INQU IR IES IN D ES IG N
SELECTED WORKS 2017 - 2020 STEPHEN GRANT PARKER
INQU IR IES IN D ES IG N
SELECTED WORKS 2017 - 2020 STEPHEN GRANT PARKER
Inquiries activate a process that has an aim of augmenting knowledge or solving a problem. These selected works are an account of various types of inquiries and their processes through design to achieve a specific aim.
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ST IT CHED IMMANEN C E
BRIC K | BY | BRIC K
RESEARCH + DEVELOPMENT CENTER
MULTI- FAMILY ATTAINABLE HOUSING
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04
THE VEIL
T HE REEF
POP-UP THEATER
ADAPTABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
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06
LIFEST YLE L ABO RATORY
AUGMEN T ED T ECTON ICS
CO-WORKING BUSINESS VENTURE
VIRTUAL REALITY LEARNING
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01 S T IT C HED IMMA N EN CE RESEARCH + DEVELOPMENT CENTER
T4T LAB | Professor Gabriel Esquivel and Nate Hume Collaboration with Paul Germaine McCoy and Daniel Eynon Texas A&M University | Spring 2018
Reality and truth are not separate, and while they are not the same, they engage selectively. The project lends a glimpse to this deep issue of correlationism. The distortion between reality and truth is due to the innate perspective of the human. Thus, the state most informed by the truth within this perspective is reality. As a result of this distortion, the project adopts a method of stitching things together to further explore the discrepancy between truth and reality in a clear way. The project operates, in reality, as a research and development center for the Texas A&M Department of Wildlife and Fisheries with a focus on algae biofuels and aquaponics. The design process began with the simple notion of the line and evolved through a series of projections, slippages, and stitches amidst an immanent ensamble resulting in a difficult whole. The stitch brings together various views of the objects, perspective and orthographic, to reconstruct a reality based on the epistemology and ontology of the objects. To allow clarity in this stitching, the drawings and the model only give selective sets of information, furthering the argument by allowing the drawings and model to act falsely, yet be operatively real and true. As a result, the project coins the term “immanent drawings”. These drawings appropriate the idea that there is manifested, yet unused data in drawings and their traditional formats. The project then proceeds to use that previously untapped data by stitching it into an alternate data set. The model also acts accordingly, through stitching mass, landscape, and scale. The importance of connections between the knowing and being is to inform the search and creation of new moments that allow for a different understanding of the engagement of truth and reality. This grants architects more agency to provide more comprehensive and detailed information to the viewer, specifically through this reframing of how we view things.
01 STICHED IMMANENCE
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01 STICHED IMMANENCE 01 SECTION ELEVATION Drawing depicts qualities of corduroy facade and reveals instances of interior life. 9
01 STICHED IMMANENCE
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01 STICHED IMMANENCE 01 MODEL CLOSEUPS
01 SITE PLAN
Drawing and perspectives illustrate grassy landscape of algae pools for aquaponics. 11
01 STICHED IMMANENCE 01 MATERIAL STUDY Soap casts served to estrange corduroy concrete, a canonical architectural material. 12
01 STICHED IMMANENCE 01 MODEL CLOSEUPS The model, like the drawings, is cut and stiched to reveal sectional qualities. 13
01 STICHED IMMANENCE
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01 STICHED IMMANENCE 01 SECTION PERSPECTIVE Depth increases as the drawing is stitched from the perspective into the orthographic view. 15
02 BRIC K | BY | BRIC K MULTI- FAMILY ATTAINABLE HOUSING
In The Middle | Meredith Miller and Ellie Abrons Collaboration with Kathryn Mallory and Alex Sulek Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning | Fall 2020
Brick |By| Brick strives to address issues of Affordable Housing that are outlined in a report called “Missing Middle Housing” by Opticos Design. The report illustrates tensions between the single family and multi-family typologies. Recently, urban planners, architects, and developers have begun to advocate for a housing typology that mediates between these two extremes in order to increase neighborhood density, accessibility and thus, housing affordability. To achieve this, Brick |By| Brick explores the single family building typology as a form and promotes modes of repetition and stackability with the utilization of a structural terra cotta wall. The terra cotta wall not only acts as a main structural element but is also thickened to house the main infrastructure. The project is located in Detroit adjacent to Butzel Park on the corner of a commercial avenue (Kercheval) and a residential street (Townsend). This site presents an interesting junction between the single family typology and potential for a more urban frontage along the commercial avenue. Within this project we are striving to address various goals: 1. Integrate a commercial typology to explore opportunities of making the single family living experience more attainable, as well as create a walkable Urban development at the pedestrian scale. 2. Consider the vernacular qualities of the single family home to contextualize the project into the Greater Detroit Region. 3. Establish a housing typology that merges the characteristics of single-family and multifamily construction through consolidating infrastructure for the city. 4. Lastly, address density as it establishes a sense of community engagement and belonging.
