HOLLY WILSON 2018 Architecture Portfolio
ABOUT THIS PORTFOLIO
An overview of projects from the last three years are showcased in this portfolio. There is a categorical emphasis on cultural projects such as museums and concert halls, and on urban projects based in large cities such as New York or Tokyo. These buildings are heavily conceptual. Many of them relate their theoretical narrative while others exhibit the end product and deliverables. The aesthetics are unapologetically feminine with delicate detailing through lace and floral patterns, while remaining a touch brutalist through material choices of concrete and brick. This is a design combination that has been under-utilized in the tradition of architecture yet holds great possibilities.
CONTENTS
01 Natural Boundaries 1 - 6
02 Rings of Reflection 7 - 10
GAUD Spring 2018 / Critic: Philip Parker / New York City
Klein Dytham Architecture / Partners: Nadine de Ripainsel
and Jay Baek / Hobart Tasmania
03 Graffiti City 11 - 16
04 Hi-Lo Concert Hall 17 - 28
GAUD Fall 2016 / Critic: Eric Shoenenberger / New York City
GAUD Spring 2017 / Partners: Isidora Concha and
Nadine Oelschlager / Hudson New York
05 The Harajuku Contemporary Collective
GAUD Fall 2017 / Critic: Hina Jamelle / Tokyo Japan
29 - 34
06 Planar Volumes 35 - 38
GAUD Fall 2015 / Critic: Alexandra Barker / New York City
Natural Boundaries 01
A highly conceptual museum addition with emphasis on process and the theories of the “white box,” containment and nature
Looking at Olafur Eliasson’s Riverbed installation at the Louisiana, a series of conceptual art projects were created to explore the idea of containment of nature, within the parameters of the “white box” display method. How can we expand on the relationship further? Of these art projects, a deeper understanding of theory was found by creating diagrams 2-dimensional, conceptual and architectural. The fragmented flower wrapped in a dollar bill was used to arrive at a form which married the organic curve of nature with the rectilinear line of the white box. To take that a step further, the piece is wrapped in the “natural” iconography
(Right) Olafur Eliasson, Riverbed, 2014. (Below) Art pieces examining the relationship between the white box and fabricated nature.
01 NATURAL BOUNDARIES SPRING 2018
found on the dollar bill itself. A Biedermier-esque object emerges that challenges these themes of containment, nature and contemporary display methods. This is the piece that informs the museum extension. The building is encased in an open-air screen in which sculptures may be displayed. Trees abound and ivy covers the exterior, weaving inside as it grows unencumbered. As the flora cycles through the seasons, the man made building becomes a living sculpture itself, affected greatly by the elements.
HOLLY WILSON 2 Museum extension exterior view
This “architectural” diagram of a flower in a coffee cup includes both a plan and section of the piece, as well as an image on how it might be used. The imagery clearly references nature contained by a modern social construct (a coffee cup) and how the latter might be reinterpreted.
Taking the hot spot diagram of a museum’s circulation and traced imagery of flowers blooming over time, this graphic piece overlays concepts of expansion and retraction of two very different topics.
01 NATURAL BOUNDARIES SPRING 2018
HOLLY WILSON 4 Diagrams were combined to make this process image. When read from left to right, it is a commentary upon containment; it begins with the white box, then a dollar bill wrapping a flower and ending with the hot spot diagram represented as clouds. The linework is traced over to create a composite form with both organic and rectilinear movements.
“Hot spots� show where a museum visitor pauses and circulates throughout the space, creating islands of concentration.
These pieces are derived from the former diagram studies, in particular the New Museum / cloud wire work. The first three are wrapped the acanthus leaves and guilloche patterning found on the US bill, symbolizing a “construct� wrapping. The furthest shows the applied screening determined according to the patterning.
01 NATURAL BOUNDARIES SPRING 2018
Rendering of interior gallery spaces. A piece by Kohei Nawa is present, a taxidermied deer covered with magnifying glasses, an additional reference to reconstructed nature re appropriated for a specific setting.
