Architecture Portfolio 2012

Page 1

PORTFOLIO John [AG] Speed 2009 - 2011



THESIS

RAM

BH_TO

PS_TO

ART

Hong Kong: Kai Tak Re-Shaped

Royal Alberta Museum

Boutique Hotel

Play Space

Artwork

3 - 16

17 - 30

31 - 42

43- 48

49- 50


THESIS Hong Kong_Kai Tak Re-Shaped MArch IV 2010


Thesis Statement Kai Tak

Lying at the tip of the South China Sea, Hong Kong`s harbour serves as a key shipping port of goods into the mainland. This has resulted in a hard industrial edge with few open public spaces to offer the inhabitants of this increasingly dense and vertical city. With its iconic skyline and potential to relieve congestion, the harbour needs to be reclaimed and restored for public use. Kai Tak, the site of the former international airport, is one of the last remaining parcels of undeveloped land on the Kowloon side. Surrounded by a mixture of new and old areas, on the upper side, and the harbour, on the lower side, the site has the potential to mediate between land and water and redefine the water`s edge. The opportunity to create a successful proposal rests on the ability to balance the various infrastructure and logistic elements of town planing with nature. The site will be remodeled and remolded to allow new opportunities to emerge and offer a counterpoint to the existing vertical density. Parametric modeling techniques will be investigated and applied in a rigorous manner in order to create a more fluid and responsive urban environment

THESIS/4


1998 Kai Tak Site and Urban Context

Future Kai Tak Site

Industrial Buildings

Soccer Stadium

Water Treatment Area

View Corridors

Mixed Industrial | Residential

Office Buildings

Water Channel

Mongkok Market

High-rise Residential

High-rise Residential

Chinese Pagoda

Ferry Station

Historic District

Mid-rise Residential

Fish Market

Main Highway

Mid-rise Residential

High-rise Residential

Sport Fields

Main Site Access

Village Housing

Ferry Docking Platform

Agricultural Fields

Ferry Routes

Transportation Hub

Semi-Covered Green Space

Mountain Peaks

Proposed Subway Line to MKM THESIS/5


Infrastructure Connections

Green Space Connections

Future Planning

A new highway system running through the site will connect the new areas with the old ones and eliminate the need to travel around the site in order to get from one end to the other. One of the key intersections will occur on the runway islands which have been reshaped to create a terraced residential neighbourhood. Connecting the islands to each other and the city will allow access to the new area. Significant portions of the highway will be hidden from view under the topographic mounds of the islands creating a park like setting for the inhabitants and visitors

Polluted water retention ponds, on the upper and lower portions of the site, create interstitial urban pockets or wetland park systems that treat the polluted water and allow unimpeded access to the site from the surrounding areas

A mixed use community is planned in the upper portion of the site relieving the remaining areas of dense planning. The existing airport infill will be dredged out to create a canal system to increase the flow of fresh water into the site and flush out old water. The newly developed areas will offer a mixture of office, mid-rise and cultural buildings planned around a canal-like waterway system

THESIS/6



Water Treatment and Sports Kai Tak

THESIS/8

Development sketches reveal the spiraling form of the main cultural area. Driven by the desire to retain and treat polluted water entering the site from the city, the landscape moves in a counterclockwise manner in order to draw the polluted water inwards and prevent it from contaminating the harbour. A soccer stadium is the main attraction and is connected to the surrounding areas through an open park setting


Parametric Modeling Techniques

Taper, Twist and Subdivide Modifiers

Boolean, FFD 4x4x4 Modifiers

Edit Poly, Topology Tool Porosity Setting

Urban Connections

New Green Areas

Stadium Site

By creating an open park setting infused with cultural programs, the stadium arm unifies the various parks and green spaces surrounding the site. Remote and difficult to access, these parks were once cut off from the rest of the city but are now linked together through the creation of a larger park

The water treatment areas reconnect the various neighbourhoods surrounding Kai Tak by tying them to the site. The creation of new green areas activates edge the edge condition and opens it up to the city and the harbour

