Portfolio Christopher Cheng Spring 2020
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Contents Undergraduate Portfolio Virginia Polytechnic and State Institute This portfolio contains selected academic work from the five years of my undergraduate education at Virginia Tech. The work displays a variety of scales of engagement within the projects and the project types themselves. Over the duration of my undergraduate career I found an interest in expanding my understanding of prevalent software and digital workflows. However, inherent in the pedagogy of the school, I found great interest in the hand, through sketching and hand drafting. This portfolio, especially my thesis documentation, highlights a combination of the hand with digital means. The resulting workflow is a hybridization of digital and analog approaches to design, drawing the benefits of both into the work.
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Polyvalent Time
04|39
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House Connection
40|51
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Viaggio
52|59
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Contrasting Time
60|65
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Introversion
66|69
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The Jetty
70|71
Horologium for Einstein’s Dreams | Seattle, Washington
Mixed-Use High Rise | Chicago, Illinois
Cemetery Expansion | Riva San Vitale, Switzerland
Vocational School | Bath County, Virginia
Cancer Care Center | Christiansburg, Virginia
Oyster Research Hatchery | Norfolk, Virginia
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Polyvalent Time Horologium for Einstein’s Dreams Undergraduate Thesis | 2020 | 32 Weeks
A Horologium for Einstein’s Dreams is guided by the engagement and materialization of time through architecture. The project is comprised of an interconnected, 3-part complex: a watch workshop, a watchmaker’s residence, and a horology archive. Together, the architectural settlement, programming, siting, materiality, and details embody different aspects of time. Here, Mechanical Time, Bodily Time, Fluid Time, and Natural Time constitute the array of temporal values in-forming the architecture and leading toward a polyvalent engagement with time. Four aspects of the relativity of time in architecture under consideration:
Mechanical Time This interpretation of time is rigid and unyielding, distancing itself from the influence of surrounding context or natural environments. It is predetermined by its unchanging, unyielding regularity, as opposed to the ambiguities and irregularities of bodily perception. Bodily Time This interpretation of time is guided by bodily perception. Bodily Time engages the haptic body in space, filtering time as tactile reactions and visual impressions that can be anticipated but not controlled. It acts as a counterpart to Mechanical Time.
Fluid Time This is an interpretation of time as fluctuating, and relies on a building’s unique discourse with its natural environment. It focuses on anticipating nature’s varied forces as a means to create a kinetic architecture, synchronously fluctuating with each day, season, and year. Natural Time This interpretation of time is cyclical, recognizing the inescapable reality that the sun will rise in the east and set in the west. Natural Time is directed by orientation and alignment to the arcs of the sun as a means to create an architecture rooted in its place.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
Bodily Fluid
Mechanical
Mechanical Time is derived from a world in which there are two times, mechanical and bodily, a world in which people do not believe that both can coexist.
Natural
Bodily Fluid
Mechanical
Bodily Time is derived from a world in which there are two times, mechanical and bodily, a world in which people do not believe that both can coexist.
Natural
Fluid Time is derived from a world in which time is perceived like the flow of water, allowing people to experience time displacement.
Bodily Fluid
Natural Time is derived from a world in which time is perceived as absolute, where time is unrelenting. Here, every second has uniform value and time marches to an unstoppable, repeated cadence.
Mechanical
Natural
Polyvalent (adj): Having many values, properties, or modes of action; Having multiple aspects or meanings; open to a number of different interpretations.
Deriving a Plural Conception of Time Architecture has the capacity to connect to various conceptions of time, embodying a polyvalent understanding of time. This new understanding becomes available to both the architect and inhabitant.
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Roman arch
Transgression simultaneously engages the past, present, and future.
The Kimbell
Hadrian’s Villa
Kahn transgresses the Roman arch by removing and elevating the keystone in order to achieve distributed indirect light.
Understanding Transgression in Architecture The study of transgression sought to understand how and why change occurs, specifically in the realm of architecture. It acted as a possibility of referencing the past and building toward the future without mere duplication. This questioning and testing of prevalent limits was probed as to how architecture could develop in parallel to society rather than becoming static.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
L1
L2 Tr a d i t i o n L3
L4
The Temporal
The Timeless
Collective Legacy
Tradition evolves from the integration of legacies to come, so it can be thought of as a collective legacy.
A building itself can be considered a temporal construct while the layering of referents can be considered timeless.
Understanding Evolution in Architecture Tradition is a living stream which passes along the essences of building across time. It is the common language of architecture. There is no meaningful communication in human culture without reference to a tradition. This notion is the rudder that guides individual creativity, and the foundation for innovation. This study uncovered architecture’s ability to use traditions of building to engage a duality of the past and present, initiating the idea of a plural nature of time. Chris Cheng
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Stonehenge Wiltshire, England | 2400 BC
Lion Gate Mycenae, Greece | 1300 BC
Temple of Hera II Paestum, Italy | 450 BC
Erechtheion Athens, Greece | 421 BC
Tem Athe
The simplest system of load and support, utilizing two vertical members to support a third spanning member. The post and lintel system is the origin of openings.
A refined trabeated system that evolves the idea of the opening into a framed entrance or gate.
A clear definition of the column emerges in the Doric order, which incorporates a somewhat standardized proportioned shaft (4-6.5/1 height to diameter) and the capital which expresses a gradual transfer of loads.
