Michael Bergin Bachelors of Fine Arts in Design 2008 University of Massachusetts Amherst Masters of Architecture I - Fall 2010
Michael S Bergin - 2010
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Framing the Void
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The View Box
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Identify Yourself
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Poetic Terrorism
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PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT PRODUCT
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ROLL OUT TRASH CONTAINERS
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JAN. CL.
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SUSHI BAR SUSHI BAR 104
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WOMEN 110
CORRIDOR 1 108
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ELEV. MACHINE RM. 109
COAT ROOM 107
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VESTIBULE
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BAR
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Terminal A - DFW
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Professional Work
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PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT PROD
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United Nations Promenade
Background E D U CATIO N
University of Massachusetts | Amherst MA Bachelor of Fine Arts in Architecture + Design | May 2008 Cum Laude | Major GPA 3.79 Deans List | Spring 2006 - Fall 2008 On Architecture Exhibition | Hampshire College | May 2008 Herter Gallery Exhibition | May 2007 AIAS Charter Member | March 2006 - May 2008
E X P E RIE N CE
CMSS Architects | Virginia Beach VA BIM Specialist, Intern Architect | September 2008 - Present Transitioned 100 person firm from 2D AutoCAD to 3D Revit software. Worked as an integral member of design team on several large scale projects, producing schematic drawings, working drawings and illustrations. Projects include : • American Embassy and Hotel, Kabul, Afghanistan (150,000 SF) • Joint Forces Command Headquarters, Norfolk, VA (60,000 SF) • The Lodge at Fort Lee, Petersburg, VA (600,000 SF) • City View Apartments, Virginia Beach, VA (250,000 SF) • Gateway Tower, Virginia Beach, VA (1,100,000 SF) Kuhn Riddle Architects | Amherst MA Intern Architect | May 2007 -September 2008 Produced several sets of Construction Documents and Illustrations for a broad range of Academic, Retail and Residential clients, including : • Deerfield Academy Fitness Center, Deerfield, MA (200,000 SF) • Onyx Fusion Cuisine, Springfield, MA (25,000 SF) • Cherewatti Residence, Amherst, MA (12,000 SF) Sigrid Miller Pollin Architect | Amherst MA Intern Architect | December 2007 - July 2008 Provided Schematic Design, Documentation, Illustration, Presentation and Research for UMass Media Lab.
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Michael S Bergin - 2010
UMass Architecture + Design | Amherst MA Teaching Assistant| January 2007 - May 2007 Tutored 60 students in undergraduate and graduate sections Focused on BIM Parametric (Revit, Archicad) and 3D Rendering platforms, integrating hand drawing and digital representation. Studio Projects | Northampton MA Architectural Illustrator| August 2006 - March 2007 Developed documents and illustrations for non-profit projects throughout the Pioneer Valley, including : • Nuestras Raices - Holyoke, MA • Academy of Music Theatre - Northampton, MA
AFFILIATIONS
USGBC [United States Green Building Council] LEED Accredited Professional - 5/2009 - Present HRGBC [Hampton Roads Green Building Council] Member, Graphic Designer - 5/2009 - Present AIA [American Institute of Architects] Associate Member - August 2008 - Present AIAS [American Institute of Architecture Students] AIAS University of Massachusetts Amherst - 3/2006 - May 2008
CONTACT
524 Washinton Park Ghent, Norfolk VA | 23517 413.559.9493 michael.s.bergin@gmail.com
Michael S Bergin - 2010
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Framing the Void Design IV Prof. Joseph Krupczynski University of Massachusetts North Haven, Long Island
The Center for Media Studies Located adjacent to Diller and Scofidio’s Slow House is the Vonnegut Center for Media Studies. The project is dramatically inserted into a cliff to maximize views and to comply with local zoning regulations which prohibit impeding on existing views. Through research into Diller and Scofidio’s original design intent for the Slow House and my own interpretation of the site, I developed the Center for Media Studies as a series of lenses that frame the ocean as an isolated field, without context.
