ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO LUCAS CHRISTENSEN
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21-28
13-20
29-34
UTOPIAN RETREAT | SITE
HOUSTON, TX. 1
UTOPIAN RETREAT | SITE
The project site was located along the Buffalo Bayou, and the program challenged the project with creating a housing complex that would also be seen as a sort of “destination� along the bayou in the same way that the Dunlavy restaurant to to south is; a place that would bring in people from various parts of Houston that want to enjoy the bayou and escape from the urban chaos of their daily lives. 2
Bridge System replaces floor plates
UTOPIAN RETREAT The “Utopian Retreat” is a planned multiunit housing complex that would contain both hotel style housing as well as more permanent reisdences. One of the first concepts that drove a large part of the building design was the desire to avoid a situation common to apartment style multi unit housing- the double loaded corridor. Spatially uninteresting and generally devoid of natural light, these corridors often cause a lack of social interaction among residents. To combat this idea, the floor plates were cut into, creating a system of bridges between units that causes the interior “alley” of the building to achieve a much more spatially comfortable design, while also bringing in large amounts of natural light.
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The project is composed of two language sets, one for the lower public zone and another for the upper zones, with the residential units. The lower zone is represented as a stereotomic base of sorts, cut into with floor to ceiling windows, and constructed of wood cladding over steel beam structure, with the intent of growing ivy in order for the base to submerge in the landscape. The upper floors are then devoted to residential housing, and the language set varies accordingly. The need for multiple identical units lends itself to the cubic framing language set.
Stacked Cube and Base formal system
UTOPIAN RETREAT | SITE PLAN
The first phase of design included elements of master planning; a large site was given with various programmatic functions, and the task was to integrate them in a way that each piece connects with another in a meaningful way and creates a cohesive utopian “destination”. This was done through utilizing the central and largest element of the programming, the housing, to divide the site into two zones- the inner and outer. The inner zone, which is the terraced western side of the site offers privacy and seclusion, and in a sense embodies the “retreat” nature of the program, while the east side offers for open spaces and uninterrupted skyline views.
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UTOPIAN RETREAT | PLANS
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1 - Check in area, information kiosk 2 - Reading / Computer area 3 - Communal gathering area 4 - Seminar Rooms 5 - Theater 6 - Utopian Cafe 7 - Mechanical/ Fire Stair spaces 8 - Secretarial 9 - Manager’s Office 10 - Facility Manager’s office 11 - Financial Office 12 - Restrooms 13 - Museum of Houston 14 - Pavilion
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8 5
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Programmatic summarization:
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“Spine” of housing “Retreat” space
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5
4
Administrative
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Outward facing spaces
First Floor Plan
0’
30’
90’
UTOPIAN RETREAT | PLANS 7
7
7
Temporary guest housing 400-600 sf Permanent housing 1300 sf
40’
40’
40’
7
7
7
7
7
36’
40’
3
36’
40’
6 38’
7
6 38’
7
42’
42’
2 40’
2 40’
2 40’
5
44’ 39’
4
48’ 50’
7
39’
4
48’ 50’
4
39.5’
46’
39.5’
42’
2’
R MO
ME
7
39.5’
39’ 1
39.5’
4
39.5’
40’
R.
D IAL
39’
4
48’ 50’
40’
40’
6
7
39’ 1
39’ 1 4
5
44’
46’
39.5’
7
42’
5
44’ 46’
36’
40’
6 38’
7
3
3
42’
R MO
ME
R.
D IAL
IAL
R MO
ME
Second, Third and Fourth Floor Plans
1/32"=1'-0"
UTOPIAN RETREAT | ELEVATIONS
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1/32"=1'-0"
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1/32"=1'-0"
UTOPIAN RETREAT | SECTIONS
UTOPIAN RETREAT | PERSPECTIVES
Rooftop Deck View looking towards downtown Houston
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UTOPIAN RETREAT | PERSPECTIVES
Lower Deck view and view of guest housing units
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UTOPIAN RETREAT | MODEL PHOTOS
Aerial View showing Memorial Dr. and neighboring buildings
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View showing lower deck and upper roof deck
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DEEP ELLUM | SITE
DALLAS, TX. 13
DEEP ELLUM | SITE
Deep Ellums close proximity to downtown and its deep cultural roots make it a very pedestrian friendly zone. Its burgeoning bar scene make the public accessibility of the theater an important aspect of its design.
