A L LI SO N PA L MA D E S S O
ARCHITECTURE DESIGN PORTFOLIO
M.Arch 2015
Statement of Purpose This portfolio is a collection of my design work throughout my architectural education. These works include graduate work at the University of Maryland, as well as travel and design competition experiences. As a designer, I am interested in complexity of edge, and more specifically water’s edge. I am also very passionate about community and public work, and love immersing myself in each project’s narrative. These two interests are a common thread throughout this portfolio. Personally, I am driven by process and the belief in a strong concept that can translate at many scales. As architects we are stewards of problem solving - first analyzing an issue to identify the problem, then through process we arrive at solutions. My hope is that this work represents a synthesis of concept and responsible design.
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WETLANDS INTERPRETIVE CENTER: Comprehensive Design Studio Bothel, WA | F a I 2 0 1 3
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WATERFRONT REGENERATION: Mediating Boundaries of Abandonment
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SOUTH CREEK MASTER PLAN: An Urban Vision for the City of Frederick
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WATER TAXI TERMINAL: Interschool Design Competition
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EXCEPTIONAL SCHOOLS: Adaptive Reuse of WSSC Building
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COMPLEXITY OF EDGE AT PATH CONVERGENCE: Site Analysis + Design
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DAVID M. SCHWARZ FELLOWSHIP: Sketches From Travel + Research Abroad
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Yonkers, NY | F a l l 2 0 1 4 - P r e s e n t
Frederick, MD | F a l l 2 0 1 4
Washington, DC | F a l l 2 0 1 2
Hyattsville, MD | S p r i n g 2 0 1 4
Lyttonsville, MD | S p r i n g 2 0 1 4
Germany, Netherlands, Turkey | S u m m e r 2 0 1 4
ResumĂŠ
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W E T L A N D S INTERPRETIVE CENTER Comprehensive Design Studio LOCATION: BOTHEL, WASHINGTON DURATION: 10 WEEKS INSTRUCTOR: PROFESSOR PETER NOONAN This project was a semester-long exploration apart of the Comprehensive Design Studio, ARCH600. We were given an unbuilt project (Miller Hull’s Cascadia Wetlands Interpretive Center) and asked to design a fully functioning building. We learned how to design through the design development phase, rather than schematic design. Furthermore, we were asked to make a half scale physical model of our designs - a four way section cut to exhibit the highlights and systems of the building. The source material from Miller Hull called for a sustainable building - housing exhibits, classrooms, workrooms, as well as a view out to the recently restored wetlands on the Cascadia Community College campus. My approach focused on sustainable building techniques as well as sensitivity to the region and materials. Since timber is a rapidly renewable material in the Northwest region, I explored wood as a structural system - expressing lighter wood framing and trusses on the upper bar, and heavier post and beam timber on the bottom bar of the building. I imagined the surfaces as exhibits themselves. The upper roof’s pitch was crafted for water collection, and the lower roof was used for a green roof and solar panel clerestories throughout (allowing for daylighting and ventilation for the classrooms below). I developed structural, HVAC, environmental control, and wall section details, which all got at the idea of the building as an exhibit in and of itself.
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Section Looking West 3
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Half-Scale Model
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20 WALL SECTION KEY SOIL 1 DRAINAGE 2 GRAVEL 3
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3” RIGID INSULATION 4 6” CONCRETE SLAB W/ RADIANT FLOORING 5 2”x4” WOOD WALL STUDS 6 1” SHEATHING PANEL 7 4” RIGID INSULATION 8
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WATER BARRIER 9 AIR GAP 10 2” STONE PANEL DETAIL AT OPENINGS 11
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WINDOW SILL 12 ALUMINUM TRIM FIXED + OPERABLE WINDOW 13 DOUBLE PANEL, LOW-E GLASS 14
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12”x12” WOOD COLUMN 15 2”x4” STUD TO LAYER + HANG ITEMS 16 WINDOW HEADER 17
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FLASHING 18 WOODEN 2x4 RAIN SCREEN CLADDING 19 6”x12” WOOD BEAMS 20 3” DEEP WOOD DECKING 21 INSULATION 22 WATERPROOF MEMBRANE 23 6” GROWING MEDIUM 24 SEDUM 25
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Wall Section + Partial Elevation
WALL SECTION + PARTIAL ELEVATION 1” = 1’-0”
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Section Looking East 9
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WAT E R F R O NT R EG ENER ATIO N Mediating Boundaries of Abandonment LOCATION: YONKERS, NEW YORK DURATION: CURRENT MASTER’S THESIS (IN PROGRESS) INSTRUCTOR: PROFESSOR MICHELE LAMPRAKOS Part of the University of Maryland’s Master of Architecture graduation requirements is the Master’s Thesis - a year long research and design exploration of a topic of the student’s choosing. The following work is in progress, and the final thesis defense in this May 2015. This thesis addresses boundaries and edge, more specifically where land meets water. It examines the way we design for our changing waterfronts, and the way we choose to reuse our history along the water. Issues of abandonment, the contemporary waterfront, and reuse of industrial landscapes will be explored through Westchester County’s Hudson River waterfront and the abandoned Glenwood Power Plant in Yonkers, NY. The reality of these constraints and abandonment can be seen as opportunities for connectivity and thoughtful reuse; as solutions to be explored at all scales – region, city, site, and building.
