collected works
71
Adam H. Richards aricha22@gmail.com
2
reclaiming identity
12
scriptorium
22
zen retreat
32
a home for children
42
hidden gardens of light
46
kauttua sauna documentation
50
grand tour: lewerentz
54
CURRENT (volumes 4 & 5)
58
drawing and abstraction
60
found object: cassette
62
roots of a flood
66
habitat for humanity
view from shore, standing on public promenade [sunset]
Project: Date: Course: Instructor:
Reclaiming Identity Spring 2012 Self-Directed Project Tricia Stuth
The plight of Cuban exiles is a living history, spanning more than fifty years since Fidel Castro’s rise to power in 1959. Individual reasons for leaving may vary, but each resonates with enough desperation to leave one’s homeland. They are a people who largely do not consider themselves immigrants to the United States but living in continued exile from Cuba. What happens to our memories and identities when we are exiled from the places in which they were created? With the objective to understand the link between built space and cultural identity, this proposal concerns the case of the exile: one who is displaced from an architecture of home. As places grow in personal or cultural significance, our identities become tethered to these spaces, connecting memories and events to specific locations. Forced separation, such as political exile, from such places can lead to a shift in identity. The design proposal is an extension of White Street Pier on the island of Key West, exploring the use of architectural space as a catalyst in the reclamation of cultural identity for the Cuban exile. Key West’s location off the southern coast of Florida serves as an ideal location to highlight the history of separation and exile across the Straits of Florida. The White Street Pier proposal includes a marketplace sited along the existing pier, which serves to evoke the cultural history of the region, and an offshore terminal, which will operate in hope that the persistent separation might be overcome.
Honors: Publication:
Faculty Letter of Excellence “Reclaiming Identity,” Forward 212: Identity, Fall 2012 3
Leaving home and going home are often difficult matters; to go in or out, to enter, leave, or stay, are sometimes painful alternatives. “The Medicine of Reciprocity, Tentatively Illustrated.” Aldo van Eyck
plan [originally printed at 1/32” = 1’0”] historical context + map
perspectives of key moments printed on watercolor paper and mounted with nails to hang 1� away from wall
outer skeletal frames of terminal drawn onto wall to demonstrate the “incompleteness� of the project
full presentation on display in gallery
5
a
b
c
a. historical context of Miami, Key West, and Havana b. movement of refugees c. curved bridge design to mediate existing pier and terminal runway d. map of Key West island d
opposite | timeline of key events
1890 Key West population: 18,800. Nearly half are of Cuban origin
1890
1900
1910 1913 Aviator Augustin Parla First U.S. flight to Cuba.
1920 1927 - 1991 Pan American Airlines established in Key West as air mail and passenger travel to Havana, Cuba
1930
1940
1950
1 January 1959 - REVOLUTION 1960 White Street Pier constructed
1960 - 1962 Operaci贸n Pedro Pan: 14,000 children Out of fear that the Soviet Union would seize their children, parents placed their sons and daughters on planes to Miami. 1977 International Maritime Boundary April - October 1980 Mariel Boatlifts: 125,000 refugees An agreement between the U.S. and Cuban governments allowed Cubans to leave from the small port city of Mariel. Most arrived in Key West.
June 2000 Elian Gonzalez affair
October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis 1965 - 1973 Freedom Flights: 265,297 refugees Under the Johnson and Nixon administrations, Cubans were allowed to leave from Varadero Beach to Miami in order to flee the Castro regime.
1960
1970
1980
1990 May 1995 - present day Wet foot/Dry foot policy and los Balseros Those refugees who do not reach dry land are returned to Cuba or relocated to other countries if they fear persecution.
2000
2010 refugees leaving by: air sea
2020 7
The White Street Pier proposal serves to mediate the past and the future: providing spaces that evoke the regional cultural history and anticipate a time when exiles may return home. A marketplace sited along the pier intends to recall memories of Old Havana through textures of canvas and wood; smells of fruit, fish, and flowers; and sounds of musicians and performers, of people swimming along the shore. An offshore terminal recognizes the longing for home and a hope to return there some day.