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Michael S Bergin - 2010
Location | Long Island, New York Program | Center for Media Studies Size | 25,000 Ft. Sq. Major Elements :
Scholar Apartments Exhibition Hall Library Conference Rooms Reception Administrative Offices
Design Problems :
Overlapping Public and Private Zones Value of House Proportional to Framed Views Proximity to Ocean Rising Water Levels Codes Restricting Interference with Existing Views
Michael S Bergin - 2010
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Framing the Void Design IV Prof. Joseph Krupczynski University of Massachusetts
East Elevation
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Michael S Bergin - 2010
Cliff Level
Library and Administration
AV, Cafe, Conference
Exhibition Hall, Beach Level Library and Administration Floor
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Framing the Void Design IV Prof. Joseph Krupczynski University of Massachusetts
Value of ‘Visual Ownership’ My study acknowledges that in residential real estate Property Value in North Haven, Long there is a point where architectural design becomes insignificant in the price of a home. The diagram [at right] explores this condition by visually mapping several home values in the area ranging from one to twenty million dollars in value. I propose that visual $ $ interaction in American culture implies ownership: $ the likeness of someone is considered their personal $ property, and images representing them cannot $ legally be used without permission. Similarly, the $$ $ $$ view showing through your picture window becomes $ $ $ $ an object of ownership which translates to higher $ $ $ $ $ $ $ real estate value. $ So context becomes a household amenity as common$ $ $ as espresso makers and towel warmers. The Center $ for Media Studies moves into the cliff to maximize $ $ the unadulterated view, thereby maximizing its value. $ $
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High Noise = Low Value
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Minimal Noise = Median Value
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Island
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No Noise = Very High Value
The Slow House Diller and Scofidio 1990 North Haven, Long Island, New York Hand Drafted - 2006
The Center for Media Studies Michael S Begin Center for Media Studies 2006-7 North Haven, Long Island, New York
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Framing the Void Design IV Prof. Joseph Krupczynski University of Massachusetts
Scholar’s Residence Outdoor Patio
Reception
Waiting
Conference Room Beach Level and Exhibition Hall
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Michael S Bergin - 2010
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Framing the Void Design IV Prof. Joseph Krupczynski University of Massachusetts
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Beach Level and Exhibition Hall
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The View Box Design IV Prof. Joseph Krupczynski University of Massachusetts Amherst
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Michael S Bergin - 2010
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The View Box Design IV Prof. Joseph Krupczynski University of Massachusetts Amherst
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Michael S Bergin - 2010
Responding to the Slow House After studying Diller and Scofidio’s Slow House, I created this View Box. The View Box is a scanning device, a rudimentary ‘telescope’ with a lens broken into two parts. The top portion looks outward through a transparent pane of polycarbonate and exhibits a public view. The bottom pane is private, a mirror that reflects back a square framing the user’s eye. This concept mirrors Diller and Scofidio’s Slow House in section regarding the articulation of public and private space. The View Box is constructed from sheets of bass wood, polycarbonate and mirror. The wood is sanded and waxed to achieve a smooth and seamless edge.
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The Currency of Attention Theory
Exhibition Space Exhibition Space is shown here in an iconic architectural form, the stadium. The stadium form is generated by the flow of attention from spectator to performer. I have taken care in my projects to organize space for watching and being watched because I acknowledge the impact this has on spatial experience. The adrenaline rush experienced from performing in front of a crowd by an athlete, musician, or academic impacts the quality of their performance. Similarly, the intensity and duration of focused attention amplifies the intensity of a variety of emotions. I want to know whether football players in general play better on game night or when they are practicing in a more private setting. If activated architecture can influence the performance of an athlete, then it would be easier to prove that architecture can also influence learning in an educational environment or healing for those with illnesses or injuries.
