Portfolio 2010

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nicole honkakangas :: resume Contact

(current) 660 Lincoln St San Luis Obispo, Ca 95119 nhonkaka@calpoly.edu knhonkakangas@gmail.com 408 613 4023

(permanent) 295 Esteban Way San Jose, Ca 93405

Education

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo 2005-2010 Bachelor’s Degree of Architecture (BArch) 3.2 GPA Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) Copenhagen, Denmark August 2008- May 2009

Courses taken: Architectural Studio, Urban Design Journal, Contemporary European Architectural Theory, History of Danish Architecture, Danish Language, Holocaust and Genocide Study Trips to: Germany and the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland, Majorca, Berlin, Hamburg

Experience

Weston Miles Architects Morgan Hill, Ca June 2008- August 2008 Architectural Intern: An active participant in a variety of school/education projects. Job responsibilities included attending weekly meetings, drawing plans/details/elevations in ArchiCAD and occasionally AutoCAD, maintaining communication with project engineers, and handling other office tasks (such as RFIs, RFQs). Became familiar with CHPS (California High Performance Schools) and LEED criteria. wmarchitects.com

Skills

Proficient with Adobe CS3, CS4 (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop), Rhino 4.0, FormZ, and Microsoft Office on both Mac and PC platforms.

Knowledge and experience with AutoCAD, SketchUp, and ArchiCAD team projects.

Experience setting up RhinoCAM files for CNC usage and fabrication.

Quick to adapt to new programs and procedures. In previous job at Weston Miles Architects, was able to learn ArchiCAD and complete tasks using the program within the first two weeks of employment.

Confident working on both team-oriented and independent projects.

Ability to multi task and schedule time wisely.

:: student works thesis (in progress) Virtuality in Architecture.......................... studies Rethinking the US Embassy, London.....

Humleby Interactive Student Living........

Assembling Housing...............................

Dansk Furniture Design House..............

Traffic Pods............................................

furniture Caterpillar...............................................

virtuality in architecture calpoly_thesis 09/10

(spatial investigations)

At a time where communication technologies and virtual realities have allowed us to somewhat change and design our own experiences, architecture has remained too static. Social relationships between people have changed as a result of the ability for individuals to function in alternate realities (such as use of iPhone apps, Facebook, Twitter, or gaming in Second Life). Freedom, flexibility, choice and interactivity are only a few of the many modern day ideals that architecture has been failing to add to the physical built world. Architecture needs to begin to reflect the networks of our society in order to continue as a relevant expressive medium.

A, B, C, and D can be program, “mood”, or view. Much like the Shigeru Ban Naked House, this would be a type of office space with an open floor allowing the private office spaces to move location. They could also “plug” into different functional elements... their location also effects circulation. Maybe you could even roll them into elevators to change your office floor location.

priv offi ate ce

priv offi ate ce

C

A

con fe adjo rence ined / offi ces

B

private office

C D

C

D

D

A

A

B

private office

B

Proposal for thesis application::

6’ 27

2’ 16

Client: Ideo, Product and Design Consulting Firm Location: Downtown San Jose, in the heart of Silicon Valley-- Urban Environment Prompt/Intentions: To create an environment that compliments the creative nature of the Ideo design practice. To focus on the role of the creator, allowing employees to manipulate their work environment based on their current projects or team assignments.

Program: free office space fabrication cafeteria/kitchen space printing/fax services storage wc parking showroom

n light rail lines public pedestrian space

scale: 1”=100’

portion of first floor, active

wc

lift

s plug tion func

“an entirely new way of seeing, inhabiting and designing space…reconceptualizing the real and the relations of embeddedness, the nesting or interimplication of the virtual and real within each other.”

--Elizabeth Grosz on Virtuality and Architecture

grass

carpet

tile

cafeteria

fabrication

showr oom

cafeteria

wc

fabrication

portion of first floor, inactive

virtuality in architecture calpoly_thesis 09/10 parking

preliminary drawings (in progress)

parking

fabrication/cnc

showroom

floor 01

floor 02

floor 03

floor 04

parking

roof plan 1”=30’

“Global networking, the application of electronic and digital media in all spheres of life and the establishment of virtual worlds of simultaneous information exchange in the last decade of the 20th century confront architects today with unimagined challenges in terms of creating space that extends far beyond the traditional horizons of their discipline” (New Babylon Reloaded, Lukas Feireiss).

