MACKENZIE NIXON GRADUATE ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
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CONtENt dOuglAs fIr CENtEr | EnvIROnMEnTAL InTERPRETIvE CEnTER
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STUDIO 1 | InSTRUCTOR CATHERInE HAMEL
CANyON HOusE | MULTI FAMILY RESIDEnTIAL
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STUDIO 2 | InSTRUCTOR JASOn JOHnSOn
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KINEtICs CAfE | RESTAURAnT STUDIO 3 | InSTRUCTOR KEIR STUHLMILLER
grAftEd ENtANglEMENts | CULTURAL InTERPRETIvE CEnTER
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STUDIO 4 | InSTRUCTOR JOSH TAROn
glOrIEs | vIADUCT REDEvELOPMEnT COMPETITIOn STUDIO 5 | InSTRUCTORS CLARA SOLA-MORALES AnD EDUARDO CADAvAL
frACturEd grId | SEnIOR RESEARCH PROJECT STUDIO 6 | InSTRUCTOR MARC BOUTIn
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dOuglAs fIr CENtEr STUDIO 1 I InSTRUCTOR CATHERInE HAMEL
The Douglas Fir Center is an Environmental Interpretive Center that was designed for Edworthy Park in Calgary. The project is named after the Douglas Fir trail, a path that runs along a densely wooded escarpment with periodic views of the Bow River valley. It is here that users can momentarily escape the city and emerge themselves in nature. The Douglas Fir Center was designed to prolong a fleeting sense of escape by recreating the experience of trekking through this trail. Located at the peak of the trail, users ascend and emerge through the dense foliage only to encounter the Douglas Fir Center, where the facade is designed to accentuate the shadows and light conditions of the path. The programming within the building is materially and spatially differentiated from the outer facade, essentially designed as separate boxes within a shell, creating an ‘indoor’ space within the ‘outdoors; of the facade. The interior program is staggered randomly, to allow users to wander around the space, and the solid walls of the interior rooms provide refuge from the shadows cast by the building and the trail.
SITE PLAn
5
sItE sECtIONs SOUTH SITE SECTIOn
lIgHt studIEs
EAST SITE SECTIOn
sECtIONs
1
6
sECtIONAl pErspECtIVE SOUTH wEST SECTIOn
flOOr plAN
1 7
CANyON HOusE
RICHMOnD, CALGARY
STUDIO 2 | InSTRUCTOR JASOn JOHnSOn
The Canyon House is a multi-family housing project designed for a vacant city block in the Richmond area of Calgary, inspired by the Slot Canyons of Arizona. The project shares the site with another building designed by a fellow student, and while the architecture of the two projects are vastly differently, they attempt to find common ground through the merging of landscape and grade.
3D SITE MODEL SHARED SITE
SHARED SITE PLAn
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The Canyon House contains four units and is comprised of two separate buildings sited directly adjacent to one another. The close proximity and height of the buildings create a narrow corridor between the two masses where the suite’s entrances are located, halfway below grade. The height of the narrow corridor is accentuated as the user descends through the valley between undulating canyon-like walls. The form is contoured, which allows light to shine from the waving building, while also controlling the angles from which users can see in an and out of the facade. The units are designed as long corridors where separate spaces are defined by changes in elevation. The program is organized in relation to how much natural light the SITE PLAN spaces require, where the most public spaces are located on the upper level, and the most private are submerged in the ground. The variations in level in combination with the contoured facade create a mountainous form that is scaleable, creating exterior patios on flat planes.
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1
4 UnITS
2
STACK UnITS
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COnTOUR
GENERATIVE DIAGRAM
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STAGGER UnITS FOR DIFFEREnT PROGRAMMATIC USE
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PUSH UnITS TOGETHER TO CREATE nARROw DIAGRAM GENERATIVE wALKwAY BETwEEn
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GENERATIVE DIAGRAM
CONCRETE RETAILING WALL WITH IMBEDDED WOODEN SHELVING
SInK UnITS In GROUnD
8 6
TRANSLUCENT CONCRETE & LAMINATED GLASS
GENERATIVE DIAGRAM
MATERIAL APPLICATIOn
CREATE CAnYOn FORM
Building Strategy
GENERATIVE DIAGRAM
The project is composed of four units in two adjacent buildings. The units are designed as continuous spaces, where rooms are divided by diямАerent levels. The most public spaces are at the top of the building and receive the most light, while the more private spaces are placed further into the ground. 11
within the project there are two types of suites, with two bedroom units located in the northern building, and one bedroom units in the South building. The units are laid out with the kitchens in the upper most level, and bedrooms located at the lowest levels. walls within the units are wavy and built with the same tectonics as the exterior walls. The stairs also have indentations where people can sit, and counter space is developed as an extension of the exterior walls, built from the same contoured system.
