LAURA KIMMEL
2 0 1 9
SELECTED WORKS
LAURA KIMMEL
2 0 1 9
SELECTED WORKS
LAURA KIMMEL education
CONTACT lak243@cornell.edu www.lakimmel.com +1 (910) 538-2786
2012- 2017
B42 Sibley Hall, Cornell University Ithaca NY 14853
Cornell University Bachelor of Architecture Minor in Urban and Regional Studies
2010- 2012
University of North Carolina at Greensboro Interior Architecture Major
professional
Berlin, Germany May 2016 August 2016
New York City May 2013 August 2013
UNCG iArc Greensboro, NC December 2011 August 2012
academic
Cornell University Ithaca, NY August 2017 Current
Architectural Intern Barkow Leibinger Collaborated on the concept and development of a competition submission. Work included models, renders, architectural drawings, and competition boards.
Set Design Intern Stefan Beckman Studio Assisted in the design and installation of sets for fashion advertising campaigns, events, and fashion shows. Experience included graphic design for the 2013 Philip Johnson Glass House Summer Party.
Digital Fabrication Lab Assistant UNCG Digital Fabrication Lab Ran the digital fabrication operations in the off-campus facility. Responsible for operating a laser cutter, vacuum-former, hot press machine, and assisting with CNC milling and student projects.
Design Studio Teaching Associate Cornell University, College of Architecture, Art, and Planning Led a section of 12 students/semester in an intensive first- year architecture studio, teaching hand-drawing, model building, and core concepts of architectural design. Worked collaboratively with Professors Val Warke and Luben Dimcheff to design exercises and workshops for the class of 50-60 students.
Exhibition Design + Curation Built exhibition displays and curated temporary exhibitions for the Department of Architecture in East Sibley Hall.
academic
Fall 2017
invited critic
Columbia GSAPP
Syracuse University
Core I Final Reviews: Inaqui Carnicero Core I Midterm Reviews: Inaqui Carnicero
2nd Year Midterm Reviews : Ryan Ball
Ithaca College Cornell University
Midterm Reviews: David Salomon
2nd Year Final Reviews: Katerina Kral 2nd Year Midterm Reviews: João Almeida Option Studio Interim Reviews: Saša Begović
exhibition
May 2016
Fall 2014
Spring 2012
Spring 2012
Fall 2011
awards
July 2017
Summer 2016
Spring 2014
publication
Spring 2017
Winter 2011
skills
LIXIL Competition Exhibition, Cornell University “Comfort and Lightness : A Process” “Thicket” Project
BIO50 Biennial of Design: Llubljana, Slovenia “Affordable Living : Sacrificial Space” Project
High Point Furniture Market, UNCG Exhibition “Anthropomorphic Branching” Garment
“Process & Assemble”, Center for Visual Artists “Mathmorph” Installation + “Anthropomorphic Branching” Garment
UNCG iARC Fashion Collective “Ephemeral Membrane” Installation “Anthropomorphic Branching” Garment
ArchDaily 34 Best Student Design-Build Projects Worldwide “BYOA: Bring Your Own Algae” Algae-Harvesting Structure
Student Assembly Summer Experience Grant Travel and work experience in Berlin, Germany
York Prize, Cornell Department of Architecture 2nd Place in Design Competition
Steadfast Magazine “State of Repair: The Instituto Superior de Arte and the Value of the Unfinished”
Interior Design Educators Council “Digital Technology in Education”
Software
Rhino, V-Ray, Vectorworks, AutoCAD, Adobe CS
Fabrication
3D printing, Laser cutting, CNC milling, vacuum forming, welding, casting, soldering, Experienced with wood and metal shop machinery
L A U R A KIMMEL
S E L E C T ED W OR KS
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LUO HU C ULT URAL MAC HINE M u seu m + G ateway to Shen zhen
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O F F T HE GRID M obi le D welli n g i n Hok kai d o
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PIANO NO BIL E M od er n M on u men ts i n R ome
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S YMBIOT IC STAT ES C over t Arc h itec tu res for C ali for n i a’s M i gran t L abor Forc e C or n ell Un i v er si ty B .Arc h Thesi s
ARC HI TE CT URE
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BYOA: BRING YO UR OWN ALGAE A lgae Har vesti n g Str u c tu re + L ou n ge
D E S I GN + FABRICATION
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CO MFO RT + L IGHT NES S E x h i biti on D esi gn + C u stom Shelves
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ST RUCT URAL MO DEL M u seo Elevad o d e V i llaher mosa ( M USEV I )
PROFE SSI O N A L
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WAT ER TOWER + FAC ADE R en ewable En ergy C amp u s
TE ACH I N G
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RO MAN REL IQ UARY C or n ell i n R ome
THE LUO HU CULTURAL MACHINE MUSEUM + GATEWAY INTO CHINA FA L L 2 015 P R O F ESSOR DAVI D M OON PA RT N ER: PAP ON LUE NG VA RINKUL What is the role of the museum in a city that has existed for less than 50 years? In a society where museums have been built at a rate faster than they are able to be filled, the typology must be reconsidered, evolving beyond the iconographic status of their Western counterparts. At China’s southern gateway between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, LUO HU CULTURAL MACHINE recognizes the existing methods of artistic exchange and production on sitecounterfeit goods, reproduction of famous artworks, mobile vendors and street food- as worthy contenders in the cultural institution of a museum. Here, production and consumption happen simultaneously, as commuters become the unintentional generators of the museum’s content.