The Ionic order integrates a base to a more slender shaft proportion (9/1 height to diameter), lifting the structure off the stylobate.
The t with the t depic
Astrological Measurement | Natural Time
Metered Measurement | Fluid Time
The earliest measurement of time utilized the location of the sun, moon, and stars. These early constructs aligned themselves to the cardinal directions and measured shadows cast by the sun through the use of part to whole relationships.
The next step in the evolution of timekeeping was the development of methods that worked without the sun. Through the fluid movement of a given medium water clocks, candle clocks, and hourglasses could measure time with scientific accuracy.
Architecture and Time Architecture was once a poetic assemblage devoted to measuring and cultivating time, yet with the advent of modern technology the relationship between building and horology was been limited to accommodating the design and manufacture of timepieces. The juxtaposition of the evolutions of structure and horology offers insight into the discourse between buildings and time.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
mple of Olympian Zeus ens, Greece | 200 AD
trabeated system is further refined the most slender proportion with tallest and most articulated capital, cting flowering acanthus leaves
Arch of Septimius Severus Rome, Italy | 203 AD
Basilica of Maxentius Rome, Italy | 307 AD
Crystal Palace Hyde Park, London | 1851 AD
The trabeated system is replaced by the arcuated system, which utilizes a curved lintel in order to span larger distances with smaller blocks or voussoirs. This system redirects the loads laterally and vertically.
The arch evolves with the introduction of concrete, eliminating the use of smaller masonry blocks. The arch is moved through space to form vaults which require thicker lateral supports to transfer the loads to the ground.
The introduction of 19th century materials such as glass and cast iron, eliminates excessive weight and lateral thrust of masonry/concrete vaulting. Resulting in the emergence of skeleton vaults, which require little to no buttressing.
Mechanical Measurement | Mechanical Time Pendulums, springs, escapements, and gears created the most precise measurement of time. Mechanical measurement was highly regulated, increasing accuracy down to the second.
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A contemporary temple links itself into the continuum of time through the legacy of the trabeated structural system and the order and proportions of Classical rules.
Breaking down the referent to understand the constituent parts.
Layers of columns form the contemporary temple, increasing in height towards the center.
Copper finishing lines the interior of the divided lintel, bringing golden light through the structure.
Intangible Dialogue Learning from archaic lessons of how vertical meets horizontal, the contemporary temple utilizes contemporary tectonic means to transgress the purpose of a lintel, transforming light qualities of a space. As well, the temple becomes a field of columns proportioned for the individual, not a monument dedicated to the gods.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
Can a column be a place of rest and Can a column be a place of rest an inhabited? inhabited? Can a column be a spectacle and inhabited?
Can a column be a place of rest and inhabited?
Can a column be a spectacle and inhabited? Can a column be inhabited and Can a column be inhabited and avoided? avoided?
Can a column be inhabited and avoided?
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Can a column be a space of interaction?
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it
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Arc
Can a column be a space of interaction?
Can a column be a space of interaction?
Can a column be a place of rest and inhabited?
The tangible fragment offers insight into a temple’s relationship to time, altering the functionality of a column. With an understanding of the ideal function, the altered referent generates a new understanding of what a column be used for in this particular context.
Can a column be inhabited and avoided?
nt
me ag
Can a column be a space of interaction?
The proportions of an existing fragment drive the development of new columns.
An existing fragment can be understood through the void space of the new.
Can the column become a space of interaction through line of sight?
Tangible Dialogue Drawing from an existing architectural fragment, a column drum, a contemporary temple critiques the traditional uses of the column, re-imagining what can be done in the same amount of space. The temple references and builds upon the functionality of the column in order to invert the temple, placing the inhabitable space along the perimeter and below ground, therefore eliminating the central chamber.
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Gasworks Park Located northeast of downtown Seattle, Gasworks was selected for its diverse history and proximity to Lake Union and the city center. The large footprint of the park offers a unique opportunity to develop the project without eliminating existing functions.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
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Arrival of Settlers 1880
Future Public Park 1903
City of Seattle Purchase 1956
The Olmsted Brothers propose plans to have a public park on the 20 acre North Lake Union peninsula.
The City of Seattle purchases the site from Washington Natural Gas Company, paying the first of 10 yearly installments of $133,000.
Settlers begin to arrive in the area, signaling the first major stage of evolution for the site.
Gasification Plant Conversion 1937
The gasification plant is converted to manufacture synthetic gas from crude oil. The plant begins polluting the site with tar, coke, chemicals
Garbage Site 1890
Fishing Village Pre-1880 The site is utilized as a place for fishing due to its proximity to Lake Union.
The site is utilized as a garbage dump. Garbage is burned on site until 1905.
Gasification Plant 1906 The Washington Natural Gas Company builds a gasification plant on site due to its proximity to Lake Union; extracting illuminating gas from coal. This gas was used for lighting, heating and cooking for the city of Seattle.
The gasification plant closes with the introduction of natural gas. The site is abandoned and fenced off to avoid issues with the polluted ground.
Richard Haag Associa (RHA) 1970
RHA is commissioned prepare a master plan/ analysis for a potential p park on site. Haag want retain existing structur starting the next stage evolution.
