graduate design portfolio
d a v i db a s h a m
contents
digital
hand
design
crafted
drawn painted collaborations
windy city harvest
1.1
midwest lacrosse center
1.2
sprout
1.3
bale
2.1
box
2.2
spheres
2.3
models
2.4
morton bench
2.5
fractal
2.6
mixed media
3.1
watercolor
4.1
ink field
5.1
field installation
5.2
a.s.a.: architecture service animals
5.3
Windy City Harvest is a collaborative venue which seeks to link urban agriculture with education, social change, environmental practices and institutional expertise. The 4.5 acre site, located just west
of the infamous Cabrini-Green housing projects, was conceived of as an urban filter, with the shape of the garden plots inspired by the rocks of a riverbed.
The design intent was to
a
expand the utility of the site beyond that of an urban agriculture center
through the creation of an egalitarian setting which could be used by the entire community. The site was therefore
a
400’
envisioned as a park in which the angled horizontal planes of the planting beds create a sculptural, dynamic landscape through which the public can flow, thereby
200’
50’
maintaining public access to the waterfront. site circulation residential commercial footprint chicago river constructed wetlands planting beds
section aa 50’
200’
400’ In addition to the utilitarian and sculptural nature of the garden plots, the gabions serve as
a palimpsest for the rapidly gentrifying community; a creative way to reuse the detritus of the site itself as well as the surrounding neighborhood, including the
remaining residential towers of Cabrini-Green, which are slated for demolition in the near future. Furthermore, the raised
garden plots, in conjunction with the constructed wetlands, serve as an inherent barrier along the length of the site, limiting and controlling public access during off hours.
1.1
windy city harvest
chicago, il.
2008
The building’s footprint was derived through an iterative exploration of the juxtaposition of the neighborhoods street grid and the garden plots of windy city harvest, as well as the interface between the structure and the site. As such, Windy City Harvest represents the shifting paradigm transforming much of the urban fabric within the United States, in which
traditional infrastructure, planning and distribution systems are gradually evolving in response to the growing popularity of the locavore and urban agriculture movements.
1_coat room 2_storage 3_w/c 4_janitor closet 5_meeting area 6_offices 7_classrooms 8_reception area 9_kitchen 10_m/e 11_resources 12_library
1 2 9
3
8
3
2 10
4
a 2 5 6
a 11
6
12
7
0’
15’
50’
100’
north elevation
west elevation
south elevation
east elevation
The building is clad in
Cem-Clad and Cem-Steel, allowing the walls to fold into the roof, giving the structure an origami-like quality in which the roof acts as a fifth facade, due
to the high level of visibility from surrounding buildings. The
reclaimed ash, used to clad much of the interior, is carried out to the entrance, creating a continuity in materiality between the interior and exterior of the building. Constructed wetlands, in
conjunction with the gabions,
create an effective barrier along the eastern border of the site, limiting access to a series of control points which can be secured from dusk to dawn.
The wetlands also treat the water utilized during the resource intensive urban agriculture process and storm water runoff from the surrounding neighborhood, reducing the
pollution entering the Chicago river.
The construction
and simplified material palette of concrete, wood and glass are durable and affordable, in accordance with the programmatic nature of the building. Interior
walls and partitions are partial height, creating a sense of openness and allowing for increased daylight penetration, while the placement of
the fenestration frames views of the city to the
south and east.
The sloping roof of the building creates a dialogue between the structure and the site.
5’
15’
40’
section aa
detail section
The Midwest Lacrosse Center is a multi-use facility mandated with the facilitation, promotion and dissemination of the indigenous sport of lacrosse. In addition to supporting play of the game by providing fields and an arena, the center engages in community outreach by organizing leagues, tournaments and clinics.
The M. L. C. also endeavors to educate visitors regarding the Native American heritage and current practice of lacrosse through programmatic elements such as a theater, exhibition center and retail/rental facility. Given the center’s mandate and the compact nature of the site,
planning began with the immutable elements. As a center for the dissemination of lacrosse, the fields of play are paramount, and their conditions relatively inflexible.
