Erik Wolowitz Architectural Portfolio

Architectural Portfolio

ERIK WOLOWITZ

TORQUE | Webfoot Recreation & Indoor Track

Terminal Studio | Location: Eugene, OR

Instructor | Tom Hahn

RIGGING | Noyo Marine Center

Graduate Studio | Location: Fort Bragg, CA

Instructor | Dr. Hajo Nies

AXIS | UO Building Technology Innovation Center

Graduate Studio | Location: Eugene, OR

Instructor | Tom Hahn

TORQUE | Webfoot Recreation & Indoor Track

Terminal Studio | Location: Eugene, OR

Instructor | Tom Hahn

Torque is a twisting force that tends to cause rotation. Webfoot Recreation and Indoor Track Facility is a multi-purpose facility used by the University of Oregon and its community. Two major components make up the design, a satellite recreational center, and an indoor track and field facility for the University of Oregon. It is located across the Willamette River next to the other Oregon sports facilities surrounding Autzen Stadium. The reason for Webfoot was to have a REC that both the school and community can use, along with a performance and conditioning facility for student-athletes that are on Oregon’s track and field team. The design concept came from the morphology studies of the American bison and the historical stature of Hayward Field. While studying the motion of the bison, I came across terms that I thought represented the powerful beast and its movement. With that, it gave me a foundation and a forward motion on how it can be perceived in a general massing that could later be used to explore building shape. Following that, a comparison of a bison’s movement with the movement of an athlete and how they run on the track. By examining the anatomy of the human leg and how it is broken down helped further the form of the design. Following the research and multiple massing exercises, the design was constructed into two components that were separated and had an interlocking component with an uplifting connection. Having this idea in mind, a pushing and pulling language was created in the core of the design. The core represents the bridge between the two connections that allows the facilities to interact and create a bond between recreational and competitive use. Having these interlocking connections, a form starts to create a cradle on the site based on the landscape, pathways, and surrounding context. Along with the representation of a bison and human anatomy in the design, the building pays tribute to the history of Hayward field (University of Oregon Track and Field Facility) by incorporating the old with the new and introducing elements from the other universities’ sports facilities to create a blend.

Site Analysis

The site is located by Autzen Stadium at the University of Oregon. It is surrounded by the other UO sport complex and shows a variety of different break downs. The representation of Eugene’s sun path diagram is working with the yearly wind loads that pass through the site located in the largest circle and has a variety of different radius to resemble the noises that revolves around the site. Along with surround sport complex context, the grey shows some of the local community. Also highlighted are the different water ways that run through the site and foliage. Also giving the noise distribution from the surrounding buildings along with its transportation from highway/ railways.

American Bison Morphology Studies

The idea of the American Bison Morphology Studies helps to understand the complex motion and movement of the bison on how it walks/runs across the North American prairies. A full-size male bison also known as a “Bull” can weight from 1,200 to 1,400 pounds but can weight up to 2,200 pounds. They can range in size from 5’ to 6.5’ tall and up to 10’ in length. Because of its size, you would think that it would not be able to run fast but it can run up 40 MPH and can jump up to a distance of 8’. The motion of the bison comes from the way that it projects off its back legs which allows it up to create an uplifting motion transitioning into a powering forwards motion and then running position. This gives it the power it needs to thrust movement to protect itself from predators. Analyzing the motion of the bison I came up with four terms to represent the studies shown below.

Running of the Bison

Running of the bison is a collage to represent the overall concept of the University of Oregon Track & Field Facility at Autzen Stadium Sports Complex. The idea was to show the transition of the study of the American Bison to a facility for Track & Field Athletes. In representation, the bison was one of the largest mammals in North America and a symbol throughout history. Native Americans use to hunt the bison for survival and to do so, they must be in top physical condition to succeed. Just like the Natives, a track and field athlete must also resemble the same traits to be successful on the field.

Site Plan

Uni. of Oregon Indoor Track & Field Facility located on the Autzen Staduim and Sports Complex.

Diagraming the Site and Building

Variety of Site Daigrams to understand the usage of its context.