The industrial remnants of Gasworks offer insight into the site’s former manufacturing programs and processes, acting as physical vestiges of time. Gasworks underlines the question as to how traditions of place might lead to an understanding of multiple conceptions of time.
Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
The Se unanim master progra Park’ project t p
Natural Gas 1956
The Evolution of Gasworks Park
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RHA P
Proposal Approved 1972
eattle City Council mously approves the r plan, concept and am for ‘Gas Works ’. It will be the first to integrate industrial preservation.
ates
d to /site public ts to res, e of
Gas Works Park Opens 1975
Photovoltaics 2010
The park opens to the public, incorporating re-purposed structures as structural objects, play areas and a massive contouring of the site.
The play barn roof is covered with photovoltaic panels, furthering the development of the park.
Landmark Status 1999 The park receives City of Seattle Historic Landmark
Construction Begins 1973 The process of bioremediation of oil-soaked soil is invented and the city of Seattle owns the site, marking the beginning of construction. The polluted soil is piled up and covered, created ‘Kite Hill’.
Tower 1 2002
Analemmatic Sundial 1978 Charles Greening and Kim Lazare complete a 28’ diameter, interactive sundial on the top of Kite Hill.
The southern existing towers is inspected for structural integrity. Following the evaluation, the tower passes inspection and can remain as existing on site.
National Historic Place 2013 Gasworks Park receives National Historic Place Registration. It is the first industrial preservation project to receive this distinction.
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A Work
A design and craft space engages the duality of Mechanical Time and Bodily Time, juxtapo proportioned to the scale of the human body, taken to be 6 feet, highlighting the rhythms a building emphasizes the irregularities of a watchmaker throughout the day, materia
A Workshop
A Resid
and craft space engages the duality of Mechanical Time and Bodily Time, juxtaposing predetermined spatial composition with an ambiguous program. workshop is Mechanical & Bodily Time Fluid TheThe home of the master watchmaker embraces the idea of Fluid Time, deconstructing theT oned to the scale of the human body, taken to be 6 feet, highlighting the rhythms and flows of a body at work. Through the use of material, proportion,The and residence repetition,isthe designed to celebrate and harness nature as a means to create a kinetic arc uilding emphasizes the irregularities of a watchmaker throughout the day, materializing a sense of Bodily Time in the creation/understanding of Mechanical and Time. the ritualization of everyday life, the building provides opportunities to “make a conn
The watch workshop is guided by the conception of Mechanical Time and Bodily Time. This sketch suggests a space proportioned from the scale of the human body, taken to be six feet which drives the space in both plan and section. This rigid proportioning system highlights the irregularity of the body functioning in space.
The residence for a watchm understanding of Fluid Tim water, wind, gravity, and every architecture. The space is m and the natural elements throughout a day.
The Horologium The project is comprised of an interconnected, three-part complex: a watch workshop, a watchmaker’s residence, and a horology archive. Together, the architectural settlement, programming, siting, materiality, and details embody different aspects of time. Here, Mechanical Time, Bodily Time, Fluid A Residence Time, and Natural Time constitute the array of temporal values in-forming the architecture and leading toward a polyvalent temporal presence.
me of the master watchmaker embraces the idea of Fluid Time, deconstructing the traditional ‘house’ into three fluctuating components: living, working, and observation. dence is designed to celebrate and harness nature as a means to create a kinetic architecture, fluctuating as the day does. Through the relationships to gravity, wind, water, e ritualization of everyday life, the building provides opportunities to “make a connection backstream” in time, creating a simultaneity of the timeless and the temporal.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
An Arc
A collection of volumes dedicated to horology are held within a space designed to presence archive is a place that accepts the truth that time is inescapable, that time is an infinite rule
kshop
A Residence
The home of the master watchmaker embraces the idea of Fluid Time, deconstructing the traditional ‘house’ into three fluctuating components: living, working, and observa The residence is designed to celebrate and harness nature as a means to create a kinetic architecture, fluctuating as the day does. Through the relationships to gravity, wind, w and the ritualization of everyday life, the building provides opportunities to “make a connection backstream” in time, creating a simultaneity of the timeless and the tempo
osing predetermined spatial composition with an ambiguous program. The workshop is and flows of a body at work. Through the use of material, proportion, and repetition, the alizing a sense of Bodily Time in the creation/understanding of Mechanical Time.
dence
An Archive
A collection of volumes dedicated to horology are held within a space designed toNatural presenceTime the idea of Natural Time, recalling the cyclical nature of both time and knowledge eTime traditional ‘house’ into three fluctuating components: living, working, and observation. archive wind, is a place that accepts the truth that time is inescapable, that time is an infinite ruler, and that time is absolute. It contains a collective history, a written/built record t chitecture, fluctuating as the day does. Through the relationships to gravity, water, the means to communicate across time, embodying the summative knowledge of horology and the art of building. Through the use of material, solar alignment, and omnipr nection backstream” in time, creating a simultaneity of the timeless and the temporal. light, the archive acknowledges and builds upon an existing lineage, becoming a repository for and over time.
maker seeks to construct an me through relationships to yday life to generate a kinetic manipulated by the occupant s, leaving trace memories
chive
e the idea of Natural Time, recalling the cyclical nature of both time and knowledge. The er, and that time is absolute. It contains a collective history, a written/built record that is
The horology archive is designed to understand the idea of Natural Time: the cyclical nature of time and knowledge. This sketch suggests a space that is organized around the orientation to the sun, with a collection of books arranged around the perimeter with a central space dedicated to omnipresent light.
