AMANDA NICOLE GRUEN PORTFOLIO
CONTENTS
00 RESUME ACADEMIC 01 PLAYHOUSE Colburn School Campus Expansion, Los Angeles Spring 2020|ARCH 604|PennDesign 02 ZELEOGENESIS Compound Beings, Devious Topographies, Seoul Fall 2019|ARCH 701|PennDesign 03 MATTER, MAKING, & TESTING: PRECAST CONCRETE Designing with Next Generation Concrete Fall 2019|Technology Elective|PennDesign 04 INDEPENDENT STUDY (Un)traditional: Ceramics as an Old and New Building Material Fall 2019|Independent Study| PennDesign 05 INSTITUTE FOR URBAN WILDERNESS Institute for Urban Wilderness, Philadelphia Spring 2019|ARCH 602|PennDesign 06 EDGING Adaptive Mis-Use, Philadelphia Fall 2018|ARCH 601|PennDesign 07 BUTTERFLY LIBRARY Parkside Library, Philadelphia Spring 2018|ARCH 502|PennDesign PROFESSIONAL 08 SNELL LIBRARY Northeastern University Innovation Renovation, Boston Summer 2020 to Present|MGA Partners 09 WEST PARK PRESBYTERIAN Restoration and Adaptive Reuse, New York City Summer 2019|Page Ayres Cowley Architecture 10 FISH CHURCH Conservation Management Plan, Stamford Fall 2016 to Spring 2017|Prudon & Partners
AMANDA NICOLE GRUEN
EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 2020 Master of Architecture PRATT INSTITUTE, 2015 Master of Historic Preservation NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, 2013 Bachelor of Arts, Urban Design & Architecture Studies Minors in Art History and Studio Art
AWARDS UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA TA, Environmental Systems PRATT INSTITUTE Excellence in Academic Achievement Honors Distinction NEW YORK UNIVERSITY Dean’s Honors List
SKILLS 3D Maya Recap Revit Rhinoceros ZBrush
2D Adobe Suite AutoCAD Illustrator InDesign
BY HAND Ceramics Model Making
RENDERING Enscape Keyshot Vray
EXPERIENCE MGA PARTNERS ARCHITECTS|PHILADELPHIA Staff Architect, August 2020 to Present Staff architect on a tight-knit team working on the Innovation Renovation project for Northeastern University Snell Library from programming to the present construction document phase. Overseeing an ambitious $5 million furniture documentation package, including budgeting, furniture selection, and collaboration with furniture manufacturers. Expanding the firm’s architectural representation strategies to include animations and VR walkthroughs, achieving and securing a large-scale scope expansion and $10 million increase in project budget. Leading sophisticated graphic production for weekly client meetings and high-priority University leadership meetings. Mentoring current architectural student interns and fostering a culture of teamwork, positivity, and leadership. PAGE AYRES COWLEY ARCHITECTURE|NEW YORK CITY Architectural Designer, May to July 2020 Architectural Intern, May to August 2019 Implemented and enhanced an extensive State Historic Preservation Office report for the restoration and upgrade of the Borough Hall Station (IRT) in Brooklyn, New York, including existing conditions, historical research, and recommendations. Prepared drawings and an existing conditions report for the Friends Meeting House in New York City, advancing a comprehensive feasibility study assessing the restoration and preservation of historic interior spaces. Built and accelerated a feasibility study for the exterior restoration of the Landmarked West Park Presbyterian Church, including the existing conditions report, recommendations, and a comprehensive historical survey of the site. Produced plans and conducted code research and analysis for the adaptive reuse of the interior. PRUDON & PARTNERS|NEW YORK CITY Architectural Researcher, September 2016 to June 2017
CONTACT gruena@alumni.upenn.edu 347.982.7750 linkedin.com/in/agruen
Directed and executed a Conservation Management Plan for the First Presbyterian Church in Stamford, CT, designed by Wallace Harrison. Mobilized a database of original architectural drawings, building records, and assessments to advance a Getty Foundation grant.
EXPERIENCE CONTINUED
PORTFOLIO
LANDMARK WEST! (LW!)|NEW YORK CITY Educator, September 2015 to June 2017 Programs Coordinator, May 2015 to September 2016 Intern, January 2013 to May 2015
Issuu.com/amandagruen/docs/portfolio
Optimized and facilitated LW!’s education curriculum in classrooms throughout the Upper West Side, tailoring projects and lesson plans. Coordinated public programs, managed memberships, and strengthened fundraising campaigns and newsletters.
