nicholas karl DESIGN
EDUCATION UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, Buffalo, NY Candidate for M. Arch, May 2014 UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, Buffalo, NY B.S. in Architecture, May 2012 Grade Point Average: 3.43
EXPERIENCE Uniland Development Company, Amherst, NY Design Intern, August 2012- present • Digital modeling for conceptual design and design development • Produce drawings for presentation and marketing purposes, including renderings Main Transit Fire Department, Amherst, NY Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician, April 2008- present • Works in large and small teams in high stress and difficult situations • Graphic and Architectural Design for the fire department • Took an 8 month course to become a New York State certified EMT Studio North Architecture, Chris Romano Professor, Buffalo, NY Graphic and Web Designer June 2012- present • Graphically designed and organized professional work • Designed multiple websites for businesses and private ventures Sustainable Futures 2011 Study Abroad, Monteverde, Costa Rica Student, May 2011 to August 2011 • Worked for a not-for-profit organization to design and build multiple projects for the benefit of the community • Worked interdisciplinary with 12 other planners, landscape architects, and architects to learn from each other and benefit the building design
PERSONAL PROJECTS [NAPA] Emerging Vineyard - FINALIST Arquideas International Student Competition, May 2012- July 2012 • Design a conceptual winery for a Napa Valley site Training Facility Service Project, August 2011 • Design an firematic training facility for the Main Transit Fire Department
HONORS Graduated cum laude from the University at Buffalo Deans List 4 times Perfect 4.0 average 1 time Published projects in Intersight and TECHNE Scholarship from the Fireman’s Association of the State of NY
SKILLS AutoCAD, Google Sketchup, V-ray for Sketchup, Rhinoceros, V-ray for Rhino, Grasshopper, 3DS Max, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Flash, HTML/CSS Web Design, Microsoft Office, OpenStudio, EnergyPlus
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PERSONAL and PROFESSIONAL personal competition
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Academic Work Undergraduate and Graduate Work
ACTIVE skyline
Spring 2013 Professor: Ed Steinfeld The Active Skyline draws on inspiration from the surrounding Buffalo landmarks to reuse the resources that the Buffalo Skyway offers. The project takes advantage of the views of the existing skyway in Buffalo and all of its surroundings to benefit the health and interests of the public of Buffalo. Connections to professional athletic facilities, local gyms, and Buffalo’s transportation system can help make this project a success. The programs of the Active Skyline include an area for retail and rental, sledding and park, restaurant and viewing of Buffalo sports, and an athletic complex, that are all laced together with a track. The gaps between each program are filled with open park space that will allow activity to happen in those areas as well.
TWO MILE CIRCUIT RETAIL AND RENTAL
OPEN GREEN
SLEDDING AND WARMING
OPEN GREEN SPACE
ATH
HLETIC VIEWING AND RESTAURANT
OPEN GREEN SPACE
ATHLETIC COMPLEX
Retail and Rental Rental of sleds, ice skates and skis for public use and retail of winter clothing items athletic equipment
Sledding and Warming Rental of bicycles and retail of summer clothing items and athletic equipment. Courtyard used to welcome the public.
Circle used for sledding and family activity and Interior used for lodging and a warming hut for family use.
Exterior park and picnic area for family use
Basketball and Hockey Viewing for pond hockey that is housed below. Connection to First Niagara Center for Sabres and Bandits events.
Athletic Track and Fields Viewing for basketball courts below and watching of summer sporting events in restaurant setting
Track above used for cross country skiing and below for covered ice skating. Complex used for winter athletic events
Track above used for running and jogging and below for covered bicycling. Complex used for summer athletic events
BUFFALO&MORE children’s museum Spring 2013 Professor: Ed Steinfeld
Atrium Cut
office retail
museum
play ground office entry museum entry
morning sun
cafe entry
afternoon sun
The project was to design a building with 40k square feet of children’s museum program and 80k square feet of office building on a canalside site in Buffalo, NY with the considerations of the Erie Canal Development Company and the current museum in mind. The building form was derived from subtractions that are specific to the site in terms of pedestrian access, sun and wind as well as programatic desires of views and light. Initial pieces were removed to allow for the expression of the building’s entries at the corners of the site. An atrium, as well as a piece from the south east side and a piece from the top were cut out to allow for more light to enter the spaces of the museum and the office space.