Polluted water is retained and treated before entering the harbour and fresh water is able to move in and out of the site preventing it from stilting. The canal network is extended though the upper portion of the site creating a network of porous water treatment areas that are integrated into the landscape through the creation of a wetland ecosystem

THESIS/9




Inspiration for Water Treatment and Market Islands

Marina Life: Aberdeen Marina, Hong Kong

Remediation Efforts: Cheonggye Stream, Downtown Seoul

Water Based Program: Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen, Hong Kong

New Transportation Links

Open Market and Urban Connections

New Green Area Connections

New ferry routes are linked to old ones reviving a dying mode of transportation that has a long and proud history in Hong Kong. By opening up the runway arm, new access routes are created connecting different parts of the site. At the centre of the proposal is a multi-story transportation hub that follows the contour of the canal. Mong Kok market, a popular attraction, is connected to the site via a new subway route cutting down on motor vehicle dependency and creating a physical connection between an existing market and the potential to create a new one

Remote fishing markets and villages are given reintegrated by allowing vendors to set up their businesses in a newly created open concept building at the centre of the market islands. The porosity of the water treatment areas creates a series of islands that allow both large and small ships to dock alongside them and further activate those areas

The surrounding urban context is linked though the water treatment areas, open market and stadium to encourage a flow of movement around and on the site

THESIS/12


Existing city water canal remediation area

THESIS/13



View taken from Hong Kong Island looking at the residential islands

Typical HK Tower

Courtyard Towers Kai Tak

Densely packed and vertically stacked apartment towers are unpacked and restacked using parametric software to introduce nature into the dense living units. Views, daylight and natural ventilation inform the reconfiguration of the pixilated towers to create vertical courtyard spaces that open up to views of the harbour and surrounding hillside

Grasshopper definition controlling the scale and density of the towers THESIS/15


LION ROCK

KOWLOON PEAK

MONG KOK MARKET

LEI YUE MUN

VICTORIA PEAK MOUNT PARKER QUARRY BAY PARK

Important Views

Marina and Ferry Connections

New Infrastructure Connections

Significant views of peaks and mountains are made visible from the residential arm by aligning the courtyard apartment towers to the contours of the remodeled runway arm. This increases daylight and natural ventilation through an unconventional urban planning strategy

New ferry routes allow access from different parts of the city to Kai Tak. A porous thread of marinas follows the contours of the residential islands creating a constant flow of water traffic and accessibility to and from the site

A bridging highway system connects major transit lines to Kai Tak allowing for an ease of movement between the old and new areas. These are strategic links between the city and the residential islands preventing them from being cut off from each other

THESIS/16


RAM Royal Alberta Museum DIALOG 2011



East West Section Concept Diagrams 1950 Street Grid

2011 Street Grid

2011 Street Grid

CN Rail Lines

Area of Study

Preserved Architectural Elements

Preserved Elements

Area of Study

RAM/19


North South Section

Programing

RAM/20

Lobby

Playful Forms


Children’s Gallery Royal Alberta Museum

Comprised of several layers, the Children’s Gallery abstracts the various aspects of a tree in order to weave together the rich natural history of Alberta’s landscapes. The image of a tree canopy is abstracted and laser cut into metal panels that form the first layer. A dense fritting pattern inspired by an aspen forest creates another layer. These layers allow for the playful discovery of the museum exhibits while tying the importance of the museum program to nature

N

View at night looking into the Children’s Gallery

Main Atrium Level - NTS

Children’s Gallery Diagrams

Sculptural precast panels form outer walls

Spiraling Ramp enhance experience

Tree is suspended in middle

Clerestory allow natural light to enter RAM/21


Grasshopper definition creates pixilation based on greyscale image

Closeup of Children`s Gallery showing the complexity of layers

Mullion layer RAM/22

Reference image of tree canopy

Glass fritting pattern

Perforated metal screen layer

Closeup of pixilation


N

Reference image of lightning strikes

Main Atrium Level - NTS

Energy Gallery Royal Alberta Museum

Pixilations applied to Energy Gallery screen

A laser cut metal screen wraps around the sculptural form of the energy gallery to captivate and inform visitors. The meaning of energy is captured by the raw image of a lightning strike, a common feature of Alberta’s summers. The perforations help break down the scale of the form and animate the lobby space with a dynamic display of light