WHAT’S IN A MUSEUM?
CULTURE OF REPRODUCTION: DAFEN ART VILLAGE
Here, production and consumption happen simultaneously, as commuters become the unintentional generators of the museum’s content. COMMERCE: INFORMAL COMMERCE AT LUO HU
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LUO HU BORDER ZONE The existing border crossing at Luo Hu is a chaotic overlap of train, bus, car, and pedestrian traffic,which becomes the site of a massive shopping complex. This project merges the different types of commuters, consumers, and informal producers through a channel that becomes the cultural machine- the museum. VIEW FACING HONG KONG
EXISTING
PROPOSED
CULTURAL PRODUCTION CULTURAL CONSUMPTION
SUBWAY
BUS
PERFORMANCE
PUBLIC PLAZAS
FOOD STANDS VENDOR STALLS
TRAIN
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SCALE 1 : 400
N
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COMMERCE + CULTURE ARE INSEPERABLE The new Luo Hu is a constant weaving of people, commerce, and goods, between the centers of transportation and the museum above. More intimately within the building, this weaving occurs between the sides of commerce and culture (museum), as cultural icons are displayed, or reproduced + sold. The artist and the customer of the museum are part of both worlds; the art both supports and is supplemented by commerce and vice versa.
COMMERCE
CULTURE
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BYOA: BRING YOUR OWN ALGAE ALGAE HARVESTING LOUNGE SPRI N G 2 017 PRO F E S S O R RYCHI EE ES PI N OS A
CO L LABORATO R: C RISTINA M EDINA -G ONZA LEZ BYOA doubles as an algae harvesting structure and a communal habitat. Algae pods hang from a thin steel frame forming a vault that utilizes the natural light source of the building. Due to their orientation, these demountable pods form a brise-soleil that is more porous at eye level while providing more shade at the top of the canopy. At night, the absorption of light from the day is measurable in the glow-in-the-dark custom joints.
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FEEDIN G A system of ventilating tubes attaches to the steel frame raceway with custom 3D printed joints, to deliver CO2 to each pod. This ventilation system has dual sources: At the ground level, CO2 is introduced to each pod through blowing tubes, while passive ventilation and sun exposure occur as the structure hugs the operable window. This results in a visible gradient from the ground level to the top.
H ARVE STING
GAT HE R ING
The algae pods can be removed from the frame at will in order to harvest algae and clean the pods. The pyramid shaped pods are simply opened through a custom 3D printed hanging clamp on two corners.
The anchor of BYOA doubles as a communal sitting space. Two orientations on this bench are possible, one providing a view of the algae canopy while sitting upright, the other allowing visitors to recline and observe the canopy’s pattern above.