a
b
a. sectional view of cafĂŠ overlooking plaza [night] b. sectional view of bridge [midday]
9
view out to sea from public plaza of terminal [sunset]
Many Cuban-American exiles ache for a homecoming. Their identity is wrapped up in the search for a place of the past, while separated from it in the present. The struggle to hold on to an identity of the past, to long for a return home, has led me to broaden my definition of exile. Knoxville author, James Agee, speaks of our need and longing for home as something inherently human, acknowledging that in some way, we are all exiles from home. In his autobiographical novel, A Death in the Family, he writes, How far we all come. How far we all come away from ourselves. So far, so much between, you can never go home again. You can go home, it’s good to go home, but you can never really get all the way home again in your life.1 Inevitably, a return to Cuba, for the exile, can only reside in memory. The Cuba to which they long to return is, in many ways, gone. Instead, the exile seeks the freedom to own space, to act willfully and carve memories into it. In essence, the mark of exile, if accepted, may become nothing more than a part of the past: a part of one’s identity. Or as Cuban exile, Carlos Eire, so eloquently writes, the mark of exile becomes nothing more than a “luminous scar.”2
1. Agee, James, A Death in the Family (New York: Penguin Group, 2008), 87. 2. Eire, Carlos, Learning to Die in Miami: Confessions of a Refugee Boy (New York: The Free Press, 2010), preámbulo.
11
view of entrance [summer]
Project: Date: Course: Instructor:
Scriptorium Summer 2010 Finland Summer Architecture Institute Brian Ambroziak
Situated along an avenue between the living and the dead, the site initiates a dialogue between the sacred realm of the Hietaniemi cemetery and the profane realm of the city of Helsinki. The scriptorium must respond to a thick stone wall that separates these two worlds. Seven cells for the committing of one’s personal memoirs to paper; a transcription room designed for the recording of memoirs upon the passing of a scribe, a wall of collective memory to hold the personal belongings of each scribe in their daily absence, eighty-nine spaces in all, and a hall of shadows to provide a transition from the outside world to the realm of the writer and reader. The driving concept of the scriptorium follows the idea of memory as it fades over time. Our experiences, though concrete and vivid at first, break as time progresses. The temporal nature of these memories resembles an almost dream state, but the act of writing them down gives them a new form of reality. A personal fiction. The experience of the scriptorium is told through a series of letters to Ikonen, a professor, mentor, and friend to a young visitor as he encounters the scriptorium throughout his life.
Honors:
Pella Windows & Doors, SE International Travel Award 13
But it can also happen that one’s memories grow sharper after a long lapse of time, because one is looking at the past with fresh eyes. “Such, Such Were the Joys.” George Orwell
elevation on Hietaniemen Ave. [night]
7
6
floor plan [light] 1 vestibule 2 hall of shadows 3 archive of collective memory 4 cell for writing 5 transcription room 6 camera obscura 7 moon chamber
1
2
4 3
5
[age 21] Professor Ikonen, I passed a curious place the other night. Along the wall of the old cemetery a structure of bronze has appeared, marking the entrance. I can’t help but reach out and touch it. The bronze, at first nearly seamless, breaks. It becomes more dispersed—fragmented—down the path. Faint orbs of light illuminate from within. I see objects, distorted behind layers of glass. A pipe in one nook. A pocket watch in another. A hand reaches and takes a book from one. Who is in this place, and what are they doing here? I returned the next morning, when the cemetery was open. Stepping down into the sunken graveyard, I found an entrance to the bronze shape. Inside, a world of darkness. My eyes adjust to a faint image on the wall. The graves outside inverted. A sacred world turned upside down. I pass into another chamber. This one is narrow. Almost claustrophobic. Yet open to the sky. White light floods the chamber. The sky becomes all that exists. As I leave the sea lies ahead in the distance.