Extensive consideration was given to the Wentworth Gardens residential community located directly east of the site, and a considerable effort made to incorporate the center into the existing fabric of the neighborhood through scale, orientation and materiality. The main playing field and a public plaza are located on the east side of the site to engage casual observers, including Wentworth Garden residents. To
50’
1.2
200’
300’
midwest lacrosse center
facilitate auxiliary use of the sight and maximize greenspace and site circulation, the building is partially below grade and burmed on the west side to create a park-like setting.
chicago, il.
2008
1_entry plaza 2_theater 3_exhibition hall 4_retail/rental 5_m/e 6_w/c 7_locker room 8 _director’s office 9_meeting room 10_copy room 11_staff offices 12_meeting/break room 13_staff courtyard 14_chumash/box arena 15_public courtyard 16_concessions
1 1 a
a
2
5
b
b
c 150’
10 d
25’
6
7
7
6
c
4
5
75’
6
3
15
16
6 9
8
11
13
6 6
12 1
14
d
The Midwest Lacrosse Center was designed
according to the concept of violent serenity. Lacrosse,
frequently perceived as a violent sport, was a
traditional ceremonial contest, oftentimes used as a means of maintaining peace
by averting war through the settlement of disputes between neighboring tribes.
The concept also considers the dichotomy of the Japanese Samurai warrior and their traditional gardens. As such, the Midwest Lacrosse Center is intended as a peaceful common ground in an urban area with a history of racial tension that is currently dominated by light industry and hardscape.
01 02 03 04
05 06
07 08 09
pre-oxidized cor-ten steel angle steel channel perforated facade, cor-ten, 15 mm double glazing: reeded glass elements in aluminum frames 262/307 mm glass element + cavity + 262/307 mm glass element with thermal insulation 125 mm diameter drainage pipe extensive planting on 150 mm substrate filter mat 40mm layer of gravel on 6mm root resistant layer 1.2 mm epdm waterproof membrane 80-180 mm foamed glass thermal insulation .2 mm polyethylene vapor barrier precast concrete panels diameter hollow steel tube member, 152 mm steel flat, 180 x 45 x 12 mm, welded to hollow steel tube steel flat, 180 x 100 x 3 mm
1
5
6
2
1
2 3
4
7
8 9
north elevation
west elevation
south elevation
east elevation
section aa
section bb
section cc
section dd
The Midwest Lacrosse Center features numerous sustainable environmental control strategies. An array of geo-exchange tubes supplements the radiant floors, while the burmed earth along the buildings western side serves
as a heat sink during warm months and insulates the facility during colder periods. Overhangs along the eastern and southern facades mitigate direct solar gain during the summer, while allowing low altitude sun and indirect daylight to penetrate the width of the buildings relatively narrow axis. During colder months, the structure’s concrete floor acts as a thermal mass, absorbing the direct solar gain from the east and south. The site’s drainage system diverts rainwater to a series of large underground cisterns. This system, coupled with gray water recycling, is used to mitigate the use of potable water for irrigation and sewage conveyance.
obesity in america The obesity epidemic in the United States is a growing concern, with virtually every relevant statistic on the rise. Furthermore, the epidemic is expected to intensify over the next decade, as the most alarming statistics pertain to increased incidents of obesity among the nation’s youth. In addition to quality of life concerns, the growing prevalence of obesity among the country’s population is placing an unsustainable burden on national healthcare, as obese people require significantly more medical assistance compared to those of “normal weight.” Increased body mass index (BMI) associated with obesity has been proven to have a significant adverse effect on a wide array of health issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, asthma, and high cholesterol. This adverse effect dramatically increases the incidents of overall fair or poor health diagnoses among obese people compared to the rest of the population.
