Selected Works - 2014 by Chris Genest

20 P O R T F O L I O 14 christopher genest

christopher genest EMAIL cgenest1@gmail.com

PHONE (h) 661.367.6343 (c) 661.388.3511

ADDRESS 28216 shelter cove dr saugus, ca. 91350

EDUCATION Woodbury University Bachelor of Architecture Fall 2008 - Spring 2012 Cumulative GPA: 3.44 Topic Studio | Summer 2010

Burbank, CA

ROMB Structural Engineering Senior Project Designer

Woodland Hills, CA Nov 2013 - Present

ROMB Structural Engineering Project Designer

Woodland Hills, CA Nov 2012 - Nov 2013

ROMB Structural Engineering Intern

Woodland Hills, CA May 2012 - Nov 2012

Embudo / Dixon, NM

Infrastructural Urbanism & The Design of Resilience

Topic Studio | Summer 2011

EXPERIENCE

Mendoza, Argentina

Metrics & Meaning in Urban Design & Architecture

College of the Canyons Architectural Drafting Winter 2007 - Spring 2008

Valencia, CA

Topic Studio | Winter 2007

Florence / Rome, Italy

Burbank, CA June 2010 - August 2010

TECHNICAL

Arch/Ints History: Arch-Cl. Rev.

California State University, Northridge Civil & Applied Mechanics, CMT Fall 2006 - Fall 2007

Arid Lands Institute Research Stipend

Northridge, CA

DESIGN 3D Modeling Code Compliance Computer Aided Drafting Construction Document Generation Graphic Design

Hand Sketching Permit Processing Photo Editing Rendering Schematic Design

â&#x20AC;&#x153;From this threshold, the one that you are on at this very moment, until your consciousness is released from your body you have the opportunity to give form to life, through architectureâ&#x20AC;?

-Michael Rotondi

table of

CONTENTS 08Residences 18[HOME]made 26Drift Impacted 34interflow 44Hand Made 50CASC[aide] 56Solstice 62Watershed

May 2012 - Present | ROMB Structural Engineering Spring 2011 | Design Studio: Structure & Systems Fall 2011 | Design Studio: Tectonic Drift

Spring 2012 | Degree Project Spring 2009 | Design Studio: Natural Tendencies

Summer 2011 | Topic Studio: Metrics & Meaning in Urban Design & Architecture

Spring 2010 | Design Studio: Site Orders Summer 2010 | Topic Studio: Infrastructural Urbanism & The Design of Resilience

ROMB Structural Engineering | may 2012 - present

ROMB Structural Engineering is a small-scale engineering firm based out of Woodland Hills. The firm focuses on residential projects, from ground up design to remodels and additions throughout Southern California. Services provided include architectural design (both interior and exterior), structural design, site and code research, and permit processing. The majority of the client base consists of developers and â&#x20AC;&#x153;flippersâ&#x20AC;?, project turn around must be quick and precise in order to maintain a constant flow of projects. Design for private clients is provided as well and is handled differently with a larger focus on context and client interest rather than size and turnaround. Responsibilities include architectural design from the Schematic Design phase through development and Construction Document drafting, interfacing with clients through all phases, supervision of other design staff throughout aforementioned processes, management of project development, and generation of intital plans and modification of redlined structural and architectural plans. c.genest - sr. project designer

residences engineer oscar melchor MENTORS architect fernando dizitti

professional | residential | CDs

08|09

ROMB Structural Engineering | may 2012 - present

9'-8" 16'-5" 9'-3"

17624

pacific pallisades, ca

29'-1

castellammare dr 4'-0"

UP BLOCK RETAINING WALL

OPEN PATIO 298 SF

16'-11"

11" 1

3'-10"

PANTRY

ENTRY 52 SF (FF 79.00)

REF.

