P O R T F O L I O
16-19
natalí ovalles
Architecture . Landscape Architecture . Furniture Design . 3D Art nataliovallespichardo@gmail.com.
+19542534844
BArch PUCMM MLA UC Berkeley MFD Candidate FiDi
Selected work (2016-2019)
a: 735 Geary St, San Francisco, CA e: nataliovallespichardo@gmail.com. p: +1 9542534844
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CONTENTS
FURNITURE DESIGN
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
3D ART
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02
INTRŌSPECT (US)
STAGES OF CONTEMPLATION
OBELISCO
MFD ITALY SPRING 2018
RUSSIAN HILL MLA 2017
MFD ITALY FALL 2018
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05
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ILLUSIO
RELEASE
CUVOID
MFD ITALY FALL 2018
MFD ITALY SPRING 2018
MFD ITALY SPRING 2018
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08
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COHOBA
LAYERS OF MOVEMENT
RUMBO
MFD ITALY FALL 2018
ALBANY BULB MLA 2016
MFD ITALY FALL 2018
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FOGON
ALLOMETRY
MFD ITALY FALL 2018
LAX MLA 2016
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THE SERENE BOX
THE KORE GLOW
3D ART
MLA 2016 2ND YEAR
FURNITURE DESIGN MFD 2018
2021
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01 INTRŌSPECT (US) MFD ITALY SPRING 2018
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/ Project description / - the space / the table / the spoon This is a project about meditation, about imagining the lack of something we still have. Is about being away from a place, is an opportunity for reflection.
- furniture design -
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THE SPACE / LOCATION 1
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- introspect (us) -
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC - THE SPACE -
Reflection - the space The space should be silent in both form and materiality.
The deconstruction of a pure form allows the space to catch natural light. An entry ramp allows the user to submerge itself underground generating a transition between the world of distraction and the space of meditation.
A monolithic folie almost reaching the sky, in the outside made of a reflective material, reflecting whatever environment is located in.
The entrance is lower than a regular door, the user must lower his head before getting inside the space, a symbol of reverence.
Inside it have to be a dark room with just a line of light coming from the ceiling providing just enough light to see yourself, the table and the spoon. Inside, the folie is made out of brutalistic concrete, creating a cold environment. - furniture design -
The space can and must be located in different environments because climate change affects all landscapes without discrimination. 10
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- introspect (us) -
RENDERED SECTION CUT
- furniture design -
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THE SPACE / LOCATION 1
When tectonic plates are colliding, temperatures reaching extremes, massive migrations are happening, economies are breaking down, crisis are connected one to the other and when we, as generation, are the product of a duality: a globalized world that keeps trying to blur the borders of knowledge and, the inflexibility to change that characterized our species; it is hard to ignored climate change, but still, we do.
because it is a frightening topic. It seems that we got used to live under the illusion that things are under control, as long as my everyday life is still not affected by X or Y. But climate change is not an isolated event but a cycle where things are related to one another. When the climatic conditions change, it affects directly the agriculture, the socio-economics and politics of a place, the human environment and without any doubt, the design field as well.
First, because is a controversial topic, but most importantly,
COLLAGE STUDIES DURING CONCEPTUAL PROCESS
CONSUMPTION CONSUMPTION CONSUMPTION
COLATERAL DAMAGE
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COLATERAL COLATERAL DAMAGE DAMAGE
DISTURBANCE DISTURBANCE DISTURBANCE
- introspect (us) -
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC - THE TABLE -
Glaciers contain bubbles of ancient air that can tell the history of past years, like if they are containing time, showing trough these bubbles how the climate conditions used to be. These bubbles are release while the ice sheets melt, like if we suddenly let go of those memories that makes us who we are. How do we raised awareness of the importance of these soon-to-be extinct landscapes? How do we educate about the connotations of climate change for our species?
The warning - the table Right before a coral reef dies it turns bright white, like making reference to that metaphoric heaven sometimes we imagine; and in some cases it turns fluorescent purple or green, to released heat and try to reduced its temperature. But also, like it intentionally wants to call attention to the processes that provokes its sudden and striking beautiful dead. The tables is now six separate cubic pillars made out of transparent acrylic of bright colors, creating a kaleidoscopic warning, just like the coral reef when its about to died. - furniture design -
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RENDERED VIEWS INSIDE THE SPACE
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- introspect (us) -
RENDERED VIEW - THE SPOON -
- furniture design -
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The bygone - the spoon allow us to survived and live unaware of experiences that do not directly affect us, until they do.
