Nicholas Swedberg Architecture Portfolio
Nicholas Swedberg Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Bachelor of Architecture - 2015 Bachelor of Arts, History - 2015 603-677-6459 nswed@vt.edu 2
Contents design studio DC Public Library Montessori School House for an Artist Spray Cube
4 12 16 26
professional work CJ Architects
28
drawing Greek Orders 30 Glasses 32 Tree 34 Process Drawings 38 Assorted Sketches 40
model making Light and Structure Push and Pull
42 46
photography Ascent 48 A Window to the Sky 50 Framing Space 52 Repetition 54 Natural Wasteland 56 Ghost Crab 58
credentials RĂŠsumĂŠ 60
3
Physically Contained Intellectually Unbound District Public Library 14th Street NW and Swann Street Washington, DC
Overview Tasked with designing a new library for the District, it is important to consider the definition of the contemporary library. The role of the library is changing with the advent of digital media, but contrary to the notion that digital will render the analog obsolete, the modern library is not dying, but rather growing. The modern library is a place within the community that encompasses a myriad of functions.
14th Street
Program The creation of an eleventh branch library for the District calls for approximately 22,000 square feet of library space. The library must incorporate all aspects of a modern library program: spaces for computers, current events material, study spaces, after-school and adult programs, staff spaces, storage, facilities, and of course, somewhere to put the books.
Concept 1. The “core” of the building is both physical and metaphorical. The core is physical in that its steel structure carries the loads of the library. Simultaneously, the core is metaphorical in that it houses the books, acting as a core for the analog media that forms the basis of the library. 2. The nature of the core, both physical and metaphorical, allows the space around the core to be free and open.
Swann Street
3. The skin of the building exists as a membrane through which people and light can pass in varied capacities.
Plan of the library at street level. 1/8”=1’
4
Series of light studies exploring the idea of a membrane.
Reading space looking out through the sun screens towards 14th Street.
5
Level +1 Second Floor Plan
6
NW 14 St NW
Alley
Section Through Swann Street
Scale: B/dc" = 1'
Section Through Swann Street Scale: B/dc" = 1'
7
Level +2 Third Floor Plan
8
Street view of the library looking north along Swann Street
9
Level +3 Fourth Floor Plan
10
Nighttime street view of the library looking north along Swann Street.
11
Roof Montessori Classroom Building Tall Oaks Dr Blacksburg, VA
Overview A Montessori school in Blacksburg was in need of an additional building to accommodate a growing student body. A Montessori classroom is not a classroom in the conventional sense; young Montessori children do not sit at desks. Rather, they work on the floor or outside and conduct most of their learning by doing.
Program Designed for 6 to 8 year old students, this building had to house a main classroom space, bathrooms, kitchen facility, mechanical space, and ample storage for Montessori materials for a class of about 10 to 15 students.
Concept The building will be a tool for teaching children about architecture. The roof is the primary architectural element. The repetition of beams, and columns that support them, provide order and structure to the classroom below. The main classroom space is bound by an L-wall to the north and east. The south and west elevations are glazed. An entry space is created by a vestibule that penetrates the west elevation. The secondary nature of the L-wall and entry vestibule are delineated by the fact that they never contact the roof. Section Model: B/c� Scale
12
Series of study models exploring the relationship between the roof beams and their supports
Floor Plan
Scale: B/bg" = 1'
13
Wall to Floor Connection Detail Scale: 1" = 1'
14
Section Model of Montessori School B/c� scale in wood
15
Line and View House for an Artist Village St Eggleston, VA
Overview Removed from the rush of urban life, the quiet village of Eggleston offers a secluded retreat for an artist to live and work. This small Eggleston house allows an artist to focus on his work without distraction. The natural beauty of Eggleston offers moments of reflection and contemplation.
Program This single person home is designed to be used by a rotating group of artists. Each artist would be able to live in the house for a range of time from 3 months up to 1 year in order to focus on his respective project. The program calls for a compact form and a studio work space that can accomodate various artistic media.
Concept The design of the house explores the idea of the building as a line. The linear arrangement begins embedded in the hillside and projects out into the landscape. A view out across New River marks the termination of this linear axis. The interior arrangement of this home also follows this linear order. A structural wall runs through the building's interior, separating served and service space. The large window that marks the end of the house's linear axis frames the Eggleston landscape and offers the resident artist an opportunity to reflect on nature and his work.
