James Chidiac Selected Works

James Chidiac

Selected Works 2021-2023

Southern California Institute of Architecture

Southern California Institute of Architecture 2022

James Chidiac

RAINCROSS ELDERLY CARE FACILTY

DESIGN STUDIO IV

Fall 2021

Instructor: Keelan Kaiser

Software: Rhino, Revit, Unreal, Grasshopper, Ladybug, Illustrator, Photoshop

Elder care has always had a negative cogitation too it and has always been thought of a place to die. Architects has done little to change that notion and expect the programs held within form to attempt to change, but the issue with this. Nobody is aware of what elder care is about, and how special of a community it is. Its gated and shuttered away behind gates and fences without access to the

community around. Raincross Elderly Care Facility aims to change that notion. It seeks to public space for the community to engage with the elderly, it seeks to expose the elderly to community around through semi public parks. This facilty aims to understand the identtity of riverside, but also provide its own take on the monumental arch. Raincross Memory Care Facilty is a space to rejuvinate the living.

Raincross Elderly Care Facility

Site Analysis

Adjacent to the site are the new riverside public library and Fox Theater. Each having a unique identity, it gives the oppurtunity to produce a architecture that speaks to the new vision of riverside, but still represent the old.

South West Elevation

. Connection to nature

Biophilic design

. Site centered design

Spaces for public

Protection for elderly

. Quality Connection

Concept Guidlines

CULTURE ENVIRONMENT

. Inclusive design

Outdoor Spaces

. Community Influences

DESIGNING FOR WELL-BEING

Quality Spaces for Workers

SOCIAL

SUPPORT

Protection for elderly

. ADA Accessibility

Mass

Ground Level Level 2-4

Ground Level consists of retail space and parking to keep the urban envirornment thriving.

The H shape allows for straight sight vision for safety.

Urban Scale

Human Scale

Cultural Scale

Birds Eye Axon

!. Urban Scale: Matches height of adjacent buildings.

2, Human Scale: ADA Accessable

3. Cultural Scale: Contemporary design of the Arch

Utilizing natural woods to provide a calming sensory experience. Adding a centralize atrium to let in natural light to the central lobby areas.

Utilizing natural woods to provide a calming sensory experience. Adding a centralize atrium to let in natural light to the central lobby areas.

Raincross Elderly Care Facility

Interior Lobby

Exterior Semi Public Park

Sun Analysis

9 am letting the cool sunlight in.

Sun Analysis

1 pm the warm sunlight is blocked out.

Roof System

3/4 Roof Membrane

1” Wood slab

1” Insulation

1” Concrete slab

3/4 gypsum board

2 Wall System

4 1/2” Brick

3/4” Gypsum board

2” Insulation

1” Wood paneling

3/4 Plywood sheathing

Vertical Fins Cross Laminated Timber

Wall Section

The the void adds extra protection for the patients.

Ground Level

Raincross Elderly Care Facility

James Chidiac

Raincross Elderly Care Facility

STEELPUNK

Instructor: Soomeen Hahm

Team Members: Alex Aguilera, Jack Freedman, Abhishek Kadian

Software/Skills: Rhino, Grasshopper, Hololens, Fologram, Unity, Steel Bending, Welding

SteelPunk is a project to expand on the ideas of fabrication. Forms were generated using grasshopper scripts to form attractor curves. These forms were scaled to rationalize and later be constructed. While constructing the model we used a serious of new softwares/ devices including fologram, hololens, and unity

to revolutionize the construction process. We utilized steel rods and metal stips, bending them and welding them together to create our design. We didn’t seek to perfect the design, but seeked to challenge the way we think about the construction in general.

Genrative Form Studies

Utilizing Grasshopper scripts to produce interesting Curves where we will begin to extract lines to create forms.

MIdterm Model

This MIdterm model was too complicated to produce so from we extracted certain shapes to provide a final easier model to fabricate.

Final Model

Make Into Poles

Low Poly

Sub D

This Final model utilized 66 steal rods and 12 steel bands to produce a final staircase to fabricate.

