Mahdi Alavi Portfolio

Page 1


CONTINUES

LIBRARY of

MARINA DEL RAY


Housing an exhibi•on/book signing space, an educa•on center with mul•-media classrooms, a digital archive, a restaurant, a cade, and a daily paper/ magazine sta•on. It will be dedicated to exploring – through the vehicle of new technologies – the connec•on between science and art. The spa•al logic of the proposed building is based on a simple premise: a flexible I-beam ribbon that located produc•on and uses of each single floor. This ribbon undulates from side to side as it climbs ver•cally from the street. The floor becomes wall, turns into flour, turns into wall, etc. With each change of direc•on, the ribbon enfolds a produc•on space or a presenta•on space, interchangeably. The ribbon (I-beam) is on the either side of the building and in between there are four primary truss systems, mimicking the forma•on of the ribbon. There are also four other secondary system that is mirrored shape of the primary truss system. This secondary system holds the primary up. This system is also exposed and some ligh•ng fixtures are a#ached and some ven•ng pipes also passing through them. This stem lessens the need of ver•cal columns, increase the interior space, and provides certain flexibility in earthquake situa•on.

FROM SANTA MONICA DOWNTOWN

BURBANK AIRPORT

FROM VENICE BEACH FROM LOS ANGELES

FROM SOUTH DEL RAY RESIDENTS GIS DATA - WIND DIRECTION

UTILITY ACC. PED ACC. SPECIAL ACC. TRANSIT HUB

ACCESSIBILITY MAP

LAX

BUILDING ACCESSIBILITY


SPLITTING METAL SHEET INTO SEVERAL SEGMENTS

PLEATING UP THE SPLITTED SURFACES TO CREATE INDIVIDUAL SEGMENTS

FOLDING AND SHAPING THE SEGMENTS INTO INDIVIDUAL LAYERS

FOLD THE LAYERS VERTICALLY FROM THE GROUND TO CREATE THE MASS

CURING THE MASS TO MIMIC THE SHAPE OF THE SITE


A cri•que on what I consider to be an interchangeable and felxible significance of modern library and how to narrate such ideas in a cir•cal and contemporary manner. The strategy taken, was to address the interchangeable solar orienta•on through the building. Curved steel screens on south face of the first and third floor cast perforated pa•erns of sunlight and show across the interal surface of the library.

1. Entry 2. U•lity Entry 3. Cafe/ Bar 4. Lobby 5. PC/ Kindle Sta•on 6. Daily Paper & Magazine Aisle 7. Registra•on/ Security 8. Digital Index Info Center

FIRST FLOOR 36,000 SF 5

10

30

A


FOUR STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS Each consist of one primary and one secondary system (in opposit direc•ons) that act in nega•ve forces (pushing toward) to each other. These ribbon systems are placed 35’ away from each other.

FORTH FLOOR 36,000 SF 1. Kindle Booth 2. Music Media Library 3. Digital Media Library 4. PC Booth 5. Art Media Library 6. Visual Media Library 7. Lobby CONNECTING STRUCTURAL TRUSS SYSTEM The four ribbon systems are connected by another sets of truss system to hold them steady and to hold the finishing layers.

THIRD FLOOR 30,000 SF 1. Restaurant 2. Kitchen 3. Reading Bar/ Lounge 4. Video Projec•on Room

PERFORATION AND OPERABLE WINDOW SYSTEMS Window frames, operable systems, and screen systems are structurally a•ached to the connecting truss system.

SECOND FLOOR 34,000 SF 1. Confrence Room 2. Admin Offices 3. Admin Lounge 4. iPad Booth 5. Print Room 6. Supply Room 7. Mee•ng Rooms 8. U•lity

EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR FINISHINGS Exterior and interior finishing are a•ached to the connec•ng truss system. This layer is made out og steel panels and •les.