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C ATALO G O F PARTS GLOW IN THE DARK, 3D PRINTED JOINTS
ALGAE POD PROTOTYPES
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OFF THE GRID: THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN PRIMITIVE LIFESTYLES SPRING 2016 PROFESSOR ANDREA SIMITCH, LORENA DEL RIO CORNELL LIXIL COMPETITION TEAM
How can primitive living enhance the technology that has replaced it? The LIXIL International student competition theme “comfort and lightness” looks to both technology and tradition to address the theme of mobility. “OFF THE GRID” follows the development of a project from a personal proposal to a group effort with 13 other students. This project was chosen to be developed into the Cornell University entry to the LIXIL international student competition in Hokkaido’s Taiki-cho, under the prompt “Comfort and Lightness”.
HOKKAIDO LANDSCAPE CANOPY AS SHELTER The resulting system of elevated textile “cocoons” interprets “lightness” as a light touch on the ground, and comfort as the ability to change the conditions of the immediate environment to personal needs. In this way, the inventory of performative textiles, each the dimension of a tatami mat, act as an extension of the clothes we wear: with changes in thermal needs, layers are added or taken away, achieving comfort while performing completely off the grid.
AUGUST 3, 2016 : 22°C
WEATHER BARRIER Nano Silicon Coating Solar Thermal Fabric ENCLOSURE Polyester Cotton Fabric RADIANT RIGID SURFACE Piezoelectric 3D Woven Fabric RADIANT SOFT SURACE Conductive Cotton 3d Woven Fabric
HANGING SURFACE Cotton Canvas
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STRUCTURE + CONSTRUCTION
5 people | 24 hours Bamboo poles are designed with rotating joints, forming an inventory of poles that, when unfolded and locked, form the framework for the hanging textile panels.
pre-marked grid rolled onto site
poles driven into assigned point
DECEMBER 15, 2016 : -5°C
diagonal supports rotate
horizontal frame unfolds
weather barrier + internal enclosure
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COMFORT + LIGHTNESS AN EXHIBITION
EXHIBITION DESIGN + CUSTOM SHELVING FA L L 2 013 ADVI SO R AN DREA S IM ITCH CO L L ABORAT I O N : LIXIL STUDENT TE A M DIMENSION: 13’0” x 9’0” x 1’0” Design and curation of the LIXIL student competition exhibition, with a focus on the design and construction of a 9’ x 13’ “shadow box” wall of stacking shelves, customized for over 100 models and a series of intermittent images inset into the boxes.
SHADOW BOX WALL DESIGN + ASSEMBLY CUSTOM BUILT FOR MODEL COLLECTION
32 13/16
82 1/16
82 1/16
6 9/16
S 0 S
31 9/16
65 1/4
15 5/16
64 5/8
82 1/8
15 11/16
82 1/16 15 5/16
15 15/16
48 3/16
6 5/8
6 5/8
65 1/16
32 3/4
15 1/2
64 7/8
32 3/8
49 1/4
31 3/4
15 15/16
82 1/16
65 5/8 32 3/8
6 5/8
6 5/8
6 5/8
48 3/16
31 9/16
15 15/16
32 3/8
32 3/8
65 11/16
15 5/16
31 3/4
82 1/16
15 1/2
15 15/16
32 3/8
31 3/4
49 3/16
65 5/8
32 3/4 32 5/16
6 5/8
6 5/8 6 5/16 6 5/8
31 3/4
31 9/16
15 15/16
15 1/16
6 5/8
48 7/16
49 1/4
16 9/16
49 3/16 48 13/16
6 5/8
15 5/16
15 15/16
48 3/16
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PIANO NOBILE A NEW TOURISTIC INFRASTRUCTURE IN ROME SP R I N G 2 015 CO RN ELL UN I VERS IT Y IN ROM E P R OFESSOR AN DREA S IM ITCH
pia•no no•bi•le : noble floor the main floor of a large house, containing the reception rooms: usually of lof t y propor tions
Tourism and commerce are inseperable in Romewith the sacred, comes the profane; historical monuments are surrounded by their iconographic replicas- souvenirs. Yet Rome’s tourist circuit largely ignores the city beyond the Aurelian walls. This project redirects the inseperable streams of tourism and commerce away from the historical city center, in an attempt to create new monuments that reflect the realities of Rome beyond the Aurelian walls.