Step One

Step Three

Steel Bands

Bending Model

Using AR to guide the bed

Welding with AR

Welding with AR

Welding with AR

Welding with AR

Spray paint model

Wireframe

James Chidiac

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

FALL 2022

Instructor: Herwig Baumgartner Zach Burns

Team Members: Claire Trout, Mohamem Rezk, Lexin Liu, Sasha Lapshina, Syl Kulkarni, Wei-Hung Chen, Jack Freedman, Abhishek Kadian

Software/Skills: Rhino, Grasshopper, Unreal, Ladybug, Massmotion, Pyrosim

For Design Documentation, one project was selected and studied for the semester. These projects were developed further for what we call the documentation phase. During this course, my team worked with multiple consultants icluding environmental, structural, and systems. To get the most detailed result, Selected floor plans, sections, and chunks from the building were analyzed to be fully developed for the rest of the building. We also tapped

into other softwares like pyrosim to simulate how the building would react to a fire and also mass motion. A software to simulate how one would exit the building if incase of a emrgency. Following AIA Standard Form we produced a cost analysis sheet to understand the hard constrcution cost, soft construction cost, construction contigency, project life cycle, and financial considerations.

3D Space Truss Floor Slab and Steel Grid

Angled Steel Tubes

Angled Rolled Steel I-Beams

Structural Steel Cantilevers

Reinforced Concrete Columns

Central Chunk

Glazed Terra Cotta Panels

Insulated Prefab Aluminum Boxes

Facade Steel Support System

Subfacade Steel Mountaing Brackets

Concrete Slab and Metal Decking

Subfloor Wide Flange Beam Grid

Subfloor Wide-Flanged Beam System with HVAC Conduit and Supports

Wide-Flanged Exterior Glazing System

2-Panel Exterior Glazing System

2-Panel Exterior Glazing System

Edge Beam Column Connector Plate

Central Chunk Wall Section

Glazed Terra Cotta Panels

Concrete Slab and Metal Decking

Steel Bracket Connector

Insulated Prefab Aluminum Boxes

Extruded Aluminum Rail and T-Shape Hangers

Detail

Wide-Flanged Beam Plate Connector

Steel Bracket Connector

Edge Beam

Alluminum Mullion

Two Panel Exterior Glazing System

Wide-Flanged Column

Concrete Slab and Metal Decking

Steel Frame Structure Insulated Prefab Aluminum Boxes

Alluminum Mullion

Extruded Aluminum Facade Support

Glazed Terra Cotta Panels

Los Angeles Wind Rose

Los Angeles Wind Rose Spring-Summer Fall-Winter

Solar Radiation

Solar Radiation

Psychometric Chart Highlighting Solar Array Zone Perspective View

ELEVATION PARK

Elevation Park is formed around a parkconjunction typology, meaning it is not merely a bridge with a point a, point b connection, but that it is a wide, free-flowing space allowing for more connectionand communion on both the physical and social levels within the community. As property values rise, residents get priced out. Rather than merely preventing property values from rising, Elevation Park will help more residents afford their housing as prices continue to rise. Furthermore, Elevation park’s typology allows for a unified, flexible space designed to be conducive to supporting the exchange of encouragement

and ideas when it comes to fighting displacement within the local community. As it exists within the site context, Elevation Park is an expansive merger between the community spaces fractured by the construction of I-40. This physical split inhibits community connection at the social level as well. Where there is limited communication and social connection, there is limited capacity to fight issues such as displacement. As a result, there is less awareness, encouragement, and visibility. Elevation Park remedies this by providing a space that literally and socially unifies the community.

Team Members: Sara Gonzalez, Gabriela Arevelo Software/Skills: Rhino, Grasshopper, Unreal, Ladybug

Grid Analysis Grid Analysis

Previous city planning has changed the grid many times over the decades splitting up the communities.

Elevation Park aims to web them together through a conjuction.

Vignettes

Circulation

Circulation paths that show the journey from ground level to underground to rooftop to performing arts space.

Pavilion

Rain Gardens

Circulation

Exploded Axonometric

Business Culture & Recreation Education

Elevation Park

1. Restaurants

6. Recording Studio

12. Museum

2. Coworking Space 7. Amphitheater

13. Computer Lab

3. Offices

8. Sculpture Garden

14. Library

4. Conference 9. Pavilion

15. Classroom

5. Vender Markets

10. Performance Space 16. Community

11. Playgrond

17. Museum Offices

Elevation Park is a conjunction within the community that fosters and uplifts local business, culture, and education.

Water Retention System

Pavilion

Interior

Model Photo

Model Photo Ground Level

Underground

Model Photo Whole Model