MATTHEW J WEISS DESIGN PORTFOLIO High Rise Competition Fargo Fern Grotto Marvin Windows Competition University of Texas Aquatic Center Artist in Residence Canola Research Facility Personal Work
Partner Project- High Rise Competition- 4th Year Capstone. San Francisco. Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, Adobe CS5, Lasercutter, AutoCad
Partner Project- Duties Equally Shared. Myself- Primary Renderer/ Model Builder.
The Nautilus Tower. This project focuses upon the functionality of a multi-use high rise structure in the midst of South-of-Market San Francisco, responding toward a lack of affordable apartment space in the near proximity of the city center. The design utilizes the narrow undeveloped lot to its advantage, wrapping itself up in a fibonacci-sequence pattern. The though interior columns are deployed, the program called for perimeter columns to accommodate the rather complex form of the floor plates. Each perimeter column has been adorned with a lighted water column, illustrating the importance of water upon design decisions. The bottom floors are designated to a multifloor aquarium/aquatic research facility, various shopping opportunities, and separate entrances for both the office and apartment floors, located above. The vertical core is accompanied by an array of vertical green spaces, allowing ample garden space to the tenants of the building.
Left: Vertical Green Space Right: Floor plate/Core Conceptual Study
Apartment Render w/ atmospheric conditions
Exterior Render, NW Facade
Left: Exterior Perspective, Night Shot. Above: Render of Facade and surrounding landscape.
The culmination of undergraduate studies, for me, ended up being a display of the potential of models for medium. Ironically for a shape so organic, we chose to utilize Plexiglas and galvanized steel...in giant proportions. The contextual buildings are all set up to fit together like a puzzle, held together by the nut/washer/rod system that is so common today. This system is very easy for simple, rectangular buildings. It is a hassle for complex building shapes, and near impossible for anything curved. However, I am extremely proud that we were able to power through this model. Only the new Trans Bay Terminal and our actual tower survived.
Fargo Fern Grotto- 5th Year Seminar. Fargo. SketchUp, Adobe CS5, AutoCad The Defiant Gardens movement has taken to Fargo. The class program called for collaboration with Mark Dion, globally known “reclaim artist,” and Colleen Sheehy, Director and CEO at Plains Art Museum in Fargo. The intent is to provide a sustainable, costeffective solution for an obtuse typology: creating a garden for ferns inside a reclaimed Boxcar. Focus was placed on donated/reclaimed material use, efficient systems and wise use of materials. The interior is designed to be like that of a funnel-web grass spider’s web, creating intimate space for enjoying the humid environment.
This humanitarian studio assignment is devoted toward the progression of education in Ghana, a country waylaid by a matrix of ecological and social constraints. Presently, most Ghanian school houses are more like to ovens than learning facilities. This design focuses on regionally practiced trades and materials, but also brings in a bit of Western building techniques to the mix to allow for an architectural solution to an economic problem. The program is split largely into three portions: Connecting Space, Hostel for guest workers, and classroom wing. Brick Masonry is the predominant material, accompanied by small usages of rammed earth and some heavy timber construction.
Hostel Bird’s Eye Perspective
Marvin Windows Competition- 4th Year Studio. Jema, Ghana. SketchUp, Trace Paper, Charpak, Photoshop.
Hostel at sitting height.
Connecting Space, used for worship, eating, gathering, playing. Utilizes Rammed earth and clerestory ventilation to maintain suitable temperature. Accompanied by football pitch and play field on the left.
School House adult perspective, entrance elevation. As with the connecting space, this design focuses on clerestory vents and diffused lighting to help control these important spaces. Another important design choice is the large central hallway, which permits further ventilation for occupant comfort as well as adequate circulation space when classes are dismissed.
School House bird’s eye perspective.
The tensile strength of steel, often heavily incorporated into larger venues and gathering occupancy types, was explored in this structural iteration. I was given full authority to create a horizontal steel structure of any shape or size. I chose the typology of an aquatic center (25 Yd Swimming Pool and supporting spaces). The circular superstructure is regrettably missing torsion bracing, which was figured in after a stress test.
University of Texas Aquatic Center- 4th Year Structures. AutoCad, Lasercutter, Tagboard. Held 4 lbs weight in books.
Artist in Residence- 3rd Year Studio. Somewhere West of Grand Forks. Trace Paper, AutoCad, Lasercutter, Woodshop. Two distinct residences.
In conjunction with the North Dakota Museum of Art in Grand Forks, ND is the Artist in Residence project set. The site is set on a reclaimed historical farmstead called the McCanna house. The parameters call for load bearing masonry construction amid other systems. Instead of settling with one design, I decided to create two residences, each with unique requirements and sitespecific solutions. The Musician House, depicted below and left, is bermed below ground slightly to enhance the awareness of the landscape. On the second floor is the bedroom space, which is surrounded by a natural prairie green roof. The model, lasercut at a larger scale than necessary, helps to illustrate the anthropocentric nature of the project.
Set no more than 30 yards south of the Musician House, the Writer House is the second installment of the intended Artist in Residence program. Instead of sunk into the ground like its former counterpart, this installment is elevated and projected into a small slough. On the northern exposure, it is protected by an already existing embankment. The second floor is treated similarly to the Musician House, however, the green roof is sloped to enhance the design and help shrink the design. A small nook on the first floor serves as a study in which the sight line into the embankment helps provoke thought and interpretations.
Partner Project- Canola Research Facility- 3rd Year Studio. Langdon, ND. Revit Architecture, Adobe CS5.
Partner Project- Primary Renderer/ Boards specialist. Revit Structural System.
Exterior Render. South Facade
The Canola Research Facility was a project entirely devoted to Canola. The program required offices, a reception, a library, research and development space, laboratory space and controlled environments, greenhouses and storage/containment facilities. Design of the form and appearance resulted from impressions based on the canola plant itself.
Personal Pages
Right: Mastercopy of a picture I took in Maine. 8B. 20 Hours.
Matthew Weiss | 14425 Barnes Drive, Detroit Lakes, MN, 56501 | 1609 University Drive N, Fargo, ND, 58102 matthew.weiss.2@ndsu.edu | 218.234.0953 cell Personal Design Website and Blog: http://matthewweiss2.wix.com/matthew-weiss-design LinkedIn: Matthew Weiss Twitter: @MatthewJWeiss