GRADUATE PORTFOLIO

BRYAN APITO GRADUATE ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

FALL 2012 ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE ART AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION

CONTACT: Bryan A. Apito Email — Bryan.Apito@gmail.com Telephone — (860)-978-9723 Mail — 1324 Neipsic RD, Glastonbury CT, 06033

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BRYAN

BRYAN APITO M HOTO.CO

PITOP WWW.A

ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, ART AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION

APITO

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ARCHITECTURE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FALL 2012

SELECTED WORKS

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BRYAN

• PROJECT : 1 • • • • • • •

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TITLE : CLOSER TO NATURE LOCATION : LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS, USA SEMESTER : SPRING 2012 CLASS : GRADUATE STUDIO II INSTRUCTOR : TATIANA BERGER PROGRAM : DECORDOVA MUSEUM ARTIST RESIDENCE SCALE : 2,000 FT2

• PROJECT : 2 • • • • • • •

• PROJECT : 3 • • • • • • •

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TITLE : BUILDING ON THE MOUNTAIN OF GODS LOCATION : MUMBAI, INDIA SEMESTER : FALL 2011 CLASS : COMPREHENSIVE STUDIO INSTRUCTOR : ROBERTO VIOLA OCHOA, SASAKI ASSOCIATES PROGRAM : BANGANGA TANK HERITAGE MUSEUM & COMMUNITY CENTER SCALE : 30,000 FT2

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TITLE : TRANSFORMING THE MID-POLIS LOCATION : DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY SEMESTER : SPRING 2011 CLASS : GRADUATE STUDIO I INSTRUCTOR : PAUL LUKEZ, PAUL LUKEZ ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM : SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND ECOLOGICAL STUDIES COLLEGE SCALE : ~300,000 FT2

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CLOSER TO NATURE — An investigation into a site specific experimental housing typology. — APITO

LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS

ARTIST RESIDENCE

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C loser to Nature documents the design of a remote artist residence for the Decordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts. The site is located on Flint Pond —the reservoir for Lincoln— a short hike from the Museum complex. Every six months the artist-in-residence will rotate.

The house is situated along a hiking path which overlooks the pond. The house includes a flexible studio space for the artist.

The the remote location of the home was chosen to increase privacy and foster serenity for the artist.

The goal of this project is to design a small residence which reacts to the cultural, climatic and contextual conditions.

This design position is inspired by ‘Critical Regionalism’.

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CLOSER TO NATURE

PROJECT 1

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T he building is situated in a position to increase

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views of the pond.

The building form responds to the curving landscape, changes in sunlight, wind, views and approach.

25’ 100’ 10’ 50’

200’

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LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS

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M ultiple circulation patterns between rooms allows the user great flexibility.

The building envelope can be made permeable in the warm months or compartmentalized in the winter.

Interior Views

Building Footprint

Exterior Views

Building Massing

Circulation

Private/Public

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CLOSER TO NATURE

PROJECT 1

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Entry Studio Office 1/2 Bathroom Outdoor Patio Kitchen Mudroom Den Bathroom Bedroom Guest Bedroom

A B C D E F G H I J K

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LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS

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A SPACE TO EXPERIENCE INTIMACY WITH LANDSCAPE

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A variety of designed outdoor spaces was developed to incorporate the outdoors, including

a private patio, an outdoor lounge, an outdoor dining space and a paved plaza for the studio.

The landscape pierces through the building envelope, creating natural buffers between spaces.

A hierarchy of spatial privacy is derived from

the approach and views of visitors.

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LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS

ARTIST RESIDENCE

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T he studio is the most important space in the home. The height reflects its importance and creates a flexible space for large art to be created.

A small office is attached to the studio with southern light filtering inside through glass block fenestration.

T his live-work house can be constructed in segments. A

modular construction increases flexibility.

