Samuel Zimmerman | Undergraduate Architecture Portfolio | December 2020

I am a fourth year

Architecture student with a background in videography, graphic design, and computer service. also have over four years of experience working in semi-professional environments doing primarily volunteer work.

I grew up in a small rural town in Nebraska and was homeschooled by my parents until coming to KU. have been diligently studying architecture since 2017 and am excited to take my education out of the classroom and into the workplace.

Samuel A. Zimmerman

PHONE: 402-316-8182

EMAIL: ByZimmerman@gmail.com

Linked-In: Samuel Zimmerman

EXPERIENCE

2019 - PRESENT

TOYOLOGIST, THE TOY STORE; LAWRENCE, KS

At The Toy Store, I specialize in LEGO and grow my knowledge of toys, games, crafts, and books every day to provide an outstanding experience for every parent and child that visits us.

2018 - 2019

FURNITURE INSTALLER, RENEW TRANSFER; LENEXA, KS

While working at Renew Transfer, I was in charge of a truck each day. Installing furniture into customer's houses efficiently and on time was my job. I also handled issues with customers when they were not satisfied with their purchase from Restoration Hardware or Ethan Allen.

2018

SHOP TECHNICIAN, EBM MANUFACTURING; NORFOLK, NE

At EBM my primary job was running and maintaining a plasma cutter in order to fabricate parts for Gentle Rolls, elevator legs, and other various construction jobs.

2016 - 2017

ASSISTANT MANAGER, BELINO FIREWORKS; NORFOLK, NE

Belino Fireworks is a company that operates firework tents during the 4th of July season every year. I had the privilege of working for them first as a general hand and then later on as an assistant manager. I gained valuable experience training others and working with customers to provide quality service and assistance.

EDUCATION

99-2017

HOME SCHOOLED AT BELL AIR ACADEMY

2017

ACCEPTED INTO M.ARCH PROGRAM AT KU

CLASSES

Freshmen, Sophmore, Junior, and now Senior Design Studio

Architecture History | Digital Design Environmental Systems | Natural Forces | Green Design Architectural Acoustics Airflow Analysis

Programming & Predesign Building Tech | Historic Preservation

Theory of Architecture Architectural Detailing Structures

Professional Practise

AWARDS

2019

AIA & ARCHITECTURE MASTER PRISE WINNER (509 DESIGNBUILD)

I filled a lead role in designing and building the Emergence Pavillion at John Taylor Park in Lawrence Kansas for the Garden Incubator project. Check out this short video to learn more about the project and 509 Designbuild.

SKILLS

SOFTWARE Revit Rhino 6 SketchUp AutoCAD

• FlowDesign

• EASE

• FLOVent

• Adobe Suite

DIGITAL ANALOG

3D Printing Laser Cutting Plasma Cutting

PERSONAL

• Hardworking

• Attention to detail

• Planning

INTRESTS

• Videography

• Photography

• Architecture Visualization

• SketchBook

• Miro

• Lumion

• TwinMotion

• Wood Working

• Creative

• Problem Solver

• Computer Design and System Engineering

PROJECT. KU MASTER PLAN AND MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT STUDIO. 608 URBAN DWELLING PROFESSOR. HUGO SHEWARD PROGRAMS. REVIT, RHINO, GRASSHOPPER, LUMION, PHOTOSHOP, ILLUSTRATOR, SKETCHBOOK PROJECT SIZE. 80,000 SF +

MASTER PLANNING

I began researching the history of the KU master plan and the architectural influences of Fredrick Law Olmsted and George Kessler on the university. I found old photos showing the first buildings on campus before there were trees or any developments. I also found Kessler’s original plans and researched the design philosophies that he shared with Olmstead.

Second Period of Development.

1902-1928: George Kessler, Henry Wright and the firm of Hare & Hare

Planning responses to the topography and views off the hill

Hillside cluster plantings: Potter Lake riperian and softwood species

Jayhawk Boulevard plantings

Landscapes for monumental building fronts (Strong Hall)

Responding to institutional building facades (Lippincott Hall)

Campus grand lawns and side yards (Old Fraser Hall, Watson Library)

Entry and foundation plantings

fig.1

ANALYSIS

Kessler’s master plan (fig1.) is better than the others shown in the 2014 master plan because it is NOT a bandage. He laid out inclusive plans for all of the campus, at the time that had unity and solidity that KU has never seen the likes of since. The 2002 plan comes close but feels restrained in comparison. The 2014 master plan’s lack of rigidity is because they tried to create a “flexible” plan.

1. Individual plans fail to address larger campus issues.

2. Individual plans fail to speak to one another as a master plan would.

3. 2014 Plan fails to address known landscaping issues, greater vision ignored...

4. 2002 Plan is great but wasn’t followed...

5. Kessler’s plan addresses KU’s overall organization in a way that hasn’t been seen since.

New buildings should therefore nod to the old ones by complementing the landscape. Adding to the park of education with their surrounding gardens will improve the student’s educational experience. By furthering the “park of learning” one follows the dialect of KU.