camera obscura [vision] opposite | a. plan of cell b. section through cell and archive c. interior view [cell]
c
a b
sectional view from cemetery [winter]
19
[age 55] Dear Ikonen, My father passed on the first of the month. The rituals of death and mourning have begun. At dusk on the twenty-eighth day, I set out to meet the scribe—my first entrance into my father’s last world. My eyes adjust to the darkness of the entrance hall. A dim glow of light ahead draws me in. It is nearly dark outside. Through slits in the bronze, the muted light of the moon casts shadows. We come to the cells. I am told the second room is where he wrote. Mulling over his life as a son, brother, husband, and father. The objects along the wall—a collection of memories—have changed again. My father’s watch is no longer among the objects, nor his Bible. We pass through the room of transcription. Six shelves. Six memoirs. The seventh is on the scribe’s desk ready to be recorded. We exit and descend stairs to the cemetery. Passing along the wall, under the cells hovering as lanterns over the graves. We enter the camera obscura. A room of dreams. The scribe pulls a box from the wall. My father’s memories. I feel the weight of his life in my hands. I open it and though I do not see I feel the cool metal of the pocket watch and the soft leather of his Bible. He points me to the narrow chamber beyond, but does not follow. I enter into moonlight and peer down into the box, surprised to find my tears have joined its contents. I open the door and glimpse the sea in the distance. My journey continues alone. details [box of memory] opposite | moon chamber [solitude]
21
view of site on Huckleberry Knob, North Carolina opposite | site plan concept sketch
Project: Date: Course: Instructor:
Zen Retreat Spring 2010 Third year design studio Scott Kinzy
The site is the Mu, the void, nothingness. The program enters into a figure-ground relationship with the void. Whether the Mu is the origin or the destination is ambiguous. It is uncertain whether the program is fading into or emanating from the void. A stark mass in the landscape contrasts with the open field at first. But as the spaces become more private and meditative, the lines between nature and architecture, figure and ground, become blurred.
23
Things are either devolving toward, or evolving from, nothingness. Wabi Sabi. Leonard Koren
site plan sketches view of Zen garden
25
1
2
4 5
6
3
7
8
floor plan
front elevation
1 bath house 2 tea room 3 double guest room 4 meditation hall 5 Zen garden 6 entrance + main hall 7 dining + service 8 owner’s lodge
The Zen Discovery and Restoration Center is located on Huckleberry Knob in North Carolina. With such a vast, open site, little context is available. Research into the philosophy of Zen Buddhism served as a starting point for the design of the center. The program includes living quarters for the owners, main lobby with dining adjacent, meditation hall, Zen Master’s office, Zen garden, traditional Japanese bath houses, 10 double guest rooms, and a tea room. The design takes full advantage of 360-degree views with a covered path that circumvents the apex of the knob to access the guest rooms and bath houses as they wrap the site.
a
a,b. views of model section [bath house and entrance] opposite |
b
wall section through entrance and dining hall
red cedar shingles 2x12 purlins [16” o.c.] batt insulation 14” glulam wood frame with double-glazing 2’ wide copper sheathing 2x6 blocking [thermal break]
brick planter anchor bolt CMU bond beam earth and gravel fill waterproof membrane rigid insulation masonry cavity wall concrete slab-on-grade gravel bed CMU foundation wall drainage mat and pipe concrete footing
Into fog, through the fog We rowed. Then: The wide sea—so blue, so bright! Zen Art for Meditation. Shiki
view of tearoom
31
view of courtyard [summer] opposite | sketch of communal space next | view from across Tennessee River [day and night]
Project: Date: Course: Instructor:
A Home for Children Fall 2011 Programming Studio Katherine Ambroziak
How can architecture bring a sense of renewed wonder to a place of familiarity? The imagination of a child stitches together pieces of experiences, filling in the blanks until knowledge replaces it. As a place becomes familiar to a child, it risks losing its sense of newness and discovery. The project seeks to illustrate how, through changes in activity and changes in the quality of light, space may continue to be perceived anew. The orphanage offers a unique opportunity to investigate the perceptions of the familiar and the unknown of a space. For those without the rearing of traditional parents, reinforcing a sense of familiarity and permanence is important in their development. By first establishing a sense of permanence, the project is able to explore the idea of a dual landscape: that the same space might be perceived differently according to time of day and activity, thus stimulating a renewed sense of wonder and discovery. The project explores the dual landscape on three levels: the individual, the family, and the community.
Honors: Resource:
Exhibition for Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement [EUReCA] participant Programming Document 33
35
a
The neighborhood of Island Homes offers a unique site for the exploration of establishing community and a sense of place for a group of children without parents. The planned location for the orphanage lies just outside the entrance gateposts, resting in the interstitial space between Island Home and the industrial, pockmarked landscape of South Knoxville (east of the Gay Street bridge). From collective spaces to individual, the orphanage becomes a network of relationships. The smallest part (the bedroom cluster) recalls the scheme of the orphanage as a whole. A cluster of clusters. A central node (entry) branches off, each becoming more individual without losing sight of the whole community. The bedroom acts as a nexus of imagination: a child’s bed is his physical setting for his most fantastical dreams. It is a place of protection and a vehicle for discovery. The bedroom serve as the generator of design intent throughout the rest of the home. The entire home seeks to mirror this relationship between a place of intimacy and a stage for exploration.