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CLOSER TO NATURE

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SECTION THROUGH STUDIO + ENTRY

T he dynamic spatial arrangement allows the resident to observe changes in seasonal and atmospheric conditions from different perspectives.

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LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS

ARTIST RESIDENCE

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T he studio can be used as a work space or public gallery, allowing the DeCordova museum more flexibility in programming.

The space opens to a large outdoor work patio where sculptures can be crafted or presented.

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CLOSER TO NATURE

PROJECT 1

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LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS

ARTIST RESIDENCE

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T he office space is bordered by two glass-block walls. The transparent glass cubes each preserve a local plant leaf within them.

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CLOSER TO NATURE

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T he work and living quarters are physically separated but adjacent. This creates the ability to leave work behind and relax in the home.

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ARTIST RESIDENCE

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T he building’s patios bring light indoors and

develop visual and physical connections to the outdoors.

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CLOSER TO NATURE

PROJECT 1

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LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS

ARTIST RESIDENCE

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T he building is constructed on site and by hand. The

Private spaces are shielded from the public skin is made of local stacked view by carefully crafted granite, which is tied back to walls. This wall’s edge is peeled back to conceal the a CMU structural wall.

All building elements glass frame, increasing the ambiguity between indoor are small enough to be and outdoor. carried to the site.

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CLOSER TO NATURE

PROJECT 1

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ARTIST RESIDENCE

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P rivate spaces are cozy with views to the woods.

Section through Den

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CLOSER TO NATURE

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Local & Natural Materials.

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Section through Passageway

T he home encourages the user to spend time outdoors

by offering a range of views of the landscape and ample outdoor spaces.

Interior spaces are designed to feel transparent.

The master bathroom looks out to a private outdoor court where flowering trees may grow.

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The master bedroom is open to the wild. A sloping stone wall seems to extend from the home, leading down to the water’s edge, defining a line of ownership while creating a threshold to the landscape.

LET THERE BE TREES

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ARTIST RESIDENCE

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T he Artist’s home and studio

is approached along a wooded path which follows the pond. The home is situated to welcome visitors between the tall public studio and the austere sprawling house. This crafted building orientation orchestrates a subtle suggestion of privacy, allowing the home to retain a feeling of intimacy.

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The Southern Approach

CLOSER TO NATURE

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“Study Nature, Love Nature, Stay Close To Nature.

It Will Never Fail You.” — Frank Lloyd Wright —

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ARTIST RESIDENCE

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S ight-lines are established between indoor spaces to grant the user a

sense of awareness. Nature weaves between the programmatic elements of the building, which visually ties the separated spaces together.

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INDOOR /

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OUTDOOR

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T his home creates a unique identity for itself and the user. Because of the building’s relationship with the surrounding landscape the user can experience a strong sense of place.

ARTIST RESIDENCE

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BUILDING ON THE MOUNTAIN OF GODS Recounting the Heritage of Sacred Lands with Community Engaged Design The Sacred Banganga Tank on Malabar Hill - Mumbai, India APITO

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T his Comprehensive Studio project documents

the design of a Heritage Center, residing on the edge of the holy Banganga Tank in Mumbai, India. The project develops a conceptual framework for a Heritage Center that integrates context and culture analysis, site and environmental systems, material and structural systems as well as mechanical and programmatic design.

The studio demands a comprehensive strategy to create a new built environment which fosters social interaction and education as a integrated stitch in the existing urban fabric.

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M umbai is one of the largest, wealthiest and most populous cities in India. Mumbai is the 6th

highest populated city in the world with 20.5 million residents and is on its way to become number one within the next few decades.

With high population comes high density.

Mumbai has one of the highest human densities of any city in the world, with the majority of people living in sprawling slums. More than half of Mumbai’s population lives on 6% of the land. Their homes are often one-room huts constructed with found materials like sheet metal, tarps and tires.

The slums function as an organic urban network.

Slum dwellers most often have no access to clean water or hygienic waste disposal.