RAM/23



RAM/25


Energy Gallery Royal Alberta Museum

RAM/26

The perforated surface, making up the outer layer of the energy gallery, is programmed with a sequence of LEDs to capture the intensity and experience of a lightning strike. A quick flash of light washes the metal screen with an intensity of light and provides and attraction in the atrium level



Dinosaur Footprints

Pixilated mural depicting the flow of time

Feature Gallery and Stair Royal Alberta Museum

Past and present are playfully carried across the expansive wall of the feature gallery. Alberta’s rich history is symbolized by the abstraction of dinosaur footprints, gingko leaves and cave painting handprints. The feature stair actively engages the gallery at the corner and elegantly ties the collection galleries on the second level to the main lobby Gingko Leaves

Cave Paintings

RAM/28


View looking from South East corner at the guest arrivals canopy

Group Arrivals Royal Alberta Museum

An image of melting ice is abstracted onto the sculptural surface of the guest arrivals canopy promoting awareness of our fragile ecosystem and creating a dynamic and visually stimulating play of light from inside to outside

RAM/29


Group Arrivals Royal Alberta Museum

The sculptural ceiling flows like a ribbon through the group arrivals area traveling from the main lobby and culminating in the entry canopy. The undulating surface peels off to form the backdrop of a stage, a privacy screen for the washrooms and a feature that folds up to become a canopy

N

RAM/30

Main Atrium Level - NTS


BH_TO Boutique Hotel MArch II 2009




Boutique Hotel MArch II 2009

Located at the corner of Queen street West and Fenning street, the boutique hotel creates a unique attraction suitable for its culturally rich and vibrant neighbourhood setting. Art is used to attract local talent to display their work and for the public to freely enjoy it. The hotel is generously set back from the street and separated from the entrance by a sunken green courtyard which encourages free movement throughout the site. The spacing between the hotel and gallery allows for ample daylight to reach all levels of the program while creating a peaceful retreat from the noise of the street. BH_TO/34

View looking at SW corner


North Side View of Queen Street West

View looking South from Queen Street West

View looking East from Fenning Street

Concept Diagrams

Site

New Site Boundary

Program Massing

Program Separation

Program Manipulation BH_TO/35


L5 Double Suites

Boutique Hotel Site

L 2/4 Loft Suites

L 1/3 Loft Suites

L0 Street Access

L -1 Lobby Access

L -2 Studio Suites

Suites

Meeting Rooms

Kitchen

Vertical Circulation - Stairs

Mechanical Room

Lobby

Theatre

Gallery Ramps

Vertical Circulation - Elevators

Loading Dock

Office

Restaurant

Feature Art Gallery

Automated Parking L -3 Restaurant

L -4 Theatre/ Meeting

L -5 Parking Access to Daylight BH_TO/36

Daylight Maximization

Viewing Relationship

Street Access


Entry Pavilion Boutique Hotel

Transparent and open to the public, the entry pavilion allows local artists to display their unique work on the various ramps and viewing display to the public. Art is used to create a sense of community and to promote an awareness of the arts in the city. A dramatic coloured glass entrance encourages the public to move freely onto the site. Steel Beam Steel Column Concrete Retaining Wall

Structural Fins Monolithic Coloured Glass

Glass Display Case

HSS Structural Columns Frosted Glass Railings Steel Decking

Post Tension Modular Bridge

BH_TO/37



Polycarbonate Roof Polycarbonate Structural Fin

SS (Balustrade) Bracket 3/4” Laminated Glass (UV Resistant) Maple Wood Decking SSM10 Bolt Structural Angle 8” x 4” x 1/2” Deep Decking System 4 1/2”