4" Metal Track

8" SIP

2" Wood Siding

Metal Panel with Z Channel

5/8" Gypsum Board WRB

Batt Insulation

8" Metal Steel Stud

SCHUCO Operable Window

CSP Foundation Wall w/ Footer

Radiant Floors

5" Rigid Insulation

4' Concrete Footer

10" Anchor Bolts

1" Steel Plate

Custom Steel Structure

Gravel

5" Sand

6" Drainage Pipe

Floor Drain

RIGGING | Noyo Marine Center

Graduate Studio | Location: Fort Bragg, CA

Instructor | Dr. Hajo Nies

Rigging a cable, and or rope system employed to support and control. As a class, we were given the task to design three new installments of the Noyo Center for Marine Science. The site is located in Fort Bragg, California off the coast of the Pacific. In designing this Center, it had three components to focus on, a discovery center, research facility, and housing units. I broke up the three design elements into phases. Phase 01 is the Discovery Center, Phase 02 is the Research Facility, and Phase 03 is the Housing Units. Based on extensive research of the site, Fort Bragg has had a lot of different elements pass through it, including a lumber mill, such things have caused massive amounts of damage to the site over the years, but it has been restored during the present day. With the history of the site begin widely diversified, I focused the design on the Lumber Mill and how to incorporate modern logging techniques in the design. The project name, Rigging comes from the modern use of Skyline Rigging that is used throughout the country to transport trees throughout the site without harming the context of the landscape below it. I wanted to design a facility that would create the same effect by suspending it off the ground and allowing the design to touch the ground in critical areas lightly. Using a mass timber design and structure for the discovery center, I wanted to pay tribute to the site and landscape to allow it to regenerate from the long history it has had.

Fort Bragg History Parti

The parti is to show a representation of the logging history that took place in Fort Bragg. The Site was original surround by Redwoods that ran to the coast till the late 1800s. The land was then turned into a lumber port and later established as the Union Lumber Company in 1893. The Lumber from the site was used up and down the west coast of the united states and was transported by logging ships and trains. Fort Bragg was then developed into the town it is today and where the Noyo Marine Center is located.

Noyo Marine Center Process

The Noyo Center process sketches allowed me to get a rough idea of how I wanted to layout the spaces and program for the discovery center. Some sketches were drawn to help give an idea of how the connection of the three phases would come together along with a rough schematic parti of the process of how I wanted the user to enter the site. I played a little bit with the massing and how the structure of buildings would help with the form of the design. Along with the sketches, there are some parti diagrams that start to resemble the different types of log rigging, to focus on the tension and force that is given on the cables when transporting the trees through the designated sites.

Modular Structures

Whale Pavilion

Dicovery Center

DISCOVERY CENTER

1. MARINE LIFE SKELETONS

EXHIBITS

DISCOVERY CENTER

1. LOBBY

2. FISH TANKS

3. MARINIE LIFE EXHIBIT HALL

4. GIFT SHOP

5. POST OFFICE

6. CAFE

7. KITCHEN

8. PATIO

1. FISH TANKS

2. MARINE LIGFE EXHIBITS HALL

EXHIBIT

AXIS | Building Technology Innovation Center

Graduate Studio | Location: Eugene, OR

Instructor | Tom Hahn

A central part of the structure that allows the components to interlock. Located in Eugene Oregon, off Franklin Blvd and Onyx street. The site embedded into a receding landscape surrounded by trees, allows the sun to penetrate through the branches to create a sense of filtration. As the different forms of transportation run along the site, its form creates boundaries and an anchor point that holds the site to the south. Using the offset of the anchor that is created by the roads, I decided to embrace the offset by designing a counterbalance that would allow the anchor of the design to be set in the southern region of the site and allow the design to take form as it secures around the axis. Using the axis as a stronghold, this allows the modular and panelized components to plug in and take the buildings form.

Site Analysis

Designed to show the site and its surrounding context with a variety of different break downs. The representation of Eugene Oregon’s sun path diagram working with the yearly wind loads that pass through the site. The different types of transportation that resemble with different paths and line weights to show how the site interacts with the site’s transportation such as bikes, cars, and the railway. Also giving the noise distribution from the surrounding buildings along with its transportation from highway/ railways.

Site Plan

Uni. of Oregon Alternative Materials Testing Facility located on the UO Millrace Campus

Boundary

Filtration

Counter-Balance

Scheme | 01

• Create a thick boundary using the south and west axis

• Manipulate the trajectory of the boundary

• Use the boundary to create circulation

Scheme | 02

• Take the trajectory of Scheme 01 and apply to roof condition

• Allow the natural lighting to penetrate the south Façade

• Create a secondary unit to connect with the form using the north side

Scheme | 03

• Combination Scheme 01 and Scheme 02

• Roof and boundary share the trajectory

• Connection of languages from north to south

Scheme | 04

• Form is refined to main massing idea

Structural System

The inside of the building will consist of glulam beams, girders, and columns that have pockets to allow the modular pods and components to be inserted into the design. The interior structure will use the concept of Japanese architecture and the idea of friction joints/connection to allow the design to work with the idea of modular and panelized architecture.