Chris Cheng
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Understanding the Whole The layering of the existing conditions, solar alignments, circulation, and topographic conditions inform the relationship between the three buildings, underpinning temporal conditions at the scale of a building and scale of the complex. These four points are established as anchors when siting the Horologium on Gasworks, constraining relative distance and scale.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
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The Complex The three programs engage a range of scales, from small to large, forming a larger whole which is connected not through physical means, but through interweaving multiple conceptions of time. The individual parts, as well as the whole, engage various aspects of time.
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Modulation from the Body The modulation of the proportioning system creates twenty-four foot square structural bays. This square proportion is further divided as a three foot by three foot floor grid. A twelve foot cantilevered space on both sides functions for individual workspaces, while the central twenty-four foot dimension supports general circulation.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
The section of the workshop is modulated by a six foot grid derived from the human body; columns are spaced at twenty-four feet on center, floor to ceiling heights at twelve feet, twelve foot divisions for working spaces, and a three foot floor grid. The tectonic composition generates a consistent frame for the haptic body.
Ribbon windows on the design and fabrication floors frame the body while sitting and standing.
Vertical glass pass-throughs connect floors visually and audibly.
Each workspace measures three feet by three feet and is articulated with a protruding window desk.
Rhythmic Section The section of the workshop is modulated by a six foot grid derived from the human body; columns are spaced at twenty-four feet on center, floor to ceiling heights at twelve feet, twelve foot divisions for working spaces, and a three foot floor grid. The tectonic composition generates a consistent frame for the haptic body.
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Generating Repetition In contrast with a body at work, repetitive structural bays and a facade composed of regular, vertical, brass louvers regulates the space.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
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Translucent Grids The repetition of the structural bays and floor grid accentuate regularity on the interior, while simultaneously highlighting the variation of the body in the spaces directly above and below. This variation is aided by visual connections generated by vertical shafts and translucent floors.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
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A linear core, a reinterpreted “hearth�, links the three separate parts, while housing all static functions (the service spaces, i.e. bathroom, pantry, closet, office, etc.) This allows the east and west facades to be ever changing.
This sketch explores the possibility of a transparent eastern facade to frame the sunrise of each day.
This sketch explores how a solid core can connect all three spaces without physical means.
Living, Working, Observation The three components are arranged from north to south, (living, working, observation) orienting the primary circulation. The first component is for living and houses a bathroom, bedroom, foyer, and living space. The second volume combines living and working, providing for both cooking-dining space adjacent to an office-meeting area. The third and smallest component, similar to a front porch, supports observation.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
Through its relationships to the unique natural conditions of the site, the section of the residence welcomes spatial re-definition by the occupant, as well as rain, wind, and gravity.
Each space formed by the linear “hearth� is capped with clear glass to admit natural light into the enclosed spaces.
The chimneys act as collection devices, capturing rainwater as it sheds down the pitched roof.
The chimney is divided into tiers using gravity to generate water pressure.
The Dynamic Section The section of the residence slopes up to the east serving a dual capacity: framing the sunrise on one side, and draining water to the linear hearth and scupper on the other. The central hearth can be modulated to not only act as service space, but also kinetic towers and, an observation platform.
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The “Water Clock� Both the living and working components have a kinetic water tower. Each is controlled by the specific weather conditions and use gravity and water to turn a waterwheel which then raises two steel doors, revealing the process of movement and a space for contemplation. This use of kinetic elements creates a fluctuating interior spatial experience, blurring the interior-exterior boundaries of the residence.
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Ephemeral Traces Each day the watchmaker can observe and study the sunrise, utilizing counterweights to pivot the facade outward. An occupant manipulates the dynamic facade and thus generates their own ephemeral traces.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
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Winter Solstice Sunrise
Summer Solstice Sunrise
Astrological Measurement
Conference Room
Restroom
UP
Analemmatic Sundial
UP
Metered Measurement
Conference Room
Reading Area
Restroom
Books
Mechanical Measurement
Summer Solstice Sunset Winter Solstice Sunset
Lake Union
Individual study spaces are located along three sides of the plan with the north side being retained for functional spaces such as conference rooms, storage closets, restrooms, and elevators.
Utilizing the cardinal directions as reference nodes, the archive is divided into four quadrants: one for entry and three for horology materials.
Early sketches proposed various modes of vertical circulation relative to radial organization: here, in the central space and along the perimeter.
The central double helix stair anchors the plan and allows for both visual connection and natural light throughout the building.
Orientation The archive is oriented to align with the cardinal directions with the center of the double helix stair atrium anchoring the center. The plan is arranged radially from this central stair, dividing the building into three parts: central circulation, hanging shelves, and individual study spaces. The arcs of the sun from the summer to winter solstice drive the placement and sizing of the shelving, creating the astrological, metered, and mechanical sections.
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The building uses waffle slabs with two-foot diameter circular coffers to achieve eighteen foot cantilevers, to minimize columns, and to maximize natural light and unobstructed views towards the central space.
Large skylights of translucent glass wash the suspended shelves with sunlight.
The helix stair leads to the roof for access to the sundial.
Waffle slabs with two foot circular coffers minimize columns and maximize cantilevers.