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Site plan showing the existing New Museum by SANAA and the proposed addition along Bowery.
Rings of Reflection 02
The curved form of the building references redemption and hope, while pragmatically solving complicating circulation issues
This six-week long proposal is for a new visitation center in Hobart, Tasmania. As a newly-minted World Heritage Site, this historical women’s prison hoped to create a space to educate and respect their local ancestry as well as create a new architectural icon. The existing site was contained in three yards, with the addition being added in the center. The shape derives from both circulation, incorporated technology, minimal site footprint and overall mission. It juxtaposes the linear harshness of the yards and is synonymous with a gentle and benevolent female spirit and future redemption. Augmented reality is an inherent
aspect of the guides, recreating the structures that once existed on site and utilized at the viewpoints over the yards as the visitor moves uninterrupted up and down the sloped pathways. The patterned screen derives from a christening gown found in the existing museum, which was passed through generations of Tasmanian mothers and daughters. The full exterior facade and inner wall separating offices will have this ceramic print for privacy and to reference the rich textile history of the factory.
Model photo of ceramic painted glass screening, particularly the lighting effects achieved in the process
North section
02 RINGS OF REFLECTION SUMMER 2017
South section
HOLLY WILSON 8 Model photo showing circular visitor pathway with lookout points
Much of my personal focus within the project was on lace. Here, broderie anglais, which was used at the Hobart Women’s Factory is explored in pattern, scale and as cut outs. The lace was wrapped around the entire building for privacy.
Site plan noting the juxtaposition of an unprecedented architectural icon at the foot of Hobart’s mountains.
VIEW OF YARD 4
VIEW OF COURTYARD VIEW OF YARD 1
ENTRANCE
Model photograph looking towards lobby
Pathway view towards the interior courtyard.
02 RINGS OF REFLECTION SUMMER 2017
Circulation diagram with viewpoints and pathways
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The entrance is welcoming and expressive
Roof plan showing viewpoints and circulation routes VIEWPOINT TO YARD 1
ACCESS TO GARDEN & YARD 1
VIEWPOINT TO YARD 3
YARD 1
ACCESS FROM MULTI-FUNCTIONAL SPACE
INTERSECTION PLATFORM
ACCESS TOWARDS INDOOR
Entrance plan of the three existing yards, circulation and elevation changes
VIEWPOINT TO YARD 4
Graffiti City 03
Apartment buildings that explore multiple elements of architectural ornamentation - graffiti, molding, vases, iconography, and stained glass
The studio began with observations of the architectural idiosyncracies found throughout New York’s boroughs, outgrowths of zoning laws, renovations and history. There is a level of ornamentation - both contemporary and traditional - that decorate the exteriors of buildings and lend a stylistic mish-mash to the urban existence. The project focused on a floral graffiti pattern that adorns a Williamsburg storefront. Using the same “ornamental� language, I explored the pattern as both 2-dimensional line and 3-dimensional space. How could this be reappropriated into the local architecture? Studies were conducted on reconfiguration of the pattern as it relates to ornamentation and resulted in a complex form featuring graffiti, piping, hinges and moldings.
Street view exhibiting brick patterned windows
03 GRAFFITI CITY FALL 2016
The findings from these previous studies were applied as structure while also honoring the original graffiti pattern in the floor plans. The floor plans retain an organic, curved element with no straight edges - creating dynamic apartments that range from one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Brick patterning lends a fortress-like appearance to the project; simultaneously providing privacy for inhabitants while allowing light to pass through into the apartments for a dappled, ornamental lighting effect. Light is also disseminated through light wells and courtyards that stretch to the ground floor. The graffiti pattern is reapplied to the brick exterior of these vase-like apartments to create a cheeky new iteration of graffiti.
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Floor plans at ground level and +10’-0”
Two sets of diagrammatic floor plans, originally exhibited on trace paper and layered one atop another. This gave the artworks a stained glass appearance, in keeping with the theme of architectural ornamentation.