Unlike many cities with large poor areas, Mumbai remains a vibrant, exciting, kinetic city.

Most residents remain devoutly religious, with 76% believing in Hinduism. The people of Mumbai use religion to unify and form communities based on mutual respect for one’s beliefs.

The city was formed by a series of infill projects which grew to create a completely manmade environment. The hill tops were shavedoff to provide earth to fill in wetlands and create building space.

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MUMBAI, INDIA

HERITAGE CENTER

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T he design process for the Heritage Center began

with the creation of three collages. The goal was to create a realistic scene to better visualize architectural concepts for the Heritage Center. This provided a way of making decisions about the building’s final attitude towards the site and program early on in the design process. The three collages are viewed in sequence. When stacked upon one another, the collages imply movement upwards within the building.

This first collage (seen right) is intended to establish a construct for the building’s relationship with the outdoors and is a depiction of the building’s lower levels.

Within this bottom collage, the viewer can feel the weight of the building above, portrayed by a dark flat roof.

Pre 1800s

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A tightly nit grid of columns defines the space as if it were an ancient hypostyle hall, yet the columns feel impossibly slender. Because the structure is so regimented and controlled, it allows the rest of the building to flow freely. The building is situated just above the steps of the tank, facing the temples of Banganga. Instead of framing the view, the building underlines it, creating a dramatic contrast of old and new.

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HERITAGE CENTER

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T he second collage portrays a space designed

M alabar Hill is the western most peninsula of Mumbai. The

steep slope of Malabar Hill ends abruptly on both sides at the ocean. Malabar Hill is a layered network of staircases, high rises, informal settlements and street vendors. Many areas are designated walking-only, due to the steep steps and narrow profile of the streets.

The lowest regions of the Hill is home to informal slum settlements, built upon basalt 40

stone, effectively pushing the edge of the usable land further west, into the ocean. During rains all of the water from the west half of Malabar Hill, runs down the hill and must flow through the slums to reach the ocean.

The Banganga Tank institutes retaining walls with stairs surrounding it. The stairs of the Tank lead down into the center of the natural spring. Each stair is hand cut from local basalt stone.

BUILDING ON THE MOUNTAIN OF GODS

for rituals to take place.

These rituals are undefined and can be anything from prayer and religious meditation, to group dance and even banquet gatherings. The space is directly tied to the rituals performed around and inside the Banganga tank.

The serenity of this room stands in contrast to the chaos of the city just outside. The view of the city has been filtered so it now stands to be a backdrop, rather than a focal point.

The vertical element acts as a void within the building.

A light well —open to the elements— has religious connotations. Its form is reminiscent of the pyramidal towers of neighboring temples. The structure begins to behave as a filter within the room rather than an organizing element. The structure is pushed to the periphery, adding a level of transition space from the outside to the religious center of the room.

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HERITAGE CENTER

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T he third concept collage depicts a space to display the words of

Mohandas Ghandi. This collage can be interpreted as a portion of gallery space within the Heritage Center program. A prominent pyramidal tower erupts from the top of the building. The tower displays the words of Gandhi on its side. Winding paths take the gallery patrons around the space on raised platforms. The space is covered in a lotus pond.

Here, the gallery patrons can also learn about the ecological heritage of the region by experiencing native flora. The lotus flower is a sacred plant to the Indian people. While immersed in the tranquility of a lotus pond, the user finds a place for self reflection and religious contemplation.

This lifted outdoor gallery space is peaceful and serene. This pond is the last stop within the circulation of the building. Now that the user is relaxed, he or she is ready to head down into the holy space of the Banganga tank.

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T he Heritage Center at The Banganga Tank is uniquely

situated between many strata of varying socioeconomic and religious sects.

West of the Banganga Tank, and the Heritage Center site, lies a slum, home to thousands of impoverished, often devoutly religious people.

To the North of the site, affluent Indians reside in contemporary, luxurious high rises. Most residents are Hindu with some Muslim or Jainist.

