Benarroch Nathan
Architecture Portfolio
Table of contents 01 House II 2017 ALICE Studio, Prof. Dieter Dietz
05 Circular Hanbok 2022 MxD Studio, Prof. Jeffrey Huang
02 Rooms 2017 ALICE Studio, Prof. Dieter Dietz
06 Masters project 2023 Prof. Eric Lapierre
03 Vernacular Architecture 2018 LAPIS Studio, Prof. Nicola Braghieri
07 Other projects 2017-2022
04 Housing Garonne 2020 LCC Studio, Prof. Luca Ortelli
01
House II Carried out by more than 140 students, House II is a temporary project which took place for 2 months in Zürich, in collaboration with the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). It is made up of 14 modules which were imagined, designed and built by all the students in their first year of architecture. The basis of these different modules is common to all projects: it is a proto structure acting as the skeleton on which the project will develop. Our studio decided to work on a cinema, with a stand and a screen. The aim was to gather people working in the neighborhood as well as students of the nearby Art school. We also wanted to have the latter show their work. Overall, it was designed as a place to take a break, have lunch, chat and rest.
Perspective drawing of House II
Hand-drawn axonometric detail of the stand
Built project
02
Rooms Before House II, each student was asked to come up with a project which would fit into the proto structure, as the founding element, with the idea to build it at scale 1:1 in Zürich in the future. Before starting the project itself, I wanted to analyze the context: the area was slightly outside of the city, mainly frequented by youngsters who did not benefit of any street equipment. Hence, my idea for the project was to offer a gathering place for the youth. A space inspired by skate park modules, this practice being performed a lot by youngsters. They could then have a proper place adapted for both sports and relaxation. Indeed, the project would be designed in an open, modular and flexible form to adapt to the needs. As the project was to be built as scale 1:1, construction details required particular emphasis, in drawings as well as in model.
Hand-drawn sections, including construction details
View of the primary framework in interaction with the proto structure (top) and general view of the project before installing the plywood covering (bottom)
03
Vernacular architecture The purpose of this exercise was to analyze a chalet built in the typical Swiss vernacular way. It was located in Val D’Illiez, canton of Valais. Working in groups, the task was to perform a precise and complete survey of the entire building. It would then be transcribed in plans and elevations, as well as a model showing a cross section of the building, allowing a view of the inside. The group paid special attention to the understanding of the building constructive systems.
Ground floor plan and facades
madriers et fenêtres Sam Mettraux Parcelle n°VD108 Route des Crosets 20-Vald-D’Illiez 23 juin 2018
axonométrie 1:10
plan 1:10
Constructive detail of the window
axonométrie 1:10
Model
04
Housing Garonne Preceded by a full analysis of the site on which it is to be built, the Housing Garonne project involves the construction of around a hundred housing units close to the Garonne river in south-west France. The reference was used as an important tool in the development of the project. A street in Bern, the Kramgasse, which forms part of the old city, became the starting point for the project. Through its linearity, its work on facades and arcades, and the dimensional relationship between the building and the street it forms, the Kramgasse anchors the foundations of identity for future development. The site, considered «neutral» or «without quality», is the basis on which the project develops. The essential elements of the area are its slim topography, vast expanses of farmland, a few infrastructure facilities and small villages. The project takes place in the very heart of one of these small villages. The main decision was to mimic this layout in order to increase the density of the existing buildings and enhance the existing street. The project therefore called for a clear master plan, followed by a typological development of a housing unit in the developed neighbourhood.