02 FOLD/BEND/PULL INTERIOR WALL
03 INSERT PROGRAMS + SERVICES
04 EXPAND WALL TO DIVIDE PUBLIC + PRIVATE SPACE
05 CREATE FENESTRATIONS AND EXPAND PROGRAM
06 INSERT ADDITIONAL PROGRAM
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK
01 DOUBLE 8”X12” TERRA COTTA BLOCK
03 WALL DIAGRAM Terra Cotta wall consolidates infrastructural elements to achieve compactness. 20
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK 03 FIRST FLOOR PLAN + PERSPECTIVE Residents enter the unit along the brick wall into the main living space. 21
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK 03 SECOND FLOOR PLAN + PERSPECTIVE This floor plan stacks on top of the previous one bedroom floor plan. 22
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK 03 THIRD FLOOR PLAN + PERSPECTIVE Voids create a cohesive relation between floor plans and the users. 23
ONE BEDROOM UNIT
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK TWO BEDROOM UNIT
THREE OR FOUR BEDROOM UNIT
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ONE BEDROOM + ONE BEDROOM = TWO STORY BLOCK
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK ONE BEDROOM + TWO BEDROOM = THREE STORY BLOCK 03 UNIT AXONOMETRICS
ONE BEDROOM + THREE BEDROOM = FOUR STORY BLOCK 03 UNIT STACKING DIAGRAM
No gable form is a singular residence - this helps maximize density of multi-family blocks 25
5 PLY CLT WALL PANELS
STRUCTURAL TERRA COTTA 8” X 8” X 12”
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK 7 PLY CLT FLOOR PANELS
CLT MEMEBERS WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE SITE PRE-CUT AND READY FOR ASSEMBLY
03 STRUCTURE AXONOMETRIC The CLT members allow for a catalog of wall, floor, and roof panels that correspond to the unit types. 26
WHITE CEDAR TIMBER CEILING SPIRAL NAILS INTO C.L.T. CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER TIMBER CEILING JOIST OSB/PLYWOOD SHEATHING VAPOR BARRIER (ADHERED) STANDING SEAM METAL ROOF BATT INSULATION [R-24] WOOD BLOCKING RIGID INSULATION [R-13] VAPOR BARRIER PRES. TREATED TIMBER SILL TERRA COTTA LINTEL
8” x 12” x 8” TERRA COTTA TILE RIGID INSULATION [R-13] VAPOR BARRIER 1/4” AIR GAP GROUT FILL - THERMAL MASS STEEL JOINT REINFORCEMENT WHITE CEDAR TIMBER FLOOR SPIRAL NAILS INTO C.L.T. CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER WHITE CEDAR TIMBER CEILING
FOAM INSULATION INFILL
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK
TERRA COTTA LINTEL
ALUM. FRAME (3’-4” x 2’-0”) DOUBLE PANE GLAZING TIMBER SILL UNIT (15 DEG. SLOPE) 1/4” CONCAVE MORTAR JOINT PLUMBING STACK W/IN T.C.
