Jesse Chadwycke Wetzel Application to Graduate Program in Master of Architecture
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE.........................3 RESUME...........................4 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MAPPING........................5
LIVING STAIR...................6 GATEWAY.....................10 VESSEL...........................14 NEXUS............................18
EXPLORATIONS.............22
PREFACE
This portfolio is an exercise in communication. My goal is to communicate who I am as a designer. This is not a complete picture of my design experience, instead it focuses on several projects that I feel best describe my design process and interests. I am not including projects from my professional experience because I want to highlight examples of my work that best represent my ideas and my design process. I strive for clarity when trying to convey my ideas. While writing, line drawings, and renderings are all important to communicating design, I have focused on using diagrams as a way to describe many of my ideas. I have also tried to highlight my design process and approach. The finished product is very important, but I think I can better explain who I am though the way I work and not simply what I produce. The following projects represent a variety of solutions that can be found when the same energy and enthusiasm are applied in an effort to solve different design challenges. The images and information for each project represent what I enjoy and focus on, not necessarily the complete documentation for describing each project. - Jesse Wetzel
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Jesse Wetzel, LEED AP 1929 Plymouth Road Apt 1008 Ann Arbor, MI 48105
tel: 540.539.7863 e-mail: wetzel.jc@gmail.com
Academic Experience Master of Architecture Candidate (2G), Taubman College-University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
2012
Bachelor of Science in Architecture with a Minor in Architecture History, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
2006
Work Experience YARD, Ann Arbor, MI Collaboration with Jason Young on the design and construction of two installations for a private residence in Ann Arbor.
summer 2011
Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects, Los Angeles, CA Design Intern. One week externship through The Taubman College spring break externship program. Responsible for the production of a schematic design to be proposed to client. Production of RFP response.
2/28-3/04/2011
Independent Contracting/Consulting Freelance Design Consultant. Various clients including individuals and design firms. Production of renderings, photography, drawings, feasibility studies and consultation on marketing images, design and photography.
2/2009-2/2010
Duda Paine Architects LLP, Durham, NC Design Intern. Extensive experience in all phases of a project up through CD. Production responsibilities including presentation graphics, physical models, and working drawings. Extensive experience coordinating consultant team on multiphase performing arts center in Orlando, FL.
6/2006-1/2009
Design Concepts, Winchester, VA Design Intern, undergraduate internship. Responsible for onsite survey for the production of drawings. Draftsperson.
s/w 2003
Teaching/Reasearch/Assistantships GSI for Design Fundamentals I (ARCH 316), Neal Robinson, TCAUP.
f 2011
Constructing Communication, Irene Hwang, Taubman College.
w 2011
MIDMOD, Harry Giles, Taubman College.
f 2010-s 2011
Teaching Assistant, Peter Waldman (ARCH 101), University of Virginia.
f 2005
Awards and Recognition Taubman College Merit Scholarship, $5,000.
2011
Viele Scholarship, Sigma Phi Society, $4,000 (awarded twice).
2011,2010
Dean’s List, University of Virginia.
2005
Archived Student Work, University of Virginia.
2003, 2005
Community Activity Graduate Mentor, Sigma Phi Society Michigan chapter
2010-present
Triangle Design Group [guerilla design service group]
spring 2010
Triangle Chapter Young Architect Forum [YAF] Member.
2009
Alumni VP and National Delegate - UNC Chapter of Sigma Phi Society.
2008-2009
Founding Member of the Alpha of North Carolina Sigma Phi Society chapter at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
2006-2008
live winchester, va charlottesville, va durham and chapel hill, nc
1983-2002 2002-2006 2006-pres.
work - studio charlottesville, va washington, dc new york, ny san francisco, ca
work - professional atlanta, ga san francisco, ca austin, tx san antonio, tx charlotte, nc oklahoma city, ok miami, fl chicago, il (personal competition) columbia, sc raleigh, nc orlando, fl newark, nj (personal competition) chapel hill, nc
play
I have a general love of experiencing new things. My wanderlust is an extension of this interest. I think travel is a great way to supplement a formal education in design. There is no substitute for being able to physically inhabit a building and appreciate it in its context. Most of my experience has been up and down the east coast of the US. At some point I would like to live and work in Japan and Scandinavia. I also want to travel to South America, Africa and Australia.