Central Void The double helix stair wraps around a central void filled with natural light, allowing one to ascend up through the hanging bookshelves to the sundial which surmounts the space. Looking at material choices, brass finished stairs are expected to wear over time and thus reveal varied foot traffic patterns in their patina. Exterior brass finishes would patina differently when exposed to the natural elements.
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Analemmatic Skylight The central void is capped by a twenty-eight feet diameter analemmatic sundial skylight, recalling the existing sundial that occupied the crest of Kite Hill. An analemmatic sundial is one in which the body is the vertical object casting shadows. A rectangular dateline is centered on the translucent skylight, indicating where to stand according to the time of year.
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Portfolio | Polyvalent Time
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Skylight Stair The double helix stair carries one up through the archive, beneath the analemmatic skylight, and up to its occupiable surface. The void of the stair brings natural light through the space, allowing for visual connection to the shadows cast on the sundial skylight throughout each floor.
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House Connection Mixed-Use High Rise Academic Work (Partner) | 2019 | 12 Weeks This mixed-use tower responds to the inherent striated nature of high-rise developments, relocating amenity program from the traditional podium placement into a range of vertically connected spatial experiences. Through this organizational change, the repetitive/horizontal section is broken and replaced with diversified, networked space. The programs are separated into a residential and hotel component which are connected by the Equinox Fitness Club and other shared amenities. At the base, a combination of commercial, retail, and recreational programs form the podium of the project in order to match the industrial scale of the surrounding buildings. The towers are subdivided into two iterations of the “house� which contain four floors of residences or hotel rooms that are integrated into a range of amenity spaces. Within these smaller communities, programs are organized to transition from public to private through location and spatial scale. Breaking free from the standard Cartesian grid, the project’s spatial arrangements encourage chance encounters and a more interactive living environment. Amenity Programs Communal Kitchen / Event Space Work Space Private Library Social Library / Lounge Multi-use Lounge Stairs / Movie Space Equinox Fitness Club Party Room Roof Terrace
Vertical connection
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Vertically Connected Space The project proposes a range of spaces which foster chance meetings, spaces that have the possibility to create narratives outside of a single floor. Though perforations in the section of the project, the spatial organization transitions from horizontal to vertical.
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The site has two main corners to activate on multiple scales.
The parking is located on the south half of the site to maximize both vehicular and pedestrian circulation.
The program was broken down into two towers with off-axis orientations to minimize visual disconnect to the city and the “wall” effect.
The hotel tower is located on the northeast corner of the site to maximize street visibility primarily for vehicular traffic.
Understanding the Site The site is located in the West-loop of Chicago. It’s situated along the Kennedy Expressway near the Fulton Food Market. Traffic mainly comes from Downtown Chicago on West Randolph Street and exits from West Washington Boulevard. The programming and massing minimizes visual disruption to downtown while maximizes street visibility.
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Portfolio | House Connection
Breaking Down the Massing Pedestrians access the site from North Halsted street, however the access is interrupted by the existing brewery on the northeast corner of the site. The project is oriented to maximize the visibility of the project in it’s surroundings, as well as to maintain a scale consistent to the commercial surroundings.
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N Halsted Avenue
W Randolph Street
W Court Place
W Washington Blvd
Meeting the Ground The ground floor is organized to increase pedestrian activity on the northeast and southwest corners of the site with a restaurant and food market.
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23 22 21
EXIT #1 EGRESS CAPACITY:
20 19
18
REQUIRED: 1.5 EXIT WIDTHS OR MIN. 36" CLEAR CBC CH12-160-220b
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PROVIDED: 3 EXIT WIDTHS (72" CLEAR)
EXIT #1
OCCUPANCY LOAD CALCULATION: NET SF RESIDENTIAL LOBBY: 2700 SF FLOOR AREA/PERSON = 20 OCCUPANCY LOAD = 135 NET SF CIRCULATION: 1781 SF FLOOR AREA/PERSON = 125 OCCUPANCY LOAD = 15 NET SF LEASING OFFICES: 1000 SF FLOOR AREA/PERSON = 20 OCCUPANCY LOAD = 50
LOBBY
NET SF MAIL ROOM: 1050 SF FLOOR AREA/PERSON = 100 OCCUPANCY LOAD = 11
35
BAR
NET SF FOOD MARKET: 10130 SF FLOOR AREA/PERSON = 40 OCCUPANCY LOAD = 254 UP