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WATERFRONT REGENERATION Mediating Boundaries of Abandonment Along the Hudson River Waterfront Allison Palmadesso, M.Arch Candidate
- Maya Lin
problem unhealthy romance with water + waterfront the boundary between water + land pollution, ooding, natural disasters industrial abandonment ignorance, indecision
5000 BC ancient cities founded on water for agriculture production, trade, and transportation
1800’s industrial revolution brought industrial processes to waterfront, cities were a machine for production
proposal intelligently mediate boundaries of divide reuse abandoned byproducts rethink water as a resource relink city with water address building + urban scale of intervention
1900’s industries relocated to outer city zones, leaving abandoned borders on water’s edge
1960’s revitalization of waterfronts began to relink city centers with water’s edge via global precedents
2000’s
place Glenwood Power Plant Location Built Closed Gutted Former use
fourth generation of waterfront development, reconsideration of resources, water as resource
Yonkers, NY 1906 1964 2012 Power plant
2014
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Preliminary Thoughts
Thesis Match Poster
“I feel I exist on the boundaries somewhere between science & art, art & architecture, public & private, east & west”
TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE
TARRYTOWN
GLENWOOD POWER PLANT
PIERMONT THE ALPINE
IRVINGTON
DOWNTOWN YONKERS
DOBBS FERRY
Regional Approach
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Existing Urban Conditions
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Proposed Waterfront Park
Precedent Section: Turenscape’s Shanghai Houtan Park
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more coming soon...
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S OU T H C R EEK MASTER PL AN An Urban Vision for the City of Frederick LOCATION: FREDERICK, MARYLAND DURATION: 8 WEEKS INSTRUCTOR: PROFESSOR MATT BELL Part of the National Center for Smart Growth’s multi-departmental sustainability initiative, PALS, this project is an urban planning proposal for the City of Frederick, Maryland. In our urban design studio, we addressed the under-utilized areas east and west of the city, and broke into groups to develop a master plan for various neighborhoods. My group selected the seemingly barren industrial district south of Carroll Creek in Frederick, MD. We worked with city officials to identify the needs and opportunities of the area of focus. Our team was taken by the promise of the existing structures and industrial character of South Creek. The proposal resolved to improve the urban edge along Carroll Creek Park, promote the walkability of East Street, and take advantage of its TOD potential. We also proposed to reuse the flat industrial roofs as rooftop farms for food production, and provided metrics for how these proposals would manifest in reality. The following images show how South Creek transformed into a thriving district for living, growing, industry and activity. All images were collaborative efforts among group members. Group Members: Allison Palmadesso, Luke Petrocelli, Nader Wallerich
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South Creek Master Plan 27
Places Diagram 28
Wisner Street Section Looking East
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South Creek Crossing
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East Street Section Looking North
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East Street Gateway
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South Creek Aerial
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Lucas Farms
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Sustainability Metrics | Building Reuse + New Trees
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Sustainability Metrics | Stormwater Management + Agriculture
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WAT E R TA XI TERMINAL Interschool Design Competition LOCATION: WASHINGTON, DC DURATION: 8 HOUR TEAM CHARRETTE INSTRUCTOR: PROFESSOR MICHAEL AMBROSE This one-day charrette challenged the 12 competing teams to consider the idea of edge and threshold, and how we can design for the space between here and there. Rightfully so, the given site was both land and water: the Anacostia River at First Street NE in Washington, DC. The program called for a water taxi terminal, along with other basic amenities. Each team member was asked to arrive with a conceptual model inspired by words that deal with the “in between” the day of the charrette, and each team had to select one model to inspire their project. Our team chose the concept model word “margin” to inspire our polemic. Our parti was derived from the convergence of lines from the grid of Washington D.C. and the diagonal orientation of the water’s edge. The terminal’s footprint is a ying-yang of two forms that are connected by an overlapping “margin” of circulation. We also intended to weave the circulation of the water taxi with that of the pedestrian. Our submission was selected as first place by the event coordinators. All images were collaborative efforts among group members. Please excuse the quality of some images, the boards were discarded after the event. Group Members (left to right) : Hebatallah Elgawish, Ashley Graham, Allison Palmadesso, Dylan King
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LAND | BIKE + FOOD
REGULATING LINES
Concept Model
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PARTI
AXES
PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION
Process Sketch
WATER TAXI CIRCULATION
PROGRAM OVERLAP
Massing Model
Site Section
Parti Model
1st Place Boards
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E XC E P T I ONAL SCHO O LS Adaptive Reuse of WSSC Building LOCATION: HYATTSVILLE, MARYLAND DURATION: 8 WEEKS INSTRUCTOR: PROFESSOR GARTH ROCKCASTLE As part of the Adaptive Reuse Topical Studio, ARCH601, the student was asked to design a school in an abandoned WSSC Building. The school was to be structured under the Exceptional Schools model, and the building also had to incorporate house senior living units and teaching kitchens. This project was a great lesson in developing the narrative of a building and one’s design polemic. We were asked to fully design one aspect of our project, and the following documentation shows an experiential and experimental occupiable facade addition that would be an oracle for learning, growing, and cross-pollination amongst senior residents and students.
