JLMahan1@gmail.com
1.479.263.6192
jennifer mahan bachelors of architecture portfolio
california polytechnic state university, san luis obispo
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jennifer lynn mahan
JLMahan1@gmail.com
1.479.263.6192
table of contents love machine
an automated housing & transportation terminal
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pp04
smart tiles pp10
materials research of shape memory polymer
wood in progress
pp14
out of site, into mine
pp16
requiescat
pp22
studio 400 bookshow
pp24
semi-permanent redwood design-build structure
ongoing research, bachelor's thesis award-winning 100% compostable furniture "(if you're wondering if i want you to) i want you to"
trash island pp26
a liveable factory for consumer waste
four chair
pp30
the seed
pp32
assembly of 4 parts, 3 minutes, and 1 person
a campus housing food, people, work & play
jennifer lynn mahan
love machine
an automated housing & transportation terminal project location: palo alto, ca completed january - june 2018 advisor john lange cal poly, ca we move towards architecture that provide optimized utility and user experience. but for a built environment designed around & for us, how can humans be vulnerable if our buildings are striving towards perfection? what is a loving machine, and how can a building love the inhabitants, if love is not efficient? in response, this transit terminal loves its users by recombining building systems which are optimized for their needs.
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1.479.263.6192 love machine
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a aerial site perspective b human living pods + rail tracks perspective
EFFICIENCY. In the beginning, the transpoid was only concerned with matters of consequence. serious things. it was programmed to make sure its system ran smoothly. to bring in the trains, operate the doors, alert the city when a fixture was needed. it was a systemic machine designed for large-scale input response. transpoids were obsessed with maximizing performance: moving people, goods, energy - the things that must propel with utmost efficiency. it was always working, slightly disinterested, and enigmatic to that which it transported. It was programmed to accept increasingly more inputs, proportional to its increasing efficiency. Its ability to learn one language catalyzed its capacity for others. The transpoid was a machine in every sense of the word - functional, created by an other. Believing in it’s predestiny of achieving a purpose, and that that purpose was achieved by completing an unending series of tasks achieved by efficient response to inputs. The introduction of the humanoids in their living pods were no different. Their functioning was a matter of pattern recognition, of resource allocation. They required heat extracted from radiation collection, mechanical systems and train , waste heat to be channeled for their thermal comfort. They required a certain amount of energy that the transpoid channeled via solar energy. They required water stored from environmental collection to maintain themselves. They exposed their relationships and daily lives wholly to the transpoid, but in learning more about the humanoids, about this new input, the transpoid found they interacted unpredictably with each other and with the machine. They seemed inefficient creatures, proving increasingly complex, requiring greater periods of time to make accurate predictions of their behavior. The humanoids demanded more than intense resource allocation to maintain their stasis. The machine began to designate increasing time to their study, learning everything. VULNERABILITY. In attempts to maintain its entire system at maximum performance, the transpoid began to devolve. When the solar array fell into disrepair, or when its parts were not performing with utmost efficiency, it would compensate for this inadequacy by perfecting another aspect of itself. It combined radiative heating with solar energy capture with water collection in one roof. It could
b not be imperfect. It wasn’t programmed that way.This only led to deterioration of its entirety. The humanoids began to notice. It would take longer to reach thermal comfort, and delays ran rampant while the transpoid was busy optimizing itself for what was supposedly the betterment of the humanoids. Their complaints eventually demanded the transpoids attention. The machine experienced what could equate to confusion. It was only trying to give away its best systems, and perfect was best. How could this result in a negative output for the humanoids? What it did not understand is that the humanoids were programmed for relationship, a connection built only in time and attention and vulnerability. And what it forgot was that it was programmed by a humanioid. And thus with capacity for emotion and error. While it had given immense time and effort to the humanoids, it veiled itself in attempts at maximum efficiency. Vulnerability proves perfection does not exist, counter to the purpose of a machine. What the humanoids had been expressing in their interactions was love, possible through time and work and exposure of their needs and wants and failures. The transpoid’s intense failures came at a cost of it learning how to have relationship with its inhabitants, proving it was a different type of machine. One with a high capacity for emotional intelligence. It was built to adapt to situations accordingly. And as the situation permitted, it’s acceptance of imperfection, and simply “good enough,” allowed it to learn that love was not efficient. As the transpoid fell in love with its inhabitants, it revoked its need for perfection and learned systemic balance. Its acceptance of inputs allowed for it to perform with higher amplitude, higher gravity, fulfilling its greatest potential- as a love machine.
