communicatingArchitecture the articulation of shared ideas process and work samples
nicholasVenezia
introduction
My interest in architecture is deeply rooted in our ability as human beings to communicate with each other. This portfolio is a showcase of my experience and opinions with regard to specific methods of communication in the architectural process. I seek work with others in the articulation and execution of shared ideas. Ideas that improve our participation and understanding of the built and unbuilt environment.
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table of contents
seven | The Camas Pedal Bike Shelter seventeen | The Richard A. Campbell Traveling Scholarship twenty nine | Thesis: The Production of Architecture forty three | Hand Media fifty nine | Physical Modeling sixty nine | Digital Renderings eighty three | Photography
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previous spread: Hotel Therme Vals, Vals, Switzerland architects: Atelier Zumthor
The Camas Pedal Bike Shelter
From pre-design through construction, this project was the foundation of my architectural education. The designbuild organization through which this project was carried out, called designBridge, is student-run and operated with a unique organizational model grounded in curricular obligation, made limitless by extracurricular dedication. The Camas Ridge Community School Bike Shelter is estimated at $18,000 in materials, all donated during the design phase thanks to fund raising efforts of the team in collaboration with the client. A revolving team of 30+ student/parent/professional volunteers supported a small core of leaders over a year and a half to finish this project.
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Client: Role: Estimated cost: Pre-design: Design: Design/build: Materials:
Camas Ridge Community School Project Manager $18,000.00 Fall 2009 2010 Spring 2010 - Summer 2011 Steel, douglas fir, concrete, corrugated metal roofing, native plants
Keywords: Community design/build Multiple disciplines Budget uncertainties Revolving Team Flexible and enthusiastic client Custom Fabrication Build Lead: Nathan Poel Co-Project Managers: Caitlin Gilman (Winter and Spring 2010) Sara Vernia (Fall 2009) Faculty Advisors: Juli Brode and John Rowell Disciplines: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Art, Education
Collaboration The painted tiles in the foreground of this photograph were produced by students of Camas Ridge Community School. Under the guidance of the head custodian Larry Meyers, the team helped facilitate a ceramic art tile workshop during design development. The tiles were then adhered to the foundation of the shelters and planters, adding a touch of color and warmth to the structure. The enthusiasm and creativity present at the tile workshop and student/parent charrettes guided the design of the project’s individual components and gave students a sense of ownership over the shelters.
this page Art tile workshop and student charrette opposite page Custom, plasma-cut fasteners with help from Eugene High School’s Model Shop Supervisor, Tom Coates
Permit Set By the end of design development we submitted a nine-page permit set to the city of Eugene. Its contents included details, drainage, demolition, framing and footing plans, sections, and elevations. It was drawn by Amanda Asa, Caitlin Gilman and Alex Wilson.
The Richard A. Campbell Traveling Scholarship
The pages of this section are taken from a collection of illustrated essays produced during The Richard A. Campbell Traveling Scholarship awarded by The University of Oregon. The purpose of this material is to advance the communication of notable works of architecture using an experiential narrative nonfiction, a combination of words and images arranged to evoke similar emotions in the reader as were evoked in the author during his occupation of such buildings.
seventeen twenty | twenty | eighteen one
The power of writing when expressed to a visual audience is that it acts as a catalyst to our graphic imaginations. As a rendering must choose a particular medium to evoke emotion, words trigger a palette of endless media options inside the viewer’s mind. Words, when chosen correctly, can express ideas and inspire interpretations impossible with our pencils, pens, paints and computers. Most of the critics, reviewers, jurors, and professors who look at our work have the unique ability to graphically interpret ideas better than anyone else in the world. The misunderstanding on our part is that these people are opposed to reading text. For this reason we usually group it together, make it easy to skip over and easy to ignore. Most writing included on a final board does not actually add to the presentation of a building. excerpt from the proposal January 2010
The pages of this section are taken from a collection of illustrated essays produced during The Richard A. Campbell Traveling Scholarship awarded by The University of Oregon. The purpose of this material is to advance the communication of notable works of architecture using an experiential narrative nonfiction, a combination of words and images arranged to evoke similar emotions in the reader as were evoked in the author during his occupation of such buildings.
