Learning of Architecture Gerardo Ruiz-King Practice Assessment Portfolio Boston Architectural College
"Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world." - Arthur Schopenhauer
Learning
of
Architecture
Introduction This portfolio is comprised of partial works which exemplify my development during Segment I of the Bachelors of Architecture at the Boston Architectural College (BAC). Before attending the BAC, I had no prior experience with architecture I was in fact studying to be a Spanish interpreter. The Language studies became repetitive and non-interesting, which led to some research on different majors which led me to choosing architecture. I had no understanding of what architecture was, what the tools I needed were, or where it would lead me. Three years later, architecture has become something I come think about every hour of the day. It is ever changing in my eyes, as an architecture student at the BAC I am pushed to take various approaches to one problem. This multi-perspective approach has really influenced my life outside of architecture personally and professionally. Studying at the BAC has pushed me in new ways and has revealed skills and qualities in me which I did not know I even had.
Objective:
Gerardo Ruiz-King
As a designer I have an interest in public-focused design, it has been be a unique experience to be part of the BAC community because I have developed and will continue to develop and broaden my architectural design knowledge. It is crucial for me to move onto segment II so that I may grow as an individual and as a designer. I am currently an undergraduate architecture student. Over time, through stepping stone jobs, I have gained the right attitude for any opportunity. I have developed a great professional demeanor at my current job with the Boston Housing Authority. Currently I am looking to broaden my knowledge and improve my skills as a professional designer. Education: Boston Architectural College Boston, Massachusetts Candidate for Bachelor of Architecture 01/2009- Present Merrimack College North Andover, Massachusetts Studies in Spanish 09/2007- 12/2008 Work Experience: Boston Housing Authority Boston, Massachusetts Translator/Interpreter- Office of Civil Rights 11/2010- present Boston Housing Authority Boston, Massachusetts Bilingual Intern- Office of Civil Rights 6/2010- 11/2010 Dunkin Donuts Boston, Massachusetts Sandwich Maker 12/2008 – 09/2010 Volunteer: Lawrence Math and Science Partnership Lawrence, Massachusetts
01/2008 – 05/2008
Design Skills: 2D CAD Drafting 3D CAD Modeling Sketch Up Modeling Freehand Sketching Understanding of Shading Values System Basic Hand Drafting Model Building Image editing in Photoshop Basic understanding of InDesign Communication/Organizational Skills: Read and Write Spanish Translated more than 150 documents (350+ pages) of BHA vital documents Communicate well with multilingual clients. Interpreted at hearings and pre-conferences to ensure clear communication with limited English speaking residents. Created a compact English-Spanish-Chinese Glossary of housing terminology Supervised Junior High school Science experiments to assure safety and learning. Knowledge of Microsoft Software: Outlook, Word, Publisher, PowerPoint, Excel
Technologically Savvy Digital document filing. Tracking progress of team projects. Keeping track of inventory Good time-management Skills. Multitasking Outside Interests: Digital and Film Photography, Recreational Sports/ Exercise, Cooking
Table of Contents Studio B-2 Project Zero – Apparatus Project One - Educational Pavilion Project Two – Chinatown Cultural Center
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Studio B-1 Boat House Project
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Competitions Evolo 2012 Skyscraper Competition
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Coursework Freehand Orthogonal 2D CAD/3D CAD Laser Assisted Model Making Perspective Black and White Rendering
43 48 49/50 55 57 61
Studio B-2 Project Zero Mechanical Detail In this detail I focused primarily on the part within the rectangular frame. I interpreted it as a set of parts connecting at an axis which had the capabilities of expanding.
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It had the ability to rotate It was able to expand Easily Mass Produced
Tectonic relationships & abstraction Interlocking Detail This detail was primarily about multiple volumes interlocking with each other by locking in a specific order. • • • •
Interlocking/Penetration Two major components in this detail. One is female and one is male. The female component consists of two pieces embracing each other creating a frame. The male component which consisted of three pieces locked in place with the female component.
