JILL DORAN Masters of Architecture Harvard Graduate School of Design 2013 Bachelors of Science in Architectural Studies University of Illinois at Chicago 2009
S E E K I N G C O H A B I TAT I O N Wildlife Bridges, Underpasses, & Observation Towers 2012 In collaboration with Ailyn Mendoza
Nearly eighty-five percent of Gabon’s land is covered in rain forest; one of the highest percentages in the world. These forests are home to animals that can be found nowhere else, but this unique resource is at risk due to Gabon’s rapid industrialization. Gabon is rich in both old growth forests and mineral deposits. These resources are mined and shipped across the country via the Trans-Gabonese Railway, which bisects the country and creates a dangerous and artificial barrier for animal migration paths. The most devastating example of this is the forest elephant: it is estimated that up to 50 elephants are killed on the tracks annually, most in an attempt to protect their young from the threat of oncoming trains. With their total population estimated at as little as 20,000, this number is shocking, and preventable. This project seeks to provide wildlife protection while simultaneously promoting economic growth. A series of land bridges and underpasses are proposed to reconnect the territories of the endemic species without interrupting Gabon’s emerging economy. As very little is known about the forest elephant, observation towers are proposed to not only to gain insight on these private animals’ lives, but also as a measure of protection against poachers. REGIONAL PLANTING
REGIONAL PLANTING: FRUIT TREE WEDGES
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The forest elephant’s migration is due largely to the animal’s seeking out of ripe fruit and mineral salts. As the elephant moves from fruit tree to fruit tree, it deposits the undigested seeds of these trees in its droppings. Over time these paths become boulevards of its favorite fruit trees, creating oases for many other species as well. Inspired by this seeking behavior, a tool was created to generate the structure of the migration infrastructure. A truncated octahedron seeks a point in space by duplicating itself along the lines dictated by its own geometry. The fusion of these shapes creates self-triangulating space frames, ideal for mega-structures, such as land bridges.
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S E E K I N G C O H A B I TAT I O N Wildlife Bridges, Underpasses, & Observation Towers 2012 In collaboration with Ailyn Mendoza
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SOLID PANEL
REFLECTIVE PANEL
SOFT RETENTION PANEL
NUTRIENT WALL/ SPACE FRAME
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S E E K I N G C O H A B I TAT I O N Wildlife Bridges, Underpasses, & Observation Towers 2012 In collaboration with Ailyn Mendoza
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S E E K I N G C O H A B I TAT I O N Wildlife Bridges, Underpasses, & Observation Towers 2012 In collaboration with Ailyn Mendoza
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PHYSICAL SPACE | VIRTUAL WORLD The Digital Culture’s Effect on Architecture 2013
Throughout history, technology and sharing information have shaped how we perceive and occupy space. From cave paintings to the internet, technology has been implemented as an alternative space, both akin to and apart from the physical world. Cave painting was the first expressive “mind wandering tool,” allowing multiple people to imagine and share the same vision. The internet is a far more complex and sophisticated technology, but meets many of the same needs. It is social by nature; it is a collaborative effort that seeks to connect its users through a virtual world, if not through a physical one. These adaptations of technology have significant cultural impacts, all of which shape how we inhabit and expect to use architecture. In the digital age, many significant cultural changes have taken place. Due to our now-constant interaction with technology, society is much more collaborative, communicative, and prone to multi-tasking than ever before. And yet, these changes are not reflected in how architects design buildings. The technology that defines its era leads to upheavals in how architecture is produced and used. Levitt Town exemplifies this through the lens of a post-war America: it was designed e
LEVITT TOWN | INTERPRETATION Architecture’s interpretation of cultural trends instigated by technology. The house was the icon for modern construction and modern living.
TELEGRAPH | COMMUNICATION A technology that redefined how man viewed space. Suddenly it was possible to know what was happening at that exact moment across the globe.
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CAVE PAINTINGS | EXPRESSION As far back as the era of cave paintings, man has been exploring facets of physical reality (motion, space, time, etc) through technology.
