CONNOR Connor Borchardt Architectural Intern
PRIMAL FILTRATION Arousing Sensation on a primal level, altering one’s perception & promulgating a heightened sensual realization. Seasonal Pool House Summer Semester 2013. Civic. Fort Anctient, Ohio. Using tactile and perceptival changes the journeymen will become more aware of their surroundings, accentuating moments so that they no longer are ordinary. Crossing the river to reach the parking, one will scarcely view the pools veiled behind gossamer sheets. While impeding the view and perceptional proximity the gossamer planes will also dampen the sound transmitted from the bridge down river. After parking, one crosses the road and passes through a copse of trees wading into the grass. Confronted with edge conditions, one will be drawn to them: peering through, the structure will be revealed i.e. Rendering. As a seasonal structure one may better appreciate it; associating it with a limited access window, and a set of experiences, rather than a regular occupation. Whilst intruding on the natural landscape the structures sit above and outside of the earth and the pools sit within it. The gossamer planes drift off into the forest. The experience implements three elements; the Gossamer Planes, The Permeable Masses and the Pools within the river. Each element is essential as the user drifts to and immerses one's self in the river.
Bridge Perspective: Scarcely glimpsed by passing traffic; the pools and river lie concealed behind planes of gossamer. In this manner, sound is dampened as well as visibility.
DIRECT
DEFINE
DELVE
Porous Wall Slightly weighted gossamer sheets reach across the fields, suspended by lengthy cables. Each cloth sheet is five feet wide and as long as necessary to graze the grassy plains. Acting as edge conditions one will be drawn towards them while being able to see through them. Simultaneously, one will discover five foot intervals allowing movement through the wall: creating a wall which is both transparent and porous. Eliminating the circumscribed and constricting measure of the planes as walls will allow one to see them in their simplest form: providing directionality towards the structure through convergence, defining vistas of the forest and the plains by dividing spaces and framing them, and allowing users to delve into them through play.
C James Godman
Corten Steel and Wood: Uprooting oneself from the ground the structure will stand above the earth, providing contrast to the imminent plunge. Walking along wooden planks, one will enter a Permeable mass; through which both people and planes flow. Upon entering the first mass one will receive a cloth sack with a number attached and a corresponding leather bracelet from a staff member at the front desk(highlighted in blue). Proceeding down the planks one will enter the second mass, where the Saunas are located(highlighted in green). Moving through the sheet, each person steps into their own changing room. In this manner the people move straight through the mass; as opposed to entering a large changing room and coming out, each user shall receive their own room and move through the structure. Upon changing one will be required to place all electronics and additional clothing into the clothe sack. Exiting the changing room the opposite direction from which one came, one shall hang up the sack in the hall to be retrieved. A staff member will retrieve and hold the baggage until the end of the user's experience. By removing personal baggage and real-world attachments the user will be cleansed spiritually and mentally.
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No Electronics Permitted After removing baggage, one will be physically cleansed within the Saunas. Each Sauna will be constructed of wood and core-ten. The rocks will be fed heat through coals beneath the structure. The steam will circulate and exit through the vents at the top of the room. Benches will be placed on both sides. Similar to the direct movement through the structure upon leaving the Sauna, the occupants will move straight through, as opposed to exiting through a door
individually. The occupants must work together and exit together. The Sauna will loosen their joints and cleanse their skin by sweating out toxins. Grasping a large rope from the wall they will pull together, muscles straining to gain reprieve from the heat. A pulley system will open the door, for the first time fully revealing the river.
THE MUTE GENERATION Creating an experience so dynamic and interactive, that it disconneacts one from their personal electronic devices and reconnects a generation. Library & Community Center. Fall Semester 2012. Civic. Cincinnati, Ohio. From 1980 until present the Millennial generation has been borne into a world of technology. Known as "digital natives", Millenials persistently delving into their own personal devices and disconnecting from their surrounding environment: eradicating development of interpersonal communication and purging growth of interpersonal relationships. Inversely, telecommunications has encouraged maintenance of social networking and long distance relationships. The inevitable decline of the book, partnered with the progression of social services offered within a library begs the reinvention of the modern day library. Initially appearing as the next step in the evolution; community centers lack the essential supply of information, whether translated through book or other media. Therefore a Library must become more than a library, more than a community center; it must become a communication center. It must communicate information, it must communicate relationships and it must communicate natural appreciation. It will use integrated machinations to create an interactive sequence of spaces that will create a unique experience bonding users in appreciation and purpose. These systems will include: a lighted path, using minimalist logos directing users to their destination, a spatial progression from dark compression to expansive illumination, a modular floor system allowing assorted furniture pieces to be pushed through the floor, books with R.I.D. chips reacting with recommendations when pulled from the shelf and media pods which will enhance learning or entertainment services for small groups of people. It will be efficient, modular and reactive; anticipating and accommodating to the user's desires. It will understand technology as a necessary evil and employ it to bring individuals together.
cafe
art books restoration
modular space
reading lounge
staff
stacks
UNITE
RUPTURE
Anchoring the county, the Communication Center will be a beacon for the Northern residents and Southern students.
Immediately presented with an obstacle, patrons are confronted with decision, while being separated from one another. Descending into a labyrinth of bookshelves, a path of light guides the occupant.
DISORIENT
ASCEND. REALIZE
A necessary evil, technology divides and connects individuals; the wall which previously forced a decision becomes an elevator, liberating the wanderer. Reunited, patrons will look down on the past rising above confusion and confrontation. Immersed in illumination and release, users share a unique experience nurturing growth and interpersonal relationships.