Directly behind the site to the East, is a main thoroughfare which brings religious and secular pilgrims from all over the world. The visitors often arrive via taxi, which leaves them three city blocks above the Heritage Center site. These visitors then trickle down the steep pedestrian streets, traveling West to reach the fabled Banganga Tank.

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The Center is optimally positioned.

The program first encountered by visitors will be the Heritage Center.

There they will learn about the Tank and Hinduism before entering the Tank complex. The Hostel has a private entrance located down the main road. The lowest level of the Center is the public level. The public level is easily accessed by northern and western located residents. Large public bathrooms can be accessed from the public space, under a protective overhang. A multifunction space and gym are also offered to the public.

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M umbai, India is a complex system of extremes.

Today, the tank is approached on a number of Desiccated and deluged, tall, narrow alleys bordered Mumbai houses both by dilapidated bungalows and dilapidated slums and opulent ancient Hindu temples. People high-rises. The city finds of all races and casts, from balance by staying on the very the ultra-rich to the utterly extreme of every contextual destitute, flock to this ‘pool of spectrum. This amalgamation Rama’ to feel its holy water. of polar extremes creates a Hordes of pious patrons can diverse, chaotically organized, yet ever-changing dynamic urban space.

Malabar Hill, which is located at the highest point of South-Mumbai is home to the largest surviving place of pilgrimage in the whole of India, the Banganga Tank and the adjoining Walkeshwar Temple Complex. This vibrant Indian community is rapidly urbanizing. What was once a modest hub of religious buildings and pilgrimage bungalows, is now a densely populated and increasingly wealthy community on the hill.

Malabar Hill is known as the “Mountain of Gods” due to its high concentration of temples and the holy Banganga Tank which is believed to be created by the Gods themselves.

be seen on the water tank steps, silently praying or performing lavish devotional exercises. Children laugh and play and plunge into the water while nearby women wash brightly colored clothing. The tank is lined with traces of past temples and terraces. Trees and buildings form a naturally integrated community, rich in history.

THE BANGANGA

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TANK

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T he chaos of contemporary downtown Mumbai has begun to encroach upon the mood of the tranquil Tank complex. Towering high-rise apartment blocks create an increasingly steep backdrop to the Banganga Tank. Subsequently, Malabar Hill has transformed into a densely inhabited and increasingly cosmopolitan community, aided by the creation of new roads and higher density housing.

The peaceful feeling of the Banganga Tank is reinforced by the presence of wild water-fowl, people in a state of holy concentration and nearby ancient Hindu and Jainism temples. The 377 feet long and 131 feet wide water tank is fed by a natural underground spring.

The locals consider the spring water to be relatively potable and clean. The tank feels like an oasis within a dense urban jungle.

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Common rituals seen at the Banganga Tank include: daily worship, morning and evening libations and ceremonies such as: the thread ceremony, pregnancy ceremonies, childbirth ceremonies, marriage, cremation, ancestral rituals, seasonal rituals and ceremonies connected with important festivals like Mahashivratri. The Tank steps are used for simple ritual and prayer every day.

People study, talk, gather water and bathe themselves, mere feet from practicing devotees. The tank complex draws a variety of patrons and functions. Tourists photographing, art students drawing, children playing games and people feeding the wild geese and ducks can all be seen on a daily basis.

BUILDING ON THE MOUNTAIN OF GODS

Today Malabar Hill is in a state of radical transformation and identity loss. As square footage costs begin to surpass New York City, historic buildings are sold and demolished to make way for high-rise luxury apartments. The backdrop of this serene Tank is now cluttered with cranes soaring over concrete construction sites.

