Architecture
Portfoli o Joao Costa 1
Architecture
Joao Costa
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Portfolio
Contents
Resume Body/Measure Setting Orthographic Cuts + Assemble Cut + Bend + Assemble Panel Project Visual Arts
Resume
Education University of Pennsylvania (Expected Graduation: May 2014) College of Arts and Sciences BA Architecture | BA Urban Studies GPA: 3.82 Paris Study Abroad Program (University of Pennsylvania School of Design) Summer 2012 • Attended lectures on architecture, landscape and urbanism from important scholars, architects and engineers, toured buildings, parks, and professional offices.
Body/Measure
Honors Dean’s List 2010-11 Dean’s List 2011-12
Extracurricular Experience International Club Representative (September 2010- present) • Get the sophomore class involved with the club and its events through marketing and holding weekly meetings. Brazilian Club Representative (September 2010-present) • Host freshman events on campus to spread the knowledge of Brazilian culture.
Joao Costa costajo@sas.upenn.com 973.477.6374
Work Experience University of Pennsylvania Architectural Archives (September 2011-present) Research Assistant • Assist Curator with preparing and developing exhibits; process and inventory collection objects; assist researchers and visitors; perform research and work on special projects o Some of the exhibits I was involved with include: • To be continued… MGA Partners & Architects (Fall 2011) • Kahn In Rome (Spring 2012) • Kahn Retrospective: European Tour (Summer 2012) Media Technology Services (January 2011-May 2011) Graphic Designer • Designed posters, brochures, book covers, etc, for faculty, staff, and campus groups. Edison Elementary School (September 2010-January 2011) Teacher’s Aide • Worked with special needs students in the first and second grades and helped the teacher in any way possible. This included mini lessons, homework help, reading, etc. Newark Recreational Services Office Worker (Summer 2011) • Answered the phone, completed and filed paper work, translated different documents, and attended to the patrons.
For this project, we had to select a particular area of the body, including at least one joint and two adjacent parts, and photograph the subject area in a simple sequence of movement. We then had to photograph the movement from at least two different points of view making sure that each sequence registers the same positions in space. The background could only be black or white to either articulate or dissolve the shadows. Lights were set up to illuminate or to cast in shade the surfaces of the body for the sequence. The camera “eye” was used as a tool to measure and crop, re-frame and record salient physical aspects discovered in motion sequence.
Skills Languages Spoken Portuguese, French, and Spanish
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Software • Microsoft Office Suite • Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign • Rhino • SketchUp
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Scale 1:1 22 x 44 in. Graphite on heavyweight white paper 03
After a particular area of the body was chosen and photographed, we then had to create a drawing analysis and projection based on the photographic sequence. A measuring method was devised to survey the selected body area in a specific position. We then had to transcribe the survey along with our method of measurement into two constructed orthographic line drawings. A third orthographic view was then projected from the two drawings. The survey, together with its discipline of measurement as a frame of reference, were used for the prediction and exploration of discrete conditions such as extension/compression, rotation, animation, sequential profiles and verso/recto relationships. 04
Scale 2:1 22 x 30 in. Graphite on heavyweight white paper
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Scale 2:1 22 x 30 in. Graphite on heavyweight white paper Line weights were employed with respect to profile/edge, contour/surface, and the more latent projector/scaffold to both discover and articulate spatial correspondence.
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Setting
Composite Image
Technical Measure
The second part of the project required orthographic analytical drawings that were constructed to explore the depth, proportion, structure, and spatial relationships of the selected site and photographic composite. Different line values were employed with respect to profile/edge and contour/ surface to articulate spatial correspondence and represent discrete conditions of measure. The technical and situational measure drawings were utilized as the principal drawings from which the sequence was projected or unfolded to depict the “moving eye” of the observer and a change in temporal condition within the site.
Situational Measure
For this project, a particular area of the designated site, which in this case was the interior or exterior of the Fischer Fine Arts Library designed by Frank Furness, was investigated. A frame or threshold condition was chosen within this site and it was photographed from two orthographically related views. In this case, I chose to concentrate on the west façade’s windows as frames and its materiality (terracotta, brick, masonry, etc.) as a mask that divides the exterior and the interior of the building. The physical as well as the metaphysical qualities of idea, depth, and space were considered when taking the preliminary photographs of the site. A composite photograph (shown above) was then created to combine both sequences, which in this case were the row of exterior windows and its wall and the framed staircase of the interior. 07
Bas Relief (4 x 6 study)
Wall Studies
Sequence Drawing
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The process used to refine the wooden log into smaller units leads to very different design opportunities and applications and therefore different artifacts. The primary material for this project was poplar wood (1 x 10 x 48� board). Poplar is hardwood with color variations ranging from white to yellow (sapwood) and straw brown to green (heartwood). The project restrictions allowed for the cutting, bending, drilling, and gluing of wood alone. Power tools, hand tools, and laser cutters would be used to create an object designed and made using only orthogonal cuts.
1 x 10 x 48� Poplar Board
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Orthographic Cuts + Assemble
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Bend Assemble Cut Once again, the primary material for this project was Poplar wood but this time, however, the artifact was to be made out of a 1/8 x 18 x 32� board. Due to its relatively low cost, capacity to hold a sharp edge detail, and high resistance to splitting, Poplar is an ideal material for furniture, cabinets, doors, and moldings. The main objective of this project was to investigate the physical limitations of Poplar wood and see how it could be bent to create interesting designs.
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1/8 x 18 x 32� Poplar Board
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Panel Project
In Panel Project, the objective was to design and fabricate a free-standing panel. All panels were to be self-supporting and designed to stand on the floor. The panel was designed to create privacy between two people and have selective and controlled revealing. The revealing effect of my panel was controlled by the changing angles of the viewer. The panel that I designed was based on the unit of a single glass column (3 x 3 x 6’). The panel itself is made up of at least two columns and the negative space in between them, which has the same dimensions as the columns themselves, but can also have an infinite number of glass columns and their negative spaces. The setting of my panel is the vacant landscape where the columns could run for miles, highlighting the interesting hills, valleys, mountains, and other terrains. The columns are sensitive to temporal conditions since they light up at night, creating a row of illumination throughout the landscape. Each column also has a distinct pattern, which either grows or shrinks depending on the column’s altitude. Even though the primary material used was glass, each column has a different amount of frosting, also depending on its height (transparent columns are higher than the more opaque columns). This causes a different amount of light to shine from the columns making some illuminate the nighttime landscape, while others would be almost invisible. While the concept of a panel is usually utilitarian, my panel provided the viewer with an experience: a new way to view landscape and its many features.
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The panel design was developed and studied with initial explorations of folding. Many design disciplines and ancient practices utilize folding of sheets to create structure and form. 16
Growing Patterns (4 x 4” Poplar )
Glass Frosting Gradient (acrylic and chipboard
1:2 scale model (1 x 1 x 3’ glass and acrylic) 17
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Visual Art Contact
24 x 18 “Worker’s Basket” | pencil
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24 x 18 “Still Life of Big and Small Benches” | charcoal
18 x 24 “Forrest Artifacts Still Life” | pencil
24 x 18 “Androgynous Shaded Drawing” | pencil
Joao Costa costajo@sas.upenn.edu (973)-477-6374
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