ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO mike kekedy unc charlotte
“Human life is a combination of tragedy and comedy. The shapes and designs that surround us are the music accompanying this tragedy and this comedy.� -Alvar Aalto
© 2018 Michael Kekedy. All rights reserved. Publisher – LuLu. This book is set in various forms of (Eurostile). Many of the works in this publication is made possible with support from the School of Architecture, College of Arts + Architecture at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. http://coaa.uncc.edu/academics/school-of-architecture Inquires about this publication may be directed to (Michael Kekedy) at (mkekedy@ uncc.edu).
Cover Image: (Photo Credit Michael Kekedy. Project Prompt from Marc Manack’s “Good, Fast, Cheap” workshop class. Build Instructions provided by Daniel Zambrano and Shane Zimmerman. Project Interpretation by Corey Albrecht, Michael Kekedy and Kaysey Raper).
ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO MIKE KEKEDY UNC CHARLOTTE 2018
CONTENTS
Architectural Emergent Opera House Healing House Chain Re-Actions 32 Rise Up Housing Exhibition Composites Wall Baltimore Set Design Better Block Foundation Bench Drawings 60 The Hedge 6 Lake Norman House 66 Manack Fulton House Strickling House Uptown Fitness Center
ARCHITECTURAL
Emergent Opera House Project Type: Opera Hall Project Location: Charlotte, North Carolina Studio Professor: Mona Azarbayjani Team Members: Mike Kekedy, Daniel Zambrano
In collaboration with Daniel Zambrano, we were tasked with designing an opera house for our graduate school’s comprehensive studio competition. This first place project looked at the opera hall and how it functions in a contemporary society. With the opera hall itself given as an “already designed” piece, the rest of the building was meant to bring the scale of the city down to the scale of the pedestrian, making the opera hall more usable during the daytime, for any pedestrian. By peeling the site from the ground level, a public space that is hovering above, yet anchored to the main opera hall creates different experiences throughout the site, and allows anyone to experience the building without necessarily entering it. This “peeling” of the site also led to a multi tiered landscape, which is shaded on the lower level, and in more direct sunlight above. This creates several different types of thermally comfortable zones that can be used interchangeably, depending on the site’s current thermal needs. 8
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Front of House 10
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1. Lobby 2. Retail 3. Green Room and VIP 4. Mens Restroom 5. Women’s Restroom 6. Unisex Restroom Back of House 7. Staff Offices 8. Management Suite 9. Storage 10. Dressing Room 11. Hair and Makeup
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Opera Hall 12. Backstage Green Room 13. Rehearsal Room 14. Crew Area 15. Loading Dock and Security / Storage 16. Boiler Room 17. Mechanical Room
18. Opera Hall 19. Lighting Room 20. Sound Room 21. Stage Manager 22. Panel Storage 23. Electrical Room 24. Flyloft
UP UP
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S. Tryon St.
ing oad r/L on icula ulati Veh k Circ Doc
S. Tryon St. S. Tryon St.
S. Tryon St. Lobby
Reh ear sal Live Performancee
laaza lic P Pub i r/ erio Exte
Art Pathway
Activity Pathway
Defining main Axis to building
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StoneWall St.
Lobbyy Nighttime Pedestrian Priority
Resstaurant Resta Restaura taurant/ t/ Bar Bar
Resstaurant Resta Restaura taurant/ t/ Bar Bar
StoneWall St.
StoneWall St.
Daytime Pedestrian Priority
Building Usage Division
First Floor Procession
Second Floor Procession
StoneWall St.
