ROBERT HEISTER drexel university b.arch 2+4
ROBERT HEISTER | 412.225.5144 | rwh45@drexel.edu
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ABOUT ME MY NAME IS ROBERT HEISTER AND I AM A THIRD YEAR STUDENT IN THE 2+4 ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM AT DREXEL UNIVERSITY AND A MEMBER OF THE MEN’S VARSITY ROWING TEAM. I AM PURSUING MINORS IN SUSTAINABILITY AND INTERDISCIPLINARY SMART INITIATIVES SO THAT I MAY BE A MORE VERSITLE AND EFFECTIVE NEWLY LICENSED ARCHITECT. 2
MY LOVE FOR NATURE-BASED AND RURAL ARCHITECTURE, AS WELL AS EXPLORING THE WILDERNESS, ON THE RIVER DURING ROWING PRACTICE AND THE EXTREMES OF WYOMING’S GRAND TETONS, INFLUENCES MY DESIGNS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE SURROUNDING AREA. I AM CURRENTLY STUDYING FOR THE LEED
AS I STUDY IN MY THIRD YEAR, I SEEK EMPLOYMENT IN A DESIGN FIRM WITH A FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE, RESIDENTIAL, AND COMMUNITY-BASED WORK.
IN THIS PORTFOLIO, YOU WILL FIND REPRESENTATIVE SELECTIONS OF MY WORK FROM BOTH IN AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM.
Episodic Experiential studio 1b - fall 2014 hand drafted
AG AND BD+C EXAMS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND SUSTAINABILITY.
ROBERT HEISTER | 412.225.5144 | rwh45@drexel.edu
ROBERT HEISTER | 412.225.5144 | rwh45@drexel.edu
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STUDY MODEL PERSPECTIVE plaster cast
SECTION CUT
SYSTEMS AXONOMETRIC
PROCESS SKETCHES
frame, exterior circulation, massing
hand drafted
hand-drafted, photoshop
PROCESS
RESULT
I STUDIED AN ARCHITECT IN THE INITIAL PHASE, FOCUSING ON THEIR UNIQUE STYLE OR REPEATING THEME. I DECIDED ON RICK JOY’S RAMMED EARTH TECHNIQUE, AND FOCUSED ON HIS DESERT NOMAD HOUSE FOR INSPIR ATION. THIS LED TO CREATING A PLASTER CAST STUDY MODEL FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION.
AS THE PROJECT CONTINUED, I CREATED A STUDY SPACE FOR AN INDIVIDUAL. I NEEDED TO FIGURE OUT EVERY ASPECT OF THE PERSON’S LIFE SUCH AS CAREER, HABITS, ETC. AND APPLY THEM TO THE STUDY SPACE. I DESIGNED A MODEL FOR A LIMNOLOGIST WHOSE SPACE STRADDLED A SMALL RIVER FOR IDEAL AQUATIC AND
Study Space studio 102 - winter 2014
MARSH STUDIES. 4
ROBERT HEISTER | 412.225.5144 | rwh45@drexel.edu
ROBERT HEISTER | 412.225.5144 | rwh45@drexel.edu
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GLASS POOL RUBBER FOOTING STEEL PLATE TOPPER
BATT INSULATION
I-BEAM LATERAL TOP
I-BEAM VERTICAL GLASS BRICKS
FINISHED FLOOR
HEADER
I-BEAM LATERAL BOTTOM
ROW HOME FLOOR PLAN
ELEVATION, CONSTRUCTION PLAN AND SECTION
autocad, photoshop
autocad, photoshop
PROCESS
RESULT
THE ROW HOME SITE IS LOCATED ON A CURRENTLY VACANT LOT AT 32ND AND BARING STREET, NEIGHBORING DREXEL PARK. MOST STUDENTS STARTED OFF BY INSPECTING THE LOT DURING THE SITE ANALYSIS, BUT I TURNED MY ATTENTION TO THE SKYLINE OF PHILADELPHIA. THE GEM-LIKE BUILDINGS SPRINKLED IN CENTER
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CITY AND SCATTERED FURTHER OUT TOWARD UNIVERSITY CITY INSPIRED ME TO USE GLASS AND AN ORGANIC THEME ON THE ELEVATIONS OF THE BUILDING.