View from the gallery entrance looking at an art display

Level 0 Gallery Entrance 1:600 scale N 0

5

10

20

BH_TO/39


Polycarbonate Guardrails Post Tension Deck Span Cast Primo 120 Plastic Decking

Programmed LEDs illuminate the bridge at night

Bridge Boutique Hotel

The thrill and experience of moving from street level to hotel entrance is heightened by the transparency of the connecting bridge. The bridge seems to float without any supports allowing unimpeded views from different parts of the hotel. At night, embedded LEDs light up the bridge to create a unique attraction and sense of place BH_TO/40

60 mm

Front View

400 mm

880 mm

1330 mm

2225 mm

330 mm

2225 mm

Side View

Stress test indicating bridge module able to withstand sufficient load


4 x 2 1/2� HSS Support Hollow Core Concrete Expansion Joint Capillary Mat Spider Clip

Interior View of the hotel lobby overlooking the courtyard

Double Glazing Glazing Cable Truss Concrete Base

The Lobby

Cable Truss Anchor

Boutique Hotel

Horizontal Mullion Spandrel Mesh Screen

Level -1 Hotel Lobby 1:600 scale N

Detail section of lobby

0

5

10

20

Generously scaled and partly concealed from the street, the lobby creates a dramatic viewing relationship between the various elements of the project. The gallery and lobby look back at each other and allow hotel guests and the public alike to view and experience art from different perspectives

BH_TO/41


Roof Drainage System Green Roof Wood Slats Double Layer Structural Glazing Perforated Aluminum Ceiling

View from the courtyard looking at West facing green wall

Detail section of courtyard

The Courtyard Boutique Hotel

The sunken courtyard reinterprets the main social or meeting space of a hotel by moving it three levels below grade. Away from street noise and surrounded by the tranquility of vertical gardens, the courtyard creates an ideal setting. The hotel restaurant opens up to the courtyard creating an informal meeting area for private or public functions to occur BH_TO/42

Level -3 Courtyard 1:600 scale N 0

5

10

20


PS_TO Play Space db studio 2009


Play Space 2009 db studio

The project is an outdoor play space for pre-school children between the ages of three and six. The site is situated on the University of Toronto campus and is well shaded by the boughs of overhanging trees. The plan is organized to support a continuous flow of movement of tricycles, scooters and plasma cars within a very small space. Two islands of activity have been constructed leaving the perimeter of the fenced yard clear for circulation. The western island at the rear of the space is an oversized sandbox. To the east and west is a raised deck structure flanked by open frame pavilions

Plan view showing the relationship of the figure 8 loop to the raised platforms

North Elevation PY_TO/44


East Pavilion Perspective

Photographs courtesy of Tom Bessai

East Pavilion Play Space

The pavilions have been scaled and shaped to encourage free movement and play. The geometry of the wall frames produces a range of layered visual effects and patterns. Yellow tinted pyramidal roofs introduce further mannered light effects

MoirĂŠ effect produced by conflicting angles


Build up of pavilion frames

West Pavilion Perspective

West Pavilion Play Space

The project geometry was generated and refined through a combined process of digital modeling and scale mock-ups. Close attention was given to the issues of ergonomics and safety as well as to material simplicity and low cost


Play Space 2009 db studio

The pavilion frames were constructed off-site using a basic construction drawing set. Using simple means, including basic power tools and an angle saw, the frames were fitted together with accuracy and precision

PY_TO/47


Play Space 2009 db studio

Rigorous digital modeling proved to be useful because of the relative ease by which the pavilion frames fit onto site. Again, basic power tools were used on site by a 3 person team. Only minor adjustments had to be made and erecting the frames was brought on time and on budget PY_TO/48


Mutations II

Mutations III

Cities Artwork

Surrealist images depicting a techno utopia form the central focus of these works. Cities made up of machine parts create a visual narrative that is derived from cultural references. Ancient structures, musical instruments, telecommunication devices, and science fiction robots are pieced together in a seemingly unconnected manner

ART/49


Barcelona Line

Freehand Sketches Artwork

Ink and paint are used to capture the visual chaos and refined lines of cities and buildings. In the sketch of Barcelona, black paint flows from one area to the next creating a detail rich sea of buildings. In the sketch of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the tonal quality of a felt tip pen is explored creating fines lines and texture ART/50

Bilbao Line


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