WEEP + DRIP EDGE WHITE CEDAR HEADER
8” CONCRETE SLAB RIGID INSULATION [R-15] VAPOR BARRIER 1/2” GRAVEL FOR LEVELING TERRA COTTA SILL PLATE ANCHOR BOLT
GRADE [AS CONDITIONED] 1’-4” CONC. FOUNDATION WALL EARTH [AS CONDITIONED] 1’-0” x 2’-8” CONCRETE FOOTING 3/4” GRAVEL SURROUND 4” DRAIN PIPE
03 WALL SECTION Detail wall section illustrates the technicality behind the terracotta wall assembly. 27
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK
CLUSTER TYPE I
CLUSTER TYPE II
CLUSTER TYPE III
CLUSTER TYPE IV
CLUSTER TYPE V
CLUSTER TYPE VI
CLUSTER TYPE VII
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E VERNOR HWY
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK
TYPE IV
TYPE II
TYPE III
TOWNSEND STREET
TYPE I
TYPE V
TYPE VII
TYPE VI
KERCHEVAL AVENUE
03 CLUSTERS
03 SITE OBLIQUE
Clusters are organized in programmatic categories then arrayed onto the site. 29
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK
CLUSTER TYPE III
CLUSTER TYPE V
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03 BRICK |BY| BRICK CLUSTER TYPE VII 03 CLUSTER PLANS Drawings illustrate the walls ability to circulate residents and define outdoor space. 31
03 BRICK |BY| BRICK
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03 BRICK |BY| BRICK 03 PERSPECTIVES Perspectives illustrate the various courtyards and community spaces defined by the wall. 33
03 T HE V EIL POP-UP THEATER
Institutions | Ana Morcillo Pallares Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning | Fall 2019
Contexts of impermanence and flexibility challenge our role as architects and designers and begin to question our stance on permanence in an urban environment. From this point of view, The Veil is a temporary pop up theater that establishes a relationship with the urban fabric of Ann Arbor while entering into dialogue with the brutalist architecture of the Performing Arts Power Center by Dinkeloo and Roche. This temporary theater space is located near the fly tower of the Power Center and is designed to exploit the opaque concrete facade and the performance of the mechanisms within. By focusing on the mechanisms, The Veil redefines the purpose of the pulleys, battens, and counterweights to create a variety of new performance spaces and relationships. The theater program is stacked vertically within the structure and is activated by the audience’s occupancy. The steel frame facade can also be manipulated to open and close depending on the type of performance. This performance of the occupancy and facade is then revealed to the urban environment through subtle glimpses and peeks of the veil. Thus, reinforcing the connection of the urban fabric with the institution of the Power Center.
05 THE VEIL
01 DEFINE SITE + MECHANISMS
02 REDEFINE SITE + MECHANISMS
03 THEATER ACCESS
04 OPEN + CLOSE 05 CONCEPT DIAGRAM The form is derived from the fly tower facade and pulley mechanisms.
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05 THE VEIL 05 FLOOR PLAN The Pop-Up theater can be accessed from within the Power Center or its urban front. 39
05 THE VEIL 40
PERFORMERS AS PERFORMANCE
WALL AS PERFORMANCE
URBAN FABRIC AS PERFORMANCE
OCCUPANCY AS PERFORMANCE
05 THE VEIL 05 PERFORMANCE DIAGRAMS
05 SECTION OBLIQUE
Diagrams illustrate the various qualities of performance established by The Veil. 41
04 T HE REEF ADAPTABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
Studio 3CN_BCN | Professor Miquel Rodriguez and Marta Garcia-Orte Collaboration with Logan Whitley Barcelona Architecture Center | Spring 2017
Barcelona is an ever growing community with little space to occupy. With mountains to the northwest, Barcelona looks to the sea to expand. The site is located on the coastline near a Catalonian neighborhood, Barcelonetta, and has the potential for new growth. The Reef is an adaptable infrastructure with a modular design that allows the people of Barcelona to plug in and out, just as fish come and go in a coral reef. The building has the ability to harness energy from its environment to establish a nearly autonomous system. The energy is then dispersed amongst the two infrastructures of the building: vertical and horizontal. The vertical consists of affordable housing with interchangable floor plans to cater to the owner. The horizontal allows for larger programs such as markets, restaurants or retail. The circulation is defined by a park that gives space for outdoor activities and refuge from the sun. With these infrastructural elements, The Reef becomes a building that shares the ability of a living organism to keep growing, adapting and sustaining in response to the changes in the Barcelona Coast for many years to come.