PUBLICATIONS PORTFOLIO https://issuu.com/amandagruen/docs/portfolio UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Pressing Matters VIII THE ARCHITECT’S NEWSPAPER ArchPaper.com/author/agruen RESEARCH PAPERS pratt.academia.edu/AmandaNicoleGruen “Tiffany & Co Building,” paper cited in New York Transformed: The Architecture of Cross & Cross by Peter Pennoyer and Anne Walker
01 PLAYHOUSE PLAYHOUSE originates in an exploration of color -- specifically, pops of orange and pinks grounded by white. Some hints of colors such as red, blue, and purple emerge within the palette. The form of each stroke transformed the reading of the color. Some strokes are very directional, while some have strong ridges, and others have a varying thickness. In this capacity we explored texture as a possibility for reinterpreting the palette. By playing with scale and transformation of paint through methods such as stretching, dripping, and overlapping, highly recognizable instances of paint are challenged by hybridized versions that retain hints of individual identities. Simultaneously, we researched Victorian houses and built up catalogs with details and profile extractions. The paint strokes work with edges and curves from the catalogs. As we developed the form of the building, we used Victorian profiles as a guide. The paint strokes were also an essential tool as we developed the building geometry. Introducing paint into the spaces offered new readings. We discovered areas where the paint could then create its own form. As we continued painting, we gained an understanding of the rhythm of the paint stroke and how it can be layered and built upon itself to generate moments of clarity but also ambiguity, such as where paint becomes structure, surface, and detail. In this capacity, paint is used as a process of revealing space, such as the transition of the house to the chunk. We developed a complex relationship between form and paint. Big brush strokes are slapped onto elegant geometry, creating tension between the paint and the building, suggesting that the spaces can be transformed by the texture of the paint. Yet there are also delicate moments where paint covers small details and objects and marries them to architectural components. For example, the auditorium stage blends with a piano, and furniture in the house attic fuses with roof and walls.
playhouse-studio.squarespace.com/penn/amandakaren
PennDesign | Spring 2020 | 704 Studio Instructor: Florencia Pita Partner: Karen Toomasian
PAINT MATRIX The exploration of color involves pops of orange and pinks grounded by white. Some hints of colors such as red, blue, and purple emerge within the palette. The form of each stroke transforms the reading of the color; some strokes are very directional, while some have strong ridges, and others have a varying thickness. The above six colors became the core toolkit.
GHOSTED VIGNETTES The paint was tested at various scales. There are moments with large gestures, but also delicate moments where paint covers smaller objects. L: A grand piano is painted together with the stage. R: The roof, gutter, window, wall, and brackets become a hybrid unit.
DOLLHOUSE RENDERING There is a focus on the sequence of entering the space, starting with the Victorian House as a threshold through which one walks toward a grand atrium, serving as a moment of focus before visitors enter the theater.
THEATER RENDERING The project culminates in the cabaret style theater space. Surrounded by dripping curtains, colorful seats, large spanning beams, and painted walls this space captures all the strategies and toolkits developed throughout the semester.
02 ZELEOGENESIS ZELEOGENESIS began with an exploration of speleogenesis and zeolites. Zeolites are aluminosilicate minerals with porous molecular structures that act as natural absorbers of carbon dioxide and charged chemical cations. They are naturally occurring minerals that grow into a wide range of forms and shapes. They can also be produced artificially; South Korea is among the leading countries in artificial zeolite production. Initially inspired by going underground in our exploration of non-human environments, we looked at caves at various scales. The subterranean structure stabilizes an existing cave and creates an artificial cave. The lodging of artificial and natural produces a hybrid environment. The artificial cave has defined external boundaries; the interior is shaped by a buildup of rare minerals forming human and non-human spaces. Zeleogenesis expedites the million-year time frame for mineral production by pulling in water from weather conditions - heating, infusing, and redistributing it into various chambers within an underground environment. As aluminosilicate-rich water is deposited throughout the cave, various types of zeolites form, each with its own ideal environment contained within the different chambers. There are minor interventions that consider human occupation. The majority of spaces have atmospheric conditions optimal for zeolite life cycle.
