CHRISTIAN BERGER // DESIGN PORTFOLIO 2013 - 2018
CHRISTIAN BERGER M. ARCH KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY berger.cr@yahoo.com bergerchristian.com (316) 737 - 5848
01 // LA MARINA TOWN SQUARE
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VALENCIA, SPAIN FALL 2017 - SPRING 2018
02 // WEST BOTTOMS WORKS
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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI FALL 2016
03 // KING’S ROAD GATEHOUSE
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA SPRING 2016
04 // COOPER HEWITT MUSEUM
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NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK SPRING 2016
05 // OZ JOURNAL
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VOLUME 40, “AUTHENTICITY” SUMMER 2017 - SPRING 2018
06 // VIDEOGRAPHY DIGITAL VISUAL EFFECTS FALL 2016
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
01 // LA MARINA TOWN SQUARE VALENCIA, SPAIN FALL 2017 - SPRING 2018
INTRODUCTION The history of the port of Valencia, Spain has been written by the constant manipulation of the edge that defines the city and the sea. The city is integrally tied to its port and throughout its history the relationship between the two has defined the fabric of the city. The city of Valencia has reaped the benefits of its well situated location and has thrived from the opportunity that its geographic positioning has offered. However, as the needs of the port have evolved over time and the functions of the port have shifted south beyond its original location, the relationship between the people of Valencia and the ever-changing waterline that defines their city has been subject to these changes. The current state of the harbor of Valencia is plagued by an ambiguity of zoning and a general state of inactivity. The majority of the historical infrastructure has yet to see any major revitalization. Once an area vital to the success of the city, the harbor is in a state of disorganization and lacks an identity. Perhaps its largest shortcoming is the distinct lack of public space in what is the most desirable and prominent region of the city. According to Vincent Llorens of the Valencia Consortium, “The navy must be a public space, the great public square of Valencia.” The new proposed Marina Town Square will replace the barriers of the remnants of the infrastructure within the area and create a new ‘town square’ in the heart of the newly developed marina in accordance with the vision of reclaiming the public space of the harbor and the cities evolving edge condition. The new public square will redefine the edge condition of the harbor and reclaim land lost to the industrial demands of the port. It’s siting across from the historic Edificio Del Reloj clock tower engages with the historic context and provides a new meaning to the historic infrastructure. Beyond serving simply as a public square for the community, the public space of the building will serve as an amphitheater with the potential to host events, while the interior of the building hosts the new offices of La Marina De Valencia, the organization tasked with planning and envisioning the future of the harbor.
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01 // LA MARINA TOWN SQUARE
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
1798
1921
1992
PRESENT
RECLAIMING THE WATER’S EDGE Valencia’s port is the largest on the western coast of the Mediterranean and is the fifth busiest container port in Europe. As infrastructural demands have grown over time, the functions of the port have outgrown its original location and have been entirely moved to the south. This has left the historic harbor in a state of zoning ambiguity and disrepair. For this reason, La Marina Town Square is located in the heart of the harbor to reclaim the iconographic importance the area once had, replacing the existing barriers and fences of the site with a new activated public space.
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01 // LA MARINA TOWN SQUARE
PROJECT SITE
EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
CREATING A NEW PUBLIC SPACE The siting of the project along the existing pier creates a new dialogue with the historic infrastructure of the city and shapes the new “town square” of the harbor. The goal of the project is to reactivate a zone of the city that formerly held an incredible amount of iconographic value, and in doing so pay respect to the history of the area while redefining what the future of the harbor can become. The former gates and barriers to the pier are replaced with an activated public space that re-engages the city with its water’s edge.
EXTENDING THE PUBLIC ZONE The geometry of the building is then opened to allow for the public space to extend and rake up into the building thus shaping the amphitheater and pulling the public in. The amphitheater is a direct extension of the public square into the building and allows for the historic Edificio Del Reloj clock tower to become the backdrop to the social space. This public square creates a new dialogue with the historical context and brings activity back to the harbor.