$147
5% 16%
326%
$1,006
9.1% Obesity related health care costs relative to total national expenditure (in billions)
Percentage of American youth who are obese, 1980 compared to 2006
Odds ratios for individuals with BMI of 40+ compared with those of “normal weight”
$1,615
1 1 1 1 1 1
7.37 6.38 4.41 4.19 2.72 1.88
$1,429
+ 42% Annual individual health care costs for obese people compared to “normal weight” people
diagnosed diabetes high blood pressure arthritis fair or poor health asthma high cholesterol levels
food deserts Food deserts within the United States are receiving growing attention due to the increased understanding of their role as significant contributors to the country’s obesity epidemic. Food deserts are areas in which residents must travel disproportionate distances to reach sources of healthy produce and protein, and where such sources are vastly outnumbered by those such as fast food restaurants and convenience stores which typically sell processed foods of low nutritional and dietary quality.
food deserts of chicago Although an estimated 4 percent of the nations population live within food deserts, the proportion of Chicago residents living within these borders is significantly higher. In the Chicago metropolitan area, there are approximately 44 square miles of food deserts. Located exclusively south of Division Street, this area contains roughly 609,034 residents, 21.5 percent of the total population of Chicago. Furthermore, there are an estimated 64,000 households without cars and 109,000 single mothers. 4 21.5
nation chicago percentage of residents living in food deserts
division st
44 milesďż˝
&
609,034
64,000
109,000
1.3
sprout
chicago, il.
2010
food deserts of chicago Like urban food deserts throughout the country, those in Chicago are characterized by high levels of racial segregation and income inequality. Of the 609,034 residents estimated to be living in the city’s food deserts, the vast majority are black, comprising approximately 478,000 of the 609,034 residents. This compares to 78,000 whites and 57,000 Hispanics. Furthermore, black residents living within food deserts must travel the farthest average distance to reach the nearest quality foods: .59 miles compared to .39 miles for white residents and .36 miles for Hispanic residents.
478 cancer 10:1000 < 7:1000
food deserts best case
cardiovascular disease 11:1000 < 6:1000 best case
food deserts
.59 miles
blacks
78 57
whites hispanics
.39 miles .36 miles
As significant contributors to obesity, food deserts are proven to have an adverse effect on the health of residents living within their borders. Health data for the residents of Chicago's food deserts reinforces that collected in national studies. For residents living in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food deserts the rate of cancer is 10:1000 compared to less than 7:1000 in areas with the best food supply. The disparity is even greater for cardiovascular disease, for which the rate among residents in food deserts is 11:1000 compared to less than 6:1000 in areas with the best food supply.
roseland The community of Roseland, on the south side of Chicago, is an under-served area that is currently suffering a variety of the social challenges typical of many of the neighborhoods that comprise the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food deserts. In addition to a decreasing population and stagnant property values, Roseland has high crime and unemployment rates as well as low per capita income relative to the rest of the city.
6.67%
black population
roseland: 4.9 mileďż˝
97.8%
population density (1999)
chicago roseland
unemployment (2007)
chicago 6.3% roseland
per capita income (1999)
chicago roseland
total crime index (2008)
population decline 1990 - 2000
300
12,751 10,855 19.7% $15,664 288
286 288
$20,175 254
254
253
228 chi. 220 111
300’
150’ 75’ 25’
site The site is located on two acres of vacant
land at the intersection of 104th st. and Michigan Ave. Although Michigan Ave. is a
commercial corridor, it is sparsely populated, with large tracts of vacant land. Commercial properties consist of a hair salon, convenience store, storefront churches, and boarded up retail. To the north, south and west of the site are established residential neighborhoods, consisting largely of single family homes and mid-rise apartments. Despite the dilapidated nature of much of the neighborhood, there are signs of redevelopment, including the new, LEED certified Langston Hughes Elementary School on 103rd St., a new senior housing center immediately south of the site and new rowhomes on Michigan Ave., south of 105th st. Sprout seeks to engage the surrounding community by serving
as the locus point for a future series of greenways which run along the existing infrastructure network, through both residential and commercial sectors. These greenways feature native flora and help retain, filter and return stormwater runoff while serving as physical and visual connections linking Sprout to the existing
neighborhood and social institutions such as schools, churches and parks. In addition, the system serves as a physical connection between Sprout and surrounding vacant lots within the community, which are among the 30,000 acres of vacant lots on the south side of Chicago. The
intent is to colonize these vacant lots with agriculture and native flora, increasing their agricultural, ecological and economic viability in an effort to stimulate redevelopment within the
community. The low impact nature of the program allows flexibility and mobility once redevelopment begins and vacant lots are reoccupied.
schematic site iterations Preliminary spatial configurations were explored in an effort to determine gross and net
production areas, building footprint, and site and programmatic adjacencies. The net production areas were used to estimate the annual output capabilities of the 2 acre site, while accounting for the desired programmatic elements and the differentiation in production cycles between interior and exterior agricultural facilities.
