v3.0
❝S
implicity is the ultimate sophistication.
❞
—Leonardo da Vinci
SPRING 2012
FALL 2012
reggioemilia
urbanfarm
06–13
A design proposal to reinvigorate a community via an elementary school
14–25
As urban cities continue to sprawl—the necessity for alternative farming is ever more present— especially in LA
SPRING 2013
FALL 2013
twoway
ciccenter
26–31
Stretching structural limitations through an investigation of materials and methods
32–43
A center for information and collaboration that seeks to bring together students by way of visual see-through connections
SPRI N G 2012 | TU C SO N , AZ | AR C 201
reggioemilia A design proposal to reinvigorate a community and promote a holistic way of learning via an elementary school full of playful architectural features
The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy that encourages preschool and elementary children to explore the world through sensory experiences. Not only does the school focus on academics it aspires for each student to develop relationships with their peers as well as the surrounding community.
desolatesite The site located just south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, is full of desolate buildings and empty lots. It is called the Barrio Histórico because of its rich history in Tucsionian culture— now it is a mere memory of what it once was. Through this proposed project the Reggio Emilia school will revitalize and bring together the community.
VACANT OCCUPIED
SITE
9
programanalysis The program called for three specific areas to be developed—administration housing, an outdoor green space, and classrooms. The green space was used as a transition space between the administration building and the classrooms. To inform the relative positioning of spaces and adjacencies the diagram below was developed to define the placement of different spaces. CL AS S ROOMS
AD M IN I S T R AT I ON
G R EEN SPACE
CL A SSROOMS
G RE E N S PACE
ADMIN
ADMINISTRATION
ADMIN
GREEN
RESTING GARDEN RECEPTION OFFICE KITCHEN CLASSROOM BATHROOM EATING STORAGE PUBLIC PRIVATE ADULT SPACES CHILD SPACES
SPACE
PARENTS + COMMUNITY
EDUCATORS
Parents and the community are both important aspects of the Reggio philosophy. They help kids gain knowledge through collaboration.
Educators help children expand their abilities by providing any tools the children seek. They are an observer, documentarian, and partner in the learning process.
TO CONNECT
TO DOCUMENT
TO SIT
TO REST
TO ENJOY NATURE
TO COOK
CHILDREN The students are proactive in their education and have a voice in what they learn based on their own interests.
TO PLAY
Adjacent To Close By
TO REST TO READ TO CREATE
CLASSROOMS 11
playfulstructure
sectionBB
To elevate the sense of play within the Reggio Emilia school a series of large truss elements were used. These curvilinear arcs extend from the base structure and out into the green space giving the children an element to play with.
BB
AA PLAN
scale: 1/64� = 1’
sectionAA
explodedaxon
physicalmodel
10
1113
FAL L 2012 | LO S AN GEL ES, C A | AR C 301
urbanfarm As more and more cities begin to spread and push farming communities out to distant lands there is an ever-increasing need to create farmland within an urban context
conceptsketches The beginning of this project started with an extensive amount of sketching that helped me create and iterate solutions much faster than I could ever hope to do in a 3d modeling program. The ideas were allowed to flow from my mind. . . to my hand. . . to my paper.
17
farmsections This program revolves around two main ideas—the lofting of the vertical factory above ground level, and connecting the farm to the market through the processing tower as a means to feed the urban community.
SECTION AA scale: 1/32” = 1’
DN
UP
UP
BB
AA PLAN
scale: 1/64” = 1’
SECTION BB scale: 1/32” = 1’
19
dynamicfacade In a climate that has average year ‘round temperatures of 66° it was imperative to properly ventilate the building. Instead of having a large number of windows—opening and closing— the skin system operates as a whole and opens up at three specified points to maximize ventilation.
openingpoints 1
2
3
30’
30’
30’
30’
openings
21
facadeassembly To operate the facade it was important to understand mechanics. At the base of the facade the individual parts needed to be made so that the steel frame could rotate freely around a pin connection. At the middle a tension system was put in place to retract the facade once deployed. At the top the track and motor was necessary to release the facade into place.