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Healing House Project Type: Net Zero Energy House Competition: “Race to Zero 2017” Hosted by the Department of Energy Project Location: Charlotte, North Carolina Student Team: Lina Taheri, Mike Kekedy, Dante Balassone, Alex Nelson Faculty Advisors: Marc Manack, Mona Azarbajani, Jefferson Ellinger, Linda Reeder
In Spring of 2017, I participated in “Race to Zero 2017,” a student competition hosted by the Department of Energy. In a team led by MArch + MSIT student Lina Taheri, we designed a finalist entry net zero energy, single family home. The home targets low income families and individuals, as the cost is projected to be around $82,000. The size and layout of the house predicts that the homeowners will be either seniors who need ADA accessible housing, or families with two children or less. Our chosen house is located in North Western Charlotte, NC, at the edge of a single-family residential zoning district, nearby a commercial and multi-family district. The neighboring homes are mostly ranch style homes with hip or gable roofs, a look that we drew inspiration from in our design.
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The main focus of design was in the roof. The concept for the “Healing House� was that this floor plan could be used on virtually any site, fitted with a roof that is unique to that particular site. A dynamo script was written to allow for the roof to shape itself in the most efficient way possible. For our site in particular, the roof is oriented to maximize solar radiation so that solar panels could power all of the electrical systems in the house. Furthermore, the sloped roof allows for rainwater collection to be used in a gray water system in the house. 17
Plumbing Plan 18
Mechanical Plan 19
Wall Section 20
The main structure of the building utilized a SIPS system that continues all the way through the wall and roof system as a method of saving costs. This system also had the added benefit of being an air-tight envelope that included a high R-Value (38). The materials used in the house were selected for the durability, sustainability, affordability,ease of construction and to help contribute to a healthy indoor environment.
Foundation Plan
Electrical Plan 21
The house incorporates a “plant wall� system, designed by faculty member, Jefferson Ellinger. This system is incorporated into the return air ducts, allowing some of the contaminated indoor air to be filtered through the wall where the microbes on the roots of the plants then eat the contaminants, and returns the filtered air into the home. 22
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Re-Actions Project Type: Neighborhood Infrastructure Project Location: Alto Peru, Chorrillos, Lima, Peru Studio Professor: Nadia Anderson Team Members: Jason Craft, Mike Kekedy, Daniel Zambrano
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In Fall of 2017, a group of students signed up for “Studio Peru,” a studio that included a multi-day workshop in an impoverished neighborhood in Lima, Peru, as well as a semester-long project proposing practical design solutions to help make the neighborhood safer. We were hosted by “Alto Peru Surf,” an organization with the goal of keeping the local kids off of the streets by keeping them engaged with sport, particularly surfing, and “IntuyLab” an architecture firm that strives to understand people and their environment. ‘Chain Re-Actions’ is a three phase urban agriculture project with the ultimate goal of transforming Alto Peru into a an ‘economic hub’ where locals can grow and sell produce through means of local restaurants or street side stands directly to customers. Throughout the multiple phases, this project also addresses many other concerns with the neighborhood, by cleaning up the streets of trash and dog poop, educating children about agricultural while giving them a responsibility and ownership over much of the garden project, and increasing the amount of foot traffic in the neighborhood, allowing for more eyes on the area, and less crime as a result. ‘Chain Re-Actions’ is not meant to be an ‘end all’ solution to the problems facing Alto Peru, however it can serve as a stepping stone to a safer and more ‘kid-friendly’ neighborhood.
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Gabian Terrace Garden Layout
Ground Line
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Rooftop Greenhouse Garden Kit
This technology works by spinning a turbine creating a pressure forcing the air downwards into a holding container below the ground. When the air temperature is above the dew point (roughly 12-14 hours per day in Lima), the humidity is converted into liquid water, and roughly 10 gallons per day can be created.
Watersee Waterseer humidity collection system.