PennDesign | Fall 2019 | 701 Studio Instructor: Simon Kim Partner: Karen Toomasian
CAVERNS AND MICROSCOPIC CAVES Zeolites are aluminosilicate minerals behave as caves at multiple scales: both at molecular scale and as they grow and aggregate. They are naturally occurring minerals that grow into a range of forms and shapes: flakey, spindley, bulbous, bumpy, spiky, geodesic, and branching. They can be produced artificially; South Korea is among the leading countries in artificial zeolite production. L: Natural zeolite mineral C: Porous molecular structure R: Aggregate Pavilion, ICD University of Stuttgart, 2018
THE HOMONCULITE Whereby models require a critical capacity for abstraction - this is a stand-in for that, or here is a representation for there - prototypes and homonculur architecture allow for full-scale testing and instrumentality. L: Homunculite Study: Phase 1 (Dry) R: Homunculite Study: Phase 2 (Wet)
DETAILS AND VISUALIZATIONS Homuncular architecture allows for full-scale testing and instrumentality, leading to possibilities for testing and exploring the medium. Photogrammetry allows for visualizations of the volumetric character of the homunculites. The method leads to experimentations in scale and movement, providing a new means by which the homuncular architecture can be navigated and experienced. L: Homunculite Study: Phase 3 (Dry) R: Homunculite Study: Phase 4 (Photogrammetry)
03 MATTER, MAKING, & TESTING: PRECAST CONCRETE Designing with Next Generation Concrete focused on precast concrete and its history, materiality, its manufacturing process, and the logistics of assembly and cultural affects. Through a partnership with Northeast Precast (NEP), based in Millville, NJ, the class traveled throughout the semester to work with project managers at NEP. Working in teams, we designed and manufactured 4’ by 8’ precast concrete panels. The design for the panel is based on a previous studio project and was treated as an exploration to assess the feasibility of producing the concrete facade. The prototype responds to structural, thermal, and water-proofing performance.
PennDesign | Fall 2019 | Technology Elective Instructor: Richard Garber Partners: Karen Toomasian, Catherine Shih
FORM AND GEOMETRIC DEVELOPMENT Above: Using the 602 Studio project as the basis for the design, a portion of the facade was selected and moderately re-designed to address wall assembly requirements. Below: A strategy for formwork was developed to achieve the smooth apertures.
SHOP TICKET Workflow included oversight by a Northeast Precast (NEP) project manager. We produced shop tickets to direct our vision for the project, which included developing the custom rebar layout to ensure we could achieve the aperture design.
FORM REFINING Left: The first iteration of the aperture formwork was made of nine layers of ¾” wood per form. To improve surface smoothness, the final iteration was made of 35+ layers per form. Right: The stacked wood forms were sanded smooth and coated with Bondo.
FINAL RESULT Our precast panel was a success and is an accurate representation of how we envisioned our design.
04 INDEPENDENT STUDY
I created an independent study in which I could investigate ceramic systems within architecture and construction, focusing on its structural capacities while also considering its material applications. The aim was to explore the association of ceramics and building throughout history through a structural perspective in order to begin speculating on the future role of this material as designers move to digitally designing and 3D printing at a large scale. This involved a technical and historical examination of the role of ceramics as the building block of architecture followed by a discussion of the use of digital technology, which produces endless possibilities for envisioning, analyzing, and manufacturing forms that were previously unachievable. The first phase of the study resulted in a research paper outlining material precedents and addressed its structural integrity, along with its wall forming and decorative uses. The subsequent phase included a conceptual investigation to suggest the future of ceramics as a structural material. Building upon the exploration of possibilities created by the use of digital technology, a prototyping experimentation served as the final phase of the course. Ceramic 3D printing was attempted and prototypes were designed and fabricated; the digital and physical experiments were meant to reflect discourse regarding structural and material capacities of ceramics as a building material.
PennDesign | Fall 2019 | Independent Study Advisor: Gisela Baurmann
FORM FINDING Left: Heinz Isler and Frei Otto form-finding studies were explored as a basis for designing a prototype. Using a grasshopper script through Rhino, forms were generated and the following form was created. MOLD DESIGN Right: The prototype went through several iterations in order to develop a proper mold to pour, dip, and mold the clay.
PROTOTYPE PRODUCTION Left: The PennDesign Robotics Lab was utilized in an attempt to use a ceramic 3D printer to produce a prototype. Right Upper: 3D printed prototype mold for various strategies including pouring, dipping, and molding. Right Lower: A 3D printed wireframe prototype was created for one particular iteration (dipping).
05 URBAN WILDERNESS Where is the divide between the environment and architecture? The institute explores the small microcosms that proliferate the urban jungle. Concentrating on mushrooms, the institute explores and exhibits this aspect of the natural city as it interacts with the built fabric. Offering its structure, materiality, geometry, and massing as an infrastructural opportunity for mushroom growth, the aim is to harvest poisonous mushrooms for beneficial use, such as medicine or structural bricks. The building uses bricks and concrete (precast and poured in place) to encourage the growth, exhibition, and education of mushrooms. Situated at the intersection of the old and new Rail Park in the Callowhill neighborhood of Philadelphia, the building takes its urban wild life context into consideration.