SHIFT house: Conceptual Design for 2015 Solar Decathlon Spring 2013 Professor: Martha Bohm
The shift house seeks to make a statement about the relationship between the public spaces of residential architecture and the exterior as well as the relationship between the user and the constructions of the home. The ability of the user to shift parts of their home to become closer or farther way from the thermal or spacial exterior condition is not common. This is achieved by not only creating a construction that is modular and allows this shift, but strategically shifting the entire volume of the home, creating a core of public space with the overlap and connections and adjacencies with both the private space of the home, the sun space, and the exterior. Private Space 1. bedroom 2. bathroom 3. mechanical space 4. office/ bedroom
Sunspace The sunspace of the house holds thermal mass and uses operable panels to open and close the space based on the inhabitant’s spacial and thermal desires. 5. sunspace
Public Space 6. living room 7. kitchen
form shift: The volume of the conditioned space is shifted distinguishing the public and private space and creating a flexible unconditioned sun space on the south west side of the house
form lift: The volume of the conditioned space is lifted towards the south side to maximize solar gain for the solar panels on the roof. The volume of unconditioned space is lifted the opposite way to allow for the heat of the sunspace to rise and leave the home
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Solar Panels High efficiency monocrystalline photovoltaic panel.
Evacuated Tubes Thirty 8’ evacuated tubes used is optimal for 3 to 5 people in the house. System used to heat the water of the house for use in the kitchen, bathroom, and the heating of the radiant floor.
Mechanical Room Houses solar thermal systems and the electric converters for solar panels and hot water tanks for solar thermal system
radiant floor
shading unnecessary
shading necessary
cross ventilation
thermal mass out
thermal mass in
winter AM performance
radiant floor
shading unnecessary
shading necessary
cross ventilation
summer AM performance
radiant floor
shading unnecessary
shading necessary
cross ventilation
thermal mass out
thermal mass in
winter PM performance
thermal mass out
thermal mass in
radiant floor
shading unnecessary
shading necessary
cross ventilation
summer PM performance
thermal mass out
thermal mass in
FLUID topography
Fall 2012 Professor: Laura Garofolo The project was to build an aggregation of homes in the Great Lakes Region that deal with water and other resources in a way that changes how the people of those homes use those resources. It is also meant to bring about a social and culture change that will prevent the consumption and abuse of these resources. Therefore, these homes are not just a series of complex technologies but rather an architecture that combines these systems with the way that the occupants live to increase awareness and responsibility.
Cluster Scale Movement The clusters were designed to embed a smaller scale of sharing therefore forcing the user to have more responsibility. The clusters also lend themselves move to the metrics of the systems that are needed to sustain water cleanliness. FLUIDtopography takes into consideration what resources between its occupants are shared and what are individual. Those resources that are shared complete cycles back to the unit and cluster of twelve homes which causes a social change based on the natural responsibility that the system creates.
PRIVATE: bedroom The bedroom space of the units along with the bathroom are the only spaces of the units that are not shared between anyone but the users of those individual units.
SHARED: kitchen space The kitchen space of the units is shared between 2 users giving more responsibility of the user allowing other people to see whaty ou do with your water and resources and it also open to views from the living room.
SHARED: living space Since the living area is for the most part public and cna be shared between people of different units. One band along the front of the units will allow people to do this
SHARED: agriculture The constructed wetland and agriculture are shared and maintained by the people within the units. The space acts as the traveling path for output water and input heat as teh greenhouse on hte end collects heat.
SHARED: water The overflow of the water from the agriculture goes into the wetland retention in the middle of the units and then is moved towards the lake.
