Kelsey Stewart Portfolio 2017 Architecture
Infrastructural Palimpsest 2020 Olympic Accommodation on the Kanda River Ramparts
This urban and architectural project studies Tokyo as an infrastructural palimpsest. Its site of focus is the line of the Kanda River. Originally a natural waterway, during the Edo period this line was formalised as the city’s outer moat and rampart, before being appropriated as a conduit for roads, subways and railways in modern Tokyo. The superimposition of these infrastructural lines creates a ribbon of sinuous gap-sites which, due to current construction technologies and land values, offer a significant development opportunity. The design proposes using these central gap-sites to integrate necessary Olympic Village accommodation within the context of the city along with additional hotel accommodation required for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In doing so, it uses these hotels to re-articulate the urban form feudal eco, punctuating Tokyo’s sprawl with a new city wall.
Urban Proposal It is proposed to use the transportation system as a base for buildings. The approaching Olympics provides the opportunity for large scale projects to be funded with the intentions of preparing the city for the two weeks of visiting tourists and athletes. For the previous Tokyo Olympics, money was invested in the upgrading of railways and transportation networks across the country, proving beneficial years later to residents and visitors of Japan. Looking to the future is necessary when investing into a cities infrastructure, and with the Olympics being a worldwide spectacle, its legacy is sometimes forgotten. Using the existing arteries of the city as the sites for building provides the possibility of reuse in these ideal locations, both in the city and along major transportation routes. Total Proposed Rooms 10,836 The Olympic Village requires 15,000 rooms, however typically two athletes would stay in each room. Therefore only 75,000 rooms needed for the village and the remaining rooms can be used by tourists contributing to the 14,000 rooms of hotel accommodation which is required of a host city.
Building Hotel 252 Rooms
Rationalization of an Irrational Site A set of rules has been created to begin designing on complex and unique sites such as those proposed. These parameters allow for a similar system to take place along the entirety of the master plan and begins to break down solutions to the major structural difficulties of spanning distances and transferring loads.
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Structural Hierarchy The rules developed have been adapted to the specific site to give a general structure to the design.
Floor Plan x2
48 rooms
Floor Plan x1
36 rooms
Floor Plan x1
30 rooms
Tourist
Public
90 rooms
Semi-Private
Floor Plan x3
Floor Plan x2
48 rooms
Private
Elevated Ground As the building is to be built above the active train tracks, an elevated yet workable ground plan must be considered in the first stage of design. This platform would be constructed structurally independent from the planned tower and would involve drilling caissons between the tracks into the bedrock below, spanned with trusses to support the platform above.
Transfer trusses The buildings structure relies heavily on the large truss system which works to transfer the loads over the train tracks to build-able areas. A trusses girder construction spanning in two directions was necessary to transfer the loads from the internal columns towards the external structure. This heavy structure allows for both building to be built above and to hang below.
External Core bracing The building is supported by a structural perimeter envelope with an external support core. Each tower core is therefore braced on all three sides of its triangular shape to counteract issues of movement and stability within the tall slender structure. This core bracing system spans every three floors, the mega-floor, while the open edge is braced to the scale of the building to complete the structural envelope.
Steel Box A steel infill system becomes the relatable structure which creates the structure for each floor. This secondary structure ties back into the mega frame and sits within, on top or below the transfer trusses.
Vertical Escape
External Egress
Using the typical hotel floor plan and its variations, there is a mix between single and multiple escape routes throughout the building with no more than 18m travel distance. Mass motion simulations were able to prove that with such a small floor plate the emergency exterior staircases were sufficient in directing people from their rooms out of the tower efficiently. The ground floor platform has also been designed with the intent to direct movement to the nearest exit. With the floor being entirely composed of ramps allowing for wheelchair accessibility, the slopes angle towards the two major exits, one found under the central platform and the other at the far end. All ramps gradually funnel slightly larger towards the exits as to not cause problems for crowd control when evacuating to the street.