Spiral Axis Detail This detail I thought to be a set of horizontally oriented volumes rotating around one single axis.
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Strategy – assembly & spatial translation
I have found that by using a set shape at varying thicknesses according to their purpose that it becomes spatial. As a result of using geometric shapes the ending result is in a sense geometric. With that in mind I seek to move away from geometry as I move into the second detail( Mechanical, on right) in which I ran into the same aspect of geometric shapes leading to geometric forms.
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Strategy – assembly & spatial translation Interlocking/ Rotary Axis 1)The solid interlocking volumes act as a skeleton/ structure and the volumes which rotate on an axis act as a screen/envelope on the corners.
Axial Rotation
2) As I thought about how to make these two sets interact with each other it occurred to me that maybe the part acting as an axis could have its own separate axis point.
Interlocking
3) As this developed into a system the interlocking volumes gain the appearance of the rotating volumes but their functions are still different.
4) The joints which allow the volumes to interlock are displayed below on the page to the right.
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Tectonic transformation & inhabitation
After further analysis of the mechanical detail in trying to develop a spatial and architectural application, the volumes became panels that could be placed in multiple positions allowing multiple architectural and user friendly applications. These panels resulted from the rotary ability of the mechanical detail and the interlocking volumes.
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Tectonic transformation & inhabitation
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Studio B-2 Project One
For week 4 of this project I revisited the apparatus developed in week 3. In the previous iteration the panels were used in a mainly vertical manner. For the revisited apparatus the panels mainly were used horizontally. They formed what can called a screen-like faรงade. The panels at this point still had no materiality to them. The central core in this system is a set of stairs leading to a higher vantage point from which one can better observe and appreciate the surrounding environment.
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Site analysis Site: Harvard Arnold Arboretum The Arnold Arboretum was a well planned landscaping masterpiece at points there are paths that are not as obvious as the main path, inviting the passersby to explore and experience the park at a deeper level by self exploring. Another aspect of the site that was very captivating was the direct axis that was formed by the least used path to approach the hill. It was such a straight shot that it inclined me to just climb through the snow and up the hill.
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Site construct and intervention, space and sequence
The primary influence on the site construct model is the diagram to the left. In the diagram you have the forces acting by the land on the site and their direction. Another thing to see in this diagram is the axis formed by the path which is perpendicular to the hill. These were the primary influences to the site construct below.
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Site construct and intervention, space and sequence
During the production of the site construct I also explored how lighting would play out in this screen like system. In the image below the panels are now being used both as a ground surface and a ceiling for a walkway.
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Site construct and intervention, space and sequence Following the site construct I continued with the following two iterations. The image below and on the right show a model depicting a path which stopped at two spaces. The first space you approach as you climb to the top of the hill would be the office space portion of the program. The second space would be the gallery portion of the program.
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Site construct and intervention, space and sequence
On the second iteration all of the programmatic elements of this project moved to the top of the hill. This pushed the user to really want to go to the top and be rewarded. As shown in the top right corner where all the programmatic elements are marked by the yellow volume.
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Tectonic system & materiality For the final iteration of this project I chose to work with materials in the same classification as depicted in the imagery on this page. I felt the material was suitable for the site in which this project would be located.
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Spatial connection & scale The site construct drove this project quite a bit. The goal of this project was to provide a vantage point from which to experience the site, and to in a sense redirect the forces created by the axis perpendicular to the site driving people to their destination at which they would arrive to as a reward.
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Spatial connection & scale
The program for this project consisted of an exhibition space, an office space, and an entry. The path leading to the exhibition space became a large part of the program, mainly because the distance it had to cover between the entrance and Exhibition Space. This in turn became its own experience and almost its own secondary exhibition. The tectonic system reverted back to one of the initial stages in order to function in this project. In the end the exhibition space became a way to redirect the axial force back into itself.