16
SITE PLAN SCALE: 1/16” = 1’
17
18
SOUTHEAST ELEVATION SCALE: 1/16” = 1’
SOUTHWEST ELEVATION SCALE: 1/16” = 1’
NORTHEAST ELEVATION SCALE: 1/16” = 1’
19
B Overlook Patio
Laundry
Coat Closet
Entry
Utility
Bathroom Studio Space Kitchen and Dining
A
A
Bedroom
B
PLAN SCALE: 1/8” = 1’
20
SECTION A - A SCALE: 1/8” = 1’
21
SECTION B - B SCALE: 1/8” = 1’
22
23
6” White Concrete 3” Rigid Insulation 1” Air Space 6” Concrete
PLAN DETAIL SCALE: 1” = 1’
24
Flashing 4” Gravel 1“ Drainage Mat 6” Rigid Insulation Vapor Barrier Structural Concrete Light Gauge Steel Ceiling Joist 3“ Batt Insulation 1/2” Gypsum
5/32” Finish Flooring 1/2” Plywood 2x6 Joist 4“ Rigid Insulation Flashing Vapor Barrier Structural Concrete 6” Rigid Insulation
SECTION DETAILS SCALE: 1” = 1’
25
Cube Spray Painting Pavilion Virginia Tech College of Architecture Blacksburg, VA
Overview A group of third year architecture students at Virginia Tech was challenged to design a designated space for spray painting.
Program The spray pavilion provides an elevated working surface for spraying models and drawings. Three rotating platforms installed in the working surface further facilitate the spraying process. The open air design of the painting booth allows for natural ventilation, and the motion sensing LED lights installed in the polycarbonate panel walls make the pavilion functional even at night.
My Role Our studio of fifteen students divided into three teams, each developing a different concept for the spray painting booth. After a couple weeks of development, we met as an entire class and decided which concept we wanted to built. After this decision process, we worked throughout the remainder of the semester to build the booth. I was heavily involved in the fabrication and assembly of the cube.
26
27
Historical Context Mixed-Use Residential/Commercial Revitalization 175 Market Street Portsmouth, NH
Overview During my summer 2013 internship with CJ Architects I was involved in the 175 Market Street project. Market Street is part of the historic downtown of Portsmouth. When designing a proposed addition to the current 175 building, the design proposals had to win approval by the Historic District Commission before further design could be pursued.
Program The new addition to 175 Market Street will house two levels of commercial office and retail space and an additional two levels of condominium housing. The proposed scheme extends the current commercial and residential spaces and suggests extensive renovation to the existing interior conditions.
My Role In this project, I was responsible for drafting and editing the building elevations so that they met Historic District Commission requirements. One such drafting edit was adjusting parapet heights to meet city height requirements. I also helped prepare these elevation documents for presentation.
28
29
Doric, Ionic, Corinthian Thesis Study Three Greek Orders
Overview Conducted as part of undergraduate thesis, these three drawings explore the proportional and visual qualities of the three Greek Orders of columns. Constructed based on the descriptions of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, these drawings also employ shading in order to better understand the visual qualities of these three column types. This drawing series initiated a thesis inquiry about relationships between Classical and Modern columns.
30
31
30 in 30 Drawing Set Glasses Study
Overview Thirty drawings completed in thirty days, this set of sketches looked at a single object, a pair of glasses. The goal was to sketch the same object over the course of a thirty day period, while keeping the static subject interesting and engagaing. Realism, light and shadow, reflection, details, and the optical properties of the glasses were all explored during the drawing period. Of the different studies, observing the optical qualities of lenses was easily the most interesting and exciting.
32
33
Studio Tree Drawing Set Tree Study
Overview Completed during the fall semester of my second year of undergraduate study, I drew a potted tree in studio for the duration of the semester. Of the over seventy-five drawings completed, some of the most interesting have been included here.
34
35
36
37
Process Drawings Thesis Floor Plan Studies
Overview This collection of plan studies conducted as part of thesis illustrates one of the less glamorous portions of the design process. Though none of these plans are complete, they demonstrate the iterative process of design thinking.
38
39
Assorted Drawings Assorted Sketches and Diagrams Various Projects
Overview This collection of drawings includes various sketches and digrams for assorted projects, or sketches completed solely for the sake of drawing.
40
41
Light and Structure Auditorium Building Addition 1/4" = 1' Model
Overview This model of an auditorium building explored the expression of the roof structure within the building. The larger volume of the builing, a "light box," allows external light to penetrate interior spaces, while the controlled volume of a "dark box," the auditorium space, offers man-made lighting control. These model images demonstrate the dynamic effects of natural daylight as it interacts with the builing's structure and form.