a. map of downtown Knoxville and Island Homes neighborhood b. sectional qualities of site opposite |
industry
river
bank
road
site
railroad treeline b
c. programmatic diagram d,e. sketches of cluster organization f. site plan
lobby / reception
dining hall / reading room
counseling
communal space kitchen courtyard caretaker young adult
dormitories ages: 11-15 boys c
d
11-15 girls
6-10
4-5
2-3 terraces
e
f
37
b
2
3
4 5
a
a
6
7
8
b section aa through main hall floor plan [upper level] 1 main hall [dining + study hall] 2 cluster [ages 6-10] 3,4 clusters [ages 11-15] 5 pavilion 6 courtyard 7 cluster [ages 2-3] 8 cluster [ages 4-5]
section bb through clusters views of main hall: the everyday experience [study hall] and special occasion [dining hall]
39
a
b a. process sketches of cluster design b. view of courtyard [winter] opposite | c. section of bedroom d,e. view of bedroom [day and night]
c
d
e
41
conceptual view of courtyard opposite | Nocturne luminaire design and photograph by Metropolia student, Jaana Wahlsten
Project: Date: Event: Advisors:
Hidden Gardens of Light Summer 2012 World Design Capital 2012 Exhibit, Helsinki Brian Ambroziak, Merita Soini, & Scott Wall
A joint venture between students at the University of Tennessee and Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Hidden Gardens of Light is an installation as part of the World Design Capital of 2012, held in Helsinki. Students at Metropolia designed and fabricated luminaires, while UT students, who had participated in the Finland Summer Architecture Institute, conceptualized a courtyard space, using the luminaires, as well as projections and sounds, to create a spatial experience of the Finnish landscape. The installation was to be exhibited during Helsinki’s winter. The concept of the courtyard experience was to transport the visitor away from the cold and darkness of the urban space. The luminaires guide one’s path through the courtyard. The edge of the luminaires’ lights give way to a dark void at the foot of a moving projection: a lake in summer. The sound of drums brings people into a more dreamlike experience; the imagery of the lake evokes the memories and warmth of summer, taking people away from the cold urban courtyard to the edge of a serene lake in summer.
UT Collaborators: Website:
Emmy Barnett, Amanda Gann, Jess King, Mary Miller, Annie Stone, Megan Zolnier HIDDEN GARDENS 43
a
b
a. process sketches b. fiberglass cloth + projection c. final courtyard scheme opposite | d. projection from bench e. initial courtyard scheme c
f. projection at waist level
d
All of the elements come together in sauna. Coals from the earth, nourished by fire, doused with water, pour forth steaming air into the room. Beads of sweat purge the body of impurities. In Finnish, lรถyly refers to the steam that rises from the coals in sauna. Is it a coincidence that this word can also be translated to mean spirit or soul? The sauna tradition is deeply ingrained in the historic landscape of Finland. Mind, body, and soul are cleansed as one, purified by earth, air, fire and water. Lรถyly is a cleansing of the soul through the steam of sauna. [travel blog entry: 6 June 2010]
e
f
45
bridge and mill ruins, Kauttua opposite | measuring and recording on site
Project: Date: Course: Instructors:
Kauttua Sauna Documentation Summer 2010 Finland Summer Architecture Institute Katherine Ambroziak and Scott Wall
Kiljava. Learn methods of the past. Mark, level, measure, record. Practice makes perfect. Evening sauna and the calm of the lake to recharge. Food and fellowship. Kauttua. Villa Aalto. Zero lines on Terrace House. Sunset walk to sauna (at 22:00 hours). The rapids and the old mills. Luminescent in the fading light. After deliberation, we narrow our focus. Mark, level, measure, record. Documenting the landscape is the biggest challenge. Mark the spot. Level the string. Measure the distance. Record the numbers. Through nettles, brush and ticks, almost slipping into the riverbank. Our work on site is done. Sauna, makkara, and wiki wiki.