The spoon is the ultimate representation of what the human mind is capable of creating; an object that is not vitally needed but could seem irreplaceable, especially not knowing a life without it; one of the collection of objects we accumulate today in society, one of the many objects that are used to define social status or cultural background. Objects that allow us to survived without the need of knowing or understanding the process required to produce them. Objects that in a bigger spectrum
The spoon represents hope. A distorted glass spoon hangs from the ceiling, like if it was deformed by being exposed to high temperatures but still serves its purpose. The spoon now have a triangular shape, representing the past, the present and the future.
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- introspect (us) -
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02 STAGES OF CONTEMPLATION RUSSIAN HILL MLA 2017
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RENDERED VIEW AND TRANSVERSAL SECTION / STAGE w2 /
- landscape architecture -
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/ Location / - transition and rythm Located in the North area of San Francisco, California, to the south of Fisherman’s Wharf and the west of North Beach; this project sits in a very complex topography that allows the site to have very unique views of the waterfront, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and Marin County.
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- russian hill -
PLAN VIEW
- landscape architecture -
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ULTIMATE STAGE OF CONTEMPLATION / SPACE 6 /
The physical qualities of the site affects the way the city is structured around it, such as several pedestrian alleys and streets made out of stairs with beautiful landscapes and views like Macondray Lane and Fallon Place. The name of the area, Russian Hill, comes from a small Russian cemetery that used to be at the top of the hill during the XIX century, the cemetery was eventually removed but the name remains until today.
In 1859 a reservoir was constructed on site, being the first large reservoir to be built in San Francisco in a moment when the city was developing fast because of the Gold Rush. This reservoir was used to serve the population located in the Northeast part of the city, receiving water that was channeled through a wood flume from Mountain Lake along the Presidio.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT IMAGES / STAGE 2 AND 4 / CONCRETE CUBES WITH SMOOTH FINISHED
2’ CONCRETE FOOTING EVERY 10’ Cupressus sempervirens
6” WHITE GRAVEL 3” CORTEN RAILING
16” DEEP WATER WITH DARK PEBBLES
PREASURE TREATED WOOD PANELS IN SUNKEN PATH
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- russian hill -
/ Site history / In 1940 the reservoir became obsolete after a new reservoir was opened and named Lombard. In 1958 the water department officially declared that the reservoir of Russian Hill is to be prepared for sale in order to become a Park. Ever since then the reservoir has been in an outgoing process between becoming a Park, being abandoned, become a building development and back again to become a park. RENDERED VIEW AND TRANSVERSAL SECTION / STAGE 4 /
This location is not only special for its history and for the amazing views that have but also for the adjacency to key touristic attractions like Lombard Street, Ghirardelli Square, the trolly line in Hyde street, amongst others. This project, in particular, focused on framing the wonderful views of the Bay while making references to the complex and rich history of the site, both combine creating a new landscape project that seeks for the user to achieve stages of contemplation.
- landscape architecture -
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- russian hill -
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT IMAGES / STAGE 2 AND 4 /
CONCRETE JOINTS 3” DEEP WATER MIRROR
16” DEEP WATER WITH DARK PEBBLES
ACCENT TREE
MAGNOLIA SOULANGEANA
WATER CHANNEL
GALVANIZED BLACK STEEL RAILING
INFINITY POOL DETAIL
CONCRETE CUBES WITH SMOOTH FINISHED
/ Project description / This project consist of seven walls that are used to frame the views of the Bay. The first wall has a single opening as a way of enhancing curiosity in the user. The higher the wall is located in the topography, the more openings there are. These 7 walls create, in between them, 6 different spaces which are characterized mostly by their abstract elements that reference different ways to the historic past of the site.
tall wind flutes that gently create sound. The second stage introduces the user to a water mirror with monolithic folies on it, a pink magnolia pierces the water, a reference to the many opportunities this site and landscape have but also allows the user to initiate a more calm journey of reflection. The stages of contemplation continue to take the user through the spaces that become calmer and simpler the deeper and higher you are in the landscape, until taking you to the ultimate space of reflection,with a tall folie facing the view from the top of the hill while surrounded by fields of wild vegetation and a tall forest.
