Jelani Lowe
Undergraduate Portfolio jelanilo@buffalo.edu
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PHASE I
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THE FIST
PHASE II
T H E L I V I N G WA L L
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THE HINGE
PHASE I
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DE STIJL INVESTIGATION
PHASE II
T H E FA R N S W O R T H H O U S E
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FABRIC FORMWORK
PHASE I
40 WALL
PHASE II
HBS TOWERS
48 WALL
FEATURE
BRANDING
E.N.D. STUDIO
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PERSONAL WORKS
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THE LIVING WALL Phase I: The Fist
Date: Spring 2012 Course: Design Studio 202 (Individual Project) Professor: Chris Romano
Students were given an 8”x10” rectangular cube and prompted to make a series of ambiguous incisions. After these cuts were made the resulting sections were manipulated to create spaces for six inhabitants. William Faulkner wrote in the spring of 1956, “The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life…”. This quote inspired my chosen incision and subsequent manipulations to the rectangular cube. My intention was to take the fundamental essence of life defined by Faulkner as motion, and create a structure that evokes movement regardless of its stationary state. I sketched a few drawings as I observed my hand as it clenched into a fist. This motion was the basis of my design, as I manipulated the four wedge-shaped sections to mimic my observations of the movement of my hand. From these rotations, apertures were created that allowed light to enter the structure in such a way that the intended feeling of motion was emphasized. The voids created from the initial circular incision provided the spaces required for inhabitants to dwell, and this curvature served as their back support. The degree of rotation for each of these sections varied to create distinctively different horizons for each individual as they inhabited the space.
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Fist motion observations
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Chip-board model
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Living Space
THE LIVING WALL Phase iI: The hinge
The second phase of the Living Wall required students to form groups and merge concepts. Iterations were then made to each members initial design, resulting the creation of one structure. My group named our structure “The Hinge” which consisted of three modules, staggered around a tower that provides shelter for the six inhabitants. After a series of scaled renderings, models and free hand sketches, our group constructed the Hinge and lived in it for a night at Griffis Sculpture Park; Ellicottville, Buffalo, New York. My duties for this phase were predominately all construction based, and the creation of the more detailed sections of the design. I made the curved sections lining each of the three modules by cutting semi-circles from a 3”x8” plank of wood. I then layered the sections, fastened them together and sanded the curve to the smooth finish desired in the design.
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Construction
Construction of module curves
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Construction
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Packaging
Assembly
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THE LIVING WALL Phase Ii: The hinge
Assembly on Site
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INVESTIGATION OF THE FARNSWORTH HOUSE Phase I: De Stijl Investigation
Date: Fall 2012 Course: Design Studio 201 (Individual Project) Professor: Dennis Maher
Students were asked to research features of a pivotal work of 20th century architecture. The work I chose was the Farnsworth House designed by architect Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe in Plano, Illinois. I was enamored by the balance evoked through the simplicity of its design, and the rigidity of its materials. To further this investigation, I conducted extensive research on De Stijl artwork and a series of compositions from the late 19th century created by Dutch painter Pieter Cornelis; popularly known as Piet Mondrian. Both the Farnsworth House and this composition establish a sense of balance, however; through two distinct media. To further analyze the balance of the Farnsworth House, I considered if this same feeling could be achieved through the fundamental principles of De Stijl artwork. I then extracted portions of Mondrian’s infamous “Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue” (1921), that were similar to the plans, sections and elevations of the Farnsworth House. The series of altered segments of the composition were then arranged orthographically with the sections and elevations located relative to each other in accordance to the plan. From this arrangement I created an alternative composition, in which particular lines were manipulated, in adherence to the fundamental guidelines of De Stijl artwork. This alternative composition became the premise for the second phase of this project, leading to an in-depth investigation of balance through the devices of the Farnsworth House in accordance to a manipulation of its materiality.
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Extraction and manipulation of Composition segments to correspond to sections, elevations and plan of the Farnsworth House.
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Segments of the Composition superimposed on corresponding sections, elevations and plan.