FRAMING THE SQUARE New landscaping creates distinct zones of the town square. To the north of the pier, the zone steps to the water to allow for a reconnection to the water. This area can become a launching points for things like kayaks in a similar way to the way in which the new Chicago River walk operates. Although the water in this area is not suitable for swimming, the steps are an extension of the public zone down to the water and provide new social spaces. To the south, the amphitheater can play host to events or become a seating space for the marina. The office program is predominately located within the base of the building. Within the zone of offices, there are varying levels of private and public spaces.
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01 // LA MARINA TOWN SQUARE
FORMAL VS. INFORMAL OFFICE SPACE A bar of offices along the southern facade serves as the most private space within the building. These offices contain the workspaces for the different branches of La Marina De Valencia including the planners, the events planners, and the boating administration. The bar of office space is subdivided into formal and informal offices. The formal offices house more individualized work spaces while the informal zones serve as a mediation space between public and private to promote collaboration both between employees and the community.
THE PUBLIC LIVING ROOM The space framed by the bar of offices becomes a ‘public living room’ that encourages collaboration and communication between the local community and the planners of La Marina De Valencia. This space houses an ampitheater and planning exhibition to promote local engagement. Located along the primary circulation path of the building, the public living is a place marked by interactions among co-workers or members of the community in attempts to further the relationship between those planning the future of the harbor and those who will be most impacted by its development.
GRAFTING THE HISTORIC CONTEXT A mirrored top floor grafts the historic context of the marina and allows the context and the ocean to become the primary features of the facade. The mirror acts as a sculputral elements hovering above the activity of the harbor constantly reflecting the past of the area and the water that shaped the city’s history. Not only does the mirror graft the historical context, the reflections off of the mirror onto the water create a dynamic relationship in which the building is having an active relationship to its surroudnings that is evolving throughout the day and throughout time. As the image of the harbor changes, so too does the image of the La Marina Town Square which constantly serves as a reflection of its place
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
1
3
6
2
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5
4
5
4 AMPHITHEATER
FIRST FLOOR PLAN 0’ 5’ 10’
9
8
20’
50’
12
10
5
10
5
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SECOND FLOOR PLAN 0’
5’
15
16
4
5
4
14
5
4
5
4
10’
20’
50’
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13
THIRD FLOOR PLAN
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0’
5’
10’
20’
50’
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MECHANICAL ROOM
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STORAGE
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PLANNING OFFICES
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INFORMAL OFFICES
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PUBLIC LIVING ROOM
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PLANNING EXHIBITION
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EXTERIOR TERRACE
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BAR / STORAGE
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EVENT PLANNING OFFICES
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BOATING ADMINISTRATION
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CONFERENCE ROOMS
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CAFE
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KITCHEN
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BAR
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STORAGE
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01 // LA MARINA TOWN SQUARE
VIEW OF THE PUBLIC LIVING ROOM
VIEW FROM CONFERENCE ROOMS
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
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01 // LA MARINA TOWN SQUARE
LONGITUDINAL SECTION PERSPECTIVE
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
ENLARGED SPATIAL SECTION THROUGH TERRACE
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01 // LA MARINA TOWN SQUARE
STRUCTURAL ASSEMBLY Two structural methodologies are utilized to further delineate between the base office program of the building and the more structurally demanding top floor. Within the bottom two floors of the building, a steel column and beam system is utilized. It functions as a one-way spanning system providing the base and structural anchor upon which the top floor rests. As a new construction in the water, a series of steel piles are driven down to provide stability to the subsequent structural elements. Atop the steel piles are pile caps and a concrete pad on which the steel columns transfer their loads. The top floor is comprised of a floor to floor depth truss system.. The column system from the bottom floor extends up through the third floor to provide the anchor point to the inside of the top floor box truss.
