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Nansha Coastal Garden Hotel
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Composite
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Detroit Motor School
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Close Encounters Pavilion
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Faith Collective
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voroGAMI
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Nansha Coastal Garden Hotel
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Composite
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Detroit Motor School
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Close Encounters Pavilion
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Faith Collective
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voroGAMI
University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Fall 2011 Professor: Lars Gräbner Partners: Yoonho Lee & Benjamin Telian
Project Brief The scope of the studio is to design a multi-phase project which includes a 5-star hotel, residential units, and commercial spaces all within a site of one million square feet. The studio was unique in the fact that we were given the opportunity of traveling to our project site in Guangzhou, China while developing the project with the consultation of a Chinese architecture/engineering firm that practices in China’s Nansha District. The project was to be submitted as a proposal that met the programmatic guidelines required by a private developer, while also adhering to Chinese building codes. The images being presented are of the hotel phase of the project.
Design Concepts
Nansha Coastal Garden Hotel
Sketch Model
Object > Symbol > Form |
Form Massing
The Chinese character for water was an early design influence for our overall form. The character’s features acted as the inspiration for our massing studies of a vertical build-up, where the base contains most of the larger programs while a tapered tower contains the hotel accommodations. Our circulation strategy, while partially mimicing the broad water networks, came in the form of a Green Path Network which inter-connects all of the lower levels of the hotel’s programs.
1 .1
Douglas William Sharpe
Site Analysis & Planning
Design Concepts The major focus for our project is based on water, from the physical embodiment of water to the symbolic representation of water, we were interested in developing the project as a consideration for both the physical and symbolic nature of water. Our site analyses were conducted in a manner of understanding water at multiple scales, beginning with our project site location in relation to the broad hydrology network in the entire Nansha area. We are also carefully considering water elements on site such as stormwater management and water runoff. Nansha Hydrology Network
Immediate Hydrology Network
Network Concept
Nansha Park Network
Immediate Park Network
Conceptual Site Plan
Concept & Design Diagrams
Massing
Vertical Circulation
On-site Stormwater Management
Green Path Network
Massing Model Studies & Iterations
Circulation
Nansha Coastal Garden Hotel University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Fall 2011 Professor: Lars Gräbner Partners: Yoonho Lee & Benjamin Telian
Site Plan The site plan reveals that the hotel will be located at the northern edge of the site. This location was chosen due to the hotel being visible from the street intersection, from the railway and from the main river located to the east. The heavily traveled corner allows for our proposed hotel to become a major feature of the built environment. The water features, specifically the ponds and streams, on-site were designed with multifunctional purposes, and the first proposed function is to offer a natural landscape for visitors to enjoy. The second function for the water features is for the process of on-site stormwater management. The proposed ponds are to be constructed wetlands that will filter out contaminants from the sites vast amount of watershed before it is released into the existing stream to the south of our site.
1 .2
Douglas William Sharpe
Site Plan
Ground Floor Plan The floor plan reveals the intentional fragmentation that occurs at the ground level. This offers penetration of circulation that connects the site’s perimeter spaces to the interior. The circulation is highlighted by the Green Path Network that contains immaculate landscaping and connects the hotel programs. The Green Paths are intended as public paths; however, there are private garden areas accessible to only hotel guests. The Green Path not only connects the hotel programs, but the network also connects to the residential areas located to the south of the hotel.
Ground Floor Plan
1 .3
Douglas William Sharpe
Semi-Public Spaces
The hotel’s form, inspired by the Chinese character for water can be witnessed by the build-up of mass that directly relates to the location of the proposed programs. Another related design feature is the floor plate fragmentation which allows the building to be visually and physically penetrable. In addition to mass, tertiary building components such as the design of the outer skin facade reinforces the original design concept influenced by the water character.
Building/Site Section
Building/Site Section The building section provides a visual reference to the programmatic organization that occurs between the lower floors and the upper tower floors. Larger programs such as banquet halls and sports facilities are spread out at lower levels while hotel guest accommodations are located in the tower. The programs at the lower floors are intended as the semi-private spaces where reservations must be made in advance and attendance is only allowed to those who have been invited. The spaces in the tower, fourth floor and above, are considered private and are only accessible to those who have a reserved hotel room.
