Antonio A. Carbajal Portfolio

ANTONIO A. CARBAJAL

architectural portfolio

selected works | 2015-2021

Cal

Architecture 4031L

01. Grid, Object and the In Between Space

Skid Row is a neighborhood in Los Angeles that lacks in community, art and cultural spaces. Research has shown that art can be used as therapy as it provides a creative outlet for self-expression, selfdiscovery, and self-empowerment. At the same time, mental health issues are common among residents of Skid Row and depression and anxiety are more prevalent than ever. Providing a public, social space for people to create art and express themselves could alleviate some of the issues that the residents of Skid row are facing.

Located on the corner of Fifth and San Pedro, this project sits in the heart of Skid Row, locating it near local infrastructure and services. Architecturally, the structural grid is at the forefront, it is exposed, celebrated and part of the architecture. Within this grid, gabled volumes are placed, causing a break in the grid. Programmatically, the volumes become spaces to display and exhibit the art that is being created within the building. The open spaces around the volumes become common areas that are used to teach, educate, produce and mentally recuperate. The building is a study of the grid, volumes and in between space.

Mental health is a problem affecting a large percentage of the nation’s population, and Los Angeles and Skid Row are no exception. Unfortunately, Skid Row is also an underserved and forgotten part of the city, leaving it with little to no social programs. This element of “being forgotten” with no help creates a sense of hopelessness, which only causes things to worsen. Research shows that the usage of art provides both an escape for people going through hardship, as well as aiding the development in one mentals capacity. According to research done in Australia, art helps the unhoused find a self-worth as they are able to express themselves in a way they please. Although the definition of art can vary from person to person, providing a space for any person to come, create, express themselves, and possibly make money off of their creation would deeply help the community. Art as therapy, art as expression, art as a means to help yourself financially.

The art becomes a way of expression for the local occupants, thus making the exhibition spaces an important aspect in the design. The exhibition spaces become objects that sit within, or disrupt the structural grid. While the structural grid is a rigid fifteen feet by fifteen feet, these objects break the grid, and provide a different type of space that further highlights the importance of the exhibition objects as they allow the residents to be seen. Following the theme of being seen, the main material of the project would be glass façade, creating a sense of transparency that would allow the user to see the city, and to be seen. The structure is not something that is hidden, nor is it something that is forgotten, rather it is celebrated and part of the architecture and the architectural vocabulary of the building.

The program is broken down into five main categories: exhibit space, classroom space, office space, green space and commercial space. From the design standpoint, the exhibit space becomes an important spatial and formal element. These spaces are intended to be flexible space. A big component of mental health counseling is group counseling, so providing a space that can be transformed to that needs of that. Providing a lot of space for education or classroom was important as well as it allows for people to come and participate and get the help that is needed. Offices is broken down into administrative office and the other for social service and mental health.

In order to make space more mentally soothing and relaxing, green space was introduced. This space become a more fun and engaging space as outside of the double height green space, it is pace on the oblique floor.

The program is broken down into five main categories: exhibit space, classroom space, office space, green space and commercial space. From the design standpoint, the exhibit space becomes an important spatial and formal element. These spaces are intended to be flexible space. A big component of mental health counseling is group counseling, so providing a space that can be transformed to that needs of that. Providing a lot of space for education or classroom was important as well as it allows for people to come and participate and get the help that is needed. Offices is broken down into administrative office and the other for social service and mental health.

In order to make space more mentally soothing and relaxing, green space was introduced. This space become a more fun and engaging space as outside of the double height green space, it is pace on the oblique floor.

Structure was at the forefront of this design, the structure is celebrated not hidden. With this, the structural grid serves as a three-dimensional grid.

The building started as a basic extrusion from the site and property line. From this a grid was placed and converted into a three-dimensional grid. The grid became structure, and the structure became the main design element of the building. Looking for an element to break the grid, one that provided contrast, gable objects were then placed to live within the grid. These objects due to their house-like shape become special moments within the building, they become celebratory space within the art complex providing an opportunity to be seen. As these objects are gallery or auditoriums, controlling the light that comes within the space, concrete splits which are inset were added to provide texture, depth shading. The objects range in size, having different width and height, and some gables merged with one another to serve as a light well or in the case of the auditorium a place for the fly system. These gables provided a different experience through the size, and sectional quality. On the facade, the gables provide rhythem and patern.

Depth and texture were still wanted on the facade, this lead to the objects being pushed out four feet, and concrete planks to provide shading and pattern as well. Wiremesh defines the green space.

ground floor

second floor

fourth floor

seventh floor

eighth floor nineth floor

02. LA State Courthouse

For this semester we were asked to design a court house for the city of Los Angeles. Located on Lafayette Park in between Wilshire and 6th, as well as Commonwealth Ave and Lafayette Park Pl. The program included: six court rooms with six judicial chambers, four jury deliberation rooms, and the common clerical.

