pignataro. architectureanddesign
Education Skills
[email] richardjpignataro@gmail.com [web] pignataror.wix.com/arch [cell] 413 262 3119
Adobe: Photoshop - Illustrator - InDesign - Acrobat Microsoft: Word - PowerPoint - Excel - Outlook Digital: AutoCAD - Sketch-up - Revit - Artlantis - Rhinoceros Physical: Drafting - Model Making - Sketching Other: Collaboration - Graphic Design - Organization
Work Experience
designer
Wentworth Institute of Technology 2009 - 2014
Pauli & Uribe Architects Boston, MA
Masters of Architecture (M.Arch) Published in Wentworth Architecture Review v4 Architecture Teaching Assistant GPA 3.70/4.00 Bachelors of Science in Architecture (B.S.Arch) Published in Wentworth Architecture Review v2 Deans List 2010 - 2013 GPA 3.58/4.00 Cum Laude
Feb. 2014 - Present
Junior Designer Created and modified rendered elevations in Photoshop Produced AutoCAD floor plans, sections, and elevations for residential buildings Developed details for residential components
Elkus Manfredi Architects Boston, MA
Sept. 2012 - Jan. 2013
Architectural Intern Designed 3D digital models using Google SketchUp Produced and modified renderings and diagrams in Adobe Photoshop Created layouts, booklets, and presentation boards using adobe InDesign Contributed to the feasibility, schematic, and design development processes Developed detailed building forms within Revit Architecture
Thompson Engineering Charlestown, MA
Sept. 2011 - Jan. 2012
AutoCAD Operator Created and revised electrical drawings using AutoCAD and Revit MEP Created interior and exterior lighting analyses to show LEED compliance Recorded existing conditions during on site visits Participated in multiple design stages including SD, DD, CD, and CA
Lenox, Newell-Rubbermaid East Longmeadow, MA
April 2010 - Aug. 2010
Plant Engineer Intern Developed detailed AutoCAD drawings for various projects Worked with estimators in order to obtain quotations for work Facilitated meetings with contractors to evaluate needed repairs Managed and coordinated construction projects
Extra
Richard J. Pignataro Jr.
Wentworth Varsity Volleyball 2011 Portfolio Review Committee 2013 Tau Alpha Pi Member 2013 MIT Co-Design Studio 2014
PERSPECTIVES ARCHITECTURAL APPLICATION
IMPLEMENTATION Throughout our project, the goal of implementing our studies into an architectural application has always been in mind, however the end product has not always been clear. Our iterations led to implementing our studies into a structural column of oblique members that are created through the study of light. Through completing daylighting studies on the object form, we achieved a method for creating areas of density that will counteract the natural light, enabling an even diffusion throughout the columns. The artful column is meant to be interacted with in different ways depending on the location. It can act as a gathering space, an independent reading space, etc. and the created space is unique on each floor. Inhabiting the column will give the full affect of light diffusion. The final product has become something that is much more than simply form, but also has the ability to perform a multiple functions. It acts as a structural column, a light mitigation system, and a work of art.
DECORDOVA ARTIST INSTITUTE LINCOLN, MA SUMMER 2012
SOUTH END CULINARY SCHOOL BOSTON, MA SPRING 2013
NYT BUILDING PRECEDENT STUDY BOSTON, MA SPRING 2011
NUVU CAMBRIDGE DESIGN STUDIO CAMBRIDGE, MA FALL 2013
p. 3
p. 9
p. 15
p. 19
JAMAICA PLAIN MASTER PLAN ROXBURY, MA SUMMER 2013
THE SPRINGS COMPLEX UNITED STATES FALL 2012
NUVU STUDIO BENCH MATERIAL STUDIES MATERIAL PROCESS EXPLORATION DESIGN EXPLORATION CAMBRIDGE, MA BOSTON, MA FALL 2013 SPRING 2013
p. 25
p. 31
p. 35
Material Studies - Rob Trumbour Wentworth Architecture 2013
Christopher Battaglia, Michael Cerbone, Richard Pign
p. 39
THE DECORDOVA ART INSTITUTE LINCOLN, MA STUDIO LANDSCAPE DATE SUMMER 2012 DURATION 4 WEEKS SITE
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CONCEPT The Decordova Art Institute project poses the challenge of integrating unlike styles of art into one unified design. The school encompasses three distinct concentrations of art: nature art, minimalist art, and film art, each with their own spatial needs. The project highlights the focus and requirements of each concentration through variations in material, natural lighting, and elevation. The axis of each concentration directly relates to the art and landscape of the Decordova Sculpture Park. The light glass enclosed minimalist grid directs participants towards Sol Le Witt’s Tower sculpture. The wood-clad Nature Art lies on a grid parallel to the adjacent lake’s edge. Finally, the Film Art relates directly to the path towards the building, parallel to the main street. Each type of art becomes a unique spatial experience rooted into the creative landscape.