live. work. play.
all locations listed in chronological order
study abroad
In the summer of 2005, I had the opportunity to travel around Europe. The independent study was an intensive exercise that allowed me to experience many things with a consistent focus on how these insights could relate to design. zurich, ch ludiano, ch bellinzona, ch lake como, it vicenza, it toulon, fr marseilles, fr paris, fr
utrecht, nl amsterdam, nl duisburg, de hannover, de berlin, de franfurt, de stuttgart, de basel, ch lucerne, ch
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prefab 20*20 OPEN COMPETITION INTERIOR DEISGN SHOW WEST AUGUST 2009
SITE: Any urban setting in the world. Building is meant to be adaptable to various sites with sensitivity to existing infrastructure and environmental impact. PROGRAM: Free-standing, prefab dwelling unit with a footprint no more than 400sf in an urban setting anywhere in the world. Fit for two adults, its basic program shall include sleeping, bathing, cooking, living, working/studying, and storage areas.
horizontal modules
=
+ vertical circulation
FOCUS: To provide a space that can have a light impact on the site but still be spatially generous. Integration of program and vertical circulation became the driving force behind the design.
initial “sketch�
The living stair concept evolved as a way to efficiently integrate the vertical circulation and the horizontal modules. The stair provides a continuous volume of light and animates the house, where the landings become the rooms.
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push in
raise up
served
servant infill condition
The massing is offset to allow for light and vegetation at the ground level, even in an infill condition.
divide program
massing and site strategy
stair tower/atrium
escaping
creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts
sleeping
self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of/ by others
eating living
friendship, family, sexual intimacy security of body, of employment, of resources, of morality, of the family, of health, of property breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion
cleaning
roof garden
master bath
master bed
kitchen
dining
study/storage
living
laundry/ .5 bath
carport/entry
utility
entering
hierarchy
pv panels/rain harvest
servant
served
stair intervention
layout
programming strategy
module
product floor system
hybrid steel + SIP structure
corten screens
zinc panel
wood
subassemblies modulation strategy _7_
1 Rainwater Harvest
2
Living spaces 2 face south for daylighting
Operable Windows for cross-ventilation
3 Underfloor air
2 Ground Source Heat Pump
go with the flow
South facing roof with 1 photovoltaics that power site lighting
1 Green Roof to minimize heat gain
stay cool
3
Stairwell creates stack effect
lighten up sustainability diagrams
roof garden +42’-5”
bedroom
dining terrace
bathroom level 3 +31’-8”
kitchen
level 2 +22’-8”
study
level 1.5 +13’-8”
foyer
level 0.5 +4’-8”
living room +9’-0”
building section _8_
stair tower
4
living room
9
3
8 12
7
2
ground level
1
6
11
15
level 2
level 1
5 10
17 14
roof level
level 3
13
16
1-Carport 2-Entry/Foyer 3-Utility 4-1/2 Bath 5-Living Room 6-Hearth 7-Laudry 8-Study 9-Storage 10-Terrace 11-Dining Room 12-Kitchen 13-Master Bedroom 14-Master Bathroom 15-Closet 16-Roof Garden 17-Rain/Sun Harvest
evening street view
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walter pierce park gateway
adams morgan
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA ARCH 202 TIMOTHY STENSON SPRING 2004 REVISITED 2009 SITE: Adams Morgan, DC Diverse, Colorful, Rich, and ecclectic neighborhood northeast of the National Mall.
existing mural at the east edge of the site
national mall
PROGRAM: A building that can serve as a gateway to and a symbol of a community park.
adjacent row houses
washington, DC
colorful wall paintings and flags near site and around adams morgan FOCUS: This project was revisted to study several different scales and scopes. The final proposed design was a large bus stop that would be more appropriate in scale, less invasive on the site and allow for money to be reinvested in the park.
