CHINATOWN ISLAND CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
SPRING 2014 PROJECT LENGTH: 1 WEEK The proposition of making Chinatown an island in Lake Michigan incited an investigation of part to whole relationships. What makes Chicago the city that it is has more to do with the relationship between its parts than the qualities of them individually. If you transplant Chinatown to an island on Lake Michigan, the whole city responds, creating an entirely new composition of Chicago.
Commercial spines in the megablock facilitate the primary vertical connections. A matrix of joints augments the activity of the spine, creating an intricate network of new relationships.
CERMAK MEGABLOCK CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
SPRING 2014 PROJECT LENGTH: 1 WEEK Responding to the prompt of rethinking Cermack Road as a megablock structure, the project is an analysis and reinterpretation of basic city structure. The commercial corridors manifest as spines of the megablock, facilitating vertical circulation and bonding the entire structure. A secondary matrix of connections augments the activity of the spine, creating an intricate network of new relationships.
MCCORMICK PLACE SITE ANALYSIS CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
SPRING 2014 PROJECT LENGTH: 1 WEEK SITE ANALYSIS & MAPPING OF EXISTING CONDITIONS A detailed analysis of the use of various contextual structures and spaces identified opportunities to better utilize the site and increase activity through the implementation of an architectural intervention.
MIDDAY
MCCORMICK PLACE
AFTERNOON
MORNING LAKE FRONT
LAKE FRONT
RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIAL MOTOR ROW DEPAUL ARENA
EEKDAY W 12 S 6
18
0
24
18
12
6
0
24
W
EEKENDS
EVENING
RESIDENTIAL
DEPAUL ARENA MOTOR ROW
MORNING
SOLDIER FIELD
RESIDENTIAL
LAKE FRONT
LAKE FRONT
MIDDAY
SOLDIER FIELD MOTOR ROW BIRD SANCTUARY RESIDENTIAL LAKE FRONT MCCORMICK PLACE
MCCORMICK PLACE ANNUAL DATA
R EMBE DEC
F
M
A
M
J
NO VE
J
A
S
O
N
D
RCH MA
J
OCTO BER
68 CONVENTIONS USE A SINGLE BUILDING 14 CONVENTIONS USE MULTIPLE BUILDINGS ONLY 2 CONVENTIONS USE ALL BUILDINGS
FE BR U
R BE M
RY A
82 CONVENTIONS 223 DAYS
JANU ARY
MCCORMICK PLACE DAYS OF USE
22
17
27
22
17
24
19
16
9
AU
US T
A
G
Y
16
BE R
15
APRI L
SEPTEM
18
M
JULY
JUNE
39% 74%
22%
26% PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL USE
40%
42%
ALL OF MCCORMICK PLACE ONLY LAKESIDE EAST BUILDING
61%
26%
EXISTING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
PROPOSED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
EXISTING PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION
PROPOSED PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION
KUNSTHAL ISLAND
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK FALL 2013 PROJECT LENGTH: 6 WEEKS SITE MASTER PLAN AND BUILDING DESIGN
The Open City, by Richard Sennett “The dual quality of the membrane is, I believe, an important principle for visualizing more modern living urban forms. Whenever we construct a barrier, we have to equally make the barrier porous; the distinction between inside and outside has to be breachable, if not ambiguous... The idea of a cellular wall, which is both resistant and porous, can be extended from single buildings to the zones in which the different communities of a city meet.”
The site is an old industrial island on the harbor of Copenhagen. Centered between several important places including the Playhouse, Nyhavn Canal, the Opera House, and the Royal Academy, the site is a prime location with a lot of potential. Although this location is ideal, the existing site conditions leave it isolated from its surroundings. Inspired by “The Open City” by Richard Sennett, the concept is to create a permeable boundary on every scale of the project, from the city to the building to the space. In order to bring life to the currently unused site, new bridges and public transportation infrastructure will be introduced. These updates make access to the site easier, bringing in through-traffic of commuters as well as site specific visitors to the Kunsthal and harbor front park.
OPERA HOUSE ROYAL ACADEMY PLAYHOUSE NYHAVN CANAL
SITE
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 0
To promote the idea of permeability on the site, the Kunsthal is broken down into a group of smaller buildings rather than creating one large barrier. The radial organization of the architecture creates a central plaza space, similar to the typical courtyard buildings of Copenhagen. The material palette speaks to the programmatic organization of the architecture: the glazed public spaces are all on the ground floor while the opaque walls above designate the private gallery spaces of the Kunsthal.
LEVEL -1
9am
12pm
3pm
The Kunsthal is located on the South-West corner of the site, providing ideal daylight conditions as well as views of the harbor.
Individual buildings are grouped to create a central public space and align with the surrounding city context.