T E C H N O L O G Y & C U LT U R E T H R O U G H H I S T O R Y
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TIMES ANNEX 1914 - 2007
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TIMES TOWER 1905 - 1914
NEW YORK TIMES BUILDING 2007 - present
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to implement construction technologies that were made possible through recent technological advances. The houses themselves were designed to accommodate a modern lifestyle: efficient space planning, nuclear families, and an eye towards convenience that suited the contemporary home-maker. Similarly, many of today’s newest technologies shape how architecture is designed and constructed: software changes allow new forms to be expressed in buildings for the first time, and CNC building technologies give a physical possibility to new complexities. Where we have been lacking, however, is in the adaptation to the new cultural phenomenon. We are still designing our buildings for the 1950’s post-war era and, at best, applying modern technologies only at the most superficial levels. This project aims to focus on space planning through the lens of digital culture, thus accommodating a society that is social, collaborative, creative, and mobile.
SECOND LIFE | SOCIALIZE These tools bring people closer. Even if people are physically isolated, communicating online is interpreted by the brain the same way as communicating in person.
IMMERSION | SPATIAL EXPANSION The immersion into digital technologies is constantly being cast in a bad light. The fact that we can be immersed in pure information and that we perceive it as another world opens up new realms of possibility for humanity.
BROAD COMMUNITIES | COLLABORATION The internet is collaborative by nature: it has no one architect but is constantly being amended and added to by every user. It forms communities in its very existence.
ANYWHERE DATA | MOBILITY When the digital age first arrived, the only way to access the technologies associated with it was at home. Now, we can get any information, from anywhere, at any time.
INTERNET MAPPING | SPATIALIZE The internet is composed of pure information, but our minds spatialize this abstract nature and create a virtual world from it.
D I G I TA L C U LT U R E ’ S E F F E C T O N A R C H I T E C T U R E
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PHYSICAL SPACE | VIRTUAL WORLD P R I VAT E
The Digital Culture’s Effect on Architecture 2013
C I R C U L AT I O N
C O L L A B O R AT I V E
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P R O P O S E D L AY O U T Collaboration hierarchy
E X I S T I N G L AY O U T Sectional hierarchy
SHARED OFFICES SERVICES
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DIGITAL CULTURE AND COLLABORATIVE SPACES Scale: 1’=1/16”
C PROGRAMMATIC O L L A B ODISTRIBUTION R AT I V E M I X I N G OFFICE PROGRAMS ByPUBLICinterspersing hyper-public programs and collaborative work spaces into the office plan, PROGRAMS thePUBLICbuilding operates according to the same logic of the internet: constant communication CIRCULATION and collaboration mixed with chance encounters result in unprecedented innovation and PRIVATE SPACES creativity. CONFERENCE ROOM
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PHYSICAL SPACE | VIRTUAL WORLD The Digital Culture’s Effect on Architecture 2013
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D I G I TA L G A L L E RY
The basement where the printing presses were once held now act as the server room for the building. A floating boardwalk connects the two separate stairs that wind through the building, forming a loop. The area is used as a public digital gallery choreographed and experienced by the public.
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PHYSICAL SPACE | VIRTUAL WORLD The Digital Culture’s Effect on Architecture 2013
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D I G I TA L S H O P P I N G I N A PHYSICAL SPACE
On the ground floor, the space was once used as individual shops, selling individual goods, by individual people. Instead, a digital marketplace is proposed with a series of pavilions offering digital goods . It takes cues from online shopping (selection, user experience, and accessibility) without sacrificing the best parts of traditional retail (immediacy and social nature).
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PHYSICAL SPACE | VIRTUAL WORLD The Digital Culture’s Effect on Architecture 2013
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STITCHING TOGETHER C O L L A B O R AT I V E S PA C E S
The circulation ribbon that winds through the building transforms the space around it into highly social and interactive zones. In this example, the stair bifurcates, creating an auditorium in one branch, and a continuation of the ribbon in the other.
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PHYSICAL SPACE | VIRTUAL WORLD The Digital Culture’s Effect on Architecture 2013
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CONNECTING BEYOND THE BUILDING
With a setting like Times Square, the exterior of the building should be as expressive as the interior. At key moments, the interaction found within gets thrust into the world. In this example, the circulation ribbon juts into an existing patio space, creating an outdoor theater that can be seen from the street.
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THE ANTITHESIS TO SOCIAL SPACES
As with anything, there must be balance. Each hyper-collaborative space is surrounded by “caves” in which a person can take a step away.