Open and green spaces are crucial to the identity of the Lawrence campus. The placement of KU’s older buildings emphasized the value of high-quality open spaces on and adjacent to Mount Oread. In the newer portions of the campus, however, open spaces are less well-defined, more incidental, and play a less significant role in the overall design.

Lack of bus stops

Nothing separating pedestrians from vehicles

Overgrown and unkempt walkways

Unused and dingy recreational space

After researching the history behind KU’s campus and touring it I began coming up with a system by which to connect the distinct west, central, and east districts of campus. On East Campus buildings are connected by the lack of site lines due to plantings but this fades away once you get past Jayhawk Boulevard.

Olmsted’s main idea was to let the land determine where walkways and roads went. Kessler tried to create a “park of learning” on top of the barren hilltop that was KU at the time. My idea was to continue the park that was established on East Campus to West Campus by employing a new system of nodes and roadways that followed the landscape.

I also created a new zoning structure for campus that would help facilitate a “park of learning” through lot restrictions and requirements.

Each person in our studio developed their master plan, and then we all voted on one to move forward with and use as a basis for our projects. This master plan by Molley Knake was the one that we chose, and I chose my site from this map.

FORM GENERATION

As I thought about the function of the spaces, I sketched the magnitude of motion that someone would have as they stay at the hotel, eat in the restaurant and go to a conference. This exercise produced a form that subtly began at one end and then exploded outwards with motion.

OVERVIEW

KU has conference space, but it does not engage the community of Lawrence very well. Therefore, Hugo tasked me with developing a mixed-use conference center that would cater, not only to the needs of the University, but also to the needs of Lawrence residents.

FORM EVOLUTION

PROJECT. DELAWARE COMMONS COMMUNITY CENTER STUDIO. 508 MATERIALS AND TECTONICS PROFESSOR. GREGORY CRICHLOW PROGRAMS. REVIT, RHINO, LUMION, ILLUSTRATOR, PROJECT SIZE. 40,000 SF +

INTRODUCTION

Delaware Commons was started in 2001 and their goal is to become a lasting, close-knit community within the greater city of Lawrence KS. Their criteria for a structure included a green roof, passive design, wind turbines, and solar cells to help them be prepared for the future; and push their community onto the cutting edge of community living and sustainable design. I believe for these reasons, the future space should incorporate as many aspects of sustainable architecture as possible.

SITE PLAN

CONCEPT

The thought process behind my design focuses on how much the people at the Delaware Commons like to garden and live sustainably. They were very concerned with the thought of losing garden space to a new building that would take up all of their existing parking lot and their garden patches. Naturally, I wanted to find a way to give them more garden, instead of taking away from it.

The basic idea was to give the building a green roof and have the north end of the building’s roof come right out of the ground allowing residents to walk right up on the roof. The roof would then be easily accessible and plantable. If you have ever looked out over the rolling hills of Kansas, this was what I was imagining, except they could utilize the space underneath for community activities.

The west side of the building would have two hills answering to the spaces in between the existing buildings and a plaza would be created in the space to allow for more outdoor flex space. The outdoor area would be covered by a tube structure resembling a leaf and providing structure for vines to grow, giving shade in the summer and allowing sun exposure in the winter.

CREATIVITY

The found object model was a chance to experiment with the concept of materiality and connectivity. My found object model is an expression of the vision I had early on in the semester about the materials I wanted to use in my building and how they might go together.

The wood inside the steel represents warmth and growth within the structure. The wood surrounding the acrylic illustrates how I was imagining a clear box towards the front of my building for gardening, surrounded by yet more plants. Copper connecting tubes represent my early ideas of how sustainable technology would be incorporated into the design.

PHYSICAL MASSING MODEL

STRUCTURE

HVAC COOLING

RADIANT FLOOR

THREE WALL JOINT

ROOF MODEL DETAIL MULLION MODEL DETAIL

FOUNDATION MODEL DETAIL MEP MODEL DETAIL

The driving force behind the project was to create a place for the residents to live, grow, and produce. I imagine this structure as a framework for life and production for the people of Delaware Commons.

Much like how the shade structure at the front of the building creates a scaffold for vines, the building as a whole is designed to create a scaffold for residents to grow vegetables and create.

Residents can plant a garden on the roof and inside the greenhouse, create and fix things in the shop and then show them off in the gallery. They can study and enjoy a drink in the cafe and research new designs in the R&D lab or the library. The the performance hall is a great place to have a recital or hold an event for the surrounding community and the plethora of outdoor space is ideal for holding gatherings or just encouraging encounters.

Logo design by Caleb Schnurbusch and Sam Zimmerman

INTRODUCTION

The community garden in North

Lawrence, or otherwise known as the Incubator Garden, was established in John Taylor Park at 200 N. 7th Street in 2012 As part of the Lawrence/Douglas County Common Ground Initiative. This park offered plots for people to grow flowers, fruit, and vegetables. There are also plots for kids to experience nature.

KU architecture course, Studio 509 Design Build was led by Keith Van De Reit to design and build the incubator entrance and activity area within the garden.