Private program is moved above and below, allowing the public space to continue into the architecture.
Bridges connect the separate structures, creating a path through the gallery spaces.
SITE
COPENHAGEN
FLOATING ROW HOUSE
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
FALL 2013 PROJECT LENGTH: 3 WEEKS GROUP SITE ANALYSIS & PLAN, INDIVIDUAL BUILDING DESIGN
EXISTING PROGRAM
EXISTING MOVEMENT
The site is located in the Northern Harbor of Copenhagen. The existing conditions limited paths of movement therefore isolating much of the site. In order to bring life back to the area, a new housing development in the harbor provides connections across the water, allowing for easy circulation.
INTRODUCED PROGRAM
INTRODUCED BRIDGES
COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL
RESULTING MOVEMENT
GLASS FACADES
PIVOTING FACADE PANELS
CROSS VENTILATION
By minimizing interior space, the number of exterior facades is increased and access to the exterior is maximized. The two raised exterior spaces, in addition to the pivoting facade panels, allow for a variety of natural spaces. The glass facades provide maximum access to daylight as well as views of the surrounding harbor.
The scale of the home is cohesive with Danish living styles. Although the rooms are small, the expansive glass walls create a feeling of openness and connection to the outdoors. The Danish values of being outside and not needing excess space are reflected in the architecture.
R
9
The Death and Life of Great American Cities Jane Jacobs “To generate exuberant diversity in a city’s streets and districts, four conditions are indispensable: 1. The district, and indeed as many of its internal parts as possible, must serve more than one primary function; preferably more than two. These must insure the presence of people who go outdoors on different schedules and are in the place for different purposes, but who are able to use many facilities in common. 2. Most blocks must be short, that is, streets and opportunities to turn corners must be frequent. 3. The district must mingle buildings that vary in age and conditions, including a good proportion of old ones so that they vary in the economic yield they must produce. This mingling must be fairly closegrained.
URBAN LAB
4. There must be a sufficiently dense concentration of people, for whatever purposes they may be there. This includes dense concentration in the case of people who are there because of residence.”
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7
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5
4
CINCINNATI, OHIO SPRING 2013 PROJECT LENGTH: 10 WEEKS SITE PLAN AND BUILDING DESIGN Jane Jacobs’ proposal of four criteria to create city diversity, and therefore a successful city, inspired the thesis of this project: a city within a building. The geometries in plan as well as the vertical connection between floors speak to the idea that “streets and their sidewalks, the main public places of a city, are its most vital organs”. The hallways become the street and create opportunities for interaction and contact. The different types of pedestrian movement through a city are integrated into the architecture.
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Programmatic Organization 2
Spatial Organization
G
The purpose of the Urban Lab is to bring together researchers of various disciplines and the people of Cincinnati to collaborate and work to revitalize the city. Programs are mixed on each floor to allow for maximum contact between different types of visitors. Small differences between the floors create a wide variety of spatial conditions throughout the building. Qualities of transparent and opaque walls create a layered spatial condition. Diagonal geometries and vertical openings contribute to these dynamic spaces.
WATERSHED OBSERVATORY RADFORD, VIRGINIA
FALL 2013 PROJECT LENGTH: 10 WEEKS SITE PLAN AND BUILDING DESIGN The Watershed Observatory is a complex of buildings which holds gallery, studio, and living spaces. The curve of the architecture guides visitors along a path which eventually leads them to the edge of the riverfront.
The residential grid and a series of curves, from an abstract study of forces on the site, compose the form. The space which the curve of the path encompasses is sacred. The architecture acts as a new boundary and holds this space.
The gradient of blue light on the facade wall as well as the diffused light entering from above create a constantly changing quality of light. As the exterior condition of sunlight changes, so does the interior. These layers of variety allow the spacial conditions to be unique each time the architecture is experienced.
12 pm
2 pm
4 pm
The skylights in each structure are oriented to catch the southern sun and bounce it softly into the space. The resulting patches of diffused light provide brightness to the space without detracting from the facade wall.
RAIN ROOM FALL 2012 PROJECT LENGTH: 1 WEEK Over time the architecture changes as rain causes each material to weather onto one another and into the ground. These overlapping elements become embedded in the land, one with the site. The tree is the opposite of this deterioration, a growth which over time also changes the experience of the architecture.
BATH HOUSE FALL 2011 PROJECT LENGTH: 5 WEEKS
A series of horizontal and vertical panels create unique conditions of light and enclosure within the different baths. These specific spatial qualities correspond with the temperatures of each bath, shaping the experience of hot, warm, and cold pools. As the sun moves throughout the day, the amount of light and pattern of shadows change. This ensures that each visit to the baths provides one with a unique experience.