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
VIEW FROM THE NORTH
VIEW UP THE AMPHITHEATER STEPS
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01 // LA MARINA TOWN SQUARE
VIEW DOWN THE NEW PEDESTRIAN BOARDWALK
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
02 // WEST BOTTOMS WORKS KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI FALL 2016
INTRODUCTION Located within the heart of the former industrial district of the West Bottoms in Kansas City Missouri, the West Bottoms Works builds on the industrial past of the area while introducing into the district a new point of gathering to further activate the revitalized neighborhood. The site of the project is located at the intersection of the established industrial facilities to the south and a new housing development centered around the courtyard to the north. The West Bottoms Works creates a well defined edge to the courtyard and becomes the transition space between the two distinct zones of industry and residential within the district. In keeping in the tradition of the site, the program combines the industrial components of a workshop and motorcycle shop with a coffee shop, cafe and roastery. The project is organized around a central circulation and service core that subdivides the program into “Loud” spaces and “Quiet’ spaces in order to create a more dynamic spatial relationship. Although the two main programmatic elements of motorcycle workshop and cafe are slightly at odds in terms of spatial needs, the connection between the two within the building highlights the unique relationships in the neighborhood and builds on the history of the area. The sight lines and spatial relationships within the project ensure that the process of making and creating is displayed at all times with programmatic spaces nested within each other. The materiality of the building serves a contrast to its neighboring buildings as a way to respect the building techniques of the past and provide simplicity and clarity with the stitching in of a new building into a historical fabric. Understated coloring allows for the building to become subservient to the industry and the activity within, letting the movement of people and the making and creating be the focus. The West Bottoms Works serves as a keystone in the revitalized area, providing spaces for making while also allowing for that process to be coupled with an engaged social environment encompassing the duality of the West Bottoms appeal to industry and community.
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02 // WEST BOTTOMS WORKS
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
EXISTING COURTYARD CONDITION
BUILDING DEFINES THE COURTYARD, PROVIDING AN EDGE
PROGRAM SITING RESPONDS TO SIGNIFY THE TERMINATION OF THE AXIS
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02 // WEST BOTTOMS WORKS
ROOST
LOUD WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP
QUIET ROASTERY
BRIDGING BETWEEN PROGRAM The program is subdivided into “loud” spaces and “quiet” spaces allowing the two program types to be spatially connected. The quiet spaces consist of things like the roastery and kitchen on the coffee side of the program and the classrooms and computer workstation elements of the workshop. The loud spaces are more of the traditional workshop spaces where a wood-shop, motorcycle bays, and large scale project workshops are housed, while the “Roost” or cafe lounge space and events room hangs within the volume of the workshop. The subdivision of the program ensures constant conversation between program types and provides each space a view into another program type. Historically, buildings in the West Bottoms were connected by bridges, so in the same vein, bridges across the service core connect program types and are highlighted by a light well.
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
8
5 4
9 DN
UP
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3
7 10
2 DN
UP
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FIRST FLOOR PLAN
VIEW FROM MOTORCYCLE WORK BAYS
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SECOND FLOOR PLAN
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MOTORCYCLE WORK BAYS
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MOTORCYCLE PAINTING / FINISHING
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WOOD SHOP
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PERSONAL PROJECTS BAY
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COFFEE ROASTERY
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KITCHEN
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ROOST AND MOTORCYCLE DISPLAY
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LASER CUTTING / 3D STUDIO
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PROJECT DESIGN WORKSHOP
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CLASSROOM
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TEXTILE WORKSHOP
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02 // WEST BOTTOMS WORKS
VIEW FROM ROASTERY
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
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02 // WEST BOTTOMS WORKS
CROSS SECTION PERSPECTIVE
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
VIEW FROM THE ROOST
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02 // WEST BOTTOMS WORKS
VIEW ABOVE THE ROASTERY
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
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STEEL STRUCTURE, CONCRETE FOUNDATION, POLISHED CONCRETE FLOORING
3 FIBER CEMENT PANEL HANGER, ROOF
INSULATION, SKYLIGHT, COMPOSITE DECKING
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2 MULLIONS FOR GLAZING, PLYWOOD W/ RIGID INSULATION, CHANNEL GLASS SUPPORT