Single Glazed Facade
Typical Plan
Mega- frame
Public Spaces
Mega- floor
Mega- bracing
Circulation
Facade
External Steel Mega-frame Facade
Double Skin Facade
Secondary Structure Panel Infill System Double Skin Glazing System
Construction
Structure in Detail Issues of structural stability, spanning unusually large distances, bracing tall structures with little ground impact and building on an active site have been dealt with in detail. This section of the building encompasses all these instances through the structural frame, facade systems and circulation planning collaborating as a whole.
Facade Systems Two main systems create the faรงades of the slender structure. These edges are determined by the surroundings, the hard edge condition of trains, roads and buildings and the transparent edge showcasing the open space found along the water. With the heavily braced external core structure supporting one edge, the structure is free to brace at a large scale on the adjacent side. This achieves a more transparent edge allowing for sustainable methods of ventilation to be achieved through a double skin facade. The external megaframe is designed as off-site prefabricated steel nodes bolted together on-site to the corresponding columns, beams and bracing elements. This structure is expressed by setting in the wall panel system and using intumescent paint to provide necessary fire protection and insulation.
Presentation
Terra Talus Condominium Living in Old Ottawa East
Located within Old Ottawa East, the six acre lot of Oblates consists of large green spaces with views facing the river and the canal a short distance away. Bordering the site is the Deschatelets Building, which has been given heritage status alongside the celebrated walkway of Oblates Ave. The zoning of the site will support a traditional commercial main street the length of the public edge, a humbled residential development of three stories down the private edge, and mixed use at its center. Although the foliage is lush, and the existing space is mostly green, the topography is relatively flat. Proposed for this area is a development consisting of: condominiums, back-to-back townhouses, commercial street fronts, and ample public spaces. The project involved working with a partner whose responsibility was to complete the townhouses and mine the condominiums.
EXCAVATION AND REUSE OF GROUND SOIL A fascinating landscape is generated by the excavation of land to create an opportunity for a subterranean element and the reuse of excavated land allows for a new landform.
MASSING ADHERING TO THE ZONING REQUIREMENTS With respect to zoning, massing blocks have been created in desired locations according to maximum height allowance.
VIEWS ESTABLISH FORMS AND SITE CIRCULATION Strong sight lines have been determined forming connections throughout the site. These views establish the building forms and create a circulation unique to the Oblates site and its qualities.
FRAMING OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPACE The circulation, paired with the determined building forms, becomes a frame for the public spaces found within the urban plan. A commercial court, green gardens and parks, and a public plaza develop into the defining programs of these spaces.
PATHWAYS CONNECT SITE DESTINATIONS Pathways are formed to fit the circulation and public spaces on the site. These consist of the upper street from main to river, the converging of original oblates with new pedestrian oblate, and the residential trails.
PROPOSED URBAN STRATEGY The initial concept to the urban site was to optimize the building space without condensing vertically and to restore as much of the eliminated public green space as possible. Strategies include: terracing buildings, back-to-back townhouses, creation of pedestrian streets, underground parking with unit access acting as the upper street structure and community plazas and courtyards.
Upper Street
Public Plaza
Commercial Court
The upper street becomes an integral part of the site’s structure as it provides access straight through to the river from Main Street. This becomes a lively space due to the interaction from the townhouses and the condominiums backing onto the pathway where gardens and front lawns are utilized by grade access Units. Cross-streets create a new layer of movement as people move deeper into the site from Springhurst Avenue.
The plaza becomes a destination point for travelers to the site as well as a proposed restoration of the Heritage Building by use of sub terrain as a new façade and entrance. It becomes a community driven space allowing for activities to transpire and for people to congregate.
A commercial street front along Main St. has the ability to bring vitality to the immediate edge of this site. An approach was made to bring additional life into the site by creating an entrance along the storefront building opening up to a commercial court with its edges defined by the buildings. The pathway leading from the court and further into the site is directed at the Deschatelets Building and overtakes buildings and park spaces eventually terminating at the historical frontispiece.
Structure in Detail The primary cladding materials used to create the modern appearance of the condominiums are large floor to ceiling glass windows and metal panels with wood used periodically to warm up the facade. While some of the building details are typical, others are more uncommon resulting predominantly from the exterior corridors. This creates a warm over cold situation which has been detailed in order to allow for minimal heat to escape. In addition, a unique barrier system has been developed for these spaces, with glass panels slightly protruded and overlapped as to allow for proper ventilation to take place as well as protect the exterior corridors from the elements.
