misha semenov
misha semenov
design for ecoempathy can our human habitat be built in symbiosis with the nature around us and within us? A lifelong environmentalist and designer, I believe that our built environment has a unique role to play in solving the ecological crises we face: if our buildings and infrastructure connect us back to nature instead of separating us from it, we can begin to rebuild society based on symbiosis with other living systems. The Ecoempathy Project is a platform for exploring a new approach to architecture that fosters deeper emotional connections to ecology & environmental systems through design.
read more: www.ecoempathyproject.wordpress.com
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misha semenov
the reveal how can modular wood housing reveal its environmental systems in an experiential way? Prepared for a housing reform competition in the Jatkasaari neighborhood of Helsinki, this project, completed in the Yale advanced studio of Lisa Gray and Alan Organschi, reimagines the way that housing relates to environmental systems and local climate. The design is intended as a critique of the double-loaded corridor typology, in which pipes and wires are obscured from view and human circulation is reduced to the bare minumum. As an alternative, the project proposes a large, semi-conditioned atrium as a communal hallway between two stacks of modular units built from 3x3 m cross-laminated timber modules. The idea is that while these modules are flexible and removable, the atrium space, through which both people and services circulate, is the most architecturally rich and significant part of the building. Services are routed to the individual modules and common spaces through columns that punctuate the atrium space. Besides supporting the translucent solar panel roof, these columns give the building’s innovative sustainable systems--power generation and storage, water harvesting and treatment, and heat pumping--an architectural form that allows them to be a beautiful presence in inhabitants’ lives rather than a hidden system.
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this sketch explains the design concept for each unit: one more public side faces the public atrium, while the other, more private, side faces the finnish outdoors
this series of sketches illustrates the transformation of the single-loaded corridor into an open atrium space that allows for the circulation of people and services.
the atrium space contains a series of utility columns, which provide “umbilical cords� for the modular units. this arrangement is shown in plan (r) and section (l)
misha semenov
this model demonstrates the modularity of the unit system. the clt units can be “plugged into� the larger system.
the modular units, to be assembled in an offsite factory for greater efficiency, are based on a 6x3m shippable module, dimensioned to fit onto a flatbed truck.
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sketches showing the urban strategy for the project. public spaces are placed primarily along the ground floor and on the roof.
view of the street-facing entrance; this would house a ground-level grocery.
misha semenov
this typical plan shows the arrangement of units in twonorth-south “zippers� on the site, with a generous public landscape in between.
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misha semenov
north-south section through one of the “zippers� shows the network of rooftop public spaces, as well as the indoor water treatment wetland running along the floor of the
views of model showing light and shadow conditions created by the unique solar roof
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A
A
GROWING FORWARD ~ NEWTOWN CREEK GROUND FLOOR PLAN
misha semenov
1/16” = 1’
N
growing forward how can a polluted industrial site become a living laboratory for bioremediation & regeneration? Project published in Yale Retrospecta 2018 Growing Forward proposes a novel way to deal with contaminated urban sites, through the creation of a center for the production and processing of organisms--shellfish, plants, and fungi--that naturally accumulate and break down pollutants. These biological manufacturing facilities, comprising 135,000 square feet of indoor and semi-outdoor spaces, are nestled within a landscape intended to serve as a publicly-accessible, pedagogical demonstration of a regenerative alternative to industrial remediation. The goal of the project is to develop an architectural language to render legible the flows and mechanisms that sustain this biological production, giving visitors a visceral and empathic connection to the bioremediation process. It was the product of an advanced studio led by Julie Eizenberg charged with reimagining a polluted site on Newtown Creek, Brooklyn.
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view from bridge to river walk, showing the dockside greenhouses and first row of fungal digesters
shot of physical model showing view from nursery back towards the biodigester building
misha semenov
safe chemical forms biomass transportation
CSO Pb Cd
PCB Ni
DXN
Pb
PAH
Zn
Cu Fe
Pb
onsite accumulation of toxins
decomposition by fungi and bacteria
NY
oysters
CT
NJ
fungi
plants
YEAR ONE
YEAR FIVE
YEAR TEN
ESTABLISHMENT
SITE COLONIZATION
REGIONAL DISPERSAL {TO RESTORATION PROJECTS}
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classrooms, labs, support
3 0 , 0 0 0 SF
biomass processing
4 0 , 0 0 0 SF
oyster h at c h e r y
45,000
sf
plant nursery
50,000
sf
fishing pier
dock entrance street entrance
birding platform willow pavilion
Visitor Experience water tower observation deck
bridge to nature walk
toxic dirt dock
shellfish dock
Transportation by Land and Water
plant dock
algae tanks spawning
decomposer dock
larval tanks juveniles toxic biomass outdoor dock nursery
processing
digestion
hange
fertilizer exc
seedlings
soil
exch
ange
sprouts
adult oysters
mature plants
outdoor nursery
ge
misha semenov
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misha semenov
landscape
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canals
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r a i lw ay s
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roads
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e c o - fa b r i c
...