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DECORDOVA
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DECORDOVA
[Nature Art: Wood]
[Minimalist Art: Glass]
[Film Art: Slate] 8
SOUTH END CULINARY SCHOOL BOSTON, MA STUDIO COMPREHENSIVE DATE SPRING 2013 DURATION 10 WEEKS SITE
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CONCEPT The South End Culinary School encourages integration of a modern institution into a contemporary brick residential area in the South End of Boston. The design strives for a uniqueness in form and materiality while respecting the culture and style of the area. The teaching kitchens act as focal points within the structure symbolizing the heart of the culinary process. The form of the building is an extruded box encased in a red composite panel system, in which the kitchens break through and alter the grid utilizing floor to ceiling curtain wall systems. The distinct change in materials and opacity allows for the kitchen spaces to glow during the night and spill light into the other communal spaces. Social spaces within the building are gathered around the teaching kitchens, creating a dialog and learning experience through observation. The kitchens become an object of display both internally and externally.
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[North Elevation]
[South Elevation]
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CULINARY SCHOOL
[HVAC]
[Structure] 12
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
COMPOSITE METAL PANEL PANEL BRACKET MULLION SYSTEM DOUBLE-PANE GLASS INSULATION RIGID INSULATION METAL COPING CONCRETE SLAB GALVANIZED STEEL DECKING CONCRETE FOUNDATION WALL CONCRETE FOOTING STEEL REBAR EPDM RUBBER ROOFING WATER DRAINAGE SYSTEM HVAC DUCTWORK CANTILEVERED I-BEAM STRUCUTRAL COLUMN (BEHIND) GRANULAR FILL EARTH FINISHED FLOOR METAL CEILING TILE
A B C D E F G H
METAL COPING COMPOSITE METAL PANEL BACKER ROD AND SEALANT UNA-CUP 3/4” SUBGIRT FASTENERS ISOLATOR SHIMS FLASHING
CULINARY SCHOOL
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NYT BUILDING PRECEDENT STUDY SITE NEW
YORK, NY STUDIO DESIGN & TECH II DATE SPRING 2011 DURATION 1 WEEK 15 Collaboration with C. Battaglia, T. Le 15
MODELING The New York Times precedent study focuses around the building’s skin and its relationship to the structure. The New York Times building has a unique facade structure that doubles as a louvered shading device, strategically spaced out for the sun to penetrate into the building at the right moments and angles. The main work of the project is a 3/8� scale sectional detail model of the building designed to show the intricate detailed connections of the facade. The vast color changes within the scale model emphasize the strong material changes in the New York Times Building. The model sits at approximately four feet tall and becomes a spatial experience to explore the complex structure.
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NEW YORK TIMES
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NUVU DESIGN STUDIO SITE CAMBRIDGE,
MA
STUDIO VII DATE FALL 2013 DURATION 12 WEEKS STUDIO
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CLIENT The NuVu Studio is an alternative school for 12-18 year olds in which the curriculum begins to mimic the architecture studio. Students participate in handson design and build projects in robotics, fashion, technology, music and culinary. Privacy, display, and storage were key elements that needed to be addressed within each proposal. CONCEPT The focal point of the design is an exterior atrium space that runs through the center of the building and acts as a path between parking and street scape. Within this space, “pods� break through the facade and act as privacy cubes for the students. The gradient facade between solid and transparent displays variation in public and private as the building descends to the ground. The idea is derived from the design process in which it begins with a singular idea generated within the mind, is transformed into a collaborative hands on project, and finally becomes as an object of display.
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[The Individuals]
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[The Small Group]
[The Connection]
NUVU DESIGN STUDIO
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NUVU DESIGN STUDIO
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JACKSON SQUARE MASTER PLAN ROXBURY, MA STUDIO COMMUNITY DESIGN DATE SUMMER 2013 DURATION 2 WEEKS SITE
25 Collaboration with C. Battaglia, M. Remondi 25
CONCEPT The existing Jackson Square area has a cultural disconnect created by the barrier-like condition of the Orange Line train tracks. The Master Plan attempts to reconnect the site as a whole through variations in blocks, program, and open space. The site is broken down into three sections that each have an individual focus: Cultural Center, Mixed-Use Residential, Recreational Green Space. The sections are connected through a river walk that runs through the site and creates a tranquil circulation at the pedestrian level. A raised bike path also allows commuting circulation to pass through the site without disturbing the public realm.