The common court house organization is the bar that is divided into three places: clerical in the front, courtrooms in the middle, and judges in the back; it a gradient of transparency, security, and the public-private relation. In order to make the building a diagram, clear separation of programs was made. The judicial chambers and other offices get their own building, while the court rooms get the other with a courtyard and common clerical on the ground floor. As security in the circulation was still an issue, and as the two buildings still work with one another, bridges were introduced, bringing two buildings together. The private circulation, and the judicial chambers are placed facing the courtyard to increase transparency. The public can see the judges go to their place of work and their place of study. In the courtroom building, the public circulation faces the park and the city, this allows them to orient themselves.

In an effort to tie the two buildings together, a sawtooth roof is introduced that covers its building as well as the courtyard, as well as part of judicial building. The judicial building has a smaller, yet similar roof further tying both buildings together. All off the ground floor clerical offices are accessible from the courtyard creating a relationship between inside and outside. The implementation of courtyards through the building further strengthens this relationship, while bringing light in.

TRANSVERSE SECTION

SCALE: 1/16” 1’

LONGITUDINAL SECTION SCALE: 1/16” = 1’

PARKSIDE ELEVATION - COURTROOM BUILDING

COURTYARD ELEVATION - COURTROOM BUILDING

03. Barred Communities

It is a Friday night. You just got off of the train from a week of work, and your nose begins to tingle. Fragrant smells coming from every block—it is food. Crenshaw, the center of the African American community, has become a food destination within the city. Food is a unifier, bringing people together from different backgrounds; food is a transporter, allowing you to taste different cultures; and food is an art, allowing one to create and express themselves. The master plan creates cultural and eating experiences revolving around creating places for outdoor dining and recreation, while incorporating the community, not overpowering it.

Two things stood out when studying the opportunities and constraints of the site: the lack of open space, and the low density residential housing. From this, the big idea arose, being gradient bars of density; getting more dense and active the closer you get to Crenshaw, and less dense and active as it scales down to the residential neighborhood. These bars of density would then be broken up by pockets of interconnected open space. The master plan places active commercial spaces on Crenshaw, with a mix of office and live work in the less dense bars, and purely residential in the least dense bars closest to the existing residential community. These residential bars would be a mix of townhouses and row houses. The open spaces are carefully placed to serve as reliefs from the urban activity that is happening around them.

The station anchors the north end of the site being a light delicate structure in the mist of the heavy urbanization of the site. The canopy becomes a structure that then replicated across the master plan. The columns create space as they scatter under the canopy; this alongside the coffeeshop generate activity and space.

DIAGRAMS

INTERACTION WITH THE STREET

BUILDING

FOOTPRINT

MASSING

ANGELED CUT TO SHOW OUTDOOR DINING

ANGLED CUT TO FUNEL PEOPLE IN

COMMERICAL ACCESS

OFFICERESIDENTIAL LOBBY ACCESS

EXTRUSION LIFT OFF GROUND

PER PREVIOUS DIAGRAM

FLOOR PLANS

SCALE 1/64” = 1’

SCALE 1/32” = 1’

OFFICERESIDENTIAL LOBBY ACCESS

OUTDOOR DINING

PROCESS FINAL

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

A - COMMERCIAL SPACE

B - BUILDING CORE/ FIRE ESCAPE

E - OUTDOOR EATING

F - STATION CANOPY

COURTYARD AND OBAMA ACCESS

TWO BLDGS MERGE

ANGELED ROOF

C- OUTDOOR GREEN SPACE

D - PREFORMING STAGE

G - COFFEE SHOP

SPACE CAN BE CONFIGURED BASED ON THE NEEDS FOR THE POTENTIAL TENANT

TYPICAL OFFICE FLOOR

A - CORE / FIRE ESCAPE

B - BRIDGE

C- OFFICE SPACE

TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL

A CORE / FIRE ESCAPE

B - BRIDGE

C- STUDIO

D - ONE BEDROOM

E - TWO BEDROOM

F THREE BEDROOM

G - COMMUNITY CENTER

LONGITUDINAL SECTION

04. Mt. Wilson Research Retreat + Resident

The design project’s topic is a scientist’s retreat located on a south east facing slope below the Mt. Wilson Observatory. The facility will be used mostly by astronomers, but it shall also entertain weekenders interested in astronomy and occasionally hikers. The site is on land that has been leased from the Angeles National Forest. Any new structure must be designed such that its construction, operation and maintenance do not impact the natural environment. They must reflect the requirements for exterior wildfire exposure. There is no water or sanitation.

