DESIGN PORTFOLIO zach mcewan
PORTFOLIO CONTENTS victoria university of wellington
[BAS + MLA]
studying the gratosoglio quatre
case study - milan, italy
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a projection of ‘the stalker’ conceptual - somes island, nz conceptualising kaiwharawhara urban conceptual - kaiwharawhara, nz
10-14
detailing kaiwharawhara construction detailing - kaiwharawhara, nz reading the horuwhenua landscape rural conceptual - waiwiri, nz
22-27
embracing the typical landscape
37-45
urban conceptual - lower hutt, nz
15-21
28-36
Project work completed at VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON by ZACH MCEWAN contact mcewan.zach@gmail.com
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SECOND YEAR studying the gratosoglio quatre
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION studying the gratosoglio quatre
The Gratosoglio quarter lies on the old Roman way to Pavia, a historical route used to connect Rome with the rest of Europe. The urban space is designed to embody a historic farmhouse, a municipal market and the tram stop. Its urban setting has meant it has to accommodate the functionality of a tram station whilst creating a public space that converses with its architectural surroundings and users. The space is paved with porphiry cobblestones contrasting against concrete slabs. Concrete walls veneered with the same stone are used to redefine the new public space connecting the three existing elements, whilst creating three new interacting spaces. The Southern most end is defined by its access points funnelling traffic between the East and West facades toward the tram station and existing road. At the Northern end the interface between commuters and trams is emphasised by the tram shelter sitting by the rail lines diagonally slicing through the site, while the centre acts as intersection point where all three sub-spaces interact with one another. The space has been subject to immense public use over time, creating a new identity defined by its users. Wear and abuse of the site has meant that its aesthetics have changed from its original clean modernistic approach. The site is now plagued with graffiti and taken over by the elements, its identity is now that of a neglected subway‌
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Bb
Aa
Plan 1:500 Context plan 1:50 000
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Section Aa 1:200 @ A3
Section Bb 1:150 @ A3
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3
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Area 0: Base layer showing the essential skeletal boundary of the project. Area 1: The constituent parts of the Southern space displaying seating and the main facades. Area 2: The constituent parts of the central space including stairs, seating and major pavement detail. Area 3: The constituent parts of the northern space showing tram lines, shelters and major pathways . 0
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A
Diagram A : Showing the spatial elements that define the three internal spaces of the project. Diagram B: Showing the concept of wear over time on the project, consuming the most used areas of the space. Diagram C: Shows the main purpose of the design, discussing the relationship between tram, people and car movement.
B
C 9
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SECOND YEAR a projection of ‘the stalker’
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION a projection of ‘the stalker’
The following design has taken inspiration from a film named “The Stalker” by Andrei Tarkovsky. While watching this film notations were made on the quality of sequential spaces presented. What was intriguing was the emotive quality presented during the characters transition from outside the ‘zone’ to its heart. This transition showed a space that seemed to be a ‘safe zone’ but as the characters moved through this ‘zone’ a slow realisation of the dangers and uncertainty ahead was overwhelming. The project at hand focuses on this transition and has used it as a driver throughout the design process. I have created a design that contains a series of experiences within one project. At the beginning of the design there is an obvious order through use of concrete block forms; it is a light and open space, a place for dwelling, playing and enjoying the natural beauty of the site and the view that comes with this location. Here there is a connection with the horizon and a direct view over the site. As you move through the space the ground beneath you lowers, this order begins to break, vegetation becomes harsher and a subtle shift becomes apparent. Within this space are areas that become covered with vegetation pushing you around, whilst creating areas that have an increased level of privacy. Moving through the project the blocks shift even more and begin to break apart while the ground plane drops furthermore and changes in materiality to pure concrete, cutting off any connection with the horizon. The void in-between each block becomes important here, points become pinched making you squeeze through spaces whilst Kanuka trees enclose you from above, with their wild branch forms making areas almost un-inhabitable. This effect creates a space of uncertainty and discomfort before you are released into the final space, where a perfect concrete block and Kowhai tree sits to the side within an open space. Here the viewer is allowed to sit and reflect on what the previous spaces were about without any distraction from the outer landscape.