MAXIMUM TRAVEL DISTANCE: RESIDENTIAL OCCUPANCY = 150 FT CAFE
STAFF ROOM
37 RESTAURANT
ELEVATOR LOBBY
38 KITCHEN
MAXIMUM TRAVEL DISTANCE TO EXIT #1 = 94'-0"
LAUNDRY/SUPPORT SPACE
EXIT #2 EGRESS CAPACITY:
39
MAXIMUM TRAVEL DISTANCE TO EXIT #2 = 115'-9"
REQUIRED: 1.5 EXIT WIDTHS OR MIN. 36" CLEAR CBC CH12-160-220b PROVIDED: 2 EXIT WIDTHS (36" CLEAR)
LOADING
UP
EXIT #2 40
41
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
EXIT #7 EGRESS CAPACITY: REQUIRED: 1.5 EXIT WIDTHS OR MIN. 36" CLEAR CBC CH12-160-220b PROVIDED: 2 EXIT WIDTHS (36" CLEAR)
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EXIT #3 EGRESS CAPACITY: REQUIRED: 1.5 EXIT WIDTHS OR MIN. 36" CLEAR CBC CH12-160-220b
EXIT #7
PROVIDED: 3 EXIT WIDTHS (72" CLEAR)
LOUNGE
EXIT #3
LEASING OFFICE
1
LEASING OFFICE
LEASING OFFICE
LEASING OFFICE
2 LOADING LOBBY 3 UP UP
SUPPORT SPACE
4
MAXIMUM TRAVEL DISTANCE TO EXIT #3 = 117'-0"
UP
5
ELEVATOR LOBBY 47 6
MAIL/PACKAGE ROOM
MAXIMUM TRAVEL DISTANCE TO EXIT #4 = 53'-0"
7 MAXIMUM TRAVEL DISTANCE TO EXIT #6 = 102'-6"
MAXIMUM TRAVEL DISTANCE TO EXIT #7 = 105'-5"
8 FOOD MARKET
UP
EXIT #4 EGRESS CAPACITY: REQUIRED: 1.5 EXIT WIDTHS OR MIN. 36" CLEAR CBC CH12-160-220b
EXIT #4
PROVIDED: 3 EXIT WIDTHS (72" CLEAR) 9
EXIT #5 10 EXIT #6
EXIT #6 EGRESS CAPACITY: EXIT #4 EGRESS CAPACITY: REQUIRED: 1.5 EXIT WIDTHS OR MIN. 36" CLEAR CBC CH12-160-220b
REQUIRED: 1.5 EXIT WIDTHS OR MIN. 36" CLEAR CBC CH12-160-220b PROVIDED: 3 EXIT WIDTHS (72" CLEAR)
PROVIDED: 3 EXIT WIDTHS (72" CLEAR)
Accessibility and Egress The ground floor plan and podium were iterated for an ideal variety of program and pedestrian accessibility that accommodated all utilities and code requirements.
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The first floor of the “house” integrates the Communal Kitchen/Event Space and the first Work Space.
The second floor of the “house” integrates the second floor of the Communal Kitchen/ Event Space and the private Library.
The third floor of the “house” integrates the second Work Space and the Multi-Use Lounge Stairs.
The fourth floor of the “House” integrates the Multi-Use Lounge Stairs and the social library.
The Four Levels of a House Through the relocation of amenity program into each four level “house”, the traditional horizontal living experience is replaced with a vertical one that encourages chance encounters.
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FIRM
IRM
UP
DN
UP
DN
UP
DN
UP
DN
UP UP
Trash
UP
DN
Electric Trash
Tele/Data
UP
DN
Electric
Tele/Data
No.
725 West Randolph Street Chicago, IL 60661
Description
Date
Typical Floor Plumbing Plan thatFIRM 001 April 5, 2019 P101
Project number Date Drawn by Checked by
Equinox Tower + Hotel
CC AZ
Typical residential floor: Plumbing plan
DN
Scale 1/16" = 1'-0"
No.
725 West Randolph Street Chicago, IL 60661
Description
Date
Typical Floor Mechanical Plan Project number Date Drawn by Checked by
Equinox Tower + Hotel
DN
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Electric
Equinox Tower + Hotel
Typical residential floor: Fire Protection plan
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Electric
Tele/Data
Tele/Data
725 West Randolph Street Chicago, IL 60661
M101 Scale 1/16" = 1'-0"
Typical residential floor: Mechanical plan
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001 April 5, 2019 CC AZ
No.
Description
Date
thatFIRM Typical Floor Life Safety Plan Project number Date Drawn by Checked by
001 April 5, 2019 CC AZ
F101
725 West Randolph Street Chicago, IL 60661 Equinox Tower + Hotel
No. Description 1 Revision 1
Date Date 1
Typical Floor Electrical Plan Project number Date Drawn by Checked by
001 April 5, 2019 CC AZ
E10 Scale 1/16" =
Scale 1/16" = 1'-0"
Typical residential floor: Electrical plan
Integrated Design The typical residential floor plan was iterated for an ideal variety of units that accommodated all utilities and code requirements. The project utilizes a cast-in-place concrete structure with 18”x32” columns and 8” post-tensioned concrete slabs that cantilever up to 8’. The columns are set in an irregular grid that is used for the entire building including the 3 levels of underground parking.
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Multi-Use Lounge Stairs / Movie Room Open to Below
Library (Social)
Multi-Use Lounge Stairs / Movie Room
“House” B
Work Space
Library (Private)
Communal Kitchen / Event Space
Work Space
Equinox Fitness Club WW ash
ing
ton
Blv
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pre y Ex
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Ke
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“House” A Office Space
WC
Food Market
our
t Pla
ce
Parking
Exploding the House The houses are arranged to stack and integrate into each other creating various scales of connection. Each amenity space has a covered balcony to view the West Loop area or Chicago Skyline. The cantilevered slabs utilize thermal breaks to prevent thermal bridging in the cold climate.
48 Portfolio | House Connection
West Washington Boulevard Approach: The base of the building is framed by cantilevered slabs to signify entrances. The roof of the base is a green roof and occupiable for the residents of that floor.
The first floor of a “house” integrates this double height space for residents to use when their apartment is too small.