5

DIGITAL T LIBRARY

RESTA T URANT/ READING BAR & LOUNGE

ADMIN/CONF./LIBRARY BOOTH

PC, KINDLE, IPAD P OTH/ADMIN

ELEVATOR CORE

SECTION

0

10 5

30

10

30



DENVER INDUSTRIAL HUB Denver, CO 2014

Christopher Koziol, Architect, Assoc. Prof. advance design studio fall 2014



A

I

II

The original building is approximately about 100’ wide by 167’ long is oriented north to south and adjacent to a street on its east and another same height building on its west side. The building is mainly used for industrial purposes and situated in the center of the site. By noticing to the current used of the building and its location, it will be a essential factor to keep the original heritage and move on with the design.

The building is located in the center of the rehabilitated site. Taking a square off of the Northeast corner of the old mass would makes a welcoming entry from the center of the site into the building. This also creates a center momentum at the site, in a way that once one is in the center, he/she will be drawn to the entry of the building. The adjacent building on the west side will be a three story parking garage as well as living units on top of that. The gap between the two buildings is converted into a semi public/private pedestrian alley for the two building users. A creation of a node for that alley became highly essential and in fact by taking a square off of the building it will generates a pedestrian node. I designated a café with outdoor sitting in that node in order to draw more buildings’ occupants/users into the designated area.

The site enabled me to extrude the building footprint towards the south. By such expansion, the building can have more occupants and spaces, which can be module for variety of industrial offices and uses. The expansion is about 2/3 of the existing building. The new development would in a different material to manifest what is new and what was already there.

The next move e is to shrink the new development from the street side in order to make rooms for loading deck and building secondary entrances. At this stage, also the new extension is double vertically and creates a second floor on the new phase and leaves the existing building at the same height. This vertical move helps to emphasize on the new development as well as generating more space for the future occupants.

The new move is on the second floor, where a box would be extruded out towards the street.This feature provided a private balcony for the second floor occupants. Besides, this would make an over hang on top of the loading area.

In this stage, the new phase expands itself on top of the existing structure and extrudes more along the street side and leaves more room along the alley side. The feature provides more occupational space. Likewise, it provides a private outdoor space on top of the existing building. The stretched expansion facing the street creates an approximate building-street ratio of one to one in which based on principals of new urbanism; it helps to the walkability and livability of the street. Also this will correspond more to the height of the adjacent buildings.

SPEER

SUNVALLEY

STADIUM

The last move is to give the boxy shape more gesture in order to help the both interior and exterior environment. A bay window extended towards the alley to connect the building to the adjacent one as well as giving some motion to the pedestrian alley movement. A narrow box is also extruded out from the south side on the second floor which acts as a balcony and a barrier between the glass wall and the metal screen system. Moreover there is going to be an emergency egress from the balcony to the 9th street.


This is a full renovation of a building in a low-income housing neighborhood in Denver, currently comprised of an industrial warehouse to be renovated into an industrial, musical, and manufacturing related businesses hub. The original building occupies a 17,000 square footage of a 331,200 square foot rectangular site. The main and the adjoining access to the building, before the site gentrification, was from the 9th street from its south side. The new site development allowed the building to be walking and driving accessible from 10th Street, Federal Blvd., and Decatur Street. The abandoned setback on the west side of the building is converted into a pedestrian alley and a social hub node for the building users and neighboring occupants. The original building was a simple concrete box, since it is an old low-road building where what prevailed was the space, and consists of four perimeter walls of concrete on which rest the trusses that support the roof. Inside, the building features a large open space, reaching almost 15 feet at the edge of the roof. The new expansion added to the building, mostly in glasses to distinguish what is new and what was already there. The new development, extends the building towards the south and extrudes up where the second floor sets itself. The building interior space is highly customizable which makes the interior very unique in terms of space efficiency, property value, and more importantly bring the “shared space� usability into the building. The customization is an order that allows the space to be used by different companies in a same area with respect to their privacy. First floor can be adapted in a way that up to 6 different companies work together without interfering with each other.