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C L O S I N G T H E D I G I TA L D I V I D E Architectural Devices to Support Internet Infrastructure 2011
P O S I T I V E C H A N G E S I N A D I G I TA L W O R L D
Access to the internet means more than just chatting with friends. It provides access to unlimited information, ideas, and opinions. The influence this has had on our culture can be seen by looking at the “net generation”: the first generation to grow up immersed in digital culture. As a whole they are more creative, more intelligent, and more collaborative than any that have come before. These traits are largely influenced by the constant interaction and malleability of digital media. Studies show that this interaction leads to powerful behavioral changes: the net generation is more tolerant, less violent, and less prone to participating in destructive behavior than their predecessors. While these traits are correlative and not conclusive, it can’t be argued that internet access is a huge asset. When looking on a global scale, Africa’s access to bandwidth is scarce. While it is possible to get internet in many of the more established countries such as Egypt and South Africa, the ones that could benefit from it most such as the sub-Saharan countries, are sorely lacking. As
Mali
Bandiagara
Clinic for Underweight Children
Bamako Koutiala
Women & Children’s Hospital
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there is no other traditional communication infrastructure in the region to retrofit (such as phone lines or cable), the best way to implement wide-reaching internet connectivity is through a node-to-node wireless network. These networks can take the form of civil infrastructure, performing the tasks of housing the physical manifestation of the network, while also serving as community health clinics, schools, or libraries. While internet access is by no means the region’s largest problem, introducing it can help alleviate some its issues in other sectors. For example: the internet can allow remote clinics to communicate with larger hospitals to spread word about new outbreaks and successful treatments. It can connect farmers with one another to share prices on their crops and give tips about dealing with drought. And it can open students up to a new world of knowledge and points of view that are nearly impossible to learn any other way.
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C L O S I N G T H E D I G I TA L D I V I D E Architectural Devices to Support Internet Infrastructure 2011
D I S TA N C E T O M E D I C A L CARE
While there are many doctors and health-related NGO’s operating in Mali, a large part of the population is nomadic and lives in the sparsely populated northern region. If a medical emergency arises, the sick may have to travel for days to see a professional. This lack of access leads to limited communication between practicing doctors. Additionally, very few expectant mothers participate in prenatal care, leading to disturbingly high infant mortality rates.
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COMBINING RESOURCES & KNOWLEDGE By setting up remote wireless hubs, mobile clinics can be connected to the larger hospitals. In this way, information about communicable diseases and knowledge about best treatments can be quickly passed amongst the independent facilities. By adding other technologies, more advanced information can be collected in the remote clinics, then analyzed at the hospital hubs.
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L O C A L M AT E R I A L S A N D S I M P L E TECHNIQUES
Readily available resources alleviate the need to transport construction materials to remote regions. Using African bamboo and locally made rope, a grid is lashed together on the ground. After making strategic cuts in the grid, the structure is deformed, and a series of linked hypars create a vaulted enclosure.
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C L O S I N G T H E D I G I TA L D I V I D E Architectural Devices to Support Internet Infrastructure 2011
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S M A L L G R I D D E F O R M AT I O N POSSIBILITIES
With a 6x6 grid, a variety of final forms are possible. Each can be easily erected in place, then stabilized with cross bracing and finished with the addition of an outer skin.
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C L O S I N G T H E D I G I TA L D I V I D E Architectural Devices to Support Internet Infrastructure 2011
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L A R G E G R I D D E F O R M AT I O N POSSIBILITIES
By expanding the grid slightly to 8x8, the number of possible final forms nearly triples.
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PERFORMANCE [DRIVEN] CENTER A Performance Center that Inspires Movement, 2010
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ABSURDITY | ATTRACTION Absurd and precarious forms invite interaction and engagement.
COMPRESSION | ACCESS Compressing a space implies limited access and deters entry.
MEANDERING | CIRCULATION A meandering path defines space without enclosing it.