03 GRAFFITI CITY FALL 2016
Contour diagram of site massing, showing volume concentrations and themes of playfulness and animation.
(Above) Photographs of a 3D-printed creation on ornamentation. Elements include the graffiti extrusion, curved pieces of piping, angled frames of molding and when viewed in elevation, a layered embrace reminiscent of hinges.
Site plan
Pattern extrusion study
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Initial studies on graffiti extrusions, with applied brick concrete material
Overall perspectival view of the “vase-like” building appearance. This refers back nicely to the flower pattern seen in plan view.
03 GRAFFITI CITY FALL 2016
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Hi-Lo Concert Hall 04
A pragmatic overview of the building process concerned with mechanics, engineering, sustainability and construction details
This semester-long group project follows the entire trajectory of the building process from initial site studies, meetings with engineers and sustainability experts, to construction documents and pricing. Situated in Hudson, New York, our design is rooted in the local vernacular as well as the topography of the site as it overlooks the eponymous river. Wood is used to reference the agricultural ties of the area and the structural truss system replicates industrial warehouses. The scope of the project focuses more so on the technical rather than the theoretical, and circulation and program are organized according to the modular structural unit of the truss. There is a spatial procession for the visitor culminating in the central performance space.
Acoustics are also studied in great depth, as is necessary for a concert hall complicated by the nearby Amtrak station. In response the auditorium is doubly encased with an additional concrete wall and a sound bern is constructed alongside the tracks to deflect noise. Landscaping is oriented towards sustainability and the future health of the Hudson River region. Water runoff from the top of the hill is naturally filtered in pools that are intended to flood in the rainy season or ice over in the winter months. Filtration is also aided by the use of indigenous grasses and plants, with an emphasis on fostering fauna that has been struggling due to the historical industrialization.
Structural system showing (A) segmented roof system, (B1 and B2) the primary wood truss structure, (C1 and C2) steel compression and tension cables, (D) concrete foundation, and (B, E, F and G) the facade system of sunshades and glazing.
04 HI-LO CONCERT HALL SPRING 2017
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Structural model section through the auditorium, showing information pertinent to the truss modularity and the encasing of the concert hall for sound purposes.
The trusses are doubled up to maintain aesthetics and their slender sizing.
04 HI-LO CONCERT HALL SPRING 2017
HOLLY WILSON 20 Exterior render of the concert hall and extension, viewed from the northeast corner of the site.
The gesture of the building and the landscaping was inspired by the existing topography and contouring of the site. This cohesion is clear in the site model displayed here.
Site plan
04 HI-LO CONCERT HALL SPRING 2017
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Late fall landscaping diagram
Late spring landscaping diagram
Site model demonstrating careful landscape contouring and the modular truss system, also expressed on the roof of the concert hall.
North Elevation
West Elevation
Longitudinal section
Transverse site section
Transverse section through lobby and marina cafe
04 HI-LO CONCERT HALL SPRING 2017
(Right) The entrance staircase and expansive views towards the Hudson River. (Below) Transverse section through concert hall
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(Above) A view of the concert hall; note the scalloped walls and stage, done for acoustics and as a nod towards the spatial wrapping.
