Architecture portfolio

IEVA RUTKAUSKAITE RIBA PART I PORTFOLIO Oxford School of Architecture Oxford Brookes University

IEVA RUTKAUSKAITE RIBA Part I Graduate The following portfolio features work from my undergraduate studies at Oxford School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University

Old Street Apiary

Year III Project

3 – 13

Sketching Carlo Scarpa

Veneto Fieldtrip

14 – 15

Form Follows Performance

Plywood Kerfing Analysis

16

Light Immersion Pavilion

Prototype I

17 – 19

Jumping Platforms

Prototype II

20 – 21

Responsive Wall

Prototype III

22 – 24

Urban Thresholds

Explorative Year III Project

25 – 27

Urban Gleening

Year II Project

28 – 30

Cyclist

Short-term Explorative Project

31 – 33

Heart Aid Shirt

Body Scale Architecture

34 – 36

Restroom Drawing

Year I Project

37

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester II

Old Street Apiary

“If bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then a man would have only four years left to live” Reflecting upon the seriousness of the Colony Collapse Disorder, affecting bees all around the world, Old Street Apiary aims to revive local bee populations.

The buildings shelters 32 hives, which can home nearly 2’000’000 bees.

Section. Scale 1:200

3.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester II

Old Street Apiary

Ground Floor Interior View

4.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester II

Bee Façade

One of the key and most important features of the building During a foraging season, bindweed blossoms will provide bees with an immediate source of food

Carved in concrete wall shields bees from prevailing winds and protects them from being blown away from the hive

Plywood façade components act as a ladder for bindweed plants, that way by sprawling around the structure plants will improve its stability

Cross – weaved component arrangement creates pockets of spaces in front of the hive. These sheltered spaces are essential for bee circulation and nectar exchange, which normally happens by the hive entrance

A window placed by every hive offers an escape route for bees in the building

5.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester II

Hive Diagrams

‘Drawer Hive’ was designed for Old Street Apiary building.

Each hive contains five eight-frame chambers and the upright layout responds to bees’ natural way of living.

Trolley – an essential piece of equipment in beekeeping, used for carrying tools and transporting heavy honey frames.

In this case it also acts as a work surface and a protective barrier

Hives are designed to accommodate large bee colonies (around 60’000 bees each). It is proven that one large colony works more efficiently, produces bigger surplus of honey and has a better chance of surviving the winter (as forming a larger winter cluster) in comparison to two smaller colonies with the same bee count.

Hives are elevated 600 mm above floor level this allows a more comfortable hive inspection and maintenance

Hive operates as a chest of drawers. This allows an easy access for the beekeeper, and does not require heavy lifting and stacking, which is common for traditional hive maintenance

Glass walls allow hive inspection without causing any disturbance for the bees

Hive body features wood structure and glass cladding

Vertically aligned frames fill in the chamber space and are used by bees for comb drawing Bee Passage is the optimum distance between two adjacent frames, which is essential ensuring normal bee circulation

Super Chambers – part of the hive where honey is stored

Queen excluder Wooden slider

Brood Chambers – part of the hive where queen lays eggs and the new brood is raised

Top-bar is extended so that the frames can rest on the rabbet Opening grips

Rabbet ensures equal frame dispersion

6.

Old Street Apiary Ground Floor Plan Scale 1:200 1 Entrance 2 Shop displays for flowerpots and honey products 3 Counter / Coffee waiting area 4 Stock Room 5 Elevator / Lobby 6 Entrance for shop stock replenishing and for maintenance 7 Elevator / Access to upper floors 8 Toilets 9 CafĂŠ Lounge 10 Outdoors seating area 11 Flowers / Bee food

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester II

8.

Old Street Apiary First Floor Plan Scale 1:200 1 Start of the ramps / beginning of the exhibition area 2 Medical emergencies room 3 Open space overlooking to the ground floor 4 Access to upper floors 5 Storage room for exhibition space maintenance

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester II

9.

Old Street Apiary Second Floor: Educational Part of the Building Plan Scale 1:200 1 Continuity of the first floor ramps / exhibition spaces 2 Gap overlooking to the ground floor 3 Beehives 4 Spaces to observe beehives from the bee point of view: relationship between human body and window gap is directly proportional to the bee and its movement space within frames in the hive.

5 Toilets 6 Access to other floors 7 Honey storage room for factory part of the building

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester II

10.

Old Street Apiary Third Floor: Honey Production Factory Plan Scale 1:200 1 Staff changing rooms 2 Honey warming room 3 Honey extraction room 4 Packaging room 5 Lift to honey storage room 6 Hives 7 Beehive entrance protective wall 8 Access to other floors 9 Second floor roof

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester II

11.