116 SF

9'-6"

BLOCK WALL 6'-6"

12'-0"

STORAGE / MECHANICAL

A-4.1

118 SF

2 3

HALL 32 SF

KITCHEN / DINING 417 SF (FF 74.00)

4'-0" 6

29'-3"

OFFICE 4'-0"

COVERED DECK 57 SF

19'-0"

BATH 3 52 SF

6'-6" 10'-11"

DN 10'-10"

8'-0" 4

B 4

A-4.1

9'-3"

Castellammare is sited on a vacant lot overlooking Pacific Coast Highway and the beach beyond. Designed as a private residence, the main priority of the client was maintaining a consistent view throughout the public spaces. Working with the hillside, the programs step down in a multi-level proposal with views as soon as one enters the front door. Due to the severity of the slope, the project was constrained to 1,200 SF, yet the design boasts near 2,500 SF due to the use of “basement space” as the private programs. The result is a 2 bed, 3 bath residence which includes an office with plenty of storage or possibly a third bedroom. The public spaces blend with outdoor decks through large pane windows and wall to wall sliding doors to provide seemless transition from inside to out.

OPEN DECK 157 SF

16'-10"

1 A-4.0

2 A-4.0

10| 11

ROMB Structural Engineering | may 2012 - present

5550

hidden hills, ca

penland rd

Penland is located within the ever-updating Hidden Hills area, yet the client was striving to keep the concepts of the original intent of the residence. As one of the few remaining single story houses in the area, the client was craving more space so a rather unimposing second story was proposed near the rear of the development as well as a new attached garage and front porch cover. The language of the original facades were translated into the new proposals in order to keep some sort of balance in this asymmetrical layout.

12| 13

ROMB Structural Engineering | may 2012 - present

20'-0"

19'-0" 6"

12'-1"

1'-0"

14'-6"

9'-2"

MASTER

8'-0"

1'-6"

10'-2"

16'-0"

(N) DECK ABOVE COVERED PATIO

6'-0"

BATH 2 9'-7"

5'-6"

8'-0"

SHOWER

12'-0"

F.A.U. STORAGE

3'-6"

3'-6" 3'-0"

BED 2

2'-8"

2'-6"

3'-6"

4'-11"

4'-7"

M. BATH CLOSET 6'-3"

10'-11"

3'-0"

4'-7"

7'-8"

5'-10"

12'-3"

WALK-IN CLOSET

4'-5"

OPEN TO BELOW

EGRESS WINDOW CM

4'-8"

13'-2"

EGRESS WINDOW

12'-9" 16'-6"

1'-0"

8'-2"

UARD RAIL AROUND SED DECK

6'-0"

UCCO TO EXISTING

6'-6"

1'-5"

8'-3"

CLOSET

2'-0"

BED 3

8'-1"

6'-0"

6'-11" PET WALL

12'-0"

2'-0"

(N) FAUX MONUMENT

(N) TEMPERED GLASS DOOR / WINDOW PER SCHEDULE

BATH 3

BATH 4

6'-1" SD

11'-4"

CLOSET

14'-11"

13'-0"

24'-0"

21'-6"

42" MIN.

26'-0"

(N) CLASS 'A' ROOFING

11'-6"

10'-0"

BED 4

STUCCO 5'-5"

9'-0"

2'-0"

(N) STONE FACADE AROUND GARAGE

(N) TEMPERED GLASS DOOR / WINDOW PER SCHEDULE

(E) FINISHED FLOOR

6'-0" 18'-4"

(N) DECK ABOVE GARAGE

(E) FINISHED GRADE

21'-9"

4213

studio city, ca

ben ave

Ben was another flipped property for a developer. Originally a single story residence, the original footprint was kept and expanded upon. The main focus of the design became the play on layering different planes in order to create false depth and defined space, while optimizing a large open floorplan. Large rooms invite an atmosphere of communication, yet still maintaining a hint of privacy when needed.

14| 15

ROMB Structural Engineering | may 2012 - present

514

pasadena, ca

n catalina ave

Purchased as an existing 816 SF, two bedroom / one bathroom house, the client intended to add ~500 SF in order to achieve a three bedroom / two bathroom resale. The client wanted a modernized design at the lowest cost in order to maximize his turnaround. The challenge for this project not only lied within permit processing but more specifically with a storm drain easement running directly through the property at a 45 degree angle. This easement influenced the design toward the south side of the property, where the proposed master bedroom exists. The end result varies slightly from the original design based on client input yet the core concept of clean lines and material contrast remains. Horizontal wood siding paired with smooth, dark stucco allows for stark contrast and large windows brings in plenty of natural light into the public spaces inside.

