MARK SPECKER
University of Cincinnati | Class of 2018 | Graduate School Portfolio
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Columbus
Athenaeum Fall 2015 Research and community meet along the central axis of downtown Columbus, Indiana. Neighboring a parking garage, this project tackles a complicated site with challenging programmatic requirements.
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The third floor provides space for gathering and socializing. The elevated height allows for better views of the streetscape and engagement with the building.
The second floor promotes seclusion and learning. Books and research materials are stored here as well as study spaces and breakout rooms.
The first floor acts as the main circulation hub along the length of the building. The glass facade elevates the tectonic structure.
The basement is used for archival storage. Large atriums connect all floors, accentuating the raised perspective from within the building.
6 | Columbus Athenaeum
Fall 2015 | 7
8 | Columbus Athenaeum
The form of the building is divided into three distinct functions. The auditorium and resident housing bookend the building with research materials in the center. The ground floor ties the functions together and serves as a communal space for visitors and residents. The facade creates a liminal space between the programmatic functions of the building and streetscape beyond. This provides a disconnected moment, one removed from the building and the street.
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IT Student Center
Installation Summer 2016 This installation visualizes networking and connectivity, bringing to life a quite IT classroom with a better functioning space. Flexible partitions and custom tables complete the cohesive narrative.
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These feature walls simulate virtual networks by connecting a series of points and transforming them into an undulating surface. The holes in the panels respond to their contextual surroundings, leaving space for outlets and light switches. Each panel is connected by hinges, allowing them to move without losing their shape.
Surfaces built from a series of points
12 | IT Student Center Metrolab
Offsets into separate panels and creates apertures based on wall context
Summer 2016 | 13
14 | IT Student Center Metrolab
Video: ITSC Interior Renovation
(vimeo.com/178283191)
Our team was split in two groups, one tasked with constructing the walls, and another making breakout desks for the students. The image above illustrates how both groups worked to create a cohesive design in the room with features that relate to each other. The ITSC wall was constructed as a screen that anchored to our column wraps. This solution prevented the need for a permanent wall installation while providing the privacy of a storage space. Summer 2016 | 15
Yichang Baiyun
Mountain Resort Summer 2014 A destination resort tucked into the mountains of a tea plantation. GBBN’s Beijing office tackled the challenges of a difficult terrain while complimenting the scenery with breathtaking vistas and architectural responses.
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中文 | 17
FACE MOUNTAIN
FACE MOUNTAIN AXIS
PEAK
PEAK DROP-OFF
LOOKOUT 18 | Yichang Baiyun Mountain Resort
LOOKOUT
PEAK
The Yichang Baiyun Mountain Tea Plantation is located in Hubei, China. To revitalize the plantation, the entire site was redesigned for permanent residences and visitors alike, transforming it into a hopeful tourist destination. My project team was tasked with designing a boutique hotel along one of the mountain ranges. The diagram on the left illustrates the surrounding landmarks and views that led to the final form of the hotel.
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Summer 2014 | 19
To mimic the horizontal banding of the tea farms, the hotel’s facade expresses horizontality through a dynamic vertical louver system. Each louver maintains the same dimensions. Therefore as the upper and lower sets move closer together, the louvers pull further away from the building. Then, the client can choose how dramatic they want the facade to appear based on given parameters like louver dimensions, spacing, and support sizes.
Parameters
Creates center line between two outlier curves and plots the louvers along them
20 | Yichang Baiyun Mountain Resort
Louvers
Supports
Rails
Summer 2014 | 21
22 | Yichang Baiyun Mountain Resort
Horizontality was further expressed with the arms of the hotel cantilevered over the edge of the mountain range, providing breathtaking views of the mountains. The approach sequence is illustrated below.
Summer 2014 | 23
Chicago
Arts Center Fall 2014 Chicago is a central hub for midwestern graffiti. This addition on the Chicago Tribune tower represents how graffiti is actualized into the built environment and becomes a showcase for resident artists.
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Urban Canvas
26 | Chicago Arts Center
The Chicago Arts Center is a graffiti inspired project that transforms the existing Chicago Tribune tower into a canvas to project the Contemporary Arts Center. The diagram illustrates the horizontal gallery interacting with the vertical apartments and studio spaces as the two blend together. The surfaces become dynamic gestures representing a spray paint flare as the arts center maintains a symbiotic relationship with the Gothic Tribune tower.