eco-urban fabric can a postindustrial canal city reinvent its urban fabric around green infrastructure and nature? Project in collaboration with Lily Hou, YSoA M. Arch I ‘18 The starting point for our project, completed for Alan Plattus’ studio, was an analysis of the infrastructures that have defined the urban form of Lowell over the last 200 years; first hydropower canals, then railways, then roads literally went through the buildings they served and set very specific parameters for urban development in a city that was always geared toward production of goods. We propose that Lowell’s urban form today should be determined by a new mass infrastructure that focuses on the revitalization of Lowell itself as an ecologically and socially healthy place rather than the production of material goods: green infrastructure. The integration of water-treating wetlands, bioswales, water retention ponds, and reconstructed habitats allows for a new relationship between city and landscape. Ultimately, it creates a new form of urban fabric that negotiates between a dense, lively urban condition and a continuous natural landscape.
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u r b a n fa b r i c
a n t i u r b a n fa b r i c
u r b a n fa b r i c
vs landscape
in landscape
in landscape
large site model showing the peninsula as an urban massing complete with housing, retail, and a theater
mill condition: steep canal “canyons�
misha semenov
proposed condition: open up and naturalize edge while preserving urban feel
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section through site showing the relationship to canals
large scale site model showing the eco-urban fabric applied across the canalscape
misha semenov
section explaining the functionality of the integrated green infrastructure: the reclaimed smokestacks collect and clean rainwater and greywater, sending it to the constructed wetlands for filtration.
view of the physical model showing wastewater treatment terracing and pathway system
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this is a more detailed prototype of a “water chimney� as proposed for the courtyards of the project. the use of ornament animates the passage of water through the system.
misha semenov
detail view of the proposed water storage column..water could be stored and released as needed to sustain the wetland below.
plaster full-scale model of the water spout ornament
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misha semenov
urban canopy parklet how can two parking spots be transformed into an ecological classroom for everyone? Winner of CT Green Building Council’s 2018 Student Award of Honor The Urban Canopy Project is a living demonstration of Ecoempathy, a unique public space designed and built for the City of New Haven by Misha Semenov and Kassandra Leiva with the help of dedicated volunteers and generous donors and guidance from Dana Scinto. Meant to be a gateway to deeper experiences with urban nature for a traditionally underserved community, the parklet abstracts the shapes of the city’s most prominent tree species into canopies built with the reclaimed wood of former street trees, with tables, seating, and signage in English and Spanish. All materials used were reclaimed, and all cladding and furniture came from former street trees. The table tops are made from urban maple, ash, oak, and elm wood. The cladding and glue lam are white oak. The parklet is modular and can be easily disassembled and stored over the snow season. It is meant to be a permanent public park that can be placed in a new location every year by the city of New Haven.
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misha semenov
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maple leaf shapes project from the canopy onto the live edge maple tabletop, creating a connection with urban maple trees on many levels
misha semenov
volunteers included families, students from local colleges, and Emerge Youth Build, a program that teaches construction skills to at-risk youth.
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misha semenov
at home with nature how can an affordable dwellling in new haven connect its inhabitants to its site? This project investigated how a house in the urban context of New Haven can give its inhabitants a deeper connection to nature, in particular to landscape and sunlight. Winter shading issues led to the development of a “barbell� schame, with the house split into two wings, each anchored by a vertical element and featuring a porous southern edge open to the sun. The landscape strategy was to harness the existing topography of the site by terracing it with 6� stepped contours that flow seamlessly into the interior of the house. The circulation within the house is a product of this exaggerated topography; the stairs become extensions of the stepping of the landscape, and the house itself steps down with the landscape from a taller urban front to a more intimately-scaled yard-facing back.
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misha semenov
This “drawdel� focuses on the site terracing and its flow between the indoor and outdoor environments through a floor-to-ceiling window. To which of these realms does the terracing belong? What is the line between natural and manmade?