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JACKSON SQUARE
[Existing Cultural Center]
[Existing Recreational Space]
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[Proposed Cultural Center]
[Proposed Recreational Space]
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JACKSON SQUARE
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THE SPRINGS COMPLEX UNITED STATES FIRM ELKUS MANFREDI DATE FALL 2012 DURATION 15 WEEKS SITE
31 Collaboration at Elkus Mandredi Architects 31
CONCEPT The Springs project acts as a Master Plan to redesign an existing outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex, which includes the renovation and new design of over 80 buildings. The concept focuses around a Spring that gave life to the “original settlement.� Building themes follow the growth of a town from a simple spring to a thriving economy. My work throughout the project was mainly contained within schematic design in which I utilized SketchUp and AutoCAD to generate early design schemes for a multitude of buildings and landscapes. The majority of building types are a mixture of retail and restaurants.
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THE SPRINGS
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NUVU BENCH DESIGN SITE CAMBRIDGE, STUDIO FURNITURE DATE FALL
2013 DURATION 4 WEEKS 35 35
MA
DESIGN
The NuVu Innovation Bench is designed for the NuVu Studio, an alternative education for 12-18 year olds, which is loosely based around the architecture studio curriculum. The form of the bench directly relates to the current issues within the NuVu Studio. The voids within the interior of the bench become a place for temporary storage during studio, which allows for integrated storage without any additional architectural implementation. The bench aims to accommodate different age groups through the use of the contoured seating which holds different bench heights for users of different sizes.
FABRICATION
The major fabrication of the furniture relies on CNC’d poplar plywood that creates the four distinct typologies of pieces in order to generate the desired form. The pieces are then assembled sequentially using four steel rods that run through 1/2� drilled voids within each piece. Steel bolts cap the rods and hold the 100 pieces together as one unified bench.
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NUVU BENCH
[storage] [older]
[younger]
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MATERIAL EXPLORATION SITE BOSTON,
MA STUDIO MATERIAL STUDIES DATE SPRING 2013 DURATION 4 WEEKS 39 Collaboration with C. Battaglia, M. Cerbone, M. Remondi 39
PROCESS The Material Exploration project facilitated the discovery of new ideas in creation and material properties. Specifically, the project focused on the creation of parametric elements using different materials and methods to generate and support each form. The initial steps of the project involved digital modeling in Grasshopper which we used to develop a physical model using CNC rubber molds to form acrylic modules that are fused together using copper wiring. This generated a unified form but it lacked the structural stability to support itself. The next step created a similar form but utilized laser cut chipboard modules that were adhered together in order to create a self-supporting modular column piece that creates dynamic diffused lighting.
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SUSTAINABILITY
COMMON USES
OUTCOME
The type of wax we used was microcrystalline wax. It consists mainly of a mixture of saturated hydrocarbons. It has a much finer crystalline structure than paraffin wax. It generally has a very low oil content, and high melt point. The wax is in a solid state when cool or at room temperature, but when heat is in excess of 125 it becomes a liquid state. The wax can reach a translucent state if it is formed this enough, otherwise it remains opaque. The density of the wax is .93 g/ml, making it less dense than water.
Since the material is derived from decaying plants and animals, it is an ever-available commodity. From a group standpoint, the wax is very recyclable. We are able to simple re-melt the wax into a new form if a mistake is made. Left over wax can be sent to a refinery to be recycled but after refined, it is very inconsistent with size, shape, color, and texture. Certain types of wax can be organic such as bees wax, but the microcrystalline wax that we are using is not organic. Being inert and water repellent, wax is unaffected by the decomposition and therefore not biodegradable. than water.
When a person thinks of wax, they generally think of a candle, but wax has a number of different uses. It is used as a water repellent such as in surfboards, a cosmetic item such as removing hair, sculptural material, fuel, etc. It is most commonly seen within the candle making industry.
As a tool for learning, the wax acted as a great learning experience for material exploration. However, we realized that wax is not a practical building use material due to its low melting point and poor structural integrity.
PROPERTIES
PROCESS
PRODUCT
CONCLUSION
Hydrocal is a white gypsum cement product. It comes in white powder form and is mixed with water. Once the reaction takes place the Hydrocal hardens and has roughly twice the compressive strength of traditional plaster. It is generally used for thin, intricate castings that require high initial strength. Having a product with such strength makes it easier to remove from casting molds without breaking. The Hydrocal also picks up a lot more detail that many other plasters fail to capture.