42
43
44
45
Push and Pull Village Compound 1/4" = 1' Model
Overview This model of a small village compound explored the idea of pushing and pulling a regular module in order to create diverse and varied spaces. These images showcase the different spatial qualities within the modules, the overall composition, as well as the ability to intergrate vertical components within a horizontal arrangement.
46
47
Ascent MIT Chapel Cambridge, Massachusetts
48
49
A Window to the Sky Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts Cambridge, Massachusetts
50
51
Framing Space John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Boston, Massachusetts
52
53
Repetition Jefferson Memorial Washington, DC
54
55
Natural Wasteland Beaver Pond Center Harbor, New Hampshire
56
57
Ghost Crab Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Chincoteague, Virginia
58
59
Nicholas Swedberg
603-677-6459 nswed@vt.edu
college address
207 South Patrick St Apartment 203
locations
permanent address 7 Gould Ave Meredith, NH 03253
Alexandria VA, 22314
objective
Acquire a full-time, entry-level architecture position that will facilitate personal and professional growth, as well as provide opportunities to gain IDP credit and work towards licensure.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE
HDR Inc. | Summer 2014
WASHINGTON-ALEXANDRIA ARCHITECTURE CENTER
ARCHITECTURAL INTERN
HDR Bethesda - 7200 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD
Fall 2013, 2014-2015
Applied red lines to construction documents Prepared As-Built document sets Provided architectural support for engineering projects Detected mechanical, electrical, and plumbing clashes Edited and updated finish schedules Prepared code analysis for project submissions Developed life safety plans - fire emergency evacuation paths Project involvement included the University of Maryland Physical Sciences Complex and the Howard University Independent Research Building
Currently conducting undergraduate architectural thesis at the WAAC Thesis addresses Classical principles of design and their manifestations in the modern building Engage thesis questions in the neoclassical setting of the National Capital Undergraduate educational consortium - study with students from numerous national and international universities Engage architecture in an urban context
Virginia Tech | Fall 2013
RESEARCH ASSISTANT - 3D DRAFTSMAN BIM Industry Case Study | Walid Thabet (Faculty Advisor)
education
VIRGINIA TECH (Blacksburg, VA) Bachelor of Architecture Bachelor of Arts, History
Expected Graduation: May 2015 GPA: 3.78
Adobe Photoshop Google Sketch Up Climate Consultant 5.4 Rhino 4.0 Hand Sketching Model Making Wood Working
60
related skills Revit Autodesk Vasari AutoCAD 2014 3D Studio Max 2014 Green Building Studio Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign
Created virtual mock-ups of construction assemblies Created graphics and animations to explain construction processes Prepared presentation material Collaborated on BIM implementation strategies Presented research findings at team meetings and project presentations
CJ Architects | Summer 2013
Student Intern Architect
CJ Architects - 4 Market St, Portsmouth, NH Conducted field measurements Documented existing site conditions Computer drafting in AutoCAD Drafted and edited working drawings Created sheets and sheet layout for plotting Prepared presentation materials
ASSOCIATED SCHOOLS OF CONSTRUCTION Design-Build | Greensboro, NC Virtual Design and Construction | Reno, NV
Design-Build Fall 2014 Team awarded “Best Presentation� at conclusion of competition Designed a academic office building for High Point University Presented design along with project cost estimate and propsed construction schedule to a panel of industry experts Virtual Design and Construction Spring 2014 Team awarded second place in VDC category Created Revit model from 50% construction documents Ran quality control for a given Revit model Developed site logistics plan Presented construction data to industry board
Study Abroad
Spain and Portugal | Winter Term 2012-2013
Winter term study Independent research - The Courtyard as an Architectural Element
student organizations
related certifications
Virginia Tech Undergraduate Historical Review (VTUHR) Design Editor | 2013-Present
Building Performance Analysis Certificate
American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) Member | 2013-2014
Autodesk Sustainability Workshop Knowledge of Autodesk environmental functions and programs: Revit, Vasari, Green Building Studio and Climate Consultant Understanding of passive design strategies
Connect Issuu Link
www.issuu.com/nicholasswedberg/docs/2015portfolio
www.linkedin.com/pub/nicholas-swedberg/72/18b/825
Contact
professional affiliations Plan New Hampshire Member | 2014-Present Plan NH aims to develop vibrant and healthy communities, economies, and environments for New Hampshire residents. Plan NH encourages good planning, design, and development.
603-677-6459 nswed@vt.edu 7 Gould Ave Meredith, NH 03253
61