The first space works as a filter from the noise and distractions of the city and as a start point for the contemplation journey the user is about to experience. The space is formed by
- landscape architecture -
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PLAN DETAIL / DESIGN DEVELOPMENT STAGE 2 AND 4 /
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- russian hill -
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03 OBELISCO MFD ITALY FALL 2018
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- furniture design -
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/ Materials / Colored Glass and Metal
/ Project description / A modular bookshelf inspired on stone pillars and monolithic landmarks. Two different modules allow for a variety of layouts. With an exterior metal frame holding the colored glass the bookshelf give the illusion of a more lighter structure.
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- obelisco -
- furniture design -
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/ Assembly and detail sample for both modules /
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- obelisco -
- furniture design -
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- obelisco -
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04 ILLUSIO MFD ITALY FALL 2018
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- furniture design -
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/ A set of modular panels for the office of the future /
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- illusio -
/ Project description / A set of modular dividers for the office of the future. Each divider represents a function for an office in which physical storage is less of a concern and the focus is to create the idea of open space and connectivity among coworkers. Using color glass for the extruded elements and a light color for the base panel, this set gives the illusion of floating containers within the space. - furniture design -
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/ Assembly and details sample /
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- illusio -
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05 RELEASE MFD ITALY SPRING 2018
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- furniture design -
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ILLUSTRATIVE RENDERED VIEW
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- release -
ISOMETRIC
- furniture design -
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ILLUSTRATIVE SECTION
/Project description / The great outdoors. For this exercise I was asked to design a set of furniture and a canopy (light roof) for an outdoor space, with a starting point being the material use of the design pieces. The material would have to respond to the climate conditions of and outdoor environment of our choosing.
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- release -
- furniture design -
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ISOMETRICS
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- release -
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC
I selected the Eucalyptus forest in Berkeley, California as my space, because of many reasons. First, my previous experience living in the East Bay and second, the contrast between the monotony of colors and form of the forest and the colorful, free-spirited environment of Berkeley.
This material has some great benefits, especially if paired with a compartmentalized technique, were you create different sections of air that allow the inflatables to keep working even when one or more bubbles of air has popped. This medium can create a playful game of lights making the space more dynamic, it is also an easily replaced material, extremely light weight and can easily be moved from one place to another.
Based on that I also selected my main material, inflatables!
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
- furniture design -
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MEASUREMENTS AND PIECES DESCRIPTION
Inflatables are the main material of the set accompanied by a thin metal frame to keep it stable while also preventing the furniture from flying away! For the table the material changed to a transparent acrylic with gradients of colors so that it still relates to the rest of the furniture but is stable enough to fulfill its purpose as table. For this project the material was everything, so there is a certain level of simplicity in certain elements of the furniture pieces but a very complex design of the structure of the inflatable balloons. 51
- release -
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06 CUVOID MFD ITALY SPRING 2018
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- furniture design -
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ISOMETRIC VIEW
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- cuvoid -
/ Conceptual process /
Kids want to play! For this exercise the main goal was to create a furniture piece for kids made of plywood as main material but that also serves the purpose of displaying and organizing legos.
users from the ones we are use to (kids vs. adults), and the importance of color and simplicity while still being playful and allowing the kids to use the furniture in a multifunctional way.
My first approach to this type of furnishing taught me the many constraints, but also opportunities, of working on a piece that would be used by kids. No sharp edges, different scales of
The idea was to create this simple colorful cube with different shaped compartments that can both contain legos but also serve as a desk for the kids to build their own art pieces.
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CONSTRUCTIVE DETAILS
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- cuvoid -
/ Project description /
ELEVATIONS
The cube has a raised surface where you can display the final art pieces while still working in the lower part of the desk. The cube also has a lower box that can be used as a chair and also as a container. All the different “drawers” have different bold colors, so kids can either separate the legos by colors according to the container or mix them all together.
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ISOMETRIC DETAILS
The cube also has openings in different locations where kids can drop lego pieces without the need of getting the “drawers” out. The name of the project is very simple and makes reference to the fact that the furniture piece, while fully assembled, form a simple cube but when all the pieces are pulled away voids are generated all around. The idea is that the furniture achieves both a functional purpose and a very fun process of building and deconstructing legos.