Mount Wilson is one of the peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains, located north of Pasadena. From the summit you have unobstructed views across the Los Angeles basin out to the Pacific Ocean. On an extremely clear day the Santa Catalina and San Clemente Islands are visible, with the horizon stretching another 30 miles beyond that. The Mount Wilson Observatory is located near the summit. For the first half of the twentieth century it was an astronomical center with 60-inch and 100-inch telescopes and two solar towers.

This project was intended to serve both as a public and private building, a place for scientist to live and work, while tourist could stop by and ask questions. With this in mind, thought it would be best to separate the public and private spaces and stacking this two spaces. As the two different spaces were stacked and it created a central point, decided to rotate the private space, creating the cross shape. With the rotation, decided to create separate living corridors for each scientist, so that they could have their own private space. Along with the rotation, it is creating a central place for circulation. The shape reminded me of Marcio Kogan and his work, and decided to do my own take on it. Instead of having only having opposite ends closed, while the others remain open, decided to have one solid wall, with the other walls being open (glass).

05. WEHO Housing

We were assigned a mixed-use housing, 24 units, a mixture of studios, one bedroom, and two bedroom units, along with 7,000 sf of commercial space. The location of the project was Santa Monica Blvd. and Western Street, in West Hollywood.

The form of the building follows the path created by property line an streets. This was done so to get the most use of my site, while still having land left over to create a courtyard. The courtyard was very important as it created a space that distanced you from the city, a place that provided some greenery and a place to interact with your neighbors. The residential portion of this project is located on top of a 15’ podium and decided to have the courtyard on top of the podium to make it an intimate space for the residents and to allow more light into the courtyard. used the existing geometry to design the courtyard, it allowed me to create planters in which benches and chairs, as well as a grill are integrated with it. This in turn created different zones within the courtyard, an active area, and a quiet reading space. The units stack on top of one another allowing for creating of shear walls, and the plumbing to stack. The two-bedroom units are two story units, stacked in interlocking C-shape units. In one unit you enter from the bottom and go up, while the other you start from the top and go down. This allowed me to create some double height two-story units. created two set modules for my window and created a pattern based on the unit layout. Some of the windows are pushed in, creating a deep aperture, while others push out as they do in the Mariposa

WEST ELEVATION VISTA STREET

FIRST FLOOR

SECOND FLOOR

06. Sublot Subdivision

As the housing crisis worsens in Los Angeles, solutions are being sought to fix the problem. Land management and the lack of density in the city are evident issues that affect the housing crisis. In order to increase density, the city has looked towards sublot subdivisions as solution. Sublot subdivisions are a series of townhouses, arranged on a smaller lot. This is compromise as it allows people to live in a single family home styled house, in more efficient usage of the land.

For this project, the massing is the combination of two bars forming an L-shape bar. A double height space continue the living space, while the other bar contains the more private resting space. The subtractions in the massing derived from the opening for outdoor space. The bar that holds the living, kitchen and dining area are held in a double height space create an open and amble space. This is then reflected in the materiality found on the façade.

The configuration of each building is the either a rotation or reflection of the L. They are organized in a way to maximize the space of each home while provided induvial private outdoor space for each house. This green spaces allows the resident to have their own space, and still be exposed to some greenery in a denser urban environment.

W2

Roof

12' - 0"

Roof

Level 2 0' 0" Level 1

36' - 0"

36' - 0" 3'-0" W4

Level 3 12' - 0"

24' - 0"

Level 2 0' - 0"

Level 1

07. Milieu

CallisonRTKL host an annual summer internship competition in which they divide their interns into groups and have them compete in local competitions. For the summer of 2019, the topic revolved around the future of Los Angeles and the future of entertainment in the city; future defined by 100 or more years. In order to first combat this, we as a team needed to define the future of entertainment and what the future of Los Angeles would look like. We recognized the environmental hardships we are experiencing and the role that is playing in todays world and the bigger role it would play in the future.

With the constant sea level rise, we predicted that a lot of costal Los Angeles would be flooded, including this island off of Long Beach which was our site. From this we decided to have a floating island, getting inspiration from nature in the jellyfish. The tentacles becoming a source of energy production. Nature inspired architecture, and became more.

PART II: ANGELINO IMMERSION |洛杉矶沉浸式体验| INMERCIÓN ANGELINA

Entering this ‘Entertainment Nucleus’ through the immersion

TENDRILS | ENTERTAINMENT NUCLEUS TRANSPO PODS

Welcome to Los Angeles’ nucleus of entertainment known as Milieu Immerse yourself in the culture of Los Angeles and join fellow citizens of L.A. known as “Angelinos”, by floating through each unique typological membrane, such as; the Film Makerspace The Professional Sports Coliseum Robot Fight Arena etc. Transporting from the shores of Long Beach to this floating hub is made possible by these “Transpo Pods”.