Architecture Master's Graduate Portfolio

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

IPHENDULE MAIPATO NDZIPHO | MSc. Architecture - Architectural Design_ Politecnico di Milano, Italy

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CONTENTS 04 INTRODUCTION 06 A MUSEUM: REMEMBERING THE PASSAGE

OF PUMICE 24 EAST RIVER SOCIAL HOUSING 38 AN URBAN TOWNHOUSE 52 WEI BRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM 68 A MODULAR HEALTH POST DESIGN 80 SKETCHES

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00 INTRODUCTION

My portfolio reflects my architectural character as it has developed thus far. It comprises a collection of work undertaken in Europe, Africa and Asia, illustrating the global perspective that I wish to bring to all the work I do.

I believe that by moving from South Africa to Italy I was able to begin this process of synthesising the strengths and perspective of each continent.

Studying for a master’s degree in Italy really added depth and breadth to my understanding of architectural principles.

I believe my architectural character, as it is now, is informed by my love of art. Close observation and the practice of drawing has opened my eyes to the architectural qualities of everything I see. As a bonus, I have included a collection of some of my sketches, completed over the years.

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01 A MUSEUM: REMEMBERING THE PASSAGE OF PUMICE LIPARI, ITALY

Historically, Lipari is characterised by the pumice production industry, which may be divided into two time frames; the pre-industrial period, dating from the 19th century to the 1950s, and the industrial period, dating from the 1950s to the year 2007.

The first design intention was to select a site that would allow me to develop a project that brings to life the memory of pumice production over the two periods. I chose the long-abandoned T.H. Ferlazzo building, from the pre-industrial production period. The building is located very close to the Porticello Industrial site, which was the centre of the industrialised pumice production process from the 1950s to 2007.

To evoke the history and atmosphere of these two

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time periods of pumice production, a museum was proposed. The aspect of memory is emphasised in that the landscape is used to highlight the route or the passage of the pumice from quarry to factory, giving rise to the project title, ‘Remembering the Passage of Pumice’ The landscape was incorporated into the design to create an architectural interpretation of the passage of pumice. This is achieved through a system of paths connecting Fabbrica di Porticello with the T.H. Ferlazzo building. To add to this, a system of stairs is introduced into the design. These stairs include places to pause, where one can sit and ponder both the recent and more distance past, while enjoying the beautiful views through the framed façade.

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DESIGN FOCUS AREA: T.H. FERLAZZO

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SECTION A-A: The relationship between the building and the newly designed room in the landscape.

SECTION B-B: Remembering the extraction of pumice through manmade tunnels

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DESIGNING IN THE LANDSCAPE

An illustration the Silo's condition .

The Room in the Landscape

An illustration of the narrow beach.

Introducing a place to stay on the beach.

An image illustrating the canyon.

An experience of the passage of pumice.

To develop the project, I considered a series of site conditions, which in turn influenced the design decisions of the project. This led me to consider designing into the landscape, so to make the landscape accessible. The following images illustrate the site conditions, and how I chose to respond to these conditions.

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DESIGNING IN THE BUILDING

An illustration the Silo's condition .

The Room in the Landscape

An illustration of the narrow beach.

Introducing a place to stay on the beach.

An image illustrating the canyon.

An experience of the passage of pumice.

The next consideration was site conditions pertaining to the building itself. The following images illustrate these conditions and how I chose to respond to them. For example, I responded to the condition of limited natural light by cutting the floor slab so to allow natural light to reach the lower level. To make the floor space interactive, I added a system of interactive stairs where I cut the floor slab.

