Jonathan Hiser Undergraduate Portfolio B. Arch 2013 [2008 - 2013]
Jonathan Hiser
Other Work
Competition Entries
Studio Projects
Undergraduate Portfolio B. Arch 2013
A Study of Interaction
City Movement
Undergraduate Thesis [2012 - 2013]
Urban Lab Observatory [2011]
Scales of Living
Watershed Observatory
The Hearthstone
Avenue of the Arts Gateway
Retirement Housing [2012]
VSAIA Competition [2013]
Beacon Emergency Housing
Research and Recreation [2010]
BLT Architects Student Comp. [2012]
Smoke Signal Tower
VSAIA Competition [2012]
Third Year Competition [2010]
Europe Study Abroad
Jewish Community Center
Seventy-Two Days of Travel [2012 - 2013]
Geometries In Construction Independent Study Paper [2012]
Louis Kahn Case Study [2011]
Additional Work
Models, Drawings, Graphics [2008 - 2013]
City Movement
Undergraduate Thesis [2012 - 2013]
Urban Lab Observatory [2011]
Scales of Living
Watershed Observatory Research and Recreation [2010]
Competition Entries
Retirement Housing [2012]
Other Work
Studio Projects
A Study of Interaction
A Study of Interaction Undergraduate Thesis Project Philadelphia, PA Fall 2012 - Spring 2013
Cultivating A Thesis This year long endeavor rooted itself in a desire to study people interacting in an urban environment. Initial readings focused on the nuances of people, strangers, as they went about their daily lives. Social interaction occurs in the public realm. This includes plaza spaces, rail cars, buses, sidewalks, or anywhere people move or congregate. However, these thoughts on social interaction do not necessarily materialize into architecture. The focus shifts to studying public plazas. What makes a plaza enjoyable and a place for congregation? The cultivation of a thesis begins to bring in information from various sources in order to seed a thesis project.
Developing Site and Program Development of the program and site selection centered on encouraging social interaction. Specifically, decisions were made based on maximizing this interaction. This means finding a site, that by nature, will bring people together, and developing a program with a variety of activities to attract people.
Generating Interaction With conceptual thoughts, a site, and a foundation for program established, the Thesis project becomes a built environment to test these thoughts, and to look at interaction in new ways. The main focus remains in the social, spatial, and programmatic realms, but wants to look at how interaction can filter into all project decisions. This is done through generating a built environment for interaction.
Building Massing on site
A Study of Interaction Cultivating a Thesis
Background: Strangers and the City
The exploration of strangers in the city launched with readings from Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, and Follow Me Down by Kio Stark, as well as a study by William H. Whyte, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. From Invisible Cities, a passage about the fictional city of Chloe, the city of strangers, became an entry point into conceptual thinking on social interaction.
“In Chloe, a great city, the people who
move through the streets are all strangers. At each encounter, they imagine a thousand things about one another; meetings which could take place between them, conversations, surprises, caresses, bites. But no one greets anyone; eyes lock for a second, then dart away, seeking other eyes, never stopping.” “...when some people happen to find themselves together, taking shelter from the rain under an arcade, or crowding beneath an awning of the bazaar, or stopping to listen to the band in the square, meetings...are consummated among them without a word exchanged, without a finger touching anything, almost without an eye raised.”
The interest in social interaction here lies in the daily routines that bring people together, as they wait on a bus, or ride a subway, or take their lunch breaks. These routines are hinted at in studies and a book by Kio Stark, where she mentions that, “when we talk to strangers, we’re interrupting the expected narratives of daily life, shifting perspectives, forming unexpected connections.” She further describes “people as units of measure. The clock of the world” meaning that as we all fall into our daily routines, we can sometimes tell if we are earlier or later than normal based on whether or not we see the same people during our daily commute.
Chloe - City of Strangers “The people who move through the streets are all strangers. At each encounter, they imagine a thousand things about one another; meetings which could take place between them, conversations, surprises, caresses. But no one greets anyone; eyes lock for a second, then dart away, seeking other eyes, never stopping.”
...when some people happen to find themselves together, taking shelter from the rain under an arcade, or crowding beneath an awning of the bazaar, or stopping to listen to the band in the square, meetings... are consummated among them without a word exchanged, without a finger touching anything, almost without an eye raised.
“Premise is that strangers and cities are inherently intertwined.” -Kio Stark, Stranger Studies 101
A Study of Interaction Developing Site and Program
Site: Avenue of the Arts, Northern Terminus
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Conditionally, the site offers opportunity for studying social, spatial, and programmatic interaction. The combination of a transit hub and arts district provides programmatic variety. In turn, the variety of transit options, the nature of Broad street being a primary route into center city, and openness of the site provides opportunity for social interaction development. Spatially, the site has a rail line that cuts diagonally across the rectilinear city grid. The cut is powerful enough that it starts to shape the buildings directly around it.
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View up the rail line at an existing Regional Rail Station. This cut is what runs under the site. A
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Site model photograph of the same view, the top plate becomes a plane sitting over this rail cut through the city, powerful enough to affect buildings like the Botany 500 Building. B
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A Study of Interaction Developing Site and Program
Program: Cast of Characters, arts and transit
Through all of the research into site and program, a few key characters start to emerge. These quick models highlight some of those characters as they relate to certain programmatic elements for the thesis.
Outdoor Musician and Audience Depicted: Solo musician and audience Represents: need for outdoor performance space Example: Formal stage, amphitheater, space for impromptu performances
Indoor Musicians and Audience Depicted: Jazz band on stage Represents: formal indoor performance space Examples: Auditorium, theatre, jazz club, bar
Artist in Studio Depicted: Painter working Represents: space to practice the arts Examples: Studio space for visual arts, rehearsal space for music, theatre, and dance.
Visitors Viewing Art Depicted: patrons of an art gallery Represents: space for cultural consumption Examples: gallery space, audience seating
Transit Riders Depicted: waiting on a bus Represents: spaces for transport interchange Example: lobbies, bus stops, train platforms
Public Space Users Depicted: Booths in a restaurant Represents: The general public using the building Example: Restaurants, cafes,
A Study of Interaction Generating Interaction Building Overview: Plans
In this scheme, the buildings contain a mixture of programs to encourage use on a daily basis. The buildings frame public plaza spaces connected through a wide pedestrian path. Beyond the list of spaces here, the plazas provide informal performance spaces in the Northeast Plaza, and a more formal outdoor stage in the Southwest Plaza. In addition, this scheme introduces mass transit options through several “Park and Ride� commuter spaces, while connecting to a regional rail line.
1. Entry and Atrium 2. Office 3. Theatre 4. Stage 5. Stage Shop and Storage 6. Dressing/Prep Room 7. Retail/Commercial 8. Professional Studio Gallery 9. Cafe 10. Mechanical 11. Event/Exhibition Space 12. Catering/Exhibition Support 13. Rehearsal/Studio Space 14. Retail/Commercial 15. Outdoor Stage
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A Study of Interaction Generating Interaction
Building Overview: Section
In order to showcase some of the spaces within the building, a large section through the building was drawn. The drawing reveals various characters in their respective places and the relationship of these spaces to each other. These areas include a loading dock and support space for the theatre space, a main (triple height) atrium space, informal outdoor performance space, and a mass transit focal area. By placing the characters in their environments, it creates a dialogue with how the spaces will actually be used and makes it easier to see the relation between the spaces.