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Inside the chapel time no longer passes in seconds and minutes. It passes in intervals of silence between the thick sound of wind from two directions and the clink-boom of a large metal door handle. Varying colors of earth soak the walls, dancing and bleeding under the supervision of a small burst of sky struggling to stay confined to the inner edges of the oculus above. At this moment many things are visible; glass bulbs plugged into holes left behind by concrete formwork, a delicate and rugged statue of the peacemaker patron saint upon his strong and thin pedestal, prayer candles that flicker orange from the small, metal sandbox floating just off the wall. These details so familiar to us in photograph are all just tiny distractions muffled by the wind and the coming and going of other visitors. You wait for the silence to shut everything off. Time passes until your gaze is redirected from the sky to the ground, where all you see is a puddle of water left over from last night’s rain resting peacefully in its designated groove. Small yellowed debris slowly swirl together, guided not by the powerful gusts of specific winds but by a silent whisper that gently leads the small pieces of grass and brush through the untroubled water. You are lost in the movement for only a moment, joined by the whisper to all other things around you. Suddenly the gusts pick up again and the door handle clangs to announce a new visitor. Time passes as you stay and wait for the next interval of silence. “intervals of silence� The Bruder Klaus Chapel architects: Atelier Zumthor
If not for physical separation between wall and floor, a continuous black edge one quarter of an inch thick that casts a shadow twice its own width against the wall, I would be helpless to determine which grey belongs to what surface. Even with such guidance I am prone to thinking they all belong to some other dimension entirely, holding themselves together familiarly as floor, ceiling and wall so I am not frightened. The minute I turn around I suspect them to relax and return to their natural form in which the only separation between each shade of grey is the next one, no physical surfaces or shapes to help orient my visit through the gallery, distinguishable as thousands of different greys simultaneously experienced as one monochromatic being. “optimistic grey� (excerpt) The Kolumba Art Museum architects: Atelier Zumthor
opposite page: scan from sketchbook ink on watercolor paper
“Be flexible without losing site of what is important about the project. Learn to separate the essence and the ideas of a project from one of a thousand variations of how it could be. Because every project can be pushed and pulled in different ways without becoming something altogether different. There are certainly lines that if we had crossed them would have taken this project into altogether different territory. And you have to know where those lines are but you also need to not fall in love with one version of your project. Fall in love with the idea. Don’t fall in love with that material or that particular form. Fall in love with the intent of your project.” Michael Arad, designer of the WTC Memorial in NYC Interview on Design Observer, 9/16/2011
Summer lasts eternal inside this building. Summer days wrap buried evergreens along the corridors. You are guided by the warmth of red at your feet, blanketed by windows bursting white sun through their over-human proportions, accompanied by rows of neatly aligned concrete pillars standing tall and ordered, smooth with the craft of skilled human hands, their cool gray bodies positioned next to soft orange wood. The wood provides a datum against which the concrete becomes three dimensional. Periodic interruptions in these two materials signal the dusk of summer’s day - the start of summer’s evening - the endless parade of summer stars. “Four Seasons in Paris” (excerpt) La Bibliotheque Nationale Francois Mitterrand architects: Dominique Perrault Architecture
Thesis: The Production of Architecture
“This respect, this concern for permanence has, I believe, something to do with the essence of works of art - that they emerge from a specific time and also display the characteristics of that time, in form and style and use of material, but at the same time pass through it or bring that time along with them in still memory into an endless future.� Rudi Fuchs, The Ideal Museum, 1987
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Date: Location: Type: Size: Materials:
Fall 2010 - Spring 2011 Portland, Oregon Art Galleries and Live/Work Spaces 30,000 sq. ft. new construction Steel, Concrete, Glass, Polycarbonate Panels
Keywords: Narrative Perception Adaptive Reuse Permanence in the Built Environment Exclusion of 3-D Computer Modeling Physical Modeling and Photography Description: A project of significance in the redevelopment of the Buckman neighborhood of Southeast Portland. An organization called The YU Contemporary Art Center recently purchased the half-block site, on which stands a building included on the National Historic Registry. They were in the process of renovating the interior for use as a live/ work artists’ space and public gallery. My opinion and design intentions focused on our perception of the built environment, our preconceptions about contemporary materials, and our appreciation for the existing fabric of our cities. Professor: Howard Davis Studio Collaborators: Will Krzymowski Joe Sadoski Christopher Nielson Peers: Jon Hammett Chesely Krstin Kelsey Will Lopatriello Jesse Crupper Hank Warneck Ashley Gibson Professional Outreach: Flint Jamison (YU Contemporary Art Center) Stephen Duff (University of Oregon) Mark Donofrio (University of Oregon) Ian Gelbrich (Boora Architects, Inc.)
New Building Supports Existing Spaces Windows and polycarbonate panels of varying opacities bounce sunlight into the courtyard.
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New Building Supports Existing Spaces Angles of the new facade are generated to reflect the old building from various positions inside and outside of the existing building.
Three Sections This project was designed to support an existing narrative provided by a building of great historical importance to the city of Portland. From left to right, each section is positioned to illustrate a visitor’s experience over time; from pre-concieved assumptions about contemporary building materials to an arrival at one end of the existing gallery, a grand space that motivated the client’s purchase of the property.
Perception Based Art The new galleries are objects that physically shape the experience of visitors while offering artists the opportunity to create art based on perception at a variety of scales.
Celebrate the Existing The ascension to the second floor gallery begins at the street and ends with a view down the length of the grand space. By this point the new building’s purpose is clear; to create an experience that supports the existing building.
