OTTO
[ a collection of works ]
URBAN CANVAS PROFESSIONAL TOWERING TIMBER RECREATION
CONTENTS UNDERGRADUATE
[ kansas city ]
URBANCANVAS The Urban Canvas builds upon the success of the growing arts scene in Kansas City’s Crossroads and Power and Light districts. The program sought the need for a smaller, more intimate, theater venue acting as a beacon and “Canvas” for the city. The core concept behind the Canvas was to encourage and implement art of all genres within its interactive media-mesh facade. This mesh also serves as a cloak between the duality of mass and void. In addition, I strove to create humanistic spaces with strong visual ties between each level. These visual connections further strengthened the contrast of each programmatic element.
process
On the corner of 17th and Main sits a square site. This location welcomes uninterrupted views towards the city skyline along all fronts. Capturing the magic of the site both at the street level and along the horizon would help strengthen visual connections between the city and the media wall; therefore, the need for a vertical structure was a key factor in the conceptual design. As crucial program ascended, the site gave way to another opportunity along the ground level. Vertical efficiency, as well as a southern facing core along a parti-wall, allowed a garden to be implemented, reinforcing user interaction with the building and the site as a whole.
CREATION STUDYMODEL
approach
PUBLICSEQUENCE
garden level
entry
lobby level
BIRD’SEYE
program parking garage lobby model shop waiting room main theatre fly loft reception terrace studio black box
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
SECTION
8 9
8
7
5
4 2
1
3
6
impact
Rooted within the historic industrial charm of Kansas City’s most renowned districts, the Canvas desires to be the capstone of each First Friday event. Paying tribute to the growing arts culture, this building serves as the only kinetic attraction and public space in the area. With a new and dynamic theme every month, the community has the ability to celebrate an artist through reflection against the backdrop of the Kansas City skyline. A lively beacon amid the city rush encourages interaction and a welcomed gaze; always reassuring the passerby that this is a city that embraces artistic expression.
[ st. joseph, missouri ]
river bluff architects
RESTORATION CHURCH During my internship with River Bluff Architects our team was given the task to transform a 1900’s natatorium into a modern day church and coffee shop. My efforts were focused on the exterior elevation design, providing the St. Joseph community a vision for its future. The church was drawn to the use of sustainable design practices that could later help influence the personality of the structure. With that in mind, we proposed a series of vignettes each with varying degrees of materiality. As the conceptual design evolved, our team highlighted the entry with the use of reclaimed materials from the existing pool house. By accentuating the reused materials within the existing building structure, we created a strong visual hierarchy that engaged the corner lot.
design evolution
[saskatchewan] HKS
MOSAICSTADIUM During my seven month academic internship with HKS I had the opportunity to work on the Mosaic Stadium design and production team. Throughout this time I was involved with a variety of tasks in the late stages of schematic design. This 40,000 seat professional stadium brought forth an array of modeling experiences that helped me understand the intricacies of sports architecture. I became captivated with advanced Revit techniques that allowed me to sweep the stadium bowl or modify the perforated skin. Shown in the rendering, courtesy of HKS, I was responsible for many modeling features in the North end zone. Working with my colleagues I helped transform the team store faรงade wall and regulate the glazing percentage on the interior North face.
[virginia] HKS, BRAD BAKER
SOUTHERNTRIBUTE The professional stadium is seen by many as a dream; an icon by which young ball players admire and respect. Working under the guidance of HKS Senior Designer Brad Baker, our objective was to create a complex that helps strengthen the connection between the little league and professional sports venues. As the focal point and main stage for the complex, Fredericksburg Stadium seeks to encourage and inspire young athletes to accomplish their dreams. By allocating program along a central datum within the park, the stadium became intertwined with the little league tournament sequence. This allowed uninterrupted views into the stadium as users proceeded to the neighboring fields. Along this path families have a continuous opportunity to be immersed in the professional sector as it also serves as the location for tournament facilities.
[virginia] HKS
VISION
[ red hook, brooklyn ]
timber in the city
TOWERING TIMBER Towering Timber seems to defy gravity, implementing a hybrid of wood construction technologies as it soars over 350 feet in the air. This colossal structure serves to revitalize the hurricane devastated neighborhood of Red Hook Brooklyn through the implementation of affordable housing and an opportunity for industry. The competition program called for a building that functioned not only as a place for living but as a workplace as well. Along the base of the structure rests a wood manufacturing plant that would not only create the structure itself but hundreds of new jobs in the process. The design emphasizes the use of CLT and post and beam construction built from the factory below. These two systems became the basis through which the programmatic elements were organized. Strengthened by concrete circulation cores these two systems allowed the structure to reach heights never before seen in wood construction.
early abstraction
A single geometric form would serve as foundation by which I would discover the hybrid construction type seen in later tower iterations. A simple oval floor plan with intersecting vertical CLT panels functioned like a hive. Deep brise-soleil panels coupled to a faceted core would provide the structural integrity needed to span such heights. All circulation would occur in and around the core, with living space positioned towards the outer edge of the faceted floor plate. Early concepts proved that this arrangement was not efficient in spatial planning; therefore, the concept required a more rectilinear solution.
design evolution
The sketches shown above represent the rectilinear “shift” in the design evolution. This idea brought forth the notion of two construction types working together to achieve a tower. Circulation cores were brought to the exterior of the building while a main hallway acted as the devising line between post and beam construction and opaque CLT panels. Program sat nicely within a unitized rectangular grid system, and facets were no longer an obstacle. A curvilinear geometry still existed through subtle changes in the floor plate and streamlined louvers softened the southern façade, in contrast to a more rigid northern elevation.
section perspective | day-lighting
[ a sketchy embrace]
RECREATION Conceptual design can be described as an exploration of ideas as they relate to a speculative program or resolution. This process of idea generation and creation in order to solve a problem defines what architecture means in my eyes. I take pride in the ability to imagine a concept and express it as a visual form of communication. Sketching evokes a response in a way that is unlike anything else; each sketch tells a story and conveys a particular attitude. By embracing the imperfections, we can begin to understand the character and personality behind each architectural expression.
[ a sketchy embrace]
LEISURE
[beauty in form]
OTTOMOTIVE Architecture has no bounds. The skills I have learned throughout my college career have allowed me to articulate my passion for automotive design. With a low frame, aggressive front end, and sinuous body molding, my design emulates the modern day track car. Automotive clay allowed me to shape the vehicle to my heart’s content. The clay’s malleable consistency tolerated “on the fly” modifications while still holding form. In addition, the clay brought flat line work to life allowing me to understand the fluidity of the vehicle.
[beauty in form]
ILLUSTRATION
[ manhattan, kansas ]
ksu womens rowing
ROWING FACILITY I designed the Kansas State Womens Rowing Facility to strategically enhance the view of each race. The facility, which houses a training room, boat storage, and great-room, sits at a fifty degree angle towards the dam on Milford Lake. This offers a clear view of the start and finish of each race. From the approach the terrain is modified so that the view is controlled. The structure takes you on a voyage celebrating the facility, until you arrive at the terminus where the water is finally exposed.
[ manhattan, kansas ]
ksu womens rowing
CRAFT
The form was derived from a rowing shell cross section. The building reflects the great length of a rowing shell, and is cantilevered over sixty feet so that it appears to float out over the horizon.
alex otto kansas state university college of architecture ottoa@k-state.edu (816)-898-0674
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