ElEVAtIONs
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plANs 3D DIAGOnAL PLAn
2D BASEMEnT PLAn
3D DIAGOnAL PLAn
NORTH BUILDING NORTH BUILDING PLANS PLANS
sECtION
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2D UPPER PLAn
SOUTH BUILDING SECTION
SOUTH BUILDING SECTION
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The close proximity and height of the buildings create a narrow corridor between the two masses where the suite’s entrances are located, halfway below grade. The combination of proximity, decent and an undulating form help to simulate the eect of walking though a canyon. LIGHT BETWEEN
LIGHT TO DARK
Program is strategically placed, where public spaces are located in the upper most levels where they receive the most light, while the private spaces are burrowed in the ground.
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BUI
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CALGARY
KINEtICs CAfE STUDIO 3 | InSTRUCTOR KEIR STUHLMILLER
MACLEOD TRAIL
HERITAGE STATIOn
SITE PLAn
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The Kinetics Cafe is a small restaurant designed directly adjacent to the Heritage Train Station in Calgary. Given the siting of the project, one of the goals of this design was to take advantage of the existing forces present on the site. Every train that passes through the station pushes wind through the site, and the Kinetics Cafe attempts to capture some of this harbored energy and use it to momentarily provide a gust of ephemeral beauty. The project is a long narrow building, where either side is covered by spinning metal squares. As the wind blows, the pieces spin and create a ripple down the facade with the movement of the train. This movement create a wave in the lighting of the restaurant every few minutes, temporarily making the shadows twinkle within the building. To the riders of the train, the facade becomes a kind of art installation, ickering in the day and twinkling at night.
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gENErAtIVE strAtEgy
1
InITIAL MASSInG
2
CREATE RAMPS TO ROOF
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ELOnGATE RAMPS
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EMBED MASS In GROUnD
4
CREATE RAMPS DOwn TO EMBEDDED LEvEL
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RESULTInG MASS AnD FOOT PRInT
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RESULTInG FORM
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ExPLODED AxO
The project is a long and narrow mass, embedded half a level below grade. The main restaurant is located in the center of the space, with an open concept kitchen at the center of the space. Two arms extend off of this space, where the services are located. In order to maximize outdoor public space on the site, the length of the building was designed as one long ramp, where users are able to occupy the roof space, or easily flow through the site directly over the building. 19
1
vIEw FROM A DISTAnCE
2
vIEw AS TRAIn PASSES BY
fACAdE trEAtMENt
FACADE DIAGRAM
Either side of the project is covered by a spinning metal facade. As the wind blows, the pieces spin and create a ripple down the facade with the movement of the train. The users ability to see in or out of the restaurant varies with distance from the facade. At a distance, the facade appears more like a wall, and becomes more permeable as the user approaches.
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flOOr plANs
ROOF PLAn
service entry service entry open kitchen open kitchen waste waste
FLOOR PLAn
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receiving service receiving service
storage storage
ElEVAtIONs
wEST ELEvATIOn
nORTH ELEvATIOn
sECtIONs
wEST SECTIOn
nORTH SECTIOn 23
grAftEd ENtANglEMENts STUDIO 4 | InSTRUCTOR JOSH TAROn
PA R T n E R : C A I T LY n B R O w n I n G
Grafted Entanglements is a process driven project that was developed as part of a comprehensive studio in partnership with another student. The development and results of this project relied heavily on diagramming techniques that were developed and used to determine everything from the siting and form of the project to how the HvAC and lighting was designed. Located in Calgary’s west End, the project examined an existing ARP for the area, and built upon it to recreate a new redevelopment plan. From there a site was chosen for the project, and using a digitally derived diagraming technique, a form emerged from the existing site lines created in the ARP. The goal of this project was to understand a system for developing architecture, and then find ways to ‘mutate’ that system. As a studio, projects were slowly developed over the course of a semester, where the project would reach a certain stage and then ‘require’ a mutation. As a designer, this process erased any preconceived notions of the final result, and instead introduced a set of problem solving skills that could be resolved through intensive diagraming.