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CHANNEL GLASS, KAWNEER GLAZING SYSTEM, EQUITONE FIBER CEMENT PANEL, TPO ROOF
02 // WEST BOTTOMS WORKS
VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
03 // KING’S ROAD GATEHOUSE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA SPRING 2016
INTRODUCTION This project was developed as a reinterpretation of the program of the gatehouse located at the Villa Savoye and presented the task of researching and analyzing a well known work of residential architecture, in this case the King’s Road House by Rudolph Schindler, and then developing a proposal for a gatehouse on the property. The original gatehouse of the Villa Savoye served as a point of control to the home and was designed using the same general priciples as the main home. In a similar fashion, this project is to take the cues of the design of the King’s Road house and use that vocabulary to create a new work. The gatehouse is to serve both as a single residence for a caretaker of the home, as well as house a visitor’s pavilion where information about the King’s Road House could be viewed and distributed. Located in Los Angeles, California the King’s Road House was designed and built as Schindler’s personal residence that he shared with his wife as well as another couple. His main focus for the house was to recreate the feeling of camping through sleeping porches and a stark contrast in material palette using heavy tilt up concrete panels and very light, permeable redwood and glass infill. The pinwheel plan of the house organizes the living spaces of each couple’s quarters to an adjacent outdoor space, creating levels of privacy and screening within the larger plan of the home. The home is designed with incredible control and a few select guiding principles that shaped each moment of the home. The first of these was the strict four by four grid of the entire site. Each wall and all major elements are controlled by the grid, only straying slightly from the regimented dimension in select instances. The house also relies on the contrast between the heavy concrete and the light wood infill. These are the two primary materials and their relationship creates the dynamism of the project. This strict language of Schindler’s for the King’s Road House is translated into the design of the gatehouse in order to respect the intentions of the existing house and sit politely on the site without upsetting the balance of the larger scale project.
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03 // KING’S ROAD GATEHOUSE
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
KING’S ROAD HOUSE 4 X 4 GRID
SOLID & INFILL
CREATED EXTERIOR SPACE
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03 // KING’S ROAD GATEHOUSE
KING’S ROAD GATEHOUSE 4 X 4 GRID Schindler’s strict four by four grid is carried over into the plan of the gatehouse. Dimensions for all major elements are derived from the grid in order to respect the scale and the convention of the original home. Walls, windows, and even the placement of trees is all regimented by the grid, however much like Schindler, the grid is broken in select moments and walls are placed at a half of the grid.
SOLID & INFILL A defining element of the house is the contrast between the concrete walls and the light wood infills. The same language is carried out in the gatehouse utilizing concrete walls and redwood and glazing infill. However, the gatehouse pushes what the solid space can be, utilizing four foot thick walls to not only define space but also house programmatic elements.
CREATED EXTERIOR SPACE The pinwheel plan of the King’s Road House creates exterior space allocated to each of the three residential zones of the project. In a similar way, the plan of the gatehouse defines a sunken outdoor space to be utilized by the caretaker and an outdoor space to be utilized for the visitor’s pavilion. A significant focus of Schindler’s was placed on the outdoor space and the gatehouse respects those principles.
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
SITE PLAN
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03 // KING’S ROAD GATEHOUSE
4
5 3
2
LOWER LEVEL PLAN
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VISITOR PAVILION
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LIVING SPACE
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DINING
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BEDROOM
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PRIVATE EXTERIOR SPACE
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Site Plan
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
RESPECTING THE SCALE Perhaps the greatest challenge of constructing a new building adjacent to the King’s Road House is dealing with the unbelievable scale of the project. The low overhangs of the house measure at 6’3” while the highest ceilings measure 8’8” meaning a modernly scaled building would dwarf the original house. In order to respect the scale, the visitor’s pavilion of the gatehouse remains at 8’8” while the rest of the home is pushed five feet into the ground to create a sunken garden, similar to the sunken gardens of the original home.
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03 // KING’S ROAD GATEHOUSE
WEST ELEVATION
SECTION THROUGH VISITOR PAVILION
SECTION THROUGH HOUSE
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
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03 // KING’S ROAD GATEHOUSE
PROGRAMMING THE MASS The four foot thick walls are used to not only provide the contrast between mass and infill, but they also house much of the program and storage of the gatehouse. For example, kitchen casework is hidden behind a Bulthaup kitchen pocket door system in order to provide the visual of a solid mass while also serving the programmatic needs of the home.