Old Street Apiary Hive Tower Floor Plan Scale 1:200 1 Hives 2 Access to other floors 3 Storage room for beekeeping tools 4 Beehive entrance protective wall 5 Second floor roof 6 Third floor roof with roof windows, letting more natural light into honey factory premises

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester II

12.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester II

Site Analysis

Ground Floor Building Uses

Street elevation indicating health care and public service buildings

Street elevation indicating office and commercial use buildings

Street elevation indicating residential buildings

Health Care

Offices

Residential

Public Services

Commercial

Educational

Facades indicated on the map

Catering

Community

Facades indicated on the map

Facades indicated on the map

13.

Plan views of the Palazzo Querini Stampalia garden wall.

Pockets of spaces formed by folded geometry reveal different and exciting views to the garden depending on the viewer position.

Fieldtrip

Unit A fieldtrip to Veneto, January 2013 A purpose of the fieldtrip was to visit to a selection of buildings by Carlo Scarpa, the master of architectural thresholds.

We have focused our observations on spatial connectivity and spent a considerable amount of time sketching material and spatial qualities.

A master of composition and geometric dÊcor, texture and colour – Carlo Scarpa, subdivides spaces into smaller zones, that way composing spaces within spaces and intersecting openings. He folds and weaves planes and corners achieving unconventional, asymmetric and offset interior and exterior details and finishes with a strong sense of human scale.

The Palazzo Querini Stampalia, Venice Interior Sketch

The Palazzo Querini Stampalia, Venice Exterior: the Garden Wall

A series of sketches depict pockets of unexpected spaces, which I found during visits to his most famous sites.

14.

Interior and exterior sketches of Castellvecchio Museum, Verona Carlo Scarpa

Tomba Brion Cemetery, Altivole Carlo Scarpa

15.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester I

Plywood kerfing analysis Explorative analysis looking at the plywood flexibility in relation to the length, width and frequency of the cuts.

The independent variables of analysis are the distance between the longer and shorter cuts, and the frequency of the cuts.

The greatest flexibility is achieved in model E with 1.2 mm width vertical cuts repeated every 2.5 and 2.6 mm, leaving 4 mm distance between the longer and shorter cuts.

If cuts are too infrequent flexibility is negligible (model F).

16.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester I

Form follows performance Process and development of the Prototype I Systematic kerfing and natural plywood properties allowed to design a very flexible component. After an angle kerfing was applied a new quality emerged – components gained a twisting moment.

Prototype I focuses on atmospheric qualities induced by the weaved arches

17.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester I

Prototype I

Process and development The pavilion concept revolved around multiplying the angle – kerfed, leaf shape components and exploring the arches they created.

Weaving technique was adopted as the method for joining several components.

Weaving together more than two components gives a better structural stability and allows to form a free standing, self-supporting prototype. The weight of each component locks prototype into a position.

Weaving Upwards: horizontally kerfed components Diagonally cut and weaved arches are prone to break due to their own weight if the overall structure overhangs more than 25°.

Horizontally kerfed components do not have a twist moment.

This allows more components to be weaved together, the structure can grow much higher up and it has more stability.

18.

Prototype I

Light Immersion Pavilion Interweaved components create an intricately shaped prototype, which gives an enchanting play of light and shadow for the observer.

19.

Prototype II

Jumping Platforms Prototype features continuous horizontally kerfed components and rotating fixed – angle joints.

Horizontally cut components absorb the weight by slightly deforming when under pressure. When pressure is relieved components bounce back to their primary shape.

Joints hold two or more components together and keep the prototype in shape.

Flexibility of the prototype is proportional to its height. The higher up components are weaved, the more flexible and bouncy prototype becomes.

Stills from prototype flexibility film

20.

Workshop at Grymsdyke Farm Physical manufacturing and assembly of the Prototype II 01.12.2012 - 03.12.2012 Processes undertaken:

Components: X 36 Pretzel Joint – for joining two components by their loose ends

X250

X4 Baton Joint – for grouping loose ends of the end components

X250 X250 900 mm Laser cutting

X 16 Six – finger component

X 8 Three – finger component

Plywood lamination and sanding

U Profile was cut with CNC from 9 mm plywood, then trimmed every 34mm into 500 individual 34x9 mm elements, and used as a base for the universal joint

X 500 of the U joint

Assembled prototype

CNC Cutting

Layouts for laser cutting

Joint assembly diagram

21.

Wall and body interaction Prototype III study

Images suggest mostly touched patches of the wall, which were analysed in order to design a wall responsive to human body activity.

22.

Prototype III process models Flexible wooden meshes were design by using a grid of triangles with various combinations of kerfed joints in between.

Combined surface features flexible triangle pattern and parallel kerfing.