Atrium
Loading Dock
Theatre
Informal Performance Space
Mass Transit
A Study of Interaction Generating Interaction
Model Photographs: Plaza, Theatre, Atrium 1
This page is a sampling of the spaces developed for the thesis project. (1) Theatre - Formal performance space (2) Plaza - Informal performance space (3) Atrium - Fusion of transit and arts patrons (4) NE Plaza - Public space, main entrance (5) Philly Skyline - Connection to city (6) Rail Platform - Transit Riders
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Scales of Living Friendship Retirement Community Roanoke, VA Spring 2012 In cooperation with Friendship Retirement Community in Roanoke, VA, this project aims to design for a growing retiring population. The focus studio met with existing residents, talked with current management, and visited the site in order to grasp a better understanding of the project. Friendship asked us to develop 15-20 Independent Living Cottages, smalls houses for a still active and mobile retirement population. This launched into an exploration of social interaction.
Scales of Living Cottage - Cluster - Commune Concept and Site
Spatial Interaction Studying spatial interactions starts with finding different conditions: nested, connected, adjacent, interlocked, and overlapped. These conditions are ranked from most interactive to least starting with nested. In a nested condition, spaces are placed within spaces. An interlocked condition is the next step in the progression. This involves shared common space, but also gives each space its own territory. The remaining three conditions are separated by the distance between the spatial boundaries; Overlapped is touching, adjacent has a small separation, and connected has the largest separation.
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Social Interaction Much like a college culture, being in a retirement community gives people an opportunity to live in an area with people at a similar stage of life. This community should foster multiple scales of interaction ranging from the larger community to the smaller units.
COTTAGE: a small simple house Focuses on interaction: between residents within the unit between units residents and visitors. between the resident and himself.
CLUSTER: COMMUNE: a group of similar elements gathered a small group living in a close knit closely together community sharing common interests Focuses on interaction: between units within the cluster between residents and visitors
Focuses on interaction: between commune and campus between the cluster and cluster
The site Friendship set aside for this project is on the backside of their property. It features a large flat area, that drops off into a steep forested area sloping down to a river. Some other features on site are an oak tree (below left), and a detention pond down the slope.
Scales of Living Cottage - Cluster - Commune Commune and Cluster Overview
The Commune is the site’s largest scale of interaction. It features a community center nested within the three distinct clusters. This space includes open fields for lawn games, picnics or lounging in the sun. The entire community, including the existing picnic pavilion, is connected through walking paths with a focus around both the oak tree and the pond. Small study volumes looked at interactions between the units as a whole. They allowed for quick iterations on the site with the intention of finding a comfortable arrangement keeping with the interaction of the community with a “nested” community center
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The Clusters are intended to have an internal focus as a response to resident’s request for gardening and social spaces. This space becomes the archetypal front yard, allowing residents to sit outside on nice days and wave at other residents walking the paths.
Scales of Living Cottage - Cluster - Commune
Divisions and Concept of Openness
The individual cottages focus on making a good space through openness and enhancing the relationship between two connected units. Each pair of units features a shared carport and shared patio space, giving the residents a connection to their neighbors. The cottages divide into social “spaces.” The most private spaces are the bedrooms and bathrooms, divided into “my space (private).” The next layer consists of the combined kitchen, dining, living and sun space, categorized by “my space (public).” To make the transition between private and public “my space,” an alcove creates the entrance to the bedrooms. This limits the direct visibility into the public space.
My Space (Private)
My Space (Public)
Our Space
Your Space
Openness drives decisions made when designing the cottages. The first step was to make a gesture towards the cluster space by lifting the roof. Instead of typical A-frame trusses, the roof lifts up, opening to the cluster. However, the gesture is more than a formal decision. It opens to the building’s south side, allowing for more natural light.
Scales of Living Cottage - Cluster - Commune Materials and Roof Structure
The different divisions are accentuated by floor material. The bedrooms feature a softer, standard carpet surface. The higher traffic and most open spaces use hardwood floor, with a smaller scale wood tile in the bathrooms. The sun room uses a polished concrete, to help with thermal massing in the space. Carpet
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Sun Room Utility Closet
Entrance Porch Driveway
Shared Patio
Structurally, the roof is supported by open timber framing. The trusses are placed about 5’ O.C. with columns placed 15’ O.C. The columns divide the house into thirds, with one third being the private space and two thirds being the public space.
Scales of Living Cottage - Cluster - Commune
Sunroom: Light Shelf and Thermal Wall
With the roof structure’s development, an opportunity for a light shelf presented itself. The shelf is sized to bring light deeper into the space, as well as leave a small sun room under the eight foot shelf. The section below illustrates the effectiveness during winter (yellow) and summer (orange), and reveals a moment in winter when a single streak of winter sun penetrates the interior.
With the nested sun space under the light shelf, a thermal mass opportunity presented itself. In the winter the sun is able to heat the wall through plenty of direct sunlight, then the wall can radiate that heat back into the space. The charts show some of the work done to size the glazing for this space.
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City Movement Urban Lab Observatory Cincinnati, OH Spring 2011 at the
The Urban Lab Observatory was an opportunity to study cities and design a building to facilitate studying cities. The project looks to Cincinnati, Ohio, as an example, but also looks to find universal aspects of cities. The project takes a moment from the site, at an intersection, and uses it as a driving force for the project.
City Movement
Deriving from the Site
After visiting and analyzing the site, a type of compression and expansion emerged as a launching point for this project. As traffic lights operate, cars compress and expand at the intersection. This is shown through the gradient on the roads in the site plan, and through the sketch of traffic at one such intersection. The dimensions of the crosswalk area (40 foot square centered in a 60 foot square) provided order. Seven of these squares lie with a 10 foot overlap across the site. When they follow the traffic pattern, they compress at the intersection and become a starting point for laying out the program.
City Movement
Speeds of Movement
While doing a series of photos, I noticed the difference in speeds between walking and driving which led to a diagram (below) It looks at the time taken to travel the same vertical distance on a ramp, a stair and an elevator. This looked at a range of speeds from slow to fast. From this, an exploration into the program of the building as slow, fast or paused movement was launched; ranging from gallery spaces to the apartments.
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Structural and Cladding Precedent
Mario Botta’s Bechtler Museum sets a structural and skinning precedent for redefining brick. He engaged the historic brick vernacular of the church across the street from the site, but modernized the language through the use of Terracotta tiles. The tiles act as a rain screen for the steel frame structure on the inside, and still give the patterned feel of brick The ULO employs a similar steel frame system, based on a 20 foot grid in order to minimize the depth of beams to still allow enough clearance below the beams and ceiling. Hung off of the steel frames is a terracotta rainscreen similar to that used in Botta’s Bechtler Museum.
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Exterior of Bechtler Museum Terracotta Tile Rainscreen 1’ x (2’-5’) x 1.5” tiles
6” Steel Stud Wall
12” Reinforced Concrete Foundation Wall
City Movement
Facade: Response to the Internal
Dynamic Vs. Static The Terracotta tiling wraps around the building, sticking to the internal circulation. The tiling decreases in size from 5’ to 2’ from west to east, noticeable in the South Elevation. To mark vertical circulation and structural elements, the course becomes stacked instead of staggered. This dynamic facade wraps around the static spaces, accentuated with gray concrete tiles.