The second floor of a “house” contains a space dedicated to quiet working/reading with a nice view of the city.
Merging the third and fourth floors, the lounge stairs act as a multi-purpose space that holds weekly movie nights for the residents.
Stacking the House The facade of the building articulates the internal organization of the project. All amenity spaces are framed by cantilevering the post tensioned concrete slabs, creating shading and access to an outdoor space on every floor.
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House B House B
House A House B
House A House B
Amenity
House A
Equinox
House B
House A Podium
House A
AA
Interconnected Section The facade of the building is broken down into “house� A and B with the Equinox and Amenity programs bridging across to connect the two towers. The double loaded corridor is perforated with a series of stairs that vertically connect amenity spaces. This creates a mix of double/single height spaces to allow for flexible use. The same move is used to create double height spaces for the Equinox fitness club.
50 Portfolio | House Connection
Horizontal louver condition. December - June
Insulated Glazing A
8” Aluminum Mullion 5/8” Rebar 2” Rigid Insulation HPL Board
Detail A
Insulated Glazing 8” Aluminum Mullion Thermal Break 8” Post Tensioned Concrete Slab
B
Detail B
Insulated Glazing 8” Aluminum Mullion C
Slab Edge Cover 2” Rigid Insulation
Detail C
Wall Section AA The double height space in the communal kitchen/event space is framed by two cantilevered post tensioned slabs. This frame creates a covered balcony. In addition, this frame acts as a horizontal louver to minimize direct sun in the summer and maximize heat gain in the winter. All amenity spaces are treated with the same enclosure to minimize energy consumption.
Chris Cheng
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02
Viaggio Cemetery Expansion Academic Work | 2018 | 10 Weeks This project is a search for conceptual simplicity, one which is pursued through the idea of mediation by a means of translating the existing threshold into a lengthened procession. As a cemetery is a place for both the dead and the living, this processional entry brings the visitor on a mediating journey into the land of the dead. Separated from the noise and distractions of everyday life, the focus becomes the memory of loved ones. The journey for the living and for the dead coincide along the lengthened procession. To reach the funerary chapel, the body travels with the living before unfolding into a courtyard. Within a flat plane, the funerary chapel rests obliquely on the landscape, acting as a moment of repose before the final transition into the land of the dead. Stark in appearance, it promotes privacy in order to protect the body and services held within.
Object in the landscape
Mediation Object
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Portfolio | Viaggio
in the
Landscape
Mediation
Processional Entry In respect to the existing conditions of the cemetery, a new steel frame clips itself onto the existing walls to create a covered entrance sequence. This rhythmic approach signifies a transitional space between the living and the dead.
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Entrance Assembly The entrance addition highlights itself as “new� in contrast with the existing cemetery enclosure through the use of complimentary materials like steel and frosted glass. It is constructed in layers to recognize the notion of building up the existing conditions without tearing them down.
54 Portfolio | Viaggio
Chapel Assembly The funerary chapel utilizes the same layered construction, identifying itself as “new� with a stark black, metal exterior finish. Through the use of like materials, such as steel and concrete, it integrates itself into the entrance addition while remaining semi-autonomous in visual appearance, becoming an object in the landscape.
Chris Cheng 55
The new entry sequence identifies itself as new element of the cemetery through elevation differentiation on the interior and exterior.
The new entry pulls visitors to the back of the cemetery with a gently sloping ramp along the side wall to promote a sense of privacy within the cemetery walls.
Increasing Privacy To increase the audible and visual privacy of the cemetery, plate steel panels clip onto the existing walls to raise the overall height. This combined with a new entrance placed along the side of the site, eliminates road noise and visibility from the main street.
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Portfolio | Viaggio
The Funerary Chapel The chapel is located adjacent to the new entry sequence along the side of the site. It’s location and placement accommodates funeral services, acting as an optional extension of the processional entrance. The rotated placement breaks the nature of the existing conditions to recognize a moment of repose, a chance to grapple with the transitioning of the body into the realm of the dead.
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Sectional Hierarchy The interior of the funerary chapel is divided into three programs, one for the body, one for circulation, one for seating. These divisions are implied through the variation in ceiling height. This is done to create hierarchy in the space and to change the spatial conditions of each program.
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Portfolio | Viaggio
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03
Contrasting Time Vocational School Academic Work | 2017 | 10 Weeks Located in Bath County, Virginia, this vocational school recognizes the history its siting. The local Appalachian typologies and materials are showcased through the use of both old and new architecture. Incorporating the existing structures into the program of the school, this project merges public and private space to retain the memory of the baths. The driving concept is the contrast of old versus new through the eyes of construction. The building offers an opportunity to experience old and new simultaneously, through the commonality of the local vernacular. The older, octagonal bath remains untouched while the other bath has one of its 22 sections disassembled and replaced each year. The second bath serves the purpose of becoming a physical manifestation of time, a distinct contrast to that of its counterpart.
Old w Ne
Juxtaposition of new and old elements.
60 Portfolio | Contrasting Time
Response of a line to existing elements.
A collaborative system of new and existing elements to generate the contrast of time.