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
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03 // KING’S ROAD GATEHOUSE
VIEW OF LIVING SPACE
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
VIEW OF BEDROOM
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03 // KING’S ROAD GATEHOUSE
VIEW OF DINING SPACE
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
04 // COOPER HEWITT MUSEUM NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK SPRING 2016
INTRODUCTION The Cooper Hewitt Design Museum was originally founded in 1896 and was intended to become a space for both Cooper Union students as well as designers in the profession to study and display their work. The museum has since been moved to its current location in the Andrew Carnegie Mansion along Central Park. As the first private residence in the United States with a structural steel frame and Otis elevator, the building represented a cutting edge approach to building systems and made for the perfect home to display the unique collection of designed objects. Unlike more traditional museum collections, the collection of the Cooper Hewitt spans a variety of disciplines from architecture, sculpture, furniture, clothing, costumes, musical instruments and more. The Carnegie Mansion has served as a suitable home of the museum for years, however as the collection expands both in size and scale the museum has been forced to digitize much of its collection and display it via large electronic screens. This project attempts to resolve some of the growing pains of the museum and provide a satellite location with the intent of housing all scales of the collection from large to small. The building is also intended to be designed in the same intentions of its current home, stressing structural innovation and ingenuity with the display of the collection as the guiding principle. The building sits at the terminus of a major site line of Houston Street and one of the main goals of the design is to create a visual termination of the axis of the street by placing transparent galleries on the street side to highlight the collection not only within the building but also to the larger city context. Beyond the siting of the project, another key element of the design is the attention to spatial scale and its relationship to the collection. The Cooper Hewitt presents the unique challenge of displaying things at the scale of glassware alongside architectural design or vehicle design. The goal of the project was to create an environment that spoke to the innovative history of the Cooper Hewitt while also establishing a space suitable for viewing a diverse collection.
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04 // COOPER HEWITT MUSEUM
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
SERVE VS. SERVICE Two service cores divide the project into served and service spaces. The central core provides the circulation throughout the building while the larger core to the south, provides spaces for the back of house program and storage spaces needed to operate a museum of this scale.
SERVICE CORE AS SCALING UNIT In responding to the diverse scale of the Cooper Hewitt, the central service core serves as a compressive space in the circulation path to scale down the museum prior to viewing the smaller items in the single height spaces before then circulating out to view the larger scale pieces in the double height volumes.
SUSPENDED STRUCTURE In the same way the Carnegie Mansion represented an innovative structural solution, the top floor administrative program is made up of a vierendeel truss from which the gallery spaces hang. This prevents the need for bulky columns that would disrupt the flow of the museum and the viewing of the collection.
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04 // COOPER HEWITT MUSEUM
LONGITUDINAL SECTION THROUGH GALLERIES
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
LOBBY
1
CAFE
2
KITCHEN
3
GIFT SHOP
4
LOADING DOCK
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1
2
3
4 5
SITE PLAN
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04 // COOPER HEWITT MUSEUM
VIEW FROM HOUSTON STREET
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OZ
05 // OZ JOURNAL CO-EDITOR - VOLUME 40 “AUTHENTICITY” SUMMER 2017 - SPRING 2018
INTRODUCTION Oz is the annual journal of the college of Architecture, Planning, and Design at Kansas State University. Each issue consists of a collection of responses from architects, artists, and designers who respond to a theme statement unique to each year’s journal. As a co-editor of Volume 40, I collaborated in crafting the theme and concept for this year’s journal and then established a list of contributors who’s work spoke most directly to the theme. For Volume 40, we explored the concept of “Authenticity” and its role in design. The goal of the concept was to investigate why the truly great artists and architects prioritize their vision first and foremost, rather than succumbing to outside pressures. To work and design authentically fundamentally means resisting the temptation to take the easy way out of a problem, or do the kind of work that would be most monetarily successful. It is in this vein that authentic creation frequently necessitates resistance, to do what may not be expected but what could only be the result of the authenticity of the creator. Authenticity is the individual quality that separates the work of each and every designer and Volume 40 intends to shed light on the unique approach of some of the greatest contemporary artists and architects. The contributors selected for this journal were identified as designers who have refused to fold to expectations of the current climate and have continued to create in a manner unique to their vision. Rather than a more traditional case study approach to contributions, Volume 40 seeks to engage today’s leading designers in an active conversation about authenticity and design theory in relation to their body of work. Through the more personal written contributions, the journal hopes to provide an explanation for how and why these great works have been accomplished. Beyond the creation of the theme, my role included soliciting and handling the correspondence with the contributors, reviewing and editing abstracts, and the creation of journal layouts. In efforts to further promote Volume 40, I also designed a run of apparel, created graphics, and organized promotional events.
