marcus confino
undergraduate architecture portfolio 2010 - 2015
Marcus Confino | Virginia Tech | Architecture Porfolio | 2010 - 2015
01 Thesis Work (In Progess) 02 Architecture Without Program 03 Bridge for Riva San Vitale 04 Montessori School 05 Culinary School 06 Travel Sketches 07 Photography 08 Resume
“There is a real duration, the heterogeneous moments of which permeate one another; each moment, however, can be brought into relation with a state of the external world [space] which is contemporaneous with it... Two elements in motion: (1) the space traversed, which is homogeneous and divisible; (2) the act of traversing, indivisible and real only for consciousness.� Henri Bergson
Thesis Investigation Fifth Year Fall 2014 - Spring 2015 Studio: Frank Weiner
Duration is the internal, subjective, purely qualitative, whole, and continuous experience of the world. Duration transcends the discipline of architecture, exists outside the realm of buildings and construction, and has no tangible materialilty. Duration belongs to the field of philosophy. However, understanding duration aids in understanding our being-in-the-world. Duration exposes the inherent duality between [experience] the Internal and [architecture] the External. Spatial perception and experience can be the genesis of architectural form. The Internal informs the External. The External subsequently informs the Internal. The Thesis studies architectural repetition as the link between the Internal and External, bringing clarity and order to the internal duration. Repetitive elements in space imply motion in the motionless. Repetitive themes (in time) bring peace through understanding. Architecture is not an idle presence in the world. It engages the body as well as the mind. Repetition engages the body in a field of elements and allows the eye to see the unity in a harmonious composition. Repetition leads the mind towards the consistency within a complex whole.
Path Walk Overlays: Duration + Memory
Experience as an ‘Unfolded Whole’ Spatial Perception: Model Photos
Line-making: participation with space, time, and duration Perspectives: subjective view generates objective form Model: reflects built reality informed by duration studies Lines on a page :: lines in the world
Drawn Line - Inhabited Line Perspective Generates Form
Knowledge of spatial perception leads to the design and development of built form. Finding the form that generated the subjective perspectives.
Architectural Space Spring 2014 Fourth Year Studio: Frank Weiner Relieved of the constraints of a site or a program, the project became about exploring the autonomous qualities of architecture. The emphasis was placed on quality of space, material, and light. Architectural elements such as stairs, elevators, doors, floors, windows, and ceilings were explored in greater detail, not as after-thoughts. In this way, ‘architecture’ became the driver behind design decisions, rather than programmatic requirements or site restrictions. The goal of the project was to develop a sensibility towards these independent qualities of architecture. With a greater sensibility towards design, one can then apply that knowledge towards future projects with more traditional specifications for program and site.
Massing Study Models Interior Renders
Limited to an imaginary site 40’ x 100’, one story below grade and four stories above grade, the challenge became defining the ‘architectural’ program of the building.
Stairway Axonometric Entrance Vestibule Exploded Axonometric
Bridge For Riva San Vitale Fall 2013 Fourth Year Studio: Frank Weiner A semester abroad gave me an opportunity to design for a new site, a new culture, and a new mindset. While aboad I stayed in a town called Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. This town lies in the Swiss Alps and is only minutes away from the Italian border. This project served as a way to become closer to my surroundings and appreciate the place itself. The goal of this project was to design a bridge to connect Riva San Vitale and Capolago, two towns seperated by only thirty feet of water. Approached from an experential standpoint, the design of the bridge is based on a controlled and choreographed path of motion over the Laveggio river. The spatial quality is purposely layered over the course of the bridge, varying a person’s understanding and perspective of the bridge. Through changes in the ground plan, ascension onto the bridge and an articulated overhead plane, pedestrians are guided across the river through the natural motion of the bridge.
Bridge Orthographics
The covering for the bridge is meant to be seen as a seperate but complementary addition to the design. A distinct change in materiality and very minimal physical connection to the structure of the bridge help to define the covering as its own entity. However the general form and directionality of the covering follows the path of the bridge below; only at certain points does the covering stray from the edges of the bridge. The structure of the bridge itself extends well past the constaining banks of the river. This extension allows the bridge to engage in the surrounding landscape of the towns that lie on either side and intensifies the experience of crossing from Riva San Vitale to Capolago.