[Para]site Care taking Commodities in a Three Market Mode Wroclaw is a city which has been written and rewritten throughout history and with its colourful past has produced a mixed and vibrant culture. As a historical city of non-agricultural craft occupations and trade exchange, Wroclaw became the crossroad of two major trade routes the Via Regia and the Amber trade route. This exchange of goods created a culture of markets, spreading throughout the city as a series of evolving and adapting para-situations. The three sites across the city emerge to create a dialogue, each site unique in its own way yet all in need of an intervention on its own terms. The proposal attempts to introduce an architecture which revitalizes, reuses and interacts with the current situations of the market. With a constantly evolving process of layered rules and parameters, a working syntax emerged as a way in which the site can be rewritten and an architecture can be produced.
Rewriting the Market The three sites across the city emerge to create a dialogue, each site unique in its own way yet all in need of an intervention on its own terms. The proposal attempts to introduce an architecture which revitalizes, reuses and interacts with the current situations of the market, The city being no stranger to violence as a method of change throughout history, a similar act of erasure and rewriting is adopted to create an architectural language which adapts to the sites. The markets each have taken on a life of their own and an architecture can be supplied to allow them to thrive. Through the inhabiting of the train yard a rewriting f the site has taken place, with an organic system emerging in and around the linear train tracks. The marketplace temporarily creates a world based off the body line, and a gestural quality emerges as a para-situation is created.
Sweibodski Train Station
[Para]sitic Gestural Spaces Drawing into the spaces of the mapped market and train tracks requires a complex architectural sophistication at a notational level where the spatiality of the architecture is defined by its qualities. A rhythm is required to create a set of relationships to which the program will sit within, in between or outside. Using the developed language of framework and planar tectonics, anchors of program are dropped as if tethering you to a reference point in the system.
Vestigo Retreat
Competition Entry
The Vestigo Mountain Hut utilizes modular design for quick and straightforward construction on the base camp of Paldor Peak, in Nepal. Modules are built offsite, eliminating excessive onsite construction time and waste, and transported onto the site via helicopter tethers. Each module recognizes a different program within the whole of the shelter, enabling the attachment process to appear seamless upon completion. Additional modules can be attached if the need for more guests arises.
The design of the hut began with a simple square form, relating back to the widely known Buddhist belief in Nepal that a square base represents a connection to the ground, and the earth itself. The square was then split into modular units, and divided with a main axis corridor, of which the units branch off of. An angled roof was then added to maximize vertical space, allow for the ideal placement of photovoltaic panels, and spark the intrigue of passing mountain climbers. Structurally insulated panels were chosen as the primary building material, due to their structural, economical, and environmental properties. The recently developed material permits for the construction of walls, floors, and roofs without the need of supplemental structural support, insulation, as well as air and vapour barriers, eliminating unnecessary construction costs. The high insulating value of the product, in addition to its hindrance of air leakage, reduces the need for mechanical heating on the frigid mountain peaks of Nepal.
Body + Void
Concordia University School of Arts Campus
The Grey Nuns Motherhouse located in downtown Montreal was acquired by Concordia University with the hopes of integrating the large site and building into the existing campus. The larger plan proposed an adaptive reuse of the existing building with an addition reminiscent of the original plans for the historic site never adequately finished. The program would be the Arts Faculty, with the focus being the digital arts within the new addition.
Extrude addition as prosthetic leg of Motherhouse
Floor plates become bridge between programmed spaces of the voids.
Divide mass up through most traveled routes and important destinations on site.
Spaces are enclosed within glass structurally self-sufficient through vertical tension wire trusses
The absence of the body emerges through voids created.
Large forms become main structure and interesting detail
Large structures are manipulated by circulation patterns.