100â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 10â&#x20AC;&#x2122;
apiary
greenhouses
exterior gardens
chicken coops compost naturalized plantings
loading and receiving recreation support facilities
exterior circulation
aquaponic systems
400 sf
7,600 sf
32,588 sf
3,600 sf
3,300 sf 6,000 sf 2,150 sf
7,980 sf 5,585 sf
24,187 sf 1,330 sf
conceptual site plan
A simplified production matrix was developed utilizing dietary recommendations for the five different vegetable sub-groups, based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Representative vegetables were chosen based on their
caloric content; approximately average relative to the other vegetables within their respective sub-groups. Dark green vegetables are represented by kale, orange vegetables by carrots, and so on. Square footage dedicated to the
production of each sub-group was based on average yields for urban farms utilizing aquaponic systems and the same dietary recommendations for individual consumption. Given the dedicated production
area, calorie count per unit, annual yield and market price for each of the representative vegetables, the annual produce output of the site was estimated in terms of total production (lbs), income, and calorie count. Production estimates for each category were also determined for fish, poultry, eggs and honey, using Growing Power Inc. as a basis and scaling the numbers to reflect the increased production expected from fully integrated, purpose driven design.
dietary recommendations vegetable consumption: (based on a 2000 calorie diet) dark green vegetables 3 cups / week orange vegetables 2 cups / week legumes (dry beans) 3 cups / week starchy vegetables 3 cups / week other vegetables 6.5 cups / week
ns ee gr e n tu c clu let s es ine en m g re ma ro stard h mu nac ns sp i ree ip g turn s rcres wate
corn green peas lima be ans potat oes
17.2%
17.2%
s an be eas ck dp bla ey e s ck ean bla zo b ba n gar an s y be kidne lentils lima beans navy beans
17.2%
bok bro choy cco co li da llard gr ka rk l ea een le s fy l et tu ce zucchini
pinto beans soy bea ns split peas wh i t e bea ns a c or n b s u q t ua hu tern sh ca bba ut sq r u ro rd s as t q h s u as h
11.4%
37%
beets brussel sprouts c ab b a g e cauli flowe r c e le ry cu c um b er eg gp l an gr e t gr en b ea re een ns d p ep pe pe pp rs er s
in
pk
o tat o m p pu eet sw
ce tu t le g s r be oom e ic shr mu a r ok ns o oni s snip p ar toes toma turnips wax beans
hoke artic gus aspara bean sprouts
tilapia greens beans carrots tomatoes watercress perch potatoes chicken eggs honey tilapia greens beans carrots tomatoes watercress perch potatoes chicken eggs honey tilapia greens beans carrots tomatoes watercress perch potatoes chicken eggs honey
annual production: pounds
annual production: calories (millions)
annual production: dollars (thousands)
120,000 115,891 57,947 57,947 43,459 30,750 25,000 14,486 9,100 7,709 1,500
483,789 52,224 16,294 88,057 10,769 3,553 1,518 10,328 4,600 10,329 5,011 2,090
204,773 480 695 232 232 109 492 300 58 32 29 10
2,669
s. michigan ave.
104th st.
150’
75’
25’
site section aa a
150’
75’ 25’
b
site section bb The site to the east of the building serves as a public plaza along Michigan Ave. Planting beds
alternate between submerged constructed wetlands, which filter any stormwater runoff from the green roof, and raised plantings featuring native plants and small trees. The planting beds
are spaced such that they provide a pedestrian scale to the large plaza while allowing for congregation of the community and large public events such as farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s markets. The shape of the beds is derived from the agricultural plots to the west of the building, creating a dialogue between the public plaza in front of the building
and the semi-public farm.