Montessori School Fall 2012 / Spring 2013 Third Year Studio: Joe Wheeler The design for the Tall Oaks Montessori School is derived from the desire to create an environment condusive to the Montessori teaching culture. A visual and physical connection to nature with access to natural light, as well as adequate space to facilitate interactive learning were the primary drivers of the design. Architecturally the design addresses these criteria by creating a large open space, broken down into three programmatic bays. These bays are then shaped based on the needs of the program and opportunties for natural light. The large spans are made by curved glu-laminated wood ribs, making for a fluid form, both internally and externally.
B
A
A
B
First Floor Plan Scale: 1/8� = 1’ 5
N 10
20
30
1/4� Scale Basswood Model Construction Photographs
Final Model
1/4� Scale Basswood Model Interior & Exterior Photographs
Culinary School Spring 2013 Third Year Studio: Joe Wheeler The culinary experience is a very articulated, interactive, and strenuous under-taking, as my studio learned first hand by visiting the French Culinary Institute in New York City. The experience of enjoying a meal, then seeing the process in which the food was prepared gave us a rich back-story for our third-year project. We were challenged to take on the task of designing a culinary school and restaurant in a contrained urban site. Drawing mostly from my personal experience at the culinary school, I developed a design that would give the culinary school a defined presence on the street, while maintaining the interior enivronment necessary to prepare and serve meals. Externally the building reflects the interactive relationship between the culinary school itself and the restaurant it serves. The “light box” volume contains the restaurant and reception spaces, while the “heavier” brick and mortar volume houses the kitchens and classroom spaces.
Designing for a site in New York City allowed for a study of the constraints of an urban site, such as height limitations, access to natural light, interaction with the street, and means of egress and fire safety. These conditions served both as limitations and opportunities. This building also serves to activate the corner site by becoming a landmark at the intersection of Broadway and Canal Street. By creating a presence on the street corner and opening up to the sidewalk, the architecture allows a natural dialogue to occur between the school and the city outside.
Rectangular Steel Section (Parapet) Steel Perimeter Channel 1
Gypsum Board Interior Finish Flashing
2
Sheathing
Roof Membrane
4
Light Guage Metal Stud
Drainage Mat Rigid Insulation
3
Sheathing Vapor Barrier
Vapor Barrier
5
Rigid Insulation
Concrete Slab
Fiberglass Mesh 7/8” Stucco
Metal Deck
Detail #1: 1 - Coped Steel Beam 2 - Bolted Shear Connection 3 - Square Steel Section 4 - Blocking + Neoprene Gasket 5 - 2 Layers of 1/2” Laminated Glass
Batt Insulation
Gypsum Board
1/2” Wood Finish
1
2
3/4” Acoustic Underlayment Vapor Barrier
3
Concrete Slab w/Metal Deck 4
Batt Insulation Gypsum Board
W14 Steel Girder 1/2” x 1/2” Laminated Glass
5
1
2
6
3
Detail #2: 1 - 8” Steel Column 2 - Bolted Base Plate Connection 3 - Concrete Slab w/Metal Deck 4 - W12 Steel Beam 5 - Bolted Plate Connection 6 - 8” Steel Column 1/2” Wood Finish 3/4” Acoustic Plywood
1
Vapor Barrier 2 3
8” Steel Column
6 45
Concrete Rigid Insulation Vapor Barrier
Mat Foundation w/Steel Reinforcement
Exploded Axonometric Section Details
Detail #3: 1 - Light Guage Metal Stud 2 - Runner Channel 3 - Concrete Slab w/Metal Deck 4 - W12 Steel Beam 5 - Steel Web Stiffener 6 - Perimeter Channel
A
A
N
Ground Floor Plan 10
20
40
60
A
N
A
Second Floor Plan 10
20
40
60
Rectangular Steel Section
Roof Structure: Roof Membrane Drainage Mat Rigid Insulation Vapor Barrier 5” Concrete Slab w/pour stop W12 Steel Beam Batt Insulation Gypsum board Finish
Flashing
2'-2 3/8"
Runner Channel
Wall Structure: 7/8” Stucco Fiberglass Mesh 3” Rigid Insulation Vapor Barrier Sheathing Light Guage Metal Stud w/runner channel Sheathing Gypsum board Finish
8'-6"
8” Steel Column
Runner Channel
Floor Structure: 1/2” Wood Finish 3/4” Acoustic Underlayment Vapor Barrier 4” Concrete Topping w/pour stop Corrugated Metal Decking W12 Steel Beam w/steel stiffener Steel Perimeter Channel W14 Steel Girder 5” Batt Insulation Gypsum board Finish
Steel Stiffener
1'-11 3/4"
Perimeter Channel
8” Steel Column
Foundation Structure: 1/2” Wood Finish 3/4” Plywood Vapor Barrier Concrete Slab 3” Rigid Insulation Mat Foundation with steel reinforcement Vapor Barrier Compacted Earth
Steel Base Plate bolted w/non-shrink grout
1/2” x 1/2” Laminated Glass
10'
Travel Sketches Architecture Residency Program Fall 2013
The world should have stories told about it. It should be wrtten about, sketched, drawn, painted, and photographed. The world should be seen, heard, felt, and shared with others. Sketching is about trusting your eyes more than your brain.