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Spatial connection & scale
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Studio B-2 Project Two Site: Chinatown Gate Area The Chinatown Gate is a landmark known by many and it is the end of a chain of parks known as the Rose Kennedy Greenway. This makes it a crucial point in the users experience, because it is the climax of the experience. The site itself is sandwiched between a Surface Road and Hudson Street, it is also surrounded by culture. Legend: Main Roads – Site – Side Streets – Expansion to Site – Affecting Buildings –
site
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The site is encumbered with tall buildings which cast shadows on it. Poorly maintained buildings immediately surround the site. On the East you have a major road with a lot of noise pollution. On the West you have a very congested side street. North of the site there is the Chinatown Park Plaza which brings a lot of pedestrian traffic.
Site analysis/Site Narrative An unfinished experience: As I said earlier the site for this project is a lot in the busy Chinatown. This lot is surrounded by a variety of Chinese cultural landmarks. If approaching the site from Beach Street (West) you would find Ping On Alley, the Chinatown Gate, and the Checkers plaza in front of the Gate. If you are approaching the site from the North you will most likely be walking through the Rose Kennedy Greenway and as the last stop on the Greenway is the Chinatown Park. All of these represent a different aspect of Chinese culture. Ping On alley was where the first Chinese immigrants settled, the gate is a symbol of the Chinese community, on the eastern face of the gate you have the general Chinese perception of the world (All under the sky are equal) on the west face you have the Chinese values. The park as the latest built landmark is actually an unfinished path due the fact that part of the path continues on the other side of the checkers plaza and abruptly ends parallel to the vent. Such incompleteness is the reason for my project to be the finale to this series of locations.
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Buildings Trees Site Shadows Roads
Hudson St.
Site analysis & tectonic translation
In the diagram above you see the site in relation to the Rose Kennedy Greenway as previously mentioned. West Section through site
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Site analysis & concept development
After conducting a site analysis, the following step was to produce a site construct, which would use the tectonic idea carried through out the previous projects. The site construct here is a representation of the immediate buildings, the Rose Kennedy greenway, and the city.
The buildings are represented by the volumes which are towering over a grid of roads/city, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway is represented by the more organic stretch of cloth that stretches from far outside of the grid finishing at the site proposed for use.
Site Construct
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Site analysis & concept development
Study Models
The site construct led to a set of building blocks which I used to organize the programmatic elements for this project. The program was the following: Public: The project includes a series of public spaces including art exhibition, display and performance area. There is also a small informational venue. Private: The project include personal office spaces.
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Final review preparation Exterior renderings/Interior views
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Final review preparation
Program: Public Spaces (adequate for 20 -30 people) – 3700 Sq. Ft - Entrance - Lobby/Reception/Tickets - Gallery/Exhibit space - Accessible Bathrooms
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Staff & Administrative Spaces (for 10 people) – 850 Sq. Ft. - Director’s office - Small office - Shared office for 2 - Small Conference room - Kitchenette
Final review preparation
Performance Space (for performances, recitals, workshops adequate for 100 -200 people) – 2100 Sq. Ft. - Entry area - Performance space - ‘Backstage’ area - Projection room
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Final review preparation
West Elevation(Bottom) and East Section(Next Page) showing the main entrances and indirectly the flow of pedestrian traffic being redirected from the greenway into Chinatown.
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Final review preparation
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Studio B-1 (Week 6) Boat House Project (Week 1)
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Site Analysis
During the site visit the following activities/spaces were observed: • • • • •
Biking Sailing Rowing Sun tanning Playgrounds
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Site Analysis Mappings
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(Top left) City grid in comparison to the esplanade.
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(Bottom left) Pedestrian paths connecting the urban grid to the esplanade.
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(Bottom Right) Satellite view of the esplanade in comparison to the city.
Site Analysis
Site visit: October 2010; 1:30 pm • • •
Prevailing winds came from the Northwest. Lesser winds came from the Southwest. The sun followed a path over the South at a low angle.
