Selected Works

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nicholas belkowski selected works

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CONTENTS

01 Repurposed Quarry Tech Campus

02 Austin Civil Courthouse & Art Museum

03 The North Face Flagship Store

04 Foldable Pinhole Camera

05 Seider Springs Intervention

06 Dog Park Weather Shelter

07 Coffee Table

REPURPOSED QUARRY TECH CAMPUS Filling Vo ids | Barre, VT Partners: Kevin Sullivan

Fall 2012

Extraction industries are responsible for creating some of the most jarring landscapes imaginable. In most cases, these voids are beyond repair. The resources that have been removed may have taken thousands of years to develop, and in an instant, vanish. This proposal takes a liability, a flooded quarry, and re-envisions it as an asset, an innovative tech campus. Dimensioned stone quarries, when active, remove stone below the water table, forcing one to constantly pump groundwater out of the void created. When a quarry becomes inactive, groundwater fills the void creating a flooded quarry. Our proposal takes advantage of this disregarded byproduct, and uses it as a resource in a deepwater geothermal cooling system for a bank of data center servers. The campus itself is envisioned as a remote research campus for a large tech corporation partnering with a nearby university. The proposal looks to capitalize on not only the physical properties of the site for the cooling system, but also the phenomenological aspects of the site as a source of inspiration for the visiting researchers. Through immersion and isolation, one is able to focus and reflect.

The goal for this campus is to create an environment that inspires. The goal for this proposal is to change the way we look at forgotten landscapes and realize their potential.

CAMPUS MASTERPLAN 1:500

barre dbbg

East Barre plutons Gray, homogeneous, fine- to medium-grained muscovitebiotite granodiorite age of 368±4 Ma

site geology Granite quarrymen of Vermont, in order to achieve maximum efficiency, are surgical in their removal of granite, carefully creating shear walls of incomprehensible scale.

The E. L. Smith quarry in Barre, VT, the location of this proposal, demonstrates this immense scale with a depth of nearly 500’. Ray tracing of the rift cut walls of the E.L Smith quarry illustrates the north-northeast trend of the granite pluton.

burlington

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montpelier institutional

barre

common

dbbg

East Barre plutons Gray, homogeneous, fine- to medium-grained muscovitebiotite granodiorite age of 368±4 Ma

institutional

common

gathering

garden

gathering

garden

dwelling

wild

institutional

common

gathering

garden

dwelling

wild

institutional

common

CAMPUS PROGRAM

institutional

gathering

upper garden terrace

dwelling

campus circulation

institutional

view onto the common from the wild trail

The campus is connected by elevated walkways creating a legible boundary for the users. This boundary is ignored in one instance for the wild trail which carves into the walls of the granite allowing the user to descend into the depth of the quarry. The purpose of the pathway is to create a temporary escape for the user as a means of refreshing the mind.

institutional

gathering

dwelling

the wild trail descending into the quarry

CAMPUS COMMON

party

keynote

gala

everyday

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bathhouse, heated by the campus data servers

dwelling

SECTION A-A 1:200

ART + COURT

Civil Courthouse + Art Museum | Austin, TX

Spring 2013

Given the importance of the courthouse, it’s a shame that most are filled with . . . waiting.

Users of the courthouse are often experiencing extreme emotions, whether joyful or stressful, and yet they spend much of their time in unprogrammed spaces with nothing to do and nowhere to go as they wait for the next step in the judicial process.

Art Court aims to solve this problem, and another: for three decades, the Austin Museum of Art has struggled to establish a permanent downtown location worthy of Austin’s size and cultural relevance.

Though they sold this project’s site to Travis County in 2010 after several failed attempts to build a world-class art museum, we now propose a symbiotic relationship between the courthouse and the art museum -- both vital public institutions that can address each other’s weaknesses. Where the courthouse provides stability and endurance, the art museum provides flights of the imagination.

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

CIRCULATION: zones

PUBLIC: art PUBLIC: shared PUBLIC: court JUDICIAL RESIDENTIAL

GROUND LEVEL

LEVEL 4

LEVEL 5

LEVEL 4 FLOOR PLAN

LEVEL 5 FLOOR PLAN

EAST-WEST SECTION

NORTH-SOUTH SECTION

SYSTEMS

BUFFER DETAILS 1. 1/2” PLASTERBOARD, 1/2” PLYWOOD MOUNTED TO STEEL TUBE FRAMING STRUCTURE 2. 1/2” PLASTERBOARD, 1/2” PLYWOOD, 2 1/2” CHANNEL, 6” STEEL STUD FRAME 3. 1/2” PLASTERBOARD, 1/2” PLYWOOD, 6” STEEL STUD FRAME 4. 2” POLISHED CONCRETE, 6” CONCRETE, 3” COMPOSITE STEEL DECK, 22K4 OPEN WEB JOIST, W16x40, SUS PENDED CORTEN LINEAR BOX CEILING 5. 3/4” WHITE OAK FLOORING, 2x4” SLEEPERS, 6” CON CRETE, 3” COMPOSITE STEEL DECK 6. BUILT-UP STEEL PLATE BOX BEAM 7. LINEAR FLOURESCENT FIXTURE 8. 1/2” PLASTERBOARD, 1/2” PLYWOOD, STEEL CATWALK TRUSS SYSTEM, 2x4” SLEEPERS, 3/4’ WHITE OAK FLOOR SECTION-courthouse wallway / museum catwalks

