karen hsu
ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
khsu.arch@gmail.com
(646) 881-3160
“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.� ~ Winston Churchill As designers, I believe we are problem solvers. However, we should also create new problems to solve, that is when unique creation truly emerges. Design for the change. Design for the better. Design for the people. Exhibited here is a collection of selected works Thank you for your valuable time and careful review. Sincerely, Karen Hsu
EXPERIENCE................................ Joel Fitzpatrick Design, Manhattan, NY
Temp Design Intern | Feb 2013 - May 2013 Designed and handled partial construction documents and renders for 256 West Brownstone Assisted CAD drawings for the launch of Porche Carrera Sunglasses show Assisted the staging and lighting design for the Chloe Sevigny x Opening Ceremony Fashion show
Prince Housing & Development Corporation, Taipei, Taiwan
Architectural Designer/Consultant | May 2012 - August 2012 Assisted on 7 residential projects in Taipei and Tainan City. Responsibilities included site visit, architectural consultation, participate in project meetings, editing drawings, and communication with clients and designers.
EDUCATION.................................................. Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY | Bachelor of Architecture | Fall 2008 - Summer 2013 5-year Intensive NCARB Accredited Undergraduate Program in Architecture Selected works for archive and publication to Pratt Institute’s InProcess Book (Kindergarten Project - 2nd year 2nd semester work)
Parsons The New School, Manhattan, NY | Pre-College Program | Summer 2007 Intensive summer program of Interior Design/Architecture (3-credit course)
QUALIFICATION............................................................................ Computer
Language
- Microsoft Windows and MAC OSX - Auto CAD, Revit, Ecotech, Rhino, Maya, Sketch-Up - Maxwell and V-Ray Render - Adobe Creative Suites: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign - English, Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese
PERSONAL INFO
WILLIAM BOROUGHS FOUNDATION FOR WRITERS SoHo, New York
KINDERGARTEN
STATEN ISLAND, New York
CUBE PROJECT
STUDYING MOVEMENTS OF JOINTS
BATH HOUSE & HYDROTHERAPHY CENTER KISSENA PARK, QUEENS, NEW YORK
LIGHTING
LIGHTING FIXTURES/FORM STUDIES
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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WILLIAM BOROUGHS FOUNDATION FOR WRITERS SoHo, New York
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Cube Study
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Cage Structure Study
WILLIAM BURROUGH’S “NAKED LUNCH” DISPLAYED THE AUTHOR’S WRITING METHOD, THE “CUT-UP” TECHNIQUE, IN WHICH THE TEXT IS CUT UP AND REARRANGED TO CREATE NEW TEXT TO OFFER A NONLINEAR ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL READING AND WRITING. ONE CAN START READING THE BOOK FROM ANY CHAPTER, CREATING CONFUSION AND UNEXPECTED MOMENTS. THE BOOK, FILLED WITH ILLUSIONS, SEEM TO BE A PUZZLE TRYING TO FIT BUT DOESN’T. EACH CHAPTER/UNITS ARE THEN IDENTIFIED AS A CUBE IN THIS PROJECT. THROUGH THE STUDY OF DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF MULTIPLE UNITS AS STRUCTURE, THE INTERSECTIONS AND SHIFTS OF THE UNITS CREATES UNEXPECTED SPACES AND DISTURBANCES (INTENSIONALLY UNRESOLVED) FOR THE BUILDING AS A WHOLE. 11
1 Entrance/Lobby 2 Administration 1
3 Gallery 3
4 Library/Archive
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5 Performance Space
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6 Writer’s Room/Studio 7 Restroom
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5 2
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6 6 6 6
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6 6
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KINDERGARTEN
STATEN ISLAND, New York
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CLASSROOM STUDY
Section 1
Plan
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Section 2
MODULAR CLASS ROOMS DERIVED FROM THE STUDY OF Z-SHAPED PLANES IN VARIOUS ASSEMBLAGE. OFFSETTING THESE PLANES CREATING VOIDS FOR NATURAL SUNLIGHT TO FLOW THROUGH THE CLASSROOMS. THE MODULE WERE THEN USED IN DIFFERENT SCALES: FURNITURE SCALE, CLASS ROOM SCALE, AND BUILDING SCALE TO FORM THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE KINDERGARTEN. 17
PLANS
Entrance Plan
Lower Level Plan
Lower Entrance Plan
CROSS SECTIONS
Section 1 1 Classrooms 2 Administration 3 Music Room
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Section 2 4 Cafe/Multipurpose 5 Outdoor Space/Terrace 6 MEP
7 Bathrooms 8 Drop-Off
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CUBE PROJECT
STUDYING MOVEMENTS OF JOINTS
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MOVEMENTS OF THE JOINTS FROM THE HUMAN BODY DURING A JUDO MATCH WERE STUDIED TO CREATE WOODEN MODELS FROM. MAJOR JOINTS WERE DRAWN WITH THREE CHOSEN JOINTS TO REPRESENT IN A WOOD JOINT MODEL. THE PROJECT PRODUCED THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE JOINTS WHICH EVENTUALLY AGGREGATED TO A CUBE. 23
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AMBIENT ARCHITECTURE
BATH HOUSE & HYDROTHERAPY CENTER
KISSENA PARK, QUEENS, NEW YORK
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Lighting and the control of light filters, screens, slits, and other architectural gestures represent some architectural forms that help shape and produce the ambience of a space. These complicate and transform any actual space through the play of contrast, and the conscious use of light and shadow. TAXONOMY ORGANIC
SINGLE
LAYERED
WARP
FOLD
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GEOMETRIC
This project explores the use of light filtering to create what I would like to call “Ambient Architecture.” In this cacophonous world, ambience can ease and relax the human mind. Both build or natural environments leave an impact on us. One might argue, then, that architecture can be in some sense, “therapeutic” in the way in which it deploys and engages its “ambient” qualities. Like music, space makes an impact on the human mind for the simple reason that the mind reacts to its surroundings and acknowledges it. If colors can influence psychology, volumes can affect perception, then architecture can stimulate mind and body.
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Bath Houses are one of the oldest therapeutic architectural programs and buildings, and they are often designed with the idea of creating a therapeutic, restful atmosphere. The layering of the patterns can generate shadows that are different throughout the day, and always changing with the element of water as reflection as well, creating an atmosphere. This project creates a free flowing circulation that aims to slow down the experience of time through the use of a series of programmatic spaces.
In this project, using double walls and cut-out patterns on metal sheets and glass, I have sought create specific lighting effects. Patterns were generated as a response to listening to ambient music, specifically the Music for Airports of which Brian Eno composed. The building aslo consists of several major tapered walls of “light boxes� to bring in more natural light to filter through the space.
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LIGHTING
Light Fixture/Form Studies
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Using folding techniques on paper with LED lights to create a table lighting fixture. Metallic interior finish to create more reflection on the light inside to bring the light outside. Tracing paper was used to cover up the LED lights and create a more spread out gradient exposure to the object. These could also be looked at in a bigger scale, having a great potential as spaces for people to flow through. 35
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Blue Tape LED light source was added as a lighting material to the paper models.
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Curvature folds created from scoring revealed the apertures for lighting.
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