Vertical elements in the facade mark the 40’ structural grid.
South Elevation
Terracotta facade wraps around.
East Elevation
Window Sizing The hallways and lobby area have large windows to allow the most light in, while galleries have then, long, high windows to allow some light, but protect the art from direct sun. Apartment living areas have large windows, while bathrooms have small thin windows. Finally, the library stacks have no windows, while the study spaces have windows for some light.
North Elevation
West Elevation
Watershed Observatory Research and Recreation Facility Bryson City, NC Fall 2010 Located in the Appalachain Mountains, in Bryson, City, NC, the Watershed Observatory combines recreation and research into one complex. The exisiting site features a boat ramp and parking lot used to link the area to a river and lake. This link and the historical nature of the site brings in the concept of memory to filter through the entire project.
Watershed Observatory Site and Memory
The Observatory sites itself at the end of a road at an existing parking lot and boat ramp. The boat ramp connects the Bryson City area to the Fontana Lake. Due to the dam farther downstream, the water levels at the site fluctuate from a low winter level to a higher summer level, including occasional flood levels. The building complex sits on a plateau, bridging the river and the mountain, a threshold.
Part of this project included a photographic exploration, this exploration picked up on the concept of “memory.� Specifically, the impressions made upon the ground by simply walking. The first set of photos (right) engage in memory and time. A footprint on a rock will last for a fleeting moment, until the water evaporates. A footprint in the mud will last longer until the earth holding the print changes. The second set of photos (below) engages the water content in the mud. The more water, the softer the mud, the deeper the impression, the longer the memory is retained.
Watershed Observatory
Memory, Thresholds, and Floor Plan
Visitors pass through several thresholds and concepts of memory on their way from home to the water. The first (right) comes when entering the site by rounding a corner of the mountain where they pass through monuments. They mark both the entrance and the memory of the former mountain topography before the road was built. The second (A) is a five foot step down into the plaza, crossing into the complex and off the original parking lot. A long run of stairs (B,C) connects the main complex level to the river. As the water level fluctuates over time, marks will be left on the concrete as a memory of the water levels. A
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[01] Boat Ramp [02] Fish Cleaning Station [03] Bathrooms / Changing Rooms [04] Outdoor Plaza [05] Beasley Memorial Plaza [06] Amphitheater / Event Space [07] River Water Room [08] Parking [09] Research Library [10] Presentation/Exhibit Space [11] Map Room [12] Computer Room [13] Conference Room [14] Offices [15] Lab Space [16] Storage [17] Mud Room
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Historical and Geologic Memory
Adjacent to the boat ramp, rests an elongated stair. It serves as a threshold from parking to plaza and pays homage to a historic home site. All that remains of the homestead is a set of stone steps, on which the family used to watch the cars drive by. Thus, the introduction of the step into the plaza attempts to capture that historic aspect in an updated form.
By orienting the texture of the research facilities elevation hoizontally, it reflects the horizontal strata lines prevalent on the opposite bank. This move pays homage to the geologic memory present in the mountains and revealed by the river. The building furthers this geologic memory by orienting its exterior faces parallel to the river, while the column lines stay perpendicular to the threshold wall.
Watershed Observatory
Memory in the Constructive Details
The final embodiment of memory comes from the details. Specifically, the imprint left in concrete from the formwork. Using logs as formwork developed from seeing driftwood floating down the river. Two full scale details were built using 2x4s and logs to create the textures for the building exterior walls and threshold retaining wall. These are pictured right.
The Research building wall uses 2x6s as its form work on the concrete wall, leaving an imprint on the wall. Then the same wood is used as an interior wall material, providing a direct link to the memory of the wood as form work.
The threshold wall denoting the complex entry, employs the use of a concrete cast in place wall. It explores memory through the use of driftwood logs from the river as its exterior form work. This leaves behind a textured memory specific to each individual log used.
Studio Projects Beacon Emergency Housing VSAIA Competition [2012]
Avenue of the Arts Gateway BLT Architects Student Comp. [2012]
Smoke Signal Tower
Third Year Competition [2010]
Other Work
Competition Entries
The Hearthstone
VSAIA Competition [2013]
The Hearthstone VSAIA 2013 Entry Alexandria, VA Spring 2013 Hearth: family life, the home Hearthstone: a stone forming the hearth The Hearthstone is a mixed use fire station, housing, and public space project on a small lot in Alexandria, VA. In conjunction with a nearby recreation center, elementary school, and housing, the project allows for interaction between firefighters and the community. This interaction comes from providing a fire pit for hosting cookouts, the always popular fire station barbeque, or for teaching fire safety. Each housing unit features a balcony overlooking the plaza to allow for interaction between residents and visitors. The glass structure becomes an icon, anchoring the Hearthstone to the surrounding community. It houses the lobby, information center, and community meeting space.
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Beacon Emergency Housing Pods VSAIA 2012 Competition Entry Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC Spring 2012 The Beacon Emergency Housing Pods operate in conjunction with the prominent Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The lighthouse not only protects ships from running aground, but serves as a beacon navigating people to aid before, during and after a storm. Hurricanes can leave places and people isolated, the Pods help to alleviate this isolation by giving people an area to congregate after a storm. They come for shelter, aid, or even just to know they are not alone in the storm’s aftermath. In emergencies they are activated to serve the community as temporary shelters during the storm, or as a focal point for rebuilding after the storm. Pods can be adjusted to serve as a Red Cross station, storing supplies for rebuilding and survival. However, hurricanes, while common for this area, are not a permanent situation. In nonemergency times, the Pods act as a visitor center by providing small kitchens to make picnic lunches, steps to sit on while taking in the sights and stages for special concerts and events at the site. The Pods are temporarily permanent in the same manner the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a temporarily permanent structure. While not intended to move, modern engineering has allowed it to move away from the encroaching coastline. The Pods are mostly permanent structures providing temporary functions as the community needs, and are meant to be a stable community center to aid in disaster relief.
Beacon: a fire or light set in a high or prominent position as a warning or celebration signal.
Avenue of the Arts Gateway BLT Architects Student Competition Philadelphia, PA Fall 2012
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The site provides an opportunity to bring coherence to the block, and to connect the residential zone with the transit centers and N. Broad Street. This proposal capitalizes on the site by creating a purposeful pedestrian zone, a protected public plaza, and sittable space for those waiting to catch a bus or train, all with the intent to bring a sense of community into the area by encouraging social interaction in the space. It also brings a fluid, dynamic, pedestrian character to the site.
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Protected Public Plaza An internal courtyard isolates some of the street noise, and provides a protected space for user interaction.
Sittable Spaces
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Sittable space provides place A pedestrian corrider cuts for people to rest, wait for buses through the building mass, giving or trains, or enjoy the space as space to the pedestrian. This is events unfold. done to encourage pedestrian traffic through the block.
Smoke Signal Tower 3rd Year Competition Entry Hamilton, MT Fall 2010 Smoke-Signal: A warning provided through the use of smoke. The Smoke-Signal Tower and Museum work to educate and warn the public about the misunderstood nature of wildfires. Wildfires take life, but at the same time give new life to the forest by burning out the undergrowth. They are necessary to keep a forest full of life, but also threaten the residential communities built closer and closer to the forests edge.