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cafe artbook restoration
computer lab
modular space
interactive media center
childrens
study rooms
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A Beacon & an Anchor The form will react to the innovation and minimalist simplicity of the generation, with transparent masses wrapped in clean, filleted, ribbons housing the structural and mechanical systems. The massing scheme will react the interior distribution of space; hierarchically the tallest mass will act as an anchor, used for the most public spaces, and the smaller masses pulled from it become more private.
The building will be a beacon and an anchor to the community. It will respect the site and surrounding buildings; however it will not conform to their materiality, size or formal orders. It will engage pedestrians from the street, with its raised reading lounge and children's room while providing a walking path through. The communication center will nurture interpersonal relationships through integrated technological innovations and reactive spatial sequencing.
SENSORY TECTONICS Perceiving a built reality through sensory engagement and coherent relationships. Ice Sculpture Pavilion Public - Firelands Trail Summer Charette 2013 Tectonics is the perceiving of a built reality; the connections implemented to form said reality and the understanding of potential structural continuation through defined relationships. The Pavilion’s skeleton is well defined and recognizable. It properly presents the Ice Sculpture while refusing to over embellish itself in order to supersede the sculpture’s presence. The Pavilion presents the sculpture in an open chamber, framing with a rectangular opening above and behind it. Made up of thick beams with bolt connections the strongest structural elements rib the enclosure. Perpendicular to the infrastructure, wooden 2xs run along the body holding the skin aloft. Sequentially, the structure will reveal it’s anatomy while engaging one particular sense more intently than others. Through the focus of multiple senses one will better remember the Pavilion and the experience.
LISTEN
INHALE
Descending into the Pavilion one will be surrounded by concrete. Each footfall will sound and feel different. Melted ice from the sculpture will drip down the inward wall. Drips will echo in the chamber.
Made of cedar, the Pavilion will have a distinctive scent. Rising from the foundation, one will breathe deep. Inhaling the cedar scent one will recognize the structure.
WITNESS Turning into the Cell the sculpture will be framed by light from above and beyond. The structure will completely be revealed. One will leave through the light.
SOCIAL GRADIENT Using the site’s gradient to transition from public to private while offering place for interaction and repose. International Student Center Fall Semester 2014. Mixed Use. Cincinnati, Ohio. Crucial to the design is the site's slope which transitions between the University of Cincinnati on the North and residential neighborhoods on the South. Focusing on layers of community, the sub-community and the individual, the International Studies Center of Cincinnati provides an institute open to the public, dorms for the institute's students and low rise apartments for locals. Flowing down the slope, the public to private gradient is juxtaposed by a basketball court and sculpture garden. Though both are essentially public, both are inherently owned by their predecessor; the housing by the court and the institute by the garden. Reinforcing this abutment is the abrupt drop in elevation and the literal wall which divides the North and South sides of the site. The International Studies Center of Cincinnati implements the site's slope and gradient from public to private, while contrasting interaction and repose in order to create comfortable relationships between people cultivating a greater understanding of one another.
Dorms
Dorms
Dorms
Institute
Amenity
Local Housing
Collegiate to Residential A. Section Cut from North to South displaying the program gradient. B. Site map portraying the gradient from public (black) to commercial (dark gray) to private (light gray). In addition the map displays the common use of brick in the Clifton Area.
Local Housing Local Housing
Public Private Brick
GARDEN
CAFE
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Bus Stop
Inhospitable
Walking Path
Kaleidescope Consisting of a three lane one way street, an abandoned church and a desolate parking lot the area north of the site is largely uninhabitable. Offering a shortcut to the local bus stop along with a cafe and art gallery, the institute will pull pedestrians from the barren street-scape. A glass-block-steel-frame barrel vault will distort students and pedestrians vision. This distortion will increase the perceived activity when looking in, while decreasing the perceived closeness of cars while looking out. Though the glass block barrel vault will generally be seen as a massive singular object, walking along it will reveal a strong relationship with bricks from surrounding facades in the Cincinnati area. In addition, due to its location on the north side of the site as well as the shading provided from the southern wall, the glass vault will not suffer greatly from the sun's exposure.
Rendering: Not Image
Section Slice Key A. Dorm Porch B. Dorm Amenity C. Public Path D. Public Cafe E. Institute Studio
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Students will be visually engaged with their neighbors and gain identity from program.
While advertised as a place to meet new people and make new friends, dormitories often implement the standard core typology which is counterintuitive to its goal of cultivating interaction. Divided by floors, one has no sense of connection with their fellow dorm-mates. By introducing a shared path terminating in a communal amenity students will be visually engaged with their neighbors and gain identity from program. Becoming the Billiard Dorm or the Wii Dorm each subcommunity will have something of which to be proud. These on-display shared living spaces will burst through the wall dividing residential from the public, advertising a subcommunity of students.
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Extensively publicizing one's living space, it is necessary to offer a place of reprieve. Therefore, multiple moments allow occupants an escape: A. Bedroom illuminated by a single south facing occulus. B. Passage connecting the institute and the local housing lying in the center of each courtyard wall. C. Wall linking dorms focused on the reflective pools and views towards downtown. D. Courtyard between dormitories, made up of vegetation and reflective pools. E. Dorm porches, allowing repose from the convivialities of the shared amenity. F. Balconies set a comfortable distance from one another facing outwards, contrary to the forced interaction of the institute.
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REPOSE ACTIVITY
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Thank You
BORCHARDT Connor Borchardt Architectural Intern
c. 4192393156 e. conarch7@gmail.com h. 2625 Eden Ave. Cincinnati, Oh