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sItE strAtEgy An important part of this project was the development of tool and language that would help guide decisions in the project. A digitally derived diagramming technique emerged as the main driver for the entire design. The diagramming technique simply creates pockets of space around important “nodes� of activity, where the importance of such nodes are determined by a variety of variables ranging from spacial qualities, to users densities, to landscape adjacencies. In this case, the ARP for Calgary’s west end was used to determine important points, and the digital technique was used to set nodes on a variety of important buildings and public spaces. The resulting diagram revealed a new set of lines that could be used to carve up the site and create new space. The use of this technique meant that we were able to replicate this process across various scales, and build a language for the entire project to work within. 26
1
2
CURREnT SITE
CURREnT ARP
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4
nODES OF AGITATIOn
PInCH AnD SPREAD
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6
CIRCULATIOn: ROADwAYS
CIRCULATIOn: PATHwAYS
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8
BUILDInG FOOTPRInTS
DESIGn LAnGUAGE 27
frOM dIAgrAM tO fOrM
ENtANglEMENt 28
APPLIED ACROSS vARIOUS SCALES
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ElEVAtIONs
EAST
nORTH
SOUTH
wEST 30
flOOr plANs GROUnD 31
SECOnD
sECtIONs
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BASEMEnT
prIMAry struCturE
PRImary Structure
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wAll sECtIONs 35
THE EIXAMPLE
SÀRRIASANT GERVASI
HORTA-GUINARDÓ NOU BARRIS
LES CORTS
GRÀCIA
SANTS-MONTJUIC
CUITAT VELLA
SANT ANDREU
SANT MARTI Eixample block dimensions
Cerda’s grouping of Eixample blocks
SANT ANDREU
ME
RID
IAN
A
glOrIEs STUDIO 5 | InSTRUCTORS CLARA SOLA-MORALES AnD EDwARDO CADAvAL
GRAN VIA DE LES CORTS CATALANES
DIAG
ONAL
BARCELOnA STUDIO BARCELOnA EIxAMPLE n
Glories is a project that was completed as part of a study abroad studio conducted in Barcelona, focusing on the Glories viaduct. The viaduct is a central piece of infrastructure that falls at the center of Barcelona’s master plan where three of the city’s major thorough fairs intersect. The clustering of traffic makes the area largely impassible by pedestrians and poses problems for the potential of a viable public space. Surrounding the viaduct, residential density is low and there are few public amenities, although recent efforts to improve the region have brought new and contemporary architecture to the site. The proposed plan for the area erases the viaduct, re-routes traffic and creates a massive green space equivalent to two times the size of Damn Square in Amsterdam.
ROADS
BUILDINGS
ExISTInG ROADS & BUILDInGS glòries
EXISTING SITE n
As part of the research studio, the task was to improve upon the urban condition while maintaining and recycling some or all of the infrastructure of the viaduct. The project was completed in three phases, the first being a context analysis completed together by the entire studio, the second involving the development of a master plan and massing within individual studio groups, and with the final phase including the design and development of one portion of the master plan on an individual basis.
PROPOSED COnTInUATIOn OF EIxAMPLE
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n
ROADS
BUILDINGS
ROADS
integration of eixample blocks
DESIGN PROCESS
Barcelona’s urban plan was developed by Ildefons Cerda and is defined by the ‘Eixample’ block. The Eixample block is characterized by four to five story buildings, each with their own courtyard, typically with three to four floors of residential on the upper levels, and one or two levels of commercial amenities at grade. within this framework, architects are able to design different facades and interiors, however for the most part the buildings work within the structure of the Eixample grid. Glories viaduct falls at the center of this grid, however the intersecting lines of traffic disrupt the Eixample grid and essentially break it’s effectiveness. Historically the center of Cerda’s plan has been given a great deal of importance, however while the viaduct falls at the geographical center, it is not the true center of activity in Barcelona. Despite this, a number of designs have tried to inspire a new central pubic space at this location. However, Glories continues to be under populated and lacks basic public amenities that the traditional Eixample grid provides. The project featured here attempts to erase the effects of the viaduct by replacing its gaping hole in the urban grid with something that is proven to work: the existing Eixample Grid. Blanketing the Glories viaduct with the Eixample block creates an urban plan that is proven to work within the context of Barcelona. However, in keeping remnants left by the viaduct, new typologies of public space are created and continues to contribute something unique to the center of Cerda’s plan. 38
a new typology of courtyard
urban strategy
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continuation of eixample grid
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expand interior buildings
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allow viaduct to cut through
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create buildings under the viaduct
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create buffer between ring and built space
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current stage of space
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ZONINg SMALL SCALE RETAIL LARGE SCALE RETAIL BUSInESSES RESIDEnTIAL BELOw 5 STOREYS RESIDEnTIAL ABOvE 5 STOREYS COMMUnITY SERvICES CULTURAL FACILITIES 40
retail commercial residential
retail commercial residential
retail commercial residential
PROGRAM MASSING
SECTION PERSPECTIVES
sItE sECtIONs 41
pEdEstrIAN COrrIdOr In developing a new urban plan for Gloires, traffic was largely re-routed, however there was a need to keep pedestrians flowing through the space. For this reason, pedestrian corridors were developed along the previously existing paths where road ways used to flow. There was then an opportunity to explore how these corridors could be designed, and how materiality, scale and programing might give continuity to a corridor that is spread across a number of buildings.
