RYAN HIER rghier@gmail.com 402.826.7484
PASSION FOR MAKING, FUSED WITH AN INHERENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANICAL ORIENTATION OF PARTS INTO HOLISTIC COMPOSITIONS, YIELDS A PARTICULAR SET OF SKILLS ESSENTIAL FOR THE IDEATION AND FABRICATION OF ARCHITECTURAL WORK. -RH
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above: physical model images of enclosure and mechanisms.
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Enclosure for an Object is the result of drawing context clues from an object and applying those clues to a particular storage enclosure for that object. For this study, the object is the Phoenix Concept car which uses a back-and-forth kinetic motion, like that of two motorcycles hinged together.
and more importantly, operation. The beauty of the enclosure is in the act of moving between open and closed states, evident in steps 01-03. When the car needs to be stored, the enclosure is fully unfolded to offer protection to the vehicle. When the owner takes the Phoenix for a joyride, the enclosure alters its purpose to protect itself.
Enclosure design draws on this hinge aspect as the organizational parti when determining formal arrangements
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project // 001 ENCLOSURE FOR AN OBJECT fall 2009
above: perspective view of canopy in context from SW above left: physical model images of solar and precipitation positions.
Performative Canopy was the opening charrette for a study of performance in the built environment. The host location was the south entrance of Architecture Hall on UNL’s campus. Current conditions lack a canopy leading to an unsafe accumulation of water, snow and ice during inclement weather.
a performer relative to climatic conditions. On a sunny day, the canopy angles downward, slightly, to provide the most shade. On a rainy day, the canopy tilts upward, funneling precipitation into a gutter and expelling it into the adjacent foliage. The use of hydraulics and actuator mechanisms deals with the subtle transformations automatically.
The resultant design takes the notion of performance very literal; rather than measuring yields of energy efficiency, the canopy essentially becomes
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01. canopy surface 02. drainage system 03. canopy support bracket 04. operational arm 05. actuator mechanism 06. hydraulic system 07. wall surface mounts
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project // 002 PERFORMATIVE CANOPY location // UNL Architecture Hall fall 2010
above: physical model images of section model.
Continued exploration with the notion of performance in architecture, the National Museum of Agricultural Technology is a new home for the current Larson Tractor Museum located on UNL’s East Campus. Programmatically, the museum would be used to house 50 tractors (still operable) along with a myriad of 2D and 3D artifacts relating to the history of agriculture.
which acts like an automated parking facility to extract tractors from the building and allow their use for demonstration purposes on the Lincoln City Mall due East of the museum’s location. Again, performance is manifest in a way which supersedes mere pragmatic efficacy and suggests the notion of engagement-both mental and physical--in the built environment.
Accentuating tectonic exploration, the museum employs a gantry crane system
above: perspective view of museum from SE.
project // 003 NATIONAL MUSEUM of AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY Location // Lincoln, NE fall 2010
Prior to development of the Multi-purpose Arena, time was spent investigating the concept of folding in architecture. While this idea is nothing new, our investigations were to understand the very mechanics of folding so as to utilize this concept in a more compelling way in the built environment. Final results should not simply yield a provocative form. Rather, folding concepts should be seamlessly integrated
above: grasshopper definition for adjacent folding iterations.
into the structural fabric of the architecture. Digital fabrication software, such as Grasshopper, and the use of prototyping lead to a thorough analysis of folding techniques later applied to the Multi-purpose Arena.
above: perspective, linework, and section of folding iterations.
project // 004 MULTI-PURPOSE ARENA: ANALYSIS location // Lincoln, NE spring 2012
Upon thorough analysis of folding techniques, collaboration with two other colleagues lead to program layouts and floor plans (above). The folding concept was loosely applied during the collaborative schematic design phase. During individual design development, the initial folding investigations were used to create a logical structural system heavily embedded with the design concept: folding. Final results were manifest through a large-scale (1/2� = 1’-0�) structural section model.
above: exterior and interior images of structural section model.
above: interior image of structural section model.
project // 004 MULTI-PURPOSE ARENA: DESIGN location // Lincoln, NE spring 2012
WHY SHOULD ARCHITECTURE TRANSFORM? advancements in instrumental technologies (tools) engender a disparity between things and devices. a thing is a tool which requires engagement* to understand the tool’s world (everything associated with the tool--material, design, purpose, etc). things are skilling--they require a particular set of skills to successfully utilize the tool as is intended. a device is a convenience; it disburdens, requiring little human skill or engagement. in a sense, the device is de-skilling. in contemporary society, disburdenment outweighs the value of engagement - society is fixated on the newest, most disburdening device. crafting practices have become democratized through specialization of tasks, rather than holistic execution of an object by one person. what is the value of engagement? people learn and understand best by doing, rather than simply observing. engagement activates a person’s mental and physical power. contemporary use of technology in architecture primarily manifests in a disburdening way (building systems, performative facades, etc) classifying many buildings as devices. with the substantial impact of things and devices on contemporary society, how can architecture reorganize the value of things (i.e. engagement) in the context of a device-driven society and discipline? one response lies in architecture engaging society. architecture should engage society through the act of transformation. transformation is changing the surface, volume, or form of a built space--altering the nature and/or character of the space through physical movement of structure, skin and/or internal surface--in order to empower people mentally and physically.
HUMAN BEINGS ARE CONSTANTLY UNDERTAKING DAILY RITUALS AND TASKS, YET THEY ARE MERELY INHABITING BUILT SPACE. ARCHITECTURE SHOULD TRANSFORM SO AS TO EMBED ENGAGEMENT WITHIN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT CREATING SPACE THAT IS DIRECTLY CAPABLE OF EMPOWERING HUMANS TO IMPROVE SKILLS; CONSEQUENTLY ENGENDERING A HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE.
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How does one improve basic human skills? Rehabilitation through therapy. Physical thereapy: treatment through physical means, i.e. exercise Occupational therapy: use of activities in daily living for recovery of injury or disability Exercise through daily living activities for the purpose of rehabilitating--empowerment Who is in need of rehabilitation therapy (i.e. empowerment)? Military veterans once served their country in peak physical condition. Upon returning from warzones, suffer with mental illness (PTSD) and substance abuse. Extreme cases of mental illness and substance abuse leads to homelessness. program: A transitional living unit which would serve as a vehicle to enact transformation for the purpose of empowering homeless veterans to improve skills by means of exercise through daily living activites and routines. project // 005 THESIS: ENGAGEMENT THROUGH TRANSFORMATION WORK-IN-PROGRESS spring 2012 and beyond
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above: conceptual render + diagram of occupational therapy trailer and the ability to improve range-of-motion through transformation of habitable space.
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project // 005 THESIS: ENGAGEMENT THROUGH TRANSFORMATION WORK-IN-PROGRESS spring 2012 and beyond