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HERITAGE CENTER

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Floor 0 : Green - Outdoor Public Space Blue - Public, Bathrooms, Gymnasium, Multi-Function

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Floor 1 : Green - Outdoor Public Space Pink - Galleries Yellow - Hostel, Cafe, Kitchen, Admin

BUILDING ON THE MOUNTAIN OF GODS

Floor 2 : Pink - Galleries Yellow - Hostel, Bathrooms, Showers

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Floor 3 : Pink - Galleries Double Height Yellow - Hostel, Bedrooms, Balcony

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Floor 4 : Pink - Galleries, Lotus Pond, Three Trees Yellow - Hostel, Bedrooms, Balcony

Floor 5 : Yellow - Hostel, Bedrooms, Balcony

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T he views of the neighboring temples determine the relationships of the building’s interior spaces to the surrounding context. The views also help organize the location of the program and the circulation between programmatic elements. Nine of the ten temples have a defined space that can be viewed from the Heritage Gallery. The tenth temple (adjacent to the site, south) can be viewed from the Hostel.

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T he first room one enters in the gallery is a meditative space that is designed to purify and calm the visitor before they precede to the Banganga Tank.

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T he ceiling of this room is

constructed of deep coffered waffle slab which allows the space to be free of columns. The lotus pond and ‘lotus flower’ light-well are supported by the waffle slab.

The western facade is comprised of transformable colored glass panels which shade the hallway galleries.

The halls are non-conditioned and protect the envelope of the building from the strong solar rays.

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A fter passing through a ticket

booth, the first space a visitor experiences is an introspective gallery. A large, thin folding concrete light- well pierces through a rhythmic field of deep ceiling coffers. A shaft of natural light beams down from the distended opening, offering a heavenly effect.

On the walls of the main volume, are written historic facts about the region, the tank and Hinduism. The massive space can be used to display large artwork, artifacts or performances.

The backdrop of the room acts as a colorful veil to the hallways behind.

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ANIMALS WALK FREELY AMONG THE PEOPLE

MUMBAI, INDIA

HERITAGE CENTER

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T he Lotus flower is considered sacred in Hindu culture and is valued as an important part of the

heritage of the religion and region. The beautiful flowering lotus pond is the landscape in which this gallery is set.

Once the visitor emerges from the staircase (A) they naturally travel forward to an overlook (B) . From this overlook they can clearly see the previously hidden Temple. Then the visitors heads West towards the tank. They now encounter another pointed overlook (C) which directs views toward another colorful Temple.

C B A

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T raditional and contemporary Indian

a building. Mumbai’s climate is often humid and air is best architecture incorporates a circulated through cross series of similar responses ventilation. to cultural and climatic Multi-leveled pressures. The high structures offer views across temperatures and intense programs. Open ceilings sunlight of India beckons combined with ample that the architecture courtyards helps blur the responds with overhangs, line between indoors and verandahs, canopies, screens outdoors. These thematic and trees. Courtyards, large spaces are swathed with transition spaces, tall spaces vibrant colors and operable and stereotomic construction facades which enhances the are all techniques used by visual complexity of every Indian culture to reduce heat elevation. and promote air-flow within

T he regional ecology plays a large roll in the

definition of Malabar Hill’s culture. Each tree was picked for display in this outdoor room (right).Each tree embodies an aspect of Indian culture, and are native to the region. By protecting the trees, the gallery is also preserving nature. A Cork tree, a Neem tree and a Teak tree were chosen for the gallery.

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T he Heritage Center has many crafted public spaces of varying size and privacy.

The dining, kitchen and reception level of the hostel have an outdoor terrace (seen left) which overlooks the Banganga Tank and the outdoor public landscape.

The Heritage Center also has a vast multi-function space used to serve the surrounding community. The space is designed to be functional for weddings, various tank related rituals and festivals.

The multi-function room has direct visual connection to the Banganga Tank through a North-West facing facade of operable colored-glass windows. The room opens out onto the flat public space in front of the Banganga Tank.