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Parameters
Creates lines via surface points for the supports to run along
Randomly generates points along the surface and is manipulated with higher concentrations where desired
Connects points into a web grid
Randomly selects apertures and fills with a panel
In the Grasshopper script seen above, the surfaces have a dual layering system that relies on the irregularity of spray paint while maintaining directional movement. The interior layer is a lightweight concrete webbing generated through randomized control points. These points expand or contract based on the program within the building. The exterior layer is a dynamic steel support that changes in cross section to provide a beam or column support where needed. Lastly, glazing is placed between the supports for enclosure. 28 | Chicago Arts Center
Fall 2014 | 29
30 | Chicago Arts Center
The rendering on the left illustrates the arts center wrapping around the Tribune tower while enveloping the Northeast corner of the site. The renderings above highlight specific details in addition to conditions inside the entrance and gallery. Fall 2014 | 31
Thesis
Graffiti Park 2017-2018 Graffiti is a simple application that dramatically changes the space around us. My thesis aims to create a space that not only fosters graffiti talent, but organically places it on display to those who aren’t familiar with the culture.
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My thesis looks at abandoned architecture as a resource for graffiti artists to perfect their craft. The “restoration� of the building reflects the skill of the artist. In the diagram below, masonry can transform into surfaces that are very difficult to paint. The challenge forces graffiti artists to think more critically in order to preserve their work amongst the competition. The axon illustrates the different types of materials used and the distillation of their qualities into complex canvases.
Beginner 34 | Thesis Graffiti Park
Intermediate
Advanced 2017 - 2018 | 35
The goal of the graffiti artist is to preserve their work the longest. These illustrations highlight various conditions the artists may face in order to preserve their work. The rendering on the right depicts the risk versus reward element of painting over perilous locations in order to increase visibility. The stencils along the bottom became the final renderings of the thesis. They hightlight some of the most visible and enticing areas for graffiti artists.
36 | Thesis Graffiti Park
2017 - 2018 | 37
One of the signifying features of this project is the sweeping atrium that cuts through the building. The purpose of this atrium is to enhance the visbility of the artwork and provide unique moments for graffiti to be displayed. This section model provides an opportunity to see the artwork transformed by these unqiue surfaces and the vantage points visitors could experience within the building.
38 | Thesis Graffiti Park
2017 - 2018 | 39
Canvas
Masonry
Wood
The final thesis presentation is a charrette of the potential conditions within the graffiti park. The project information competes with each other to display its material among the various layers of paint and glued paper. The surface underneath the paint also affects how the paint looks. Canvas absorbs the pigment and is difficult to cover. Wood is very textured and can hold moisture. Masonry is segmented and can distract from the painted image. All of these conditions need to be considered by the artist. 40 | Thesis Graffiti Park
2017 - 2018 | 41
Personal
Work Continually Evolving Street art and graffiti has been a passion of mine for over ten years. These are just a few snippets where I’ve challenged myself to take graffiti beyond its conventional stereotypes.
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Instagram: @soma.none | 43
The LED spray can is an arduino project designed to make graffiti with light. The can is equipped with two LED lights. The center light allows the user to cycle through a variety of colors by rotating the colored knobs. The second light activates once the spray nozzle is pressed. When photographed under a long exposure setting, the user can create graffiti in the air. The spray can was 3D printed in clear resin to allow light to pass through. The print also serves as the mounting surface for the motherboard and additional hardware.
44 | Personal Work
Fall 2017 | 45
46 | Personal Work
Commonly referred as the telephone booth, this breakout space at NBBJ was often neglected due to its size and location. The room was painted bright pink for a splash of color and gave the room depth. The glass wall creates a display case for the work and forces distance from the viewer. Once inside the room, you are enveloped by the colorful surroundings and removed from the office environment, making the breakout space much more effective for its purpose. Fall 2016 | 47
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“Your mind is working at its best when you’re being paranoid. You explore every avenue and possibility of your situation at high speed with total clarity.” - BANKSY | 49
Thank You
mspeckr@gmail.com | 513.587.9350