Kurt Kimsey Bachelor of Architecture Marywood University
Portfolio
Selected Works 2012-2017
Cover Image 2017 Spring Competition
Heuristic Hermeneutics Haptic Winning Submission: An Interpretation of Louis Kahn’s Exeter Library IKahnic Architectural Practices “I sence Light as the giver of all presences, and Materiality as spent Light. What is made by Light casts a shadow, and the shadow belongs to Light.” Timelessness Monumentality Light+Silence Tension
“The idea is not to live forever. It is to create something that will.� - Andy Warhol
4
Architectural Design Portfolio
Academic Design Work 01 | Lehigh Living Cultural Center | Sustainable Design | 2016
8 - 13
02 | The Bunk Shed | Design Build | 2015
14 - 19
03 | The Menil Collection | Case Study | 2016
20 - 21
04 | Piazza dei Ciompi | Study Abroad | 2015
22 - 25
05 | Gallery of Sustainable Design | Foundation Design | 2016
26 - 27
06 | Urban Regeneration | Housing | 2016
28 - 31
07 | The NYC After Life Center | Comprehensive Studio | 2015
32 - 43
Additional Design Work 08 | Architecture Models
46 - 53
09 | Photography
54 - 65
5
6
Architectural Design Portfolio
01 | LLCC | Sustainable Design | 2016
Academic Design Work
07 | Bunk Shed | Disaster Relief Shelter
7
Lehigh Living Cultural Center Foundation Cultivating Social Sustainability Sustainable Design
COTE Design Competition
Partner Matt Wieber
This Site houses a Foundation dedicated to monitoring and nurturing the people and city of Bethlehem, PA. Offering a range of education, art, recreation, and community outreach opportunities, the project integrates the people into the natural landscape. The raised pathway connects visitors through mixed programs which a narrative of an individuals experience. The transparency and flexibility of the building allows for a range of cultural uses ensuring its long term presence in Bethlehem. The green practices on site will be understood and learned through visiting the site and ultimately incorporated into the city’s context. Prioritizing people as the most sustainable solution, this project seeks to nurture its future citizens into a green lifestyle, ultimately facilitating a positive growth for the future of Bethlehem.
8
Architectural Design Portfolio
01 | LLCC | Sustainable Design | 2016
The Restoration of Bethlehem’s Identity will be cultivated first hand through its citizens.
9
5 Factors of Sustainability
Regional Plan
Regional Priority Regional and local programs influence and contribute to the site conditions, activities and programs found at the LLCC. The building materials and interior finishes used are regionally sourced to support the local economy. Nearby surrounding cultural programs and educational facilities collaborate with the art, education, and recreation programs on-site. The foundation’s goal is to initiate a positive growth in the community to nurture the citizens of Bethlehem towards a green lifestyle.
74
83
Walk Score
Bike Score
90%
37%
Locally Sourced Materials
Recycled Materials Used
Diagrammatic Site Perspective
10 Architectural Design Portfolio
01 | LLCC | Sustainable Design | 2016
D & L Trail Head
- 165 mi Wilkes-Barre to Levittown
Lehigh Canal
Sculpture Garden
Outdoor Learning Pavilion
Permeable Pavers - Faculty Parking - Boat launch
Water Access Point -Kayak Rental -Bike Rental - Fishing -Swimming
Repose Viewing Deck
Welcome Center | Maintenance
- Providing views of the Lehigh River
Site Plan | Site Section
Exterior Building Perspective
11
Sustainable Strategies The LLCC utilizes both passive and active sustainable strategies to maximize the efficiency of the foundation’s energy usage. The site becomes an educational tool that can influence the community’s awareness and ultimately become implemented into its future planning. The façade incorporates a ceramic louver shading system controlling the light and protecting against excessive interior solar exposure. The solar hot water collectors on the roof heats water running through coils in the wall helps maintain a constant building temperature. A building energy management system regulates thermal comfort and adjusts the building systems to help monitor its energy usage.
Solar Thermal
Daylight & Shading
Rainwater Collection
Ventilation
Gray water is pumped through drips in the constructed wetlands roof and then evaporated into the atmosphere.
Gray water is drawn down columns into the ground, then pumped and released down the “water steps” to settle back into the aquifer below.