ROOF COLLECTION DEGREE OF FILTRATION AND LAYERING Gravel and small stone stops large sediment like leaves
HOUSEHOLD DEGREE OF FILTRATION AND LAYERING Sand stops smallest organisms that affect the human body
Multiple layers assures the best water cleanliness
Cisterning water is held within the wetwalls for use.
WATER IS USED WITHIN THE HOUSE
CONSTRUCTED WETLAND DEGREE OF FILTRATION AND LAYERING Soil and roots use water organisms to live therefore cleaning water Gravel and small stone stops large sediment like leaves Sand stops smallest organisms that affect the human body
AGRICULTURE DEGREE OF FILTRATION AND LAYERING Soil and roots use water organisms to live therefore cleaning water while using it to farm
RETENTION POND DEGREE OF FILTRATION AND LAYERING Soil and roots use water organisms to live therefore cleaning water Gravel and small stone stops large sediment like leaves Sand stops smallest organisms that affect the human body
This is an elevation taken from the center of the retention pond showing how the form of the housing lifts up to provoke the natural flow of the water and allow water to flow under the building form itself.
MIXED USE housing Fall 2011 Professor: Hiro Hata
The project was to create a mixed use housing building that had 24 units and a public program. The site is in the middle of an urban block between a busy road and an alley way. Site considerations needed to be taken into account when designing the public program. The form was determined using simple moves based on the sun and wind of the site and were exaggerated based on the public program that occupies the courtyard. The building is comprehensive dealing with all code issues of mechanical, accessibility, structure, fireproofing, and construct ability based on a detailed wall section, as well as conceptual design.
A courtyard system opens up more aspects of the units to sunlight and ventilation as well as creating a open courtyard to be shared by the public programs
Community Gardens
Lowering the south side of the building gives units more connection to the ground floor and more sun to them and the public courtyard. This step creates community gardens that are accessible from each floor, creating habitat and hosting the building’s water collection.
Urban Design
Walk through
Walk-up Units
Street Connectivity
Corridor Scheme
Having the circulation on the south side allows for the hallways to be used for sun shading in the south and a direct connection from the units and courtyard to the street.
Building Program The project was to create mixed use housing were the ground floor program influences and helps to the people that live above. Multiple programs were chosen that can easily contribute and work with one another to create an active place all week long.
Housing
24 Housing units that vary in size are placed on site. 4 of these units are work live on the Alley side of the site and the others are on Delaware and have a direct connection with community gardens on each floor.
Cafe
The cafe is on the Delaware Avenue side so that people can actively engage the street as well as on the park side. People that want to get away from the fast city lifestyle have the opportunity to do so.
Farmer’s Market The farmers market blends with the street and the park to draw people into the site and allow for food within close proximity of the housing around. This encourages less people to buy food from large businesses and also to not travel to get food.
Art Gallery The Gallery is owned and run by the people in the work live town house units on the alley side of the site. The occupants have a studio on the ground floor that can be used as an area to display their work during the busy times of the farmers market and cafe.
Park Space The park space is used to connect all three programs of the bottom floor and act as an exterior courtyard for the occupants of the building.
Work Live
Water Collection
Living Area
Water Hog Cisterns
Living area is located above the gallery and studio and is directly accessible through the back of the working area.
The cistern chosen was a water hog because they are designed to sit horizontally within a roof and are thin so that they do not have much impact on roof thickness.
Rainwater Catchment Area Working Area The working area is meant for artists and has a studio with a gallery space in the front for the people of the courtyard to enjoy as they walk through.
A detail from the Holcim Concrete Factory in Costa Rica allows water to go through wood paths into a pan that leads to a cistern. Cistern water gets used for flushing toilets and irrigation of plants in courtyard and community garden.
Solar Shading Late Afternoon Sun
Early Morning Sun
Balcony Overhang
Operable Windows
The balcony overhang provides shading for the living spaces and allows the public spaces of the individual unit to be distinguished from the private.
