Portfolio by Michael De Los Santos

PORTFOLIO

MICHAEL JAMES DE LOS SANTOS

Table Of Contents

Resume 2

San Antonio Health and Wellness Center 3 - 8

San Antonio, Tx

Marfa Art Space 9 - 12

Marfa, Tx

Eagle Pass Vision Plan 13 - 24

Eagle Pass, Tx

San Antonio Health and Wellness Center

We as a society are becoming bigger. Both in population and size. This project was to design a health and wellness center within downtown San Antonio, Tx. Which would inculde a fitness center, restaurant and a clinic. What I wanted for this building was to be as natural lit as possible. A courtyard was cut out in the interior to allow for natural light to enter and be diffused off the back wall. The exterior skin is used to both diffuse natural light and create/obstruct view views ws.

The e exterior skin/me embr mb brane e wa as construccted usiing a Voronoi Diagram. A sp pline wass then create ed usiing the e corners of eachh triang gulationn. Three sep perate e layers were forrmed using g this method d, rannging in different dennsities and hole sizes. With these thre ee la ayers stacked, itt alllowed for different views and diffused the light from the sun.

Legend 11

12 11

13 12

11 S

Open to Below

Second Floor

6 3 9

1 7 5

Open to Below

First Floor

1. Restaurant 2. Reception 3. Courtyard 4. Exhibition 5. Mens Restroom 6. Womens Restroom 7. Delivery/Storage/Prep 8. Mechanical 9. Trash 10. Gym 11. Exam Room 12. Office 13. Staff Area 14. Xerox 15. T.V. Studio

Basement

Marfa Art Space

Marfa, Tx is a small town with a thriving art influence. It is home to the Chinati Foundation that goes by the ideas of, late artist, Donald Judd. Much of the work at the exhibition is minimalist art from which we were then to design a building to house and exibit the work of 3 artist. The concept for this design came from admiring Donald Judds aluminum boxes. Each aluminum box was identical in width, height and length. From this I would use the same idea, of the identical object, and duplicate it for each artist.

OPEN TO BELOW

LOFT

Northwest Elevation

OPEN TO BELOW

LOFT

E El Paso St

Southeast Elevation GALLERY

Direct Sunlight

S Dean St

GALLERY

LOFT GALLERY

GALLERY

Section

North Light

LOFT GALLERY

Eagle Pass Vision Plan

Downntown Eagle Pass, Tx was a thriving area just accross thhe Rio Grande from Piedras Negrass, Mexicco. Over the years the town has exp pand ded annd buusinnesses and the community moved d awa ay from m this area. We, as a class, we ere askked to creatte a vision plan for dow wntownn Eagle e Pass. It wo ould includ de all asp pect of pla anning g for the e city from zoning g to sid dewalkk detaiils. The e area I took upon myself to devvelop p was a mixed use lot, with a prrimary focus of parkking aro ound the dow wntown Eagle Pass area.

Maverick County Fair Market Rent In Maverick County, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bdroom apartment than 30% of income on housing, a household must earn $1,923 monthly or $23,080 annually. Assuming a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks per year, this level of income translates into a Housing Wage of $11.10. In Maverick County, a minimum wage worker earns an hourly wage of $6.55. earner must work 68 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Or, a household must include 1.7 minimum wage earner(s) working 40 hours per week In Maverick County, the estimated mean (average) wage for a renter is $6.75 wage, a renter must work 66 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Or, working 40 hours per week year-round, a household must include 1.6 worker(s) earning the mean renter wage in order to make the two-bedroom FMR Monthly Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for an individual are $674 in Maverick County. If SSI represents an individual's sole source of is $482. A unit is considered affordable if it cost no more than 30% of the renters income.