16| 17

Located in downtown Los Angeles, California in an area commonly known as Skid Row, [HOME]made provides a life plan that begins with driven individuals looking for a way to improve their life condition. Starting with an interview, this first stage is meant to determine if the services provided are what the individual needs; if not, they are referred to other neighboring facilities. Once an individual enters the program, they are given everything a person requires to function in normal society (food, shelter, job training / placement) and are placed in a large apartment at the top of the facility along with five other individuals. As they progress through the program, they move physically down the structure and become accountable for the services they were previously given. This allows for a gradual reintegration into traditional society. Along with other services offered, such as job training, physical and mental health services, counseling, and financial planning, the facility is equipped with an arts center that doubles as a sleeping area at night, similar to the kitchen space. The paintings created at the center are used as the skin of the building, which expands across the structure as more people move through the program. Other creative arts, such as music or film screenings, also have an outlet at this center. These activities directly connect the individual to the facility and creates a sense of ownership which leads to responsibility and accountability in the participants, ultimately helping rehabilitate a forgotten community in Skid Row. c.genest | c.power | c.romero

DESIGN STUDIO | spring 2011

[HOME]made mark owen

MENTOR

housing | mixed use | education | urban

18|19

5’

10’

25’

20|21

10’2

0’

30|31 40’

[HOME]made

Section A-A

5’

10’

15’

24|25

DESIGN STUDIO | fall 2011

driftimpacted david freeland The premise behind drift.impacted lies within the study of the relationship of motion between objects. Through study of the motion of objects throughout the site (people, animals, etc.) and the interaction between them, the foundation of the proposed seismic center is created. This interaction not only influences the placement of program, it defines the parameters for the program organization and structure. The design is based upon two separate parametric definitions: the first defines the public space over the site using existing population and circulation parameters; the second inverts the definition to create the private spaces (structures) in the areas of highest density. Both use a standard hexagonal grid as a base. The structures themselves focus on the interaction of columns at varying height and the collision that creates void areas below for programmatic use.

MENTOR

parametric | urban | field study

26|27

[drift]impacted.

seismic center hansen dam - lake view terrace, ca

Interior Panels

Access & Circulation

Secondary Structure

Temperature t Diagram D a

Primary Structure

28|29

driftimpacted

SECTION A-A 1/4” = 1’-0”

BUILDING THREE 1/16” = 1’-0”

BUILDING TWO 1/16” = 1’-0”

BUILDING ONE 1/16” = 1’-0”

30|31

32|33

Lying between developed urban areas are abandoned and undesigned spaces consisting of overgrown flora, debris, and the overwhelming sense of emptiness. These forgotten interstitial spaces have the ability to reintegrate valuable resources back into the surrounding developed urban areas. interflow is a project that attempts to reinterpret these spaces as symbiotic environments which become selfsustaining modes of circulation of pedestrian and water, inturn, re-energizing the surrounding context in the process. Following cues from rural permaculture, a shift in the existing ideologies of the farming method to become one that includes the systems of the built environment exclusively, where the ultimate goal is not the farming of crops or the gaining of new materials, but the symbiotic relationship of flows between the human and built landscape. The artery follows the flow of resources through the site using key design methods to gather and reuse both natural and unnatural sources. It then reinterprets the existing space from one of barren, useless areas into that of a consistently flowing circulation of pedestrian and water pathways. These pathways become beacons of activity through the use of programmatic elements lacking within the existing site. Using the border of Woodbury University as a prototype, the pathways break down the barren western wall of the campus and use the existing in-between spaces as drivers for a new campus threshold. One that embraces natural flows of water and people in order to redefine the campus envelope as a generative system of program, space, and circulation.