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN

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1. Passage of Pumice Platform 2. Museum Entrance

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3. Industrial Machinery

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4. Stone Display 1

5. Industrial Rail display 6. Museum Entrance/Exit 7. Museum Visual Accessibility Platform

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1 3 2 4

FIRST FLOOR PLAN 6 5

1. Museum Visual Accessibility Platform 2. Enhancing Curiosity 3. Water Element (Pond) 4. Passage of Pumice 5. Platform 6. Open-air Room of Remembrance 7. Swimming Pool 8. W.C Facilities

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SECOND FLOOR PLAN 1. Spa/Yoga Room 2. A Space to stay on the Passage of Pumice 3. Passage of Pumice 4. Open-air Room of Remembrance 5. Swimming Pool

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THIRD FLOOR PLAN 1. Swimming Pool Void 2. Snack Bar 3. Corten Steel Net 4. Open-air Room of Remembrance 5. The Passage of Pumice 6. Path leading to the Room in the Landscape

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SECTION A-A: An Architectural Interpretation of the Mountain Slope

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SECTION B-B: Visual Accessibility of the Museum

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SECTION D-D

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SECTION E-E

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Looking up at the Passage of Pumice

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A look into the Open Air Room of Remembrance

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Looking in the direction of Stromboli...

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Looking in the direction of Canneto...

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02 EAST RIVER SOCIAL HOUSING MILAN,ITALY

Like the previous project, this social housing project is located in the Nolo area of Milan, an area characterised by urban vibrancy.

The conceptual development for the project started with the idea of bringing these aspects – vibrancy and continuity – into the building. This was achieved by using a prominent path to locate shape the form of the building. This path leads passers-by through the building, literally drawing the urban vibrancy into itself.

The other intention for the project was to provide the residents with plenty of open space, to allow for recreational activities. The site sits along a river, providing the opportunity to create pleasant communal outdoor spaces.

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NOLLI MAP

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SCALE: 1:5000

01. Restaurant 02. Restaurant Bar 3. Restaurant Kitchen 04. Cold Room 05. Shop to let 06. Public Bathrooms 07. Circulation Core 08. Music Room 09. Administration 10. Public Laundry 11. Electrical Room 12. Refuse Room 13. Seminar Space

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

SCALE: 1:1000

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1st & 3rd floor plan_+4.59m & +11.73m 01.

02.

03.

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05.

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08.

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135m2 87m2 58m2 53m2 45m2 42m2 40m2 95m2 64m2 53m2

Family Unit Family Unit Sharing Unit Sharing Unit Bachelor Unit Bachelor Unit Bachelor Unit Family Unit Sharing Unit Sharing Unit

2nd & 4th floor plan_+8.16m & 15.30m

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02.

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05.

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07.

09.

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b b

SCALE: 1:500

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b b

a

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135m2 87m2 58m2 53m2 45m2 42m2 40m2 95m2 64m2 53m2

Family Unit Family Unit Sharing Unit Sharing Unit Bachelor Unit Bachelor Unit Bachelor Unit Family unit Sharing Unit Sharing Unit

5th & 7th floor plan_+18.87m & 26.01m 01.

02.

03.

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638.5m2 Roof Garden 82m2 Common Space 42m2 Bachelor Unit 40m2 Bachelor Unit 95m2 Family unit 64m2 Sharing Unit 53m2 Sharing Unit

6th & 8th floor plan_+8.16m & 15.30m

a

01.

02.

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05.

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b b

SCALE: 1:500

42m2 40m2 95m2 64m2 53m2

Bachelor Unit Bachelor Unit Family unit Sharing Unit Sharing Unit

b b

a

a

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PROJECT TYPOLOGIES

TYPE 1: monolocale 45m2 (no. 05 on plan)

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TYPE 2.1: shared unit 58m2 (no. 03 on plan)

TYPE 2.1: shared unit 64m2 (no. 09 on plan)

TYPE 3.1: family unit 87m2 (no. 02 on plan)

TYPE 3.2: family unit 135m2 (no. 01 on plan)

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WEST ELEVATION

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SECTION a_a

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SECTION b_b

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03 AN URBAN TOWNHOUSE MILAN,ITALY

The project area is located north of the city centre of Milan and is characterised by a sense of urban vibrancy. This urban vibrancy is achieved by the co-existence of multiple functions, including galleries, restaurants, pubs, supermarkets, open markets, office buildings, residential buildings, schools, parks, and a network of transport systems. Alone, these functions have no meaning, but when viewed as a system they create a sense of urban continuity and connectivity.