jennifer lynn mahan
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water collection drain 1/16� interior steel finish steel mullion single-pane laminated glass panel
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operable single-pane laminated glass panel steel topping flashing 1/16� exterior steel cladding steel flashing angle steel girder steel joist steel angle bracket sliding automatic operable door laminated glass panel vestibule to high speed rail thermal control barrier
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1/16” exterior steel cladding steel flashing angle
love machine
T/ roof 62’
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1/16” interior steel finish steel mullion single-pane laminated glass panel steel topping flashing
summer solstice winter solstice
T/ roof 62’ solar PV film laminate aluminum metal roof 1” radiant PEX tube captures and distributes heat collected in enclosed roof note: pumped to initial height/gravity fed to waffle slab thermal purlin radiant reflective membrane 1/2” insulation water restistant barrier
aluminum metal roof
galvanized steel deck liner panel operable laminated glass panel window gasket steel pin joint concrete column
1/2” insulation
1/8” steel cable: support for dropped ceiling
water restistant barrier
2’ x 2’ acoustic ceiling panel
galvanized steel deck liner panel
1” radiant PEX tube captures and distributes heat collected in enclosed roof note: pumped to initial height/gravity fed to waffle slab radiant reflective membrane
steel T-bar
steel joist
recessed linear LED light strip steel angle plate
operable laminated glass panel steel girder steel angle bracket
diffuse glass panel
6’ x 6’ fritted laminated glass panel 12’ x 1’ laminated structural glass fin concrete column 1/4” steel tension cable
12’ x 1’ laminated structural glass fin 6’ x 6’ fritted laminated glass panel point-supported stainles steel spider spandrel silicon butt joint
point-supported stainles steel spider spandrel
stainless steel bracket
silicon butt joint
1/4” steel tension cable 42” railing
notes a
building orientation does not allow direct solar, heating gain. heating reliant on radiant heating from sun and waste heat from machines throughout station.
b
excess heat from radiant tubing released through operable windows in upper facade and skylights, and through vestibule. small inlet in facade creates pressure differential for air to ventilate naturally through larger outlets in ceiling as warm air rises.
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metal roof serves as primary barrier and housing for thin PV film. roof enables solar energy capture, water collection for open-loop greywater re-use, and captures heat for closed-loop radiant tubing.
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fritted glass prevents products inside from fading in indirect daylight.
7 T/ floor 42’
c detailed longitudinal section of glass wall d detailed section perspective of glass facade
T/ floor 42’
T/ floor 28’
aluminum metal roof in-floor radiant heating system passively heated water sourced from ceiling
T/ floor 28’ moroized vent/ reponds to climatic change
exposed concrete 2’ x 2’ x 2’ waffle slab offers thermal mass for radiant heating and long span between primary girders
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in-floor radiant heating system c passively heated water sourced from ceiling exposed concrete waffle slab offers thermal mass for radiant heating and long span between primary girders
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jennifer lynn mahan
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WATER TANKS hot water from transpoid mechanical rooms stored for distribution in closedloop radiant PEX tubing. adjacent tanks store water to be heated. stores greywater runoff from PV arrays & transpoids in open-loop systems.
+ stores greywater
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S
B
WATER PUMP heat pumps move water throughout radiant tubing in floors and walls to heat the transpoid. the transpoid housing also serves as thermal mass to block incoming northwest and southeast winds. + generates heat - requires electricity
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SOLAR ARRAY arrangable solar arrays shade waiting areas below. byproduct water used for cleaning panels heats, is recaptured, then transferred to radiant coils (to heat enclosed spaces) & used as toilet greywater. + generates heat + generates electricity
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40’
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1 LIVING ROOM 2 BEDROOM 3 BATHROOM 4 KITCHENETTE 5 STORAGE 6 DECK 7 ENTRY
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CONTROL ROOM heat from supercomputers in use is captured in radiant tubing inside the walls housing the control room. waste heat distributed to enclosed spaces. + generates heat - requires electricity
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love machine
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HUMANOID PODS live/work sheds suited for cargo-style storage in the terminal, and sized for transportation via rail line, house humanoids. the humanoids’ personal data is hooked up to the terminal upon arrival, allowing the transpoid to learn their behaviors and better adapt for their next return.