DEGREE PROJECT | spring 2012

interflow chandler ahrens MENTORS jennifer bonner hadley arnold

parametric | urban | field study | mixed use

34|35

PROCESS

interfl inter flow w

permaculture [perma]nent agri[culture]

symbanism [sym]biotic ur[banism]

area allotment

36|37

cafe DN

FINAL

interfl inter flow w

1/16” = 1’- 0”

gallery a gallery b

38|39

section a-a

1/8” = 1’-0”

continuousFlow

harvestedFlow

40|41

FINAL

interfl inter flow w

section b-b

3/16” = 1’-0”

section c-c

1/4” = 1’-0”

DN DN

42|43

DESIGN STUDIO | spring 2009

handmade louis molina MENTORS andrew lindley shirley ting â&#x20AC;&#x153; The relationship of architecture to the body is developed with an exploration of essential architectural principles as they relate to a fundamental understanding of natural elements and human tendencies. Projects introduce scale, enclosure, architectural elements, spatial expression and program as form givers. An emphasis is placed on section, three-dimensional modeling and orthographic documentation and writing.â&#x20AC;? Each project is integrated with a specific methodology, activity, element (based upon I Ching principles), and site profile. These four influences became the foundation for each project. Each brings an obstacle and a benefit to the project and must work together in order to achieve a symbiotic relationship to allow the user to experience the space to its fullest potential.

hand drawing | small scale | environment

44|45

Water is often viewed as a calming and fluid element. The sound of running water has a profound effect on a person’s energy and mood. According to the Wu Xing, water is directly related to a person’s calmness, wisdom, and flexibility. Water also holds the potential to be a dominating and powerful force. Man has captured this power for centuries and used it to their benefit. Once this power is harnessed, it can be focused into a different area with different pressures applied. All of the aforementioned traits of water can be related to the tendency of meditation, more specifically, meditation in the form of T’ai Chi. T’ai Chi is a form of meditation practiced through martial arts. “Meditation as a technique can be a practice of just being there, fully absorbed in what you are doing and continually bringing your attention back to what you are doing” (Smalheiser). T’ai Chi embraces this concept as it constantly brings feedback from your body through consistent movement. By moving, stagnant energy is broken down and is free to move with the practitioner. T’ai Chi is also a practice that can be better when performed against an opponent. This allows the participant to focus their energy and chi through their body to a single point, such as their foot or hand. The energy is then released against the opponent, thus cleansing the person and allowing the process to repeat. Another important aspect of T’ai Chi is the elements themselves. Chi can be drawn directly from the earth below and the air above, therefore T’ai Chi is often performed in nature where the participant can draw in the maximum amount of chi directly from the elements. The site allocated for the space elevates the person close to the heavens where he or she can draw in the maximum amount of chi from the sky above them. Capturing the dynamic motion of T’ai Chi and water is an important element in designing the space. Massimiliano Fuksas is an architect who does just that. Within his work one can see motion and the fluidity of his designs in projects like the Nardini distilleries, Stella Polare, and his design for the Guggenheim Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania. The extreme curves give each of these structures a dynamic element not seen in other spaces. These types of spaces are excellent for T’ai Chi based upon the notion that there are no corners or obstructions for energy to get “stuck” on. It can simply move through the space freely. Fuksas’s concepts and designs can easily be related to the fluidity of water as well as the ability to direct and guide energy through a space. This energizing quality of both Fuksas’s inspiration and the qualities of water can be made into a methodology and a way of working. Since T’ai Chi is centered upon energizing oneself through the flow of chi harnessed from the elements, the space created must do the same. Using fluid movements and perspective shifts from different planes, the structure can take on energy from the ground up. Energize is literally defined as “to make energetic, vigorous, or active” which can be seen in the active mediation of T’ai Chi as well as the designs by Fuksas. The space that will be created is one of celebration of T’ai Chi and the surrounding elements. It consists of a raised platform which lifts the participant towards the sky in order to isolate the person from outside distraction as well as give them a greater potential to draw in chi from above. Earth will be excavated from the site below the space to continue a fluid motion from the structure to the ground below. The earth taken from below will then be transplanted up into the space which will reinforce the concept of drawing chi directly from the elements, giving the person a definite connection to the surrounding space. Symmetry will play an important role allowing an uninterrupted flow of chi and a balance of yin and yang.