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COrrIdOr studIEs
1.
arallel Building Faces
Adjacent buildings
2.
x
Continuous corridor
Rotated Building Faces
x
3x
3x
Perspective Section a. Continual increase in height and width 1
x
Continual increase in height and width Continuous corridor with gradual change in height and width
x
Cross Section
2
b. Incremental increase in height and width
Incremental increase in height and width
3
EMErgENt COrrIdOr
exploration of generic corridor
DESIGN PROCESS exploration of generic corridor
DESIGN PROCESS
4
5 1
2
1
3
4
2
6
3
4 5
5
6
6
7
7
7
Pedestrian corridor connecting Diagonal
Seven pieces of Diagonal pedestrian corridor
Seven pieces of Diagonal pedestrian corridor
corridor adjustments
DESIGN
Diagonal Corridor Section
Diagonal Corridor Section
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COrrIdOr typOlOgIEs 5m
10m
15m
5m
7.5m
10m
12.5m
15m
With glazing, wrapping edge.
corridor iteration
DESIGN PROCESS
5m
10m
15m
5m
7.5m
10m
12.5m
15m
With balconies.
Urban Strategy
corridor iteration
DESIGN PROCESS 5m
10m
15m
5m
Width and height.
7.5m
10m
12.5m
15m
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uNdulAtINg urbAN COrrIdOr
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frACturEd grId STUDIO 6 | InSTRUCTOR MARC BOUTIn
Fractured Grid is a project that was derived through a process of rigorous mapping and diagramming. This investment into process allowed for the development of a project that was inextricable from the context of the site, and essentially allowed the project to become and extension of the public realm. The project’s title refers to a specific urban phenomena that occurs when one city grid runs into another, specifically at a different angle. This creates narrow angled blocks, where one street is left without an alley way and instead begins to take on a hybrid condition of store front and service space. This particular scenario happens in Calgary at 16th Ave. Sw where the grid from downtown meets the grid of Lower Mount Royal at 17th Ave. This discovery revealed itself as a sort of “pregnant condition” for intervention, where the study of the existing street typology lead to a more intensive study of potential street configurations, which ultimately revealed the potential for a new typology of architecture. The resulting project featured here is programed by a public Hostel, however the primary focus of this project is the emergence of more permeable and accessible public spaces afforded by the specific conditions of the fractured grid. B U I L D I N G
S E R V I
F A C
E
C E
B U I L D I N G
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S E R V I C E
41m
34m
16TH AvEnUE, CLGRY
106 m
181m
F A C E
TYPICAL BLOCK ARRAnGEMEnT
34m
B U I L
D I
N G
181m
F A C E
16TH AvE Sw. BLOCK TYPE
PERMEABLE nARROw BLOCKS
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COMPOSITIOn OF STORE FROnTS
The blocks that runs between 17th Avenue and 16th Ave Sw are narrow. For the most part, the buildings face 17th, and treat 16th Ave as a servicing side. However a number of residential units face on to 16th Ave on the opposite side of the street, eectively facing on to the alley of the narrow blocks. This creates a strange condition where the street functions as both a primary road for one side, and a service route for the other. On the wedge blocks that runs between 17th and 16th, there are a few buildings that utilize both sides of the street for their store fronts. This condition revealed the possibility for a new typology of narrow block that allowed for street front on either side, with the potential of further activating the street life of 16th Ave by capitalizing on the density of pedestrian activity on 17th. A study of existing building typologies revealed the potential for a new architectural typology for the narrow block, as well as a new potential urban plan that would make the blocks more permeable and create new public space. 50
ExISTInG TYPOLOGIES
EMERGEnT TYPOLOGIES
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1
2
urbAN strAtEgy
3
TYPICAL BLOCK
ExPAnD FACES TO BOTH SIDES OF BLOCK
CREATE PLAZA SPACE BETwEEn BUILDInGS
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EMERGEnT PUBLIC SPACE
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EMERGEnT BUILDInG TYPE
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SKYLIGHT
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EMERGEnT COvERED PLAZA
Through the shifting and scaling of buildings masses, this study explores the potential for a more permeable public space, while also developing new typologies of public space. By extending street faces to both edges of the street, there is potential to create public plazas between buildings where pedestrians are able to cross through the narrow block and access store fronts either directly o of the plaza or from 16th Ave. By Building up, it is possible to bridge these plaza spaces and create a new type of urban room that is protected from the elements, yet still accessible to the public.