Our first task was to come up with three proposals, so Jack Bindley, Caleb Schnurbusch, Julianna Ribble, and I began to pursue a design relating to the scales of the monarch butterfly. Lawrence is a key location on the monarch’s migratory path and since the incubator garden already had a pollinator garden, we wanted to design something that would nod to one of the key goals of the garden.

CONCEPT

Originally paired together because our ideas were categorized as a massing, we worked to solidify our idea with a design that not only incorporated the migratory patterns of Monarch butterflies and their scales but also utilized the materials that were donated. Our class started the project with a budget of $0, so we had to be creative.

Client:

Garden Incubator Community Garden

Lawrence Department of Parks and Recreation

Grants/Funding Associated with Project: $5,000 - Douglas County LiveWell Grant

Collaborators and Sponsors: Karl Ramberg, Ramberg Stoneworks

Mar Lan Construction

AZZ Galvanizing

Evergy Energy Green Team

Midwest Concrete Materials

Restoration-Waterproofing Contractors

Students Enrolled in ARCH 509 Design-Build Fall 2019:

Jack Bindley; Sarah Craig; Austin Gelsomino; Roe Grace; John Hardie; Chris Johnson; Jonathan Mcgowan; Julianna Ribble; Emily Sanders; Caleb Schnurbusch; Isabella Smith; John Veirs; Samuel Zimmerman

Jack focused on designing the scales that would double as a habitat. We knew that we would have limestone donated from KU, so Juliana focused on how to best utilize it. Caleb and I worked on the overall form derived from migratory patterns of Monarchs. I made an early physical model and then jumped into Rhino and began a 3D model of our proposal.

MONARCH MIGRATION PATTERNS

DESIGN

We derived a form from the migratory patterns Caleb found, and Jack designed scales to clad the structure I made in Rhino. Our first proposal was complete.

Diagram and shingle by Jack Bindley

REVISION 1

After much deliberation, it was decided to propose my team’s design and explore incorporation of the other two design proposals. From here on out my role in the studio was defined. I focused my efforts on overall design development and was constantly updating the digital model for each studio session.

We explored several different ways of cladding our structure and in the end took our inspira tion from Zahner headquarters and the flight path of a butterfly. (fig. 1)

I continued developing the wing design and refining it with various cladding materials until our first full studio presentation for the City of Lawrence and the Incubator Garden.

ZAHNER HEADQUARTERS

fig. (Butterfly metamorphosis Keith) EARLY GRASSHOPPER SCRIPT

REVISION 2

After our meeting with the clients, we began refining our design based on feedback and our budget. We had to value-engineer a lot of the project and bring it down in scale to something that we could pay for and build in the time we had.

At this time I began learning scripting with Grasshopper in order to develop the fins that would be cladding our structure. The cairn team also continued revising the entryway and finalizing carvings.

I also worked with John Veirs to refine the steel structure for the project and did the schematic drawings that were used to create the structural tubing.

Next, I focused my efforts on perfecting the fins. I generated several different versions for us to choose from and some looked like batman... In order to make the fins more easily reproducible, we mirrored each side of the structure. Each fin would be cut out twice to create the two halves of the structure. I created detailed drawings of the fins for the final CD set and for John Veirs to perfect the fin manufacturing process.

At this point, the design was finished. This allowed us to begin manufacturing the fins and structure. Work began inside the East Hills workshop as we prepared for a full assembly in the warehouse.

John Veirs and John Mcgowen deliborate with Keith on fin manufacturing process.

BUILD

Once our space was clean in the warehouse, we began practicing our welding and fabricating the wood fins. I started cutting and drilling holes in the salvaged steel angle iron. The Cairn team also began carving the blocks into their rough shapes and dry fitting the stones. We also started finding a way to bend the tubes that the fins would hang on.

After problem-solving for a week, we concluded that we would have to hire someone to roll the tubes for the structure. Once they were delivered, we were able to assemble the structure and test-fit everything indoors.

Keith welded the structural columns, and Karal Ramberg provided guidance and help to the cairn team.

Assembly was a lot of fun, and thankfully we did not run into any issues before the structure was galvanized. I got to put most of the fins on the structure, and as we test-fitted them, John Veirs sanded them to perfection. The whole experience was exhilarating for the entire class, and we grew together as a team and friends that day.

Once the steel was galvanized, we were able to begin prepping the foundations. I used a motorized screw to help dig the holes. Putting the rebar together was a tough job, but we finished in time and fenced the site off for the night. Tomorrow was the concrete day!

The concrete pour went off with no issues, and once it was dry, we were able to begin final assembly on site. We had some trouble drilling new holes, but other than that, the fins and the structure came together smoothly.

We stayed on site after the sunset to finish motoring the cairn, but at the end of the day, we had completed the Emergence Pavillion! It was a good thing too because the next day it snowed. Our final review took place in the snow with hot apple cider. The client was happy, and we hoped the somewhat non-existent members of the garden would enjoy the structure we built for them.

Shortly after the completion of our project, Rachel Grace and I were engaged.

Photo by Jonathan Mcgowan: Edited by Sam Zimmerman