46|47

48|49

TOPIC STUDIO | summer 2011

CASC[aide] mark owen MENTORS guillermo honles The site is located in an urban area surrounded by a small community of people. The area is a quiet location at the end of a string of structures designed to create and promote the gathering of people into an area that is not highly used. The initial approach to this site was to turn this location into an area where the neighborhood and its community can visit and enjoy whenever they choose. The choice of design was to create a structure that visually rises from the ground to introduce the smaller-end community to the higher populated urban setting which gets progressively larger the farther south one travels towards the core of Mendoza. The new community center offers a place for the locals to better themselves as a community through social gathering. The design becomes an aide for the community allowing assistance whenever necessary. c.genest | c.mendez

housing | mixed use | education | urban

50|51

CASC[aide]

B A

DN UP DN

A UP

GROUND FLOOR B

1/16” = 1’-0”

UP UP

LEVEL TWO

1/16” = 1’-0”

UP UP

LEVEL THREE 1/16” = 1’-0”

52|53

circulation studies (train, vehicular, pedestrian, cyclist, vertical)

54|55

DESIGN STUDIO | spring 2010 A common relation between the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe to the Holocaust itself is one of confusion and a sense of being lost in your perceived reality. Upon entering the memorial, the viewer has a sense of pattern in the grid like formation and assumes that the sense of direction and openness to their surroundings will continue; yet once deep inside the field of stelae, that familiar sense beings to blur as the stelae become larger and overcome the viewer. The uneasiness that the stelae impose upon the view fogs their initial notions of the easily navigated grid and ushers in an eerie sense of what unknowns may lay around the next corner. As time progresses throughout the day, the strong contrast of light and shadow play a critical role in this sensation. As the light rises and falls, it blurs the strong edges of the stelae and gives the appearance that they blend together. The amount of direct light that each stelae receives throughout the day is dictated in the patent. It is seen that direct light rarely hits eye level which then creates a simulated halo effect above the audience, further darkening the space below. A notion which may indicate that hope lies just beyond the reach of the individual within the maze riddled with domineering concrete slabs.

solstice yi-hsiu yeh

MENTOR

parametric | field study

56|57

PROCESS

58|59

PROCESS

solstice

60|61

As time progresses, the looming factor of climate change becomes a force to be reckoned with. Current arid zones face imminent dangers regarding water supply and livelihood. Dixon, NM rests within such a zone where residents rely heavily on acequias and natural waters that are quickly disappearing, as well as fierce erosion conditions. Working closely with the Arid Lands Institute and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, an immersive design problem was issued regarding the area. How does one evolve a century old tradition into an effective form of conservation and sustainability? The initial phase involves heavy research into sources of problem areas and plausible areas of optimal salvation. Using GIS software, several iterations of specific diagrammatic maps were made of the area. These maps varied from topography to soil type and location, to concentrations of water drainage. This information was then collected and archived as a foundation of information for the following research teams in 2011 and 2012. The compilation of data is intended to inform where prime areas of land rehabilitation are yet still remaining responsible in terms of modern industry and generations old traditions. Envisioned as a learning tool, each scale model was intended to be left behind in Embudo / Dixon in order to allow the citizens who are directly affected by the surrounding threats to best solve the issues. A standard scale topographical model was built and separated into watersheds which dictate flow of water during monsoon seasons and therefore areas in greatest risk of erosion. The second model was a larger scale diagrammatic model which showed demographics of the area ranging from cultural aspects to elevation and flora. The studio as a whole worked as two unified teams, each tackling specific areas of attack. c.genest | j.deanda | b.cohen | h.wells | m.gomez | f.mendoza | a.gonzalez

TOPIC STUDIO | summer 2010

Watershed peter arnold MENTORS hadley arnold

parametric | field study | GIS

62|63

Watershed

64|65

66|67

Watershed

68|69