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Voyeuristic Space In Voyeuristic Space, there is a mass focus of attention on one thing. The way stadiums are designed creates a sense of privacy for the viewer, who watches beyond the rows in front of him, which frame the event space. As part of the metaphorical ‘ground’ in the figure-ground stadium relationship this allows the spectator to be comfortable while facing the field, even though there may be thousands of people viewing him. As visual obstructions of the event (environmental static) decrease, there is a proportional increase in the value of the experience and event price.
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Identify Yourself Design II w/ Chris Brodeur Prof. Jeremy Boyle
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Art and Crime This project was a response to a assignment to create a high-impact installation somewhere on the UMass campus. The twenty five foot tall image of Mr. Brodeur is titled with his Student ID number. The catalyst for this project was an event: working as a photographer and studying organizational behavior during a riot after the 2006 NCAA championships, Mr Brodeur was struck by a riot control grenade in the foot. In addition to suffering permanent nerve damage in his limb, he was expelled because of a University decision to punish all those who were present at the event. More than one thousand students were present and more than eighty thousand dollars worth of property was damaged. While it was rather unwise for Mr. Brodeur to get into the riot with his camera, his innocence is memorialized in this ephemeral installation. * Collaboration : I was responsible for conceiving and managing this project, as well as assisting in its construction.
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On Poetic Terrorism Design IV Prof. Joseph Krupczynski Prof. Jeremy Boyle University of Massachusetts Amherst
Reverse Engineering the Stapler This project was inspired by Hakim Bey’s Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ) and in specific the portion regarding Poetic Terrorism : Weird dancing in all night computer-banking lobbies. Unauthorized pyrotechnic displays. Land-art... Burglarize houses but instead of stealing, leave Poetic-Terrorist objects. Kidnap someone & make them happy. Pick someone at random & convince them they’re the heir to an enormous, useless & amazing fortune--say 5000 square miles of Antarctica, or an aging circus elephant... Later they will come to realize that for a few moments they believed in something extraordinary, & will perhaps be driven as a result to seek out some more intense mode of existence.
The PT Stapler Holder gives a great tool of efficiency a high-fashion, low-utility armature for display in the workplace. The product is envisioned as being packaged and sold through television commercials for the person ‘who has everything’. Over time, assuming a consistent number of staples discharged and multiplying at a rate consistent with a median income for a office job, there is a great loss to the productivity of the system.
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Circulation Oil on Canvas 2007
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United Nations Promenade Design V Prof. Thom Long Hampshire College
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Michael S Bergin - 2010
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United Nations Promenade Design V Prof. Thom Long Hampshire College
Architecture and Propaganda The United Nations, developed in 1945 is the largest international governing body. The organization is charged with promoting and maintaining peace and security throughout the world. This is no small task, and the United Nations complex, which was built atop an old slaughterhouse, has housed the UN since 1952. The site is especially unique in that is considered international territory and is not subject to any federal, state or local laws. Despite its global impact, the architecture of the area immediately surrounding the United Nations remains largely unaffected by its presence. Nearly fifty years after its implementation, the United Nations continues to be a highly powerful organization in the matters of world trade, economics, and foreign relations. The influence of the UN is great, yet those influenced by UN decisions have limited means for voicing their opinions directly to United Nations ambassadors. In the existing site, the official ‘protest zone’ is located some 1000 ft down the road from the Secretariat and an audience for the message is nonexistent. Witnessing this scene of twenty protestors, some crying (Pg. 30, 31) , and flanked by formidable police and security presence struck me as an intolerable condition. I set about converting the site adjacent to the UN to be a Center for Culture, a large mixed use development that reacts in particular to the Secretariat Building at the United Nations which in 2010 will undergo a 1.5 billion renovation.
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United Nations
UN Promenade
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United Nations Promenade Design V Prof. Thom Long Hampshire College
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Existing Conditions
At the site I was reminded of the absurd impotence of modern protest as Burmese activists chanted and cried for freedom 500 feet below their intended audience.
