Architecture & Design Portfolio: Robert Miller

PORTFOLIO ARCHI T E CT U RE

&

D E SI G N

RESUME My name is Robert Miller and I am a recent graduate from Marywood University where I received both my Bachelor of Architecture in 2016 as well as my Master of Architecture this year.

I am a hardworking, dependable team player with a ton of leadership skills who is ready to delve into a career in architecture. You will find throughout this portfolio my resume as well as some selected projects of mine from my undergraduate studies at Marywood University. I hope you enjoy!

EDUCATION Master of Architecture Marywood University School of Architecture, Scranton Pennsylvania May 2016 - May 2017 Bachelor of Architecture, Cum Laude Marywood University School of Architecture, Scranton Pennsylvania August 2011 - May 2016 Semester of Study Abroad International Studies Institute, Florence, Italy August 2014 - December 2014 EXPERIENCE Digital Fabrication Graduate Assistant Marywood University School of Architecture, Scranton Pennsylvania August 2016 - May 2017 Work-Study - Laser Cutter Supervisor Marywood University School of Architecture, Scranton Pennsylvania August 2015 - May 2016 Erosion Control Technician Scott’s Landscaping Inc., Centre Hall, Pennsylvania May 2015 - August 2015 Server Twilight Diner, Loganton, Pennsylvania May 2014 - August 2014 EXTRA CURRICULAR & AWARDS

SOFTWARE SKILLS

Alpha Epsilon Lambda Honor Society Marywood University AIAS Chapter President 2016 - 2017 Technology Committee 2016 - 2017 AIAS Chapter Leader of the Month January 2017 Marywood University AIAS Chapter Vice President 2015 - 2016

Auto CAD Google SketchUp Revit Photoshop Illustrator Indesign

HOBBIES

Sketching

Coffee

Movies

Books

Music

Travel

Handiwork

TA BL E

O F

CONTENTS Casting New Light: Uffizi Gallery Exit

Crystal Cultivation: Redesign of the MLK Jr. Memorial Library

Colorful Identity: Housing Complex for Adults with Autism

Sensuous Connections: Alexander Calder Museum

Design Process: Sketches & Models

Importance of Craft: Examples of Final Models

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Casting New Light: Uffizi Gallery Exit

1

Prof: Franco Pisani

FA 2014

INTRODUCTION The Uffizi Gallery is a beautiful and world known gallery situated in the heart of Florence, Italy. When guests visit the Uffizi Gallery, they are welcomed by the beautiful and inviting colonnade of the entrance.

When exiting, the experience is much different. Instead of easing one back into the city, visitors are simply cast out to meander down a curving ramp before stepping foot onto the confusing and small Piazza below. This design aims to create a more transitional threshold while also reestablishing the Piazza below.

For this design, each student was tasked with pairing up with someone else in the studio. My partner and I decided to come up with a scheme that would allow for a much less confusing exit out of the gallery as

well as a way to orient one’s self and to create a new sense of place.

Cessation - Time and Volume Upon exiting the Uffizi Gallery, one is simply cast out into a very confusing and disorienting space which is the polar opposite of the entrance. While descending down the ramp, most people are forced to stop, sometimes for long periods of time and others for just short periods of time. This is usually when said people take time to look around or at a map in order to orient themselves in this unfamiliar and uncomfortable place. Below are three maps depicting where and how long people stopped on the site at three different times of the day, the circles depict the length of time each group spent in one spot while the color denotes the size of the group. The larger the circle, the larger amount of time spent at one place for that group.

Amount of Time Stopped 0 - 10 secs

10 - 20 secs

20 - 40 secs

40 - 60 secs

10:30 - 11:00

1 - 1.5 min

1.5 - 2 min

2 - 2.5 min

2.5 - 3 min

12:30 - 1:00

3 - 5 min

5 - 10 min

10 - 20 min

20 + min

2:30 - 3:00

1 - 2 People 3 - 4 People 5 or more People

The map depicts the site from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM. Many of the people, upon exiting the Uiffizi, stopped at the bottom of the ramp in order to reorient themselves by either looking around or up for a landmark, or by looking a map.

This map depicts the site from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM. This map differs from the previous in that people seemed to stop more on the ramp itself than just at the bottom. At this time, more people seemed to already be aware of their location.

This final map depicts the site from 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM. Again, this map differs with more people gathering and stopping at the very top of the ramp while many others crossed the street to sit across from the site and look around.

People Stopped on Site

Site Documentation

Exterior Rendering

Before coming to this conclusion about the design, I spent some time mapping the way in which people were existing the Uffizi and how much time they spent trying to reorient themselves.

This is evident on the previous pages through my site documentation.

Notice that people spent much time just hanging around the site trying to understand where they now were.