Floor Plate Diagrams
University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Fall 2011 Professor: Lars Gräbner Partners: Yoonho Lee & Benjamin Telian
Private Hotel Accommodations
Private Hotel Accommodations
Nansha Coastal Garden Hotel
Section Location
University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Fall 2011 Professor: Lars Gr채bner Partners: Yoonho Lee & Benjamin Telian
Building Section A very crucial component of the hotel is the proposed double-skin facade which acts not only as a design feature - for instance one section of the facade peels away from the tower and acts as a dramatic canopy for the grand entrance - but the facade also acts as a performative mechanism for energy savings. The site, located in southern China, has many daylighting hours and in order to reduce sunlight glare and heat gain within the interior, the facade will reflect and diffuse direct light, as illustrated in the building section. Additional benefits of the facade include a passive cooling system that occurs through the chimney effect, where the cool air at ground level passes through the facade and is released as warm air at the top of the tower. One more beneficial feature of the facade will be the inclusion of translucent solar panels which will convert annual daylighting hours into renewable on-site energy.
Final Model Photographs
Nansha Coastal Garden Hotel
1 .4
Douglas William Sharpe
Floor Plans & Locations
Floor Plan - Second Floor
Floor Plan - Accommodations in Tower
Floor Plan - Third Floor
Building Section
Section Location
Nansha Coastal Garden Hotel University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Fall 2011 Professor: Lars Gräbner Partners: Yoonho Lee & Benjamin Telian
Exterior Renderings Several design elements can be seen in the renderings and the view from the train features the northern plaza and hotel’s main entrance. At the hotel entrance, the building facade peels from the tower and flares out to become the canopy for the hotel’s grand entrance. The northern plaza, a major hub for pedestrian traffic, funnels circulation between the split in the hotel and provides access to other points of interest throughout the site. The rendering with the view at the ground level split is one of the most dramatic spaces located on the entire site. The tower is 80 meters in height and at this space visitors are able to walk through the tower, conceived as a gateway/threshold separating the busy public plaza and the quiet landscapes of the site’s interior.
1 .5
Douglas William Sharpe
Exterior Renderings
The rendering also reveals the amount of facade protection offered at the southern face of the tower. The facade protects the upper floors but peels away at the ground to become the roof and/ or canopy of the lower floor spaces.
View From Elevated Train (A)
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B Rendering Locations
View at Split (B)
Composite University of Michigan Graduate Thesis Studio - Winter 2012 Professor: Glenn Wilcox Partners: Justin Garrison & John Simenic
Project Brief Our thesis project is a design/build exercise that requires the production of a fully realized, oneto-one scaled installation. The required means of production for our thesis section would be through methods of digital fabrication, and our group has chosen to focus on the techniques of lamination wood bending for our installation.
Schematic Design Our early design concepts and sketches are addressing issues such as the overall form of the installation, what are the capabilities and performance expectations, what the connection details would possibly look like, and how we would develop a computer script language to realize our installation from a digital model in the computer into a fully constructed installation on site.
A related film that documents the process of our project is available at the following website: vimeo.com/41794229
2 .1
Douglas William Sharpe
Wood Bending Precedents - Past & Present
Our research focuses on wood bending methods that have been developed and executed over time, while also researching contemporary applications of wood bending projects such as installations completed by MATSYS and Achim Menges.
Schematic Design & Conceptualization
Composite University of Michigan Graduate Thesis Studio - Winter 2012 Professor: Glenn Wilcox Partners: Justin Garrison & John Simenic
Testing & Process Our first task of the project is performing a series of tests for laminated wood bending. At this stage we are testing everything from the pliability of wood strips, the strength and dry time of different types of glues, documenting the angle variations we could achieve on different types of jigs, and finally testing the strength of many mock-up pieces.
Lamination Process
Wood bending can be achieved with several different methods, and lamination wood bending is achieved by gluing thin strips of wood together, holding them in place with clamps or other devices at a desired bended angle, and when the glue dries the laminated strip will then maintain its bended angle permanently. We have tested several different types of wood veneers, and due to its strength, flexibility and cost, we have decided to work with KoskiPly birch wood.
Our use of digital tools, specifically the CNC router, is unique in the fact that it is used to create our own customized analog tools, the wood jigs and a jig calibration tool, which become the tools used to construct the final pieces.
A related film that documents the process of our project is available at the following website: vimeo.com/41794229
2 .2
Douglas William Sharpe
Test Pieces, Process Testing & Mock-ups
Wood Bending Testing & Mock-ups
Jig Development Throughout the testing period, our jig has evolved in response to failures and for our desire to streamline the lamination process. Each jig is first cut out on the school’s CNC router, while careful design of the jig allowed for easy assembly and adjustability. The computer generated model, constantly in revisions, dictated the required performance of the jig, and adjustability/flexibility was not just beneficial, but crucial for reducing the number of jigs we need to fabricate and ensuring that we meet our deadline.