Smoke Signal Tower 3rd Year Competition Entry Hamilton, MT Fall 2010
Just as smoke is visible before a fire, the blackened tower rises ominously above the existing treeline, seen well before a visitor reaches the museum. The visitor enters the base of the tower between the roots extending out into space, anchoring the building into the forest. The exhibit space provides fleeting light opening up into a room of burnt out tree columns, juxtaposed on a view out into the forest. Once in the tower, the visitor is engulfed in the misunderstood nature of wildfire. As they ascend, they cycle through platforms of light and dark. Upon reaching the peak, the visitor is fully in the light, looking out upon the forest from atop this smoke-signal.
Studio Projects Competition Entries Other Work
Europe Study Abroad
Seventy-Two Days of Travel [2012 - 2013]
Geometries In Construction Independent Study Paper [2012]
Jewish Community Center Louis Kahn Case Study [2011]
Additional Work
Models, Drawings, Graphics [2008 - 2013]
Europe Study Abroad Virginia Tech Travel Program Europe Fall 2011 Virginia Tech offers a 70 day European Travel Program for Fourth year Architecture Students. As a part of this program, the group travels to various cities in Europe, including 10 days of Independently planned travel. This included 23 cities, 10 countries and over 5000 miles. Traveling included learning numerous cultures, languages and meant countless sketches and photographs; all of which involved studying modern and historic architecture. The program provided invaluable experience. Geometry in buildings provided a focus, and this section displays a very small sample of the work done while studying abroad.
Pinakothek Der Moderne: Munich, Germany
Zollverein School of Design [2006] SANAA Cologne, Germany While in Cologne, Germany the travel group visited and toured SANAA’s Zollverein School of Design. The building adheres to a strict geometric layout, which is readable through the layout of the spaces and dimensions of floor tiles. The floor heights responded to the function of each floor, with studio spaces being the tallest and most open. Pictured (far right) one corner of the studio space, with numerous windows directed towards the old coal mine facilities. The building is a cube and focuses on the power of the square. Sketching and studying the building revealed several layers of the strict geometry ranging from space planning to form work marks on the elevations.
Louvre Renovation [1988] I.M. Pei Paris, France I.M. Pei’s addition to the Louvre museum was a must see stop while in Paris. One thing noted while on site was the axis line it creates down Avenue. It starts with the Arc de Triumph, continues through an Egyptian Obelisk, the Arc de Triumph du Carrousel, and culminates with I.M. Pei’s pyramids (both inverted and the one above). The top sketch looks at the tension created with the inverted pyramid below ground, and the bottom sketch looks at the triangles present in the above ground pyramid.
Portugal Pavilion [1998] Alvaro Siza Lisbon, Portugal Built for the 1998 Expo in Lisbon, the thin concrete canopy mimics the curved nature of a sail. Given the Expo’s proximity to the water, the nautical theme is fitting for this coastal city. Specifically, the Expo’s site was chosen as an area to revitalize and rebuild after earthquake damage. Due to seismic activity, the canopy and building are structurally independent. The canopy is roughly 8� thick concrete supported by tension cables. The main building houses exhibits, while the area under the canopy are used for national displays. Currently the building is empty, but there are plans to place a museum inside. The sketch was an opportunity to draw a plan and section on site, using pacing and estimation for correct proportions and dimensions.
Geometries In Construction Europe Independent Study Paper Pazzi Chapel and Pont Du Gard Spring 2012
Pont Du Gard near Nimes, France
The term construction is used to describe many aspects of Architecture. Construction to most people involves the physical act of assembling a building; however, it can also be a way to approach drawing and designing. As an approach to drawing, construction can demonstrate relationships, show ratios, and allow for development of the structural aspects of the building.
Pazzi Chapel, Florence, Italy
Both the Pazzi Chapel by Brunelleschi in Florence, Italy and the Pont Du Gard from ancient Rome in Nimes, France employ the concept of Construction, but in different ways. The Pazzi Chapel takes a conceptual design approach to geometric construction while the Pont du Gard takes a physical approach to geometric construction.
This sketch of the Pazzi Chapel starts to show how a constructed drawing can lead to a constructed building (above) The succession of volumetric figures pulls apart the volumes making the essential part of the chapel, showing how they relate to each other (left)
The Pazzi family hired Bunelleschi to add a chapel to the Basilica di Santa Croce. Started around 1430, and finished 30 years later, the chapel replaced a chapter house lost to fire on the site. Therefore, the size of the chapel was restricted by the existing walls creating a non-square space for Brunelleschi to work with. Brunelleschi, like most Renaissance architects, maintained an interest in geometry, giving the “ideal” forms of the square and circle a high priority in their designs. In the Pazzi Chapel, he still employs squares and circles as the starting point despite the rectangular site.
This start to design allows him to geometrically construct the space. When experiencing a space, it’s seen in a three dimensional-volumetric way. Rough on-site measurements reveal a central cubical volume, part of the ideal square form. This cube is flanked by rectangular bays on three sides (including the portico, not depicted) and a square base altar space in back. A circular dome tops out the central bay and the altar volume. This continues the ideal forms. When viewed from above, it shows a circle inscribed in a square, a highly valued geometric instance of the Renaissance.
However, the dome does not connect directly to the cube, instead there is a “half cube” that serves as an intermediate between the two volumes. In part this is due to structural aspects of the chapel. Since the outward horizontal forces in a dome will not give a dome the necessary support on a flat roof, the dome is held in part through tension rings. The forces are transferred from dome to ground through a semicircular arch and load bearing outer wall. In order to keep his cubical central bay, Brunelleschi added a secondary volume connecting the dome to the cube.
Geometries In Construction
Pazzi Chapel
A geometric analysis overlaid on a basic plan of the Pazzi Chapel. The plan shows the marks on the floor and extends out to benches. It does not include the walls.
The Chapel is a space full of geometric relations. An analytical drawing can indicate where supports are placed, together with supplementary structural elements. When geometrically constructing the drawing, the edges of the volumes and those connection points can indicate structural support or how forces are transferred to the ground. After looking through the volumetric filter, a deeper analysis of the plan reveals three major sets of squares and inscribed circles, larger in size with each consecutive set.
The first set is centered in the chapel. The square is delineated by the lighter stone grid line marks on the floor. These lines are extended from the pilasters along the chapel walls out across the floor. When the lines intersect they form an area, this central square. This square area is also the same size as the chapel’s altar space. Both of which lie on a central axis with the chapel’s entrance. The second set is bounded by a second set of floor markings. This square also gives a base for the central cubical volume mentioned previously. It is important to note
that in this case, the square and circle edges coincide with the walls of the chapel, and not the benches around the perimeter. The inscribed circle marks the general size and location of the chapel’s dome. The final square and circle set has a width equal to that of the floor space including the benches. This square also contains a nine square grid made up of the first squares size, seen in the drawing above. Finally, the inscribed circle intersects the y axis at the center point of the altar space.