Precedent: Website:
Sauna and laundry designed by Alvar Aalto in 1946 FINLAND UTCOAD 47
a
b
c
d
a. material studies b. team discussion c. laminating of terrain pieces d. sectional quality of site opposite | e. sectional model studies f, g. final model
Return to Helsinki. Compile. Numbers and coordinates are linked. From the vertical section to the horizontal plan. Mock-ups. Build, sculpt, create. Deliberation continues. Finally the numbers are in place. Order the lumber. Plan of action for its arrival. How to re-use the scrap. “Wait, those numbers don’t exist yet.” Cut, plane, laminate. Recut, re-plane. Mark and measure. Cut the elevation line. Lamination continues, the model takes form. Now the carving, chiseling, and sanding begins. The numbers finally have meaning. 16 students. 1000-lbs measuring 1.2m by 3m. One well-crafted sectional model of Aalto’s sauna in Kauttua of pine wood and copper. e
f
g
49
Chapel of Resurrection [Sigurd Lewerentz, Stockholm]
Project: Date: Course: Instructors:
Grand Tour: Lewerentz May 2010 Lewerentz and the Spiritual Landscape Hansjörg Göritz and Matt Hall
The door is locked. Standing under the neoclassical portico, the passage into the chapel is blocked. A look back at the road traveled reveals the long, silent path, lined with trees standing as sentries above the graves. Locked behind the massive doors lies the sacred interior of the Chapel of Resurrection. For now, our only glimpse inside is through a keyhole in the door. It reveals a luminous altar; a single window illuminates the space. Through this view the space is ethereal and mysterious, waiting for its stories to be discovered. “The greatest thing by far is to be master of metaphor.” Aristotle’s words easily invoke inspiration into anyone who has ever dreamed of being an artist. The medium of choice may vary, but the intent is often universal: to create something of worth and value, something with a story to tell. Some tell through words, others with art or music. Still others sculpt space, carve volumes, erect slabs, and create places waiting to tell their stories to anyone willing to listen. Great stories, great metaphors do not reveal themselves easily. They ask one to dig deep into their mysteries. The result? A deeper look at the world; a turn from a focus on the physical work to a focus on its meaning for human existence. In St. Peter’s church at Klippan, Lewerentz asks us to look anew at the traditions of sacred architecture. The custom of an eastwest directional nave is gone; Christian iconography is virtually non-existent. Yet, there is an even deeper sense of ritual and solemnity in the dim light. A humble entrance, marked only by the sign “Krykan oppen” replaces the extravagant west work of past cathedrals. A dark, vaulted entrance space greets visitors. St. Peters reveals its transcendence to those willing to search for it. 51
a
b
c
a. sketch, St. Peter’s Church b. St. Peter’s Church [Sigurd Lewerentz, Klippan] c. Klockerbackens Chapel [Bernt Nyberg, Höör] opposite | sketch, Klockerbackens Chapel
Bernt Nyberg, a collaborator of Lewerentz, constructs metaphor in a different way at Klockerbackens Chapel in Höör. Here the ritual is specific, its function to host funeral services. Entrance into the chapel offers a soft, pale light, drawing you to the sanctuary beyond. Like Lewerentz, Nyberg compels one further into the space. Here the feeling is not of mystery, but of epiphany. There is still awe, but not of fear or respect. It is comfort. The light of St. Peter’s illuminates in sharp pieces. Here, the light is diffuse; the walls hum with a soft glow. Stories and metaphors show us the world in which we live; they give us a deeper understanding of our surroundings. Architects, those that are masters, sculpt stories out of stone, brick, metal. They invite us to look further, deeper into places, and they reward those willing to listen.