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misha semenov
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misha semenov
inverted library how can a branch library accommodate new uses while remaining inviting? This project, undertaken with critic Rosalyne Shieh, envisions a new Brooklyn Public Library branch of 20,000 sq ft on a triangular site nestled between brick warehouses and residential rowhomes. If books were the central component of 20th-century libraries, today, they serve as a wrapper for a variety of other functions: computer clusters, maker spaces, classrooms, and more. The design of this library was based on a series of mushroom-like elements: on the bottom floor, they are scaled to the size of columns and wrapped in books, allowing for an open library space. On the second floor, they taper outward and form more intimate skylight-lit spaces. One inverted shell also forms a public auditorium space. Inspired by both the local vernacular and the brick architecture of Dieste, these shells are built with alternating layers of brick. The facade honors the neighborhood’s historical fabric, incorporating a reimagined layered Tuscan cornice and piers that mirror those of the surrounding factories, and is based on a double skin: the inner layer consists of a concrete wall with round apertures, while the outer layer of bricks is staggered open over these areas to allow a beautiful latticed light in by day and soft pixelated light out by night.
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study nook
children’s entrance
playground
theater
computer cluster
stage
backstage area
storage study room
folding doors for after hours use
24-hr public wc
hangout lounge
potential expansion: stacks & offices
reception
basement plan
3d model showing the clustered “mushroom” shapes misha semenov
first floor plan
maker lab
vie w
to
ny cs
ky li
ne
conference space
outdoor terrace
children’s books
rooftop community garden
children’s computing
outdoor terrace
study nook
computing center
learning kitchen
study nook
second floor plan
roof plan
main entrance at night
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section model of perforated facade
misha semenov
old library
initial model explorations
new library
“mushroom� pod concept
south elevation
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my early sketch of the house; substantial parts of this concept were built
back side of house as built
misha semenov
yale building project How can a low-cost, studentbuilt house extend into the outdoors? Our group’s design won the competition and was built, with slight modifications, in the Summer of 2016 by Yale School of Architecture students as part of the James Vlock Building Project, a program to provide affordable homes in New Haven built by Yale students. Collaboration with Patrick Doty, Kevin Huang, Alexis Hyman, Jonathan Molloy, Ronald Ostezan, and Meghan Royster, YSoA M. Arch I ‘18 My sketch at left represents an early conceptual design, which bears substantial similarities to the completed house. Advised by Kyle Bradley and Andrew Benner, our team created this winning design as a response to a narrow site with a beautiful wooded backyard. The design took the service wall dividing the main house from an an additional tenant unit as the starting point for an architectural strategy that allows the primary planes of the house to extend beyond the envelope, reaching deep into its very narrow lot, claiming territory for the occupants and creating a sense of space in a very small house that is barely 1000 square feet.
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view from the street
misha semenov
first floor plan
the living/kitchen space extends into the outoors and is illuminated by a skylight
second floor plan
window nook overlooking the first-ever green roof on a building project house
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towards a taxonomy of columns
fluted column
portal
alternation
wall
archway
mushroom
seat
bench
staircase
post and beam
column and slab
element base
hanging element
partition
enclosed space
slab system
aperture
fence
cu rta i n
connection (ducts?) ds a taxonomy of columns
connection (ducts?)
column / support
element base
wall
archway
porous slab
single enclosure
enclosed space
slab system
stepping
tilt
double enclosure
enclosed space
stepped slabs
partition
column and slab
gradients and transformations
post and beam
hanging element
gradients and transformations
slab system
misha semenov
emergent emergency can a new architectural language reconcile neoclassical stability with organic openness? This project for a headquarters building for the New York City Office of Emergency Management, undertaken with critic Emily Abruzzo, took as its starting point a 15� diameter column. A variety of spatial types, from more fixed, closed, and cave-like pochÊd spaces to flexible, open-plan column-slab configurations, was then constructed out of this basic unit. This taxonomy was applied to a site in a park with a rigid existing grid of trees. The result is a building that contains fluid gradients between hierarchical, closed spaces and details reminiscent of the WPA-era Neoclassical buildings that surround it and more fluid, modernist, open spaces that allow for the flexibility and public accessibility the OEM requires, as well as between the grid of trees in the park and grid of columns in the interior. Biophilic and Alexandrian patterns are used throughout to create a richness of spatial experience.
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transverse section through the building’s circulation core
concept sketch showing transition from tree grid to columns to solid poche, all using module of the cylinder
misha semenov
ground floor plan
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third floor plan showing auditorium
view of street entrance
misha semenov
scale model showing dappled light effect from “stalactite� ceiling structure
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the pine
the cypress
misha semenov
trees of rome how do Rome’s three signature tree species act as architectural elements in their own right? This suite of drawings was completed during my summer stay in Rome and intended as an urbanistic analysis of Rome’s plane trees, cypresses, and pines. All three have been present in the city since Roman times, and carry great symbolic meaning. These drawings reveal unexpected continuities between buildings, public spaces, and their trees.
the plane tree
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study of Wright’s ornament system in the Unity Temple