Laurens Boevé Rojas Portfolio 22-23

LAURENS BOEVÉ ROJAS

CONTENTS

PLASTIKA

PHYSICAL MODELING [1:5] BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS AS KINETIC STRUCTURES, LONDON, UK

THIRD YEAR | 2023

PLASTIKA, a digitally fabricated and hand made infrastructural system that merges locally sourced and sustainable materials with flexible earthquake-resistant design, through a kinetic bracing system to incorporate stability in inherently unstable structures of heritage. Specifically, the Rumeli Hisari, in Istanbul, Turkey - an area prone to seismic activity. The system is based on prefabricated sheets of starch-based plastic and timber through a process known as kerfing [perforating solid surfaces, to make them bend and fold into a desired three-dimentional object]. These are assembled and constructed on-site to be joined to areas natural heritage [tree root system], with an addional binding process of airblowing a separate mixture of bioplastic into a web network.

The composite material incorporates biodegradable bio-based plastic (made from local ingredients, ranging from, cornstarch, virgin glycerine harvested from native plant oils, crude glycerine [byproduct of biodiesel industry], and salts, and water), boud with kerfed timber. The prototype on the right is composed out polyethylene and timber.

The outcome comprises of a layered frame made out of rigid bioplastic and timber sheets that can be rolled, packed and transported easily. Woven together by a webbed membrane. Assembled in short period of time, the exoskeleton-like structure can continue to be deployed around different places of significant heritage to host spaces for community housing and humanitarian aid.

Polypropylene and Timber

Blow Molding starchbased plastic solution onto a node system to undergoe dehydration and contraction. A webbed network is left behind.

The Voronoi tessellation algorithm is a method of dividing a plane into regions based on proximity to a set of points.

The component takes the input points and calculates the Voronoi cells or polygons that are generated by connecting the midpoints of each pair of points. The resulting polygons represent the regions of the plane that are closest to each input point.

WEBBED NODE CURATION

Photographic evolution of a starch-based plastic webbed node by applied blow molding. An analysis of its density through the use of light, provides valuable insights into the behavior and characteristics of the system.

III II I

STARCH- BASED PLASTIC BLOW MOLDING

Exploded elevation of the building system’s [artifact] kinetic possibilities. Layered ArtifaWct Motion Diagram [close-up]

KINETIC STARCH-BASED PLASTIC MEMBRANE

Samples of process to kinetic membrane to develop a building system, comprised of a node system.

ARMONIA, A RESURRECTED SANCTUARY

CANVEY WICK, ESSEX, UK INTERMEDIATE 3+ | 2021-2022

Armonia is a visionary project that seeks to revitalize abandoned land through a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations in the UK such as climate refugees and those in need of social support. The proposal is situated on the southwest corner of Canvey Island in Essex, on the site of the abandoned Occidental Thames Refinery, which was partly built in the 1980s and demolished in 1997. Since 2005, the 93-hectare site has been a nature reserve known as Canvey Wick, but its regeneration has been impeded by past exploitation.

Armonia’s approach to architecture is guided by the principle of mutualism, in which architecture becomes a nurturer and teacher for its inhabitants to sustainably live alongside one another and grow the land. The project envisions a regenerative ecosystem in which the built environment emerges alongside the natural one, promoting physical and mental health, a sense of purpose and belonging, and community.

The project addresses our relationship to nature against the context of an Aristocratic management of land – land without edible produce. Architecture built on the principle of mutualism, becomes a nurturer and teacher for its inhabitants to sustainably live amongst each other and grow the land, for in return the land provides physical and mental health, a purpose, and a sense of belonging, as well as a community.

Armonia, expands outwards, from ground zero.

PROPOSED CIRCULATION

Armonia is designed as a self-sustaining ecosystem, with a constant exchange of energy and resources between the project’s internal and external environments. The diagrams of occupation, circulation, and programming demonstrate a balanced mix of high- and low-density zones.

Zone 0, the open central area, is of low density but can experience significant fluctuations in population density during periodic mass congregations. Zone 1 consists of a compact habitation zone with high density, while Zone 2 comprises a mixture of dense habitation and arable marshland with low density.

The outer zones are designed to adapt to the project’s evolving needs.

MAXIMIZING SITE TOPOGRAPHY

The site is strategically positioned for both land and water transportation on a meso scale. Land corridors are proposed to connect the epicenter of the proposal to the National Road grid and local communities. The water system is also a crucial component of the proposal. Canals of varying widths allow water to seep in from the Thames Estuary and branch off to national canal networks, allowing for efficient water transport. The site is thus well-connected to both the mainland and the sea, maximizing its topographical advantages.