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Aa
Aa 13
Section Aa @ 50% of 1:100
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THIRD YEAR conceptualising kaiwharawhara
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION conceptualising kaiwharawhara
Kaiwaharwhara is located on a historic trail it is a place that was inhabited before Wellington city itself, but today we see it put to waste with a commercial cloak of buildings hiding what Kaiwharawhara truly stands for. The intent for this project was to showcase Kaiwharawhara in a way that speaks about what is there now and showcase it to the people. In order to truly address the project space the design is consulting with all the scales of the area. Confronting its historic presence, its ecosystem and the existing smaller elements within the site. The built structures and spatial organisation within this project strives to meet these design needs; achieving this creates a recognition through design allowing the project to provide a higher level of depth and richness in the spaces within.
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Conceptual Plan @ 40% of 1:500
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elements [minute scale]
architecture [small scale]
site divisions [medium scale]
ecological systems [large scale]
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THIRD YEAR detailing kaiwharawhara
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N Concrete Steel Planted bed (on site) Lawn
+12m
0m S4
+1m
4
Riparian planting Timber
LP01
-0.15m
TL01
Northofagus solandri
TL01
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Sophora microphylla
LP01
TL01
P6
LP01
+5.2m -3m
LP01
P3
+0.36m
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+0.4m 6
-0.15m
0m LP01 0m
P2
0m
LP01
2
+0.9m
+24m
LP01
LP01
LP01
+6m
P5
LP02
TL01
Tree mounted light
LP01
Lighting pole
LP02
Roof top lighting Expansion joint
LP01
LP02
LP02 LP02 LP02
LP01
+4m
Seating element
P4
+6.2m
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LP02
+0m
LP02
S10 7
Technical plan P1 @ 50% of 1:500 - Showing surfaces and general locations of elements
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Important architectural facade.
Seating.
S1A -
Footbridge.
Cantilevering platforms.
S1 Section S1 @ 75% of 1:50 - showing the relationships between different structures and spaces within the project. NB: Drawing references do not apply.
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Lighting pole painted with micaceous oxide.
Timber veneer seating used to break up the space and allow places to rest within the vegetation. Staggered concrete inserts.
P4 -
Section S7 @ 50% of 1:50 - showing transition zone and its relationship to the street edge. NB: Drawing references do not apply.
Kaiwharawhara Road.
S7A -
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Stainless steel balustrade with timber handle.
LED lighting fixture.
Fluorescent lighting fixture.
Timber planks mounted to galvanised steel I-beams in order to create a soft look within vegetation. Mixed sized gravel.
Pre-cast concrete insert.
Basecourse 150mm deep. Concrete footing.
S5A -
S5B 5 Galvanised steel I-beam support post.
P3
River bank.
Section S5 @ 1:20 - showing the constituent parts of the footbridge. NB: Drawing references do not apply.
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Back rest.
Low lying riparian vegetation.
Timber slats providing a comfortable surface to sit on.
Stainless steel bolt.
Light fixture illuminating plant life at night creating an evocative environment and safe seating elements. Mixed size gravel providing a loose ground plane where plants may be planted whilst allowing pedestrian movement across the surface.
Top soil. P3
Galvanised steel bolt embedded in concrete footing providing structural support for the seat, and lifting it off the ground protecting the timber.
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Detail section S6 @ 50% of 1:5 - showing the constituent parts a seat within the transitional area. NB: Drawing references do not apply.
