspectives | Chicago, IL

SLH PERSPECTIVES

During spring break, Taubman College students have the option to work for alumni across the U.S in various cities. The work completed was done during an externship for Searl Lamaster Howe Architects in Chicago, Illinois. This was a custom made design for someone who recently became handicapped. In order to show the aesthetic of the house, the entrance ramp and pool, perspectives were completed to show the client. The perspectives were done using Rhino and Photoshop.

Searl Lamaster Howe Individual Chicago, IL Spring 2019

Group Work ARCH 317 Fall 2017

Construction Work | ARCH 317

CONSTRUCTION WORK

Semester 1 Taubman College

During the first semester of junior year, students learn basic construction principals and drawing techniques. Throughout the semester, a working set of drawings of a small house is to be completed by groups of three. The drawings shown were all done independently, however the design of the home was done with Rachael Tsai and Tyler Vallance. All of the drawings were done using AutoCAD software.

Travel Documentation | Arch 409

TRAVEL DOCUMENTATION

A summer architecture class was taken in 2018 in which the class traveled to Europe for three weeks. The class traveled to Milan, Venice, Vienna, Prague and Berlin. The class saw a number of interesting buildings designed my architects such as Rem Koolhaas and Zaha Hadid. In order to document the experience of the buildings and cities visited, a book of travel photographs was put together.

Special Topics in Architecture Individual Work Arch 409 Spring 2018

Travel Documentation | Arch 409

Darkroom Photography | Grand Valley State University

DARKROOM PHOTOGRAPHY

The final project for a darkroom photography class asked us to capture something we had a passion for. The direction taken for the project was to capture the architecture that makes up my home town, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Over the course of three weeks, photographs were taken, film was developed and prints were created in the darkroom. The buildings selected are from the most populous areas of downtown, thus they are more recognizable. Buildings included are the Grand Rapids Art Museum as well as the Devos Place.

Grand Valley State Individual Work CPH 171 Winter 2017

Darkroom Photography | Grand Valley State University

3D Printing Works | Forest Hills Northern H.S

3D PRINTING WORKS

Group Work Robotics & Engineering Classes Spring 2015

The two projects on this page are from that can grasp handlebars with simple push independent studies in a robotics class and and pull physics. The arm helps her balance an engineering class. Both projects were so that she can ride her scooter and bicycle. carried out in a group during senior year of high school. In an engineering class, a group project with Matthew Holden and Tyler Feuerstein started with designing and 3D printing an arm that loosens and tightens into a fist based off of the sensors in a glove. This project led to another the next semester, which had the aim of helping Maeli (top), grip her handle bars and ride a bike. Using an online model, the group, now including Alex Dolce, Mitchell Dewey and Connor Matulaitis, printed an arm

Forest Hills Northern H.S

3D Printing Works | Forest Hills Northern H.S