mickey chapa
content
1]C U P projects 4 suitcasepavilion1.0 the component suitcase pavilion2.0 NYC CityRacks entry we speak in circles 2]europe travel sketches where’s your awning building experience_ronchamp sky_a thought circle
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3]landscape projects_trend architecture cincinnati urban earth observatory road to nowhere skin city
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4]city of the dead [case study:aldo rossi] shadow garden memory wall rem garden
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5]object design firetable built graffiti milan chair cardboard lamp
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C U P a network of students and professionals from around the world, the C U P philosophy seeks to overturn traditional concepts of work, study, and research. as a very fluid collective, colleagues contribute when and wherever possible, generally in addition to other studio or work related projects.
suitcasepavilion1.0 the component moving from competition, suitcase pavilion2.0 internal project, book, or other work, maintains consistent and continuing NYC CityRacks entry CUP work, but all communicated within the we speak in circles public realm, a gift to the masses.
suitcasepavilion_1.0
[2nd year]
in spring 2008, a fourth year studio at virginia tech’s college of architecture and urban studies prepared an entry for the London Festival of Architecture. A pavilion of 7500+ components was designed to be transported in 18 suitcases for assembly on-site at Exhibition Road. i manufactured most of the polypropylene and acrylic components
on the school’s lasercamm for the traveling team to transport to the UK.
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image:terry surjan rendering:caroline alsup
longitudinal connection. 40,000 persons
the components comprised of 2 types of components, the LFA08 pavilion was supported by heat-formed 1/4”transparent acrylic and 1/16” translucent polyproylene plastics. the acrylic was used for the pavilion’s structure, fitting together to form stiff triangular columns that held up the flexible pillowcloud structures. the joints were designed to be rearranged quickly due to the project’s time restrictionS. at the end of the festival, the design helped eager Londoner’s dismantle
the pavilion in less than 3 hours.
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14,000,000 persons
direct from the waterjet manufacturer
unloading sheets of pillowcloud
pillowcloud following the success at LFA08, C U P was invited to reconfigure the suitcase pavilion as an entrance to Wired Magazine’s 2008 NextFest Convention in Chicago. this time the pavilion was designed to be twice as large, with 14500+ pieces. the suitcase pavilion2.0 was use the pillowcloud components a new manner to emphasize the pavilion’s temporal nature as well as the component’s capacity to adapt. i aided with schematic design and in the on-site assembly.
to in
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transportation
suitcasepavilion_2.0
[3rd year]
in chicago’s Park, the pavilion
on-site
Millenium
stood aside the entrance for the full 18 days of Wired’s NextFEST. i traveled with a team of 9 students and one professor to assemble the components on scaffolding. our team also attended the opening festivities and spent the evening talking to other exhibitors, getting instant and direct feedback on our work. we also had the chance to meet mayor daley and bruce mau who were at the event.
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3.
2. rendering: jonathan hanahan johnathan grinham
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1.
SeeSaw rack [summer 2nd year]
SeeSaw Rack is
a simple, dynamic, and redundant locking proposal for the bikes of New York, the SeeSaw rack aims not only to safely and quickly secure the city’s bikes, but to interact with the dynamic character of the city. its mechanics require the use of a single, pocketable combination lock so that bikers can shed the heavy chains that discourage so many novice riders. i was part of the 3 person design and research team and i constructed the technical drawings and some diagrams that accompanied our entry.
the locking device
we speak in circles
[3rd year]
an in-house C U P exhibition in september09 at Virginia Tech’s Cowgill Lobby highlighted the groups recently completed projects as well as firmly express the physical make-up of the group. i helped with purchasing and transporting the hardware, design of the pillowcloud exhibit, and also in the construction of the exhibit. BANNER: “C U P doesn’t matter or ‘REAL matter’ isn’t what C U P is all about” 13
images: terry surjan
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düsseldorf
neviges
köln
nürnberg
poissy paris munich
fontainebleu
lona
ronchamp
weil am rhein lörrach basel
innsbruck
merano
monte tamaro riva san vitale chiaso mendrisio como
bolzano
trento
san verona
milano vigevano
genoa
lucca
europetravel09 san gimignano
firenze siena
this past fall i traveled to western europe for 88 days with a design studio led by professors from virginia tech.