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United Nations Promenade Design V Prof. Thom Long Hampshire College
Crowd activated Facade
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Protestors in formation
Facade activated by protestors
Diplomats paying attention
United Nations Secretariat Building
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United Nations Promenade Design V Prof. Thom Long Hampshire College
World Stage Material This conceptual material that appears frequently throughout the UN Promenade and acts like a ‘portal’ to another world. A dual projector-camera device set on a grid captures a scene in Manhattan and projects full scale audio and video to a similar high intensity zone in the world. This activated boundary between two geographically disparate spaces acts can facilitate relationships, events and connectivity.
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Location of World Stage Manhattan and Proxy Locations
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United Nations Promenade Design V Prof. Thom Long Hampshire College
Framing 42nd Street The 42nd Street Theater is a performing arts center that hovers above Forty Second street. The main design element is a large transparent wall that frames the void created by one of the most culturally rich thoroughfares in the world. The backdrop of city activity is a dramatic set for performances as buildings like the Chrysler Building, Ford Foundation and the New York Public Library flank the periphery of the stage.
Section through 42nd Street looking North
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View from Row P towards stage and down 42nd Street.
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United Nations Promenade Design V Prof. Thom Long Hampshire College
Conceptual Master Plan Studying the site of the United Nations in New York, I created a set of movement vectors that represent thematic spatial connections. This is a high intensity site with a junction of 42nd street and the United Nations. From the surrounding activities and events I extracted three main vectors which are Government (Control), Culture and Wild Nature. The Government vector begins at the Secretariat and continues hastily along 1st Avenue towards the surrounding embassies and foreign offices. The Culture vector shoots out of 42nd Street with tourists en route from times square and makes a dash for the Secretariat. The Wild Nature vector begins at the East River North of the Secretariat and then meanders throughout the site of Ralph Bunche Park before returning to its origin, East of the 42nd Street Theater. I modeled and explored these vectors as a literal form maker for extended periods of time but ultimately came to the decision that the appropriate formal solution was an orthogonal one, due to pre-existing conditions on the site. This study contributed greatly to the generation of the forms for the UN Promenade, when applied as a three dimensional graph of variables.
Culture
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Government
Nature
Study Models
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Ter minal A - DFW Thesis w/ Alexandra Fenton Prof. Thom Long / Prof. Ray Kinoshita-Mann Hampshire College / University of Massachusetts
Aesthetics in the Age of Terrorism This project is a response to an ACSA competition to renovate the existing Terminal A at DFW airport in Dallas, Texas. This terminal is to be the flagship terminal for the worlds largest airline, American Airlines. The competition was co-sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. Going through the programmatic information, we learned that there is an amazing amount of money spent on airport security annually. Our research team visited the airport on a reconnaissance mission gathering data and recording experience to determine the most effective design solutions. The current security system has many illogical conditions, such as the rule where all liquids must be in 3 oz. containers or less. Many travellers have lost standard sized cosmetic products to this trap. It is easy to see that you could put one gallons worth of liquid explosive into smaller 3 oz. containers and smuggle them aboard a flight. We determined that the real reason Airport Security is effective at making us feel safe is that it speaks to several emotional necessities. By bringing all passengers to an indiscriminate benchmark (everyone has to put liquids in 3 oz. containers) the security process reinforces the feeling of inclusion and camaraderie among travelers. TSA employees on the job are typically serious and stoic as they expose the private belongings of a patron. This condition of self exposure and acceptance of complete surveillance drove our decision to make an airport that had as streamlined and organic of a circulation as possible. We chose a three part plan that is generated by interpreting the movement path of tourists and business travelers. * Collaboration : I am responsible for creating all images, diagrams and drawings shown.
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Clear sight lines, an intuitive wayfinding system, framing the spectacle of flight.
