REBECCA CURTIS UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN M. ARCH III
HOTEL AND CULTURAL CENTER
SPRING 2015 | TORONTO, ON, CANADA The concept of this hotel, mirroring, was inspired by the rows of duplex residences surrounding the site in Toronto. Mirroring was introduced into the lobby with literal mirrors, and into the upper two floors, consisting of hotel rooms, by inverting the pyramids located in the lobby. Of the nine pyramids on the lobby floor, only one is physically complete, but by lining the interior walls in mirror, there is an illusion that the four halves and four quarters are completed. Each pyramid also has one facade split in half to create an opening into the space. The solid half is covered in a screen print made in-house by a local artist, and a mirror is positioned to reflect the pattern so that by approaching the pyramid from the covered side, the pyramid appears to have no entrance. While this is meant to be disorienting when occupying the first floor, the elevator and overlooks on both the second and third floors allow for more top-down views, allowing the guests to have good comprehension of the entire layout of the first floor.
Section
First Floor Plan
ART MUSEUM
SPRING 2014 | PALM SPRINGS, CA This semester focused on the paintings of Alberto Burri, an Italian artist. The project was an art museum, located in Palm Springs, CA, with both a temporary exhibit space and a permanent gallery design for Burri’s Palm Springs cycle of paintings. A large metal sculpture, also created by Burri, was to be a second permanent installment. Both of the Burri exhibits isolate single paintings in confined spaces that were sized based on the dimensions of the painting on display. The enclosed spaces are also lined specifically to create corridors which split the musuem into sections as well. Each corridor ends in a floor to ceiling window to allow for views towards the mountains in one direction and Albert Frey’s famous Tramway Gas Station in the other.
NAL PRODUCT
Exterior Perspective
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT
Axonometric
Site Plan
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Plan
Northwest Section
1. Offices 2. Temporary Gallery 3. Office 4. Ticketing & Coat Check 5. Storage 6. Burri Permanent Gallery 7. Mechanical 8. Gift Shop 9. Bathrooms
Permanent Palm Springs Cycle Exhibition
SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE
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FALL 2014
The main project of the semester was the design of a new house based on a precedent house; in this case the Antonio Siza House by Alvaro Siza. I focused on bringing two aspects of the original design into my own design, which were the use of regulating lines and the interlocking of spaces which creates a less regulated division between rooms in the house. I pared down the number of walls in the house in favor of changing floor heights, ceiling heights, and implementing half walls to create a more cohesive space. I also was consciously creating double height spaces to have connection between spaces vertically, and not just horizontally.
Third Floor 7. Bathroom 8. Bedroom 9. Bedroom 10. Bathroom 11. Bedroom
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Second Floor
Process Diagrams
First Floor 1. Entry 2. Kitchen 3. Dining 4. Bathroom 5. Gathering Space 6. Gathering Space
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Front Elevation
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Section A
Section B
Section C
Model Section D
VERTICAL GREENHOUSE
SPRING 2013 | ST. LOUIS, MO This semester consisted of two parts, the study of a small terrarium structure, and the translation of the terarrium to a multi story greenhouse. For both terrarium and greenhouse, I focused on a shape, multiplied, rotated, and separated, then connected to each other, creating faceted curves twisting through space. The greenhouse’s structure increased in complexity and was modified to separate into the floors, windows, walls, and roof. The greenhouse consisted of six interior floors of varying square footage, which affectected the amount of plant space on each floor, and one open floor on the top of the structure, which also contains planting space. Planting space was determined based on the placement of the rows of windows on both sides of the greenhouse, and specific plants were grown in different spaces dependent on how thick the floor was, which affected the depths of soil.
Site Plan
First Floor
Second Floor
Third Floor
Fourth Floor
Longitudinal Section
Northeast Elevation
Detail of Model