We started by making a mold out of rigid foam insulation. The foam pattern was created in the software program Rhinoceros and carved out using a CNC machine. Once we had the mold cut out and sanded, we mixed the Hydrocal and poured it into the finished mold. After the Hydrocal hardened, we removed it from the mold. We were left with a series of small islands arranged on an undulating plane.
The final product wasn’t what we had hoped for. We used an incorrect ratio of Hydrocal to water, which resulted in a weaker cast. The cast was much softer and more brittle than we had intended. The form fell apart and we ultimately ended up with one large network and several smaller, individual islands.
The Hydrocal was a good material with a lot of potential. We failed to utilize it and came to the conclusion that it lacked the tensile strength that we were going to be looking for in the next steps of the project. Although we wanted to keep the same casting process, we switched to a resin as the final cast in order to achieve the material strength we desired.
PROPERTIES
PROCESS
PRODUCT
CONCLUSION
The casting resin that we used is initially a clear, thick liquid that has to be mixed with a hardening agent before it is cast in the rubber molds. Once it hardens, the material is clear and quite strong in both tension and compression. It is strong enough to drill through and can support a network of different size and shape pieces.
We started this process in a way similar to the Hydrocal iteration. We carved a mold out of rigid insulation using a CNC machine and Rhino. We then covered that mold with a brush on rubber solution to make a negative, which we would then pour the resin into. Once the rubber dried, a paper mache layer was formed over the top to provide a rigid structural element to the mold. In each of the molds, we placed thin copper wire for both structural integrity and aesthetic effect. We mixed the casting resin with a few drops of the hardening agent and poured it into each of the rubber molds resulting in a sold, clear element.
We were left with a series of hard, clear elements that were linked together to form a network. These pieces are reasonably strong in both tension and compression and can be used to reflect or screen light. The final product came out the way we had envisioned, and succeeded in our material exploration.
The resin is a more successful material for a few reasons. First of all, it has much better tensile strength than the Hydrocal. These casts can hold many times their own weight in tension and can be modified in order to link them to other pieces. Secondly, the resin is much more aesthetically pleasing. It is light and elegant and allows light to filter through.
PARAMETRIC MODEL
CNC MILLING
COMMON USES
NEXT STEPS
Through the process of input and output, parametric modeling allows us to create three dimensional models that respond to certain mathematical operations. An idea of conceptual tracery is realized by first writing a parametric script in Grasshopper. The basis of the script works around the principle of expanding voids to create solids. By using the linear connection between points as a boundary, the ellipses create oblong voids. The solid tracery face is then extruded and modular pieces are cut from the lattice.
Once a 3D model is created using the parametric script it is taken to the CNC machine to become a physical model. The #D object first needs to be analyzed through the process of writing a G-Code. The G-Code is a series of x, y and z coordinates that CNC machine reads in order to tool out the model in a physical material. Done in multiple passes the first pass with a larger bit removes the bulk of the material, while a fine ball nose bit then cuts and carves the details. Some sanding creates a smooth surface for the casting process.
Digital fabrication and rapid prototyping is used on a daily basis in the Architectural and Design Industry. Used to create small scale models, installations, and building components CNC milling can produce final forms, or be used as a tool in the intermediate process.
When creating the modular pieces, the connecting nodes were cut at 90 degrees perpendicular to the objects face. When designing the modular pieces, greater care needs to be taken in designing the connection. By creating hidden joints integrated within the objects, the nodes can be designed to hide where the connection is made. These new joints would make the tracery strong enough to become structural. The process of making this system structurally active while still retaining its formal gesture is the future of this exploration.
SP EC IF IC AT
S PE CI F I SPECIFIC C ATI ON DR AWI N GS PR ATION DRAWINGS P IGITAL FABRICATION RESIN PLASTER WAXE
PROPERTIES
MATERIAL STUDY
MATERIAL PROCESS EXPLORATION Material Studies - Rob Trumbour Wentworth Architecture 2013
Christopher Ba
MATERIAL PROCESS EXPLORATION Material Studies - Rob Trumbour Wentworth Architecture 2013
Christopher Battaglia, Michael Cerbone, Richard Pignataro, Michael Remondi
[Grasshopper Scripting]
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richard j. pignataro jr. designer
[email] richardjpignataro@gmail.com [web] pignataror.wix.com/arch [cell] 413 262 3119