Hall level plan
04 HI-LO CONCERT HALL SPRING 2017
Cellar level plan
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Lobby level plan
Mezzanine level plan
Enlarged hall plan, mezzanine level
Enlarged hall plan, main level
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Roof detail D: transverse section
04 HI-LO CONCERT HALL SPRING 2017
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Section detail D at column
Roof detail D: longitudinal section
West facade section: level 2 - foundation
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West facade section: level 3 - roof
Roof system
The Harajuku Contemporary Collective 05
An art museum marrying two disparate cultures on Tokyo’s most international street
The building originates from the Japanese artistic tradition of origami. The planes of the facade, floors, walls and gallery spaces are wrapped in such a way that the planes dramatically and abruptly shift in direction, just like an origami piece. Seen only as an aggregate by the visitor, the individual forms are actually subtly organized to denote public versus private spaces geometric variations which are only visible in the floor plans. Circulation is playful. The gallery spaces towards the top of the building are undulating tunnels, allowing glimpses down into the lobby and indefatigably providing contextual reference to Takeshita street - a contemporary “pop” art
space itself. A subterranean gallery space is entered through the main core as a gradual and generous ramp that suggestively directs the visitor downwards and around. Most Japanese museums have a proposed viewing sequence and this building is no exception; there are three circulation routes from which to choose. The addition of the museum to Harajuku successfully combines the two local factions - ancient Japanese traditions (origami, shrine architecture) with the contemporary obsession in American pop culture (the international brands to be purchased nearby and the Andy Warhol artwork of the interior).
Robert Rauschenberg, Stoned Moon, 1970
Directionality analysis of the painting, the shifting movements of which inspired the theme of origami for the entire project.
Brush stroke movements discerned from prints, bristles, etc.
05 THE HARAJUKU CONTEMPORARY COLLECTIVE FALL 2017
Step-by-step placement of the overlapped pieces.
HOLLY WILSON 30 Gallery render looking downwards through glass panes into the lobby; heading in the opposite direction we would see flashes of Takeshita St.
Individual Origami Pieces
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Facing northeast towards the main staircase with the lobby to the right. The second floors show circulation and gallery spaces above the lobby, with consecutive openings.
05 THE HARAJUKU CONTEMPORARY COLLECTIVE FALL 2017
Aggregate Studies
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Final Massing
Floor plans demonstrating curved versus rectilinear pieces, each denoting private versus public spaces, respectively.
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05 THE HARAJUKU CONTEMPORARY COLLECTIVE FALL 2017
(Above) Exterior render facing Takeshita street. Additional greenery is an important component in this addition as it softens the concrete urbanity and ties into nearby park spaces. (Left) View facing second story circulation, with gallery spaces on the left and towards the front. Public and private are visually mixed as the visitor peers down into the lobby.
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(Below) Site plan
Planar Volumes 06
Based near NYU’s campus, this outreach center addresses the possible variations in shifting from 2D linework to 3D volume
Beginning with a simple triangular pattern which is gradually altered, this project explores the limitations and possibilities of volume. How can we create space from planes? How do we divide that space to determine hierarchy? The linework is manipulated through a process of folding, rotating and pinching. To create the volume, two lineworks are overlapped and connected at their midpoints; from there they are wrapped in a third linework. The previous studies in apertures are applied to this final volume to create a “peek-a-boo” effect. After 3D printing the form, photography studies are conducted to show different lighting qualities.
The previous project is incorporated into a site near NYU’s campus and residences. After extensive information was collected on existing foot traffic and city “grids” (windows, buildings and sidewalk patterns) the volume is placed so as to invite passersby outside. The program is a meeting place for NYU’s philanthropy center and aims to improve relations between campus and community. Specifically, the building will host job fairs for students and the homeless, provide shelter in the winter offices for student outreach and a soup kitchen atop a covered outlook over Broadway St.
(Left) A 2D pattern is thoughtfully connected at verticies to create 3D spaces, which is then wrapped again to create dynamic layered effects. (Below) Lighting studies explore dispersion across the faceted planes of the 3D print.
06 PLANAR VOLUMES FALL 2015
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3D print overlayed on the site, becoming at once a possibility and a sculptural piece.
Northeast-facing viewpoint from Mercer Street. The entrance seen here is intended to be private and serve only those working in the building.
3D print on site highlights the repetitive qualities of the existing architecture with the variation of those in the proposed building.
06 PLANAR VOLUMES FALL 2015
Broadway St
Mercer St
Washington Place
(Left) Site plan
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(Below) Rendering from atop the nearby retail store, looking towards northwest with Washington Square Park only four blocks away. The second floor cafe is on full display with gardens that soften the harsh edge of the concrete and brick.