portfolio DESIGN BY: KARLA FERNANDEZ-MATA
I feel my duty as a designer is to educate myself in order to find inspiration in the most mundane of things. “You need to let the things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.� - Andy Warhol
contents
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On the cover: digital study of texture via Grasshopper
10 UN.D.1 A PROPOSAL
16 THE CAVE BY STUDIO13
32 VISUAL ART A COMPILATION
First Look | Table of Contents
TERRAIN
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High-end retail requires a thoughtful presentation of the products sold. Serving as a shoe display, the ‘Terrain’ is engaging and promotes visual movement. Thereby, calling attention to the merchandise being displayed.
Student Project | Title : Terrain
6'9-1/4"
0-1/2"
5'8-3/4"
1'10"
2'6"
1 | TOP VIEW
0-3/4"
0-3/4" 8-3/4"
2 | FRONT ELEVATION
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DETAIL A (NOTE TEAKWOOD INSERTS)
1'10"
2'6"
0-1/2"
1'0"
4'6-1/4"
1'0"
1 | RIGHT ELEVATIONS
Student Project | Title : Terrain
1/16” SILICONE 3/16” GREY TEAKWOOD INSERT (UNFINISHED) 0-1/4" 8”L x .3”W x 3/32”D ROUTING TO ACCOMMODATE FOR LED STRIP LIGHTING
CORIAN PANEL
0-5/16"
0-5/16"
1-1/2"
10-1/4"
0-3/4"
8-3/4"
0-5/16"
DETAIL A | LED STRIP LIGHTING
1/2” CORIAN PANEL RIBS
1/8” SILICONE ATTACHMENTS
1/2” CORIAN FRONT PANEL
1/8” SILICONE ATTACHMENTS
1-1/2” DEEP OVERLAP OF CORIAN PANEL INSERTED ON TEAKWOOD
3/4” THICK GREY TEAKWOOD RIB PANEL WITH 1/2” SLOTS
DETAIL B | ASSEMBLY OF TOP + BASE PANELS
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4’0"
11"
0-3/4"
11"
0-3/4"
1’11-1/2"
6’8"
1’0”
4’6-1/4”
1’0”
8’0”
1-1/2”
6”
3-1/4”
5-3/4”
1/4"
7-1/4”
3/4” 1-1/2"
6-3/4”
6-1/4”
3/4”
4”
5-1/2”
12’ 0”
EXAMPLE FROM KIT OF PARTS | CORIAN TOP PANELS #1-6
Top panels are cut from Corian Solid Surface sheets. Panels per sheet: 6 Sheets Required: 14 Base panels are cut from 4’ x 8’ greyed teakwood, which does not require a finish, but it should be treated with two layers of teak sealer. Inserts fit inside Corian cutouts which create “plateaus”(the flat areas for shoe showcase).
Student Project | Title : Terrain
2’6"
EXAMPLE FROM KIT OF PARTS |TEAKWOOD BASE PANEL #5
UN.D.1
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SMALL CONVERSATION
GROUP GATHERING SOLITUDE
Inspired by the digital wave happening in the design commmunity, UN.D.1 was focused around parametric design and digital fabrication. Production methods: laser cutter and 3-axis CNC Milling Machine UN.D.1 was initially selected as the winning proposal but was later dropped to second-place runner-up for financial reasons.
Design Build Proposal | Title : UN.D.1
1 | AERIAL VIEW
2 | FRONT ELEVATION
4 | BACK ELEVATION
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3 | LEFT ELEVATION
5 | RIGHT ELEVATION
Design Build Proposal | Title : UN.D.1
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Above: Scale Study Models
UN.D.1 is an elegant example of simple architectural concepts such as frame and skin, the articulation of joints, and the use of geometry and mathematics to guide the design. A self-supported hierarchical system composed of: (Frame) Structural Integrity + Shape Maker (Attachments) Programmatic Response & Structural Support (Skin) Sound Barrier + Privacy Factor The mathematical concept behind the skin is “tessellations�, which essentially means to cover a surface by the repeated use of a single shape without gaps nor overlapping, such as a beehive. The skin is to be further developed through a series of material studies. To the left: full-scale mock-up
Design Build Proposal | Title : UN.D.1
INTRAVAAS
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Intra = inner VAAS = fancy way of pronouncing the word "vase" Entranced by the irony of the lesson: "simplicity is complexity resolved", a decision was made to explore the idea that although we are initially attracted to elegant "simple" every day objects, the hidden complexity behind their making is what captivates us.
That which we cannot see until we further explore the object at hand is what makes for the most interesting user-experience.
Student Project | Title : INTRAVAAS
1 | TRANSVERSAL SECTION CUT
2 | CORONAL SECTION CUT
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After the first 3D printed prototype of INTRAVAAS, a few things remain to be explored such as: materiality and scale. Although a school project, this vase remains to be further developed in order to perhaps market it in the future.
3 | EXTERIOR VIEW
4 | INTERIOR VIEW Student Project | Title : INTRAVAAS
THE CAVE
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Winning proposal of design-build student competition. Guiding principle: a "carving of space", similar to the way canyons are formed through the erosion of water over time. In the same manner, the self-supporting frame was the result of a void digitally carved out by the fiberglass.
During fabrication, however, the formwork of the fiberglass was created by using the ‘left-over’ negatives of the frame (which was cut by use of a 3-axis CNC). This project is currently located inside the freshman-level design studio at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
Built Project | Title : The Cave
FIBERGLASS DIAPHRAM CUT-OUT SKYLIGHT
1 | AERIAL VIEW
2 | LEFT ELEVATION
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A.3
FG.D.5
FG.A.3
D.5 B.3 FG.E.5
FG.B.3
E.5
8'0"
C.3
FG.C.3
M.3
K.1
FG.K.1 K.1
FG.M.3
| EXAMPLE OF FABRICATION SHEETS
4'0"
3 | FRONT ELEVATION
Built Project | Title : The Cave
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Above: Close-up of interior | Right: Front view prior to fiberglass install.
Built Project | Title : The Cave
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Above: Close-up of interior | Right: Front view prior to fiberglass install.
Built Project | Title : The Cave
TRIAD 2.1
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PROLIFERATED SYSTEM FAMILY 1.1
The purpose was to create a system that would proliferate randomly, based on the creation of a single cell. Initially derived from PET soda bottles, this cell evolved through a mathematical analysis of the initial geometry (see below). Above is a 3D lateral view of the first family of this system.
D= x 1/3
D=y x
.5L = 1.2 y
Master’s Degree Student Project | Title : Triad 2.1
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Above: Assembly of Family Begins | Right: Family 1.1 nearly finished.
Master’s Degree Student Project | Title : Triad 2.1
VISUAL ART Speaks for itself.
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Untitled. Soumaya Museum, Mexico City.
Visual Art | Digital Photography
On the right: Sky-High Blues Prismacolor Pencil Hand Rendering
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Visual Art | Hand Rendering
On the left: Toyo Itto Museum. Prismacolor Marker Hand Rendering On the right: Wyly Theater Dallas, Texas. 13 February 2011 Archival Digital Print Camera: Nikon D40 *this image placed 3rd place on a photography student competition.
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Visual Art | Hand Rendering (left) | Digital Photography (right)
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On the left: Enlightened. Archival Digital Print 8 August 2011
Only by allowing the details, which the untrained eye overlooks, to become the guidelines for all creative processes will result in design that is so extraordinary that the words of Andy Warhol will then take meaning.
Visual Art | Digital Photography
KARLA FERNANDEZ-MATA 210.343.0465
k.fernandezmata@gmail.com