My answer is shown on the following pages, which show the step-by-step resolution of my project.

Having acknowledged the urban character of the area, I wanted to design a house/gallery that might mirror and complement these qualities within its own space. The starting point was the question, how does one translate a mood of urban vibrancy and continuity into a single building?

I wanted to avoid a rigid divide between the two spaces and went with the idea of blurring boundaries. I aimed for spatial fluidity and spatial interplay. See the diagrams under “Thinking in section,” which illustrate how the different spaces spill into one another.

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The brief given by the “client”, along with the urban conditions, encouraged a design that would allow the co-existence of different activities in one space.

The requirement was to design a private house with a gallery open to the public; naturally I had to respond to the interplay of private and public space.

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CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT

PUBLIC

PRIVATE

THINKING IN ELEVATION DIAGRAMS

1. private vs public

2. maximise natural light by pushing one side down.

3. natural light can now reach more spaces.

4. combination of private and public space, so to not have a strict division between the two.

THINKING IN SECTION DIAGRAMS

creating visual connection between private and public space

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visual connection

creating deep spaces, so natural light can travel to more floor levels.

a cimbination of visual connections and deep space.

THINKING IN PLAN DIAGRAMS

divide the 40m x 10m site into 5 equal blocks.

adding to the uilding footprint

maximise natural light entry by gradually setting back all the blocks, such that natural light reaches each block.

joining the building footprint so to create a unified building, and thus reaching the final form of the building.

unifying the five blocks, thus finding and forming this angled wall.

positioning circulation for the building.

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DESIGN PRESENTATION

FIRST FLOOR_+3.15m 1.

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Exhibition Hall Digital Arts Studio Void Sculptural Art Studio Void (Hanging Installation)

GROUND FLOOR_+0.15m 1. Entrance Gallery 2. Exhibition Space 3. Outdoor Garden

SECOND FLOOR_+4.5m 1.

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Exhibition Space First Floor (void) Kitchen Inhabitable Steps Dining Corner

SCALE: 1:200

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THIRD FLOOR_+6.15m 1.

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Dining Space Billiard Table TV Corner Dual Use Room * Final Exhibition Room Void Bathroom Master Bedroom Void Over Kitchen

FOURTH FLOOR_+8.15m 1.

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Third Floor (void) Public Roof Terrace Private Roof Terrace Swimming Pool

SCALE: 1:200

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SECTION a_a

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SCALE: 1:200

SECTION b_b

SCALE: 1:200

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concrete + glass blocks + steel wall

walll components

SECTION d_d

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structural I-beam

structural C-channel

mortar strips

reinforcement wires

glass block unit

VIEW 1: a look into the master bedroom space.

VIEW 2: a look into the kitchen space

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STREET ELEVATION

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SCALE: 1:100

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04 WEI BRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM XI’AN, CHINA

Xi'an, also known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty, is a sub-provincial city located in the centre of the Guanzhon Plain in Northwest China. It is the oldest of the Four Great Ancient Capitals, having held the position of capital city under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese histor y, including Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui, and Tang. Xi'an is the starting point of the Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

The chosen site belongs to the Han Dynasty, where a bridge crossing the ancient Wei River once stood. The only remains of this bridge are pillars which held up the bridge, and large stones, which anchored the pillars. Upon excavating the site and finding the remains of the bridge, archaeologists

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were faced with the urgency to find a solution to protect these pillars. Their exposure was resulting in deterioration.

An architectural solution was sought which would provide protection as well as tell the story of the Ancient Wei Bridge. Hence the proposal of an archaeological museum.

A prominent characteristic of the surviving pillars is that they are not aligned. This is the result of the tugging and pulling of water over the centuries of the bridge’s existence. The odd alignment of the pillars was used to anchor the lines of the walls, and determined part of the unique character of the museum building.