Wood Bending Testing & Mock-ups
Initial Test Pieces
Jig Final Version
Jig Adjustability Drawing
Jig Exploded Axonometric Drawing
Jig Development
CNC Routing Jigs
Jig Calibration Tool
Lamination Angle Variations
Composite University of Michigan Graduate Thesis Studio - Winter 2012 Professor: Glenn Wilcox Partners: Justin Garrison & John Simenic
Digital Modeling The use of computer software is absolutely mandoatory for our project; however, we are interested in using the software to maximize its full potential and increasing the data output. We have created a model that is flexible and can offer beneficial data that will determine which design iteration will be the best choice, based on several factors. Rhinoceros is our primary software of choice, and we developed a complex Grasshopper definition that allowed for parametric variations. Each iteration has an inherent set of data that, with our definition, the definition calculates linear feet of material, the amount of time each member will take to construct, and also determine a rough estimate of the time required for the construction of the entire installation. Our digital model was also able to be exported into other types of software, such as STAAD which offers structural analysis of each of our design iterations.
Parametric Density Variations
The process of cutting the material from the sheet was done on a Zund knife cutter. This allowed our strips to be completely cut from the stock, while also allowing for an etch layer that numbered each strip. An additional set of etched lines indicated where the strips will bend on the jig while also included the bending angle degree number. The etching on the strips provide a means of organizing the members and providing data that will speed up the construction process A related film that documents the process of our project is available at the following website: vimeo.com/41794229
2 .3
Douglas William Sharpe
Digital Modeling & Process
Cut Sheets A very important goal for our project was to reduce the amount of waste that occurs when cutting our final pieces from the stock material sheets. The vast amount of strips were designed to reduce waste, and the arrangement of the strips on the cut sheets allowed for 95% material efficiency.
Surface Description >
Structural Analysis of Each Iteration
Point Density Generation >
Member Generation >
Bending Angle Generation |
Cut Sheet Example & Computational Logic
Pre-laminated Strips
Grasshopper Grasshop sho shop h op hop o p pe per p e Definition
Composite University of Michigan Graduate Thesis Studio - Winter 2012 Professor: Glenn Wilcox Partners: Justin Garrison & John Simenic
Digital > Making > Final | Our ability to accurately construct our final installation is aided by our efforts to develop an accurate digital model in the computer. In addition to our research, material testings, evolving jigs, etc., we are able to construct our final installation with minimal complications.
A related film that documents the process of our project is available at the following website: vimeo.com/41794229
2 .4
Douglas William Sharpe
Digital Model to Final Installation
The project development, which includes the digital modeling, material testing and the fabrication of jigs occured over a three month time span. The final construction, which includes the stock cutting, concrete footing, waterjet cutting of angle brackets, laminating the strips and finally the on-site assembly, all occured over a one month time span.
Digital Model >
Fabrication & Making >
Custom Metal Brackets |
Concrete Footing |
Wood Laminations |
Wood Laminations |
Detroit Motor School
Program and Concepts The prime focus for the design of the school is to provide the ability for cars to be driven and stored inside of the building. The concept to surround students with cars while in school, creates an environment that students find exciting, where they will want to attend and not miss a single day of learning. The existing building did not provide enough clearance and space for cars, and the decision has been made that the existing school’s brick facade would be retained while a new hermetically sealed enclosure would be created as an augmentation to the existing. Concept diagrams provide a visual reference for the functions that need to be achieved - cars must enter the building, the students should be able to display their work back to the public, and the building needs to accomodate the gamut of proposed automotive programs.
3 .1
Douglas William Sharpe
Program Concepts
Project Brief The objective of the studio is to choose a school building in the Detroit metro area that has been closed, and we are asked to introduce an architectural solution to transform this school into an economically self-sustaining trade school. My response is to develop a school that provides a high school education while specializing in automotive training, which includes general car maintenance, collision repair, car restoration, concept car design & build, custom painting, eco-car development, among many others. The school’s primary funding source is the profits gained by the automotive services that the school provides to the public.