12 Architectural Design Portfolio
01 | LLCC | Sustainable Design | 2016
Net 0 Energy Production Building Energy
Hydro Turbine Electric Generation
Energy Demand=
PTh= p • q • g • h PTh= Power Theoretical (kWh): 4104 p= Density (kg/m3): 1000 q= Water Flow (m3/s): 155 g=Gravity (m3/s): 9.8 h= Falling Height (m): 3 kWh/yrTh= 35,959 kWh/yrTh x4 Turbines= 143,849
192,463 kWh/yr
Solar Generation= 81,592 kWh/yr Hydro Generation= 143,849 kWh/yr 255,431 kWh/yr Energy from Grid= -32,968 kWh/yr
Solar Energy Output of a PV System E= A • r • H • PR E= kWh/yr: 81,592 kWh/yr
A= Solar Panel Area: 400 m2 r= Solar Panel Yield: 13% H=Annual Average irradiation on tilted panels: 1720 kWh/m2 annually PR= Performance Ratio, coefficient for loss: .82
Gravity Fed Hydro-Electric Turbine
PV System Catchment Zone
Energy Production Diagram
Gray water used in the building is stored in an underground tank. The water is the pushed through the constructed wetland roof where it is filtered and cleaned before being released back into the environment.
13
Collective Wisdom and Feedback Loops The LLCC becomes a successful project when people are actively using the facility. The diversity of programming spread across the site provides the opportunity for a wide range of usage. The flexibility of the building and diverse usage allows the community to be directly involved with the foundation and its efforts to restore the identity of Bethlehem. The green practices on site are used to understand the needs and outcomes of the environment ultimately becoming a platform for its integration throughout the city. This strengthens the ties between the foundation, the city, and its people ensuring a sustainable future for Bethlehem.
First Floor Plan
Frames the view on the path while lifting occupants above ground level to take in views of the site and the Lehigh River.
Raised above the flood plain, the “artery� provides access to the various programs while removing human impact in sensitive locations
14 Architectural Design Portfolio
Function as a flexible gallery space and concourse space to hold social gatherings and events.
01 | LLCC | Sustainable Design | 2016
Facade System
Facade System Perspective
Interior Daylight Rendering
Facade System Section
Students get involved on site and within the community of Bethlehem through volunteer and outreach programs. Providing the opportunity learn the importance of a green lifestyle.
Open studio space encourages social interactions. The visibility to the outside promotes the biophilic art created within.
The Garden acts as a privacy buffer to the working students inside as well as a social public space.
Popular existing bike path
Transverse Site Section
15
The Bunk Shed Exploring Spatial Relationships | Sit, Stand, Lay Down Design Build
Disaster Relief
Group of Nine
The Bunk Shed was a design build project of nine students addressing disaster relief efforts to provide the basics of living in a shelter for temporary refuge. The challenge was to maximize interior functionality as well as prolonged durability while being conscious of project cost, and ability to be mass produced, distributed, and assembled. The material pallet chosen can withstand rain, maximizes light transmittance, privacy, and provides sufficient ventilation. Structurally the shelter is constructed using light gauge steel studs, sheathed with chloroplast for easy light weight assembly. Two bunk beds have been provided with room for storage below, a work station with a shelf unit, and open room for the occupant’s preferred usage. The shelter stands on adjustable feet to elevate and level the structure.
16 Architectural Design Portfolio
02 | Bunk Shed | Design Build | 2015
17
Aggregation Form The Bunk Shed is based around a 4’x8’ matrix, propagated and arranged to best accommodate the functions of entry, work, sleep, and congregation. By providing the occupants with modules A and B, a degree of privacy is given, allowing for a work station and a set of bunk beds. Module C is purely an entry way that shifts and rotates 4’ around the corner. By placing the footprint as so, two corners are formed resulting in better privacy.