HOUSING
NOW
20 YEARS
INDUSTRY
TOURIST ATTRACTION
PARK
BOATS
COMMERCIAL
“[Barcelona’s] traditional industries have been declining... The rapid development of Technical Parks for high-tech industry is a modern feature associated with the growth of what is becoming known as the European ‘sun-rise’ belt, along the Mediterranean coast.” “Of the 32 million people who visited Barcelona last year, only 8 million stayed in hotels. Twenty-three million were daytrippers.” “The Barcelona City Council has recently launched ‘Barcelona’s Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Strategy (Barcelona City Council, 2013) as a strategic policy to enhance the citizens’ well-being through the implementation and improvement of green spaces.” “A new marina will be built in the Barceloneta area, next to the hotel Vela... The project includes the creation of a public square, an extension of the current de la Rosa dels Vents, and two foot paths of 400 meters long. In total there will be 23,000 square feet of civic space.”
RESTUARANT
HOUSING
“Retailer demand across the wider city continues to strengthen, fuelled by rising retail sales and improving economic conditions, pushing up prime rent levels in the main retail areas. However demand for high quality retail space is particularly strong, as supply remains limited and international brands continue to show interest in the city.”
MARKET
EXTENDED LAND
50 YEARS
“Barcelona can’t meet the current housing demand because the city has no more available land for new developments... since the 1980s the city has only increased its housing stock by about 3,000 to 4,000 units in total, when a city of 1.6 million needs about 20,000 units per year to meet the demand.”
02 IDENTIFY CIRCULATION PATHS
03 TOPOGRAPHICAL EXTRUSIONS WITH ACCESS
04 COURTYARD PLACEMENT AND RAMP DEVELOPMENT
06 THE REEF
01 POWER GRID AND WATER SYSTEM
5600 m3
6125 m3
05 INHABITAL VOLUME ON GROUND FLOOR
06 VERTICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PLACEMENT 06 SITE PROGRESSION
Diagram illustrates how the infrastructural elements integrate with courtyards and accessibility. 48
01 MODULE ARRIVES BY TRAILER
02 ASSEMBLED BY TWO PEOPLE
02 ON-SITE ASSEMBLY
03 METAL CONNECTIONS ATTACHED
03 LIFTED BY CRANE INTO POSITION
04 SEAMLESS FINISH
04 DRAWER-LIKE STRUCTURE
06 THE REEF
01 PANELS ARRIVE IN SEPERATE PARTS
06 CONSTRUCTION PROCESS Diagrams illustrate two types of module construction: horizontal and vertical infrastructure. 49
06 THE REEF 0m
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5m
10 m
20 m 0 m
5m
10 m
20 m
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06 THE REEF 0m
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5m
10 m
20 m
53 06 THE REEF
2
1
3
06 THE REEF 4
06 STRUCTURE AXONOMETRIC Diagram features the tectonic components of the horizontal and vertical infrastructure. 54
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INTEGRATED SYSTEMS AND GLULAM STRUCTURE
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06 THE REEF
1
COLUMN - COLUMN - BEAM CONNECTION
4 MODULE - BEAM SYSTEM
PRECAST CONCRETE CONNECTION 06 CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
Detail drawings correspond to the number listed on the structure axonometric drawing. 55
06 THE REEF
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06 THE REEF 06 SECTION Drawing reveals the circulation and activity manifesting across the built environment. 57
05 LIFES T Y LE L ABORATO RY CO-WORKING BUSINESS VENTURE
Built-In, Fit-Out | Jacob Comerci and Mick McConnell Collaboration with Carley Leckie Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning | Spring 2020