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Site Selection Site number one(top left) is in the water mid-way up the site towards the dock, and as far into the water as possible. Visually this site location would be the least dominant; the site would really overcome the building. The camouflage like qualities of the boathouse would make less intrusive.
Site number two(bottom left) is the little peninsula which currently seems to be welcoming to only one person or a couple(in the romantic sense ) at a time. It creates a very personal/ alienating location at times. Having this as an extension would open up this area to more than one individual, maybe incorporating this idea of private space in a public site, would be something to keep in mind when developing a program for the space.
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1 1 3
1 2
Site Selection Site number three is extending off of the dock that is in place on the site. Using the preexisting stone railings and stairs as a grand entrance into the dock, the dock which would be mimicked in the design of the boat house would be the threshold between site and design. Including the uses currently there in the program of the boat house would be something to keep in mind so that I am not intruding upon the people’s use of the site.
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Form Development
First iteration for the form of the boathouse
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Form Development/Boathouse Case Study
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Materiality/ Study Models
Above is a set of inspirational images that were indirectly weighing on my decisions in this project from here on out. Below are a set of images depicting two different study models .
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Program Organization Development The program consisted of a Boat Storage Area, Shop/Storage Space, Athlete Areas, Public Areas, and a dock. The Boat Storage area stores eighteen(18) row boats ranging from 8-person shells (60 feet long) to single occupancy shells (15 feet long). The Shop/Storage area is used to store additional equipment as well as be used for repairs. The Athlete Areas are typical like men’s and women’s lockers, meeting spaces, toilets, and showers. The Public spaces of this project consist of a large event room, a viewing platform, and a kitchen/ prep area.
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Final Iteration The top level of the Boat house grew in importance as it acted as a large Boardwalk. The inside part of the path overlooks the launching dock, the corners out over the water widen to allow space for the pedestrians who would normally lay on the dock to rest, and at the far end there is a section which actually acts as a viewing platform. This Green Boardwalk in turn became that threshold between site and design.
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Final Iteration
The Second Level would hold all the office spaces along with a secondary public space, providing a more private experience.
The Ground/Water level holds the Athlete Areas, the Dock, Boat Storage Area, and the Shop/ Storage Area.
The Green Board walk is the result of site responsive design. As I said before the site for this project is located on the Charles River Basin section near the Harvard Bridge, specifically the area to the east of the bridge which is already occupied by a sun tanning dock. The overall site is highly occupied by pedestrians, bicyclists, boaters, and rowers. These many uses were the primary driving force behind the concept for this project.
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Competitions Evolo 2012 Skyscraper Competition
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Academic Bridge: Connecting the Urban Fabric Academic Bridge discovers another potential of the skyscraper as a building form and creates new type of relationships among disconnected urban areas of neighboring municipalities. The project accommodates spaces offered to the existing Academic Institutions while providing recreational facilities open to the public. It is both a connecting element as well as a place promoting interaction between the citizens. The City of Boston in its totality and beauty is made up of numerous different moments of formation. Boston today is densely populated and on the north side is connected to neighboring municipalities through bridges. Old maps depicting the City of Boston reveal an irregular peninsula. Its landscape has been transformed tremendously in the last 360 year and its land area has more than tripled since 1630. It has expanded mainly through landfills and through annexation of neighboring municipalities. Many of the original landmarks which distinguished the topography of the city have been altered or disappeared by the high-rise buildings that dominated on the skyline. Boston was facing population pressures in the mid-1800’s, so there was a great support for the idea of filling in marshes, mud flats and gaps
Evolo 2012 Skyscraper Competition between wharves along the waterfront to create land for more housing and public spaces. Green public spaces were created at the banks of Charles River like the Esplanades, which is one of Boston’s premier parks, part of a large network of parks known as the “Emerald Necklace”. Boston’s expansion in all dimensions, mainly through landfills, annexation of neighboring municipalities and high structures fabrication, has transformed the city’s form. Following this expansion, academic institutions, one of the most distinguished socioeconomic factors that define the city of Boston and their campuses are dispersed through the city and the neighboring municipalities. Academic Bridge will host spaces offered to all academic institutions promoting intellectual diversity and Boston’s academic identity by