Shelter Plan Layout
Longitudinal Section
18 Architectural Design Portfolio
02 | Bunk Shed | Design Build | 2015
Construction Drawings
Flooring | Runner Chanel Layout
Platform Structural Plan
Flooring Layout
Plan | C-Stud Layout
C-Stud Layout
Corner Stud Detail Assembly
Typical Wall Assembly
Adjustable Foot Detail
19
Exploded Axon Assembly
20 Architectural Design Portfolio
02 | Bunk Shed | Design Build | 2015
21
The Menil Collection A Study of Light as the Material of Architects Art & Craft of Building
Case Study
Group of Four
Building Section
Portico
Paintings Drawings Contemporary Art Gallery
Contemporary Art Gallery
Entrance
World Civilization
Primitive Arts Modern Paining Sculpture
Primitive Arts Primitive Arts
Promenade
Library Stacks
Promenade
Promenade
Receiving Registration
Exhibition Planning
Conservation Lab
Portico
Ground Plan
The Menil Collection houses over 10,000 works of ancient, African and surrealist art belonging to John and Dominique de Menil. Upon request, Piano designed the museum for the art to be viewed under natural light, allowing the mood to change according to the time, weather and season. The “heart of the conception” of the building is it’s ferro-cement louvers, which seem to float in the ceiling. Due to the heaviness of the louvers, a ductile cast iron truss system was put in place and covered by sloped glazing skylights. Piano designed the ceiling and louvers as a mechanism and filter for light, referring to them as a “roof of leaves”. The ferro-cement louvers control the daylight and direct light into the gallery as well as protecting and shading the inside from heat gain. The gentle rhythm and organic shape of the louver creates a calm atmosphere within the galleries accentuating the beautiful combination and aesthetic between the art, the occupant, and light.
22 Architectural Design Portfolio
03 | Menil Collection | Case Study | 2016
Detailed Section Perspective
23
Piazza dei Ciompi Student Housing | Craftsman Live/Work Space Italy Study Abroad
Housing | Public Space
Individual Project
This project features two clusters of row housing that frames an open piazza at its core. The two bordering streets have been renovated and turned into pedestrian only avenues that provide diverse access to the nearby public amenities. The piazza has been left open to accommodate open markets and public events. Located on the ground level are the craftsman’s workshop space where they have access to both the piazza and the pedestrian avenue to sell their products. Beyond the piazza and between the two buildings sits a green space elevated off the street level creating a semi-private park that complements the public piazza and pedestrian avenues. This project relocates a lost niche in the dense urban fabric making better use of the existing piazza. The surrounding public amenities are linked together drawing people in and providing the opportunity for spontaneous chance encounters.
24 Architectural Design Portfolio
04 | Piazza dei Ciompi | Study Abroad | 2015
Site Plan
25
3rd Floor
Craftsmen Live/Work Space Craftsmen are provided with two spaces, a ground level workshop/ business and large living arrangements located on the third and fourth floors. The space on the ground level has been maximized to provide sufficient space for work and retail. The living space has been placed at the top two floors to provide privacy for their family as well as a great view of the piazza and surrounding areas.
2rd Floor
Student Housing Students are provided with spacious and positive living arrangements on the second and third floors . Each unit houses five students in the form of two double rooms and one single. They all contain two bathrooms, a laundry room, and an open kitchen/living area with large windows and a balcony. The student house portion of the project contains nine different units and supports a total of 45 students.
1st Floor
Unit Aggregation Most important to the success of this project is the unit organization and layout anchored by the staircase providing access. Each unit cluster shares a central stair case that extends to the second floor with units strategically placed along the corridor to maximize its efficiency. The units containing a second floor have a private stair within the unit for access.
Ground Floor
Craftsman Unit
Student Unit B
Student Unit A
Work Space
Building Section
26 Architectural Design Portfolio
04 | Piazza dei Ciompi | Study Abroad | 2015
Detail Section
Building Elevation
27
Gallery of Sustainable Design Promoting Urban Renewal and Sustainable Production Urban Farming
Office & Design Space | Gallery
Individual Project
This project has been designed using Green Architecture and Urban Agriculture to promote urban renewal and sustainable production in SoHo, New York. The project outlook is to impact the city’s social, economic, ecological, and public health. Currently, urban agriculture is booming with over 700 food producing farms city wide. 5 Burrow Farms is taking a leading role in the effort and has been provided with an office space and rooftop garden area to further grow and develop their efforts. Thread Collective, an architectural firm has also been given space to help lead efforts in the city architecturally alongside the 5 burrow farms. The project as a whole is a gallery space and example how green efforts can be made city wide.