The site to the west of the building contains the exterior agricultural plots. While the raised nature of the beds
represents standard agriculture practices, the unique shape is a deviation from the typical rectilinear layout of urban agriculture which seeks to maintain the utility of those formations while creating a site specific solution that relates to the facility itself. The widths of the paths between the plots vary, widening between those closer to the central volume of the facility to accommodate larger crowds expected during hands-on education and facility tours. To the north and west, the site is bounded by a fence similar to the perforated metal screen on the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facade. Perforations in the fence are smaller and less dense along the bottom to mitigate infiltration of rodents, and increase in size and frequency vertically along the fence to facilitate the desired visual connection.
1_greenhouse 2_m/e 3_storage 4_office 5_classroom 6_laundromat 7_pavilion 8_w/c 9_janitor closet 10_locker room 11_library 12_childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s library 13_flexible recreation space
2 3 4
1 4 5
6
7
9
8 8
2
10
11 13
10 3 first floor
12 second floor
The core of the building is an adaptable hub which can be used for diverse activities such as
farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s markets, cooking and food preparation demonstrations, recipe swaps, and low impact group recreation. During warmer months, wall panels pivot on axis, creating a breezeway which serves as an open-air pavilion, allowing the agricultural program of the garden plots behind the facility to spill out into the public plaza in front of the building via farmers markets and demonstration planters.
Transparency within the core allows for visual connectivity between the diverse programmatic elements such as the library, laundromat, recreation room and greenhouse.
150’
75’
25’
s. michigan ave.
The adaptable recreation facility cantilevers over the ground floor on the southeast corner, offsetting the volume and creating diffuse light for the library and childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s library on the ground floor. Although the layered facade appears opaque during the day, the perforated metal screen provides transparency when backlit at night, creating a visual connection between pedestrian and vehicular traffic and the recreational activities occurring within. Passers-by on Michigan Ave. also have direct views to the terraced commons extending off the southwest corner of the building.
The terraces are multifunctional, serving as a
makeshift playground, seating for the additional playgrounds and farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s markets immediately north and south, outdoor educational space for seminars and hands-on training, and egress from the second floor recreational facility. Existing
hardtop from the sight is re-used as aggregate, while the continuity in materiality from the building to the terraces unifies the elements.
west elevation
east elevation
north elevation
south elevation
d
section aa
section bb
a
a
b
b
c
c
section cc d
section dd
The 12,800 sf greenhouse allows for year-round production of produce, fish and worms. The primary feature is
the semi-closed loop aquaponics system. Based on the production of tilapia and yellow perch, these system allows for vast reductions in water consumption while greatly increasing produce production. The height of the ceiling creates natural stack ventilation and facilitates vertical growth of produce while the frequency of the greenhouse structure serves as an armature from which to suspend growing structures for tomato vines and produce pots. Rainwater collection is facilitated by the angle of the greenhouse roof, which feeds underground cisterns that are used for produce irrigation. Large bay doors on the west side of the greenhouse open to mitigate the separation of interior and exterior production during warmer months.
The north and south ends of the building angle east from the central core to create a public plaza and draw people to the main entrance of the facility while the elongated form engages Michigan Ave. along the full length of the site, serving as an inherent barrier to the production area behind the facility. The rhythm of interior and exterior fenestration, which becomes more transparent as the building’s program transitions from private to public, gives passers-by direct views through the building to the greenhouse and agricultural plots. The angled greenroof is treated as a fifth facade, which slopes from it’s peak of 55’ on the southwest corner to 12’ feet on the northeast corner, enabling the facility to address the disparate scale of existing buildings to the north and south of the sight. The angled form also provides pedestrians and vehicles approaching from the north with views of the sedum plantings. Potential stormwater
runoff from the greenroof drains off the northeast corner of the building and is filtered through a series of constructed wetlands in the public plaza. The east elevation of the greenhouse rises above the main facility, giving it a presence along Michigan Ave., indicating
the agricultural nature of the facility.
The bale is a departure from the first chapter of Bohumil Hrabalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Too Loud a Solitude, and as such is inspired by the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s process of baling and affection for his subsequent creations, which incorporate both the precious and mundane. Consisting exclusively of my personal T-shirts, the bale serves as an investigation into the
essence of these quotidian objects while at the same time exploring the intimate relationship between people and their clothes, as narrated by the imperfections of everyday wear and tear, which catalogue specific moments within an individuals life.