PRIVATE BALCONY

PRIVATE BALCONY WOOD WORKSHOP

PRIVATE ROOFTOP INDOOR STAIRS ELEVATORS

METAL WORKSHOP

OUTDOOR STAIRS / EGRESS

CAFE AND SOCIA SPACE SEMI PUBLIC/PRIVATE OUTDOOR SOCIAL HUB OUTDOOR STAIRS / EGRESS



produced and rendered in Revit, edited in Photoshop


ELEVATION - EAST 10

15

ENTRANCE

MEETING ROOM

WC

WC

FLEX. ROOM

ENTRANCE

FLEXIBLE ROOM

5

LASER CUTTER SHOP

REFM. AREA

KITCHEN

OUTDOOR OOR OR SITTING AREA AR REA EA A CK

PI UP

PLAN - FIRST FLOOR 3/16” = 1’ 00”

N


ELEVATION - NORTH 5

10

15

STORAGE

WOOD SHOP

WC

DN

DN

DN

PREP. AREA

CONFERENCE EVENT ROOM

WC

OFFICE FLEXIBLE ROOM

PLAN - SECOND FLOOR 3/16” = 1’ 00”

N


Barbara Ambach, Architect, Assoc. Prof.

comprehensive design studio spring 2014



Site The site is located at 1350 Wazee Street in city of Denver, nearby the active Lower Downtown neighborhood, Auraria campus, and adjacent to Cherry Creek path. The plan of the building is organized in a 5,400 square foot rectangular grid in which it is open from the three outside accessible sides. the site host contrary movement on each of its sides, calm versus private composition.


Design Concept The concept of the architectural form is inspired from the movement and position of the site location and urban living of its surrounding. This helps create a graceful dominant form in an urban setting. Through the incorporation of an array of translucency in materiality, the ability to see and to be seen is framed by the occupant-scale design. The dichotomy between public and private interaction is controlled through vertical separation between two halves of the building. Moving vertically through the building merges the private and public interaction through the

garden, gallery, and work spaces. The design is the result of a void separation of public (gallery) and private (living/work) spaces. This results in a unique opportunity for the main stair as well as for the front entrance, taking advantage of the inherent asymmetry of a site. Conceptually, the design displays honesty in its internal spaces, displaying the nature of what program takes place behind the faรงade through externally expressed tectonics. Taken one step further, the brise soleil defines lighting conditions specific to the program spaces behind.

PRIVATE/PUBLIC

NODE

dedicated to live/work space on the top floor to merge private and public together

a centerlized stairway for egress and vertical movement

PUBLIC use for a public gallery on the first and the forth floor

PRIVATE private entry for to the residential area 1




FIRST FLOOR GALLERY SPACE RENDERED WITH V-RAY

FIRST FLOOR ENTRY TO THE RESIDENTIAL SPACE RENDERED WITH V-RAY


semi private/public live/work units semi private/public

public

private residential

1

SECTION


F/RESTROOM

FIRST FLOOR

HALLWAY

BASEMENT FLOOR

WORK SPACE

SECOND FLOOR

WORK SPACE

WORK SPACE

M/RESTROOM



SMALL DESIGNS


Small shell and core design projects help me to understand building in the context of its surrounding. In other word, how a building can place itself into a space and feels like, it belongs there? This question leads me to study the surrounding environment and culture to bring it into the DNA design of a building. That has been one of my motives in past years to work with some firms, professors, and design competitions, to demonstrate my ability of architectural design in the context of their environment.


NEUEREN NATIONAL GALLERIE Berlin, Germany 2014

Regulating Lines Adding regulating lines to create a geometry; elongating the surface to break out of the original square format; pushing and pulling the geometry to reconfigure the elliptical volume. Texturization Converting the solid geometry into a gridded format by wrapping Mies’ coffer grid around it. In this stage, the form is penetrated by voids and is no longer a solid geometry. Adjustments To give more sense of the original grid system and geomtery into this void structure, the grids are scaled down. This stage rescales the grids into smaller sizes, which emphasizes both the solidity of the form and spaces that mimic Mies’s grid system.

Stretching This stage, the void geometry is stretched from both ends. The feature allows more inner space inside of the shape and also reshaping the grids.

Splitting and Pulling The need of an entry inside of the mass led the shape to be split in half. The lower half is peeled away to create an entrance; the rest of the form remains the same.