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FOURTH YEAR reading the horuwhenua landscape
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION reading the horuwhenua landscape
Waiwiri at present shows the essence of natural beauty in many elements throughout. Although in contrast to this the site is generating a cultural attack on the land, which has lead to both ecological and social devastation. This is the reason why change is needed within this environment. Focal points within the landscape were the starting point for this design. There is an apparent need for places to meet within this unstructured environment; associating these meeting places with social and cultural activity in order to bring a social layer to the site is important. In explorations of how to create such points bridges were conceptually studied. Historically crossing points have been critical and important to all cultures in New Zealand. Bridges have a universal language throughout and are seen as important places for livelihood and social meetings. The design pulls this universal language into the landscape in striving to create a greater level of importance within these points. Waiwiri’s landscape is a place of strong importance to the tangata whenua, therefore the design was guided by and responded to the specific landscape character of each point, forming spaces that became true to their location. At a larger scale the design facilitates a generational change involving many people in a shift over 40 years, allowing teaching through rebuilding the landscape over time. Riparian planting is sequentially planted along the waiwiri stream - repairing the landscape through the hands of the locals, while each crossing point becomes a marker of a period of completion, instilling an importance within them. Loss in culture is a huge threat on the local Iwi within the Horuwhenua region. Single generations have loss the full ability to read the land and utilise it because it cannot be taught through words only. Involving generations of locals aims at helping society to create a place to teach and reinstall the Maori culture.
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Focal points created at the locations of bridge structures
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Exploring the creation of temperamentally within a structure
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Aa
Aa
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Section Aa @ 95% of 1:200
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FOURTH YEAR embracing the typical landscape
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION embracing the typical landscape
This project is an extract of a master plan for the Lower Hutt region - the design explores how to understand the landscape as it is, in order to pull it through into the design. Initial stages explored the landscape - breaking it down into what gave the space or place the qualities that it had; this understanding then meant that the landscape could be known at various scales of place in order to use it to design. The master plan was about creating a coherency and organisation on a larger scale while responding to the typical landscape situation in each individual location, creating a level of specificity of place held strong and interconnected by the coherency of the larger landscape structure. The following drawings are a very small extract of a large project that covered the Lower Hutt region.
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Avail Rail Bridge Eastern River Edge
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ADJUSTED MIDDLE
space created by engineering and bridge structure causes you to stop
STAY
1:1250
topography and vegetation separates the eastern river edge
TRANSITION TRANSITION
STAY
section cut through
STAY
1:40
ledge empowers seating in an otherwise “transitional” environment.
1:200
engineered edge allows you to access the rivers edge and interact at a smaller level.
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City
Extensions of the City - Collector Roads
Rail Stations
River Corridor
Secondary Connections
Main Resident Body
City
Bus
Local Shops
Housing Diversity
Schools
Water Treatment
Public Space
Biodiversity
Pedestrian route
Rail
Hills
Extensions of the City/Collector Roads - based on a collective complexity of urban infrastructure creating both a density of people and activity with economic viability
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Wetland area
Wetlands @ 2.7% of Catchment
Wetlands @ 4.9% of Catchment
Wetlands @ 3.7% of Catchment
Wetlands at 4% of a catchment area can treat the total output of water within a catchment. Even at 2% most of the water can be treated. The info-graphics above are worth 4% of each of their assigned catchment areas.
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ADJUSTED MIDDLE LINEAR MOVEMENT
STAY
TRANSITION
Hard & Soft
OBLIGATION
Understory
Density
River Existing Analysis - monotonous nature created by the willows responding to this where the points of obligation.
Playing with location of willows.
Playing with the existing density of willows, the understory & hard and soft spaces creates levels of privacy & space associated.
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Houses bring people into the environment & allow access. SH2
Public
Private
Small Road
Private Home
Willow tress are moved back into the built environment, the built environment then becomes part of the public landscape while the river edge is opened up to the public at the same sights as ‘obligation point’ where river stone spits are placed. Public
River Bank
Gravel Path
River Stone Spit
Hutt River
Section @ 50% of 1:200
SH2
Residential
River Bank
Gravel Path
River Stone Spit
Hutt River
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40
50 meters
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This image shows a possible river corridor design in the northern end taking the space down to a finer scale - here the willows are dense, and the understory is thick and the landscape provides seating, creating a private environment for people to move to and sit within the landscape.
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thank
THANK YOU zach mcewan
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