To correct this issue, my team had decided to create a much larger Piazza area for visitors to gather while consolidating the exit to be directly behind the Uffizi Gallery. This was achieved by recycling the Corten Steel fence already on site and transforming it to become the cladding of a large double-skinned vestibule with the secondary skin constructed of a simple steel structure and tensile fabric to

allow light to permeate out. The Parasite would allow space for visitors to exit onto the newly created Piazza or enter onto an elevator which would take them above the Uffizi’s roof and offer views of the entire city, including the Arno River adjacent to the site.

By offering these areas of newly inhabitable spaces, the visitors are able to reorient themselves in Florence, something that was previously impossible.

Interior Rendering

Plan through new design

Sections through new exit

Elevation

Images of final model

Crystal Cultivation: Redesign of the MLK Jr. Memorial Library

Prof: Maggie McManus

2

SP 2015

INTRODUCTION Homelessness is a major issue in the downtown Washington D.C. area, which was experienced firsthand upon visitation to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. There were multiple individuals simply taking refuge in the lobby in order to take refuge from the weather and have a safe haven to relax while many more were sitting in one of the few chairs and enjoying a small lunch. Through research of this topic, it was discovered that this homelessness is becoming a much larger issue than ever before and must be addressed and resolved in some way.

In order to help alleviate and prevent future growth of this trend, there is a need for a space which can educate individuals whom do not have the funds or time to pursue further higher education. This space is able to be

created in the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library with the implementation of a large crystallized structure which would introduce a place to educate individuals in order to help them better themselves and their lifestyles. These spaces would include a large lecture hall, permanent classrooms, and an updated area for technology.

The enormous crystal would be constructed of glass and steel, in order to achieve a lighter appearing structure while also allowing adequate amounts of natural light into the library. The crystal pierces through each floor and two facades, creating a much more monumental structure in which to educate individuals while also honoring the great Martin Luther King Jr.

“We know at a time when the city is becoming more and more expensive, it’s getting harder to get a job to make ends meet for a large number of D.C. residents who don’t have a college degree.”

- Ed Lazere D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute

The chart on the left depicts the rise and fall of D.C.’s population. Beginning in the early 2000’s, D.C.’s population started increasing as did the price of housing. This can be attributed to urban revitalization which is attracting people back to the city. This increase in population caused affordable housing for lower-income families to lack which in turn caused a mass amount of homelessness in the city.

12,000 Homeless

280 Families in motels

Half are parents ages 18 - 24

Most are single moms

Exterior Rendering

Elevations

Interior Rendering

Wall section

Images of final model

Colorful Identity: Housing Complex for Adults with Autism

Prof: Miguel Salve

3

FA 2015

INTRODUCTION The Lackawanna River Heritage Trail is part of a more than 70 mile trail which connects much of Northeastern Pennsylvania to surrounding areas.

The trail is used frequently by walkers, runners, bikers, and is even handicap accessible. It plays a key factor in the composition of the greater Scranton area, especially when paired with the Lackawanna River.

The Lackawanna River Heritage Trail runs directly adjacent to the site, which allows access to use to the public that use the trail. This housing complex contains many conflicting private and public programs from housing to a community center. Because of this, there was a need to differentiate areas of the site which could be used for the private residences as well as areas to be used by the general public.

Looking at existing roadways and diagramming alignments from them and the Trail, the site is able to be divided into three different levels of privacy; Public, Semi-Public, and Private. Using these alignments and levels of privacy, the general form and layout of the architecture was able to take shape.

SEMI-PUBLIC

PRIVATE

PUBLIC

Site Documentation

Form studies

Form studies

Site layout study

Form studies

The Lackawanna Heritage Trail Complex is a housing complex for adults with Autism. Throughout research, it was discovered that adults with Autism typically like to live in small close knit communities but also need their own space to get away to when they become over stimulated. In order to facilitate this, I had studied many different precedent projects which included pedestrian bridges in their design and found that this could be a possible solution in connecting private living spaces while keeping the open public spaces separate.

to each of the four residences and caretaker apartment. The rest of the complex includes a community center complete with gym, library, gallery and shops to be rented out. Adjacent to the river’s edge is a sanctuary for public use which utilizes the same acrylic.

This concept of a pedestrian bridge was carried on throughout the entire design process. In the final design, it became an open air walkway clad in wooden slats with colored glazed acrylic throughout which corresponded

Elevations

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19 15

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4 14

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9

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9 9 2 13 5

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Community Center

Community Center

1 - Shop 2 - Gallery Space 3 - Workspace 4 - Restroom 5 - Library 6 - Auditorium 7 - Santuary of Light 8 - Dock 9 - Office 10 - Gym 11 - Locker Room 12 - Bridge 13 - Parking

1 - Shop 2 - Gallery Space 3 - Workspace 4 - Restroom 5 - Library 6 - Auditorium 7 - Santuary of Light 8 - Dock 9 - Office 10 - Gym 11 - Locker Room 12 - Bridge 13 - Parking

Residences

Residences

14 - Entry 15 - Kitchen 16 - Living/Dining 17 - Office 18 - Bedroom 19 - Bathroom

14 - Entry 15 - Kitchen 16 - Living/Dining 17 - Office 18 - Bedroom 19 - Bathroom

0

8

16

32 FT

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8

16

32 FT

Exterior rendering

Private walkway rendering

Public walkway rendering

Elevations

Art Gallery rendering

Sensuous Connections: Alexander Calder Museum

Prof: Russell Roberts

4

SP 2016

INTRODUCTION The last semester of our fifth year we were all tasked with coming up with a research topic in which to study and investigate. After reaching a base level of knowledge on said topic, each student then translated their specific topic into an architectural design in the form of a museum for artist Alexander Calder.