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Process Sections 43
Plan Concepts 44
Layered Plan + Weaving Circulation 45
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Section Perspective Looking East
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Interchangeable Kit of Parts
Exploded Axonometric 48
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COMP L E X I T Y O F ED G E AT PATH CO NVERGENCE Site Analysis + Design LOCATION: LYTTONSVILLE, MARYLAND DURATION: 10 WEEKS INSTRUCTOR: PROFESSOR JANA VANDERGOOT The following works are a result of a semester-long site exploration of the future Purple Line station in Lyttonsville, MD. The student was urged to think about all aspects of site analysis: waste, mobility, flows, vegetation, topography, energy, cultural landscape, and hydrology. The prompt called for a 24x36 board that utilized various representational techniques including the use of collage and title to clarify one’s design agenda. This term project was an iterative process and previous drafts are shown on the following page. My analysis and design polemic focused on the convergence of paths - human, waste, transit, and water paths. The final board calls out these complex edges and details sections that combat these converging flows. The final submission proposed to use the electromagnetic current of the passing Purple Line train to create energy to light up Lyttonsville - which is currently an industrial light district.
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Final Board 51
Draft 1
Draft 2 52
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DAVI D M. SCHWARZ FELLO W SHIP Sketches from Travel + Research Abroad LOCATION: GERMANY, NETHERLANDS, TURKEY, ITALY DURATION: 6 WEEKS SELF-PLANNED + RESEARCHED This past Spring 2015, my travel and research proposal was selected as the University of Maryland M.Arch student to win the David M. Schwarz Traveling Fellowship Award. The application included a design portfolio, research proposal, itinerary, and estimated budget. The award included $10,000 for summer travel as well as a 10-week paid internship at David M. Schwarz Architects upon return. In May and June of 2014, I traveled for six weeks to Germany (Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt), Turkey (Istanbul, Kas, Antalya, Ucagiz), the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam), and France (Paris) researching and observing industrial waterfront re-development (or lack thereof) in these very different cultures. The focus was looking at examples of the past and ways to improve throughout Turkey, and more contemporary examples in Northern Europe. Lessons learned throughout these travels helped informed my Master’s Thesis. The following spreads show some sketches from the trip this past summer, as well as sketches from a study abroad trip to Italy in Summer 2011.
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D端sseldorf, Germany 55
Frankfurt, Germany
D端sseldorf, Germany 56
Frankfurt, Germany 57
Üçağız, Turkey
Paris, France 58
Various Cities in Italy 59
Rome, Italy 60
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OBJECTIVE EDUCATION
Obtain a job that fulfills my passion for holistic design, community, and creation of place after the completion of my Master of Architecture degree in May 2015. University of Maryland, College Park, MD Master of Architecture | August 2013 - May 2015 (expected) University of Maryland, College Park, MD B.S. Architecture | August 2009 - May 2013 Sustainable Studies Minor Overall GPA: 3.7 | Dean’s List: Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2013
EXPERIENCE
University of Maryland, College Park, MD | Graduate Assistant (August 2013 - present) Work as an Undergraduate Advisor for the School of Architecture. Advise students navigating their degrees and assist the School’s Student Affairs Coordinator. David M. Schwarz Architects, Washington, DC | Scholarship Fellow/Intern (May 2014 - August 2014) Worked in a team of three on the schematic design for a hotel restaurant in St. Barth’s. Participated in charrette, design review meetings, and conference calls with client. Grimm + Parker Architects, Calverton, MD | Architectural Intern (March 2013 - February 2014) Worked to assist the K-12 and Residential/Urban Development studios. Work included pattern books, CDs, Ed Specs, and rendering/modeling for various projects. Michael Piccirillo Architecture, Shrub Oak, NY | Intern (December 2011 - January 2013) VKS Architects, Katonah, NY | Intern (June 2011 - August 2011)
ACTIVITIES / AWARDS
David M. Schwarz Traveling Fellowship Award | Scholarship Recipient (March 2014) Travel + research proposal selected as the University of Maryland’s M.Arch student recipient of the $10,000 award for summer travel. Traveled for six weeks to Germany, Turkey, Netherlands, and France researching waterfront development and industrial re-use. Interschool Design Competition Charrette | 1st Place Recipient (September 2012) Worked on a team to develop the winning design for a water taxi terminal in Washington, DC. Architecture Ambassador Program | Ambassador (December 2011 - present)
SKILLS / CERTIFICATIONS
LEED GA / Revit / AutoCAD / SketchUp / ArcGIS / Adobe Creative Suite / Microsoft Office
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Al l i so n R. Pa l ma de sso 2601 DARNLEY PLACE, YORKTOWN HTS, NY 10598 ALLISONPALMS@GMAIL.COM | 914.384.8127