ROME: RINGS OF EXPANSION
TIBURTINA : A MICROCOSM OF THE CITY
VIGNA CLARA
G.R.A MOTORWAY
TOR DI QUINTO
NOMENTANA
RAILROAD AURELIAN WALLS
TIBURTINA VALLE AURELIA SAN PIETRO
QUATTRO VENTI TRASTEVERE
TUSCOLANA OSTIENSE
CONCEPT COLLAGE
MODERN MONUMENTS Reimagining Rome’s incomplete railroad tracks as a new kind of tourist circuit, a secondary “ground” is formed. The PIANO NOBILE, an elevated park navigates the elevational disrepancy left by the tracks. This new ground is a collector for everyday monuments- churches, observation towers, murals- which become the new icons that bind the sacred + profane- or the park and the commercial underbelly.
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EXISTING
STAZIONE TIBURTINA
EXISTING FABRIC:
CAMPO VERANO CEMETERY
CONNECTOR:
CEMETERY EXTENSION
MONUMENT: MAUSOLEUM
FUTURE
PIANO NOBILE
C CA CAMPO CAMP MPO O VERANO VERA VE RANO NO C CE CEMETERY CEME METERY METE TERY RY
TIBU TTI TIBURTINA BURT RTIN INA A
The elevated park provides a connection between the neighborhoods on either side of the highway interchanges. Piercing this surface, the new monument: a mausoleum and chapel that extends the currently full historic cemetery, also connecting to the commercial world underneath that is inseperable to the tourist circuit.
PIANO NOBILE: ELEVATED PARK
EXTISTING FABRIC: TIBURTINA
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1
0
B
A
A
SUNKEN PLAZA PLAN
A
B
B
B
B
A
A
B
A
SANCTUARY SECTION
B
A
A
B
ELEVATED CHAPEL PLAN
B
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GROUND + CANOPY : CONDITIONS OF LIGHT Layers of light conditions correspond to ideals of sacred and profane : the park is light; the mall becomes the dark underbelly. The chapel and the mausoleum become filters, catching and redistributing the light.
B
A
B
A
A
SANCTUARY SECTION
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STRUCTURAL MODEL MUSEO ELEVADO DE VILLAHERMOSA (MUSEVI) TEN ARQUITECTOS / MEXICO / 2012 FA L L 2 013 P R O F ESSO R MARK CRUV ELLIER CO L L ABORAT I O N W ITH TIM RYA N
SCALE 1:100 BASE DIMENSION: 90 cm x 90 cm Soldered brass structural frame, cast rockite mast and suspension wire with custom pinned connections, CNC milled base
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SYMBIOTIC STATES ARCHITECTURE OF ECONOMY AS ARCHITECTURE OF AGENCY B.ARCH THESIS SPRING 2017 ADVISORS ANDREA SIMITCH + LESLIE LOK
For undocumented day laborers in the California’s Central Valley, exposure to the road is crucial for being hired. Residual suburban spaces such as parking lots or sidewalks are then critical thresholds of visibility in the routine of a day laborer. At the same time, these interstitial zones surrounding big box stores and strip malls alienate those who use space unconventionally, leaving them targets of surveillance.
I. FOUNTAIN
II. OVERPASS
III. BILLBOARD
Downtown / Civic Center
Highway 99
Highway 99
SAFE SPACES: ALTERNATIVE OCCUPATIONS OF THE GENERIC CITY
IV. STRIP MALL
V. BIG BOX STORE
Suburban Shopping Development
Suburban Shopping Development
While the suburban landscape proliferates surveillance and exposure, its architecture alters perceptions through false facades and deceptive proportions. This thesis exploits these generic tactics to create a city of multiple readings, uses, and temporalities.
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CONTESTED SPACE: INTERSECTION OF INFORMAL LABOR AND SUBURBAN ZONES Churches, schools, and health clinics are known as “safe spaces”- places where law enforcement are ethically advised against entering or surveilling. At the same time, this status also makes them a target when the space around them- often parking lots- is free range.
If shopping centers and parking lots are contested spaces for undocumented laborers, how can the generic codes that form these spaces be hacked to design space for the people who occupy it most?