sketches where’s your awning building experience sky_a thought circle
testing and improving our civitavecchia skills of observation, drawing, and photography, what is shown is a small selection though it incorporates larger themes that i hope to include in my future work. these include an honesty in my design, better contextual relationships, and overall a more human understanding olbia of space.
porto torres
sketches
[4th year]
below is an example of several themes that coursed through my sketches.
first is the analytic a reference type that functioned well for purely visual sequences and documentation. technical drawings have their obvious worth. compositional drawings, slow and methodical were made in mind of later presentations. also, spatial cartoons helped me maintain my curiosity, humor, and spatial creation.
the
pictorial,
where’s your awning?
based on of contemporary selections from a across western questions about
simple observations architecture, these photo essay of awnings europe raise simple our urban furniture.
how useful are these structures? is it the only way that
our
buildings
meet
the
street?
turkish house,1910
parthenon,1910 “a ceiling of stars was spread out in concentric rings over the people in prayer” “the fictitous ceiling of light, 3 meters above the mats, and the immense shadowy space, are one of the most poetical architectural creations known to me” Le Corbusier upon visiting excerpts Voyage d’Orient
Hagia
Sophia,
1910
building experience led by the article “redrawing Hadrian’s Villa/ Re-Writing Cochangdi” in Perspecta 41, I attempted to find further evidence in the link between the production of Le Corubusier’s chapel at Ronchamp and his travels as a young apprentice architect in 1910/11. what I found was that his “Voyage d’Orient” not only produced or provided certain architectural elements and constructions of space, but was also the true heart of his symbolic, formal, and thematic (motif-based) practice.
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herzog and demeuron
gottfried bohm
galvetti
le corbusier
mies van der rohe
richard meier
fuksas
leo von klense + hans dollgast
carlo scarpa
franz schwecten
prague castle
herzog & deMeuron
florian nagler
le corbusier
mvrdv
peter zumthor
adolf loos
basel
adolf hitler
sky_a thought circle a photo essay addressing the formal and figurative tops of buildings, this survey provides a reference across a range of building types, and + partners cultures peter zumthor architects,burkhardt and their upward intentions. What information can be drawn from the simple line that divides
the
built
world
from
the
sky?
tuscany
gunther behnisch
peter zumthor
carlo scarpa
bellinzano transit authority
hans kollhoff + christian rapp
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architecture of the ground
whether
the
landscape
is
completely fabricated or set into the questionably “natural� environment, each of these semester long projects have dealt specifically with the relationship of the building to the ground.
cincinnati urban earth observatory road to nowhere skin city
in some cases, this has meant a structure which literally has a deep section pushing it into the ground, or that it has some other site specificity which links it to that place directly.
cincinnati urban earth observatory
[3rd year]
a 100,000sqft facility was proposed as an urban campus for artists of the Center for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI) and scientists of the Land Use and Policy Development Insitute(LUPDI). 24 chaired residents would intermingle here to generate exhibitions and land art in the on-site galleries, which lie adjacent to the world headquarters of the consumer product giant Proctor & Gamble. >>> 23
Site Translations
Depth Zoning
Transformation Outlines
Primary Alterations
planning precedent _ARTICULATED LINE
beginning with photographic documentation, 9 images were selected to frame a system, specific history, or certain quality of the city. each of these became a filter for the creation of 9 individual lanscape models. merged together, a new cityscape was crafted then fit with program to create the project massing.
NEXT>
forum
apartments
studios
to observe
P&G headquarters
Eg
gle
sto
nA
ve
nu
e
SKYWALK
RIVERWALK
structural precedent miami and erie canals adjoining the site where today runs Eggleston Ave., used to be the southernmost extension of the Erie and Miami Canal system. The outlet is still evident beneath Riverfront Stadium, but there is no interaction between this history and the rest of the city. The site is the point of
disconnect between RIVER and CITY, separating the SKYWALK shopping district downtown from the RIVERWALK. the proposal provides a necessary intersection within the city.
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gallery vista from library
studio window to view galleries
to be observed
apartment complex
garage door
gallery
studio gallery
r to studio
studios
research center
1�=25’
observation tower
amphitheater/gallery 2
indoor gallery/ covered stage
administration
the road to nowhere
[3rd year]
in 1941 a road building project around Fontana Dam and Lake in
western north carolina lost funding due to the discovery of radioactive bedrock nearby in the Great Smoky Mountains. but after 75 years, a 1/4 mile tunnel still triumphantly marks the end of this road building project.the proposal aims to reflect on the history of the place, provide a memorial to many graves now covered by Fontana Lake, and cultivate the area as a service to hikers on the Appalachian Trail.