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Ter minal A - DFW Thesis w/ Alexandra Fenton Prof. Thom Long / Prof. Ray Kinoshita-Mann Hampshire College / University of Massachusetts
The Security Process In this image from the existing Terminal A, security is a convoluted and frantic scene of agents hastily scanning passengers for contraband. In a Department of Homeland Security study, 91% of weapons that were brought through security by undercover TSA agents were not found. The security process is at its best an inconvenient formality that has a practical purpose far removed from its stated goals. This system has many flaws and should be replaced by an elegant, purpose driven scanning design, employed by Terminal A.
Existing Terminal A security is narrow, congested, convoluted and degrading.
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Anti-Terror checkpoints throughout the Terminal ensure that the airport remains terrorist free. If you spot any terrorists lurking within the terminal please call 413-559-9493.
Airport as a home away from home with all of the amenities one would expect of a four star hotel. Spa, gym, basketball courts and swimming pool, restaurants, high end retail stores at outlet prices. Typical up front cost is 36% of total cost.
The airport becomes a convenient place to work and relax on a deadline. Fast track security, skywalk takes you directly to skylink from parking garage to access connections at all of DFW’s six terminals. Up-front cost is nearly equal to the total cost.
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Ter minal A - DFW Thesis w/ Alexandra Fenton Prof. Thom Long / Prof. Ray Kinoshita-Mann Hampshire College / University of Massachusetts
Automated Valet
Relaxation / FastTrack Security
Section through Fast-Track Procession
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Terminal A
Skylink/Airside
Automated Valet
Relaxation
Fast-Track Security
Sky Vision
Arrivals can choose to park short term or long term, parking is available with 800 space capacity for the automatic valet system, which allows a passenger to drop their car off and go through a fast-track security.
Outside of the parking garage is a large greenfield with trees, picnic areas and places to relax. Those with layovers can relax in the Texas sun.
Ramps extending from the parking garage with fast and slow lanes available with premium Terminal A parking can send you through fast-track security and directly into the second floor shopping area.
Terminal A has a transparent solar roof which allows great amounts of natural light to penetrate into the space and also showcases the planes flying in and out of the airport. We call this ‘Skyvision’ the seats in the waiting areas are set up like a movie theatre, focusing the passenger on a window that frames the flight path.
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Ter minal A - DFW Thesis w/ Alexandra Fenton Prof. Thom Long / Prof. Ray Kinoshita-Mann Hampshire College / University of Massachusetts
A Clear Line of Sight The diagram at right shows how nodes of important activity were identified. In our design care was taken to ensure a clean line of sight from as many of these points as possible throughout the airport. These points generated the ‘boardwalk’: a plank clad walkway that provides a clear and intuitive circulation route throughout the terminal.
Lines of Sight
BIPV Roof System The opposite page shows a series of diagrams related to the transparent/active roof system. The roof is parametrically generated based on optimal shading patterns and maximum solar gain. Using Ecotect software and Rhinoceros with Grasshopper for parametric modeling, the angle of each ‘louver’ can be prescribed to ensure a comfortable and efficient environment.
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Boardwalk
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Ter minal A - DFW Thesis w/ Alexandra Fenton Prof. Thom Long / Prof. Ray Kinoshita-Mann Hampshire College / University of Massachusetts
Terminal A seeks to invoke an architecture of marketing: a procession that begins at home as soon as the ticket is purchased online. On the internet there is a ‘virtual airport’ where you can plan your day of travel and reserve time at the massage parlor, exercise at the 24 hour gym or play nine holes of golf at the sports center.
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Integrated into the merchant website is an application that plugs into social networking sites like facebook, linkedin or twitter. You have the option to notify your online network about your upcoming trip and you can also choose to meet others who may be on your flight, potentially turning a potentially silent and awkward trans-atlantic trip into a memorable occasion.