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- cuvoid -
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07 COHOBA MFD ITALY FALL 2018
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- furniture design -
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MOON GODDESS
YACAHÚ
YA-YA
ITIBA CAHUBABA
SUN GOD
/ Key definitions / - Cohoba / Cemí Cohoba: Term used to define the Taíno ritual in which the seeds of the cojobana tree were inhaled, allowing the Behique to comunicate with the gods and goddesses. Cemi: Taíno concept that designates a deity or ancestral spirit and also a sculptural object that lodge these spirits. The cemíes were made in either wood or ceramic.
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- cohoba -
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/ Project description / A collection of lamps representing the Taíno deities of the Cohoba ritual. With there sculptural qualities these lamps become cemíes themselves. The collection includes: three table lamps, three standing lamps and three hanging ones. Materials: Painted wood with a metal structure
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- cohoba -
- furniture design -
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- cohoba -
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08 LAYERS OF MOVEMENT ALBANY BULB MLA 2016
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- landscape architecture -
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RENDERED VIEW
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- layers of movement -
CONCEPTUAL DIAGRAMS ALBANY BULB
LAYERSdescription OF MOVEMENT / Project / / NATALI OVALLES / LA203 PROF KARL KULLMANN
G E N TGENTRIFICATION RIFICATION
R E RESPECT SPECT
DIS PLACEMENT DISPLACEMENT
T OTOLERANCE LERANCE
EEQUITY QUITY
P RPREJUDICE EJUDICE
C OCOMMUNITY MMUNITY
E MEMPATHY PATHY
During a period of about ten years, the Bulb was taken by street artists and transients and transformed into an art community where people built their own houses or created pieces of art that will later be transformed by the users of the Bulb. After those ten years, that community was re-located, but the Bulb remained that place of freedom, that white canvas where people leave a little bit of their art or thoughts and, to this day, is transformed by the users.
Albany Bulb is a landfill that belongs to the City of Albany in California and is the result of a century long process of filling the Bay and the wetlands around it. The area is made out of construction debris, like concrete and rebar, and is home to a very odd yet interesting variety of vegetation; one of the characteristics that make this space unique.
- landscape architecture -
O PRESSION OPPRESSION
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RENDERED PLAN VIEW
B
A
A’
B’
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- layers of movement -
- landscape architecture -
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RENDERED VIEW AND SECTION
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- layers of movement -
- landscape architecture -
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/ Project description / The bulb have significant layers of movement through history, some of them got lost with time, while others got intensify or cut. The Bulb’s history also shows a lot of social contradiction, with processes that influenced the physical quality of the environment while giving the space a well define and evocative appearance. What I want is to stimulate the visitor to keep creating its own layer of movement by establishing artifacts that interact with the older art expression of the site and that can be appropriate by the visitors in their own ways. This artifacts will insinuate a certain route but allowing the user to decide whether to follow or not, increasing the layers of movement in the Bulb, and stimulating the feeling of getting lost, I want to create an invitation for the user to draw the present history while in interacting with the pieces that remains from the past.
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- layers of movement -
- landscape architecture -
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RENDERED VIEW AND SECTION
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- layers of movement -
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09 RUMBO MFD ITALY FALL 2018
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- furniture design -
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/ Project description /
A folding chair for outdoor use. Made of fabric and metal frame, this lightweight chair is not only easy to carry but also easy to stack, allowing the user to transport several at a time.
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- rumbo -
With a multicolor it allows the user blend into nature accent piece with ideal for kids.
- furniture design -
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palette to either or own an fun colors
/ Assembly and storage /
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- rumbo -
- furniture design -
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- rumbo -
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10 FOGÓN MFD ITALY FALL 2018
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/ Key definitions / - fo’yon - noun 1. Place of the kitchen where fire is made. 2. Place where the fuel is burned. 3. Done outdoors to cook or stay warm.
/ Materials / Terrazzo with a multicolor paletter of aggregate and cement. The density of the aggregate varies, giving each table a different character.
/ Project description / A collection of nine tables; three standing tables three side tables three dining tables For this project the table is being study in its relationship with the concepts of home and fire, more than an object the tables are consider a space that allow people to be together.