Main structure for curves; steel framework with exterior shell of paneled steel.
basement
level 2
level 3
level 4
level 5
The project commences with an understanding of digital art and its process. Digital art has created a world lacking a bodily form as it is derived by means of various sequences patterns and manipulation of information. This bodiless art however goes on to generate performances and interactions which create life, movement, structure, and a body to call its own. In the scheme of the motherhouse the addition takes on the form of the Holy Spirit, a figure in religious beliefs that is always present but never present tangibly. Therefore, I have given life to the absent body within the structure. The voided spaces become recognizable through the large curves which are reminiscent of a body and sculpted by the pure information of the circulation needed in the program. Within these voids we understand the spaces in relationship to our own body. The digital information which is created and displayed within these voids gives a new layer of information to these spaces. The main organizational considerations of the floor plans come from the comparison of the program spaces versus the circulation. The creation spaces, that is. studios and performance spaces, become areas within the voids whereas the circulation spaces move around them.
Work Experience Diverse responsibilities including drafting, 3D modeling using various programs, graphic design, firm and client advertising, city applications, and other architectural related duties
Design Work
Working as a part of a larger team focused on designing within a larger development, it was necessary to model and present conceptual design ideas which were in progress for client meetings and community events advertising the larger commercial project.
Construction Permit Sets
Drawings
and
A smaller scale project, this addition and restoration of a historical home gave me the opportunity to lead a project. Under the architect, I was a part of client meetings, on-site surveying and contractor relations. I was able to see the project from the start, follow it through all necessary construction drawings and successfully submit for permit.
GENERAL NOTES A B C D
GENERAL NOTES
THE CONTRACTOR SHALL CHECK AND VERIFY ALL DIMENSIONS ON SITE AND REPORT ALL DISCREPANCIES TO THE ARCHITECT.
A
DO NOT SCALE DRAWINGS.
B C
ALL WORK SHALL COMPLY WITH THE ONTARIO BUILDING CODE AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF ALL AUTHORITIES HAVING JURISDICTION.
D
THIS DRAWING IS THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF CHRISTOPHER SIMMONDS ARCHITECT INC. COPYRIGHT RESERVED.
2 A1-1
GENERAL NOTES
THE CONTRACTOR SHALL CHECK AND VERIFY ALL DIMENSIONS ON SITE AND REPORT ALL DISCREPANCIES TO THE ARCHITECT.
A
DO NOT SCALE DRAWINGS.
B C
ALL WORK SHALL COMPLY WITH THE ONTARIO BUILDING CODE AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF ALL AUTHORITIES HAVING JURISDICTION.
D
THIS DRAWING IS THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF CHRISTOPHER SIMMONDS ARCHITECT INC. COPYRIGHT RESERVED.
BASEMENT PLAN
1 A2-1
FRONT SOUTH ELEVATION
2 A2-1
GENERAL NOTES
THE CONTRACTOR SHALL CHECK AND VERIFY ALL DIMENSIONS ON SITE AND REPORT ALL DISCREPANCIES TO THE ARCHITECT.
A
DO NOT SCALE DRAWINGS.
B C
ALL WORK SHALL COMPLY WITH THE ONTARIO BUILDING CODE AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF ALL AUTHORITIES HAVING JURISDICTION. THIS DRAWING IS THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF CHRISTOPHER SIMMONDS ARCHITECT INC. COPYRIGHT RESERVED.
SIDE EAST ELEVATION 1 A3-1
02
15/06/09
No.
DATE
ISSUED FOR PERMIT
02
DESCRIPTION
ARCHITECT'S SEAL:
15/06/09
No.
PROJECT NORTH:
DATE
ISSUED FOR PERMIT
02
DESCRIPTION
ARCHITECT'S SEAL:
15/06/09
No.
PROJECT NORTH:
DATE
BUILDING SECTION
2 A3-1
PROJECT:
THIS DRAWING IS THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF CHRISTOPHER SIMMONDS ARCHITECT INC. COPYRIGHT RESERVED.
02
15/06/09
1/2" = 1'-0"
DESCRIPTION
No.
PROJECT NORTH:
DATE
ISSUED FOR PERMIT
DESCRIPTION
ARCHITECT'S SEAL:
4 A3-1
PROJECT:
DO NOT SCALE DRAWINGS. ALL WORK SHALL COMPLY WITH THE ONTARIO BUILDING CODE AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF ALL AUTHORITIES HAVING JURISDICTION.