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PUSH BUILDInGS TO OTHER STREET FACE 52
1
BUILDInG MASS
4
PRIvATE HOSTEL SPACE
2
PUBLIC SPACE
5
PUBLIC HOSTEL SPACE
3
PRIvATE SPACE
6
SEMI PUBLIC HOSTEL SPACE
buIldINg strAtEgy For this project, the building mass is derived from studies of the existing site and building typologies. Using these studies, a mass was revealed that would appropriately serve the existing conditions inherent to the narrow block type. The form is programmed with a hostel, and the interior is divided into new areas of public and private space, however the idea behind the project is that with the right massing and urban planning, any type of architecture or programming could help to activate 17th Ave and provide new public space. 53
ElEVAtIONs The building is programmed with a hostel, and within this space there are areas of shared and private space, where the user is able to decide the degree to which they are involved in any public space. Part of this notion of “choice” is reflected in the facade of the building. The are balconies and windows that line the edges and interiors of the building that are covered with folding screens. The screens allow the user to determine their level of engagement with the outdoors, and also allows them to control the lighting conditions of the space. The permeable edges of the building contribute to the plazas directly adjacent to the building, where users are able to look out and observe the activities below.
UP
wEST 54
UP
UP
SOUTH
S O U T H 1 : 2 0 0
E L E V A T I O N
UP
UP
nORTH 55
sECtIONs This project is primarily characterized by the urban room at the center of the space. The program is organized to look onto these spaces, where users of the building become partially involved in the outdoor space by opening the building screens and engaging in the activity below. Public amenities are places along the ďŹ rst and second oors of the building, and a second level patio is created within the urban room. The upper levels are composed of hostel dorms and public space.
UP
UP
UP
1
2 S E C T I O N 1 : 2 0 0
UP
1 S E C T I O N 1 : 2 0 0
UP UP
UP
3
4 S E C T I O N 1 : 2 0 0
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2
UP
S E C T I O N 1 : 2 0 0
3
4
flOOr plANs 3
1
4
3
DN
1
4
DN
1
UP
3
1
2
1
2
3
2
2
3
3
2
2
5 UP
4
5
1
5
4
DN
UP
5 DN
F I F T H 1 : 2 0 0
4
3
1
F O R T H 1 : 2 0 0
FOURTH
FIFTH
3
1
DN
4
DN
UP
UP
2
1
2
2
1
1
2 5
2
1
6
2
3
3
7
4
4
UP
3
UP
4
4 DN
T H I R D 1 : 2 0 0
THIRD
3
1
DN
1
h o s t e l
2
d o r m
3
s t o r a g e
d o r m s
4
c l e a n i n g
s h a r e d
s p a c e
c l o s e t
4
3
1
h o s t e l
2
d o r m
3
s t o r a g e
4
c l e a n i n g
d o r m s
5
c a f e
6
c a f e
7
p a t i o
s h a r e d
s p a c e
c l o s e t
o f f i c e
4
1
DN
UP
S E C O N D 1 : 2 0 0
SECOnD
UP
4
3
9
8
8
9
6
5 6 2
5
6 1 6
2
2
2
1 0
1
7 8
4
6
7
8
1 0
8
3 UP
UP
DN
GROUnD
G R O U N D 1 : 2 0 0
BASEMEnT 57
B A S E M E N T 1 : 2 0 0
CONTACT
1.403.701.5394
MACKENZIEJNIXON@GMAIL.COM