noa younse portfolio 2009

Page 1

noa younse selected works


Output from a script written to generate a color evolution line from a series of simple rules


1 academic 2002-2007 work


2006-2007 | | Undergraduate Thesis Project Drifting Scripts - modular housing set in the urban environment


An exploration into the possibilities of alternative housing, this undergraduate thesis project investigates aspects of modularity, fabrication, and mobility for an undefined site. With increasing advances in technology our society has amplified its desires for variation, customization, and movement. The pace of life has jumped to an incomprehensible high, and a new style of living needs to accompany this change. Inhabitants should take control of their spaces, both in structure and personality. The variety of spaces should exist on several social levels, from personal to public. Diversity within a complex should be promoted in order to keep a well-balanced system. A common responsibility should exist among members of a society in order to maintain the quality of the community. The goal I established for this project was to create a basic micromodule which owners could customize internally through integrated structural panels and externally with a variety of skin options tailored to the specific climate and context. The generic parts of the pre-built superstructure can be configured to its particular location and areas for attaching individual dwellings vary according to this initial arrangement. The standard nature of the modules gives the user complete control over the programmatic and spatial configuration of their unit.


The system is designed from two components [the module and the superstructure] which are non-site specific. Underutilized urban spaces such as parking lots are the foundation for such complexes. Contextual standards and the unit skin choices create the ability for adaptability between locations. The blocks around San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal, a future transportation hub in the area south of Market Street [also known as SOMA], serve as an example site for the system. An abundance of parking lots and cultural hot spots create potential for residential growth.


I wrote a simple script in Adobe Illustrator to generate examples of variations [diagrams on previous page] of wet and dry module layouts from two to n modules. A basic set of rules was created to govern the size, growth pattern, and density of the overall unit, and set to repeat exhaustively. Some of these diagrams were then imported into Form-Z and manually interpreted as larger, extruded, complex combinations of components, as illustrated in this diagram. The tests display how a collection of individualized dwelling units grows and transforms with the changing needs and desires of the population.

Several categories of skin exist to satisfy the needs of the inhabitants. Users can choose from opaque, transparent, environmental [photovoltaic or solar panels], operable, occupiable [cantilevered balconies], or graphic [personal or sponsored] applications. Since the skin is an external attachment to the structure of the module, its purpose can be aesthetic, functional, or both. The options give occupants an opportunity to express their personalities on the exterior. The collective appearance of the entire structure can then hint at the general character of its residents.



The structure of each module consists of a metal frame and reinforced structural panels. The individual parts of the frame resemble an inverted C-shaped member to allow exterior access to the frame when connected to another module. The modules would use these members as their primary connection to each other and would also become the base for the interior panels to be attached. The free exterior connections serve as places to attach the skin. The two different floor types – wet and dry – allow for different functions to exist in each space. Wet floors have an infrastructure built in to allow utilities to run underneath and connect to auxiliary items [e.g. toilets and sinks] or other wet floor parts. Dry floors would not have these services and only serve as a static platform. The superstructure is created using a kit of parts. Utility lines run through columns and hook into the individual units through small plugs at given intervals. Cross bracing between columns reinforces the rigidity of the complex, and allows for the suspension of select members. While the idea is to implement a script to assist in the start of the design process, the ultimate goal is to give the future occupants the ability to customize their dwelling using a specified kit of parts within the constraints of the context-based superstructure.


2007 | | Urban Dwelling A study in compact living


A completely inhabitable, full scale study for my thesis project, the Urban Dwelling is an investigation into the nature of cantilevers and the minimal shelter required for a small habitation. Inspired by the work of Santiago Cirugeda and the impromptu San Francisco homeless structure vernacular, I set out to construct my own minimal, parasitic, cantilevered dwelling. The primary programmatic elements that I selected include a private elevated sleeping surface with storage and an optional study space. In addition, the shelter must be small enough to be mobile and adaptable to a multitude of structural hosts. The majority of the structure was built from salvaged metal tubing from Cal Poly’s support shop, and the planar surfaces were cut from OSB. The waterproofing/privacy screen was made from white shower curtains and Velcro fasteners. The OSB planes could be shifted to allow entry from below, or access to the expandable storage area beneath the sleeping plane, while a desk and footrest could be formed by rearranging the front panel. With the assistance of a friend in the structural engineering profession, calculations were run on the structural efficiency of the cantilever as well as its supporting tensile strapping. This provided an understanding of the underlying principles at work as well as reassurance that it would not fail when occupied. Inhabited for three nights, the structure was erected in Cal Poly’s architecture building. I used the opportunity to document my thoughts and observations as well as those of the people who looked on from below. After the experiment concluded, the dwelling was returned to the shop for disassembly and subsequent material reuse.