The Heritage Center offers a modern space for the residents of the region to practice their physical arts. Yoga, meditation, dancing, sword fighting and wrestling are common activities that happen in the Gym. This

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program is appropriate because it allows the locals to reconnect with the cultural heritage of the region. The space is located on the lowest level of the Heritage Center.

The top three levels of the hostel are devoted to hostel bedrooms. The bedrooms are divided into single person and larger two person rooms. The two person rooms get a view of the Banganga Tank and a small balcony. The single person rooms with their large outdoor balconies view Malabar Hill along with its skyscrapers and temples.

HERITAGE CENTER

V ast column-filled halls show no hierarchy

in their form nor their spatial feeling.

This spatial dynamic signifies that no one area of the structure is more important than another. Hypostyle halls are commonly used in religious structures and public venues.

The Heritage Center’s public halls welcome the organic —people, animals, air, water— to flow freely within the formally organized space. The organic is contrasted against the rigid repetitive logic of a column field. The patterns of movement within the space feel free and undetermined, allowing the entrants to be in harmony with the space and themselves.

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T he Heritage Center derived its form through a series of manipulative procedures

designed to integrate the program with the sites’ various constraints. The program was first divided into three segments, relating to the three types of program: Hostel, Museum and Public Amenities. Each programmatic zone demands different types of users, scale, egress and proximity to natural features.

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T he museum spaces are arranged and

shaped to respond to the surrounding ancient temples. In this room, the ceiling peals up to direct views towards the temple next door. With the temple in view, the history of the Banganga Tank and Malabar Hill can be better explained.

This room has paintings, photographs, stories, artifacts, building models and ancient apparel and clothing.

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T he upper gallery space is a large venue with raked

seating for exhibitions, interactive models, events, traditional dances, reenactments, plays and religious rituals. This room is open and flexible, allowing for installations to be placed throughout the space. The large double height windows direct the view across the tank to the temples and sea.

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A long public stair connects Malabar Hill directly to the

Banganga Tank and the public space provided by the Heritage Center. This staircase becomes a meeting place for locals to chat and relax by the water. The museum’s lotus pond flows over the edge of the wall and creates a waterfall along the stairs. This water is used by locals to bathe, play and wash dishes.

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T he Heritage Center’s site is located adjacent to the Malabar

Hill region’s large slum. The scale of Malabar Hill’s slum pales in comparison to the massive slums of Northern Mumbai. Dharavi, located in Northern Mumbai is one of the largest slums in the world with a population rising past one million inhabitants.

The heritage center program includes free public bathrooms designed to assist the people from the neighboring slum in Malabar Hill.

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T he Heritage Center has a vibrant stained

image was simplified into thirty-four colors. Next, glass facade which is the the colors of the faces result of a deconstructed and hair were removed.

A rectangular grid was image of Indian people. overlaid over the image.

The facade reflects the culture of the very people The color which appears most predominantly in who will be inside the each given rectangle building. A complex

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was then chosen to represent that rectangle. The pattern was then relaid onto the building fenestration. The image was abstracted to become a symbol of the Indian people.

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T o contrast the colorful display of

the building’s stained glass fenestration, Sun-shading fins were clad in pearlescent ceramic tiles. The pearlescent tiles are triple glazed in order to reflect lighting conditions in unique and dramatic

ways. On dull overcast days the building facade will appear matt white.

When the sun shines the building will appear as a mirror, reflecting the temples and homes scattered around the tank. The semi-reflective white fins create a dynamic solar-responsive facade.

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“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”

— Mohandas Gandhi —

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TRANSFORMING THE MID-POLIS — CRADLING THE RHINE RIVER IN DUSSELDORF, GERMANY, THIS URBAN PLAN TRANSFORMS THE AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE INTO A DYNAMIC LABORATORY. —

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A Mid-Polis is a problematic urban condition

marked by estrangement from the city center. These alienated spaces are defined by their restricted geographical attributes. MidPolis conditions are often formed by physical barriers such as: highways, canals, bodies of water, slums, airports and war zones. The Mid-Polis condition that was studied is located between downtown Dusseldorf, Germany and the historic town of Kaiserswerth.