P O S I T I V E C H A N G E S I N A D I G I TA L W O R L D Space is defined as much by physical boundaries as by inhabitation. Movement through a space informs the perception of it, while physical boundaries inform the movement through it. In the historic North End of Boston, a Performing Arts Center is proposed. The center consists largely of back-of-house facilities and office spaces, with three main performance halls and a series of public spaces linked to them. The form of the building is inspired by a Miesian grid: regimented and efficient in layout and structure. The performance halls act as a foil to this order, disrupting the grid as stones tossed in a pond. The absurdity of these spaces invite exploration and interaction from theatergoers. The proximity of the halls to one another imply varying levels of access, at some points dissuading and others inviting. Within the performance halls, more spatial manipulation is employed to invite novel engagements with the environment. In the music hall, the circulation that feeds the seating takes the form of a spiraling ramp, operating between the viewers and the performers. Thus, the act of taking one’s seat becomes part of the spectacle, inverting the traditional relationship between voyeur and viewed. The facility seeks to answer one main question: What if the spaces that contained performances also created them?
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PERFORMANCE [DRIVEN] CENTER A Performance Center that Inspires Movement, 2010
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PERFORMANCE [DRIVEN] CENTER A Performance Center that Inspires Movement, 2010
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C I R C U L AT I O N A S P E R F O R M A N C E
The circulation for the Music Hall forms a spiral that leads to multiple tiers of balconies. This spiraling ramp transforms circulation into spectacle, inverting the relationship of performer and observer.
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PERFORMANCE [DRIVEN] CENTER A Performance Center that Inspires Movement, 2010
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C I R C U L AT I O N A S P E R F O R M A N C E
The masses that contain the performance halls create unique traffic flows in the otherwise rigid floor plan. Thus, the spaces that contain performances also illicit them in patrons that circumnavigate them.
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EXPANDABLE BENCH CNC Milled Bench, Space Saving & Designed for Minimum Material Waste, 2012
The raw materials for this project were limited to one standard 4’ x 8’ piece of 1/2� MDF, and nothing else. The goal was to create a bench that could double in size to accommodate multiple people, but then collapse down to be stored efficiently when not needed. By tapering the legs, the individual ribs were able to nest within each other for the CNC milling process. A series of spacer gave the bench rigidity and allowed for the two separate sections to slip past each other. Holes were drilled into each rib in 3 different places so that a threaded rod could be inserted and hold the pieces together. This design is best suited for a CNC process as it would be near impossible to get the same precision and allow for such a tight nesting pattern as opposed to cutting it by had. Each piece needed to be sanded down and then assembled. The result is a bend that can seat one, or expand to act as two separate benches.
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C O M P O S I T E M O N I T O R S TA N D Resin and Linen Doubly Curved Surface, 2012
While designing the stand, a triangulated base was created through a curve that was then lofted up to meet two straight lines 4 inches above it. This allowed for a stable finished product. The doubly curved surface worked with the nature of composites to make it incredibly thin and very strong. The design was then milled into blue foam. Pieces of resin soaked linen were layered onto the mold and covered with several specialized layers made for composite production. The system is then placed in a vacuum bag and allowed to cure over night. After the layers are removed, the stand is finished with a coat of paint to help seal it.
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CONCRETE CASTED DOCK CNC Milled Wax Translated into Silicon Mold to Cast Dock, 2012
The design of the dock was meant to create a single place to put all of my important belongings: cards, keys, and phone. The dock was inspired by the lines of the iPhone and took into account the size and shape of the charging cord. The final design was flip-milled on a Modela CNC machine out of wax. The wax was then used to create a silicon mold that could be re-used multiple times in with many pour-able materials: concrete, plastic, plaster, etc.
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FLEXIBLE FORMWORK Using Fabric as a Reusable, Manipulable Form to Cast Complicated Shapes 2011 In collaboration with Alex Shelly, Hal Weurtz, Laura Haak
The goal in this experiment was to create a thin hyperbolic shell with the hopes that the original form could be re-used multiple times. The form had to be made out of fabric as it is the only system that could allow for both of these traits. The support for the form was a plywood box in three parts that formed the outline of the hypar. A piece of fabric is laid on the first piece, then the middle wood piece is inserted, then the cap of the box. This forms a pocket for the fabric. Strings were added to the plywood form to keep the final shape thin. The need for these strings was alleviated by the addition of stitches at regular intervals keeping the two pieces of fabric locked together. The final product was a thin, light hypar shell.
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