For this project, I was interested in the architectural topic and phenomena of sensory architecture. This is architecture that is conscientious of not simply the way in which a design appears or appeals to an inhabitants sight, but addresses other senses as well such as the sense of hearing and the sense of touch. A big factor in this typology of architecture is looking at the specific materials which are used in the design.

With being invested in the material choice of this kind of architecture, it allows for the creation of a sense of place, even if not directly noticed by the inhabitant during their visit. Hearing and feeling the crunch of gravel below one’s feet as approaching the entrance of a building or seeing people move about in an adjacent room through translucent materials; these are just two examples and studies of how sensory architecture and design can be implemented into a building.

Materials Enveloping Site

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Site Documentation

Site Analysis_Journal Submission_________________

Precendent Study_Journal Submission______________

Sensory Architecture “It is essential to the quality of the intervention that the new building should embrace qualities that can enter into a meaningful dialogue with the existing situation. For if the intervention is to find its place, it must make us see what already exists in a new light. We throw a stone into the water. Sand swirls up and settles again. The stir was necessary. The stone has found its place. But the pond is no longer the same. I believe those buildings only be accepted by their surroundings if they have the ability to appeal to our emotions and minds in various ways. Since our feelings and understanding are rooted in the past, our sensuous connections with a building must respect the process of remembering.�

- Peter Zumthor Thinking Architecture

Case Studies

BRIDGE

MATERIAL

MATERIAL

GARDEN COURTYARD

Natural ventilation

Structure

Egress

Green space

Exterior rendering

Floor plans

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00

01

02

03

Interior rendering

Elevations

Images of final model

Images of final model

Sections

Details of entry bridge

01 02

03

04

05

06

07

08 09 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Material Report 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

- Stone Filter Fabric - System filter - Litetop extensive growing media - Garden tray GT15 - Root stop - Hydroflex 30 - MM 6125EV-FR - Formed metal coping - 8 x 8 x 4 CMU Block - Finished wall - Vertical steel rebar - Wire tie anchor - Rigid foam insulation - Flashing - Metal decking - Cast in-place concrete - Structural steel angle - Continuous runner - Fiberglass insulation - Structural bracket - Horizontal metal mullion - Vertical metal mullion - Insulating glass - Steel I-Beam - Suspended acoustical ceiling system - 1/2� Gypsum board - Concrete column - Concrete slab -Concrete column pier beyond - Concrete foundation wall - Vapor barrier - Gravel - Rigid roam insulation - Drainage mat - Perforated Drainage pipe - Concrete footer

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24 25 26

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28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Detail wall section

Design Process: Sketches & Models

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INTRODUCTION In my personal design process, I find it very beneficial to work out problems with one’s own hands. This can mean one of two things, either through the process of sketching by hand or by the physical construction of models.

I have always found model making to play a crucial role in my design process, as well as continuously sketching to resolve design decisions and communicate those decisions quickly to others. It has been through this process that I have been able to work through my designs before coming to a final iteration.

A physical design idea is much more easily manipulated and worked through when you are able to visualize it outside of your own mind. This is especially true when resolving spacial

charateristics and through building a physical model. These two things go hand in hand because what makes sense in sketch may not make sense in three dimensions and vice versa.

This section of my portfolio includes different examples of my process when it comes to sketching and models.

Many included examples may be a bit crude and messy as they were never meant to be used to communicate my design to others but rather for me to work through my designs.

SECOND YEAR

THIRD YEAR

FORTH YEAR

FIFTH YEAR

Importance of Craft: Examples of Final Models

6

INTRODUCTION When it comes to the presentation of one’s design to others, craft is a key factor. In order to successfully communicate ideas to others I believe that there is a need for a strong level of craft. This ensures that critics, as well as clients, are able to focus on the actual design as opposed to poor craftsmanship.

Throughout my time at Marywood University, I have always placed craft on the highest of regards. Beginning freshman year I have always aimed to continually better this particular set of skills. From this, I have been able to really hone in and master this part of the post processing phase.

In this section of my portfolio you will various examples of my model making craft. Selected works here include

projects from first, second and third year.

FIRST YEAR

SECOND YEAR

THIRD YEAR