53
chicago. 41.8781, -87.6297 7
DEADLINE
1 € = $1.42 2.80
1.25
1.40
Poland
1.00
Finland
December
October
November
1
3.80
2.30
Denmark
2
4.00
Italy
MIDTERM
3
September
CUPS OF COFFEE PER DAY
4
August
marfa. 30.3079, -104.0190
Germany
CHARRETTE
5
Switzerland
AVEARGE PRICE (€) FOR A CUP OF COFFEE
6
chattanooga. 36.1956, -84.0679
74 46 23
percentage of students who study abroad
percentage of students who ride bikes
percentage of students who ride bikes while studying abroad
FOND-DES-BLANCS. 18.2799, -73.1305
LEWERENTZ AND THE SPIRITUAL LANDSCAPE UNITED KINGDOM GARDEN TOUR DENMARK INTERNATIONAL STUDY COPENHAGEN FINLAND SUMMER ARCHITECTURE INSTITUTE GRAND TOUR: GULF OF FINLAND BAUHAUS UNIVERSITY WEIMAR POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE IN KRAKOW, POLAND
JAPAN
SWITZERLAND VISUAL EXPLORATIONS OF FLORENCE GRAND TOUR: IBERIAN PENINSULA ROME NASHVILLE CIVIC DESIGN CENTER
HELSINKI. 60.1698 24.938 oslo. 59.9138, 10.7522
5.40
5.25
$1 = .70 €
dublin. 53.3441, -6.2674 london. 51.5001, -0.1262 WEIMAR. 50.9791, 11.3242 paris. 48.8566, 2.3509
2.70
2.40
RIVA SAN VITALE. 45.9058, 8.9711 1.40
florence. 43.7687, 11.2569
Poland
Finland
Denmark
Germany
Italy
barcelona. 41.3879, 2.1699 Switzerland
AVEARGE PRICE FOR A PINT OF BEER
stockholm. 59.3327, 18.0644 tallinn. 59.4388, 24.7544
malmö. 55.6033, 13.0013 COPENHAGEN. 55.6934, 12.5830
4.60
4.50
United States
NASHVILLE. 36.1658, -86.7844
United States
new york city. 40.7143, -74.0059 baltimore 39.2903,-76.6121 washington d.c. 38.8951, -77.0363 LIVING LIGHT. 38.8951, -77.0363 A NEW NORRIS HOUSE. 35.9606, -83.9207
charlottesville. 38.0426, -78.5078
madrid. 40.4166, -3.7003 lisbon. 38.7070, -9.1354
ROME. 41.8954, 12.4823
KRAKOW. 50.0646, 19.9449
Project: Co-editors: Date: Advisor:
CURRENT: Volume 4 Mary Miller & Annie Stone Spring 2011 Brian Ambroziak
CURRENT is an annual publication of student work at the University of Tennessee’s College of Architecture and Design. Volume 4 presents a streamlined body of work, with a specific focus on study abroad. Over seventy percent of the student body of UTCoAD will have an experience abroad during their studies. A centerfold map shows the many locations of programs from the 2009-2010 academic year. Unfolding this edition of CURRENT, one finds student writings, as well as award-winning design projects completed abroad. Additionally, updates on the design-build projects, A New Norris House and Living Light, are included. Unfolding the publication also reveals Tau Sigma Delta winners and the top Integrations projects.
process of unfolding left to right cover student perspective; a new norris house living light; student transcriptions study abroad map tau sigma delta and integrations award winners study abroad award winners opposite | detail of study abroad graphic
55
b
Adam Richards Marianela D’Aprile Mary Miller Annie Stone
In the fifth volume of CURRENT, we focus on the top design projects in each discipline, featuring award-winning and exhibited projects from undergraduate and graduate architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture. Cutting a swatch through the exemplary work of the student body at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Architecture and Design, this edition portrays a strength of our program: the great variety of project scopes and fields of interest that teaches our students to design with a critical eye in all contexts and at all scales. Though sites and scales may vary, each project embodies an earnest endeavor to further understand our surroundings through design. We encourage you to share in this understanding—visit the web address below to view the content in its entirety.
Please visit arch.utk.edu/ to see the full edition of CURRENT Volume V.
“Beyond the Walls,” Neil Parrish master of architecture thesis, spring 2011
CURRENT VOLUME V The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Architecture and Design
“Fiction of the Earth,” Andy Ruff self-directed undergraduate thesis, spring 2011
“Wasted Land,” Kristin Karlinski master of architecture thesis, spring 2011
from the editors
CURRENT VOLUME V The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Architecture and Design
CURRENT VOLUME V The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Architecture and Design
a
c
Project: Co-editors: Date: Advisor:
CURRENT: Volume 5 Marianela D’Aprile, Mary Miller, & Annie Stone Spring 2012 Brian Ambroziak
In the fifth volume of CURRENT, we focus on the top design projects in each discipline, featuring award-winning and exhibited projects from undergraduate and graduate architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture. Cutting a swatch through the exemplary work of the student body at UTCoAD, this issue portrays a strength of our program: the great variety of project scopes and fields of interest that teaches our students to design with a critical eye in all contexts and at all scales. Represented are works that plumb the depths of architecture theory, as well as those that demonstrate the use of highly technical materials. Some display the endeavors of individual thesis projects, while others showcase the work of interdisciplinary teams. The design intent of this volume is to have each project printed on plates, with a cover image on one side, and information and diagrams on the other. The envelope design would be of a more durable weight of paper, so as to be kept as a container for the project plates. This approach could allow the reader to sift through the volume at a slower pace, perhaps reshuffling plates to see new juxtapositions of projects arise. Due to budget constraints, this edition is only available online, while postcards of selected projects were printed to direct readers to the website.