Church Road
Sam Snead Hwy
Site Integration The project is placed to retain the existing bath structures and create a new axis of connection between the two. By placing the school on the north side of the baths, the contrasting structures are highlighted to pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
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A
Linear Connection The project integrates the eastern bath, creating an internal glass courtyard to access and view the exiting structure. With the second bath, the project doubles in height to imply future intervention in addition to easy accessibility for students who are modifying the structure. This organization creates a dialogue of time through the two bath structures.
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Portfolio | Contrasting Time
B
Chris Cheng 63
Each of the three classrooms have a different section to offer variability of light to the learning experience.
The three classroom spaces are located on the north side of the site, minimizing road noise and maximizing privacy. Each opens up to a small external space for auxiliary use.
The Vocational Classroom Inherent in the program, is the need for classroom space. As the vocational school is often in dialogue with the existing structures, the traditional classrooms are placed on the opposite side of the long axis to differentiate themselves without becoming disconnected.
64 Portfolio | Contrasting Time
Standing Seam Metal Roof Plywood Sheathing Metal Decking on Light Gauge Framing Steel Tube Steel Beam
Steel Column (Beyond) Fiber Cement Siding on Furring (Rainscreen) Air/Vapor Barrier
Sheathing
Batt Insulation Metal Studs 16" O.C.
Gypsum Wall Board
Concrete Slab with Perimeter Insulation on UB on Crushed Stone
Perimeter Insulation
CMU Foundation
Perimeter Drain
Concrete Footing
Classroom Wall Section The section of the classrooms and entire project seek to integrate themselves with the construction of the existing structures from the exterior. To do this, a horizontal fiber cement rain screen mimics the wooden exterior of the baths.
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04
Introversion Cancer Care Center Academic Work | 2016 | 6 Weeks Located in Christiansburg, Virginia, this Maggie’s Center works in tandem with the adjacent hospital to provide an inclusive sanctuary for chemotherapy patients. The roof informs the entire design. The influence of the inward sloping pitch in plan and in section provides an intrinsic space. As the roof draws focus to the center of the space, the project opens itself up and affords views across and through, generating a strong communal space within its confines. The idea of sloping elements is taken into the project with angled entrances and walls to promote a sense of community in most spaces but privacy in others.
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Portfolio | Introversion
Flow of water from roof to courtyard.
Entrance conditions create rhythm and privacy.
Movement of water through the courtyard.
Entrance conditions promote collaboration.
Elements of entrance and enclosure.
Introspective Courtyard The large central courtyard is flanked with glass facades on the interior to visually connect public spaces. The inverted butterfly roof adds to this internal focus with the direction of the slope and collection/shedding of rainwater throughout the day.
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A
Public and Private Spaces Angled interior spaces promote collaboration in public spaces and seclusion for private spaces. Public and private spaces are separated by level with the public being located on the ground and offices on the upper.
68 Portfolio | Introversion
B
Chris Cheng 69
05
The Jetty Oyster Research Hatchery AIA Virginia Prize | 2020 | 3 Days The Brief: According to the 2017 Aquaculture Crop Reporting Survey published by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), Virginia is 1st on the East Coast of the U.S. for Eastern Oyster production. Virginians have been eating Chesapeake Bay oysters since the early 17th century when Jamestown was founded. And now, this sweet and salty seafood is making a resurgence on the plates of Virginians the state over, making Virginia the new “Oyster Capital of the East Coast”. You are to design a small oyster research hatchery on the shoreline of the Lafayette River in downtown Norfolk that will inspire the public to learn about the significance of oyster farming to the local economy and the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The site’s location in downtown Norfolk offers a distinct opportunity for public engagement. Your design solution should be accessible and inviting to school age children as well as the general public. Sustainability and flood proof measures should be considered. A note about coastal resiliency: Norfolk is an area that is experiencing both land subsidence and rising sea levels. It is our challenge as architects to imagine sustainable solutions to these issues that don’t simply keep flood waters out, but instead reveal a new kind of landscape – a living shoreline where humans and nature gracefully coexist.
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Portfolio | The Jetty
Algae Research Labs
Oyster Wet Labs
Public Gathering Space
High Tide +3’-0” Low Tide +0’-0”
ster Wet Labs
Algae Research Labs
Oyster Wet Labs
Public Gathering Space
The JeTTy “An EvEr ChAnging ExpEriEnCE.”
The Jetty is an evolved form of the pier, a lens that will allow the public to experience and learn about the significance of oyster farming and the local ecosystems to the Lafayette River and Chesapeake Bay in a different light. Creating an extended shoreline, extending into the water, this project engages with the varying tides, providing eye-level views for occupants to gain a new perspective of the relationship between humans and nature.
Competition board entry for the AIA Virginia Prize Competition.
High Tide +3’-0”
Algae Research Labs
Oyster Wet Labs
Low Tide +0’-0”
Public Gathering Space
The plan breaks the program into three identifiable wings, two for research, one for the public.
The entrance walkway offers a unique experience with the river’s elevation change between low and high-tide.
The public space opens up to a pier that aligns to the water level during high-tide.
An Ever-Changing Experience The Jetty is an evolved form of the pier, a lens that will allow the public to experience and learn about the significance of oyster farming and the local ecosystems to the Lafayette River and Chesapeake Bay in a different light. Creating an extended shoreline, extending into the water, this project engages with the varying tides, providing eye-level views for occupants to gain a new perspective of the relationship between humans and nature.
Chris Cheng
71
Thank
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you.