Texas Fair Market Rent Rankings Texas is ranked 30th in the housing wage for a two-bedroom FMR with $15.65 per hour, considering 40 hours per week, 52 weeks a year. The number of jobs needed per household in Texas is 2.2, considering 40 hourse per week 52 weeks a year, with a prevailing minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

Information gathered from the National Low Income Housing Commision

Downtown Eagle Pass Zoning The existing zoning of downtown Eagle pass is marked for commercial uses. Mixed in with the commercial areas are some spots that are currently vacant North and South of Main Street. Main Street was used as the defining center line of downtown Eagle Pass since it linked the town East and West. Also, the town seemed to spread equally from this axis. Along Main Street, there are businesses lining both sides of the street. Upon traveling south from Main Street, the downtown area is mostly commercial and even further out of the downtown area it is zoned industrial and agricultural.

Existing Land Use

Traveling North from Main Street, the area is still commercial, according to the map. But upon visiting the town, I noticed that some of the areas marked commercial had residences on the lot. Most of the residences were toward the North-East side of the downtown area with a few scattered closer to main street. Older maps of the town suggest that the downtown area was once mixed with commercial and residential until the expansion of the town led most residences north and south. The future zoning map shows that downtown Eagle Pass will be all commercial with one area marked as industrial. The industrial lot is the site of the city hall and post office.

Smart Growth and Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) Smart Growth is integrated, multidimensional environments that cater to a variety of everyday needs. It is also called new urbanism. SmartCode is a planning tool that promotes a sustainable urban pattern while protecting landscape that is considered ecologically and culturally valuable. This is accomplished by the creation of plans and standards that determine where development will occur and how it will be implemented. Majority of the population is within a 5-minute(1/4 mile) walking distance of the center. Streets are laid out in networks, so that there area alternate routes to most destinations. This permits most streets to be smaller with slower traffic as well as having parking, trees, sidewalks and buildings which are equitable for both vehicles and pedestrians. Streets are spatially defined by a wall of buildings that front the sidewalk in a disciplined manner uninterrupted by parking lots and the buildings are diverse in function but compatible in size and in disposition on their lots. Civic buildings are often placed on squares or at the termination of street vistas. By being built at important locations these buildings serve as landmarks. Future Land Use

Sourced from Livability 101 - AIA

Optimal Building Depth Regardless of use, a building depth of 10–14 metres is considered optimal for a number of reasons: A building that has a shallow (less than 10 m wide) plan is often too narrow for the introduction of vertical or horizontal circulation. This limits options for room layout and circulation space. A building that is deeper than 14 metres cannot be naturally ventilated. Natural ventilation is environmentally preferable and often economically advantageous to artificial ventilation because the cost of providing air conditioning may be quite high over the long run. A building with a depth of greater than 14 metres will require artificial lighting in the center of the building.

The Uniqueness of Corner Sites Corner sites, because they have two street frontages and therefore a high profile, make ideal locations for mixed use development. From an urban design standpoint, corner developments provide an opportunity to define the street corner and reinforce the adjacent public space / street. For example, designing the corner to have more vertical emphasis allows the building to ‘mark’ the street intersection.

Expressing the Corner Additionally, a corner building’s articulation or façade treatment may be used to express its unique position on the street. Building elements that emphasise the corner include: reduced or nil setbacks, feature elements including corner pediments, parapets and awnings or verandahs that wrap the corner.

Advantages of High Ceiling Heights Other advantages of buildings with higher floor-to-ceiling height for all floors include: improved natural lighting due to higher window heads, good natural ventilation for spaces furthest from the windows, generous, appealing interior spaces Furthermore, an increased ceiling space may provide improved sound insulation between floors.

good solutions for mixed use development in town centers , June 2005

Building g Height g and Thoroughfare g Enclosure Pedestrians perceive enclosure when the building height to thoroughfare width ratio is 1:4 - typical for low-density environments. In desner urban contexts, the height-to-width ratio is between 1:3 and 1:2. Note: Walkable thoroughfares do not require tall buildings. Street trees may be use to provide a similar sense of definition and enclosure in contexts with lower height and less dense buildings.