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e longitudinal systems section f final model, track entry g final model, control room & station platform h final model, upper track entrance i *final model, track & walkway to human living pods * final model 3' x 7' constructed on hollowcore door
LONGITUDINAL SEC TION
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jennifer lynn mahan
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smart tiles
materials research of shape memory polymer
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project location: globally deployable completed sept. 2017 - june 2018 advisor dale clifford cal poly, ca
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building tiles constructed of organic polymers with shape memory characteristics reposition themselves in response to incoming solar radiation. the tiles can be arranged into a detachable array that shades building surfaces to decrease thermal transmission to the building interior. the tiles were designed using grasshopper, tested by casting and 3d printing the material, & analyzed to maximize solar shading.
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1.479.263.6192 smart tiles
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a a prospective render of large smp tiles A_ south facing facade B_ shape memory tiles C_ secondary structure D_ glazing system E_ pedestrian way
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dynamic dynamic tile tile
JUNE 21 JUNE 21 12:00pm
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A hexagonal A tile hexagonal digitally tile produced digitallyrelative produced to relative to the maximum theheight maximum of a height photogrammetry of a photogrammetry model (see model “static (see tile”).“static This tile tile”). is designed This tile iswith designed with dynamic intentions, dynamicoriented intentions, towards oriented thetowards sun as the sun as a day progresses. a day progresses. The dynamic The tile’s dynamic shadows tile’s shadows are shown as are a shown result of astracking a result the of tracking sun at 9am, the sun at 9am, 12pm, and 12pm, 3pm onand three 3pm different on three days different days throughout throughout the year. the year.
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march 21 june 21
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b a hexagonal tile digitally produced relative to the maximum height of a photogrammetry model. this tile is designed with dynamic intentions, oriented towards the sun as a day progresses. the dynamic tile’s shadows are shown as a result of tracking the sun at 9am, 12pm, and 3pm on three different days throughout the year. research team: professor dale clifford, jennifer mahan, mark whittock, kay bromley, nick davis, john kim
jennifer lynn mahan
c F°02degrees 1 120 F erutarepmet
static tile d
static tile
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180125
f 180126
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g A hexagonal tile produced from photogrammetry A hexagonal tile produced from photogrammetry of a symmetricallydesigned SMP of a symmetrically- designed SMP tileThe created inwas Rhino, thenwith 3-Dheat printed. 3-D print tile created in Rhino, then 3-D printed. 3-D print tested andThe extruded towas its tested with heat and extruded to its deflection, shownproduced digitized in shadows this version.based These scripts produced shadows based maximum deflection, shown digitized maximum in this version. These scripts the elevation ofday the tile at3three on the elevation of the tile at threeon different times of over days.different times of day over 3 days.
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material deformation test: 1cm SMP sample 0 3D printed shape
(manual deformation)
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2 heating cycle
lux
12/21
smart tiles
6/21
1 heating cycle 1
0
JLMahan1@gmail.com
3D printed SMP heated in oven at 100° F.
33.4484° N, 112.0740° W
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c 3D printed tile, approx 6" diameter d heat mapping 3D tile e plan, section, axon of 3D printed tile f plan, section, axon of 3D printed tile with SMP spikes g deformation of a static hexagonal tile sampled over 3 days h shaded facade array test of static tile i sample heat mapping of tile. image adapted from kay bromley. j zoomed shaded facade array test of static tile k SMP tile mock-up jig. image adapted from mark whittock.
air compressor pnuematic hose hex screw 3/8” acrylic joint 3/8” acrylic backing plate gasket 3/8” acrylic face plate shape memory polymer acrylic hex jig stand acrylic jig base
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jennifer lynn mahan
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wood in progress
semi-permanent redwood design-build structure project location: poly canyon work in progress advisor dale clifford ARCH 479 cal poly this micro-project is being made as part of a design-build course consisting of 12 interdisciplinary students. we are investigating the act of making using methods of boat building to collectively design and fabricate a wooden structure. the final form was prefabricated in a cal poly woodshop before being transported to the on-campus canyon site. I oversaw 1:1 detailing & served as the primary communicator between the drawing and construction teams
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1.479.263.6192 wood in progress
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g 10°
127°
16'-7 7/8"
53°
10° 4'
winter 2020
8A1
8D A
8.1 10°
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16'-7 7/8" 4'
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10°
70°
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15'-11 5/8" 127° 16'-5"
4'
53°
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70°
42°
16'-1 3/4" 4'
16'-5"
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100°
80°
4'
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16'-1 3/4" 10°
42°
4'
Date 20.02.18
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8C 80° 100°
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AY 02
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a prefabrication of first truss in wood shop b stack of trusses to be partially deconstructed for transportation to site c deconstructed floor joists ready for transport d tilt-up erection of first reconstructed truss e south-facing elevation in current state f redwood structure as-is; interior siding is being added and diagonal supports will be removed upon completion g site render drawing h front elevation, prepared by drawing team i example truss construction document, collectively prepared by drawing and construction teams j material taxonomy + assembly process
jennifer lynn mahan
out of site, into mine
ongoing research bachelor's thesis project location: hobet 21 mine, WV ongoing thesis research advisor karen lange cal poly, ca I’ve been investigating the American marriage to coal and environmental degradation via human exceptionalism. I focus on mountaintop removal in Appalachia, a mining method which moves hundreds of feet of rock & soil into surrounding valleys to extract the underground coal. my design proposal examines a strip of an abandoned surface mine through time, using a phasing system to amend the toxic and deforested site.