a. spread layout b. postcards c. envelope and plates
57
Projects: Course: Date: Instructor:
Field Sketch, Composition, Transformation Drawing and Abstraction Fall 2007 Brian Ambroziak
South College
The brick has a soft, mossy sheen; the copper roofing has received a green patina over time. South College, one of the oldest buildings on the University of Tennessee’s campus and an example of traditional masonry construction, is the subject of this field sketch study. Framing a portion of the building in a square format, the objective is to capture the essence of the structure in tone and composition. Moving the object to the left, through a shift in frame, uses the void of the paper to emphasize the verticality of the chimney piece.
Shoe, Egg, Paper
Three elements: a shoe, an egg, and a sheet of paper, are to be composed together as objects occupying space, translated again into a square frame. The shoe is old, worn with years of use but not carelessness. The egg is pure geometry, unblemished. Though it seems smooth, the dimples on its surface render a subtle, textured shadow. The paper is not to be formed into sculpture. Rather it should be analyzed for its use. In this case it acts as protection for the fragile egg.
Shoe: Transformation
The transformative process of architecture and the cutting and slicing of space to represent sectional qualities is expressed here in the deformation of a shoe. The shoe, in various stages of disassembly, reveals the essential qualities of the parts that make up the whole. The shoe tumbles, and in its torque it begins to unravel. First, the laces and eyelets detach, removing a vital function of the shoe. Next, the leather hide is loosened along the stitches, until finally it is completely separate from the wooden heel.
59
0:00 - 0:01
0:01 - 0:08 0:08 - 0:11
0:11 - 0:19 0:19 - 0:22
0:22 - 0:32 0:32 - 0:35
0:35 - 0:41 0:41 - 0:44
0:44 - 1:00
Project: Collaborator: Date: Course: Instructor:
Found Object: Cassette Lauren McCarty Spring 2012 Visual Thinking in Time-Based Digital Media Brian Ambroziak
Image, time, and sound become the tools when tasked with distilling the essence of an object into a 60-second video. Sound is the focal point in this portrayal of a cassette recorder. Recording sound has allowed us to keep an auditory diary of our memories. With an object such as a cassette we are able to rewind and record over past sounds, perhaps to correct mistakes. Two significant historical recordings play over one another, one instrumental, the other vocal. The first successful recording of sound was Thomas Edison's recitation of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" through his phonograph. Here it is played on the piano, as if a small child is learning her first song; misplayed keys are corrected through rewinding and recording over the sound. When the recorder is stopped, the image cuts to black, emphasizing the absence of sound. The scale of this more intimate sound stands in contrast to the vocal recording of the astronauts aboard Apollo 8, on man's first journey to the moon. The astronauts’ account, originally broadcast nationwide on Christmas Eve in 1968, reveals the stunning qualities of lunar sunrise, the vastness of space, and the blessings we have on the “grand oasis” of earth.1
1. Sperry Rand Corporation, Apollo 8: Man’s First Journey to the Moon (1969), http://www.shellac.org/radio/apollo8.html
Vimeo:
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fifth section: sand [summer, midday] dispersion of pontoons next | competition board [32”x40”]
And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Genesis 8:6-7
Project: Collaborators: Date: Competition:
Roots of a Flood Claire Craven & Mary Miller Fall 2012 Transforming Seattle’s 520 Floating Bridge
Seattle’s 520 floating bridge owes its existence to man’s desires both to overcome and to accept the waters of Lake Washington. The floating pontoons of the bridge currently embrace its surface, reminders of the quiet yet powerful presence of this body of water. A ribbon lake formed long ago through the erosion and melting of ancient glaciers, Lake Washington embodies forces older and greater than mankind. It speaks of tales from times long past, of things drowned and forgotten and perhaps waiting to be uncovered. This project is one of remembrance and safeguarding. It remembers Noah and his ark and the great deluge and asks of us: what would we save? Starting from the original site of the bridge, the pontoons are strung along the shore, increasingly submerged as the sequence moves south. A living memorial, this sinking bridge acknowledges the human desire to leave a trace of its passage upon the earth. The dialogue between emerged and