Street Improvements p Change the allocaion of the right-of-way in favor of the pedestrian not the vehicle, moderate vehicular speed without impeding thier travel, provide convenient curbside parking for visitors and customers. Plant and replant street trees to allow for shade and shelter of pedestrians from sun, rain and traffic. Also to improve the quality of the air and stormwater

Curb Extensions Reduces pedestrian distance and time, visual width of roadway and hence driving speed and provides additional space for tree planting or seating

Tree Walls Ideal tree canopy - trees at maturity generally spaced 30’ +/- 5’ o.c. depending on species. Street light placement - midway between adjacent treesevery 2 or 3 trees.

Urban Form Building orientation and setback: Buildings oriented toward and often adjacent to the thoroughfare and therefore a higher priority for pedestrian travel. Form a continuous built edge or street wall (a row of buildings that have no side yards and consistent setback at the thoroughfare edge). Parking type and orientation: On-street parking, and parking under or behind buildings and accessed by alleys is an urban characteristic. Thoroughfares in these areas should have a higher priority for walking. Block length: Blocks should have highly connective streets, smaller blocks and shorter block lengths. Generally, the desirable block length is 200 to 400 feet and should not exceed 600 feet.

Vehicular Lanes Travel Lane Width: 9 ft = 20 - 25 mph, 10 ft = 25 - 35 mph, 11 ft = 25 - 35 mph Parking Lane Width: 7 ft (Parallel) = 20 - 25 mph ,8ft (Parallel = 25 - 35 mph Effective Turning Radius: 20 - 25 mph = 10 - 15 ft, 25 - 35 mph = 15 - 20 ft

Landscaping p g Consider landscape analysis and design from the earliest stages of a project’s design phase, as they are of great importance to the success of any development. Ensure that landscaping works well with the intended built form. Incorporate existing landscape features into new landscaping schemes. Focus on quality, rather than quantity, of landscaping. Design landscaping with ease of future maintenance in mind Landscaping includes a wide range of elements such as: trees / plants of an appropriate type and scale, public and private open space, driveways and entrance areas, hard landscaping including paths and walkways and planting along street

good solutions for mixed use development in town centers , June 2005

Importance p of Parking g for the Urban Environment There are many possibilities for parking in an urban environment. Street parking is essential for the urban environment in which it allows for a buffer between the traffic and the business, it also allows for front door parking, increased pedestrian activity and the appearance of inceased business activity. Parking garages can offer a large quantity of parking sapces, within a smaller amount of square footage, which could be paid parking to help with income for the garage and the surrounding area. With a well designed parking garage, it can look just as good as it functions.

Parking g Management g Principles p Consumer choice - Parking and travel options, User information - Information on parking and travel options, Sharing - Serve multiple users and destinations, Efficient utilization - Size and managed so spaces are frequently occupied, Flexibility - Plans should accommodate uncertainty and change, Prioritization - Most desierable spaces should be managed to favor higher-priority uses, Pricing - As much as possible, users should pay for the parking facilities they use, Peak Management - Special efforts for peak-demand, Quality vs. Quantity - Quality is equal to quantity, Comprehensive analysis - All significant costs and benefits should be considered in parking planning Victoria Transport Policy Insitute, Parking Management

Parking g Spaces p Required q p per Function Residential 1.5 / Dwelling Commercial 3.0 / 1000 sq. ft. Office 2.0 / 1000 sq. ft. Spaces can be adjusted based on shared parking

Mixed Use Block

North Elevation

Third Floor - Residential

South Elevation

East Elevation

Second Floor - Residential

West Elevation

North to South Section

First Floor - Commercial

East to West Section

downtown Eagle Pass, four parking structures would be constructed. Two of which are centrally located to accomidate heavier vehicular activity and one on the East and West sides of the downtown area.

Adams Street

Main Street

I - 57 Parking Garage Existing Building New Building Main Arterials

Parking Garages

Parking Structure Along I - 57