Plan, Radial Zonification of Site - Subject to Tarmac Pads

CLIMATIC DESIGN

The site is subdivided into concentric rings, expanding from an existing central tarmac pad. This radial design was rethought and sectioned according to the site’s annual intake of wind and sun. The land is terraformed to minimize solar intake in zone 0, yet maximize sun in the outer zones. Wind is mitigated in zone 0, and slightly deviated in zone 1.

Architecture emerges from site excavations, and terraforming. Additionally, water is brought into the site in the form of extensive canal network [natural buffers between zones].

Overlaid Plan with Annual Wind and Solar Notations

Overlaid Plan of Armonia [Iteration 1.0]

Development Illustrations

ARMONIA - TECTONICS

Alongside a fascination to build with nature’s growth - by adopting dense lining and fibrous volumes [prominent in parasitic species] - architecture grown from the earth has been developed. Excavated clay and sediment on site are to be used for the built infrastructure - resulting in earth grown architecture. Space is distributed to allow for buffer zones between densely habited areas, promoting undisturbed ecosystem growth. This growth eventually strengthens the foundations and architecture grounded between buffer zones.

CONTEXTUAL MODEL

The Contextual Model showcases the evolution of the tarmac pads within a new design proposal, bringing their timespan to life.

Divided into three sections, the model represents “What Could Have Been” (the oil tank), “What Is” (the overgrown surface), and “What Could Be” (a coexistence between man and nature, symbolized by the growth of roots and man-made infrastructure).

Pad Pad II Pad III

SUNNY SIDE UP

WINNING PROPOSAL, GROUP COMPETITION

REINVENTING HUGUENOT HOUSE LEICESTER SQUARE, LONDON, UK FIRST YEAR | 2020-2021

The Sunny Side Up project focuses on redefining what public housing means to the pedestrians and residents of Leicester Square by extending public circulation into the main roads and streets of Leicester Square. Passerby’s find themselves charmed towards a moving cloaked building vulnerable to its interior activities and stay for the organized and impromptu performances and programs hosted within Sunny. The alternance in the nature of the site becomes significantly apparent when the day turns night, displaying a play of lightness and softness, an element that was lacking within the existing Huguenot House.

The ground floor level was removed, and an open square was incorporated that is accessible from the south face of the once old ODEON theatre block. From there, one’s attention is directed up towards the suspended step amphitheater built within the existing carparks skeletal structure. Ramp extensions run parallel along the sides of the structure, for accessibilty, particularly for people with disabilities.

The project trailer features its own score and visuals, providing an engaging glimpse into the project’s vision.

Project Trailer:

https://youtu.be/rQ9K-pC8lM0

Colonizing Space through Digital Art

Analogue Model Program Diagrams [Day & Night]

WILDERNESS WITHIN THE DOMESTICATED

SITE ANALYSIS REGENTS CANAL, LONDON, UK FIRST YEAR | 2020-2021

Brief: What is wild? What is domesticated? How can one separate the domesticated and the wild in an urban context such as London?

The studies of Regents Canal and Kings Cross Coal Drop’s Yard highlight a contrast between wild organic growth and restricted growth in London’s urban fabric, Despite COVID-19 restrictions, the sites were explored through Google Street View, resulting in a diverse set of site studies, including a photographic survey.

The bio reading on the far right showcases the complex root system of Camley Street Park, a natural habitat depicted in green, contrasting with the restricted root networks of potted urban trees in Coal Drops yard, depicted in white.

The final composites merge digital illustration and satellite imagery to convey the relationship between undomesticated and domesticated flora in London.

We ultimately question and reflect on how we should and are living alongside nature: be left untouched, or be domesticated

Bioscan of Coal Drops Yard, by Regents Canal: Undomesticated Flora [green]. Domesticated flora [white].

Site Map of Regent’s Canal

REVITALIZING HISTORIC HERITAGE COA VALLEY, PORTUGAL PROJECT LEAD | 2021-2022

The Coa Valley in Portugal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has experienced some of the highest rural abandonment rates in Europe. In an effort to address this issue, the project proposes to apply mutualism to an existing rural settlement in the region to create a sustainable solution to the distressed relationship between the aging population and the degraded land. Proposed architecture becomes one with the local ecosystem’s Wood Wide Web [subterranean root system].

Working alongside professionals and, most importantly, the local community, I proposed the creation of a controlled micro-climate within the town using a plant and tree nursery as a living membrane, while also establishing water harvesting and tree-growing infrastructure on the surrounding land.

By asking the question:

“How and why should we appropriate what has been abandoned, specifically land which has been disregarded and forgotten?”,

I proposal revives the ruins of a walled-in community and return life to the settlement and its surroundings.

