Architectural Portfolio Peter K. Atkins | B.S. Architecture | University of Minnesota
Architectural Portfolio
Peter K. Atkins | B.S. Architecture | University of Minnesota 1046 15th Ave SE MPLS, MN 55414 atkin154@umn.edu | 715.209.8225
Contents Materials + Methods Floor + Wall + Roof Plaza de la Soledad Capitol Flats Riverside Park F150 A-Frame Vermilion Cabin North Loop Bike Park Life Cycles Captain’s Cottage
Materials+Methods Materials and Methods - Jim Lutz | Collaborators: Sebastian Marquez | 2010 This project focused on the construction process and joining of materials through modeling. The building selected for analysis was Villa Lucy by WPa in Port Townsend, WA. Villa Lucy is elevated above a sloping site by six steel moment frames. The frame divides and organizes the residence into a rear utility block, central living area, and front porch. Detailed modeling of floor, wall, and roof assemblies show construction phasing, the interface to the frame, and the layering of materials to create the envelope.
F l o o r + W a l l + R o o f Studio II - Lance LaVine | Oaxaca, MX | 2011 Set in Oaxaca, Mexico, the design of this pavilion was centered on the human experience. The phrase “how am I there?� focused the design of spaces to accommodate a bed, a single chair, a table with three chairs, and two sculptures. It was developed in three stages, each exploring one of the three elemental components of a building. Design began using only the floor plane to define spaces. Walls were added to direct and frame views. Last, roofs were added for shelter and shade. The design separates the private space of the bedroom from the space of the communal table and three chairs along an axial path. Two planes of translucent glass screen views between the bed and table, while the corners open up to frame views of the landscape and the two sculptures.
Plaza-de-la-Soledad Studio II - Lance LaVine | Oaxaca, MX | Collaborators: Kim Glasenapp, Adam Lapacz | 2011 Located in Oaxaca, Mexico, Plaza de la Soledad is of great civic and religious importance to the city. While the plaza holds the Basilica of Soledad (the patron saint of the city) and the Oaxaca City Hall, it is currently under-utilized. The current fragmented design discourages visitors to what is one of Oaxaca’s most valuable public spaces. In the redesign of the plaza, programmatic elements were added to the public plaza, such as a historian’s house, art gallery, and library. On the steeply sloping site, terraces were created to provide entry for the buildings bordering the plaza. The size of each terrace was determined by the importance of the building on the site. The main circulation angles down to focus attention on the Basilica. The steps organize the site, forming a performance space in front of City Hall and a large open plaza in front of Soledad. Long canopies float above the underground art gallery on the upper side of the plaza and above the library and public conference area on the lower edge. The two canopies reference each other, drawing visitors into and across the plaza. All drawings are hand drawn in ink on mylar.
Massing Model
C a p i t o l
F l a t s
Studio III - Julia Robinson | Collaborators: Neil Christianson, Doug Harsevoort, Brianna Bruening| 2011 This project reclaims a previously industrial site overlooking downtown Saint Paul. Located in Dayton’s Bluff, the proposal introduces a high-density, mixedused development on a vacant half lot. The overall site plan was conceived as a team and individual buildings were developed separately. The sloping site provides views to downtown Saint Paul and the State Capitol. The line of sight to the capitol dome cuts a diagonal through the rectangular site and becomes the organizing element that realigns the grid of the site. The result is a dynamic development that welcomes residents and visitors to Dayton’s Bluff.
Organization and Massing
The view to capitol is maintained by a parking ramp that cuts diagonally across the site. Parking for the lot’s 100 units are provided on the first two levels while the third is preserved as a pedestrian allee. The goal was to provide a unique, light filled parking experience while maintain a close proximity to individual units.
Row Houses
Daycare Facility
Live-Work
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ree
Live-Work
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t7
s Ea
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Assisted Living
Parking Family Housing Student Housing/Restaurant
Section
Basement
D a y c a r e + F l a t s I developed and detailed the Daycare Facility on the upper end of the site. The Daycare is located on the first level with five living units above and behind it. A split level design allows spacious ceilings in the daycare playrooms. The living units wrap around two stair cores provide two entrances to each unit; a main entrance off of the street and a back entrance from the on-site parking.
Building Program
Vertical Massing andCirculation circulation
StorageBasement and access to parking
Daycare Facility Daycare Facility
One-Bedroom Flats One Bedroom Flats
Two-Bedroom Flats Two Bedroom Flats
First Floor
Section
2nd & 3rd Floor
Roof Terrace
R i v e r s i d e
P a r k
Understanding and Creating Landscape Space - Brad Agee | 2011
Located on a hypothetical site along the Minneapolis riverfront, the design of developed around the flow of pedestrian movement. Angled geometries were formed to draw people into and through the park. Through a series of terraces, the park steps down right to water, providing seating and an intimate experience with the river that is currently difficult to find along Minneapolis’s central riverfront.
F 1 5 0 - A - F r a m e Studio IV - Dale Mulfinger | 2012 The bed of the Ford F150, America’s most popular truck, provided the dimensional constraints for this minimal, four person bunkhouse. Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) could be fabricated at home and then transported to the site in the back of a F150 in a couple trips. The prefabrication and panel system allows for quick and simple on-site assembly. With only a 12’x14’ footprint, the A-Frame design minimizes material by combining walls and roof planes. Folding bunks and cabinets take advantage of limited interior space.