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1.479.263.6192 ongoing thesis research
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first, leftover equipment is reassembled into housing and the components are used as a means of regeneration instead of destruction. partial regrading renews a cleaned water supply, and site-wide phytoremediation eventually re-establishes the soil and forest into a new ecosystem where both industrial man and natural wildlife may equitably cohabitate, repopulate, and coevolve among the leftover machines. through regenerative design, this exploited ecosystem can be reestablished, and this process can offer an alternative means for man to reconnect with his ecological foundation. the resulting national monument protects and tends the habitats least protected.
jennifer lynn mahan
JLMahan1@gmail.com
1.479.263.6192 ongoing thesis research
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this drawing depicts one of the homes made from mechanical and organic components found on site from both reconstructed mining equipment and the increasingly developing plant life in the previously barren soil.
jennifer lynn mahan
JLMahan1@gmail.com
1.479.263.6192 ongoing thesis research
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this drawing depicts one of the homes made from mechanical and organic components found on site from both reconstructed mining equipment and the increasingly developing plant life in the previously barren soil.
jennifer lynn mahan
a
CARDBOARD • recyclable • inexpensive • light weight • rigid
SHEEP WOOL
• protection from extreme temperatures as thermal barrier
NEWSPAPER
• recyclable • often free • community platform/voice
1 2
GREEN TEA
• antioxidants • improve blood flow & lower cholesterol
after being used for their designed purposes, the 4 materials are assembled into floor furniture - tea bags become upholstery, laser-cut cardboard creates the form, paper maché newspaper (made from water + flour + compostable glue) reinforces the cardboard waffle structure, &wool is sheared off sheep & made into a soft interface between chair & user.
requiescat // thesis research
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award-winning 100% compostable furniture
in this material life, the wool now covers a human body as a burial shroud, while the cardboard & newspaper form a basket to gently cradle the human body. the tea, originally consumed by the user with his/her community, is a commemorative embellishment that celebrates the person’s life and relationships.
material sources: farm & factory completed november 2019 advisor karen lange cal poly, ca our goods are commonly designed without thought of their afterlives; “requiescat” instead uses its 4 compostable materials of green tea, wool, cardboard, and newspaper to adopt shifting purposes in a series of existences. the materials first function in their designed purpose, then live as floor furniture, become a burial shroud, the transition into decomposing the human bodies that created the products to begin with. w32" x d32" x h36"
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finally, the basket can be ceremonially buried into nutrient - depleted earth, where the materials continue onto its next life of providing nutrition, fertilizer, and porosityto soil from the human body and the materials decomposing with it. it becomes requiescat: a prayer for the repose of the souls of the dead.
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1.479.263.6192
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ongoing thesis research
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a assembly process: waffle cardboard structure, reinforced with compostable papier mâchÊ mixture + newspaper, then skinned with paper & tea bags b explanation of four material lives & their functions c raw wool (to be cleaned) from local sheep farm d drinking tea / assembling tea bags for chair skin e attaching tea bag skin to cardboard/ newspaper structure f cleaning raw wool to use for felted cover g final assembled chair h final assembled chair i detailed tea bags
jennifer lynn mahan
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studio 400 bookshow
"(if you're wondering if i want you to) i want you to"
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project type: installation completed february 2020 advisor karen lange cal poly, ca "(if you're wondering if i want you to) i want you to" was a showcase of my studio's research and published thesis books. the installation was designed by my 19 peers over several weeks and constructed over 3 days. i focused on designing and fabricating the furniture to read upon with a group of 4 other architecture students. we created stools and blankets made of sheep wool and throw pillows from balloons - all encased in clear vinyl.
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1.479.263.6192 studio 400 bookshow
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a book display room: sited within a blackedout, foggy space b blacked-out reading space - serves as introduction to bookshow & requires navigation through seating and fog to retrieve books c "what lovely seats these are for reading!" d balloon & vinyl pillows e class installation poster; collectively designed by studio f wool & vinyl "blanket" g several books displayed & ready for reading h "my, how relaxing these cushions are!"