Operable windows allows for cross ventilation through the space. This allows for no mechanical cooling within the units.
Louver System
Hallway Overhang
The louver system is placed on the bedrooms and other private areas of the facade to give the extra privacy from the public on Delaware Ave. It is also used as a shading device for the afternoon sun.
The hallway overhang provides shading for the living spaces and allows the public spaces of the individual unit to be distinguished from the private.
MONTEVERDE INSTITUTE addition
Summer 2011 Professors: Chris Romano, Martha Bohm Group members: Dee Abraham, Angelica Aquino, William Baskerville, Lindsey Brown, Summer 2011 Professors: Chris Romano, Martha Bohm Kevin Chen, April Gosser, Bryan Hadley, Nicholas Karl, Pablo Lituma, Mark Storie, Lucy Wang, Duane Warren, Amber Williams
The project was to design an addition for the not-for-profit institute that the student group had been working at for ten weeks. The Sustainable Futures group designed according to the desires of the current occupants in terms of sustainability, human comfort, and spacial adjacencies. The group was made of architects, planners, and landscape architects and it was necessary for each person to think and design according to the design moves of others which helped the group dynamic grow.
Energy Sustainability
Water Sustainability
Many passive systems were used to give the occupants of the building air and light so that air conditioning and artificial light was not necessary and the Institute could save money and the environment at the same time.
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skylight
In order to save water, the rainwater is collected and reused in the toilets of the new addition. The waste from the toilets is treated through an anaerobic process so that it can be used later to water the vegetation.
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louvers
windows
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overhang
clerestory
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rain clouds precipitation
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roof
collection
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cisterns holding
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toilets
produce waste
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biodigesters
break down waste
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lava rock
further filtration
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vegetation irrigation
Taxi Drop-off
Sustainability Ramp
New Addition
Breezeway
Existing Building
Gardens
Gazebo
Fruit Orchards
Agricultural Lands
SURFACE manipulation
Spring 2010 Professor: Jordan Geiger The project is to create a structural system and surface that mediated a persons posture, gaze, and atmospheric experience and can be later manipulated. The system created has a moment frame system with a continuous surface that is threaded through. The waffle structure and surface is modeled in the parametric modeling program Grasshopper so that multiple iterations could be designed rapidly. Each iteration has different programmatic and social experiences that are created by the system.
Base plane created to be manipulated
Plane subdivided into points
This graph generated the numbers that each individual point was moved in the z direction causing a curved surface to be generated.
Position of the points were changed
Surfaces recreated based on points
Point grid extruded up to create structure
life cycle CENTER
Spring 2010 Professor: Jordan Geiger Lower floors consist of a Nexus area for the community to gather and learn about the environment. On the third floor of that space, a large open area was created as a flexibly programmed exhibition space. Exterior of that, a large garden space was created for the community. In the middle of the building, the birthing center offers public space for family members, private spaces that include postpartum rooms and labor rooms, and areas for the nurses. Postpartum rooms and Labor rooms alternate with the assumption that after a mother has the baby, they will move straight to the postpartum room, which helps them in their linear path through the building.
Nexus Floor
Community Space
Hospice floors are located on the top five stories of the building and contain a public space for the family to visit, private rooms for each of the patients, and spaces for the nurses to do their work. The top floor of the building is for the patients to get counseling and grieve the loss of their loved one that has passed. It also offers a garden for family members and patients.
Birthing Floor
Hospice Floor
Grieving Floor
Experiential Circulation The circulation paths that are implied by the architecture are set apart by different views and experiences created by a change in form and structure. Thickness of line in the diagram is based on the length of stay within the each program and by each user. Nexus Circulation Family Circulation Birthing Circulation Nursing Circulation Hospice Circulation
Section 1 Plastic Panel inset on both sides allows for the facade to become a desk in nursing stations and the facade to have very expressive shades. The thickness allows for more insulation and the panels direct the view to where they are desirable
Hospice Time of Occupancy: patients: 1 week-6 months nurses: 8 - 12 hours
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Semi-Private Grieving Area Public Space Private Space Nurses Space
Section 2 Thick structure with glass inset panels allows for shelves to happen on the interior of patients rooms and vegetation to be grown by each patient on the exterior. It also allows for more shading and more privacy.