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4.25”
RIGTH SIDE ELEVATION
3/4 SCALE 1”=1.33”
1/16”
r = 1/4”
E6
4”
LEFT SIDE ELEVATION- LAMP NESTING
3/4 SCALE 1”=1.33”
E5
LAMP PLAN
3/4 SCALE 1”=1.33”
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5/16”
3/4 SCALE 1”=1.33”
FRONT SECTION
one leather strip 2” wide doubles over and is fastened on the interior of the box. knot remains inside to keep the hard faces of the box as clean as possible.
FULL SCALE 1”= 1”
1/16”
1/16”
STRAP SECTION DETAIL
1/4” dowel slides through loop in leather to prevent it from being pulled back within the box
research methods
visiting the site on a 7 day research trip, we were tasked with creating a FIELDBOX to hold a lamp and other sketching and measuring tools.
3/4”
E6
S1 3
E5
3
4
my lamp was not just a light but a tool created for measurement and guidance. i created a water clock, termed KLYPSEDRA in greek, which slowly dripped water. when lit by a single LED, this would produce a small spark of light that could be seen 100ft+ down the tunnel at night, and through this i mapped the site.
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3
D2
S1 3
E6
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1/8”
1/16”
1/16” twine wraps through holes in box and doubled leather strap and tied with a square knot for strength
S1
S2
5/16” sandply is routed with a 1/16” table saw blade. it is routed again to a 1/8”curve on the center cut edge. finally, the left and rightside edges are mitred to fit the rest of the box.
FULL SCALE 1”= 1”
HINGE DETAIL D2
23 3/4”
1/8” dado cut secures center wall provideing support for the leather straps (not shown) once in tension
1/16” twine in a tight square knot fits through 1/8” hole in the box to fasten the knot within.
1/8”
3/4 SCALE 1”=1.33”
HANDLE DETAIL D1
5/16”
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10
9
8
7
1/4” hole in the handle accepts twine. slack in the twine with a tight knot allows handle to swing freely away from the body of the box whenheld.
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3
2
4 1
5
site organization 2
[1]_intimation [2]_collection [3]_movement [4]_impact [5]_residual
3
5
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4
[1]intimation:wall creates anticpation collecting wall shielding view back to road
site
[3]channeling: trail leads back to woods
a raised walk runs parallel to the road to nowhere, beginning at the first point on the road where the mouth of the tunnel is visible. two stone walls bracket the site, one adjacent to the site’s parking and the other on top of the tunnel’s entrance. these two stone walls reflect the light from firepits which help a nightime traveler find there way to a safe place to sleep. an unseen creek runs parallel to these raised forest walks, allowing a space to reflect within the canopy of the trees and the aimless noise of water.
tunnel entrance with displaced bat house
beacon wall and firepit
skin city
[2nd year]
beginning with simple cigar boxes, an analog then digital building
scape was created from the simple geometry of the box. each box was coated with liquid latex, unfolded, then placed together, generating unconventioanl sites in the skin city.
plots
were
allotted,
neighborhoods emerged, and complex relationships evolved which informed development of individual buildings and ultimately the city as a whole.
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cigar box studies liquid latex “SKINS”
0123
10
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landscape development
district plaza path the original organizational structure of the city revolved around the use of path, or a loose conception of street. what developed though was a structure of two predominant disticts separated by a large open space. “zoning� dictated that there had to be a connection with at least one neighbor, which resulted in the clear clustering of the structures. my structure, its footprint seen here in front, was built 75% below grade, merging with its neighbor in an upward
and outward progression of space.