The marks on the floor detail basic geometries from the plan (above left)
Markings on the wall detail geometries in interior elevation (above)
This view of the dome shows the ribbed support, and the division into 12 pieces, accented by the ribs. (left)
When taking all aspects into account, the rigid use of geometries by Brunellesschi result in the complete construction of the Pazzi Chapel. This ranges from the volumetric approach and analysis, to the detailing within the space to the arrangement of the floor plan. This reflects the ideals of the Renaissance and the emphasis placed on geometry in design, specifically the use of ideal square and circle forms. The detailing in the Chapel consists of the gray pietra serena, backed with a white plaster wall. All the architectural detail, the
pilasters, the arches and entablatures are accented by the darker stone. The contrast between the two provide a clear way to view the geometries in the Chapel. They enhance readings of Brunelleschi’s focus on the ideal square and circle. Markings on the floor denote shapes and proportions. They make the squares and rectangles accessible to visitors, giving them the ability to pick apart the geometry on site. They also form a grid as connecting one pilaster with its pair on the other side of the room.
In terms of the dome, the detailing divides the dome into twelve parts, a spiritually significant number, all centered around a circular oculus. In addition to the dome, the stone accents the semi-circular arches are as well. As in any constructed space, both architectural elements and resulting spaces relate to each other. Construction can be a conceptual process, as seen through the Pazzi Chapel from volumes to plans to details.
Geometries In Construction
Pont Du Gard
The illustrations by John Fitchen show how the centering was supported and how decentering took place (left) The stone work reveals construction methods with protruding stones and places to hold scaffolding (above and right)
In contrast to the approach taken in the Pazzi Chapel, the Pont Du Gard takes a physical approach to geometry. The Pont Du Gard is one of the famous Roman aqueducts. It was built around 20 BC near Nimes in Southern France spanning over the river Gard. Because it uses no mortar to hold the stones together, it relies primarily on arch action. In arches, stones need to be carefully measured and cut in order to delegate compressive forces to the ground. This involves stereotomy, the science of stone cutting. In the arching portion each stone must provide sufficient
contact surface with its neighboring stone to physically produce a spanning arch. The Pont du Gard, like many Roman arch or vault constructions, employs centering to fabricate the spanning members and temporarily support the stones until the keystone is installed. After the arch is stabilized, the work of decentering will transfer the full load from scaffolding to the arch. The Romans developed a system to reuse the centering and other scaffolding without the need to disassemble and reassemble it. As John Fitchen analyzes in “Building
Construction Before Mechanization,” the Roman constructors devised a way to swivel the centering out from under the completed arch. It is carefully taken off of the protruding stones, which provided temporary support prior to the placing of the keystone. The placement and the design of the centering at its end condition give a few inches of clearance once the stones became self supporting. As seen in illustration “C,” the whole piece is swivelled out from under the arch and lowered after the scaffolding towers are removed. Arches, once physically assem-
bled, reflect a constructed nature based on structural principles. Their constructive dimension employs stereotomy and centering. Another aspect of the construction of the Pont du Gard are the anchoring holes and protruding stones for placement of the temporary supports, the scaffolding, and heavy timber supports. In many Roman buildings the protruding stones were cut off and holes filled to create a smoother surface. However, they were left in tact here, probably to make it easier to reerrect scaffolding for repairs. Illustration “A” gives a basic understanding of how the scaf-
folding and supports appeared with angled blocks in the middle of the arches to shorten the span of the centering and hold it in place. Every protrusion and oddly shaped stone has a constructive functional reason for its placement. Although we do not know exactly each stone’s constructive obligation, we speculate that some provided an anchor point for a pulley system to place other stones. The constructive pieces combined with the unique nature of the building process provide a type of ornamentation to the building. Thus making the Pont Du Gard a physical application of geometry
in construction as opposed to the conceptual planning geometry in construction of the Pazzi Chapel.
Bibliography Fitchen, John. “Building Construction Before Mechanization” 1986. Fazio, Moffett, Wodehouse. “A World History of Architecture.” 2008. Reynolds, Mark. “A New Geometric Analysis of the Pazzi Chapel in Santa Croce, Florence” from “Nexus III: Architecture and Mathematics.” 2000. Saalman, Howard. “Filippo Brunelleschi: The Buildings.” 1993
Louis Kahn Case Study Jewish Comm. Center and Bathhouse Trenton, NJ Written: Spring 2011
Jewish Community Center and Trenton Bathhouse Ewing Township; Trenton, NJ 1954-1959 Louis I. Kahn
Bibliography Bierig, Alexander. "A Modest Monument Revived." Architectural Record 198.9 (2010). Brownlee, David B and David G. De Long. Louis I. Kahn: In the Realm of Architecture. New York: Rizzoli, 1991. Gast, Klaus-Peter. Louis I. Kahn: Complete Works. Munich, 2001. Gerfen, Katie. "Trenton Bath House and Day Camp Restoration." Architect (2010) Kahn, Louis I. "Order Is..." 1955. Rhodes, Robin Frances. Architecture and Meaning on the Athenian Acropolis. New York, 1995. The Bathhouse: Trenton Jewish Community Center. March 2011 <www.kahntrentonbathhouse.org>. Twombly, Robert, ed. Louis Kahn: Essential Texts. New York, 2003. Tyng, Anne G., ed. Louis Kahn to Anne Tyng: The Rome Letters 1953-1954. New York, 1997. Whitaker, Bill. Architectural Archives of the University of Pennslyvania Collections. March 2011 <www.design.upenn.edu/archives>.
The Architect Louis I. Kahn (1901-1974) One of the great modern architects, his work is known around the world. Trained in the Beaux Arts style architectural school at University of Pennsylvania, he went on to working out of an office in Philadelphia. He designed many buildings and houses in the United States, and also the Capital building in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His architecture focuses on geometries, the distinction between Form, Design and Order, and creates works of art in his buildings through his use of light. Jewish Community Center and Bathhouse: Background Established in the early 1900s, the Trenton Young Men’s Hebrew Association began serving the Trenton, NJ area, specifically the new influx of Jewish immigrants. As American cities grew larger into the 1950s, so did the Trenton area. This said, the YMHA and the Jewish Community Center looked to expand and relocate from its center city location, a move seen as a reflection of the growing American suburb. Upon acquiring land in 1954 the Jewish Community Center started fund raising and hired Philadelphia architect Louis Kahn to work on the new center. The Jewish Community Center developed in three distinct stages, consisting of the Bathhouse, a Day Camp, and the main Community Center building. Kahn’s involvement in the project started with a Trenton lawyer and fellow Yale alum, Harvey Saaz. Saaz served as the Construction Committee Chair until his death in 1958. He appreciated Kahn’s progressive ideas and became Kahn’s biggest proponent within the Committee. In a letter to Anne Tyng, Kahn mentioned that the Center “will have no one else do the job but me…because they felt by my submissions that I was the only man who did not repeat himself in his work.” Unfortunately, Kahn was not the only man for this project; he worked on it from July of 1954 to 1959, with only part of his design actually built.