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05 // OZ JOURNAL
VOLUME 40 CONTRIBUTORS: Dong-Ping Wong Janet Echelman Vanessa Beecroft Julie Brook Elizabeth Turk Larry Bell Driely S. Fran Silvestre Santi Nieto UN Studio Do Ho Suh Peter Alexander Patrick Dougherty
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OZ
APPAREL MARKETING In order to further promote Volume 40 of Oz, a run of apparel including sweatshirts, hats, and T-shirts was designed and sold. A lookbook was also designed and directed to highlight the range of apparel. 54
05 // OZ JOURNAL
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OZ
OpEN HOUSE OpEN HOUSE FRIDAY DECEMBER 1ST 5:30 PM ROOM 0103
RESiSTANCE iS A GOOD THiNG
FRIDAY DECEMBER 1ST 5:30 PM ROOM 0103
RESiSTANCE iS A GOOD THiNG
OpEN HOUSE OpEN HOUSE FRIDAY DECEMBER 1ST 5:30 PM ROOM 0103
RESiSTANCE iS A GOOD THiNG
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FRIDAY DECEMBER 1ST 5:30 PM ROOM 0103
RESiSTANCE iS A GOOD THiNG
05 // OZ JOURNAL
GRAPHIC DESIGN A series of posters and graphics was designed to highlight Oz events and journal sales as well as being utilized for further promotion of the journal.
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VIDEOGRAPHY
06 // VIDEOGRAPHY DIGITAL VISUAL EFFECTS FALL 2016
INTRODUCTION This project was developed as a part of the Digital Visual Effects seminar taken during my graduate architecture coursework. The seminar explored the role of videography in design and included short films developed around architectural concepts and other films centered around understanding the basics of composing and editing videos. The prompt for this video in particular was intended to highlight the act of performing a task using fifty different shots in a minute or less. The short film follows a member of the Kansas State University football team in the moments leading up to a game, walking the viewer through his process of preparation from arrival to the locker room to the walk down the tunnel. Each shot was intended to focus on a different aspect of the process before culminating in the final sequences. The project was also an exercise in exploring the effects of scales of space within short films and the practice of establishing shots against more detail oriented shots. Another focus was the impact of color grading and post production and its effects on the overall outcome of a video. Although originally intended only to be created as a part my coursework, the video was used by the football team for social media promotional purposes. Other videos within the course included explorations in architectural diagramming and composing architectural narratives through film. Using the skills developed in the curriculum of Digital Visual Effects, creating videos and short films has become a tool I have used to supplement architectural concepts as well as other ventures. Video work provides a unique perspective and an extremely useful tool to explain concepts that are sometimes difficult to explain in still imagery. I also enjoy the conceptual development of videos and the power they have to create atmosphere and mood in a similar vein to the development of built space. Videography is able to provide a tremendous amount of access to a larger audience in a way that line drawing or still imagery may fall short. Videos have the power to become extremely relatable and tangible elements which is a very useful tool to have in a design arsenal.
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06 // VIDEOGRAPHY
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VIDEOGRAPHY
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CHRISTIAN BERGER berger.cr@yahoo.com bergerchristian.com (316) 737 - 5848