23.

Prototype III

Responsive Wall Components: long strips of kerfed plywood.

Horizontally and vertically cross – weaved components gave a very flexible pattern, which was however too fragile due to plywood material properties.

Contrasting results were achieved by using a different method of multiplication.

Laterally arranging multiple segments, joining them at both ends and leaving middle parts unattached, resulted in an extremely flexible and sturdy mesh.

This mesh can be twisted and bended in various directions without breaking.

Cross – weaving technique

Laterally arranged components

1:10 Responsive Wall Model

24.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 3 Semester I Project I

Urban Thresholds

Thresholds are ‘enablers’ for relationships and activities of various users unfold as a result of this.

Project Thresholds critically observes various forms of threshold conditions and relational qualities within the city.

By recording, drawing and collating those case studies I have rationalized 3 different threshold types and their specific performance.

Sketches from site observation

Threshold:

Pulley

Pulley is a threshold between outdoor and indoor spaces.

A flexible façade fragment, that sits as a décor element when not in use, and becomes a threshold when functioning.

Pulley requires people participation, as more that one person is needed to operate it. When in use, pulley claims a public sidewalk space and a part of the street, which may become a safety hazard.

Collage of pulley in operation

25.

Threshold:

Bench for Solitude

One of the several benches that are spread around on a busy pedestrian route just off the Old Street Roundabout.

Due to its circular shape and displaced seats bench proves to be more comfortable to sit on your own rather that with the company – bench proves to be a threshold to your personal space within a busy public route.

Conversation of three: Two seats are closely attached together and do not leave enough personal space when two people are sitting, therefore one of the women participating in the conversation chose to sit on a colder – stone surface, another woman stands.

Materiality: Wood Stone Metal

An island for solitude on a busy public route

Seats are displaced so people sitting on the opposite sides can feel rather private

26.

Threshold:

Urban Garden

Urban Garden is a threshold between urban living and nature. Local residents of Old Street site make use of common areas by establishing small individual garden islands, where they plant vegetables, flowers, spices, etc.

Residents can indulge in common social activity as well as have a hobby of their own.

Urban garden situation often includes storage space for gardening tools

Most commonly grown foods: Tomatoes Strawberries Lettuce

Urban Gardens are commonly located among the residential buildings

27.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 2 Semester II

Urban Gleaning:

Factory, Retail and Living Units Site: Great Eastern Street, London The old cutlery factory is transformed into a fashion workshop and retail unit.

An extended new building accommodates living units.

Project features recycled construction materials, which were initially found on the abandoned cutlery factory site.

Urban Gleaning: Factory, Retail and Living Units Front Elevation 28.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 2 Semester II

Urban Gleaning:

Factory, Retail and Living Units

Urban Gleaning: Factory, Retail and Living Units Back Elevation

29.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 2 Semester II

Cinematic Light Room

The most inner volume of the model has no direct reference to the outside. The model explores lighting possibilities using natural light qualities such as diffraction.

30.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 2 Semester II Short – term project exploring relationship between light and shadow of the moving object.

Lamp Height: 6000 mm

Lamp Height: 10000 mm

Shadow Geometry Drawing

31.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 2 Semester II

Shadow Intensity Drawing

32.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 2 Semester II

Shadow Change Over Time Combined information from Shadow Geometry and Shadow Intensity drawings within a frame of time.

33.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 2 Semester I

Heart Aid Shirt One to one scale body architecture Project features three key moments / transformations when the existing garment is dismantled and re – assembled to create a new purpose: Extension – heart warmer Conversion – heart cooling shirt New Build – reversible heart aid shirt

New build: Heart Aid Shirt (the final garment transformation) 34.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 2 Semester I

Heart Aid Shirt Conversion: Heart Cooling Shirt The Heart Cooling shirt is made by dismantling a previous ‘heart warmer’ project and reassembling it differently to fit a new purpose.

Reversed and contracted, the smaller pockets are now filled with ice cubes. This conversion works as a refreshing Heart Cooling Shirt.

Plan

Section

Heart Cooling Shirt Elevation Drawing 35.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 2 Semester I

Heart Aid Shirt Extension: Heart Warmer Shibori technique was used to ‘extend’ the fabric and create little pockets, which were then filled with wool.

This shirt creates natural layer of insulation, which helps to keep the heart warm.

Plan

Section

Heart Warmer Elevation Drawing 36.

Oxford School of Architecture Year 1 Semester I

Restroom Drawing Restroom drawing in ink is based on the drawing style and technique used by Scottish sculptor and artist Eduardo Paolozzi.

Final Restroom design in black ink

Initial design in colour

37.

Thank You

IEVA RUTKAUSKAITE ieva@interjerai.eu