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DEEP ELLUM
“Mass” Components
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Perforated Roof
Structural Members
Secondary Members
The Deep Ellum Performance Hall brought with it several new and interesting architectural challenges. This was the first truly “urban” project the studios would tackle, nestled amidst the newly reinvigorated neighborhood of Deep Ellum, with was a nieghborhood traditionally known for jazz music and live peformance art. The project was intended to walk the delicate line between honoring the history and culture of the site while also meshing with the burgeoning new nightlife that the area is becoming known for. The theater design also brought with it a challenge in that square footage was scarce, and would need to be strategically considered. After the base programmatic elements, which formed the large “masses” of the project, were designed, the structural and envelope systems were concieved as pieces that would facilitate and emphasize many of the design principles concieved in the early phases. The steel tubing system thats wraps that perimeter frees the interior for the “floating theater (right)” which creates a spatially interesting lobby space, while the envelopes thinner secondary members identify areas where visitors can filter through, creating a buffer zone between the public street and the public lobby zone.
DEEP ELLUM | MODEL PHOTOS
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Sectional Model
Completed Model
DEEP ELLUM | PLANS
BLACK BOX THEATER LOBBY
PROP STORAGE
Basement Floor Plan
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First Floor Plan
0’
10’
30’
DEEP ELLUM | PLANS
MAIN STAGE MAIN THEATER
Second Floor Plan
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Third Floor Plan
0’
10’
30’
DEEP ELLUM | PLANS
GREEN ROOM
SCENE SHOP
OFFICES
Fourth Floor Plan
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0’
10’
Site Plan
30’
50 ft.
150 ft.
250 ft.
DEEP ELLUM | SECTIONS
West Section
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Detailed Wall Section
0’
10’
30’
INNOVATION CENTER | SITE
HOUSTON, TX. 22
INNOVATION CENTER | SITE
The University of Houston Innovation Center is located in the historic Third Ward at the intersection of Truxillo and Dowling St. The project goals include integration with the community to foster a better relationship between the Third Ward and the University, as well as to encourage start up businesses in the Third Ward. Site analysis involved looking at local materials and important building typologies, both of which proved useful in the final design. 23
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INNOVATION CENTER | SITE The design for the University of Houston Third Ward Innovation Center began with several important goals . The project sought to connect with the community through visibility to the street; it was designed with the pedestrian in mind, as the buildings most important visitor as the rate of car ownership in the Third Ward is low. The building design seeks to encourage interaction and cooperation between the various parts of the program- using the University of Houston College of Architecture as a precedent. The design connects to its surroundings through the use of modest, local, materials such as the local brick common to the Third Ward, adhereing to the strict budget while avoiding the potential of the building to be seen as extravagant and alien to the Third Ward. 25
INNOVATION CENTER | PLANS
18’
23’
CAFE
CLASSROOM
9’ 28’
STUDIO
6’
10’
11’
17’
16’
19.1’
24’
ONE WAY ENTRY
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First Floor Plan
INNOVATION CENTER | PLANS
18’
23’
LOUNGE STUDIO
9’ CLASSROOM 10’
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6’ 11’
19.1’
Second Floor Plan
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INNOVATION CENTER | ASSEMBLY DRAWING
INNOVATION CENTER | SECTION
The University of Houston Innovation Center was the Comprehensive Design studio project, a project in which students were intended to fully develop their respectives projects to the level of detail required for them to physically constructed. The drawing to the left is a detailed assembly drawing of a typical section of the project, with attention paid to the various techniques used to achieve specific visual criteria. A recessed drop ceiling allows for the thin wood frame that defines the projects main facade. 29
HANDSKETCHING GALLERY
The handsketching gallery illustrates the way that simple hand renderings can aid in the design process as a way of creating quick, easily visualized concepts that can be tweaked and altered in a timely fashion. The ability to handsketch is a skill that I believe is imperative to the design process.
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HANDSKETCHING GALLERY
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HANDSKETCHING GALLERY
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HANDSKETCHING GALLERY
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HANDSKETCHING GALLERY
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HANDSKETCHING GALLERY
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