Genest_Portfolio - Abbreviated by Chris Genest

abbreviated

20 P O R T F O L I O 13 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

Embudo / Dixon, NM

Infrastructural Urbanism & The Design of Resilience

Topic Studio | Summer 2011

ROMB Structural Engineering Project Designer May 2012 - Present

Woodland Hills, CA

Albertsons Market Checker June 2005 - May 2012

Valencia, CA

Arid Lands Institute Research Stipend June 2010 - August 2010

Burbank, CA

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

TECHNICAL

Arch/Ints History: Arch-Cl. Rev.

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

EXPERIENCE

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 08interflow 14Residences 20[HOME]made 26Hand Crafted 32CASC[aide]

Spring 2012 | Degree Project May 2012 - Present | ROMB Structural Engineering Spring 2011 | Design Studio: Structure & Systems Spring 2009 | Design Studio: Natural Tendencies

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

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

interďŹ&#x201A;ow chandler ahrens MENTORS jennifer bonner hadley arnold

parametric | urban | ďŹ eld study | mixed use

08|09

cafe DN

FINAL

interﬂ inter ﬂow w

1/16” = 1’- 0”

gallery a gallery b

10| 11

FINAL

interﬂ inter ﬂow w

section b-b

3/16” = 1’-0”

section c-c

1/4” = 1’-0”

DN DN

12| 13

ROMB Structural Engineering | may 2012 - present

professional engineer walter reyes MENTORS architect fernando dizitti 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. Due to the majority of the client base consisting of developers and â&#x20AC;&#x153;flippersâ&#x20AC;?, project turn around must be quick and precise in order to maintain a strong interest from clients. The responsibilities of the project designer include: client interfacing, site research, schematic design, space planning, generation of construction documents, rendering proposals, and permit processing. c.genest - project designer

professional | residential | CDs

14| 15

ROMB Structural Engineering | may 2012 - present

514

pasadena, ca

n catalina ave

Bought as an existing 816 SF, two bedroom / one bathroom house, the client looked 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

ROMB Structural Engineering | may 2012 - present

930

pasadena, ca

cynthia ave

Cynthia Ave. is another proposed â&#x20AC;&#x153;quick flipâ&#x20AC;? for the client. The drawings shown were a proposal for investors with a four hour turnaround. The existing house consisted of a quasi-three bedroom home with an illegal addition to the rear and a detached garage. The client requested approximately 600 SF included within the area between the two structures and a rear addition. The result is a four bedroom / three bathroom home with a new enlarged master that takes full advantage of the existing space. Vaulted ceilings give the public spaces the an exaggerated open feel to match the free flowing plan.

18|19

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

20|21

5’

10’

25’

22|23

10’2

0’

30|31 40’

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

26|27

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.

28|29

30|31

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

32|33

CASC[aide]

B A

DN UP DN

A UP

GROUND FLOOR 1/16” = 1’-0”

UP UP

LEVEL TWO

1/16” = 1’-0”

LEVEL THREE 1/16” = 1’-0”

34|35

36|37