Birthing Time of Occupancy patients: 1 - 36 hours nurse: 8 - 12 hours
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Public Space Private Space Nurses Space
3 Nexus Space Time of occupancy: General public: 1-4 hours Public Space
Section 3
Thin glass optimizes view and uses floor for shading. No insulation give increased awareness of exterior condition.
PATTERN market office Fall 2010 Professor: Martha Bohm
The Market Office building project is based on the ideas brought from projects previous and the site analysis of the Strip District in the city of Pittsburgh. The task was to take all of that concept and analysis to form a building that allowed the wall to be affective. The project included a 10,000 square foot market on the ground floor and about 20,000 square foot of office above. The interior spaces were not taken into account because it was designed as a core and shell building, where interior spaces are implied, but not permanent.
Pixel Depth The depth of the wall changes according to view in certain directions and daylight effects created.
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City Vie
Escarp
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Suburb
an Vie
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view
Building Heights Four floors or higher Three Floors Two Floors Ground Floor
View from different floors Ground Floor Two or Three Floors Four floors or higher
Roof Garden A roof garden was placed above the market level and the module continues up the wall to create it. The thicker the wall is, the heavier the vegetation that is able to be placed. The heaviest vegetation is also used to direct the view away from the adjacent building and onto the market and the escarpment.
Heavy Vegetation blocks view of adjacent building View directed toward street level
Exposed Structure and Interior Walls The 3 foot grid that the building is based on allows for interior walls to be placed according to the preference of the occupant. Exposed structure is applied where artificial lighting is not necessary based on the thickness of the envelope system.
Open plan
Two partitions
Partitioned Offices
Structure Exposed
MONOLITHIC stepwell Fall 2009 Professor: Nick Bruscia
The project objective is to explore the materials, technologies, and methods behind a historic piece of architecture. The piece explored by the studio was the stepwell, which was used in parts of Asia as a public water source that fills up during monsoon season and is used through the dry season. The structure also acts as a cooling source in the very arid climate when wind flows across the cool water. The 380 modules used were cast out of concrete causing our eight molds to be cast over ten times to get the required amount of blocks after some broke. Of the twelve group members, Three others and I were in charge of casting.
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY Spring 2011 Professor: Chris Romano
TA: Kathy Yuen
MENAFEE CABIN: Clark and Menafee Architects The class taught the layers that make up a building and how they are attached to one another as well as, structure. The assignment is to draw a detailed wall section using building details and use it as a reference to draw an axonometric. Materials were pealed back to further show connections. The first building, pictured on the left, is the Menafee Cabin by Clark and Menafee Architects. The building was CMU construction and further outline specifications are beside.
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY Spring 2011 Professor: Chris Romano
TA: Kathy Yuen
KITSAP ADMINISTRATION: Miller Hull Architects The second building studied is the Kitsap Administration Building by the Miller Hull Architects. The building is made of mostly precast concrete and steel construction..
Personal Work Various Works
FIREFIGHTER training facility Summer 2011 Personal Project
The project is to design a facility that would allow the firefighters to train in instances where ladders, roof ventilation, and search and rescue are necessary. With the technology of the fire service evolving so fast and the fact that buildings all have their own unique challenges in terms of firefighting, the goals of the project were changed. As a result, the facility was designed so that it would never lose its value because it’s possibilities are endless. This is done by creating a system that makes the interior walls, exterior walls, and the roof pitch changeable. All of these aspects together allow for a scenario to be created that tests the firefighters skills.
