ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
DOMINIC ANTHONY LACIVITA JR PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO Dominic A Lacivita Jr Student, Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania THE JOSEPH L. + VIVIAN E. STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP The Foundation for Enhancing Communities Summer 2014
DESIGN STUDIO COURSES STUDIO 1-A
A
STUDIO 1-B
A
STUDIO 2-A
A-
STUDIO 2-B
A
STUDIO 3-A
A
STUDIO 3-B
B
STUDIO 4-1
A
STUDIO 4-2
A-
STUDIO 4-3
A-
STUDIO 5-1
A-
STUDIO 5-2
A
STUDIO 5-3
A
STUDIO 6-1
A+
STUDIO 6-2
A
STUDIO 6-3
A-
PHOTOGRAPHY
A
DESIGN TECHNIQUE COURSES ARCHITECTURAL DRAWING I
A
ARCHITECTURAL DRAWING II
A
INTRO TO CADD I
A
INTRO TO CADD II
A
DIGITAL DESIGN TOOLS
A
COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ARCHITECTURE II
A
DESIGN HISTORY + THEORY COURSES ARCHITECTURE + SOCIETY I
A
ARCHITECTURE + SOCIETY II
A-
ARCHITECTURE + SOCIETY III
A
HISTORY OF MODERN DESIGN
A
HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA ARCHITECTURE
A
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN ARCHITECTURE
A+
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
A
HISTORY OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE
A-
ARCHITECTURAL THEORY II
A-
STUDY TOUR ABROAD - KOREA/JAPAN
IN PROGRESS
VELODROME
CREATING AN URBAN EDGE
For a this project focusing on long-span structure, I also turned it into an exploration of making something that is inherently large and massive into something more human scale and urban as the context it is in. Given three sites to choose from on the periphery of Center City Philadelphia, I chose the one with the most urban-planning potential - the edge of Port Richmond along the Delaware River. This site was tricky because it is currently a no-man’s land disconnected from the neighborhood by the elevated Interstate-95 with a large swath of parking area beneath, and then by another wide street and a high wall. My solution to this was to “pull” Port Richmond underneath the interstate to the other side to make the structure an element of the neighborhood rather than a border. Under the existing roadway, I have proposed two-level parking structures with street frontage to Richmond Street. Opposite that, my design takes away the existing wall, and replaces it with street frontage to the smaller scale “fingers” of the building that house restaurants, shops, and a large community recreation center that is associated with the velodrome. The actual track to the velodrome is housed in the large forms that site above the “fingers,” and set back from the street to minimize its exceptional and imposing scale. The spectator entrance actually follows a longer procession from Richmond Street to elevate the user to the main lobby entrance, and give him a glimpse at the structure that is necessary for this type of project. REC CENTER CONCESSIONS CONCOURSE LEVEL
In this case, for the sake of minimalism and goal of planar purity, I decided to use a series of cable-stay bridge structures that span the short length of the arena. The roof is supported by one side, and in its cleanliness is to provide a simple uniqueness and visibility to the project and community. Additionally, in terms of minimalism, the concourse level is designed to emphasize its planarity (as in the strong, simple and flat roof structure) by lowering all extraneous elements below the level, such as elevator shafts and concessions, by slowly ramping up at either end from those necessities.
STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP | LACIVITA 01
SPIRITUAL CENTER AT DREXEL UNIVERSITY
This assignment was a challenge to design a spiritual space where form is the primary driver of the spiritual experience, while still maintaining a high level of function for community program. On this highly constrained site near residential neighborhoods just north of the University, there was an exceptional amount of proposed program to be organized in the allotted space. Through a comprehensive series of study models and concept sketches, my final idea was a simple one – separate the spiritual space from everything else and then reinforce the constant visual linkage of the large, sculptural mass that encompasses the main worship space, an exterior spiritual area, and an auditorium below. This mass is highlighted by a thin atrium that folds around the mass. The edge of the atrium is defined by the horizontal circulation. I used Stephen Holl’s D.E. Shaw headquarters in New York and Massimo Fuksas’s San Paolo parish complex in Foligno, Italy as precedent studies on material, light, and spirituality. The volume of the spiritual center is enveloped by a six-layer wall with a white concrete cover. Voids and extrusions allow an interesting play of shadow and diffused light to create a sense of purity and abstraction. While the exterior spiritual space is open above with the sky being the only thing visible, the interior space, conversely, is defined by a heavy mass lingering over the users. The spaces are accessed by traversing small bridges across the thin atrium to eliminate the need for vertical circulation within the sculptural mass. Other program elements are organized along the horizontal circulation space, including community exhibition and gathering area on the ground floor, while lounges and multiple group/ conference rooms make up the other floors. There is a restaurant on the top floor, with one of the best views of the city’s skyline.
STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP | LACIVITA 02
SENIOR HOUSING COMPLEX
IN TUCSON, ARIZONA
In terms of site planning, this project has a very unusual climate for a student accustomed to the northeast. This is a senior housing complex in Tucson, Arizona for the elderly with associations with the University of Arizona. A look was taken towards sustainability and community. Under the particularly different site conditions, I conducted a more extensive climate data study than I normally would for a project. Extremes in heat and in cold and low humidity are just a few factors that had to be taken into account for this design. My concept of “community and comfort” is carried though the project from the units to the site plan. The most important driver of my solution was the prevailing winds, which come from the southeast direction all year. The angle of the buildings is based on this wind direction as well as gives the central courtyard the only good view from the site – mountains in the distance to the northeast. This courtyard is based upon the idea of reinforcing community in the central location where all circulation routes go through. On the ground floor, housing units exist only at the extremities, creating an unobstructed space to allow the winds to penetrate through the courtyard. Couple this with evaporative cooling from the shallow pools and ample shading, the central community space would be a comfortable place to be in this desert environment. This airflow is even emphasized by a simple gesture to mold the earth from the completely flat site to slop up towards the site dividing walls. This also allows the first floor level to be propped up several feet from ground level, creating more space for the semi-underground parking and enabling it to be open and airy on the sides. Also using light wells from the courtyard, the parking resultantly reflects the building parti and reinforces the concept of my design. By removing parking from the surface and with three-story buildings, my site is very minimal on impervious coverage. The units are also organized in a manner where the living and dining spaces are part of an open floor plan, where air movement easily cuts though the unit when the entry and balcony walls are opened up. Although the units opposite the courtyard are purposely misaligned for privacy, the offset is minimal enough to allow an air flow that makes the entire complex one system. STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP | LACIVITA 03
40TH & MARKET STREET DEVELOPING A CONNECTION
Following two terms on intense teamwork in research, observation, discussion, and study of neighboring communities to the Drexel University campus, each individual was assigned a location within the resulting master plan to further develop and design. Leading towards goals my team had established during the master planning phase, I chose an intersection vital to the success of our master plan. Our plan, part of the Lancaster Avenue Corridor in West Philadelphia, proposes a reinforced street connection from a major city axis, Market Street, to the heart of the neighborhood, Lancaster Avenue. Part of this revitalization of the street involves re-introducing a trolley line that is currently no longer on the site, and will take visitors and commuters along this axis to and from their destinations. This intersection I had chosen also happens to have a subway stop that follows the Market-Frankfurt line, a significant public-transit artery within the city. Coupling this with the fact that our master plan calls for razing of most lowstory building in poor condition along Market Street, my project focused mostly on how to effectively transform this intersection by building up and make it more inviting. The idea was, on the north side of Market Street, create a void in the earth that is adjacent to the distribution platform for the subway, allowing commuters to exit the station into sunken plazas while staying on the same plane. By creating different rooms on either side of 40th Street, the circulation also changes as well as the uses for the new buildings on the site. The western side includes a lawn with a series of integral ramps that bring one up to the intermediate platform. The other side is more hardscaped and includes a pavilion, with a market at the base and an outdoor eatery along Market Street. This pavilion creates a place marker along the street while mitigating the fact that there is a stretch of sidewalk that edges the sunken spaces. The Site overall saves a tall apartment building by creating a mid-rise addition with more housing and a plinth to make it actually front the sidewalk. On the west side of 40th, a mid-rise office tower is being proposed. All of these new components are mixed-use to support the traffic and the existing and new residents within the area. In totality, the plaza creates a welldefined space of interaction supported by retail, cafes, shops, restaurants, housing, and businesses. STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP | LACIVITA 04
CULIINARY ARTS COLLEGE IN UNIVERSITY CITY, PHILADELPHIA
operable louvers
air intake
panel connection
facade unit
As part of an AISC competition this past year, I was challenged to design a facility to house a college for culinary arts. Beyond kitchens and classrooms, the program required a large lecture space, a library, and a restaurant. However, the most important part of this competition is the steel structure of the design. The site is currently a parking lot on one of the city’s major axes, near downtown. I determined that this building should be designed as a “bookend” building, with seven floors to compare to context. This height provided me the space to create a continuation of a park two blocks to the south. Both have a large train trestle running through them, which encouraged my decision to use a completely glass wall on the western side - to face out towards the park, the steel highline, and to implement on a large scale a double-skin unitized glass panel system. The building is designed with one strip of program per floor on the inner side. This allows light to easily penetrate though the west facade, through the corridor, and into the rooms. The street facades are composed of perforated metal panels to also let diffused light through, but more importantly to make the facade appear more solid during the day and to emphasize the brand of the college at night by making the street frontage light up through the panels. My overall goal was to create an identity for this new college in a district with many other already established institutions.