ROBERT HEISTER | 412.225.5144 | rwh45@drexel.edu
THE OCCUPANTS OF THE HOUSES ARE THE FAMILIES OF THE THREE DREXEL ROWING COACHES. THERE IS A SPARE UNIT FOR VISITING RECRUITS. THE WATER OF THE POOL ON THE ROOF REFRACTS LIGHT ORGANICALLY INTO THE FRONT ATRIUM SPACE. THE GLASS BRICK FRONT FACADE IS THICK ENOUGH TO
FRONT, SIDE, REAR ELEVATION
REFRACT LIGHT LINEARLY INTO THE ATRIUM WHILE STILL PROVIDING THE UPPER FLOORS PRIVACY FROM THE ADJACENT PARK. THE STONEWORK AT THE BASE OF THE FRONT FACADE ENDS THE GRADIENT FROM TRANSPARENT TO OPAQUE, MUCH LIKE THE FACE OF A WATERFALL. ROBERT HEISTER | 412.225.5144 | rwh45@drexel.edu
autocad, photoshop
Row Home studio 104 - fall 2015 7
STREET ELEVATION hand drafted
ARTIFACT FRAME MODEL basswood
PROCESS I RESEARCHED LANCASTER AVE AND GATHERED THREE “ARTIFACTS”. I THEN CREATED A MODEL TO ACT AS A FRAMEWORK, REPRESENTING A TIMELINE, SHOWING THE INITIAL DEVELOPMENT WITH THE BRICK AND RISING POTENTIAL FOR THE AREA WITH THE METHODICAL AND SYMMETRICAL STICK PATTERN. THEN, THE ORDER AND PROGRESS IS DISRUPTED BY THE ALCOHOL BOTTLE, 8
AS SHOWN BY THE DISORDERED STICKS. THE VERTICAL ANCHOR PIECE ACTS AS A BENCHMARK FOR COMPLETE CHAOS AS THE STICKS SPLINTER, CRIPPLING THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY THAT HAD ONCE EXISTED. FROM THE OBJECT FRAMING SYSTEM, WE CONDUCTED MORE SITE RESEARCH IN TEAMS. AFTER THIS, I BEGAN DESIGNING AN URBAN REPOSITORY FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.
ROBERT HEISTER | 412.225.5144 | rwh45@drexel.edu
SCALE SITE MODEL hand cut
RESULT AFTER FURTHER DEVELOPMENT, I CREATED A LOCAL GREEN HOUSE/PUBLIC GARDEN FEATURING TWO DOUBLE-SIDED GREEN WALLS. THE SLANTED ROOF AND PRIMARY GREEN WALL WERE FILLED WITH OPERABLE GLASS SOLAR PANELS BY UBIQUITOUS.
FRAME AXONOMETRIC hand drafted
THIS CREATED A SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AS WELL AS A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT. A NEIGHBORING ROOF WAS ALREADY SHAPED SUCH THAT A WATER TANK COULD BE PLACED TO COLLECT RAIN AND FLOW INTO THE CONNECTED GREEN WALL PIPES.
ROBERT HEISTER | 412.225.5144 | rwh45@drexel.edu
URBAN REPOSITORY studio 103 - spring 2015 9
EXTERIOR PERSPECTIVE autocad, sketchup, maxwell, photoshop
BUILDING FLOOR PLANS
UNIT FLOOR PLANS
autocad, photoshop
autocad, photoshop
PROCESS
laser cut
RESULT
THE POWELTON APARTMENT, DESIGNED FOR THE LOT AT 35TH AND POWELTON STREETS, WAS THE INTRODUCTION TO MASS HOUSING, WHICH CAN HAVE AN ASTOUDING EFFECT ON THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY. WITH THAT IN MIND, OUR CLASS CREATED A MANUAL, DOCUMENTING THE MANY SITE CONDITIONS AS WELL AS ZONING AND CODE TO CONSIDER 10
SCALE SITE MODEL
BEFORE THE ACTUAL DESIGN PROCESS. I STUDIED VEGETATION, SUN LIGHT, AND WIND, FOCUSING PRIMARILY ON HOW WIND AFFECTS DIFFERENT SHAPES OF BUILDINGS THAT COULD BE PLACED IN THE SITE. I EXPANDED UPON THE SITE AT A LARGER SCALE, SPECIFICALLY HOW THE PATTERN AND LAYOUT OF DISTANT BUILDINGS CIRCULATE THE WIND ON AND AROUND THE SITE.
ROBERT HEISTER | 412.225.5144 | rwh45@drexel.edu
AFTER STARTING OFF WITH A PYRAMIDAL SHAPE VIEWING THE SKYLINE, I CUT A COMMUNAL TUNNEL THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE FIRST FLOOR TO HOST FESTIVALS AND AN OUTDOOR MARKET SPACE. TO BETTER FIT THE SITE, STEPS WERE
DISTINGUISHED BY THE NEIGHBORING APARTMENT BUILDING’S DIMENSIONS. I THEN SLID THE TOP STEP .=BY THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND TOWARDS POWELTON STREET. THIS PROVIDES SHADE FOR THE LOWER UNITS AND YARDS FOR THE UPPER UNITS.
ROBERT HEISTER | 412.225.5144 | rwh45@drexel.edu
POWELTON APT. studio 105 - winter 2016 11