Diagram to the right: Function zones act as a house for vertical structural elements. This allows for a free floor plan without a visible structural order, which further enhances the equivalent opportunity for multiple creative outcomes.

fabrication cafeteria storage/services vertical circulation wc

par

kin g

om wro sho

curtain wall system with interior polycarbonate sliding

(user-manipulated) panels

fixed program nodes:: fabrication, kitchen, printing/fax, storage, wc

movable ceiling panels movable panels (track system) fixed differentiating floor textures

showroom

humleby interactive student living dis_fall08

rowhouse development

Site: Humleby, rowhouse development adjacent to Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen, Denmark Residents: 4 university students/young professionals Located in Humleby, this four bedroom unit is meant to accomodate university students and to provide an addition to the community atmosphere of the surrounding area. This smaller scale kollegium type of living allows for students to obtain a more personal relationship with other students of the city. The main goal of the unit type is to encourage both visual and social interaction through three means; vertical circulation, kitchen living, and exterior space.

Placement of common space on the top floor allows for a stronger quality of light. The kitchen�tube� reaches outside of the building boundary allowing further collection of lighting conditions.

assembling housing calpoly_winter08

mixed use

Site: Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle, Washington The idea of translation is kept in mind while forming a community of interactions and various functions. In a dense city the person becomes a changing entity; from an office assitant to a waitress, a pedestrian to a driver, a shopper to a sales associate. a building can adapt and highlight this change of form, it can relate to it and encourage the shape shifting process.

rethinking the us embassy, london calpoly_spring08 Site: Grosvenors Square, London Redesigning the US Embassy.

Focus relying on conceptual security measures and community/work involvement.

Three investigations 01.landscape 02.circulation 03.facade

security

landscape ::

“protestor’s landscape” security

circulation ::

public/private hierarchy the path

facade ::

transparency opacity density

traffic pods dis_spring09

experimentation with innovative sustainability

Site: Norrebrogade “traffic island�

Proposal: If London can generate enough electricity for a mile of street lights, what else can we power? Possibilities are endless.

Case Study: Japan Tube Hotels Materials: Recyclable Wood cladding and steel structure attached to speed bump device.

Can be applied in a series of modules or individual units of 12.

dansk furniture design center dis_spring09 Location: Strøget, towards city hall Function: Furniture showroom-- show and sale Form: two masses, old and new-- joined by public cafe space.

New exhibition space extends over common building height creating a view of Copenhagen; Strøget and towers.

showroom

caterpillar calpoly_fall09

the role

function and play

of th ec rea tor

“…a citizen in a culture in which your only choice in regards to cultural production is as a consumer, you see yourself and your role in society very differently than you would in a society in which you see yourself as a creator” (Howard Rheingold, an interview with the editors of Space Time Play).

During an interview for Space Time Play, when asked about the impact of the virtual environment on people in the real world, Rheingold further discusses the current role changes taking place with the people of the past decade or two. Technology is providing us with more than just choice; we can do more than just flip a channel or press an on/ off button. We have the ability to upload videos, images, comments, etc, and as stated before, we have the ability for personal expression. Rheingold describes this morphosis as a shift from being passive consumers to active creators. The user, regardless of capability, has the opportunity for design expression. The average person is no longer just an audience of media, but a creator of media as well.

Through creation of a “playful architecture”, design becomes less limited in more ways than one. The individual has more options, more flexibility. Interaction is initiated, rather than overlooked. The author of the object becomes part of the audience and is no longer a dictator. The potential for growth and development become broader, allowing more conclusions to be met. The daily user has more ownership and a wider range of rules to create their own environment.

The caterpillar bench encompasses the above ideas within a small-scale furniture piece. Made of twenty 16” by16” rings with different surfaces, the caterpillar provides a means for adjustable situations; a place to sit, a place to put your coffee mug and most importantly a place to play-- fold, unfold, slide, turn over, expand, contract--the user defines the space.

Taking a break away from the traditional, the caterpillar bench hints at a more kinetic and temporal lifestyle, illustrating the ability to change for a variety of activities and occupancies over time.

The caterpillar bench was a solo project designed to be entered in Cal Poly’s annual Vellum furniture competition.

Design and fabrication took place on the Cal Poly campus using the campus CNC facility.