CLADDING DETAILS 1. PERFORATED CORTEN PANEL 2. WATERPROOFING ROOF MEMBRANE, 3” RIGID INSULATION, 6” CONCRETE COMPOSITE FLOOR, W16x40 3. T54x3x.3125 SUPPORT STRUT 4. 3/4” SUSPENDED ACOUSTICAL TILE CEILING 5. C6x8.2, STEEL PLATE CLADDING SUPPORT

ATRIUM DETAILS 1. C12x25 SUPPORTING STRUCTURE 2. C4x7.25 SLOPED GUTTER 3. L2.5x2.0x.3125 4. ROOF GLAZING PANEL 5. 1/2” SUSPENSION ROD 6. DOUBLE GLAZED INSULATED GLASS UNIT 7. CUSTOM SPIDER CLAMP CONNECTING TO TENSION CABLE TRUSS 8. 1/2” PLASTERBOARD, 1/2” PLYWOOD, 8” CONCRETE

THE NORTH FACE FLAGSHIP STORE Branding Experience | Seattle, WA

Fall 2011

Physical and experiential qualities of volume/void were explored throughout this design for The North Face Seattle retail store in an effort to express the thrill-seeking persona that pervades The North Face brand. A longitudinal circulation volume combined with four lateral dispersion voids were used to achieve this. The crevasse-like stairways of the circulation volume evoke a sense of verticality, distributing customers among equipment and apparel. The stairways are separated from the retail floors by a translucent glass curtain wall and are covered by a skylight that extends above the roofline. The ascent from one level to the next becomes a mini-expedition in which the shopper’s views are directed up to the sky, and onto the horizon. Transparent glass floor sections at the exits of the stairway create an abrupt contrast to the previous vertical experience. Together these elements offer outdoor adventurists a unique and exhilarating shopping experience.

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vertical circulation occurs in a fissure which slices through the west edge of the narrow site

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dispersion volumes carve through the floors of each entry/exit to the circulation fissure, creating vertical light wells throughout the

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fragments of the dispersion voids are subtracted at the landings of the stairways, leaving transparent flooring in their place

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the building’s enclosure wraps the spaces in a way that optimizes light penetration, and its connection to Seattle street life

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01 1 storefront product display 2 cashier + customer service 3 apparel: running/training sportswear

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02 4 cafe 5 restroom 6 apparel: footwear

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03 7 apparel: hiking + camping gear 8 dressing room

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04 9 apparel: expedition gear

FLOOR PLANS

SITE PLAN

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SEIDER SPRINGS

Movement, Water, Stillness | Austin, TX

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MAPPING LANDSCAPES: SEIDER SPRINGS INTERVENTION

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Fall 2011

Through the implementation of a single wall into the bank of Shoal Creek; a series of experiential thresholds unfolds. In passing through Seider Park, visitors’ perception is gradually shifted from the busy streets of Austin to the tranquil atmosphere of Seider Springs.

Because the timeless and rare nature of this natural spring has appeared to be all but forgotten, the goal of this project was to revive the latent character of the site through a sensuous experience of light, sound, and texture. Along with protecting the springs from the erosion of frequent flooding, the wall becomes an intersection of immaterial traces and physical context, giving life to previously unrecognized yet intrinsic qualities of its place.

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SITE MAPPING spatial + corporeal thresholds

open air bridge+tunnel

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wall + bridge structure 1 wood louvre system 2 steel bridge structure 3 composite panel walkway

SITE PLAN 1: 250

4 concrete retaining wall 5 lighting posts 6 steel grating

As the park visitor travels through the wall, a series of thresholds unfolds bringing the natural qualities unique to its place to the forefront of perceptual experience. Upon descending into or crossing through the wall, the sound of rushing water is abruptly left behind and an unexpected silence pervades the space. Through acoustical isolation, the trickling of Seider Springs draws the visitor’s attention into a tranquil state of being. The dripping water from the springs is collected in a long shallow pool parallel to the retaining wall, and drains by overflowing through a vertical cut. Spilling down the wall’s east face, the water finally joins the rushing Shoal Creek.

PINHOLE CAMERA

foldable, leather body + brass pinhole lens component

Fall 2011

Material properties of leather were explored in the conception of this object. Through the process of folding, weaving, and wrapping a light-tight box was created out of a single continuous piece of leather without the use of any adhesives or stitching. Once the film holder is inserted into the top of the camera and wrapped by the leather shell, the enclosure is held together by inserting the brass lens component. The unique pinhole lens’ geometry creates circular photographs.

DOG PARK WEATHER SHELTER Design Build Studio | Moscow, ID Partners: Dane Knudson

Spring 2010

With a limited material budget to build a shelter that was to provide dog park users and their canine counterparts protection from the elements, the integration of 10 donated sheets of translucent tempered glass became the driving force of our proposal. The blue glass was seen as an opportunity to not only offer refuge from sun, wind, and rain but to also shape the space within the shelter. Translucent walls break up the plan while forming a multi-directional wind barrier. An extruded window box continues onto the roof plane as a sky light, serving as a datum for the walls, benches, and table as well as a source of softened natural light.

28CHC4WZW9

prefabricated structure

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COFFEE TABLE concrete + cherry + glass

Spring 2010

The design of this unique coffee table strives to create contrasting and subtle material relationships within an abstract yet functional form. The cantilevering cherry table top is supported by cast-in-concrete steel tubing, floating under the folding concrete ‘g’, providing additional table area and space to stow books and magazines. The translucent black glass shelf is attached through cast steel plates and adds a level of depth to the simplicity of the concrete base.

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