Phase 1 of the project is the core of Chain Re-Actions. It consists of a kit of parts, to create simple garden units. These units are composed of a gabian block, housing a central space for soil and an irrigation system. As Lima is a “humid desert,” ie. there is not a lot of rainwater or healthy soil. This kit of parts seeks to improve both of these. Only a minimal amount of water is needed, thanks to a recycled bottle wick irrigation system. Essentially a piece of cloth or a wick is wrapped around the plants roots, so the plant takes in only the water soaked up by the cloth, and the remainder of the soil does not require watering. The soil is improved thanks to a composting system. Alto Peru has no shortage of dog poop thanks to the strays running around the city, and that poop is left alone. By collecting that and mixing it with other organic materials, a healthier soil can be created that will allow for plants to grow out of. Additionally, in order to “create” freshwater to water the plants, a system to collect the humidity out of the air was created. Currently a model is developed by Waterseer, however we had begun investigating how to make a working prototype out of recycled materials.
How the garden kits might look on the hillside and on the roof in Alto Peru.
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Phase 2 begins to look at the larger scale of the neighborhood infrastructure. Specifically focusing on water collection and composting. For water collection to begin to work at a larger scale, we start by looking at fog collectors. These fog collectors consist of a large mesh netting placed on the highest point of the neighborhood (Morro Solar). Humid air sweeps through the mesh, leaving moisture from the air which accumulate into water droplets. The water droplets then flow downwards by means of gravity where they can then be directed into a holding tank. As for composting, compost bins will be placed throughout Alto Peru to allow for further focus on cleaning up dog poop in the area. The compost bins will allow for easy pick up and disposal of dog poop located on the street. They will need to be paired with a trash bin and a recycle bin so that non compostable items do not wind up in the compost pile. This will help with creating nutrient rich soil as well as cleaning up the streets. With the bins located throughout the neighborhood, a centralized location for the compost will be necessary to allow the compost process to occur uninterrupted. Ideally this location would be at the base of La Base so that the motorized tricycles often found in the streets could pick up the bins and transport them here with relative ease.
How ‘La Base,’ the central part of Alto Peru, might looks at this point of the process. More gabian garden units have been added from Phase 1, and a centralized composting area and fog collectors have been added as well.
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Phase 3 begins to see the benefits from all of the units. Now a number of the homes in Alto Peru have their own gardening units, and they can begin to start selling their produce in a market. The market can be placed alongside the street leading up to Morro Solar, where there is already some tourist traffic. This allows for them to start by capturing some of that traffic, before the market becomes sustainable, and becomes a destination in and of itself. To help bring in further traffic, the fog collectors can connect to a fountain of sorts, that resides near the market. This will allow for easy access to the water by the residents, as well as serving as an educational tool on how water can be captured from the air for children and tourists. Additionally, restaurants in Alto Peru, such as the Cevicheria that is already residing in the neighborhood can benefit from these gardens by adding fresh produce to their dishes. Theoretically, this will lower the costs of vegetables for them, while simultaneously bringing in more customers who want fresh “farm to table� meals.
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How the market might begin to look on the road leading up to Morro Solar
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Rise Up Housing Project Type: SRO Housing Project Project Location: Charlotte, North Carolina Design Collaborators: Professor Eric Sauda, Professor Marc Manack, Mike Kekedy Production Collaborators: Mike Kekedy, Whitni Irving, Jonathan Warner
As part of my research assistantship at UNC Charlotte, I collaborated with Professors Eric Sauda and Marc Manack as well as the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte to design a series of SRO “micro-units.” The goal was to provide affordable housing for individuals coming out of homelessness, so that they can work and save money without ending back on the streets due to the high costs of housing. Additionally, this project aims to incorporate market rate housing so that other individuals looking for low cost housing can have a well designed apartment with a convenient location in the city of Charlotte. The project was recently presented to the Men’s Shelter with help from Whitni Irving and Jonathan Warner who worked on the site plan and renderings respectively. The project is currently on hold as the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte looks to find funding for the project.