Proposed Program Collage
University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Winter 2011 Professor: Mireille Roddier
Site Analysis & Concepts
Concept Collages
Detroit Motor School University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Winter 2011 Professor: Mireille Roddier
Design Development A major factor to consider is the homogeneous circulation of building occupants and vehicles. The first design iterations focus primarily on the complexities of multiple types of circulation while also providing spaces for the intended programs. The plans indicate the circulation paths of users (orange) and the circulation of cars (red). The car paths allow vehicles to be able to reach all classrooms or workshops where students either learn about or work on the cars with instructors.
3 .2
Douglas William Sharpe
Circulation Model
An element of the sub-grade plan, the test track located on-site is where students are able to test that their work has been performed successfully, whether that is after repairing a car or testing a new concept car that the students created from scratch. The purpose of placing the test track below-grade is to reduce noise levels for the nearby residences. Another design element was to extend the floor plate, and provide extensive glazing, in order to allow the public to see the automotive projects that students are working on. The model and plans show how the floor plans extend from the interior and are exploding through the existing windows.
Preliminary Digital Model
Preliminary Plans & Circulation Design
Detroit Motor School University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Winter 2011 Professor: Mireille Roddier
Floor Plans The final floor plans show the circulation paths of building occupants (orange) and vehicles (red). The programs range from standard classrooms to a repair shop and an automobile showroom, among many others, as indexed in the floor plan legend. Any space that is intended to be occupied by an autombile is connected to the vehicular circulation network, while arrows provide directional queues for which way a vehicle is intended to travel. In regards to interior pedestrian safety, there are crosswalk floor markings where occupant circulation coincides with vehicular corridors. Automobile lifts are available at each floor which allows for the vertical circulation of cars inside of the building.
Floor Plan Legend 1. Classrooms 2. Occupant Corridors 3. Vehicular Corridors 4. Formal Automotive Showroom 5. Atrium Showroom, Lounge, Study & Dining 6. Automobile Lift 7. Automotive Repair Shop 8. Automobile Test Track 9. Administration Offices 10. Building Services 11. Automobile Wall Display 12. Main Entrances 13. Automotive Classrooms 14. Public Display Ramps 15. Open Central Atrium 16. Open Atrium 17. Cafeteria 18. Auditorium
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3 .3
Douglas William Sharpe
Final Floor Plans
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Below Grade
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Ground Floor
Second Floor
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University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Winter 2011 Professor: Mireille Roddier
Exterior The before/after images convey the design decision to retain the building’s brick facade, while the glazing envelope is augmented to the existing building. The rendered image also shows how the students’ work is on display to the public with the cars resting on the angled ramps.
Building Section
Detroit Motor School
In the aerial view, the envelope is seen surrounding the building and it provides additional floor space beyond the building’s original floor plate - such as the floors extending through former windows and the additional space gained in the center of the complex. The sealed envelope also protects the stored/showroom vehicles from the elements.
In the renderings, the color of the cars indicate their functionality, where the red cars are static either on display such as in showrooms or being stored for future use by the school. The yellow cars indicate those that are in motion within the interior, which occurs when cars are traveling between interior spaces such as classrooms and workshops.
3 .4
Douglas William Sharpe
Before/After Exterior
Interior The building section reveals the temendous amount of interior space provided by the envelope. The concept of combining vehicular occupancy with building occupants allows for students to be engaged and immersed with cars during their time at school. The interior is equipped to handle vehicles traveling through the building while also offering adequate space for the storage and display of cars that students are working on, or plan to work on.
Interior Renderings
Before/After Aerial View
Faith Collective University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Fall 2010 Professor: McLain Clutter
Project Brief The studio is interested in first researching existing mega churches in the Detroit area, focusing primarily on factors that may reveal their success(es) based on their location. Factors such as population density, household income, and proximity to highways were major factors to the success of existing mega churches. The collected data has provided us with potential locations to place a newly designed mega church.
4 .1
Douglas William Sharpe
Preliminary Floor Plates
Preliminary Site Plan
Preliminary Design Iteration & Concepts
Following the research, we are now tasked with designing a new mega church with the requirement of combining an uncommon program of our choosing - I have chosen to combine a shopping mall with the mega church. My proposed site currently has an existing shopping mall which is documented as a financially struggling facility. With an existing site so vast, and adding to the shopping atmosphere, instead of just one religious denomination it seemed appropriate to have many major religions represented in the program. This would create an atmosphere of patrons being able to shop around and experience many different brands of faith that they would never normally have a chance to witness - mega church, mosque, and temple will all be included.