submerged is directly related to the fate of the bridge itself: it offers a definition of sustainability in terms of awareness by both preserving and discarding the existing infrastructure; the pontoons become both what has been saved and what is disappearing, so that we, caught in between, may recognize what is most precious to us. This proposal breaks the thirty-three pontoons of the current bridge into separate floating platforms which become in turn orchards, botanical gardens, fields of wildflowers, public parks of grass and gravel, sand banks, and wetlands. At last, where a thirty-fourth pontoon might have been, lies an underwater grid of lights. The lights lurk from beneath the surface as the imprint of things lost, a phantom of Noah’s raven who was never found. 63
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2013 Blitz Build [April 06-12]
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f a. 16d nail fasteners b, c. raising the long walls d. 2x4 pre-cuts e. crawl space foundation f. installation of roof trusses g. prepping interior walls
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h. roof shingle layout with flashing
Project: Location: Dates: Position:
Habitat for Humanity, single-family housing Knoxville, Tennessee September 2012 - August 2013 AmeriCorps member, construction staff
Knoxville Habitat for Humanity provides simple, affordable housing to those who are in need of a home, have the ability to pay, and are willing to partner with KHFH in the building of their home. AmeriCorps members work on the construction staff full-time to help with the tasks of building homes. We work with volunteers to accomplish: framing the walls, setting the trusses, decking and shingling the roof, installing siding, painting interior walls, installing kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, and interior baseboard trim. Most volunteer work is done once a week (usually on Saturday), while construction staff and skilled volunteers work during the week to prep the house for Saturday work. The Knoxville affiliate is responsible for building an average of 25 new houses a year, including a multi-house blitz build held annually in the spring. During the 2013 Blitz, with only the concrete slab foundations in place, seven new houses were built in seven days.
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May 2012 Summer 2010 May 2010 May 2007
Fall 2012 – Fall 2013 Summer 2012 2011 – 2012 Spring 2012 Fall 2011 July 2011 Spring 2011 Summer 2011 Fall 2010
Fall 2012
Spring 2012
2007 – 2012 Fall 2011 – Spring 2012 Fall 2010 Summer 2010
2011 – 2012
2010 – 2011 2008 – 2012 2007 – 2011
education: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Architecture and Design Bachelor of Architecture, Summa Cum Laude UT Finland Summer Architecture Institute Grand Tour Sweden: Lewerentz and the Spiritual Landscape Greater Atlanta Christian Schools Summa Cum Laude experience: AmeriCorps Member, Knoxville Habitat for Humanity Hidden Gardens of Light Teaching Assistant, University of Tennessee Architecture 102: Visual Design Theory Architecture 121: Drawing and Abstraction Design Matters Camp Architecture 312: Materials and Methods of Construction Intern Architect, BarberMcMurry Architects Team Living Light, UT Solar Decathlon Studio publications: “Reclaiming Identity, An Architecture of Homecoming” Forward 212: Identity, The Design Journal of the AIA National Associates Committee honors: School of Architecture Faculty Letter of Excellence, “Reclaiming Identity” Henry Adams AIA Medal University of Tennessee Top Collegiate Scholar Chancellor’s Citation for Extraordinary Academic Achievement Andrew D. Holt Scholarship, Chancellor’s Honors Program Alma and Hal Reagan Scholarship General Shale Brick Scholarship Pella Windows and Doors, SE International Travel Award Chancellor’s Honors International/Intercultural Learning Grant activities: CURRENT, Student Work Journal, Co-Editor, Volumes IV, V Undergraduate Research Student Advisory Committee, CoAD representative Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, CoAD student representative Tau Sigma Delta Architecture Honors Society, Vice President Lecture and Exhibitions Committee, CoAD student representative American Institute of Architecture Students, member Committee member for AIAS South Quad Conference 2010 Reformed University Fellowship, Leadership Team skills: Proficient in the following software programs: AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Adobe Software: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Premiere Pro Carpentry and construction skills; experience in framing, roofing, siding, interior trim
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