The objective of this project was to observe and study Mies Van Der Rohe Neue Nationalgalerie and take one element of his design and convert it into another level and elaboration. Undeniably, one of the strongest elements is the ceiling which is entirely in iron in the form on huge ribbed slab. This huge roof/ceiling is supported by eight symmetrically arranged pillars which do not coincide with the corners. In fact I used the grid roof structure as the core element of the new design. I did not follow the square form of Mies’s design (with respect) and convert it into an elliptical shape where the eight columns are not needed and walls and roof become one element that are merged into each other.


FIRE STATION 6 Denver, Colorado 2014

This RFP is for the replacement of the Fire Station bounding Blake, Speer, and Market. The existing building lacks the efficiency, security, and support facilities demanded of Denver’s current Emergency Services Support mandate. In this project the square footage requirements equal existing, plus 25% maximum. The function of the building is reconfigured so that fire apparatus enters from one side and exit through the other side of the facility onto Speer Blvd. It is a three door passthru. For security concerns, the bottom 9ft of the facility is fully enclosed by masonry construction, except for doors. Three sides of this structure is clear of external obstructions, Speer, Blake, and the side opposite Speer. There are two water towers designed on either side of the building for an event of water outage. Core and shell design proposal is intended to give great latitude to the building form and function design. The core and shell is inclusive of the building envelope, floors, conceptual structure, stairs and elevators, and site placement. The zoning requirement of the City and County of Denver are precisely acknowledged. The project is developed on Revit and rendered in 3Ds Max.


produced in Revit and rendered in 3Ds Max


HOTEL

LODO RESIDENZA Denver, Colorado 2014

This project is a core and shell design development proposal for 14th and Blake Street in lower downtown area of Denver. The building program is a 6 story hotel where the building is open from the 14th and Blake Street and the alley on its east side. The hotel is tilted toward the Blake Street in order to draw people into that end. High reflectance curtain panels and masonry units enclosed the building mass and on every floor a sharp triangular balconies are extruded out. The main entrance of the hotel is located on the corner of 14th and Blake Street. Also there is one egress on 14th Street and one in the pedestrian alley.


produced and rendered in Revit and edited in Photoshop


Boulder Olympic Training Center Boulder, Colorado 2012

Pine Street

Centennial Park

reet

ce St

Spru

Boulder Municipal Court

Arapahoe Ave

University Ave

Boulder Mountain Park

Site Plan

treet

treet

r on D Cany r e d l Bou

SITE Eben G. Fine Park

5th S

4th S

treet

treet

3rd S

S Pearl

The Olympic Training Center resides in the foothills of Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colorado within a few miles of the nearby urban downtown environment and Flatiron Mountains. The building’s DNA evolved rationally from a careful analysis of its environmental context, resulting three soaring edges that have come to define the form of the building. The exterior is a triangular shaped building that plays off of its site plan format. The program for the building required three separated wings for exercises, private use, and visitor’s accommodation. The shape of the building responds to the mountainous setting of the location. The exterior finishing is corten steel panel for a more natural and responding sensation to its surroundings. Also this finishing makes the shape both expressive and efficient. The building is separated into two parts, where main entrance doors are situated between them. The entrance doors are located to separate existing pedestrian pathways and can be functioned independently. The larger rooms provide spaces for exhibits, receptions, conferences, gymnasium, and other organized gatherings which are located in the north wing. The East wing which is designated for calisthenics uses, has a series of plyometric, weights, aerobics, stretching, training areas and laboratories that are connected and sprawl in three floors. Office spaces and research centers are located in the West wing. The interior of the project was developed to provide the owner and end users with flexible spaces that would adapt for calisthenics uses. An outdoor landscape reduces the square footage of interior conditioned space and provides elevated views of the site and interaction with the outdoors. The existing landscape, the dynamic gesture of the historical downtown, as well as the background of mountainours formations defines the positioning and architecture of this building.