- furniture design -
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- fogon -
- furniture design -
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ASSEMBLY AND DETAILS SAMPLE
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11 ALLOMETRY LAX MLA 2016
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- landscape architecture -
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RENDERED VIEW
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- allometry -
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
- landscape architecture -
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- allometry -
- landscape architecture -
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RENDERED VIEW AND SECTION
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- allometry -
/ Project description /
With a particular location in between Los Angeles Airport, a residencial neighborhood and a coastal access to the beach, surrounded by high traffic, with height restrictions, noise pollution and a massive scale, this is a quite complex site. My intention is to create a programmatic gradient between the more urban area to the more natural space; between the airport and the beach. Creating a public recreational space for the community, my concept is base on four elements:
or altering the variance of one trait relative to another, as a way to create spaces in both a bigger and a more human scale, in this particular project translated the change in size of the pattern based on noise and height restrictions. This element defined the changes in dimensions and shape of the 4 typologies of follies creating a gradient of sizes that varies in the longitudinal axis according to how close or far away the pieces are from the urban environment.
Allometry: The process of experimentally shifting the scaling relationships
- landscape architecture -
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LOCATION
TYPOLOGIES SECTIONS
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- allometry -
ipsum loren
/ concept description /
Cline: To possess or exhibit gradient manifest in this project with a topographic variation of the proposed pattern. This second layer of gradient affects the physical qualities of the typologies program, from more urban hardscape to a more soft landscape environment.
- landscape architecture -
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RENDERED VIEW AND SECTION
Deformation: Changes in the shape or size of an object due to an applied force, the tension between the proposed gradients, reflected in two skins that cover the more urban areas of the site.
Flow of percolation / porosity: Movement and filtering of fluids through porous materials. The element that defined the circulation of the project. With this idea added to the others, I was able to create a porosity that allows the circulation of people not only in a longitudinal axis but also in the transversal axis, that way there is a more dynamic flow of people.
In this case affecting the physical conditions of the two canopies of the projects. Both were developed almost as a deformed net that creates a sense of privacy and breaks down a little bit the massive scale of this site.
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- allometry -
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12 THE SERENE BOX MLA 2016 2ND YEAR
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Serene /si’ri:n/ adjective 1.
calm, peaceful, and untroubled; tranquil.
noun archaic 1.
an expanse of clear sky or calm sea.
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/ objectives /
The goal of this short exercise was to create a space based on a word and then locate that space in an imaginary or a real landscape. My key word was ‘serenity’. To achieve a space that represented this word it was necessary to go back to the purest and most calm shapes, the circle and the square but also the simplest of materials: bricks, concrete and water.
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- serene box -
RENDERED VIEW AND SECTION
- landscape architecture -
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/ project description /
As the location selected was a forest it was also necessary to create a contained but yet open space that uses the landscape as a key element of the design. A simple square ceiling with a circular opening framing the sky under thin columns separating the ceiling from the walls. these walls are made of bricks that slowly transition to generated openings for perforated privacy while still being in contact with nature. A concrete path surround the ‘water mirror’ that becomes the floor of the box. A single rectangle, that can be used for sitting or meditating, erects from the water and can only be reached by getting in the water. Simplicity and horizontality are, according to me, the two main aspects of this serene space.
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- serene box -
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13 THE KORE GLOW FURNITURE DESIGN MFD 2018
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- furniture design -
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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
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- kore glow -
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC
From nature to structure. For this exercise the goal was to design a piece of furniture inspired in a natural occurring form or structure. In nature, structures are optimized with a maximum strength and minimum material, avoiding unnecessary ornaments; so we were as well, asked to design with that objective in mind.
membrane that resembles a Chinese lantern. This membrane dries during spring leaving only a structure of thin veins on the outside exposing the fruit within. The structure of it is simple yet complex; a main vein divides into five to which those five divide into more and more veins making a structural net that holds the fruit inside of it. The most important features that I wanted to translate in my design were lightweight, simplicity and balance. I then created a lamp that balanced itself in the middle of a main structural core.
The fruit of Physalis alkekengi or Chinese lantern plant was the nature’s element selected by me for this short exercise. this is a characteristic plant of the regions covering Southern Europe, South and Northeast Asia. it is a perennial herbaceous with its fruit covered by a thin layer of a bright orange
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RENDERED ELEVATIONS
/ project description /
An S shape vein helped the lamp to stabilize and if desired to move softly from side to side. The light source is a bright red color that in the darkness creates this sensual and delicate soft light allowing the main feature of the lamp to be the structure and the way it balances, rather than the decoration.
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14 3D ART 2021
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natali ovalles a: 735 Geary St, San Francisco, CA e: nataliovallespichardo@gmail.com. p: +1 9542534844 (2016-2019)