Louis Kahn Case Study Trenton Bathhouse
Bathouse Overview and Kahn’s Nine Squares
View of atrium space looking towards pool
Bathhouse Plan and Elevation
In Context The mid-1950s proved to be a turning point in Kahn’s career. He completed the Yale University Art Gallery and was working on defining several Architectural ideas, from the concepts of Form, Design and Order, to the use of Served and Servant Spaces and the use of hollow columns. Also of note, was his recent excursion in 1950 on a fellowship to the American Academy in Rome and Anne Tyng would return from her own trip to Rome early in the development of the Jewish Community Center. Kahn’s work on the Bathhouse is often viewed as his effort to “objectivize the form definition process (Gast 48).” However, it was not the start of this process; instead he started with the unbuilt Adler and DeVore houses, developed in 1954. The Adler house sees Kahn’s introduction of the nine square Platonic order as well as the use of hollow columns. The columns accentuate the corners and start the served versus servant dialogue that will continue through his career. The Bathhouse: Overview This little concrete block structure tucked away in the suburbs of Trenton, NJ marked a turning point in Kahn’s career. In his own words, Kahn emphasizes this by saying, “If the world discovered me after I designed the Richards towers building [1957-1965], I discovered myself after designing that little concrete-block bathhouse in Trenton (Brownlee and De Long).” Constructed out of modest materials consisting of unadorned concrete block, wood framed roofs, asphalt shingles and concrete floors the building gives a sense of monumentality. Overall, the building is four symmetrically arranged squares in a Greek cross plan, with hipped roofs supported on eight foot square occupiable hollow columns (Tyng).
Adler House Plan and Elevation
DeVore House Plan and Elevation
Geometries Focusing on the nine square ordering system, Kahn presents three variations in his plans for the Adler House, the DeVore House and the Trenton Bathhouse. With all three of these projects developing in the same time frame, they are viewed as an effort to “interlink square units in different variations (Gast 44).” In the Adler House, a three by three grid is visible, with the rows shifted out of a perfect square layout. This grid becomes Kahn’s ordering system, becoming the base module for the rooms within the house. One square is for cooking and eating, one for living, one is for sleeping, etc. For this house, Kahn favors the more geometric, grid structured layout for the individual squares. In the DeVore House, Kahn tries to “add a poetic dimension” by breaking from the three by three grid (Gast 43). Instead, he attempts to “compose” the spaces in an effort to “avoid the automatism of the grid (Gast 43).” The spaces are still distinctly read as squares, but are not a part of an overall square grid. The Trenton Bathhouse represents a shift in Kahn’s development of this concept. He wanted to “eliminate the arbitrariness” of the DeVore and Adler houses. Instead the layout and shape of the building is “defined by the ‘autonomy of form’ following an inner ordering principle (Gast 50). This is present through the three by three (nine square) grid which begin to lay out the programmatic spaces within the Bathhouse. The squares are joined at the corners and are dictated by the nine square grid with walls placed on the inside or outside of this line based on programmatic desires. Due to Kahn’s strict adherence to the grid system, he objectivizes the ordering and form making process by taking his own personal desires out of the process and instead gives way to the “supra-human law of geometry.” In keeping with his geometric metaphor of the square, triangle and circle, the bathhouse embodies this as well. In this metaphor the square symbolized the earth, the circle symbolizes the sky and the triangle symbolizes the link between the two. The Bathhouse consists of squares in the plans, forming a rectangular volume. These volumes are what ground the project, serving as a connection to the earth. Atop these volumes rests pyramidal roofs of equal height to the square volumes. The pyramidal roofs read as a triangle in elevation, thus extending the metaphor as a link to the sky, done through the room. In addition, his original plans call for a circle inscribed in the atrium, an open air space. Therefore, this circle is open to the sky.
Louis Kahn Case Study Trenton Bathhouse
Ancient Influences: Roman Baths and Processions
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Baths of Caracalla Floor Mural
Refurbished mural by Kahn at the Bathhouse Entry. Probably drawing inspiration from the Baths of Caracalla, which Kahn saw while in Rome
Ancient Influences Kahn’s return from his fellowship at the American University in Rome, combined with his interest in the Roman ruins and classical orders, can leave no doubt that he was influenced by what he saw and studied while in Europe. The Bathhouse is described as giving “the impression of something final and unchangeable, an entity that – to phrase the concept in Kahn’s sense – “has always existed (Gast).” The same phrase could describe the ruins in Rome and imply that the straightforwardness and simplicity of the geometry present in the Ancient Roman buildings gives them the sense of something “final and unchangeable.” The simple geometric ordering and shapes in the Bathhouse, in concert with the unfinished concrete block material and Kahn’s lack of weatherproofing, gives the building that “Ruin” character. The fact that Kahn intended for water to run down the raw concrete block indicates that this unadorned character was his intent for the building (Gerfen). A piece of Kahn’s own artwork exists in the main entry to the Bathhouse, taking the form of a mosaic wall mural. This mural’s use of angular and circular wave-like imagery is very similar to the floor mosaics in the Ancient Roman Baths of Caracalla, which Kahn was sure to have seen and been influenced by on his trips to Rome. The Bathhouse also presents itself as a “processional” form of architecture; a form consisting as an intentionally designed celebrational path through the building. The Athenian Acropolis sets itself as a reference for this architectural archetype. Specifically for the Acropolis, its procession was based on where the Grand Panathenia festival culminated. This festival was a celebration of the Greek goddess Athena. Upon reaching the Acropolis, the people entered through the Propylea, journeyed up a ramp adjacent to the Parthenon and finished at the entrance to the Parthenon and temple to Athena. The procession acts as a “monumental transition from the secular world to the holy temenos [land marked as official domain] of Athena (Rhodes).” In a similar fashion, a bathhouse visitor will proceed through aspects of the building as a build up to actually entering the pool space. A bathhouse visitor will enter through a gap in the wall, looking at a Caracalla inspired mural, proceed through the checkroom into the atrium. Once in the atrium, when the visitor is bathed in sunlight and appreciative of that slice of the sun, they walk through one of the hollow columns into a dressing room. They change into their swimsuit, enter back into the atrium, then step into the last square, ascend a few ‘monumental’ stairs, culminating the procession on the pool deck. Kahn’s reverence for light and his artful use of light within the spaces assists in making the bathhouse a “monumental transition from the secular world” to a more sacred space displaying captured slices of the sun.
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Acropolis plan and processional route
Bathhouse plan and processional route
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Reconstructed drawing of Propylea
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Parthenon on approach
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Drawing of Parthenon East Facade
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View of Atrium entering changing rooms
Inside of womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changing room
Exit of changing rooms. Looking toward pooldeck
Louis Kahn Case Study Trenton Bathhouse
The (unbuilt) Community Center
Rendering of view across green space to Community Center
The Community Center The last phase of the project was the larger overall community center building itself. In its designs Kahn took his work from the bathhouse and worked on extending and evolving the same ideas into a larger scale. The first phase of designs lasted from 1955 to 1956 and began with octagonal served spaces connected with square servant spaces. The pyramidal roofs from the bathhouse also worked their way into these designs. However, the main focus was work with the served and servant spaces. He employed the smaller connecting squares as spaces to place the bathrooms, storage rooms and passageways from one space to another (Brownlee and De Long). The next phase of designs spanned through 1957 and shows a shift in the geometries. He eliminates the more complex octagons, favoring more rectilinear elements. The geometric grid was also based on 22 foot squares supported by 11 foot square spaces (Brownlee and De Long). Visible in this plan is the most complete work on served and servant spaces for the community center. All corridors through the building are placed along the 11 foot lines. All entries into the larger spaces are placed at the 11 foot squares. Also, all support (or servant) areas for the individual rooms are placed with the 11 foot lines including bathrooms, storage rooms, and smaller office spaces. His final rework before abandoning the project occurs after showing the previous plans to the construction committee. This rework places the gym and auditorium on opposite sides of the building and connects them through two long corridors. The corridors divide the served and servant spaces, placing everything in simple juxtapositions. This plan appears to undermine the work done in the previous plan and loses the clarity and complete resolution of the served and servant concept. It is important to note that this final rework occurs after Kahn’s greatest proponent, Harvey Saaz, falls ill and passes away, thus leaving the Construction committee. Without Saaz, the committee restructures and looks to how other community centers are built, asking Kahn to rework his ideas to conform to their research. This request makes Kahn feel that they subjugated “the art of architecture to the pragmatism of construction and space planning (Brownlee and De Long).” Shortly afterward, due to the philosophical and financial differences Kahn parts ways with the Community Center and this phase of the project is filed in the ‘unbuilt’ section of Kahn’s works.