Kramgasse plan, Bern
Section and facade of the street
Strategy for implementation
09. Le Galantin Gianni Verrillo, Rafael Halilovic, Nathan Benarroch
View of the project from the Canal
Master plan of the project in Tarne-et-Garonne, near the 0 100 Canal Latéral
500
Implementation of the housing units
Ground floor plan
Family housing unit
05
Circular Hanbok The project aimed to make the circular economy visible and tangible to everyone, in order to raise awareness of the paradigm shift and changes in the global economy. To do this, we decided to transform plastic bottles into Hanbok, traditional Korean clothing worn at special events such as weddings. The idea behind the intervention in the Sewoon Building, in Seoul, is to transform manufacturing into a museum of production, where every visitor can enter and visit, in order to better understand the circular economy process that has been put in place. This project also aims to create a strong relationship with the neighbourhood. Plastic bottles from the various restaurants and cafés around our location in the Sewoon building are collected and transformed into rolls of fabric. The fabric is then exported to local tailors and craftsmen, located close to the Sewoon building, who work on the finishing touches of the Hanbok. The products then return to the building to be rented or sold. Our architectural intervention consisted of removing few slabs, installing ramps for visitors to walk on and have a tour, and fitting out the machinery to create a strong link between workers and visitors.
Nathan Benarroch +(41) 76 440 77 39 nathan.benarroch@epfl.ch
3D printed model
Diagram of the circular economy system
Plan, section and facade of the project
Axonometry of the transformation principle within the Sewoon Building
06
Masters project My Masters project is entitled «Dialectics of repetition. Student housing in London». The thesis, written prior to the project, looks at the subject of repetition as an architectural theme. Through the various projects analysed that embody this theme, such as Kay Fisker’s Hornbaekhus building in Copenhagen, I sought to demonstrate that repetition is an essential issue in architecture and that it can be an asset to the project. The city of London welcomes many new students every year, who suffer from the difficult search for accommodation. As the heart of London is densely built-up, the project is located in the north-west of Greater London, close to transport links to the city centre and universities. Located in the heart of the block, the project features a courtyard building shape, reminiscent of the typically British street-building-garden sequence. This form also stems from a desire to encourage social interaction. The courtyard, which can be used by students in a variety of ways, as well as the corridors that both distribute and extend the units to the outside, and the shared kitchens, give the building a collective scale and encourage people to get together. In the way they are typologically designed, the flats attempt to challenge the ordinary design of student accommodation. The flat is made up of distinct spaces with different functions, ranging from the most public, with a facade that can open completely onto the corridor, to the private and intimate space. The flats also benefit from generous height. The building is built of massive stone, a local material that is part of a process of sustainability and democratization of its use. The bow-windows, an integral part of the local architectural culture, give rhythm to the facades through the repetition, and highlight particular variations.
North-Est facade
Master plan
Axonometry of the housing unit
Ground floor plan
Typologies of the unit in the building corner and shared kitchen
07
Other projects
Masters thesis - The dialectic of repetition 2022
During my course of study in architecture, the theme of repetition has always intrigued me, as a simple yet powerful way of conveying societal values through architecture. In my thesis, I first analyse repetition as a theoretical element, relating it to other fields that use it, such as dance, music and literature. Then, I looked at five buildings that use repetition as a central theme of their architecture, understanding their relationship to the temporal and spatial context, but also to the plan and how to implement a rhythm through repetition. I concluded that there is a dialectic of repetition, a powerful tool for architects.
Constructing the View 2021
The aim of this exercise was simple : reproduce, as accurately as possible, an image taken from a film, using Cinema 4D. This is a scene from the movie « Pierrot le fou », directed by Jean-Luc Goddard in 1965.
Scene from the movie
3D Reproduction
Magma & Principles
Industrial Design
This course focused on the «Tempus Lavari», the moment of bathing, with the aim of analysing the poetics of this moment by
The aim of this exercise was to design, in groups, a container for a liquid of our choice. We decided to design a wine container,
comparing, through drawings and models, an emblematic bathroom in Andrejs Legzdinš’ House of the Future and the house
working on the details of how to hold the decanter, pour the wine into the decanter, and then pour the wine into the glass, in
in Buster Keaton’s movie The Scarecrow.
order to make it as fluid and smooth as possible. The decanter was then fabricated in ceramic.
2021
2022
Design evolution throughout the year - 3D printing tests
Image of the «House of the future», 1972 (left) and The Scarecrow,1920 (right)
3D image of the decanter in situation Axonometric representation of both houses
Model reproduction
Final object
Nathan Benarroch +41 76 440 77 39 nathanbenarroch2@gmail.com