Preliminary Design Renderings
Preliminary Building Section
Concept Model
Concept Collages
Site Mapping/Analysis & Project Location
Faith Collective University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Fall 2010 Professor: McLain Clutter
Site Strategies The first design decision on site is to replace the extraordinary amount of parking surface into fields that will be used for intramural sports and other recreational activities. There are also miles of uninterrupted paths that are inscribed within the site and those paths travel continuously around and through the main building - this circulation path allows for pedestrians to come in contact with nature, recreation, retail outlets and religious congregations all networked together along the paths.
4 .2
Douglas William Sharpe
Site Plan
Interior Lightwells One major design feature of the interior are the large lightwells, which offer a deluge of natural light to enter the congregation areas. The lightwells are a nexus where religious congregations and retail shops are on full display - shoppers can view congregation activities and vice-versa.
Full Building Section (A)
Building Sections & Floor Plans
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Partial Building Section (B)
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C Perspective Building Section (C)
Faith Collective University of Michigan Graduate Studio - Fall 2010 Professor: McLain Clutter
Interior Lightwells The locations of the lightwells were considered as major intersections for patrons, but they also function as a structural core for each of the zones. The framing was designed using Grasshopper, and each of the cores are unique and respond to the floor plates that are proposed for each area. Parametric controls allowed the frame to be adjusted by twisting, pulling and scaling the form, while the frame shell and stiffeners would adjust to the desired form.
4 .3
Douglas William Sharpe
Path/Lightwell Diagrams & Rendering
Exterior Structure The exterior structural framing was designed in the same manner as the interior. The structural frame was able to be modified to respond to each unique form of the facades. The exterior frame functions as a structural system which supports the loads of the upper floors.
Exterior Rendering
Close Encounters Pavilion
Parametric Variations The final Grasshopper definition allows for an array of parametric control of the pavilion. The form is developed using two separate techniques known as ‘Morphing Tool’ and ‘Grid with Attractor Point’. The towers have the capability of moving/bending while mainting the lattice pattern, while also being able to choose an infinite number of variations for the lattice. The holes of the platforms have the ability to change in grid density and size, along with many other potential variations. The images provide examples of how individual components of the standard pavilion can be modified with the use of parametric controls.
5 .1
Douglas William Sharpe
Parametrically Modified Pavilion
Project Brief This graduate elective course is an introductin and exploration of parametric modeling with the use of Rhinoceros, Paneling Tools, Grasshopper and Scripting. We are also taught the methodology of rapid prototyping to produce models by way of laser cutting and 3d printing. The final project is to digitally design a pavilion, while being able to produce multiple variations with the use of parametric tools.
Standard Pavilion
University of Michigan Generative Design Computing - Fall 2010 Professor: Glenn Wilcox
Individual Components
Individual Components
3D Print Model Photographs & Renderings
University of Michigan Digital Fabrication - Winter 2011 Professor: Maciej Kaczynski Partners: Anastasia Kostrominova & John Walter
Project Brief Michigan’s architecture school boasts a world-class fabrication laboratory, and the Digital Fabrication graduate elective course offers an extensive hands on experience for students to learn of the emerging trends in this expanding field. Our final project is an exercise in developing a form using parametric tools and to fabricate a model that would fit within a 6’ x 3’ base.
Form Development
voroGAMI
Surface Description >
Surface Offset >
Project Development Our team has decided to pursue a project that is created parametrically using Rhino, Grasshopper and it will be made from 24 gauge steel. Our project’s name is voroGAMI because the technique to develop the cellular volumes is based on the geometric principals of the Voronoi, and folding flat stock into 3d volumes is similar to oragami hence “voroGAMI”. Each cell is created by 3d points, and apparent in the final model is that the cells at the base are smaller and more dense while the cells that span the top are larger and less dense. The variation is intentionally written into the Grasshopper definition because the cells at the base are required to carry a heavier load, while the span at the top will have less material and reduced weight. After the development of the cells, we then apply our scripts that unroll the cells into flat stock, add tabs to the perimeter, and add fold lines that allow the flat stock to fold into the volumetric cells. The use of the school’s water jet then cuts out the metal pieces, and lastly we use a spot welder to stiffen and secure the cells.
Line Division >
Voronoi Cell Generation >
Line Connection >
Cell Removal >
Point Density >
Final Cells |
Waterjet Sheet Metal
Cut Pieces
6 .1
Douglas William Sharpe
Fabrication Process
Prepped Cut Pieces
Final Installation
Spot-weld Cells
Final Installation & Detail Photographs