2005 - 2006 | | Denmark 4th year study abroad experience at DIS


Between the fall of 2005 and the following summer, I was afforded the opportunity to live in Copenhagen, Denmark, where I studied architecture and design at DIS - the Danish Institute for Study Abroad. A prime example of Scandinavian design intent, the goal of the infill project [Spring 2006, following page] is to create an office space for a young graphic design firm between two existing buildings located at the northern end of Copenhagen’s great lakes. The main objective is the development of a façade that harmoniously interacts with its neighbors. To do this, I integrated screened images of a collage of the adjacent façades onto the glass exterior and included noticeably-raised false windows to visually extend the implied horizontal and vertical lines. This gives the initial impression of assimilation from a distance, but still sets itself apart under closer inspection by pedestrians or patrons.


Urban infill

Ă˜restad North pavilions


The pavilion project [Spring 2006] challenged us to create small pavilions that would accommodate numerous functions along a canal in Copenhagen during the temperate summer months. I chose to generate a simple kit of parts that allows each particular activity to determine how the different pavilions can be formed in terms of footprint, volume, and skin. The cube is the ideal element for this modular project because of its relation to the context. The buildings of the area consist of rectilinear forms and the canal and walkway also adopt this language. A cube of 1m x 1m x 1m was chosen because of its fitting proportion to the human scale. Two blocks stacked on one another create a space large enough to inhabit comfortably, but not tall enough to give the impression of permanence. The panels were developed to provide shelter and support, and to serve as informative markers. The colors of the panels are intended to liven the dreary atmosphere created by the uniformly-dull earth tones of the existing buildings. Printed symbols on the panels serve as an informal guide to the visitors of Ă˜restad North, describing the functions contained within the structure and creating a sense of comprehension and anticipation. These symbols were created with easily-recognizable objects to reduce possible confusion from weary tourists. The panels are made of a translucent plastic to let low levels of light in during the day and create a glowing series of cubes at night.


2007 | | Puppethouse

A living machine for Cal Poly’s Design Village Competition


Cal Poly hosts a yearly design competition in which teams of students design and build a structure to house themselves for a weekend in Poly Canyon [an unbuilt part of the greater Cal Poly campus]. The teams are required to transport their structures without the use of motor vehicles down a 1.5 mile fire road into the canyon, with the means of transportation prescribed in the overall design of the structure. Jacob Aftreth, Gabriel Kaprielian, Karl Johnson, Jefferson Frost, Johnson Tang, and myself created a team, ‘Puppeteers,’ under the supervision of professor Terry Hargrave, to compete in the 2007 Design Village Competition. The competition attracted 30 teams from schools across California. The theme for the year, ‘Living Machine,’ sparked a lot of interesting ideas between the six of us, many of which dealt with modularity and transformation. *Photos by Karl Johnson and Gabriel Kaprielian


Potential transformations of the structure


The goals of our design included creating a structure that would shelter us from the mild climate and minute possibility of rain, adapt to the rough hillscape of the canyon, be made of easily-replicable modular units, could individually transform those units to alter the appearance as a whole, and most importantly, be manufactured with as little cost as possible. The materials selected for the project were salvaged from our support shop, reused from past projects [such as the tensile straps from my Urban Dwelling], or simply purchased because of their wide availability and low cost [like the 2x4s, electrical conduit, and Saran wrap.] The self-selected kit of parts was an influential factor in design development. Each living unit was essentially three hinged planes supported by two vertical posts and trailer straps. One plane was the sleeping surface, the next the supporting surface, and the last anchored the unit to the hillside. By changing the location of the pin connection between the second and third plane, the module could transform from a cantilevered sleeping unit into a sitting/reclining unit. The structure was light enough to be carried in, successfully housed all six members plus one guest, and had an overall cost that came in at a fraction of the competitors.’