OLYMPIC

TRAINING

CENTER


Design Evolution

Sculptural form in order to create landmark

Place becomes in different segment

Mountainous inspiration in structural form

Use of light in design

Place becomes athletic index

physical model edited in Photoshop


Form in place Form in space

Form modulation and placment


LIMPID TOWER Boulder, Colorado 2012

The design can be stated to build a “void” in an empty space at the University of Colorado campus, located in the alley behind the ENVD department. The location is basically a forgotten space where nobody neither desires to spend time nor passing there. Accordingly the objective of this pavilion is to convert an empty space into a center of gathering. The design accentuated on void spaces which is lucid at night and shiny in the morning. The tower is formed by shape of waves. In fact, it is oriental on its form which is an eye openning shape, though very simple. The diameter of the tower is eight feet and it is 36 feet from the ground. The LED illumination is embedded on a thin layer of stainless steel surface which is pinned to the cast-steel. Construction of the tower is exclusively used by cast-iron, which stands as structure of the mass. Wave shapes are eight twisted iron steel and it has no straight parts. Each twisted iron steel, from the center stands on 45 degrees from each other. The Limpid Tower will draw people’s attention and convert the space into a place of gathering. It will be a place where people of various kinds can share an intimate feeling. The tower can be used for different celebrations. One of the major roles of Limpid Tower is the illuminated countdows panel for celebrating New Year. The tower is highly oriental. It is a transparent vanity enclosed with shape of waves. Pedestrians forget which one they observe, this serene tower or the ski.


produced in Rhino and edited in Photoshop


FURNITURE DESIGN


I have always been interested in designing and building of pieces, elements, and objects that can help me to understand details of small construction and joinery. Furniture making, helps me to understand materials and always looking for different kinds from different regions of the country. The design part helps me to realize the importance of collaborating aesthetic and functionality together and produce one element that serves both needs. Construction part helps me to realize my design on paper into the reality and start creating the art. Detailing part and the last 10% of the design is the hardest the most important part. This is where I get to check, practice, work, and run the produced material and make it ready to use.


ROUTA BENCH

This piece of furniture design consists of two scrap wheels and a piece of southern pinewood applied to form of a contemporary bench. In this project I was experimenting metal by cutting, welding, and repostioning into structural and architectural bench for social engagment. Design process started by engaging pinewood in metal. Two wheels have cut outs on their inner edges and the pinewood is plugged into those parts. The two diagonal rods from center of wheels are attached to the bottom of the wood for supporting and the two wheels are connected from their centers by an axil.

Souther Pine Sitting area


Metal Wheel

Metal Rod Central axil


PORTABLE OUTDOOR

GRILL


Project objective is to focus on a piece of scrap, design with reduced energy and maintenance, and spend as little money as possible, in order to push design experimentation and creativity. A heavy piece of 1950s welding cart recycled as an outdoor grill. Fire sits on a twentyfive inches hole in the center of the cart and stones are places on the sides in order to reduce the fire expansion. The designated shelf on the bottom is where fire wood is placed and a wooden handle on the back to ease the device movablity Outdoor Grill Program - Safety and reliability - Ease of movability - Ease of maintenance and cleaning - All-in-one design with fire wood, fluids, matches, - Collecting and disposing ashes easily - Provide a cheerful focal point for social gatherings


OP-ART

DINING TABLE


This 40” square dining table have been made out of northern Douglas Fir wood that used to be a building column. This wood was abandoned in an industrial zone in north of Denver. The heavy texture and strength of the wood made me think of cross cutting it and making series of 10”x10”x2” tiles. Series of these tiles next to each other made the surface of the dining table. Mixtures of non-toxic epoxy resin with silver pigment have been poured into the cracks, gaps, and nuts of the wood. The whole tabletop is bolted on a 2” square hollow still tube that formed as the table leg.

Every two pieced are connected to each other through a tenon that has been installed by domino joiner. Then, pieces are glued together and rested for 24 hours.

Mixture of non-toxic epoxy resin and silver pigment

The raw wood tiles have been soaked in tung oil to harden the wood upon exposure to air and various humidity levels


PRESS

coverage in newspaper and magazine


saturday, december 14, 2013 | denverpost.com | the denverpost

april 2013, AIA Gala, Devon M Carlson FAIA award | Denver, CO

ucdenver.edu


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