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Upper Level Floor Plan
Ground Floor Plan 0
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Site Plan 0 8 16
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Upper Level Floor Unit
Ground Floor Unit 36
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EXHIBITION
Composites Wall Project Type: Net Zero Energy House Competition: “Composites Challenge” Hosted by the 2017 AIA National Conference in Orlando in the Composites Pavilion Student Team: David Brinn, Mike Kekedy, Whitni Irving, Brianna Moretti, Sangita Nemalikanti, Wesley Fitzgerald Faculty Advisors: Jefferson Ellinger
The “Composites Challenge,” was a student competition hosted by the AIA, and presented at the AIA National Conference in Orlando in the Composites Pavilion. The competition asked for teams to use composites to develop a novel architectural condition or system that moves beyond the cladding and secondary components currently identified within the IBC. In this project we developed an installation piece for a wall that stacks a system of rotated units, creating an extrusion and dimensional wall. The composite wall can be placed in a variety of locations to liven up spaces. It can serve as partitions, attractions among other uses. The panels are stackable with one side rotated 90 degrees to create both stability and variation in the form, as represented by the diagram to the right. Each panel is the same so that they can be mass produced to fit in whatever the spatial needs of a place are.
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Contemporary Arts Center Cordoba by Nieto Sobejan The composite panels have a hexagonal shape that allows for easy stacking and interlocking of each panel with minimal hardware
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Thermoform
Finished HDPE cast
Connect HDPE casts
Layup on the exterior of the HDPE casts
After cured unbolt the casts and pull them away
Trim off edges with saw to complete panel
The process involved thermoforming an HDPE panel, by extruding a coffee can through the melted sheet, creating guidelines through laser cut plywood. Two panels were then created and bolted together. Once bolted, the fiber composites were applied with resin to form the shape created by the HDPE panels. Once hardened, the HDPE panels were unbolted and removed from either side, thus releasing the fiber composite panel. The panel is then trimmed, and fitted to one another to create the final wall.
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Baltimore Set Design Project Type: Set Design Designed For: ‘Baltimore’ by Kirsten Greenidge, and Performed by the UNC Charlotte Department of Theatre Design Collaborators: Professor Marc Manack, Mike Kekedy Theatre Department Colaborators: Gordon Olson, Matthew Frasier
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We were invited by the theatre department at UNC Charlotte to design a piece of furniture the the Fall 2017 play “Baltimore.” The play is set on a college campus, and specifically required furniture pieces to represent an office, a campus bench and a common room in a dormitory. Furthermore, the play was performed in a black box theatre, meaning that all the set pieces needed to stay on stage throughout the entire play. The concept for this piece was to create a series of furniture pieces that could be stacked, rotated and rearranged so that the same pieces can represent different scenes. The design called for two different types of pieces, with the first piece containing two boxes and a surface piece that could be transformed into a desk and coffee table as shown. The second piece contained a chair that fit directly over a storage box piece. When stacked this piece looked like a single chair, and when separated, it could look like a side table. The box could be used to store props needed for specific scenes and not others, allowing for the actors to not need to go offstage to retrieve them.
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H NC BE
+16" +8"
+16" BENCH
+8"
+8"
SEAT +16" +8" SE
BE
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+16" +8"
+16" BENCH
+8"
+8"
SEAT +16" +8" SE
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Some conceptual plan drawings provided by Gordon Olson on how the scenes will need to be laid out.
Dimensions of the different set pieces, and how they can be configured and reconfigured. 51
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The individual pieces of the set were cut out of a sheet of plywood using a CNC router in the school of architecture’s fabrication lab. The pieces were then assembled in the lab as well as the Theatre Department’s fabrication lab.
Photo coutesy of the UNC Charlotte Department of Theatre Facebook Page
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Better Block Foundation Bench Project Type: Bench Designed For: Better Block Foundation Belmont Professor: Marc Manack Class: Good, Fast, Cheap. Democratizing Design Build
We were tasked with designing a bench out of a 4’ x 4’ sheet of plywood. The concept was to use the entirety of the sheet without creating any waste, or using any additional hardware (screws, nails, etc). The bench was to be on display at the “Better Block Foundation” event in the Belmont Neighborhood in Charlotte, NC. The event was meant to revitalize the forgotten neighborhood by bringing attention to it, and showing how it can become a cultural and artistic hub. Local artists, breweries and restaurants participated along with our “Good, Fast, Cheap” class, who was tasked with providing the seating for the event.