Hand Media
Communication by means of drawings, paintings, sketches and scribbles is an immensely satisfying endeavor; one that I will always work to cultivate. The pages of this section are taken from a collection of illustrated essays produced during The Richard A. Campbell Traveling Scholarship awarded by The University of Oregon. The purpose of this material is to advance the communication of notable works of architecture using an experiential narrative nonfiction, a combination of words and images arranged to evoke similar emotions in the reader as were evoked in the author during his occupation of such buildings.
Garden Pavilion at The Walt Disney Concert Hall architects: Frank O. Gehry and Partners Pastel
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The Standard Hotel from The High Line graphite, ink and watercolor architects of hotel: Polshek Partnership Architects architects of High Line: Diller, Scofidio + Renfro landscape architects of High Line: James Corner Field Operations
previous spread: Kyoto Downtown Revitalization watercolor collaborators: Peter Hanley, Michael Edward Bowles, Victor Elliott professors: Ron Lovinger, Satoko Motouji, Daisuke Yoshimura, Yumiko Nelson opposite page: Sukkah City Sketch competition, charcoal
Museum for the Tiber River, section charcoal, pencil, trace paper studio professor: James Tice
The Bruder Klaus Chapel watercolor architects: Atelier Zumthor
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011 watercolor architects: Atelier Zumthor
Zen Garden, Kyoto, Japan watercolor
Daishen-In, Zen Buddhist Monestary, Kyoto, Japan ink, watercolor
Physical Modeling
Physical models are the most effective method of communication in architecture.
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Museum for The Tiber River chipboard, plastic, spray paint studio professor: James Tice
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Various Studio Models chipboard, acrylic, bass wood, glass, metals, plastics, foam core studio professors: Howard Davis, Otto Poticha
Thesis Study Models chipboard, acrylic, bass wood, aluminum, plastics, foam core, spray paint studio professor: Howard Davis
Previous Spread, Opposite Thesis Final Models acrylic, bass wood, spray paint studio professor: Howard Davis
Digital Media
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Section Through Kirosan Observation Tower Adobe Illustrator, Vector Works, Photoshop architects: Kengo Kuma and Associates studio professor: Erin Moore
Lyceum Competition, ground floor plan Photoshop, Illustrator, Google Sketchup studio professor: Erin Moore
Lyceum Competition, roof plan Photoshop, Illustrator, Google Sketchup studio professor: Erin Moore
Lyceum Competition, Section Photoshop, Illustrator, Google Sketchup studio professor: Erin Moore
Various Renderings Photoshop, Illustrator, Google Sketchup
A Billboard for Urban Agriculture Reconditioning the Urban Fabric A studio led by David Cook, Behnisch Architekten This project is about educating the urban population about food - the local availability of it and the process of growing it. An intervention of this nature serves to increase the density of urban agricultural practice by drawing attention its existence, instructing its feasibility and encouraging its growth through experiential participation.
1. Existing behavior used to generate power.
2. Power lights educational activities in the underpass.
3. Projections inform commuters about seasonal vegetables.
activate. Sustainable Dance Floor by the Sustainable Dance Club
RGB LED Generator
advertise. educate.
A Museum for The Tiber River Rhinoceros, Photoshop, Illustrator, Google Sketchup studio professor: James Tice
Photography
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Photography is increasingly changing the way we learn about architectural design. Exposure and reliance on the internet, a relatively new forum of self-education, is inflating the influence of architectural photography. This fact, in addition to our ability to produce photorealistic imagery during the design process, is having a dramatic effect on our production of the built environment. The following photographs are misleading. They do not communicate the experience of being present as the photographer inside and around the architecture represented. As photographs, however, they are impressive works of art.
previous spread and opposite page The Bruder Klaus Chapel, Mechernich, Germany architects: Atelier Zumthor
previous spreads Shelters for Roman Archaeological Site, Chur, Switzerland architects: Atelier Zumthor opposite page Hotel Therme Vals, Vals, Switzerland architects: Atelier Zumthor
The Quai Branly Museum, Paris, France architects: Ateliers Jean Nouvel
Church San Benedetg, Sumvitg, Switzerland architects: Atelier Zumthor
GYRE Shopping Center, Tokyo, Japan architects: MVRDV award: chosen for the 2010 AIA West Jersey Calendar
Masanari Murai Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan architects: Kengo Kuma & Associates
credits All work in this portfolio was produced by the author in collaboration with peers, professors and mentors. The most influential participants have been noted throughout the text, though there are many more who contributed. I am constantly influenced and inspired by those around me and hope to work with a firm who encourages an atmosphere of creative collaboration. layout Inspired by Stone and Water Bells, a publication of Hotel Therme Vals. typeface function date December, 2011
contact information e: nickvenezia22@gmail.com ph: 1.732.599.6369 w: http://nickvenezia.blogspot.com