Michael Lucas entertaining students and parents at the Summer Career Workshop 2007


2 related 2007-2009 work


By: Katie Evans By: Taylor Stollbert By: Zach Correa By: Matt Vaudreuil

2007 | | Summer Career Workshop

Teaching assistant at the Summer Career Workshop run by prof. Michael Lucas


Every year, Cal Poly’s architecture department hosts a summer career workshop for high school students from around the world. The intent of this workshop is to give the students [most going into their senior year of high school] a chance to experience life in architecture school so that they can make an educated decision as to whether or not they would like to pursue the major. For the summer of 2007, my thesis professor, Michael Lucas, headed up this program and gave Jacob Aftreth, Jenny Hiser, and myself the opportunity to be teaching assistants. Given a class of seventeen students for the month long workshop, I worked extensively with each one on projects dealing with the different areas of study covered in Cal Poly’s architecture program, from design and structures to environmental systems and urban planning. Having never taken part in such a program before, I found the experience extremely rewarding for both the students and myself. The ability to witness a change in the students’ mentality as the program progressed was inspiring and uplifting. From the bewildered faces in response to the first assignment, ‘make a box that describes you,’ to the still confused, but more confident faces for the final dwelling project, I truly believe I assisted in giving the students a proper introduction to the lifestyle of the collegiate architecture student. *Photos by Michael Lucas


transform

entry ramp

water

transport

reused metal skin

polycarbonate windows

water storage

reused lumber

photo-voltaic panels

extensive green roof

bed sink range storage

storage

workspace/ social space

desk section

deck

plan

2009 | | The shed

Entry for the Andes Sprouts Society residency studio competition

concrete post

adjustable trailer jacks

recycled denim insulation

low-e double glazed windows


The intent of the Andes Sprouts competition was to create a small mobile space [max 300 sq.ft.] suitable for one person to focus on the exploration of a particular craft while living and working on the Andes Sprouts farm for three seasons of the year. The sustainable background of the farm, coupled with the limited budget, emphasized the use of recycled or reused materials from the farm or local area and the modest size of the structure. The design can be seen as a solitary shelter, its space promoting an introspective experience facilitated by the human scale of the interior and the simple program. The general form is derived from the landscape – the sloping context and rolling hillsides push the extensive green shed roof upwards, generating a new horizontal dialogue between structure and sky. Visual and physical connections to the farm are achieved by the material palette of grass, reused wood and rusted metal. An operable southern wall and cantilevered deck allow the tenant to choose the level of immersion into the exterior, while they remain protected from the west winds. Polycarbonate windows between the walls and roof diffuse light into the space, and provide a decent insulation value. The extensive green shed roof decreases water runoff and provides some thermal insulation to the space below. Opposite the green roof is a small overhang oriented towards the south which can be outfitted with photo-voltaic panels to generate electricity for the structure. Water is stored near the northeast entrance: clean water above sink level and gray water below. A shower and toilet are shared among the residents in an existing structure already on the farm. The only permanent element of the design is a concrete post at one corner of the structure, meant to locate and stabilize the position of the unit. The other corners, held up with trailer jacks, can be adjusted to conform to the landscape.


2008 | | Cityracks

Entry for the New York City Department of Transportation cityracks competition


New York’s Department of Transportation conceived a bike rack design competition to support its growing cyclist population. My goal with this project was to celebrate the bicycle and conserve sidewalk space with a unique rack design that emphasizes the presence of the bike. I started with a diagrammatic study illustrating how the orientation of the bike could play a role in minimizing its effect on the walkway. By first angling the bike upwards, and then rotating the bike about the z-axis, a greater amount of walkway space is made available to the pedestrian. The next step was to develop a way to maintain an elevated front wheel and provide lateral stability. This design was intended to work in groups of two or more; when two racks are placed side by side the horizontal members form a channel for the front wheel to rest in, while each rack’s curved vertical member becomes both the bike’s lateral support and locking surface. For open spaces, such as plazas, the design can be modified with two vertical curves to allow bicycles to park on both sides of the rack.

*photo by karl johnson


Digital collage of work-related imagery


3 professional 2007-2009 work


Polito Residence Ashbury Heights, San Francisco 2nd story remodel and slight addition

Natoma St. Offices SOMA district, San Francisco Tenant improvements

2007 - 2009 | | Veverka Architects Jr. Designer under the direction of Jerry Veverka AIA


LaGrange Residence Unbuilt

In August of 2007, Jerry Veverka took me on as the third employee in his architectural firm. While I was there, Jerry and Johanna Forman took it upon themselves to introduce me to the practice of architecture. Veverka Architects is an award winning firm with projects all over the San Francisco Bay Area. The firm is known for its modern approach to the design of new homes as well as remodels, particularly within the city of San Francisco. Each project is uniquely tailored to the client’s personality and demonstrates the flexibility of the design team.