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city of the dead
my 2nd year, 2nd semester studio was framed to a study of the structures of death, led by the works of aldo rossi and his addition to the san cataldo cemetery. our studies concluded with the a group effort to create a memorial park in downtown blacksburg,va. the challenge was to provoke
[case
study:aldo rossi] shadow garden memory wall rem garden
public exchange amongst the living, private and public contact for the grieving, and to provide quiet space for self-reflection.
aldo rossi:case study San Cataldo Cemetery [2nd year]
exemplifying his mature work, the addition to the cemetery in modena was a summation of his collage-like analagous city theory. this guided our studio as we developed research drawings analyzing his influences from Giorgio de Chirico to anatomist George Stubbs. Our 6 weeks of research concluded with an exhibition of our own drawings and writing with a 4’x4’x4’ model of the cemetery’s ossuary, Rossi’s house for the dead. r. moneo exerpt from Oppositions 5
giudecca, venice, 10/20/09
de chirico,1914
collage
collage
model interior
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photo credit: baker, fisherman
shadow garden
[2nd year]
given a volume of concrete to arrange within a given parcel, the first task was to segment a certain volume into a series of specific shadow-making forms.
a set of 4 L-shapes were selected, and when laid on each side created 3 different rankings in height. positioned gradually from low to high, the shadows were meant to suggest a gradual decay.
circulation diagram
high medium erosion concept_high structure, low erosion single parcel_also shown is void that was used to create shadow generators
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low
memory wall
[2nd year]
made up of columbaria and crypts, this structure is an interface to communicate with the departed. it is a deep wall, with one permeable and one impermeable layer to create a private space for mourning, or for communal celebration. it is open enough for both. the graves are arrangeed to emphasize the weight of the individual with varying crypt heights. in between these, small breaks in the parapet allow water, moss, and other growth to penetrate even this impermeable layer.
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REM[embrance] garden
[2nd year]
working in groups, proposals were made for the site of the old middle school campus in blacksburg, virginia, just adjacent to the town’s original 16 blocks. to link more activity into the site, the decision was made to
extend and include the popular bike route, the Huckleberry Trail.
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GLOB
AL
with this inclusion, it is possible to place our site within a global-local system, connecting intimate downtown blacksburg, the city of christiansburg, and also the local airport.
Transportation and Communication
photomontage credit storyteller
[e]
[f]
funerary parlor_a gatekeeper’s tower_b amphitheater_c crypt and columbarium_d green space_e private atriums_f
main street
[a][b][c] [d]
page:1”=150’ model:1”=3/4’
public sanctuary
the site is elevated 15+ft above the rest of the town. by building through subtraction, the living and the dead can interact without interference from the thriving community above. the earth removed for the long burial chamber is piled around the edge of the site, making a bowl to create a private area away from the street.
a large greenspace within the site connected to the Huckleberry Trail welcomes public use, while 2 entrances at the front privately connect to the funerary structures. model segment 1 0f 9 the gatekeeper’s house and main entry
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object design each of these projects were created without an intention to exist in any specific place. they allow an opportunity to explore separate
structural
firetable milan chair cardboard lamp handrendering seminar
techniques
on a very small scale. to me these projects are structured fun- kickball with a trainer. they are a way to continue to practice my craftsmanship while exploring outside of the limits of architecture.
firetable
[4th year]
the joint to a tabble leg that I built last summer, this was practice for me to stay busy but to also experiment with woodworking and joint work. if the name provides any clue, the table’s progress was cut unexpectedly short.
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milan chair
[2nd year]
designed for an internal furniture competition in 2007, the winner was to accompany virginia tech’s furniture studio to its exhibition at the Milan Furniture Fair. well recieved by our in house judges, this chair was intended to be made out of sheet metal. though unbuilt, The project was still a valuable study, an attempt to have an entire structure bound by internal tension. here it was created by the rivets at each corner, slowly tightening each of the 18 gauge steel panels.
cardboard lamp
[summer after 2nd year]
part of my industrial design summer lab in 2006, this lamp is made of corrugated cardboard cut radially from a single sheet of 1/8� material. the lamp is made up then of 90 uniquely oriented baffles, controlling the amount of light that reaches a viewer. the power chord for the lamp laces up the cardboard sheet, keeping it closed and also suspending the two halogen bulbs on the inside of the tube.
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hand rendering
[3rd year]
my final drawing of a 4 week workshop, the task was to produce a building fragment. i chose to study a simple bench-like wooden cantilever system with a hidden turnbuckle joint. the driving concept of built graffiti is still in development.
mickey chapa
mickeychapa@gmail.com 757-739-5698 1440E seneca dr blacksburg va 24060
tition challenges the foundations of contemporary transportation. each existing systems contains with it a certain human scale. the icon below how the volume within those relationships but also to recognize the at a change within those sytems implies.
underground metro
long distance rail 42,414,698
airport 30,169,663
L6 L7 S1 S2 S5 S55 R1 R3 R4 R7 L1 L3