Octagonal Scheme
22 foot and 11 foot square scheme Kahnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most complete plan of Served and Servant space
Last plan before abandoning project
Louis Kahn Case Study Trenton Bathhouse
Kahn’s Thoughts on Form, Beauty, and Art
“The sun did not know how great it was until it hit the side of a building.”
Translating Form to Design To Kahn, Form is defined as something “which is immaterial and immeasurable, a Platonic-like ideal that preexists awareness and understanding of it.” Form is “impersonal” and “characterizes a harmony of spaces good for a certain activity of man.” Design is defined as something “which is material and measurable.” Design is “a circumstantial act” relating to budget, site, client and extent of knowledge (Twombly). Just clarify these thoughts Kahn says it best, “A great building must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means… and in the end must be unmeasurable.” Meaning that overall design should start as Form, reach into Design but ultimately stay true to its Form by staying in a constant interplay between Form and Design. Specific to the bathhouse, Kahn starts with Form. By laying out the immaterial grids and geometries he starts to generate a language of Form creating function. This translates to his servant spaces, where the Form of the hollow column space generates space for circulation, toilets and storage. Furthermore, Kahn creates a space good for “a certain activity of man,” a “dignified place for nothing more than people going to the pool (Bierig).” Since the pool, and in turn the bathhouse would only be used in the summer time on nice, warm, sunny days, part of the Design is an open air ‘pavilion’ exposed to the elements. Rain water would wash over the concrete block walls, and fall through the gap between the roof and the exterior walls, and drop through the oculus in the roof. On sunny days, the sun slices would drop through the same openings. When the visitor is in the space during these times, the building dematerializes and is enveloped in the ethereal nature of the sun, basking in the unmeasurable sense of Form. Thus, through Kahn’s use of Design, he selectively chooses materials and placements of openings in order to play to the Form.
“Beauty will evolve.”
On Order
“Beauty will evolve.” Kahn writes “Order Is…” in 1955, the same year the Bathhouse opens. Based on this fact, the building can be seen as a starting point for his written work. Kahn argues that Order is “the nature of space [reflecting] what it wants to be.” Form is closely related to Order, and Design “is the means” to create Form and Order. He also states that “Order does not imply Beauty,” rather “Beauty emerges from selection, affinities and integration.” That said, the Bathhouse in terms of beauty on the outside is not the most attractive building, but once inside, the selection of openings in the walls and roofs, and the integration of the geometric orders into the Design and Form making process create the nature of the space. Building as Art “The sun did not know how great it was until it hit the side of a building.” With Kahn starting and staying as an active artist, there is no reason why his buildings could not be works of art. He uses the sun as his media, and the building surfaces as his canvas as he paints and sculpts through his architecture. However, he will argue that “a painter can paint square wheels,” and “a sculptor can carve square wheels,” but “an architect must use round wheels (Twombly).” Architecture should be a happy marriage between painter, sculptor and architect, in which the architect creates spaces thoughtfully but should make a statement about those spaces. Kahn achieves this in the bathhouse and continues this for the rest of his career. He learns how to paint and sculpt buildings with the sun. He orchestrates a procession through the bathhouse, taking visitors into and out of the sun light, giving them small slices of the sun throughout the journey to the pool. The Bathhouse is a deceptively modest and simple building. The simple nature of the geometries and material choices “gives the impression of something final and unchanging, an entity that has always existed.” In this sense, the building is a fixture in the landscape, which most people overlook, but once inside the ethereal nature of sunlight envelops the visitor. This light transforms the space. For Kahn, this project clarifies and presents many of his own architectural philosophies. Philosophies he will carry with him and continue to develop throughout the rest of his career. The Bathhouse introduces concepts on served and servant spaces through the use of hollow columns, employing geometric ordering systems to allow form to create function and begins to become a physical interpretation of Form, Design and Order. It also delves into the artistic world as a successful marriage of painting, sculpting and creating thoughtful spaces. Once again in the words of Kahn, “From this came a generative force which is recognizable in every building which I have done since.”
Assorted Works
ETC
Models / Drawings Sketches / Watercolors Graphics / Books
This section features various work and other projects completed over the five years in school. The work includes sketches, models, drawings, renders, watercolors, graphics, and book layouts. On these pages are:
(A) Sketch of Barcelona Pavilion (B) Watercolor of San Cataldo Cemetary (C) Logos for the projects in this portfolio (1) Louis Kahn: Trenton Bath House Study (2) Competition Entry â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fireâ&#x20AC;? Logo (3) Scales of Living Logo (4) Geometries of Construction Logo (5) Watershed Observatory Footprint Logo (6) Study of Interaction: Arts + Transit Logo (7) Europe Travel Stamp/Logo (8) City Movement Traffic Signal Logo (9) Et Cetera Work Logo (D) Barcelona Pavilion Render (E) Theatre Performance Space Model
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ETC
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Building Analysis Model Altamira [2001] Rafael Iglesia Rosario, Argentina Spring 2011 This project was a study in form and structure through an analytical model. The focus was on how the concrete forms of the building respond to structural requirements, specifically how the building meets the ground and showcasing the rebar construction work. The building was the Altamira building by Rafael Iglesia, a high rise residential building in Rosario, Argentina.
Art of Building Model Reid House [1986] Clark and Menefee Architects John’s Island, SC Spring 2010 As part of an “Art of Building” class, the studio analyzed the Reid House by Clark and Menefee Architects. It is a very small building, and the studio broke into various groups to analyze it various forms (drawing, modelling, full scale details, etc.) My group was tasked with building a 1/16 inch scale massing model. This scale allowed for us focus on the pure geometrice volumes in the building. The two volumes have square footprints, with the bigger volume housing a living room, bedroom loft, and entrance to the house. The smaller volume houses servant spaces such as circulation, kitchen, bath, and storage. The 1/16 inch size was also chosen to show the size of our building compared to some of the larger tower projects in a similar scale in the exhibit.
Assorted Drawings Geometric Translation Drawing Fontenay Abbey Analytical Drawing Analytical Sketches This section contains a collection of drawings and sketches accumulated over the five years of school. The geometric drawing (right) was an exercise in translating shapes using only basic drafting equipment - parallel bars, triangles, compasses, pencils. The analytical drawing of the Fontenay Abbey in Burgandy, France (below) takes the building and breaks down its elements. This includes the geometries, the thickness and materiality of the structure, and the nature of the light within the space. The sketches focus in on various aspects of the buildings, paying attention to details.