28 Architectural Design Portfolio
05 | Gallery of Sustainable Design | Foundation Design II | 2014
5 Burrow Farms Offices
Thread Collective Studio Space
Section Perspective Rendering
Perspective Rendering
29
Urban Regeneration Increasing the use of Downtown Scranton Housing
Student & Family Housing | Mixed-Use
Individual Project
Divide
Separate
Manipulate
Vertical Shift
Rotational Shift
Family Housing Rotational Shift
Student Housing Public Use Space
This project begins by studying the qualities of tower style housing to understand the benefits of augmenting urban density to increase the use of urban land in Downtown Scranton. In addition to providing the downtown with housing, the project sets out to become a centralized hub for pedestrian activity. To generate a interesting public condition, the tower typology has been divided into 3 separate buildings according to its public/private and programmatic zones. These pieces are distributed across the site to form a public courtyard at its core. The larger tower located in the back corner of the site stands tall providing privacy for families. The tower sitting on the corner houses students and provides public amenities. The smaller building on the site edge frames in the courtyard. A bus terminal is located on the street side with boutique shops facing inward. This project seeks to relocate urban dwelling and public land use back to Scranton’s urban Downtown. 30 Architectural Design Portfolio
06 | Urban Regeneration | Housing | 2015
Perspective Rendering
31
Unit Aggregation The Master plan has been organized around a condensed circulation core in order to maximize each unit square footage. The units have been aggregate strategically to provide quality views and solar exposure. As the tower rises, single and double units are easily added and removed generating a dynamic facade and formal condition.
Single Units
Double Units
Detail Unit Aggregation
Floor Change
Floor Plate Stack
Site Section
32 Architectural Design Portfolio
06 | Urban Regeneration | Housing | 2015
Building Elevation
33
New York City After Life Center Full Funeral Services | Death Research Comprehensive
Landscape | Urban Context
Partner: Ben Dealy
The project assigned was to design full funeral services, a human gross anatomy lab, death research facility, and educational space across two sites in New Your City, Governor’s Island and 6 Water St. Lower Manhattan. Governor’s Island is a landscape based project and becomes the location for the memorial chapel, burial grounds, mausoleum, crematorium, and columbarium. The Lower Manhattan site is an urban tower project and houses the restoration laboratories, death research facility, educational spaces, and viewing services. The Governor’s Island site is accessed by a private ferry dedicated to the NYC After Life Center.
34 Architectural Design Portfolio
07 | NYC After Life Center | Comprehensive Studio | 2015
Urban Project Model
35
NYC After Life Center The Urban portion of the After Life Center is where the process for both the body and loved ones begin. Here, the body is received and prepared for the viewing and memorial services that are held on the top floor. The Landscape portion of the project is where a final service is held for family and close friends before burial or cremation. A dedicated ferry service is provided by the ALC giving full access to the Governor’s Island site.
Site Section
36 Architectural Design Portfolio
07 | NYC After Life Center | Comprehensive Studio | 2015
Governor’s Island Conceptually, the NYC After Life Center believes that life does not “end” upon death and the architecture embodies this idea. The ALC redefines the experience that people are faced with as they put a loved one to rest and memorialize their life.
Memorial Chapel
Crematorium
Ferry Stop
Master Site Plan
Elevate
In response to West 8’s current design and future plan for Governor’s Island, the Northern most point of the site has been elevated similarly to provide views of the Skyline.
Terra-Form Site
Across the site, there has been further terra-forming to provide conditions that both conceal and reveal views. Through terra-forming, loved ones can be laid to rest in smaller niches that become more special to the families.
Introduce Grave Module
The grave module is available in capacities of 1 to 4 bodies and populate the site as densely as possible while also providing open areas that encourage people to use and enjoy the site.
Undulate Graves
The undulation of the graves coupled with the terra-forming of the site has been designed to create unique instances at every site symbolizing the significance of each individual life.
Integrate Architecture Terra-Forming Diagram
The Architecture has been placed in key locations for accessibility and integration within the designed landscape to create a sense of discovery through approach.
37
Grave Module The Governor’s Island grave site poses a major design challenge due to its proximity to the Hudson Bay and the water table. Rather than a normal casket burial placed in the ground, the A.L.C. places caskets in prefabricated modules protecting the bodies in the event of increased water levels. There are four grave modules capable of holding from one to four caskets. There is a total of 1,190 plots available at the site providing room for up to 4,760 bodies at the will of the plot purchaser. A similar module dimension is used in other areas across the project making use for example as a bench, water fountain, structural element and skylight. Similarly, the undulation of the graves across the site informed a portion of the facade design on the urban tower.