Michael S Bergin - 2010
New Light and High-Speed rail connections at DFW make transportation to and from a breeze. However, if you do find it necessary to bring an automobile with you, you have the option of using our innovative fast-track automatic valet system. This car elevator allows business class travelers to drop their cars and be swept over the bridge and through the fast-lane security in minutes.
When you arrive at the terminal, we understand that saying goodbye to your loved ones can be difficult. That’s why Terminal A has the ‘Gordon Ramsay at DFW Airport’ four star restaurant with a portion available with non-secure seating. Here you can relax in luxury while you are checked in on the fast track through security, please arrive at least two hours early for this service.
The Architectural Procession Redefined
Does going through airport security make you nervous? The Department of Homeland Security has worked tirelessly to bring you the new noninvasive digital human scanner (NIDHS) with an average wait time of only 2 minutes, the new system uses computed tomography to generate a 3D representation of your body while simultaneously checking for potentially unsafe objects. These checks are necessary to ensure the safety of everyone aboard your flight.
An architecture that facilitates an event can extend beyond the physical site and into the digital world, a procession that starts in your living room months before your journey.
The new information portal at DFW is a live screen that encircles the entire airport inside of the gate in the ‘Boardwalk’ zone. Calling 101 on your cell phone will activate the interactive controller and allow you to receive the latest info on your flight, hotel reservations, networking sites and potential destinations.
After you have situated yourself you can place your belongings at your pre-reserved locker and have fun while you wait for your flight! Enjoy the complementary 5 minute massage at the spa or perfect your swing at the Golf complex.
Enjoy your flight, it’s our goal to make sure that your vacation or trip is one that you will remember fondly. Here at American Airlines : We know why you fly.
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Criticism
Two weeks after I wrote this article for a local arts and culture magazine critiquing the poor material quality and color scheme, the project was refinished and repainted, to dramatic benefit.
201 Twenty One - Ghent’s Newest Development. We all want our families, our significant others, doctors and friends to be honest with us, but what about our architecture?... 201 Twenty One is Ghent’s newest development, a sprawling two hundred and fifty unit mixed use ‘luxury apartment complex’ complete with a full fitness center. Mixed-use, I love it, it’s the kind of development that makes perfect sense, liberating us from car dependency while facilitating social interaction and robust communities . Norfolk’s Ghent has a lot of mixed use development but until now it has been oriented horizontally, with 21st street and Colley Ave. having a bulk of the businesses creating a perimeter around a dense strictly residential neighborhood. 201 Twenty One is an example of vertical residential, retaining ample retail space on the ground floor that could provide home to more great local businesses, and, being the first major loft development in Ghent it could signal a change for the better. In theory, with all of the amenities, great location, fancy renderings and exciting program for this project I should love it, but in execution it just feels like I’m walking through a B movie set, it seems fake. Architects have had a long riddled history concerning the importance of honesty in design. Classical architecture set the bar for beauty that is imitated in so much of the design that most of us consider aesthetically pleasing. As designers we (sometimes grudgingly) draw and spec these same cornices and pilasters that were hand-crafted by stone artisans for millenia. At one point, those details were honest creations that were born of the spirit of a time. As with most things ‘they just don’t make ‘em like they used to’ and architecture is no exception. As the United States developed, the powers that be sought to invoke some of the tried and true decadence of their European ancestors first with guilds, craftsmen and imported architects and later with mass production as steel I-Beams were wrapped with Corinthian columns. This phase of design history is referred to as the Beaux-Arts movement after a famous school in Paris, the École des Beaux-Arts and it leaves behind some of the most inspiring American buildings including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the New York Public Library. Much of the architecture in downtown Norfolk is of the modern style, the major movement of post-war America through to the eighties. These hulking glass and steel boxes which you may interpret as having little or no ‘character’ are a result of backlash to the rapid ‘gilded age’ development of the early twentieth century. Modernism followed suit with the economical nature of the world wars when we had to conserve materials and create beautiful buildings that were as efficient as possible, or at least as efficient as you can be with air conditioning. The principles of modernism are admirable but as the construction techniques fell into the wrong hands it became an excuse to build as fast and as cheap as possible. Say what you will about monotonous glass and concrete high-rises of the modern era... at least they are honest with us. Which brings us full circle to 201 Twenty One, and post modernism. A movement unconsciously practiced by a huge majority of American architects for the past thirty years. The principles of post modernism claim that complexity and contradiction are good things and that raw expression of structure is boring. The theorists even pointed to Las Vegas and claimed that the signage of the