Kiest Residence Pacifica, California Unbuilt 2nd story addition

King Residence Dolores Heights, San Francisco New residence


Veverka Residence El Cerrito, California New residence

At Veverka Architects, I assisted in every aspect of the professional process of creating architecture – from initial client meetings with discussions about intended goals, to the permitting process, to construction coordination. An advantage of working for such a small firm was the opportunity for one-on-one interaction between myself and Jerry Veverka, which resulted in an ideal mentorship environment. I was hired at the firm because of my ability to rapidly generate models as well as my digital visualization skills. Jerry Veverka utilized Google Sketchup as a low-cost modeling tool to assist in the communication of intention to the clients. We found that for the majority of our clients, the simulated imagery yielded a better understanding of intention than would two-dimensional drawings alone.


[above] Jensen Residence Los Altos, California Deck addition with Mona Ying Reeves of Re:modern [right] Bay Area Video Coalition Inner Mission, San Francisco Tenant improvements with Mona Ying Reeves of Re:modern

2009 | | Other work Working with various firms


Bay Area Video Coalition Inner Mission, San Francisco Tenant improvements with Mona Ying Reeves of Re:modern

farm-architecture Graphic job sign for Mark Myers of farm-architecture

I am presently utilizing my drafting, modeling, and presentation skills to assist several small firms with a variety projects in the San Francisco Bay Area.


Silhouette of branches from the yard of Terry Hargrave and Christina McPhee


4 personal 2006-2009 work


Throughout the years I have been commissioned to create simple websites for people and organizations. Each website is uniquely tailored to the client – each has a different goal in terms of the display of information, images, atmosphere, and advertising. The HPILF [Hastings Public Interest Law Foundation] job included logo creation in addition to a website. For that, I created a focus on the PI, or Public Interest, aspect of the foundation with a simple inversion of the space between the letters combined with one of the school colors. The Veverka and Walter Kruse websites visually highlight the work with large portions of the display dedicated to imagery. The goal I set for myself with regards to my personal website was to create a shell that could be easily updated with blog-like snippets of my day-to-day life. I learned some basic php programming to integrate the simple scripts for comment posting and emailing with hopes of allowing the opportunity for interaction between myself and visitors.

2007 - 2009 | | Website design Various website designs


veverka.com

walterkruse.com

hpilf.org

abbychandlerinsurance.com


Garret Farmer Digital Collage, 2009

2007 - 2009 | | Graphics Visual exercises for the mind


Personal business cards Acrylic screen print on chip board 2008

I think it is important to allow the mind to explore, and I find that generating visual ideas through a variety of media is a good outlet for documenting the wandering thoughts that I have. Whether it is a digital collage of personal photos, experiments with screen printing, or a simple time lapse video of my day’s work, I value starting a small project with little ultimate intention, and then afterwards, reflecting on the process and interpreting the results.

Robot vs. Mallard Digital, 2008


Crow Acrylic screen print on canvas panel, 2008


Chinatown faces Digital collage, 2009

Digital collage is a fantastic way to bring new life into ordinary pictures. The collage above is a mix of a few different objects photographed in my neighborhood. I tried to illustrate how the same bronze face can be manipulated multiple ways to evoke different [yet all creepy] results. The collage below is a simple piece made from pictures specifically arranged for this composition.

untitled Digital collage, 2007


I strive to encapsulate the unaltered moment. As a newly-found hobby, photography has provided me the opportunity to capture a time that would otherwise be lost in my memory. I find non-staged pictures to be the most appealing. While some enjoy setting up the scene and forcing the emotion, I seek out the existing conditions and convey the natural tone through an instant of digital film.

2008 - 2009 | | Photography Photographs from around the Bay Area


Jake Aftreth at Lake Chabot Digital, 2009


Ghost ship Digital, 2008


Angel Island at dawn Digital, 2008

San Ramon Digital, 2009


Rainy day dog Site specific stencil Cal Poly architecture building Spray paint, 2007

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