2.1
bale
t-shirts, thread
2007
The box shifts the focus from the object of Hrabalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Too Loud a Solitude to the subject, utilizing qualities and characteristics of the bale as a set of specifications for the making of the box. Such
shared qualities include intrigue, intimacy and tactility. Although the material palette for the bale was a wide variety of rich, discretionary materials, that of the box was a single, dictated material: wood. The scale of
the box, an 8â&#x20AC;? cube, encourages physical interaction between object and individual, allowing the box to serve as a tool for the contemplation of the meaning of solitude in terms of space, sight, intimacy, light and the relationship between interior and exterior.
2.2
box
cherry
2007
The spheres represent an
investigation into the nature of making a pure conceptual object in articulated materiality. Free-form and hand made utilizing found and scrap wood manipulated to various degrees, the
spheres are an exploration in the arrangement and manipulation of individual linear units to articulate a spherical whole in an effort to consider the many phenomenological aspects of the sphere such as size, weight, density, tactility, texture and scale.
2.3
spheres
scrap wood, twigs
2008
dynamic structural model: traversina foot bridge, conzett bronzini gartmann ag
structural precedent model: sirch woodworking factory, baumschlager eberle
2.4
models
mixed media
2008
The Morton Bench is a site specific piece created for the David Woodhouse designed Morton Arboretum Visitor Center. The design intent of the bench was to create an intermediate scale which articulates
the dialogue between the rectilinear nature of the visitor center and the surrounding natural environment. While the organic, asymmetrical form creates bilateral seating for visitors of varying heights, the long, linear slats flex to accommodate the weight of the occupants. Made of reclaimed ash from Chicago's urban canopy, which has lost millions of trees in the effort to
eradicate the emerald ash borer, the bench is part of a collaboration between Illinois Institute of Technology and the USDA Emerald Ash Borer Program to demonstrate the potential uses for reclaimed wood. The Morton bench is
now part of the USDA's permanent collection.
2.5
morton bench
reclaimed ash
2008
Fractal is a
self-organizing system consisting of
approximately 500 hand-cut pieces of vellum. The system, a four point rule set
derived from the laws which govern the formation of fractal bacteria, was
distilled through an iterative process
intended to generate a complex form from the most basic of rule sets.
2.6
fractal
vellum
2008
3.1
drawings
mixed media
2007-09
4.1
paintings
watercolor
2009
The field was a collaborative exploration in the process of leaving marks to delineate a continuum of spatial effect. Created using customized rubber stamps, the ink field unified the three
distinct, singular strategies of the team members into a cohesive two-dimensional consideration of issues such as the edge condition, transition, tension, density and space.
The day long installation (following spread) was a site specific, contextual representation of the ink field. Located along the north bank of the Chicago river, the installation used rocks from the site to
extend the grid of the under-used urban park, refracted along the lines of the compass rose, across the width of the promenade. This extension engendered compulsory public interaction, as people either actively or passively engaged the installation while passing through the site. The rocks, representative of the structure and planning inherent in the urban fabric, recorded moments of human contact through their displacement and replacement. Likewise, the sunflower seed, which represented the dynamic forces which shape and influence our built environments, recorded the effects of these forces as it was displaced and dispersed by birds and wind.
5.1
ink field
paper, ink, custom stamps
2007
5.2
field installation
rocks, seeds
2007
the architecture service animals were bred for seeing eye architecture, a collaborative
design/build installation for species of space, founded by eric ellingsen in 2009. an investigation into the options of self-organization, architecture service animals are hybrids predicated on the golden ratio found in the golden isosceles triangle and the fractal three dimensional spiraling of a romanesco cabbage. iterations of the infinite possibilities inherent in even the most limited rule sets, each architecture service animal
demonstrates the â&#x20AC;&#x153;organizational possibility of radical difference in a system of perpetural sameness.â&#x20AC;? the architecture service animals were
exhibited at the extension gallery at archeworks, in chicago, illinois, and les transculturelles des abattoirs, in casablanca, morocco, the first bienalle in north africa. they are also
featured on www.archinect.com.
5.3
a.s.a.
cardboard, mirrored acrylic
2009