DEAN
OFFICES +ADMIN
RR
TEACHING KITCHEN
DEMO LAB
PASTRY KITCHEN
RR
TEACHING KITCHEN
LOUNGE
RR
TEACHING KITCHEN
CLASS
RR
SEMINAR ROOM
TEACHING KITCHEN
RR
TEACHING KITCHEN
RR
TEACHING KITCHEN
RESTAURANT
RR
SERVICE
LIBRARY
CLASS
The idea of structure for this building is to utilize long trusses, floor to floor height, on every other floor for the length of the building. This emphasizes the steel technology and corresponds to the industrial nature of kitchens, and also creates open expanses on the opposite floors. Supported by large columns on each end, these trusses support beams that cross the narrow width of the building to carry the floor plates. The design is very simple, with a single loaded corridor along the glass wall. This allows all of the building to have a large amount of natural light, controllable by operable louvers and shades integrated in the window units. During the day, this facade is smooth on the surface, yet textured of the louvers. The same facade becomes very animated in the evening, with the program inside becoming distinguishable from the exterior, particularly with the more active double-height program. STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP | LACIVITA 05
NEW YORK CITY SKYSCRAPER A BRIDGE BETWEEN AN HISTORIC DISTRICT AND DOWNTOWN
For the first studio in Drexel’s integrated building design series, the project was to create a comprehensive design for a skyscraper on a rather challenging site. Located in the transition zone of downtown Manhattan and the historic Fulton Market, the building site is also disconnected from the East River waterfront only by the elevated FDR Drive. Programmatically, this project was specified to include a retail base, office floors, and a hotel component within its million square foot requirement. I distinguished my project from others first and foremost not through appearance or sculpture, but instead by respecting the historic district that cuts through the site while speaking to the corporate nature of downtown to the immediate south and west. To nestle the skyscraper into place, select buildings were removed from the site that were irrelevant to its historic nature, essentially using the southern portion of the site which is mostly a parking lot.
Downtown
Historic District
PLANARITY
STRUCTURE
FACADES
HISTORIC BUILDINGS
This project speaks in planes; using simple planar geometries in a very pragmatic manner, a basic yet striking aesthetic is made and allows a slender expression that reveals building program in a subtle manner. Additionally, the building, at its base, quite literally connects into the historic streetscape. While the south side of the building is a shorter flat facade with a shade structure to reflect the power and prominence of the corporate downtown, the northern side is divided into smaller masses, both to give the tower identity as well as break up the monolithic-ness of most modern skyscrapers. The forms on this side also allow a break-up of program: where the top mass contains the hotel rooms above a sky-lobby and pool on the roof of the shorter half of the tower. The entrance to the hotel is on South Street, in an existing brick building that is incorporated into the design. This helps bring the tower down to human scale while also separated usage entrances. By doing this, breaking up the building core, and creating a second-story main corporate lobby, the building entrances flow smoothly while allowing for adequate service areas and lobby spaces for the small footprint the building has. All in all, this tower is meant to add a simple, quality, and efficient design to the New York City skyline.
STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP | LACIVITA 06
GROUND
SECOND FLOOR
THIRD FLOOR
FOURTH FLOOR
ROOF DECK (19TH)
TENANT - RETAIL RESIDENT LOBBY BIKE STORAGE
LIVING SPACES FITNESS CENTER LAP POOL COURTYARD
MEETING / BUSINESS SERVICES FITNESS CENTER MEDITATION DECK
KITCHEN DINING ROOM & PATIO ROOFTOP GARDENS GARDEN PREP & FOOD STORAGE
SUN PATIO MECHANICAL
CENTER CITY COHOUSING FOR ACTIVE + HEALTHY LIFESTYLES
Using an urban site to explore a cohousing project, the solution was to design a residential tower atop a base with the shared amenities and storefront retail spaces. This was explored through a lens of dense urban development, while providing a level of quality, intention, and even luxury that would be expected on such a desired and valuable site in Center City Philadelphia. In exploring a theoretical client base, my cooperative housing project is focused toward persons who desire to lead an active and healthy lifestyle, which informed the program. The base utilizes the majority of the site, and along with general services, bike storage and residential lobby, its floor area is largely composed of retail and commercial tenant spaces. The second level primarily consists of the community living spaces and family room, and has direct access to the courtyard, which is also wrapped by a fitness center wing and lap pool, all of which can be opened up in good weather and adaptable for family and recreational use. The third floor is mostly meeting rooms and study, as well as services and the second floor of the fitness area, which includes an exercise patio overlooking the green roof of the lap pool. The fourth floor – and final floor of the community-shared base – contains the group kitchens and large dining area, as well as an outdoor patio overlooking the city streets and courtyard. This level also has access to the roof gardens on the fitness center, and provide the direct access to the kitchen, emphasizing the importance of fresh, healthy eating.
RESIDENTIAL (5-18) CORRIDOR ON OPPOSITE FLOORS FOUR UNITS PER TWO LEVELS
The tower is mostly residential, and employs an alternatingcorridor concept for efficiency and to support more interaction among residents because it results in more unit entries in close proximity to each other. There are different sized units on each floor, which results in them interlocking. While the corridor is on the north side of the building (glass curtain wall), the south side of each unit includes a double-height living space, with the exception of the studio unit. This is reflected on the south façade. The column placing is defined on the module system of the interlocking units, with the addition of the inter-unit stairways between apartments. On each floor as well, there is shared residence space near the elevators to emphasize community, as well a main stairway that encourages active use and is offset from the building to create visual connection with other parts of the building. STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP | LACIVITA 07
MODELING THE DIAGRID
AN EXPLORATION OF PRADA AOYAMA
For two classes, I studied a building with a partner. Prada’s flagship store in Tokyo, Japan, by Herzog and de Meuron was the topic at hand, explored both in terms of architectural technologies and well as through model building. This resulted in a comprehensive understanding of the building as a detail, as a building design, and as a sculpture. Spending weeks on a single model is a daunting task, but the results were unbelievable. The presentation model we were tasked to create was of eighth-inch scale and the focus was most undoubtedly on quality of craft. Through an exploration of technology and the architecture, for a class that resulted in ultimately a case study, we discovered the details and materials, and understood the technical aspects much more. Conversely, while simultaneously building a high quality model with a laser cutter and our bare hands, we learned about the building as a collection of spaces and as an object. It became even easier to explore and understand the space than a computer generated model. This building emerged as a piece of art in which I have a tremendous understanding of. Furthermore, a large scale wall section model was created by information discovered for the other class. Both sides required extensive computer work, including the research and recreation of every important element that makes this building what it is in terms of a model. One side for the laser cutter in which we aimed for utmost precision, the other for presentation materials – all contributing to my knowledge base of this building. In the end, a mighty collection of materials had been assembled for this single building.
STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP | LACIVITA 08
EGG CONTAINER
AS CRAFT, FORM , + FUNCTION
By using only thin pieces of wood, paper, pins, and string – no glue – students were given the assignment to create a form to hold an egg as a display. This was an exercise in form and craft, built upon by a set of restrictions. Beyond the allowed material list, the egg was to be as visible as possible and the container had to be stable in at least three different positions. Additionally, under no circumstances, could the egg touch the surface the container was placed on, whether or not it is on a stable side. During review, instructors would turn them every which way and even shake them to see if the egg would fall out as a measure of design integrity. From the very beginning, I took the idea of making the egg as visible as possible and just ran with it. My design incorporates a simple rectangular frame, finely notched and pinned at the joints. The egg was then beautifully suspended in the middle by a minimal amount of eight tension joints with paper holders that wrap around the precious egg to hold it firmly in place. Not only is the egg on display, but it is also part of the structure; once the entire assembly was competed, the strings and egg act together as a single structural unit and ties the frame together and prevents the container from issues like racking. Needless to say, my egg container design surpassed expectations and requirements. As a recurring theme of my work, the simple and minimal design is highly functional in respect to the problem requirements. The egg was, by far, the heaviest item in the design, and with help from its perfect center of gravity this design could stand on not only all six sides of the rectangle, but also on any of the four edges created by the extending frame – a total of twelve possibilities! This project, although non-architectural, is a great representation of my style as a designer.
STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP | LACIVITA 09
HALLWAY INSTALLATION MAKING A PLACE
This project is a focus in materials and connections, and how to effectively use an art installation to change a spatial experience of a place – a relatively plain hallway in this case. My installation happened to be at the end of the corridor we were modifying, where other students were creating their own. The plot I was given to build in was rather unusual – an intersection at the end and with a column in the middle of the space. This space was awkward and difficult. It required days of staring and sketching to even come up with a preliminary design. Eventually, an idea arose that didn’t actually use the column itself, but instead replicates the column in an unusual manner. This design is based just as much on the spatial experience as it is on the conceptual manner of its design. Spatially, a user of the hallway finds this column typical – just a plain concrete element of the corridor. It is passed by – ignored every day – except when something is too large to pass between it and the wall. The idea of the installation was to pull a new representation off the original column and create awareness that there is a column there, and its importance to the integrity of the building as a whole. This representation is designed in a way to appear is if it is materializing from the existing column, which would allow the users and passersby to glimpse into the artistic depiction of the column. The outer shell is composed of scored cardboard to give a clean exterior to the column, while the inner workings include metal mesh and paper to represent the mixture of aggregate, cement, and rebar that work together to make the column. Finally, in the very core is a long copper tube, placed to illustrate the soul and importance of the column – a piece of beauty that is revealed only though a users interaction with the outer materials, just as the importance of this one actual column to the entire structure of the building is not always apparent – it is simply just a column in the middle of the hallway.
STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP | LACIVITA 10
TRAVELING AS AN ART EXPERIENCES ARE KEY
My early architectural and academic talents were based on a self-taught expression of ideals of space and volume. I had no training and no knowledge of how to view a building as a diagram of space. I was rarely able to distinguish a structure on the basis of its era, culture, or technology. Within the past three years, I have gained an immense amount of knowledge through studios, reading, and coursework. My eyes have been opened up through text and imagery, but is nothing like experiencing the context, scale, detail, materiality, and mass— just a few qualities of any design— of a space while being there in person. I have been inspired and have seen so many architectural ideas and concepts with my own eyes. As a result, I have been able to first-handedly evaluate and judge their success. Traveling to more places can only expand this knowledge and further define my architectural ideologies. My current basic conceptualization of design theories will undoubtedly become more refined and cohesive after visiting more sites, both historic and contemporary. I do not want to simply design buildings, I want to own specific design theories; these will define my career and indicate my desire to create spaces to better mankind, technically and socially. I have travelled through these past few years by using my academic breaks as opportunities to explore - Always road trips and always financially feasible. From Boston to Los Angeles and as far south as Miami (and many spaces in between), space and place is meant to be explored From cities to the landscape, there are always lessons to be learned. I find the logistics of traveling on tight financial constraints to be another art in itself, and I take that very seriously. It is difficult as a student to personally fund all of my trips, but my zealous desire to travel and see the world around me perseveres over that hurdle. I am both an extremely independent person and a financial conservative. These qualities have made traveling possible for me in the past and I know will aid me in my future endeavors. Why? Because experiences are the most important companion to an architect’s career, and this is a testament to that.
STEELE ARCHITECTURE SCHOLARSHIP | LACIVITA 11
www.dominiclacivita.com