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casino buildings along the strip was more important architecturally than the building itself. One of the pioneers of this school of thought, Robert Venturi, famously parodized the king of glass and steel modern, Mies Van der Rohe by stating “Less is more? No, less is a bore.” 201 Twenty One has more... more colors on its palate than a gay parade, more materials on the facade than in home depot aisles and so many reveals and oddly proportioned pieces of trim that it is hard to focus! Much of the charm of Ghent comes from the great little shops that line the corridors of Twenty First street and Colley avenue and the great beauty of the neighborhood comes from its eclectic nature. This eclecticism seems to be the concept that generated the design of the apartments, by creating disparate portions the complex could seem like five different buildings from five different angles. This goal is only mildly successful in that regard as the wide-range of materials fails to play into its counterparts in a intriguing manner and the result is mismatched rather than complementary, confusing the overall impression of the project. One of the most revealing aspects of the design is the unbelievable disparity between the rendered illustrations and the final product. The renderings provide a convincing image of an updated take on an American stick style where the structure is expressed with exterior trim and a stucco finish is envisioned. The lack of clear communication between the design firm, contractor and client is most evident here as materials were substituted and details were fudged resulting in a product which is a fisher-price version of what was sold to the city’s design review board. It’s given that the developer, Roseland Property, completed a majority of the construction during the worst recession in eighty years so a little skimping here and there should be expected. The final product shows that as the project moved on there was less and less confidence in a return on investment and the exterior cladding turned out rather embarrassing. The hardy panel system is uninspiring and the pattern of reveals looks as if it could have been pasted on with a glue stick. It’s ugly. Not elephant man ugly, but cubic zirconium, tube top and heavy eyeliner ugly. The four foot parapets invoke visions of mini malls. It is clear that the treatment of the elevations was meant to say “look at my high, opulent ceilings” when its really hoping that you don’t walk around back and find the crisis center and homeless shelter... there are many clues that support the fact that the design team just didn’t do their research. Instead of studying the history and texture of the existing community they attempted to create their own context, with a tragic outcome. Though the motives may be skewed I have to give the developers credit for re-using the existing structure from the Sears building. The reason being that the project received tax credits for maintaining a certain percentage of the previous building. I was disappointed however to see that there is no visible reminder of the former occupant of the site. Some of the more successful projects in the Norfolk area recently include 435 Monticello and Golds Gym which preserve the exterior idea of the facade in whole or in part which is not only environmentally responsible but is also honestly representing the past and moving elegantly into the future. Sadly the original building did not create as great of an opportunity to preserve the entire face, but some effort to integrate the old with the new would have been a great addition to the street-scape. If you can afford to spare the two thousand dollars per month a two bedroom unit will cost you to be a part of the cool crowd at 201 twenty one, you will probably find it a pretty nice place to live. Looking at the empty shell now I can imagine a whole slew of projects like this creating a neighborhood like Georgetown in the distant future. I hope that the high aspirations of Roseland Property are not devastated as they find they had overestimated the housing demand in the area. We need more mixed use and it would be terrible if it became a beacon of failure warning against similar endeavors. I could comment all day about misproportioned reveals and unflattering color schemes but when all is said and done it’s about what the community makes of the project. After all, buildings are just brick and mortar, it’s the occupants and the communities that really make architecture.