PUBLIC SPACES OF INFORMAL WORK
FOOD TRUC KS
ST R E E T VE NDING
DAY L ABO R
‘SAFE’ SPACES
H E A LTH CL INIC
SCHOOL
RELIGIOUS
GENERIC, CONSUMER SPACES
STRIP M A L L
FA ST FO O D
BIG BOX STO R ES
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FUTURE
OF AGENCY
ARCHITECTURE
EXISTING
OF ECONOMY
ARCHITECTURE
SUBURBAN
STRIP MALL
INDUSTRIAL
BIG BOX STORE
OVERPASS
AN ALTERNATIVE OCCUPATION OF THE CITY
URBAN
These architectures are inherently intertwined in the lives of the Central Valley’s undocumented workforce. Big box stores are points of labor pick-up, a reciprocal relationship between contractors and laborers. Billboards advertise the farms in which many undocumented laborers work seasonally.
BILLBOARD
BENCH
FOUNTAIN
These prosaic structures proliferate urban space until they are overlooked and forgotten. As symbols of consumerism, they are also intricately related to the workforce which they often ignore or exclude.
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SYMBIOTIC STATES:
URBAN EXISTING CONDITION Sculptures and public works populate a neglected pedestrian mall
G ¡ G G G
G GaG Ga G G
EXISTING
Fountain + Seating
G G G
G GaG G G
FUTURE
Fresno Municipal Baths
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SYMBIOTIC STATES:
HIGHWAY G
EXISTING CONDITION While advertisements lure people into farms with agricultural tourism and gimmicks, the aspect of labor which they survive on is rarely acknowledged outside of the farm. The billboard occupies an undesirable and overlooked zone between the highway and the city- but structurally has opportunities for more deliberate occupation.
EXISTING
Billboard
FUTURE
Cultural Center Market / Chapel / Disco
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SYMBIOTIC STATES:
SUBURBAN G
EXISTING CONDITION The Home Depot has been a site of exchange for day laborers in search of work, and customers and contractors who shop there. Some stores have prodvided shelter on-site and designated pick-up zones separate from the customer entrance.
EXISTING
Big Box Store
{y|zzG hkhw{h{pvuGXG v G G GG
{y|zzG hkhw{h{pvuGYG l G G G G
FUTURE
Garden / Housing / Market
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PROFESSIONAL | BARKOW LEIBINGER
ENERGIE - UND ZUKUNFTSSPEICHER HEIDELBERG FACADE + WELCOME CENTER SU M MER 2 016 B E RL I N , GERMAN Y B ARKOW LEI BI N GER COM PETITION
This competition, completed during a summer internship at Barkow Leibinger, required a facade system, roof restaurant, and ground level welcome center as part of a revitalization for an energy campus. With a focus on materiality, this project was heavily developed through models, where phenomenon such as texture, light fluctuation, and porosity are best explored. Taking cues from natural screens such as corn husks, the resulting material tests for the facade informed the design concept for the spaces and site, and eventually became a mode of representation for the final submission.
MODEL AS VISUALIZATION Custom perforations are experimented in model for porosity and inform the curve radius of a perforated aluminum facade, which is then tested in the digital model. Models become base for visualization in development and competition drawings.
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MATERIAL ITERATIONS Options for different materials for the facade, leading to the final development of the aluminum paneling.
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TEACHING | CORNELL IN ROME
AN ARCHAEOLOGY OF LIGHT VISITING CRITIC + COURSE DESIGN FA L L 2 018 CO RN E LL I N R O M E FO U N DAT I O N S O F ARC HITECTURE The Foundations of Architecture studio for students with no prior background in architecture aimed to introduce fundamental ideas of composition and material, in the context of Rome’s rich heritage. The series of projects were designed in 3 stages, in response to one of the most crucial components of Rome’s architectural experiencelight and shadow. The initial exercises translated material and spatial characteristics from 3D to 2D, which then became a series of operable models, transforming these compositions into experiences of light and shadow.
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RO M AN RE LIQ U A RY Finally, the light devices with their inherent spatial qualities were scaled and adapted to a specific site in Rome, becoming reliquaries for objects discovered during the construction of a subway. Students | Harrison Bernstein, Francesca Consagra, Madeline Harenza, Ryan Jaeger, Audrey Tirtohadiguno
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LAURA KIMMEL
CONTACT Laura Kimmel 185 Jefferson St Brooklyn, NY 11206
lak243@cornell.edu www.lakimmel.com +1 (910) 538-2786