ELYSIA N. MIKKELSEN UNDERGRADUATE PORTFOLIO
BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE 2012 PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
5515 WISSAHICKON AVENUE APT. E203 PHILADELPHIA, PA 19144 elysia.mikkelsen@gmail.com 717.350.0778
SELECTED WORKS CULTIVATING CONNECTIONS
NICETOWN CENTER FOR URBAN RENEWAL
PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY SHUTTLE STOP
GRAYS FERRY ATHENAEUM
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
RE{ACTION}: DIGITAL METHODOLOGIES
CULTIVATING CONNECTIONS To be homeless means much more than not having a place to live, there are many stigmas attached to being destitute and there is a distinct break in the connection you have with your community and the way you interact with your surroundings. Being forced to make the landscape your home can change your view of spaces designed as recreational and beautiful to something negative. Cultivating Connections was a project done for the ACSA Steel Competition in my fourth year. The design is for a homeless center in Philadelphia on the corner of 30th st. and Walnut, directly across from Penn Park. Due to its location my goal in the design of the project was reconnect the people to the community by giving them a place to live as well as a valuable place in society. Pulling the park under the Walnut St. bridge and up and into the building reinforced the connection that will the reintegration of the homeless to their community. The landscape enters the building and through a series of structural systems becomes a vertical farm. This provides the people residing there with a way to participate in the growing of their own food and be a part of community within in building and then reach out and share with the outside community.
CULTIVATING CONNECTIONS
1/16” = 1’ STRUCTURE MODEL
EXTERIOR RENDERING: CORNER OF WALNUT AND 30TH ST.
1/16” = 1’ STRUCTURE MODEL
PLAN: RESIDENTIAL FLOORS
PLAN: COACTIVE FLOORS
1/16” = 1’ STRUCTURE MODEL
FINAL DIAGRAM: CONNECTION OF LANDSCAPE AND PENN PARK
CULTIVATING CONNECTIONS
INTERIOR GREEN WALL CONSTRUCTION DETAIL
EXTERIOR RENDERING: UNDER THE WALNUT STREET BRIDGE
1/4” = 1’ SECTION MODEL
SECTION PERSPECTIVE
1/4" = 1' SECTION MODEL DETAIL
INTERIOR RENDERING: GREEN WALL AND RAMP
1/4" = 1' SECTION MODEL
1/4" = 1' SECTION MODEL
NICETOWN CENTER FOR URBAN RENEWAL The Nicetown Center for Urban Renewal was a collaborative project done with myself, and three other architect majors in my fourth year. Our site was located in an area of Philadelphia known for its crime and poverty. Our goal with the project was to provide a location for the residents of Nicetown to not only purchase fresh foods and produce but to provide an area where they could learn how to improve their own lives. The center featured a large market in the back, but also an area for cooking classes to be taken, a workshop and tool store to learn about home improvement, and office and study space to provide safe places for learning and job placement. The center was an urban infill project making use of an abandoned warehouse on Hunting Park Avenue. Across from the Center we designed an urban park on an abandoned lot to provide yet another community gathering space.
NICETOWN CENTER FOR URBAN RENEWAL Improving the Body, Mind and Environment Body: by proving a market that includes fresh produce from local farmers, a bakery, butcher, dairy and dry goods. A restaurant which uses many of the ingredients found in the market. Mind: Providing classrooms for food demonstrations, a gathering space for performances and weekend vendors, a bookstore with in house cafe, and a study area for after-school tutoring. Environment: Provides well-being through the creation of a safe, clean and beautiful environment. Hardware store and classrooms for supplies and demonstrations, and Donath St Park, for gathering, reflection and play.
HUNTING PARK ENTRANCE RENDERING
HUNTING PARK AVENUE ELEVATION
N 19 ST. ELEVATION
The development of our building design came from an in-depth site analysis of the Nicetown community. After interviewing many of the residents, and studying the neighborhoods resources we found that there was a serious lack of anywhere for the community to gather safely, and no where within walking distance for them to purchase fresh foods. FIRST FLOOR PLAN
NORTH EAST ELEVATION
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
NICETOWN CENTER FOR URBAN RENEWAL
NATIVE PLANT AND ANIMALS
URBAN PARK PLANTING GUIDE
GRADING PLAN
FINAL BUILDING PLANS
FINAL LANDSCAPE MODEL
FINAL DETAIL MODEL
FINAL DETAIL MODEL
NICETOWN CENTER FOR URBAN RENEWAL
CAFE SPACE AND BOOKSTORE
OFFICE MEZZANINE
BOOKSTORE
MARKET SPACE
DETAIL SECTION THROUGH MARKET
DETAIL SECTION THROUGH BOOKSTORE
PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY SHUTTLE STOP This project is located on Philadelphia University Drive and Henry Avenue. It is a shuttle stop for the University’s vans, but its can also serve as a bus stop for Septas route 32. The concept of the shelter was to create a space that the person waiting can interact with. The shelter breaks down from a solid wall to provide seats, tables, and benches all at the users discernment. If you arrive at the stop to find a solid wall you pull out a seat for yourself, if you find that the shelter is getting crowded, you can provide a bench or open up the wall farther to provide more standing/leaning space.
PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY SHUTTLE STOP
STUDY MODEL: ORIGINAL CONCEPT
STUDY MODEL: ORIGINAL CONCEPT
STUDY MODEL: CONCEPT ONE
STUDY MODEL: CONCEPT TWO
RENDERING FROM UNIVERSITY DRIVE
RENDERING FROM UNIVERSITY DRIVE: CLOSED
RENDERING FROM HENRY AVENUE
FINAL RENDERING: UNIVERSITY DRIVE
PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY SHUTTLE STOP
ELEVATION FROM UNIVERSITY DRIVE: OPEN
DETAILS OF JOINTS TO PROVIDE MOVEMENTS
ELEVATION FROM UNIVERSITY DRIVE: CLOSED
SECTION: CLOSED WALL
FINAL MODEL: HENRY AVENUE
FINAL MODEL HENRY AVENUE AND UNIVERSITY DRIVE
FINAL MODEL UNIVERSITY DRIVE
FINAL MODEL HENRY AVENUE
GRAYS FERRY ATHENAEUM This project is designed to be a resource to the community. Its main use is for members of the community who work from home. This is because when working outside the home professionals are able to interact and be a part of their community, the gatherings on lunch breaks, the simple dialogue between them and another coworker provides them with something you might miss out on when working from home. Space will be available to hold client meetings and studio space will be given for extra room. To draw in those members of the community who are not of a small business nature, the building will hold regular exhibitions of these peoples work, set up workshops to learn to better use the resources available, as well as allow them to use the resources available. The exhibitions of those working from home will range from graphic design, fabric and textile, pottery, writing, and crafts to specialized sales. The Athenaeum will include public areas, such as a cafe and resource center for the public located on the first 2 floors. The building will also contain a lecture hall, first floor, and meeting spaces for community members to learn and teach, and for members who work from home to use for clients. The fourth floor contains an outdoor patio for patron use, which can be doubled as more display space. Studio space, and useful texts and materials will be available for visitors in the library on the third floor.
GRAYS FERRY ATHENAEUM
FINAL MODEL
The location of the site provided and interesting shape for the building. My original thought processes stemmed from the way that shape could be broken down into rooms/ space through circulation and public vs. private. FINAL MODEL
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
THIRD FLOOR PLAN
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
FOURTH FLOOR PLAN
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM The archeological museum is located on West River Drive in Philadelphia. The Museum is a collection of Lenne Lanape Native American Artifacts. Native American culture believes that the removal of artifacts from their final resting place can disturb the afterlife of their people, therefore the museums goal is to catalogue the information found n the site and then return it to the earth. The constantly changing dig sites provided inspiration for how the building is designed. There was walking bridges through the displays, and constantly changing floor planes, just like the level of the earth changing outside. The large cantilever is designed to be a viewing space and cafe to clearly see the whole site as the digging process progresses. One of the Requirements for this project was that we were to re-use all work, not "final" drawings were allowed to be made.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
SITE ANALYSIS SKETCHES
CONCEPT STUDY MODELS
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG SITE STUDY
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG SITE: VIEWING AREA STUDY
FINAL CONCEPT MODEL
FINAL SITE PLAN
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
FINAL MODEL
SECTIONS
The section perspective above clearly shows the changing planes of the buildings design, the building is also divided into a left and right side, the left being more public, and the right housing classrooms and labs for cataloging. The final model below shows the areas of roof that broke and changed planes, as well as the grid used one the green roof and ares for sky lights.
RE{ACTION}: DIGITAL METHODOLOGIES In this studio I used an Arduino, Processing, and Grasshopper in order to diagram and design a working kinetic structure that could be used as an architectural installation. We started by analyzing character relationships in a movie, progressed to diagramming them using the processing programs, and then converted that into writing code for the Arduino and modeling a working element of the installation. My final design reacted to the closeness of a person to the object and the amount of light surrounding it. When a person approached the object or wall the interior shades contract and expand, as light fades or brightens so do the blue LEDS inside.
RE{ACTION}: DIGITAL METHODOLOGIES Void setup(){ Size(600,600); } Void draw(){ Background(20,40,110); For(int x=0; x<width; x+=30) { for(int y=0; y<height; y+=30) { rect(x, y, mouseX/7., mouseY/5.); } } } void mousePressed(){ save(“param_”+mouseX+”_”+mouseY+”. jpg”); }
int space = 25; float influence = 130; float minRadius = 20; float maxRadius = 100; void setup () { size (600, 600, P3D); }
KINETIC STRUCTURE MODEL For the start of Project 1 we were asked to select characters from the movie City of Lost Children and analyze their relationships. I chose to focus on the relationship between Krank (an evil scientist) and Irvin (a brain in the tank). When studying their relationship and watching the outcome of the movie I came to believe that Irvin, although in a tank and without any physical control, was actually “in charge” during the course of the movie. He never made a comment without knowing what the consequences would be, and through manipulation of a couple of other outside characters he was able to orchestrate the death of Krank, he then also successfully escaped from the island.
void draw () { background (0); circle (0, 255, 255, 255, 100); }
PROCESSING DIAGRAM AND CODE
void circle (float contour, float _r, float _g, float _b, float _y) { strokeWeight(contour); stroke(1); fill (255, 45); for <width; fo or (int x = 15; x <widt dtth; x += space) { for <height; ffo or (int y = 15; y <he eiig gh htt; y += space) { float (dist oat radius = 1 - ((min oa min (dis ist (x, y, mouseX, is
#include #inc clude <Servo.h> h Servo my m yse s rvvo; myservo; into potPin = 0 iintt servo = 1 in 13 13; 3; int vall = 0 in int ledPin = 10; int lightPin = 1; void setup() { m yservo.attach(13) myservo.attach(13); KINETIC WALL DIAGRAM
KINETIC WALL DIAGRAM
pinMode(servo, OU OUTPUT); serial.begin(9600); { serial.begin(9600); pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); } } void loop() { val = analogREad(potPin); val = map(val,0,1023,0,179); if (val>39) myservo. write(0);
GRASSHOPPER DEFINITION RHINO WALL
else if (val<40) myservo.write(180); Serial.println(val); delay(10); { Serial. println(analogRead(lightPin)); analogWrite(ledPin, analogRead(lightPin)/2); delay(10); } } ARDUINO SCRIPT