(Below) Centre Pompidou Structure, Siting, Gallery layouts (Right) Wooden Shelter Construction of the structure (Below Right) Oceanarium Exhibit and support layers
Assorted Drawings Plan/Elev./Detail: A Workspace Addition Extruded Section Drawing: The Reid House Selections: A Boathouse for A Duckpond The first set is from a workshop addition project for building research. Borrowing from the cloister, the plan has circulation space around a sculpture garden. The detail (right) looks at the wall/roof connection in the hallway beside the double-height workspace. The drawing on the far right, is an extruded section drawing of part of the Reid House. Given only the construction drawings, the drawing was an exercise done to further understand a buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s construction. The final selection is from a boathouse and observation tower at the Duckpond. It was designed for a few people to canoe, dock, and explore the duckpond.
Watercolors San Cataldo Cemetery, Aldo Rossi Charlotte, NC Skyline Dennison Hotel, Cincinnati, OH These watercolors came from an Independent Study endeavour to learn the basics of water coloring. The San Cataldo cemetery was an exercise on gradients, and using the gradients to create depth. The Dennison Hotel was an exercise in using color, adding texture, and depth with shadows. The Charlotte skyline was a further exercise in detailing to create the urban texture.
Graphics Work Web: Payin’ Rent + Paintball Road Trip Print: Reid House Book + European Journey Book
“Payin’ Rent” was a site intended to connect students and communities by students providing services in exchange for money for rent. I was asked to create a stick figure style graphic with a hand drawn, sketch quality to it. The font (Segoe Script Bold) was used to emulate a handwritten, Sharpie, style font. The main logo (below) style borrows from a calendar. I was brought on to do basic graphics work for a startup paint ball project. The project revolved around a cross-country road trip to promote a new social community and project. My role was to create various icons for the community. Graphically, the theme was simple black and white images of paint ball stores, fields, players, and leaders. I also developed a “favorite icon” for the site, used when people bookmark the page. This icon drew from the road trip vehicle, a Ford Ranger.
•Cover Page
•Section Title Page
1 / 1 6 ” M o d e l
These are samples from a book created for an “Art of Building” class. Our studio analyzed the Reid House using various methods. I took the lead in organizing the various methods into book form. With feedback from the studio, I developed the book layout, organizing the files for InDesign, and printing of the book.
•Section Content
EUROPEAN JOURNEY: ARCHITECTURE, CULTURE, TRAVEL
Berlin
WRITINGS AND PHOTOS FALL 2011
JONATHAN HISER
Jonathan Hiser
These are samples from a self published book. The “European Journey” started as a simple photo book collection from my study abroad, but transformed into a comprehensive photo, sketch, and writing collection. The text comes from journals and blogs I kept while travelling and feature basic history, background, and personal thoughts on the journey.
Cologne
Prague
Paris
72 Days 44 Cities 11 Countries 5068 Miles Countless Experiences
Vienna Munich
Como
Nice Avignon Bilbao
Venice Verona Florence Siena Rome
Barcelona Madrid Lisbon
Days 39 - 52 Seville, Spain Cordoba, Spain Granada, Spain Murcia, Spain Alicante, Spain Valencia, Spain Tarragona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Girona, Spain Avignon, France Nimes, France Nice, France Monaco
Days 1 - 12 Munich, Germany Salzburg, Austria Vienna, Austria Langenlois, Austria Telc, Czech-Republic Prague, Czech-Repbulic Dresden, Germany
Hamburg
EUROPEAN JOURNEY: ARCHITECTURE CULTURE TRAVEL
A simple massing model used to contextualize the House within the site and to study the cubic geometries of the House.
Days 13 - 27 Berlin, Germany Wolfsburg, Germany Hamburg, Germany Herford, Germany Cologne, Germany Liege, Belgium Paris, France
Days 28 - 38 Bilbao, Spain Bermeo, Spain Bakio, Spain Lisbon, Portugal Madrid, Spain
Days 53 - 72 Como, Italy Monte Carrasso, Switzerland Bellinzona, Switzerland Riva San Vitale, Switzerland Vicenza, Italy Verona, Italy Venezia, Italy Modena, Italy Florence, Italy San Gimigano Italy Siena, Italy Vatican City Rome, Italy
Virginia Tech offers a 70 day European Travel Program for Fourth year Architecture Students. As a part of this program, the group travels to various cities in Europe, including 10 days of independently planned travel. This included 23 cities, 10 countries and over 5000 miles. Traveling included exposure to numerous cultures, languages and meant countless sketches and photographs; all of which involved studying modern and historical architecture. The program provided invaluable experience. This book is a collection of photos, sketches, and writing from the trip, chronicling the adventure. It started as a small project, fulfilling a request for photos for my mom, but took on a life of its own - adding the writing and blog posts from Europe - then creating my own layout for the content instead of using a ready-made photo book. I want to thank Karen Glass, Aubrey Lynch, Lisa Wong, Grace Friedhoff, Grace Hall, and James Yarrington for editting help. I also want to thank my family for giving me the opportunity to have this adventure, and my mom for being so patient with me to deliver the final product... better late than never right?
Valencia Alicante
Seville
Granada
Overnight Stays Day Trips and En Route Stops Independent Travel
been deemed unneeded when the newer shipping containers came about. However, the old brick buildings are mostly under historical preservation status, and are still around. This is important, because currently Hamburg is revitalizing “Harbor City,” an island that housed all of the old warehouses. The city is working on turning it into high priced apartments, office buildings, shops and one giant Philharmonic Hall, making it a very pedestrian friendly, cultural center of Hamburg.
Days 17-19: Hamburg, Germany Investing In A Cultural Icon Hamburg sits in the northern part of Germany, near the North Sea. Its proximity to water makes it a great opportunity for fresh fish. For lunch, we ventured to the waterfront and enjoyed a fresh fish meal. Looking at the menu, I wasn’t really sure what each fish was, but figured I couldn’t go wrong with fish, and ended up with a nice grilled salmon with potatoes. Aside from the fishing industry, it is a huge shipping industry capital. This industry comes with old brick shipping warehouses, which have Close up of the new Philharmonic Hall in Hamburg
An old warehouse storage building and lift
Construction trailer city outside the Philharmonic construction site Sketch looking down the canal way towards the Philharmonic Hall
The hall is designed by the high powered Herzog and De Meuron Firm. It is sited at the tip of the island, and sits on top of one of these warehouses. The architects were not allowed to tear down the warehouse façade, but could gut the inside, which they did. In order to accommodate a 2,100 seat concert hall, a huge glass volume sits on top of the warehouse façade, making the former roof a plaza and entrance to the hall. It was scheduled to open in early 2012, but like most construction projects, it has now been delayed till 2014, and is well over budget. Currently they are finishing the enclosures for the building. The hall is designed for acoustics inside, and will take 6 months to fine tune the interior of the hall for performances. While I overheard some locals talking about how ugly the building is, I think it will look very good once completed and will be a great Cultural and waterfront beacon for Hamburg.
www.jonathanhiser.com