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In order to maximize the plywood, it was cut into boards so that a “grated� system could be used as the structure. The legs were created in the spaces between the boards, and meant to splay out to create a wave pattern. As the project prompt required us to avoid hardware, the bench utilized a dry fit system, where a notch was cut into each board so that a strip of wood could fit in between them. 56
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DRAWINGS
The Hedge Project Type: Church Firm: Silo AR+D Location: Fayetteville, AR Contribution: Rendering, Site Plan
The Hedge is a student ministry of the Association of Baptist Students at the University of Arkansas, located on Clinton Avenue in Fayetteville, AR. Recently they have purchased a property and are looking to build a new building to house their activities. Silo AR+D has looked to create a more literal translation of “The Hedge� by covering the exterior of the building with a bio-facade. My contribution to this project was to create a rendering and site plan showing its relationship to the upcoming University of Arkansas Stadium Drive Residence Halls (pictured on the next page) in a design collaborative led by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Modus Studio, Mackey Mitchell Architects, and The Olin Studio.
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Rendering courtesy of the Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Modus Studio, The Olin Studio, Mackey Mitchell Architects, and the University of Arkansas
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Lake Norman House Project Type: House Firm: Silo AR+D Location: Lake Norman, NC Contribution: Rendering
The Lake Norman House is located in Lake Norman, North Carolina and designed by Marc Manack and his firm Silo AR+D. The concept of this house was to create a house that could blend seamlessly into its surrounding “woodsy” context, so that it would appear as if it was a part of its natural surroundings. This was achieved by using wooden shingles to cover the entire skin of the building so that it looks like one continuous piece. With direct collaboration with Dante Balassone, another graduate assistant, our contribution was to create renderings that expressed this idea. As is apparent, there is a wooden shingle covering for the entire skin of the building, mixed with a certain level of glazing to give it a real transparency. This is all sitting on a stone foundation, successfully creating the illusion that it almost “grew” here.
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Manack Fulton House Project Type: House Firm: Silo AR+D Location: Canton, OH Contribution: Rendering
The Fulton House is a Silo AR+D project, designed as a contemporary single family home made up of a corrugated steel facade. It is designed for a retired couple, so the building is a small, one story house and easily accessible throughout. My contribution was to create a few simple line context renderings showcasing the house and its corrugated metal facade to present to the client and the neighborhood.
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Strickling House Project Type: House Firm: Silo AR+D Location: Cincinnati, OH Contribution: Revit Model, Physical Model, Drawings
The Strickling House was designed by Marc Manack and his firm Silo AR+D, and is located in a largely traditional residential neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. The client had requested a contemporary house, however the historical commission in the region would not allow for any type of contemporary facade to “ruin” the look of the street. The solution was to essentially create two traditional buildings on the street sides, and connect them with a contemporary middle. My contribution to this project was to translate the architect’s drawings and create a revit model and drawings that would showcase the house’s traditional feel and how it fits into the context to present to the historical commission. I also created a laser cut chip board site model to show off to the client how his house will fit into the context of the neighborhood.
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Uptown Fitness Center Project Type: Gym Class: Rachel Dickey Design Studio Location: Charlotte, NC Drawing Type: Rendering
This design studio project is meant to spread disability awareness by incorporating both the disabled and able bodied people into a single program. The fitness center as-pet is meant to bring in anyone who is trying to maintain a fitness routine which pairs nicely with the crowd brought in by the physical therapy center, who need to perform a fitness routine as a part of their therapy. This rendering is meant to show the exterior of the building and how it would look coming in from East 9th Street at the intersection with North Brevard Street.
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