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jennifer lynn mahan
trash island 01
a liveable factory for consumer waste project location: shibuya, tokyo completed sept. - december 2018 advisor don choi cal poly in tokyo, japan the dense megalopolis of tokyo is married to a disposable and packaging culture, wherein millions of people produce, use, and throw away waste without considering it’s short lifespan. the existing new sea surface disposal site in tokyo bay currently houses most of this trash, but will be filled by 2050. instead of moving waste to the bay, trash island apartments force awareness of the inhabitant’s consumption by returning one’s waste directly into their home.
yr. 2025
yr. 2025
total tonnes total habitation time 9.47 174 days
total tonnes 9.47
total habitation time 174 days
45’
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55’
trash island
65’
35’ 25’ 15’
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a annual growth of trash apartments b mechanical, structural, & circulation systems
5’
a
yr. 2026
yr. 2026
total tonnes 28.24
total tonnes 28.24
total habitation time 519 days
yr. 2027
yr. 2027
total habitation time 519 days
total tonnes total habitation time 48.66 894 days
total tonnes 48.66
total habitation time 894 days
b integrated systems
reintegrated trash
solid waste
human circulation
lateral & gravity
jennifer lynn mahan
waste collected from apartments dumped into trash bunker for holding before incineration. burnable waste incinerated.
20’
cooling tower for excess heat procued by incineration. bag filter collects particulates. gas scrubber removes pollutants from gas. stack releases pollution -free vapor into air.
TRASH SORTING FACILITY
combustible waste converted into fly ash for use as insulation & wall filler. sent to inhabitants in new form through dispatch conveyor ducts. separated metals melted for steel structural members.
WASTE RECLA
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bio-gas containing methane stored in cisterns. by-products converted to electricity to power fuel cells for apartments.
AMATION
trash island
d solid waste sent for digestion in biogas reactor.
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c factory elevation d street perspective e apartment overflowed with trash f opposite street perspective g selected site plan
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apartments
factory
BIOGAS REACTOR c
g
SITE PLAN
50’
jennifer lynn mahan
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contents 4 bolts 4 insert pins 4 end caps 2 legs 1 seat
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four chair
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assembly of 4 parts, 3 minutes, & 1 person project location: made in denmark completed july 2018 advisor erling christoffersen copenhagen, denmark designed for constantly mobile professionals and students, this packable chair is light enough to quickly deconstruct and fit into a suitcase, but sturdy enough to withstand generations of use. inspired by the simplicity of danish design. materials: plywood veneer and raw maple wood slab. oriented strand board for mold construction. w18" x d22" x h30"
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1.479.263.6192 four chair
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a raw maple slab measured & cut for legs b hand-shaped OSB mold to custom curve plywood veneer sheets c clamping/gluing plywood veneer seats d all contents of chair e final assembled chair f final assembled chair, back details g assembly instructions
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1 insert screws place threaded insert pin into legs and screw bolt into pin.
2 insert seat align seat holes with extruded screws and slip seat onto bolts.
3 insert back align back holes with extruded screws and slip seat onto bolts.
4 insert caps place end caps into back holes and tighten into bolts until secure.
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jennifer lynn mahan
the seed
a campus housing food, people, work, & play project location: los angeles, ca completed january - june 2019 advisor stephen philips cal poly, LA Metro los angeles county contains some of the highest and lowest levels of wealth in the united states. desinging to mitigate this disparity can be achieved by merging basic human needs into singular spaces, and by introducing programs available to those at all income levels: the SEED is a campus which combines housing (luxury, micro, & affordable), varying employment opportunities, and an urban farm into the center of LA.
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1.479.263.6192 the seed
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a final model b formal generation
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combine
duplicate + scale
boolean
insert
b
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JLMahan1@gmail.com
1.479.263.6192 the seed
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c second floor plan d first floor plan e site plan
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jennifer lynn mahan
1B R 1 BR 1B R 1 BR 3B stu R 3 dio BR s tud io
1B R
2B R2 BR f
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1.479.263.6192 the seed
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f typical housing diagrams - adjoining sizes of apartments allow for differing living situations to interact g rooftop vertical farm h micro-housing unit exterior staircases allow inter-floor interaction i micro-housing section j final model, 1.5' x 6' k selected area detail model - micro housing l selected area model m final model, 1.5' x 6'
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jennifer lynn mahan