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Evolo 2012 Skyscraper Competition serving as its main landmark. In the same time, it offers urban spaces weaved through the building form and connected to the adjacent urban areas promoting interaction between people of different backgrounds. It promotes social and economic growth by creating a dynamic and adaptive intellectual community open to the public as well as attracting and bringing more inhabitants to the surrounding neighborhoods. The project is located on Boston Inner Harbor, on the water where downtown Boston, Charlestown and East Boston face each other. Currently the water acts as a natural barrier, separating the three areas. The proposal is a high-rise-bridge structure above the water, dominating Boston’s skyline especially when entering the city port. It is physically connecting the differentiated urban fabric of the three neighboring municipalities, as well as "bridging" cultural, economic and social differences. Academic Bridge is both a high-rise structure and a connecting device. It is an
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architectural form that offers the reproduction of earth and a landmark on the City of Boston’s skyline. The urban context and landscape of the adjacent urban fabric is introduced into the building form inventing new strategies of accommodating human density and promoting revolutionary relationships between neighboring municipalities. It is an urban area, the result of weaving together the existing differentiated urban fabrics. It will be one more moment of Boston’s formation that will define its urban unity as a whole. Although it is designed for the city of Boston, the proposed building typology could be adapted to any city that its fabric is disconnected by the water as a physical boundary opening an area for further spatial explorations. Final Team Members: Pierre Lamboni, Chase Montecalvo, Gerardo Ruiz-King Supervisor: Sophia Tseliou
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Coursework Freehand Drawing
Studies in drawing techniques and value scale
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Freehand Drawing
The freehand course offered at the Boston Architectural College, depending on the instructor, will vary in focus for the course. I was fortunate enough to learn under William Hemmerdinger. His focus was on the value scale, and so intensive exercises were used in order for the class to gather a set of tools for our future design work. The course included exercises in still life, figure drawing, and perspective sketching
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Freehand Drawing
Studies in value scale and the value scale in reflections.
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Freehand Drawing Studies in freehand perspective
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Freehand Drawing
For this set of drawings we explored our ability to draw proportionately the human figure.
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Coursework Orthogonal
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Coursework 2D CAD This course in computer-aided drafting introduced the basic concepts and operation of AutoCAD, emphasizing two-dimensional computer-aided drafting concepts, conventions and documentation production.
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Coursework 3D CAD This design-focused course was oriented toward developing computer based, three-dimensional architectural models. All types of 3D modeling techniques, from wire frame through solids modeling.
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3D CAD
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3D CAD
The image above displays the technical aspect of what created this image. In it you are able to see the wireframe model as well as different techniques used to create backdrops for the model.
Thorncrown Chapel (Front Exterior Rendering)
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3D CAD
Thorncrown Chapel (Interior Rendering)
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3D CAD
Thorncrown Chapel (Rear Exterior Rendering)
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Coursework Laser-Assisted Model Making
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Laser-Assisted Model Making
The goal for this project was to design a set of parts that could be mass produced and sent to a country in need or for you during research expeditions where a compact assembly is required.
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Coursework Perspective Drawing
Villa Savoye Exterior Two-Point Perspective Framework
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Perspective Drawing
Villa Savoye Exterior Two-Point Perspective
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Perspective Drawing Villa Savoye Interior Two-Point Perspective
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Perspective Drawing
Two-Point Perspective
Villa Savoye Interior Two-Point Perspective Framework
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Coursework Black and White Rendering
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Black and White Rendering
The goal of this course was to develop a skill of architectural rendering. Developing further my ability to draw perspectives in a way that will more accurately and aesthetically capture a moment in time.
The only pencil used for all of these drawings was a black Prisma color pencil. Limiting the use of a single pencil really pushed my abilities as an artist because it put a lot more emphasis on the technique rather than the type of led I would be using.
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Black and White Rendering
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