PennDesign | Spring 2019 | 602 Studio Instructor: Kutan Ayata Partner: Karen Toomasian
SECTION
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
MEZZANINE PLAN
MODEL Left: 3D printed and lasercut model. Right: Detail photos highlight corbelling on the lower columns; the brick corbelling reaches its extent before transitioning to the precast and poured-in-place concrete.
06 EDGING EDGING is a response to edge conditions in neighborhoods like Kensington, Philadelphia, where edges are activated by activities that happen on the street. Rowhouses are catalysts for such activities, offering many points of connectivity; lowrise forms allow for activation through various apertures such as windows and entrances. Edging focuses on the insertion of rowhouse living conditions onto edges of industrial sites. The site consists of industrial fabric, a typology which lacks the same edge conditions as residences and elicits a different connectivity. By considering the rowhouse building typology and the industrial building typology, a new hybrid typology is proposed where low-rise residences occupy the edges of industrial sites, maximizing the qualities of each. The hybrid strays from typical adaptive reuse of industrial buildings. A live/work site is formed where a level of separation is maintained and each building typology retains its essential floorplate characteristics. The co-existence yields an exploration of the intersection. In Edging, the “work” program is a clay studio with art education and gallery space.
PennDesign | Fall 2018 | 601 Studio Instructor: Brian Phillips
Longitudinal Section Perspective Longitudinal Section Perspective Longitudinal Section Perspective
Existing Existing
Typical Typical
Proposed Proposed
Existing
Typical
Proposed
Rowhouse Rowhouse
Industrial Industrial
Rowhouse
Industrial
Edge Activation Edge Activation
Hybrid
Hybrid Hybrid
Potential Hybrid Conditions Potential Hybrid Conditions
Activation Potential Hybrid Conditions CONCEPTEdge DIAGRAMS Concept Diagrams show the development a new hybrid typology that focuses on activating the street through low-rise units.
Stoop
Stoop Stoop
Porch
Porch
Covered Porch Covered Porch
Balcony Balcony
Porch
Covered Porch
Balcony
GROUND LEVEL PLAN
THIRD LEVEL PLAN
FOURTH LEVEL PLAN
EXTERIOR RENDERING View from the corner of Trenton and Huntington, showing the primary facades.
MODEL Lasercut and 3D printed model shows the new typology, which is a hybrid of the historic industrial fabric and low-rise residential units. Each retains its essential floorplate characteristics to produce a clay studio live/work program.
07 BUTTERFLY LIBRARY
The term defamiliarization is an artistic technique that has been utilized to some degree for the past century. In presenting somewhat familiar objects or ideas and then enhancing them by slight distortion, an audience becomes more aware of its observations of the familiar. In architecture, this method changes people’s experiences and perceptions of a space. Utilizing a relief to translate this concept, familiar objects from the site in Parkside, Philadelphia have been defamiliarized to design a library with a butterfly conservatory as an auxiliary program. The relief begins to interrogate the site by pulling the gridlines and resultant framework from the existing physical fabric of the neighborhood to acknowledge its surroundings and provide a structure for the low relief – landscape – and high relief – interior space. The composition of the relief focuses on edges and corners, indicated by clusters that overlap and experiment with changes in program. These are indicated by the butterfly cluster enclosures, which transcend the grid’s boundaries and create opportunities for program flexibility.
PennDesign | Spring 2018 | 502 Studio Instructor: Andrew Saunders
RELIEF STUDIES L: Louise Nevelson reliefs were studied and new iterations were produced to reflect the characteristics of the Parkside neighborhood of Philadelphia. R: A final relief was produced based on research and site.
MODEL Assembled lasercut and 3D-printed components.
PLANS (GROUND AND UPPER)
SECTION
EXTERIOR RENDERING The library is transparent along the major avenue. Butterfly enclosures emerge and spill out onto the sidewalk, engaging passerby.
08 SNELL LIBRARY
Northeastern University in Boston, MA is a global research university and a world leader in experiential learning. As part of the University’s vision, Snell Library is evolving to meet the quickly changing research and learning needs of its community of learners and innovators. The revisioning -- the innovation renovation -- maximizes collaboration among students and faculty, connecting them further to alumni, researchers, employers, and entrepreneurs. Fundamental principles include adjacency, collaboration, and flexibility. Space requirements include an Experiential Learning Lab, Design & Creativity Hub, and Events. The phased project involves essential reconfiguration of shared spaces and circulation. The first phase is the redesign of the central circulating stair, followed by phased renovations of each floor.