BASE Steel frame Steel rod Steel plate
MIDDLE Motor Steel connectors
TOP Track Motor HSS
23
perspectiveviews DN
UP
UP
Urban Farm
DN
UP
UP
Farm Entrance
DN
UP
UP
Farmers Market
urbanfarm
farmentrance
farmersmarket
25
SPRING 2013 | TU C SO N , AZ | AR C 302
twoway Stretching the structural limitations through an investigation of materials and methods Collaboration with brad mcfarlane and ben gallegos
creatingstructure The design of our teams two-way spanning structure revealed itself through rigorous testing and modulation in the fabrication lab. Ultimately our group decided to use lathed pieces of wood to transfer structural forces into welded metal sockets. with both pieces of wood coming into the metal socket at equal angles all forces canceled out.
29
structuraltesting
The two-way structural system was put under pressure from a load applicator. This point load was effectively picked up by tension cables which then transferred forces to the compression ring at the top. This then brought the load down through the lathed dowels into the metal connectors. These forces were ultimately resolved with tension cables at the bottom which kept the pieces from flexing out.
31
31
FA LL 2013 | TU C SO N , AZ | AR C 401
ciccenter A center for information and collaboration that seeks to bring together students by way of visual see-through connections
conceptualdesign The UofA Center for Information and Collaboration is uniquely positioned at the intersection of people, programs, and buildings. This site is showered with vast amounts of solar penetration throughout the year—making it the perfect site to serve as a collaboration center and sunny beacon for simple and complex problems alike. The proposed CIC building will be a destination where students, faculty, and the community as a whole can come together, collaborate and create true information exchange. An ideal solution to creating community spaces where everyone can contribute something in order to get something of even higher value, effectively becoming a local think-tank for a better experience for all.
CONCEPT A
See-through (North/South)
STRUCTURAL CONCEPTS
During the design process I integrated the structure with environmental factors. Using a series of concrete planes I lofted the interior spaces while also shading them on the East and West (see B). This allowed for a “see-through” concept to emerge on the North/South (see A).
DISCONNECTION BETWEEN LOCAL BUILDINGS
BRIDGING THE SITE TOGETHER WITH A SEE-THROUGH BUILDING
CONCEPT B
Screen the East and West
INTERNAL VOIDS CREATE VIEWING OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN
35
sitedesign
North side Terrace
ENtrance
AA 43
south side garden
The ground floor of the CIC has a minimal footprint and copious amounts of open air space to allow for heavy foot traffic to flow through the building. On the North and South side of the building, gardens tie both ends of the site together to create shady areas for students to study outside.
sitecirculation
VEHICULAR CIRCULATION
PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION
37
programscheme STAIRS
OPEN STUDY AREA OPEN TO BELOW PUBLIC STAIRS COLLABORATION ROOMS LIGHT WELL PUBLIC STAIRS
RAMPS
OPEN TO BELOW OPEN STUDY AREA
FLOOR PLAN LEVEL 3
FLOOR PLAN LEVEL 4
ELEVATORS
atriumcollaboration
39
facadesystem
8
6
2
5
12’
5 2 4
2’
6
9’
3
4
PANEL FACADE
7
6 28’
In Tucson, AZ daylight is a double-edged sword. If you bring too much into the space the HVAC system is overloaded, while on the other hand if you bring in too little sunlight the occupants get a sense of being unwelcomed. To combat this issue I chose to skin the East and West facade with a series of metal panels. As each panel is offset to the next it races up the side of the building to emphasize the verticality of the concrete planes. Every other panel is solid to ensure that the building is not overexposed to the sun. The system breaks in key areas to allow views to and from the CIC.
8
5 3 2
1. 12” Concrete Structural Wall 2. 12” pre-tensioned concrete slab 3. HVAC system ductwork 4. Metal screen drop ceiling system 5. Handrails 6. Curtain wall system 7. Perforated metal panel screen 8. 1” steel tube framing member
18’
7
20’
8
7
1
libraryramps
41
EXTRACTION
SIMPLIFICATION
DERIVE
lightwell CREATE
EXTRACTION
Profiles of the ramps are taken to begin to understand the rhythm
SIMPLIFICATION
The slopes are over simplified to give distinct profiles to the ramps
DERIVE
Old ramp lines are joined through a series of intersecting lines and points
CREATE
Through the intersection of critical points a form is created that reflects internally the nature of the ramp externally
See-through Model
SECTION AA
scale: 1/32” = 1’
43
cell: 1.630.453.9096
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email: Mekaelw@email.arizona.edu | website: mekaelwesleyrosa.com