Jake Lessard
Undergraduate Portfolio Wentworth Institute of Technology 1
Table of Contents
4th Year Special Topics Studio 1. Axis Dance Studio
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2. Wentworth Interdisciplinary Center
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3. Precedent Study: Sendai Mediatheque
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4. Childrens’ Book Library and Museum
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5. Chestnut Hill Ecological Learning Center
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6. Precedent Study: Lovell Health House
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4th Year Option Studio
Professor Mark Pasnik - Fall 2018/Spring 2019
Studio_07 and Studio_08 have allowed me to continue thriving and
advancing my design and graphic skills as well as my critical thinking skills.
Through these studios, I have been given the opportunity to work
with a client in exploring design in a troubled or overlooked urban neighborhood.
By working with a real client, these studio classes add
another dimension that is valuable to the advancement in my education.
Due to the nature of the work with this client, I have agreed to keep all of my work among the two semesters confidential. For reference to these works, please refer to Professor Mark Pasnik at: pasnikm@wit.edu
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Precendent Study: Convent de Sant Francesc, Catalonia, Spain Right: Axonometric Section of Architect, David Closes’ Intervention Left: Collage Study of the Convent before and after intervention
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Axis Dance Studio Professor J.P. Allen - Spring 2017 Group: Jake Lessard, Melissa Olsen, David Rabkin
The axis dance studio project is a project that challenged me to design for the disabled. During this comprehensive studio class, i was required to work in a team of three to design an ada compliant dance studio and performance space for a mix of both disabled and able-bodied people.
My team’s concept was to create an overlay of choreographed moments of pause and movement throughout the building. We have done this by creating two equal but opposite building elements. One is a closed mass, sinking into the ground. This holds the auditorium performance behind a sound resistant concrete wall. The second is an opaque mass that appears as if it is floating above the ground. This holds the dance studios. On the front elevation of the building, we
have placed the main circulation ramp in order to create overlaying of moments of pause and movement.
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Parti Diagram
Elevation of Choreographed Movements
Overlaying of Choreographed Movements Study
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PAINTED STEEL WARREN TRUSS
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Wentworth Interdisciplinary Center Professor Charles Cimino - FALL 2017
The building site for the wentworth interdisciplinary center is on the corner of boylston street and mass ave. An observation i made about our site is that it is in the center of where 3 regions of boston come together, but it is severely under utilized. In order to make the site more successful, my building will bring these 3 regions together to unify them. My building concept is to reveal the public to wentworth’s research and university through interactions from within and outside of the building. My building attracts the public with exhibits which can be seen from the sidewalk, a public cafe at the corner of newbury street and boylston street, And rooftop gardens which can be seen from a distance. At specific points around the site, you are revealed to my building as an ending destination. From newbury street, you can see the public roof garden. From hemenway street, you can see the building’s more private but larger roof garden. And From boylston, you see the sweeping motion of the main glass facade with a large outdoor seating area and green space. As these 3 distinct clientel From 3 different regions around the site, they will all come together in an interaction within my building.
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City Layers Collage
Tree Layers Collage
Adjacency Collage
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Neighborhood Site Analysis
Circulation Diagram
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Parti Diagram
Form Study
Program Adjacency Diagram
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MAINTAINENCE
RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH
RESEARCH GREEN ROOF
STORAGE
MECH. ELECTRONIC LAB RECEPTION LIBRARY STAFF ROOM
GREEN ROOF
CHANGING EXHIBIT
CHANGING EXHIBIT
PRINT/COPY
SHIPPING/RECEIVING
MECH.
PRIVATE EXHIBIT HALL STAGE
DISPLAY EXHIBIT CAFE AUDITORIUM
RETAIL
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Precedent Study: Sendai Mediatheque Professor Liem Than - Summer 2017 Group: Rachel Hanson, Kyle Kinz, Jake Lessard
Our group analyzed Sendai Mediatheque by Toyo Ito. While this project was a facade project, we explored the structure and construction of the entire building beyond the facade. Ando used a complex structural column that he envisioned to look like seaweed. This unique structure system and facade system were designed to be 100% earthquake proof. The idea behind the design is that the structure would allow for some displacement but still stay completely intact.
The voids within each of these unique column
structures housed different paths of circulation and space for mechanical systems.
This allowed the floorplates to be very thin. Each facade on the The street facade used a double layer glass panel system that allowed for visibility and air circulation. Through studying this building, I got a sense of building used a different design to display the building in some way.
some unconventional design tactics since the voids in the floor plates made the interior spaces much more different and open than a typical building.
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Childrens’ Book Library and Museum Professor Liem Than - Summer 2017
For the childrens’ book library and museum project, i chose the book “tacky the penguin” by helen lester. For this museum, i based the concept off the main themes, layouts, and medium of this book. In the book, there is an odd penguin named tacky and five of his friends who are described as ‘perfect’ penguins. Throughout the book, there is a sequence of events that tacky’s friends partake in that ‘normal’ penguins do. Then there is tacky, who doesn’t conform to the norm. When a conflict arises, tacky’s friends run and hide while tacky does his “normal” odd penguin stuff which scares away a bear. The main theme behind this book is that it is okay to be different. Through this team, i explored ways to be “different” by challenging archiI have
tectural conventions and making my building design unconventional.
designed my museum with no interior walls as barriers to create an open floor plan.
I then shifted the floor plates up or down to create a sense of You will find unconventional design anywhere in my building no matter where you explore. space in the museum, further defining each unique space.
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Conceptual Study
Conceptual Study (cont.)
Form Diagram
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AUDITORIUM
RESEARCH LIBRARY
READING LIBRARY
OFFICES
ART STUDIO
KITCHEN
GARDEN CAFE
PERMANENT GALLERY
LOBBY
CHANGING GALLERY
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Chestnut Hill Ecology Learning Center Professor Jack Cochran - Fall 2016
This building offers a unique learning experience through the connection of the surrounding site. Through views and axes, the building is oriented on the site to make the connection between the busy, high energy, urban city and the much more relaxed and serene Chestnut Hill Reservoir. Long corridors following the four important axes create the circulation flow as well as a center courtyard.
At each axis intersection, there is a merging
of site context as you can see through the exterior curtain walls. In the
center courtyard, you are surrouded by these axes that allow for circulation to flow throughout the building. the view that is offered.
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Each program is oriented based on
Form Diagram
Parti Diagram
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Precedent Study: Lovell House
Professor Jack Cochran - Fall 2016 Group: Kyle Kinz, Jake Lessard, Adam Richter
My group analyzed the Lovell House by Richard Neutra located in Los Angeles, California. Our analysis consisted of studying the private versus public space within the building and how Neutra separated them. We also studied the indoor/outdoor relationship. This building used a complex system of transitions between the indoor and the outdoor. Through this, naturally we were able to analyze the structure and how it set up a base
Neutra’s design intents. The structure was a system of columns and simple load-bearing walls that defined the interior spaces without the use of unnecessary walls. Through the entire building there were some unique for
elevation changes as seen in section and model because of the topography of the site.
By molding the building into the topography instead of warping Neutra was able to create a residence that gave the user many ways to experience the site. the existing topography,
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