Grave
Bench
38 Architectural Design Portfolio
Fountain
Structural Element
Skylight
07 | NYC After Life Center | Comprehensive Studio | 2015
Ferry Approach Rendering
Crematorium | Columbarium Section
Memorial Service Chapel
Site Section
39
Lower Manhattan Located on a small corner lot in Lower Manhattan, the Urban portion of the ALC called for a tower design requiring strategic space planning. Responding to the design on Governor’s Island and the program of the building, the facade became a prioritized design opportunity. Public and private programing behind the facade dictates the transparencies through a complex and dynamic arrangement of layers, materials, and visibility. Building Core
Viewing Chapel
Building Core
Transverse Section
40 Architectural Design Portfolio
Ground Floor
07 | NYC After Life Center | Comprehensive Studio | 2015
Mechanical System Diagrams Supply Air Main
Supply Air Branch
Return Air Main
Return Air Branch
Administration
Human Gross Anatomy Lab
Auditorium
41
Facade System The enclosure of the building uses a double skin-facade system that is composed of zinc paneling and glass on the inner layer and a mesh screen system on the exterior. There is a wide variety of opacities occurring across the facade that are driven by the space inside. Programmatic spaces such as an Auditorium and Human Gross Anatomy Lab to classrooms, Administration, and a viewing room all require different levels of privacy and daylighting. This facade system is able to offer each space the appropriate levels of each while maintaining a cohesive aesthetic.
Roof | Parapet Detail
Facade Glazing Detail
Terrace Detail
42 Architectural Design Portfolio
Elevation | Facade Design
07 | NYC After Life Center | Comprehensive Studio | 2015
Mechanical Penthouse
Viewing Chapel Public Zones Building Services
Memorial Walk
Administration
Death Research Lab
Human Gross Anatomy Lab
Classrooms
Upper Study
Lower Study
Public Zones Auditorium Lecture Hall
Mezzanine Level
Entrance Lobby
Restoration Lab Body Drop-off Embalming Lab
Parking Mechanical
Longitudinal Section
43
Structural Diagram | Floor Plate System
Structural Bay Model
44 Architectural Design Portfolio
07 | NYC After Life Center | Comprehensive Studio | 2015
Perspective Rendering
45
46 Architectural Design Portfolio
Additional Design Work
NYC Skyline | Governor’s Island | Project 07 Site Visit
Architecture Models Craft | Detail | Material
07 | NYC After Lifer Center | Landscape Terra-Forming Investigation
48 Architectural Design Portfolio
08 | Architecture Models | Additional Work
03 | Menil Collection | Section Detail Model
49
07 | NYC After Lifer Center | Urban Facade Section Detail Model
50 Architectural Design Portfolio
08 | Architecture Models | Additional Work
Unite d’ Habitation | Housing Typology Study
01 | LLCC | Building Section Model
51
07 | NYC After Lifer Center | Urban Structural Bay Model
52 Architectural Design Portfolio
08 | Architecture Models | Additional Work
07 | NYC After Lifer Center | Urban Facade Model
53
Design Studio III | Urban Architectural Graft | Site Model
54 Architectural Design Portfolio
08 | Architecture Models | Additional Work
Design Studio IV | Outdoor Actions Facility | Structure + Context Model
55
Photography Architecture | Landscapes | Travel Sony a6000 Adobe Photoshop Edits
Louis Vuitton Foundation | Paris, France | Study Abroad Travel 2015
56 Architectural Design Portfolio
09 | Photography | Additional Work
The Shard | London, England | Study Abroad Travel 2015
57
The Pompidu Center | Paris, France | Study Abroad Travel 2015
58 Architectural Design Portfolio
09 | Photography | Additional Work
Louis Vuitton Foundation | Paris, France | Study Abroad Travel 2015
59
Castle in the Alps | Austria | Study Abroad Travel 2015
60 Architectural Design Portfolio
09 | Photography | Additional Work
Champ de Mars | Paris, France | Study Abroad Travel 2015
61
62 Architectural Design Portfolio
09 | Photography | Additional Work
Passo di Costalunga | Balzono, Italy | Study Abroad Travel 2015
63
09 | Photography | Additional Work
Palais de Chaillot | Paris, France | Study Abroad Travel 2015
Campanile di San Marco - Basillica di San Giorgio Maggiore | Venice, Italy | Study Abroad Travel 2015
Palazzo Vecchio - Santa Maria del Fiore | Florence, Italy | Study Abroad Travel 2015
65
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit.� - Aristotle
66 Architectural Design Portfolio
09 | Photography | Additional Work
The Pantheon | Rome, Italy | Study Abroad Travel 2015
67
Kurt Kimsey kkimsey923@gmail.com 570 903 1494