The building could also function as a flex space that could be rented out when the station is not in use and buses are not running through it. This could provide an extention of the night life along 18th St. as well as a way to generate funds for the upkeep of the park. The local group “Friends of WPP� could use the money to eventually fund improvements like artificial turf for the soccer field (currently a dust bowl after one year of overuse).
national zoo
walter pierce park
rock creek parkway
duke ellington bridge
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site
existing south elevation
building proposal
view of proposed building from SE
general massing
early design sketches
The building is a literal gateway. Pedestrians would pass through when entering the park and buses would pass through when using the existing bus turnaround. _11_
green metal panel
the window box frames a view of the existing mural
structural steel “i” beams
LOADING A G UNLOADING LO I WAITING T DRIVING V ENTERING TE G MEETING E G PASSING S THROUGH RO H TURNING RN G
the floor is raised so people can look at other people, not wheels
int/ext ceiling
columns
SERVIN NGTALKINGRELIEVINGORDER NGTALK NGTALKINGRELIEVIN N KINGRELIEVIN K NGORD N G D DEEERING R
STAN ANDING AN G TALKING KING QUEING Q UEING R READING ASKING EATTTING
RE ELAXING LOOKING LOOKING WAITING WATCHING G LISTENING G
ENTRYANDINF ENTRY ENTRYA E YA A NFORMATION NF F AT N program word plan
frosted glass “billboard”
roof louver interlayer
building component diagrams _12_
louver shadow study
view of entry
view from information desk The building is scaled so that is does not become an empty, underprogramed space. It is not a transit station, but it is an informational node where you can purchase metro tickets and get info for local events. You can also purchase food brought in from different local restaurants everyday. The building is also meant to be a symbol of arrival into Adams Morgan as you cross the Duke Ellington Bridge.
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post demo c.1965
at the edge of memory and amnesia UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA ARCH 401 CRAIG BARTON FALL 2005
vinegar hill c.2000
SITE: Charlottesville, VA Between the downtown pedestrian mall and university. Adjacent to the former site of the neighborhood of Vinegar Hill. PROGRAM: Revitalize an existing building and provide space for a new community center. Program to include an African American Heritage Museum as well as additional program that would create a critical mass for a community center.
Vinegar Hill was originally a very rich, diverse, and dense neighborhood...
...razed to the ground in a “violent urban act”...
current condition
“ultimate development”
“planning layout”
opportunity to work with a community as the client for a studio project. It was important to develop a planning strategy and a story that could relate back to the community. My building contribution was a community center that would include a library, public room, and other elements vital to create a critical mass on the site.
“demolition map”
FOCUS: This project was an
vinegar hill c.1950 downtown charlottesville Jefferson School Site
...for a 1960’s mega block that never got built...
...leaving the site a no-man’s land.
vinegar hill historical iterations
?
The Jefferson School was once an active participant in the community of Vinegar Hill. With the neighborhood being razed, the community had lost its home. The Jefferson School experienced the opposite process of losing its community but retaining its physical identity. I proposed that the Jefferson School become a new home for the stories and identity of the displaced community of Vinegar Hill. _14_
Building as a vessel for space, program, and memory.
general edge massing to create a courtyard
path of memory brown street extension creating entries into site and dividing program
vinegar hill african american heritage museum
carver recreation center
community garden
outdoor room
no
rth
community center (my building)
public plaza
aquatic/fitness center (teammate’s building)
The most important space is the one that is not built. The open courtyard can allow for a variety of activites for large groups or individuals.
site planning and reprogramming strategy _15_
The path of memory became a powerful way to connect to the history of the Vinegar Hill community. The people appreciated the path because it was a way to restore the spatial connection between the residential neighborhood and downtown. This is how Brown Street previously functioned and the design was meant to be respectful of the site’s past.
11
10
8
The design of the path proposed a lit walkway that would have a series of historical texts stamped into the path. At night the path would illuminate the stories of Vinegar Hill and tell the stories of the people who lived there. There is also a reflecting pond that one would cross going east and west through the site that is meant to commemorate and celebrate the community that lives today.