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CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT

1. The discovery of two archaeological pits, with timber pillars.

2. The pillars are settled in strongly defined axes.

3. Selecting only a few of the axes lines, offsetting and project them out. At the same time adding new axes line to create a balanced rythym of the axes.

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4. Reimagining the ancient Wei Bridge that stood on the pillars.

5. Unsing architecture to emphasise the axes, therefore aligning the walls to axes lines.

6. Extending the lines out to shape the landscape of the focus area.

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Entrance Ramp Circulation Core Locker Room Male WC Female WC Water Element Entrance Exhibition Room 1 South Pillar Ruins 10

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Exhibition Room 2 Auditorium “Bridge Crossing” Exhibition Room 3 Exhibition Room 4 North Pillar Ruins Exhibition Room 5 Circulation Ramp

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FLOOR PLAN 01_Level -8.2m

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SCALE: 1:1000

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Entrance Ramp Circulation Core Locker Room Male WC Female WC Water Element Souvenir Shop + Reception Administration Office 10

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South Pillar Ruins Exhibition Room 2 Auditorium Bridge Crossing Exhibition Room 3 Exhibition Room 4 North Pillar Ruins Exhibition Room 5 Circulation Ramp

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FLOOR PLAN 02_Level -2.35m

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SCALE: 1:1000

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EAST ELEVATION

SECTON a_a

SECTON b_b

SECTON c_c

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SCALE: 1:1000

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SECTON d_d

SECTON e_e

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SCALE: 1:500

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SECTON f_f

SECTON g_g

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SCALE: 1:500

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Main Entrance View

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Axonometric View

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05 A MODULAR HEALTH POST DESIGN CAIA DISRICT_MOZAMBIQUE

Caia District is located in the northern part of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The area is under resourced, and thus does not have enough public facilities such as schools and health care facilities.

Hence the proposal for a Health Post.

The intention was to create a modular design that is easily executed and could be built by community members of the Caia District themselves. Therefore, the conceptual development of the project started with the idea of “back to basics.� The starting point was the concept of using a repetition of equilateral triangles to shape the form of the building. There was also a need to facilitate the wholesome practice of gathering in communal spaces. My aim was to include such a space, that so that a sense of community might be nurtured among users of the building.

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SCALE: 1:200

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CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT_BACK TO BASICS

1. An equilateral triangle with an area (green) for communal gathering.

2. A collection of equilateral triangles with a central communal space.

3. Opening up the space so to make the building accessible.

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN

SCALE: 1:200

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SOUTH ELEVATION

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SCALE: 1:60

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SECTION A_A

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BUILDING PROCESS DIAGRAMS

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1. FOUNDATION PINS

2. FLOOR BEAMS

2. FLOOR SLABS

4. WALL RAILS

5. STAR JOINTS

6. COLUMNS

7. WALL FRAMES

8. WALLS

9. WINDOW FRAMES

10. WINDOWS

11. ROOF BEAMS

12. ROOF PURLINS

13. ROOF SHEETING

14.FINAL COMPOSITION

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06 SKETCHES

To conclude my portfolio, I have added a selection of some of my sketches. I start off by presenting some art reproduction work I have done. I used reproduction work to improve a lot of my drawing skills, which are essential for an architect.

Over the years, sketching has informed my architectural growth and architectural sense. It is through sketching were my eyes practised to pay attention to detail. Essentially, from sketching I learnt to look more at things, and looking is useful skill for an architect.

With time I would like to improve my skills to draw from memory, as these skills will help me to bring to life my imagination of projects, before they exist as actual buildings.

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REPRODU Jean-Antoine “Three studies of a yo

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UCTION e Watteau’s oung wearing a hat ”

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COPYING live object: shoe

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Leonard

REPRODUCTION do Da Vinci’s sketch of a figure

REPRODUCTION Leonardo Da Vinci’s sketch "hands "

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ALICE copy of photograph

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THEMBI copy of photograph

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|ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO 2017 - 2019|