The Lifestyle Laboratory is a co-working business venture for micro-influencers that promotes marketing partnerships and provides a spatial solution for shared product testing, video editing, and reviewing the latest lifestyle trends. Clusters of these lifestyle programs form a landscape for social media marketing on the nineteenth and twentieth floors at 625 West Adams Street in Chicago. Companies are able to partner with micro-influencers to receive exposure and micro-influencers can collectively gain a following as they build a career around content creation. With skepticism surrounding experimental wellness techniques and products, lifestyle and wellness companies are partnering with micro-influencers to leverage a large consumer base on social media. An analysis of Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand, Goop, and its micro-influencer followers, Goopies, formed the basis of this lifestyle influencer-brand constituency. Informed by Goop, Lifestyle Laboratory considers object affordances, materials, finishes and tectonics, alongside the social etiquette, decorum and banal logistics of work stimulated by a sharing economy. Recently, micro-influencers have started forming content creator collectives. This proposal follows the co-working structure of creator collectives to facilitate collaboration, online growth, and comradery for influencers. The project is illustrated primarily through the medium of video as a narrative umbrella to capture all content and embody characteristics of social media marketing. Moreover, using storyboarding techniques allowed for an alternative representation of more conventional drawings (plan, sections, details, etc.) and introduces audio as well as animation to contribute to the overall narrative. The video can be accessed via the QR code located above.
02 LIFESTYLE LABORATORY 60
WELLNESS
STYLE
WORK
BEAUTY
BEAUTY
WELLNESS
FOOD
STYLE
02 LIFESTYLE LABORATORY 02 CLUSTERS
02 CLUSTER PLAN
Clusters are organized in programmatic categories arrayed onto the floor plate. 61
02 LIFESTYLE LABORATORY
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02 LIFESTYLE LABORATORY 02 CAMERA VIEWS
02 PANORAMA
Food and Style clusters lend themselves to outside vendors and promo presentations. 63
02 LIFESTYLE LABORATORY
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02 LIFESTYLE LABORATORY 02 CAMERA VIEWS
02 PANORAMA
Beauty and Work clusters blend for influencers to work and relax collectively. 65
06 AUGMEN T ED T ECTON ICS VIRTUAL REALITY LEARNING
Academic Research | Work in Progress Collaboration with Craig Borum, Jonathan Rule, David Siepmann, and University of Michigan’s Center for Academic Innovation
Working alongside the Center for Academic Innovation, Augmented Tectonics seeks to offer undergraduate and graduate design students the opportunity to study contemporary construction methods and materials in a digitally built environment with VR/AR tools. Augmented Tectonics’ content is derived from the Arch 317/417: Construction course curriculum. The project and course in tandem provides a greater opportunity for innovative augmented learning and presents students with new professional knowledge in representation and spatial understanding. Within the course, students are taught to understand basic tectonic principles in building construction focusing on material modules. Much of this content is not fully understood until the students visit a construction site or experience many of the concepts and scenarios presented through lecture in reality. Construction site visits are difficult to coordinate during class sessions due to liability risks involved. The role of virtual reality learning would greatly aid in the development of a database of material and assist in the presentation of this content in a digital environment. My responsibilities include designing material modules and interactive challenges within those modules. The design of modules are represented as pavilions and the design of each challenge begins with a rigorous storyboarding process. The following images illustrate the interactivity and visualization of the Light Gauge Steel Pavilion.
04 AUGMENTED TECTONICS
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04 AUGMENTED TECTONICS 04 VIRTUAL REALITY PERSPECTIVES Perspectives illustrate components and content within the Light Gauge Steel pavilion. 69
Inquiries In Design is a volume of selected works made possible by my wife, family, mentors, instructors, and the brilliant colleagues that I have had the opportunity to collaborate with at the University of Michigan and Texas A&M University.