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Kaiserswerth relies on tourism from nearby Dusseldorf but there is an apparent lack of connection between the two regions.

The area between these two urban centers has been defined by the Dusseldorf International Airport, highway 44, agricultural land and new commercial developments. Regional historic patterns of urban development were analyzed and re-imagined to reconnect the two regions.

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The historic urban progression of Kasiserswerth, Dusseldorf.

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H istorically, communities in this region expanded linearly along waterways. Everyone receives a similar share of the waterfront.

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DUSSELDORF, GERMANY

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE STUDIES

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R egional analysis of Dusseldorf was synthesized into information

graphics. These graphics show the relative building and natural densities (left), age and sex by region (above) and situationist mapping (right).

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TRANSPORTATION

BUILDING DENSITY

TRANSPORTATION

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NATURE DENSITY

1982 URBAN EXPANSE

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LAND USE

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APITO DUSSELDORF, GERMANY SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE STUDIES 83 URBAN DENSITY

HOME INCOME

PURCHASING POWER

GEOLOGY

KAISERSWERTH

SCHOOLS

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The Heinrich Heine University’s new sustainable agriculture studies college.

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T he new rural plan for the coast of the Rhine in

Dusseldorf transforms the landscape into a place for education, community and agriculture. In addition to the main building; a ferry landing, a flowering research platform, a lifted tractor garage and a system of boat docks were designed.

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T his linear community which follows

the river, is centered around the 44 highway.

The highway lifts off the ground and bridges over the Rhine. Under the bridge, the levee continues with shops and restaurants, creating a boulevard along the crop fields.

Above the highway, the College building stands tall. Bicycle paths from the highway can access the public space in the center of the college. This massive building acts as a billboard for the highway advertising, education and sustainable agriculture.

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DUSSELDORF, GERMANY

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE STUDIES

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T he flood lands are designed to remain

active during rising waters. Boardwalks, homes and community buildings adapt to the transformative landscape.

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G reen houses soar over the Germanic landscape. The reflective glass boxes

seemingly float out into the sunlight.

Each green house receives different light conditions based on orientation. Trees can be seen atop the vertical circulation towers as a symbol of ecology.

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DUSSELDORF, GERMANY

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE STUDIES

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T he main building is centered around a bisecting

highway. This intersection of building and infrastructure is a node of higher building density than the rest of the river front. Methodologies of living in a flood zone or within a levee were developed. The main building is a prototype and if needed could be lengthened to continue further up and down the river.

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DUSSELDORF, GERMANY

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE STUDIES

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A new levee was created to protect the community

and farm lands. This is an active levee which has retail, commercial and restaurants embedded within it.

Hovering above the landscape is the Sustainable Agriculture College, a portion of Heinrich Heine University. This structure stands in stark contrast to the flowing organic natural landscape below.

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DUSSELDORF, GERMANY

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE STUDIES

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T he main structure is positioned above the serpentin-

ing levee below. The straight tectonic building mass contrasts the active earthen structure, allowing the public to perceive the building from different positions. This interplay of space and landscape allows the users a dynamic range of views.

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DUSSELDORF, GERMANY

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE STUDIES

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A variety of housing typologies were developed for

living on the flood plane. The houses use the levees for access and housing infrastructure. The houses rise with the water on pylons during times of flood, and sit on the landscape in dry seasons.

By placing the homes on the

river side of the levee, every resident receives a waterfront property which is safe during flooding. This new community follows the same logic of urban growth as historic in Rhine urban growth patterns.

D usseldorf and Kaiserswerth are reconnected by:

the community along the river, the shops and companies which operate within the levee, the farmers who work the land and the sustainable School of Agricultural Studies. These programs bring a permanent community to the region.

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DUSSELDORF, GERMANY

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