WALL ASSEMBLY
ISSUED FOR PERMIT
ARCHITECT'S SEAL:
THE CONTRACTOR SHALL CHECK AND VERIFY ALL DIMENSIONS ON SITE AND REPORT ALL DISCREPANCIES TO THE ARCHITECT.
D
FOUNDATION DETAIL 1-1/2" = 1'-0"
5 A3-1
FLOOR DETAIL 1-1/2" = 1'-0"
PROJECT:
6 A3-1
PROJECT NORTH:
DRYWALL RETURN 1-1/2" = 1'-0"
PROJECT:
STANLEY ADDITION AND RENOVATION 110 STANLEY OTTAWA, ON, K1M 1N9
STANLEY ADDITION AND RENOVATION 110 STANLEY OTTAWA, ON, K1M 1N9
STANLEY ADDITION AND RENOVATION 110 STANLEY OTTAWA, ON, K1M 1N9
STANLEY ADDITION AND RENOVATION 110 STANLEY OTTAWA, ON, K1M 1N9
DRAWING TITLE:
DRAWING TITLE:
DRAWING TITLE:
DRAWING TITLE:
SITE PLAN
DATE: SCALE: DRAWN BY: JOB No:
BASEMENT PLAN GROUND FLOOR PLAN 15/06/09
DRAWING No:
DATE:
1/4" = 1' KS 550-14
A0-3
1 A1-1
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
SCALE: DRAWN BY: JOB No:
15/06/09
ELEVATIONS
DRAWING No:
DATE:
1/4" = 1' KS 550-14
A1-1
3 A2-1
BACK NORTH ELEVATION
4 A2-1
SIDE WEST ELEVATION
SCALE: DRAWN BY: JOB No:
SECTION DETAILS 15/06/09
DRAWING No:
DATE:
1/4"= 1' KS 550-14
A2-1
3 A3-1
WINDOW SCHEDULE
7 A3-1
PARAPET DETAIL 1-1/2" = 1'-0"
SCALE:
8 A3-1
CORNER WINDOW 1-1/2" = 1'-0"
DRAWN BY: JOB No:
15/06/09
DRAWING No:
1/4"= 1' KS 550-14
A3-1
Visualizations
Working in a busy firm, I was asked frequently to provide fast renders and images to sell proposal ideas to clients and communities.
74 Bayswater Rd
COMMITEE OF ADJUSTEMENT: MINOR VARIANCE
PERSPECTIVE IMAGES
MARCH 3, 2015
Design+Build 1:1 Projects
Throughout my undergrad, proficiency in the wood shop area yielded many “hands on� projects ranging from small scale models to full scale mock-ups. It has always been a source of intense pride to witness the fruition of these scale models from the creation of the idea to the manifestation of the product down to the smallest of details. Indeed, the shaping of spaces in real life proves to be extremely rewarding. At the other end of the spectrum, I have also manually designed and crafted full scale furniture pieces. As a group member I created a new communal studio table currently used as a favourite with students, and individually I designed a unique chair involving intricate joints and curved surfaces.
A simple sleek design was the goal of this chair that all but disappears in profile and balances precariously on the edges of its curves. With the fluidity of a signature, the curves are one in the same and the finger joints fit snugly together like the clasping of hands. The beauty of the tall back is emphasized by the extremely long finger joints that smoothly transition into the solid curve. No easy feat, these joints make the chair a unique design and allow for the back to splay dramatically for the triangular seat to perch making one question where the balance of the chair truly lies.
The design for this communal multifunctional workspace aims to create a new studio typology which encourages movement and collaboration while reevaluating priorities of the modern studio. Using an efficient amount of space, the table has been designed to accommodate a variety of uses, from drawing to model making to connections for laptop users. The hexagonal table becomes a home for four students, a nomadic workplace for six students, or a meeting table for as many as possible. The metal framework becomes the skeleton, its slight cantilever shape providing efficient leg room and as well the support for the adjustable hanging lockers. The tabletop was designed half as a fixed entity, where its rough unfinished surface becomes a stable place for model making and everyday use, whereas the other half is comprised of two adjustable drawing boards with a choice of a primed or unprimed surface.