Ladder Training
Static
Exterior Operations
Changable
Roof Ventilation
Changable
Interior Maze
Changable
Facility Use Ladder Training Ladder Training and Repelling is essential in the fire service in order to ventilate properly or reach specific parts of the building that are not able to be reached from the ground. In emergency situations, it is important to have skills to exit from the second story. With this training, these situations can be practiced and refined.
Roof Ventilation The roof ventilation simulator on the building adds another feature to the structure, but with the ventilation comes the argument that a firefighter might not encounter the same roof pitch. With the technology of the fire service and hinges, the roof is able to be as steep or even as desired.
Hinge
Pallet used for cutting
2 by 4 reinforcement
Rescue 42 for support
Interior Maze
Exterior Operations
Changeable interior walls are important to allow firefighters to train in all different situations. The person making the simulation has the ability to make more or less rooms according to how difficult they want the simulation to be.
Changeable exterior walls are important in fire training because it is not likely that you will have buildings with similar entrances and window configurations. Having the power to change the windows and doors gives near endless possibilities to the training facility.
Pin connection
emerging VINEYARD
Finalist in International ARQUIDEAS Competition The winery seeks to conflate vineyard and architecture. The inhabitable roof of the design becomes an extension of the vineyard. The entry for the winery allows visitors to see the fermenting process. Beyond the entry is a permanent tasting station. Other features of the space are: a restaurant, a bar/lounge, a reception room, and multiple views to the cellar below. By doing this the experience of circulating throughout the winery gives one an understanding of each part of the winemaking process, starting from growing the grapes and ending with tasting the wine.
Building Programming and Site Circulation Reception Area
Restaurant
Process Overlook
On the far side of the building, there is a flexible interior and exterior space that will be used to hold weddings and other events to keep the public interested in the building. Large sliding glass doors allows the interior and exterior to blend and allow it to be one large space if desired.
Aside from the tasting on the roof, the building offers a restaurant and tasting bars inside that allows the visitors of the building to taste on a more casual level with food. The restaurant offers views to the exterior and views to the lower process areas to enjoy while dining.
As visitors walk towards the building, they see on the right side the process that makes the wine in the basement. The area is lined with signage that describes the many steps to making wine and allowed them to see what is happening.
Winery Walk A 1 to 16 ramp allows people that enter the site to walk onto the roof of the building where grapes are being grown to see different types of grapes and taste the wines that they make while enjoying a view of the entire site that is unrivaled.
Site Sustainability Heating_cooling
Natural Light
Material Choice
Stormwater
Temperatures in Napa Valley are on average between 55 and 60 degrees which is the temperature that wine needs to be kept at. Burying the building underground allows for cellar to use the ground temperature to store the wine appropriately. In the restaurant area there are many openings that move to cold air up and passively cool the spaces.
The sun allows for natural light to enter the building during the winter months but shades during the summer months to keep inappropriate heat out of the building.
The storm water that the building catches will be caught in the walkway system where the water runs through the wood slats and into a pan beneath. The water will be stored in water hog cisterns that are placed within the soil. In other places, the water will collected by the plant life on the roof to prevent erosion.
Efforts were made to use natural and recycled materials in the building because not only are they sustainable, but they correlate with many of our concepts. Stone and Wood were both used because they are natural materials and the concrete used has recycled aggregate.
Professional Work Uniland Development Company
250 Delaware Avenue
Uniland Development Company, Buffalo, NY Responsibilities in this project were the preliminary design of the building. Digital modeling and presentation drawings including rendering were completed by me for potential clients.
25 Gates Circle
Uniland Development Company, Buffalo, NY Responsibilities in this project were the design of the facade as well as the contribuitions to building plans sections and elevations. Digital modeling and presentation drawings including rendering and animations were completed by me for future marketing purposes.
505 Ellicott Street
Uniland Development Company, Buffalo, NY Responsibilities in this project were the design of the front entry condition including all of the facade and interior design of that. Digital modeling and presentation drawings including rendering and animations were completed by me for potential clients.