Exploded Panel Axon
Section
Plan
Ve r m i l i o n
C a b i n
Studio IV - Dale Mulfinger | Placed 5th in Cabin Life Magazine Design Competition | 2012 This project was meant to give students an idea of a more realistic commission. Working with a “client,� I incorporating their needs, wants, and input into a proposal for a cabin on Lake Vermilion near Cook, MN. The cabin is tucked against a prominent rock outcropping overlooking the lake. The modest exterior blends into landscape, but opens up into a spacious interior. A screen porch pulled off at an angle maintains the required set back from the water, while a small boat house and dock embrace the small bay. Behind the cabin is garage with guest room and art studio above.
North
East
South
West
1st Floor Living Area
1. North-South Section
2nd Floor Loft
2. East-West Section
1. The interior of the cabin contains an open first floor that holds the kitchen, dining area, and living room. French doors wrap around the east and south sides to frame views to the horizon. They also allow daylighting and passive heating in the primarily cold climate. Insulated bi-fold doors stored under the west cantilever can be closed to cover the french doors, helping retain heat at night or while the family is away.
2.
The inwardly focused second floor holds the sleeping quarters on the north side and becomes a loft that extends across half of living space below. A nook around the chimney, an open sleeping area, and a reading box that floats above the first floor create separate small gathering places, but maintain the communal and social ideals of a cabin.
First Level
Second Level
North Loop Bike Park Honors Design Thesis: Integrating the Bike into Minneapolis’s Transit System | 2012
With recent increases in bicycling rates, the need has developed in dense urban centers for new support infrastructure. Facilities that provide amenities for cyclists such as secure parking, showers, and repairs are crucial in cities trying to promote cycling as a sustainable alternative to the automobile. This project aims to design such a facility that integrates cycling into Minneapolis’s developing transportation network. Minneapolis is currently in the process of promoting walking, biking, and public transit as viable forms of transportation to create a more balanced network, lessening its dependence on the automobile.
North Loop Bike Park
U of M Bike Center
Despite recent investment in bicycling and transit, there remain gaps in the bicycle network and its interface with the public transit system. The integration of modes is critical in extending the coverage area and effectiveness of each transportation system. A site near the newly built Target Field in west downtown is currently at the intersection of this new transportation infrastructure and is poised to become the central transportation hub within the city. It is the origin of the Northstar Commuter Rail and the Hiawatha Light Rail line that runs through downtown, as well as the under construction Central Corridor, and proposed Southwest Light Rail and Bottineau lines. The regional Cedar Lake Bike Trail passes through, connecting the western suburbs to downtown and the extensive Mississippi River parkway system.
Midtown Bike Center
Even though there is this apparent intersection of routes, the bicycle trail is disconnected from the rail system by severe grade change and highway interchanges. The insertion of a bike station at this location facilitates connection between bicycling and transit and provides amenities for cyclists, promoting the bicycle as a transportation tool. Bike Ways Passenger Rail
Cedar Lake Bike Trail
Northstar Platform
5th Street
Bike Station with 1.5 mile radius Bike Shop
Hiawatha LRT
Hiawatha LRT Site
Northstar Rail Cedar Lake Trail
Interior Ramps
Exterior Circulation and Crossovers
Vertical Circulation
Insertion of Program
The North Loop Bike Park promotes cycling as a viable mode of transportation through connection to public transit, amenities to support cyclists, and interaction between cyclists. The function of the Bike Park is clearly expressed through the ramp form that provides visible connection between 5th St. and the Cedar Lake Bike Trail. A set of split-level, switch-back ramps create exterior circulation, while a lower level of interior ramps holds over 300 spaces of secure bike parking as bicycle theft is a major deterrent of bicycle commuting. Other programmatic elements such as lockers, showers, bicycle repair/retail, and a gallery/event space are fit into the void beneath the ramps and at the ends of the switch-backs. Providing amenities transforms the facility from a through space to a destination where cyclists meet, strengthening the social network which is the pedaling force behind Minneapolis’s cycling success.
Switchback Ramps
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Site Plan
1. Northstar Platform 2. Cedar Lake Bike Trail 3. 5th Street 4. Hiawatha LRT Platform 5. Target Field Station 6. Public Bike Parking 7. Vendor Terrace 8. Bike Ramps to Northstar Platform 9. Bike Shop 10. Gallery Space 11. Flexible Storage/Gallery Space 12. Access Lane to Target Field 13. Secure Bike Parking 14. Showers/Lockers 15. Conference Room
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First Floor Plan
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Second Floor Plan
Gallery
Vendor Terrace
Bicycle Parking
L i f e
C y c l e s
Photography | Double Exposure | 35mm Film Experimenting with double exposure photography, I shot one roll of film, rewound it, and shot over it. One series shows the demolition of Westbrook Hall on the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus. Overlaid on top, are frames of a found canine skull and my dog, as well as images of clouds and sunset. Just as the sun rises and sets, animals have a limited lifespan; so do buildings. No post processing.
C a p t a i n ’s C o t t a g e Professional Work | Digital Rending for SALA Architects - Dale Mulfinger | 2012 Working closely with Dale Mulfinger of SALA Architects, I developed a digital image of cottage on Lake Minnetonka for use in real estate promotional items. Dale Mulfinger provided me with sketches from which I created a digital rendering. The promotional image replaces the existing shack with a conceptual cottage to show potential buyers what the property could look like.
Concept Sketches by Dale Mulfinger