Architecture built on the principle of mutualism can become a nurturer and teacher for its inhabitants, enabling them to sustainably live amongst each other and grow the land. In turn, the land provides physical and mental health, a sense of belonging, purpose, and community.

Looking both to the past and far into the future, I aim to learn from building with what we have by adopting a cyclical reconstruction program that prioritizes sustainability and community engagement.

Elevation of project, interlinked with cross section of Wood Wide Web [energy transfers below ground]

depiction of project [digital rendering focused on central church].

Composed Soundtrack for Project: https://youtu.be/LtPh_mqLKgM

Three-dimensional scans were stitched together using photogrammetric processing and modeling software. Raw video footage was used as the data-input, in contrast to conventional photographs - since directing people to develop tens of thousands of coordinated photographs on-site from abroad posed too much of an obstacle.

Chapel

PHOTOGRAMMETY - COMPOSITS OF THE SETTLEMENT

RITUAL LANDS

UNCOVERING TIMELESS CULTURAL CONNECTIONS

TEYUNA, THE ARHUACO CULTURE SECOND YEAR | 2021-2022

The project delves into the concept of “ritual lands” and how they hold the key to understanding the value of abandoned sites. By exploring how human knowledge and culture are deeply embedded in the land, we can begin to understand the importance of preserving these sites.

The focus of this research is on the Arhuaco people, an indigenous group from the Serra Nevada region of Colombia. Through diagrams and visualizations, we illustrate the timeless cultural connections between the Arhuaco and their land, as well as the impact of foreign cultures over time.

Through this exploration, we aim to shed light on the significance of abandoned sites and the importance of preserving cultural heritage for future generations.

Plan of the Teyuna, ancient Arhuaco Town

Abstract depiction of a sacred center [congregational center] connected to communities through spiritual corridors

Theoritcal depiction of a sacred center [congregational center] connected to communities through spiritual corridors.

LEEGHWATERPLEIN BOS

PUBLIC SQUARE, & LONG TERM HABITATION

LEEGHWATERPLEIN, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS FIRST YEAR | 2020-2021

The brief consisted of reinventing the public square where my planned protest [page 7] took place; The Hague, Netherlands. The square lies between a residential neighborhood and a highly trafficked boat canal. The open space should be able to hold a gathering of 100 people. These protesters should be able to inhabit the design for over 30 days.

Sketches, iterations, diagrams, and models embody my thinking process up to my 'final' iteration. I have adapted my design to work with the surrounding natural environment (the canal, as a body of water); ultimately developing a symbiosis between the design and the tides of The Hague.

The idea of designing and implementing a habitable forest in the city spurs from the book ‘The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate’ by German forester and author Peter Wohlleben. In this book, Wohlleben presents the overlooked inner life and connectivity of trees

The underground tree root systems are known as The Wood-Wide Web, or mycorrhizal networks.

Proposal at low tide [walkable forest ground is exposed]

Plan - Proposal at high tide [walkable forest ground is submerged]

The proposed deciduous forest is outlined and grown between the canal (North) and the city of the Hague (South). Human movement on the grounds of this green landscape is limited to conserve and protect this new habitat and its wildlife. Hence, the majority of movement and habitation will be brought into the canopies of the forest.

SECTION DEVELOPMENT TOPOGRAPHIC PROFILE, LEEGHWATERPLEIN BOS

ARVOREST HEADQUARTER + TREE NURSERY

HERITAGE REDEVELOPMENT STATUS: CONSTRUCTION PHASE

ANCIENT STORAGE COMPOUND, CÔA VALLEY, PORTUGAL PROJECT HEAD | 2020-2023

This ongoing restoration project involves renovating an old agricultural storage building in the Coa Valley, Portugal, into an office space and a self-climatized tree nursery using repurposed materials - specifically, unused regional timber utility poles. The design was carefully crafted to address the existing unstable architecture of the agricultural storage compound, ensuring the new proposal coexists in a mutual relationship without relying on the existing infrastructure.

Collaborating closely with local farmers and biologists, plans were handed over to the local constructor and engineer for implementation.

HYDROLOGICAL SITE PLAN

A hydrological site plan has been developed in parallel with the “Arvorest Headquarter and Nursery” project to return the ecosystem’s original flora and fauna.

The plan involves the implementation of contour swales and water harvesting systems, designed based on geographical studies of precipitation and solar analysis. Optimal locations for rain collection and storage ponds have been selected, and swales have been designed to follow the natural contours of the land.

Construction began in 2021 and is being carried out by the local construction team and the author.