Photography Architecture Residency Program Fall 2013
“To break into pieces in order to launch oneself on a road with an uncertain outcome demands such heroism that it is primarily children who are capable of it. But, children must, moreover, be seduced to engage in it...Depart. Go out. Allow yourself to be seduced one day. Become many, brave the outside world, split off somewhere else.� Michel Serres in The Troubadour of Knowledge
Florence, Italy Bellinzona, Switzerland
Museu Blau, Barcelona, Spain Herzog & de Meuron Rolex Learning Center, Lausanne, Switzerland SANAA
Banco Popolare, Verona, Italy Carlo Scarpa Barcelona Pavilion, Barcelona, Spain Mies van der Rohe
The discipline of architecture generates its own questions that it implores us to explore and to answer. How one chooses to find those answers and design the solutions defines a position towards architecture. That position is revealed, consciously or subconsciously, through architectural explorations. What you make or draw says something about how you think. The closer one gets to architecture the more one begins to recognize that architecture is a way of thinking, seeing, and making. A drawing is an exploration, a representation, an image, a manifestation of knowledge. Thinking, seeing, and making inform one another; they push and pull each other towards a greater purpose: the design of liveable space.
Undergraduate Works 2010-2015
Marcus Confino
marc14vt@vt.edu | 703.732.7702 | Fairfax, VA
EDUCATION
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University College of Architecture and Urban Studies Bachelor of Architecture Program 2015 Blacksburg, VA 24061 Status: Fifth Year Current GPA: 3.71
Virginia Tech Study Abroad Residency Program Fall 2013 Center for European Studies and Architecture (CESA) Riva San Vitale, Switzerland
EXPERIENCE
Intern at Parsons Brinckerhoff-Heery Americas Herndon, VA (July-August 2011) - handled drawings, created schedules, attended on-site project meetings, basic office tasks Carpentry Apprenticeship (Summer 2012, 2013, 2014) - primarily residential work including kitchen renovations; small commercial carpentry jobs, cabinet-making KohlMark Architects + Builders Burke, VA (December 2014-January 2015) - primarily physical model-making
SKILLS
3D Model-making Hand-sketching and Hand-drafting Digital Photography
COMPUTER
Adobe CS (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, Rhino 3D Modeler, Google Sketchup 3DS Max Rendering, Kerkythea Rendering
ACTIVITIES
American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) - Virginia Tech Chapter (2012-2014) Industrialized Housing: House of the Future (2013) Global Architecture Brigades (2010-2011) Mary C. Dansby Chapter of the National Honor Society (2007-2010) Baseball Player 14 years (1998-2012)
ACHIEVEMENTS Dean's List Honoree (2010-2014) Accepted in to Virginia Tech CESA Study Abroad Program (Fall 2013) Ferrari Study Abroad Scholarship (Fall 2013) Inform Magazine Design Award: studio-wide project to design a spray-paint booth for Virginia Tech School of Architecture (2013) Fourth place winner of Virginia Tech second year architecture competition (2012) Virginia Tech School of Architecture Second Year Achievement Scholarship (2012)