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Sketchbook Paris, France Spring 2008
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Kuhn Riddle Architects Deerfield Academy Fitness Center and Student Store Chris Riddle, AIA, LEED AP
http://www.youtube.com/msbergin
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The Deerfield Animations This project was in collaboration with Karelt De La Cruz. Intern Architect and fellow UMass student. A five minute walkthrough of a private academy student center, with animated doors and television prepared for Kuhn Riddle Architects. The movie and the construction documents were produced from the same BIM model. The movie was used for fundraising for the new complex. My first full time job at an architecture firm was at Kuhn Riddle Architects in Amherst, Massachusetts. Working for academic clients like Amherst College, University of Massachusetts, Hampshire College, Deerfield Academy and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Northfield Mount Hermon I assisted in the creation of construction documents and illustrations for a variety of projects ranging from small renovations to new construction campus centers.
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Kuhn Riddle Architects
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Onyx Restaurant A
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33
32
JAN. CL.
MEN
112
113
SUSHI BAR SUSHI BAR 104
15
29
14
WOMEN 110
CORRIDOR 1 108
B7 UP
STAIR 102a
ELEV. MACHINE RM. 109
COAT ROOM 107
C 20
21 22
VESTIBULE
D
27
23
101
1'-0"
C.5
MAIN BAR BAR 105
BAR
24
20
21
WEST DINING 1
25
111
26 27
C.8
21
D
E 10
11
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Michael S Bergin - 2010
12
13
14
14.5
14.7
This is the first project that I worked on from schematic design through to the end of construction documentation. I played a large role in the rebranding of the restaurant from the ‘Hollywood Barn’ to ‘Onyx’. After viewing the signage options suggested by the California based signage company I drafted several options for the identity, one of which was immediately chosen for the brand. The owners then decided to focus the entire restaurant around the new theme, using as the centerpoint a 30’ slab of translucent amber onyx from a mine in Utah which is lit from beneath at the main bar. The project is located in the former Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT PRODUCT
Onyx Restaurant Springfield, Massachusetts John Kuhn, AIA, LEED AP
TRY THE TRUFFLE RISOTTO WITH SHITAKE MUSHROOMS
I designed this identity for the Onyx Restaurant while working on the design development and construction documents at Kuhn Riddle Architects in Amherst, Massachusetts. The building is the former Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame and the project utilizes the existing shell. This project was the first that I worked on to be fully realized.
Michael S Bergin - 2010
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CMSS Architects BIM Specialist, Intern Architect Virginia Beach, VA, Reston, VA Jeff Bleh, AIA
BIM Management At CMSS Architects I was responsible for integrating the new company brand and identity into all of the deliverable documents. I designed new title blocks for Construction Documents, sketch sheets and presentation boards. At right are graphic standard guidelines I developed to ensure that documents are clear, easy to read and follow established conventions. The project at right, ‘City View’ was organized into many component pieces to facilitate a smooth and effective workflow. I developed many custom parametric ‘family elements’ that allow for quick and effective schematic design and quickly generated, accurate three dimensional representations.
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Michael S Bergin - 2010
Michael S Bergin - 2010
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CMSS Architects BIM Specialist, Intern Architect Virginia Beach, VA, Reston, VA John Crouse, AIA, LEED Susan Brain, AIA, LEED AP
BIM, Going Corporate The Lodge at Fort Lee was an exercise in efficient space planning and structural systems. The project was done to prescribed from an RFP. The program called for one thousand rooms plus accomodation for a seven hundred room expansion. A cruciform parti was chosen to maximize core accessibility and space. The highly complex requirements made for an interesting and challenging design experience. I drafted and designed plans and elevations in Revit Architecture and created illustrations with Mental Ray, 3D Studio Max and Photoshop. Post production (background trees, shrubs) in the rendered image was completed by Scott Wertz, Architectural Illustrator.
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Michael S Bergin - 2010
Michael S Bergin - 2010
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