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7
5
9
5
3
4
6 2
4
1 3
1234567891011-
children’s library/day care cafe restaurant terrace atrium/lobby auditorium reading lounge/great room library stacks and circulation media lab archives garage
community center-ground level key
3 4
1
7
2 1234567-
Jefferson School swimming and fitness center path of memory reflecting pool outdoor ‘living room’ public garden plaza site plan key
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design and concept sketches To create spaces that would blur the line between inside and out. Many of the spaces become interstitial moments within the skin or under cover of the building, but in an exterior space. These spaces were a call back to the porches of Vinegar Hill homes that brought people together.
loggia along eastern edge
northeast view of community center
covered public terrace
view of eastern loggia and screens
southeast view of community center
spatial vignettes
basswood model photos _17_
machine in the garden NEWARK VISITOR’S CENTER OPEN COMPETITION AIA NEWARK SEPT-OCT 2009
site juxtaposition
nyc
newark
lift groundplane new york bay
SITE: Newark, NJ At the edge of the Passaic River in the Ironbound district. East of Penn Station in Downtown Newark.
park above|urban below
area map
PROGRAM: A visitor center
for the city of Newark. The building program is mostly exhibition space showcasing the city. There was also a strong urban and landscape programming element that involved the adjacent underutilized space.
curl up|down
nj penn station passaic river site
FOCUS: This competition
became a challenge of finding a way to mitigate between an urban condition and a proposed park. The strategy was to lift the green landscape up and slide the urban condition below. The building becomes a machine that connects these two conditions.
observation deck
ironbound district site aerial
tectonic diagrams
VOID COMMUNITY FUTURE
OPEN LA GROWTH N E W A R K V I S I T O NDSC A CHANGEPARK RS C DECAY STATUS QUO CITY E N T E PEPROVIDE PAST URBAN MASS CONSUME VISITORS R concept section
stack
engage
permeate
overlap landscape + building integration studies
precedent images
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early design sketches
In addition to being a visitor’s center, this building evolved into a metaphor for Newark, a nod to what it has been and an optimistic vision of where it may go in the future. Newark was a very prominent shipping city during the industrial revolution and the development of the city along the Passaic River was a reflection of that time. Today, much of the same infrastructure and relics of the city’s industrial past still exist. The area along the Passaic River, particularly the ‘Ironbound’ district, has become polluted and vacant space occupied by fields of shipping containers. In a effort to return to a healthy relationship with the river, Newark has begun the process of cleaning and restoring its riverfront. The site and visitor center will extend a small greenway park along the river, west, toward downtown Newark, as part of this effort. The building is meant to be a gesture of healthy growth that can, in turn, inspire more new growth and eventually help rebuild the identity of the site and city. This area of Newark is currently known as dangerous and polluted, but with careful nurturing of the land adjacent to the Passaic River, that stigma can be changed. A visitor center that shows Newark in a positive light and a safe new river walk area could act as generators for more positive growth in the future. The building will also reconnect with its local community as well as welcoming visitors. The expressed structure and industrial finishes are references to the local culture and bridges adjacent to the site. Visitors can interact with the rich culture of Ironbound and the history of the metal working in the large workshop exhibition area. The large atrium space on the ground level is meant to be a catalyst for activity and interest both inside and outside the building. Locals and visitors can observe local urban artists working and engage with installations produced by the community’s craftsman. The park and the building become one in an act of synthesis with the park ramping up into the building and cradling the observation deck. This nexus is meant to symbolize how two different environments can come together to offer a better vision of the future. project description
building iterations
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jogging trail
floating performance venue roof terrace ampitheater urban plaza + drop-off
auditorium office support program work/breakroom restrooms security/police lobby entry open gallery cafe exhibition observation deck mechanical restaurant recycling conf./meeting workshop atrium green roof/terrace
-1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8 -9 -10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17
key
situation plan
13 10 16
0
32
cross section
northwest perspective _20_
0
12
7
32’
96’
5 16 6 4
3
2
1
ground level plan
15
10
northwest site aerial
16 10
second level plan
11 9 14 10
13
17 16 10
third level plan
observation deck view
atrium view overlooking the workshop/exhibition area _21_
explorations green commercial campus
“genius loci”
union station 2020
abstract form|shadow study
“metamorphosis jr“
williams studio 2006
williams studio 2006
williams studio 2006
gattegno studio 2005
williams studio 2006
nc aia 2008
tower study
walkway shadow study
terminus 200 family photo
building matters 2005 va tech performing arts comp
usf comp
williams studio 2006
thanks to: Edwin Harris (Newark Competition) Leroy Ali-Osman (Newark Competition) Jorge Abad (IDS West Competition) Mikhail Kim John Reese Dayna Koeninger
wetzel_works 2004-2009