Innovation Renovation Northeastern University MGA Partners
PROGRAMMING The above illustrations were presented to Library Leadership, including the University President, to convey initial programmatic concepts. From top to bottom, the upper floors are primarily for open study and research centers, the first floor contains a new event space, and the basement contains the Archives and General Collections.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Weekly meetings with the client and select user groups helped us to evolve the design. Renderings allow the client to visualize our concepts and spark conversations. Above, the second floor “Greenway” and the Makerspace Tech Garage.
THE STAIR To meet University wishes for increased occupancy, the first phase involves converting an existing circulating stair into a code-compliant fire stair. The design process included code and occupancy research, color and material studies, collaboration with structural engineers, and a working relationship with a lighting consultant.
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS Construction documents included all floors, Basement through Level 4. The expanded project scope includes a projecting first floor event space, extensive documentation of the prefabricated pod units (including demountable partitions) that drive the logic of the floorplates, and diagrams to further clarify many of the design concepts, such as our butterfly and exposed ceilings. Above, the third floor event space.
09 WEST PARK PRESBYTERIAN
West Park Presbyterian is a New York City Landmark located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The building has an unusual deep red sandstone-clad facade and bell tower and serves as an anchor for the neighborhood. The building is also significant in that it has served the Upper West Side community in several capacities over the years; it has housed educational, recreational, performing arts and music spaces, in addition to religious services, and has been at the forefront of many political and social issues. The client, the Center at West Park, sought a plan to preserve the exterior of the building and adapt the interior. Therefore, the project included two phases: the first was a proposal for the exterior restoration and the second was a proposal for the adaptive reuse of the interior. As part of the first phase, a Feasibility Study was written, which consisted of documentation, an existing building condition survey, recommendations, and phasing of work. The second phase consisted of proposing plans for adapting the Sanctuary into a performance theater. One challenge of this project was interpreting the New York City Building Code for fire and life safety considerations, as an older version of the Code was followed due to the age and restrictions of the existing building.
Feasibility Study Adaptive Reuse Proposal Page Ayres Cowley Architecture
Photogrammetry Survey: Elevation (Amsterdam Avenue)
PHASE 1: FEASIBILITY STUDY The above elevation was drawn and the site was surveyed for existing conditions. Recommendations including restoration and replacement of stonework were proposed. Research was conducted in an attempt to find the original quarry.
PHASE 2: ADAPTIVE REUSE The Sanctuary was surveyed and drawn. In the proposed design, existing components such as the pews and stage were modified in order to accommodate a theater space. Extensive research was conducted regarding fire and life safety requirements for a space of this typology.
10 FISH CHURCH
Wallace Harrison’s First Presbyterian Church in Stamford, CT, commonly known as “Fish Church,” received a grant from the Getty Foundation to help fund the development of a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) to guide future interventions and maintenance at the site. As part of the project team, I largely wrote the CMP, focusing on research and fieldwork, coordinating documentation of existing conditions, and developing the thematic and physical history of construction and repair work. Fish Church is particularly known for its signature dalle de verre glass technique, where glass is inset in precast concrete panels tilted upon each other to create its distinct fish shape and giving the effect of being “inside of a giant sapphire.” My research was largely focused on architect Wallace Harrison, history and methods of precast concrete construction, and the deterioration of the glass, which was a result of a technique developed in Paris in the 1930s. After developing a system for the analysis, cataloging, and documenting of hundreds of architectural drawings and records for the church, the documents were examined more critically to create an in-depth architectural and social history in order to assess the value and significance of the site. This was accomplished in order to designate principles of conservation and policies related to the conservation of the site. The significance of the CMP is that it will serve as a resource for other Modern buildings with dalle de verre glass, as the technique was first introduced in the United States at Fish Church and was then replicated in hundreds of ecclesiastical and civic buildings across the country.
docomomo-us.org/news/dalle-de-verre-at-fish-church
Conservation Management Plan Project Team: Prudon & Partners Building Conservation Associates Bicaluro Associates Old Structures Engineering
RESEARCH L: Precast panel diagrams R: Hugh Ferriss rendering of the Sanctuary (an early design concept that differs from the church as constructed)
DOCUMENTATION AND CONSERVATION L: Drone Survey R: Materials Survey