Plan, Sections and Elevations arranged orthographically
Arrangement of corresponding segments
Original composition
Alternative composition
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Sketch of the Farnsworth House (Pen & Copic Markers)
INVESTIGATION OF THE FARNSWORTH HOUSE Phase iI: fabric formwork
I investigated whether the previously observed sense of equilibrium is indicative of the medium used, or the design of the Farnsworth House itself. The meticulous placement of steel columns and concrete slabs is similar to the extremely controlled and rigid strokes in Mondrian’s composition. The element of control fueled the development of later iterations seen in this phase. I adhered to the fundamentals of De Stijl artwork and modern architecture, through a less controlling approach. By allowing the design’s development to be altered by the uncontrollable element of gravity, later iterations encapsulated principles of conventional balance to facilitate a conceptual sense of balance. The alternative composition created in the first phase was superimposed on glass, and left to drip overnight. I then arranged this manipulated alternative composition and laid it horizontally across a series of vertical glass planes, and allowed them to drip. The design created a conceptual circulatory pattern through the final iteration of this investigation. A series of stencils were recorded during this process, which were used as the design for the three levels of the final structure. I used the process of fabric formwork, and vertically stretched cloth that was fastened to the first and third levels of the structure. I sewed the fabric together to create column molds for plaster. After the plaster was poured the cloth was removed. While the first phase represented an alternative Composition through the devices of the Farnsworth House. The construction of the final structure in the second phase demonstrates an alternative Farnsworth House through an observation of an unconventional sense of a fluid, conceptual equilibrium.
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Pen & Copic Markers
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Segments of the composition superimposed over the plan, elevations and sections of the Farnsworth House and then left to drip overnight
Alternative composition
Manipulated alternative composition
Manipulated alternative composition horizontally laid across vertical planes of glass, again left to drip overnight
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Diagram of dripped composition over glass planes
Conceptual circulation pattern
Initial fabric formwork trials
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Stencils recorded during the layered alternative composition across the vertical glass planes. These three stencils are the outlines for the three levels of the final structure.
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Fabric molds for final structure
Section view of final structure
Reminescent of the original Farnsworth House, the columns of the final iteration vary according to the topography of the site; so that all three levels remain horizontal
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Final Model
HBS TOWERS
Phase I: The Feature Wall Date: Summer 2015 Client: HBS Realtors Ltd. Location: Dr. Annie Besant Rd. Worli, Mumbai, India The following project was created while working at HBS Realtors in Worli, Mumbai India as a Design Intern under the supervision of Vice President CEO; Radhika Patiil. The final design will be used as the main feature wall for HBS Towers, an upcoming 75 story residential complex. The dimensions of the wall are 6m tall and 260m long. The design prompt consisted of two main requirements that the final concept had to adhere to. The final concept had to uphold an Art Deco aesthetic specifically a sunburst pattern that ornates the Tower’s facade, and to satisfy certain environmentally sustainable characteristics to complement the building’s Platinum LEED certification. My duties included the production of concept sketches for the design, as my colleague worked predominately on the scale and dimensions of the wall. During the design process there were many regulations and restrictions given by both the development firm and local legislation. The initial Design incorporated a 10m tall retractable gate in the form of an Art Deco Motif, the strict advertising laws in Mumbai limited the blatant use of the company logo, hence; the Marketing team required the facade of the wall to be designed to subtly promote the Company. After initial concept sketches, the design became more abstract in nature. As I began to think about the presence of the wall adjacent to a main road in the City, I attempted to make the structure of the wall itself be a piece of art. I considered the aesthetic of the wall through the perspective of oncoming vehicles, and attempted to create a sense of motion while they passed by. The final design includes an underground reservoir that collects the copious amounts of rainwater during Mumbai’s 3 months of heavy rainfall, called “Monsoon Season”.
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Existing Site Conditions
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First design with retractable Art Deco gate
Initial abstract designs
AutoCAD rendering of plan
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Final design
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Sunburst pattern in-between larger Art Deco-esque columns made of two different hues of grey granite
Initial Designs
HBS TOWERS
Phase Ii: The branding wall
Towards the later stages of development, the Marketing team required the design of a large “Branding Wall� approximately 8m in height. The team wanted the HBS Realtors Logo, complemented by a water feature to evoke a sense of serenity upon entrance. The lighting for this section of the wall was provided by L.E.D. bulbs that were fueled by a small solar panel on the top of the strucutre.
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Preliminary designs
Final design
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ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN STUDIO Selected Works END 360 Faculty: Hiro Hata Date: Spring 2015
Conceptual Park
Precedent study; Greenacre Park
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Existing site condition analysis
END 360
Existing site condition analysis
END 450 Faculty: Karen Lutsky Date: Fall 2015
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Outdoor exhibition design for Beaver Meadows Nature Center
END 450
Final exhibition design
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Stone wall aperture detail
PERSONAL WORKS
Graphite
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Pen & Copic Markers
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