Rocio Alonso - Portfolio Spring 2023

ROCIO ALONSO

+UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE ACADEMIC +POST GRADUATE PROFESSIONAL +COMPETITION

SPRING 2022

SELECTED WORKS

WAREHAM, MA, USA

+

HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA

+ MODULAR GREEN + PATH THROUGH

LOGRO Ñ O, SPAIN

+ LET’S MEET AT THE PLANE!

COWEN, WEST VIRGINIA, USA

AFTER THE STRIP MINES +

CIUDAD KENNEDY, BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

MASS Y VOID +

+ BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE ‘19

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

GERALD D. HINES COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

+ MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE ‘24

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN

THE BOG BELT

LANDSCAPE

THE BOG BYWAY

FALL 2022 - GRADUATE - ACADEMIC WORK +

PROF. AMY WHITESIDES +

P. 04

AFTER THE STRIP MINES

SPRING 2019 - UNDERGRADUATE THESIS - ACADEMIC WORK +

PROF. WILLIAM TRUITT +

P. 10

ARCHITECTURE

PATH THROUGH

FALL 2017 - UNDERGRADUATE - ACADEMIC WORK +

PROF. DUKE FLESHMAN +

P. 16

MODULAR GREEN

SPRING 2018 - UNDERGRADUATE - ACADEMIC WORK +

PROF. DONNA KACMAR AND SUSAN ROGERS +

P. 22

MASS Y VOID

FALL 2018 - UNDERGRADUATE - ACADEMIC WORK +

PROF. WILLIAM TRUITT +

P. 26

PLANNING AND URBAN DESIGN

NORTH HOUSTON DISTRICT LIVABLE CENTERS STUDY

FALL 2019/SPRING 2020 - HUITT ZOLLARS - PROFESSIONAL WORK +

CHRISTOF SPIELER AND ARMANDINA CHAPA+

P. 30

LET’S MEET AT THE PLANE!

WINTER 2023 -CONCENTRICO 09- COMPETITION +

IN COLLABORATION WITH LUCAS DOBBIN+

P. 32

THE BOG BELT

+ FALL 2022

+ GRADUATE - ACADEMIC WORK

PROF. AMY WHITESIDES

+ SITE ANALYSIS

INDEPENDENT

+ LANDSCAPE DESIGN

INDEPENDENT

The cranberry economy is critical in Wareham, supporting tourism of the town in the way of bog tours and cranberry festivals while being tangentially related to a greater web of tourism infrastructure of airports, beaches, hotels, and restaurants. Impending sea level rise and the increase in outof-state competition within the cranberry industry threaten the livelihood of Wareham as a community so dependent on cranberry farming. While essential to the culture of the town, cranberry tourism alone is not sustainable as a long-term economy. This project aims to diversify labor and tourism opportunities while providing an avenue through which the cranberry industry can remain in Wareham.

The Bog Belt is proposed as a form of agrotourism embed into the existing infrastructure of cranberry farming, hosting a range of recreational amenities and lodging connecting the Myles Standish State Forest and the Wareham River while promoting year-round tourism and labor opportunities. This project aims to provide an avenue through which the cranberry industry can remain in Wareham.

MASTER PLAN

This diagram illustrates the four sites highlighted in the Bog Belt, addressing areas of recreation, lodging, production, and conservation.

MOMENTS OF PAUSE

Moments of pause will occur along the hiking trails, with the spaces in which they occur differing from their relationship. Platforms will extend into the bogs to provide a different vantage point, trail networks along the wetlands will cross through, providing shelters for observation and bird watching, and canopy walks will provide an alternate perspective within the proposed forestry

POSTCARD VIGNETTES

These images highlight the scarred and desolate landscapes left behind by the strip mining process. The existing landscape forms are drastically altered and often struggle to recover due to toxins introduced.

SITE TRANSITIONS

A range of transitions will occur on the site, including the transition of bogs to wetlands, preservation of bogs and forestry, planted forestry, and spaces for aquaculture.

SITES OF CHANGE

These sites do not occur independently but instead coexist within a greater master plan developed with guidance from existing conditions, movement, and preservation of cranberry production. Both recreation and lodging sites occur in several locations throughout the master plan.

TOPOGRAPHY CHANGES

Topographic conditions will change significantly within the bogs, with both soil conditions and plant species differing as they are transitioned from bog to wetland and salt marsh.

PLANT SPECIES

Plant species have been specified for each section of the wetland, salt marsh, and forestry components, considering the increased diversity of the spaces.

EVOCATIVE VIGNETTES

This project draws upon the graphic style of historical imagery, illustrating the initiative in place to increase Wareham’s draw as a touristic destination.

AFTER THE STRIP MINES

+ SPRING 2019

+ UNDERGRADUATE - ACADEMIC WORK

FIRST READER - PROF. WILLIAM TRUITT

SECOND READER - MEREDITH CHAVEZ

HONORS READER - HANC MARKE

+ SITE ANALYSIS INDEPENDENT + ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN INDEPENDENT

The landscapes and ecologies of Appalachia have been drastically altered due to the practice of mountaintop removal mining. Practices such as these, driven by economic intentions, resulted in damaging community resources and wildlife ecosystems.

Landscape has the potential to be a visual representation of various conditions, such as community, politics, and nature, and the irreversible changes and implications they have on an existing ecology. This thesis accepts the transformation of the Appalachian landscapes and the ecological repercussions involved by proposing to transform the scraped industrial landscape of a mountaintop removal mine into a working bioremediation field and research center.

STRIP MINE CONTRAST DIAGRAM

This diagram illustrates the scale and contrast of the strip mine in Cowen,WV versus the surrounding landscape.

COMPLETE MINE TO SITE DIAGRAM

Due to the sheer size of the strip mine, a 1 square mile immediate site was established, an invisible boundary that would be abandoned after the initial phased landscape development

CONTRAST IMAGES

These images highlight the scarred and desolate landscapes left behind by the strip mining process. The existing landscape forms are drastically altered and often struggle to recover due to toxins introduced.

MAT ECOLOGY

The mechanical landscape of this project was created through the mat ecology approach. The three zones are part of a larger grid that is deployed over the existing scarred landscape.

PHASING DIAGRAM

The research facility acts as the folly from which the landscape development will progress outward. The progression will occur in a phased approach over a 60 year time period.

RESTORATION AND RECLAMATION PRACTICES

The reclamation and restoration approach to the site is done via three techniques, traditional reclamation through reforestation, rotational planting, and water treatment. These three approaches are deployed on the established grid

BUILDING SECTION

This building design illustrates the relationship between remediation techniques and the building program. The main circulation is housed along the exterior, providing views to the developing landscape, while secondary circulation is found in the core.

DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE

Due to the extensive nature of the phased approach, the scarred and toxic landscape will be a major visual component of the development for a large portion of the phasing. The calculated and measured landscape deployment will eventually be blurred, erasing the harsh grid lines established in its infancy.

PATH THROUGH

PROF. DUKE FLESHMAN

INDEPENDENT + ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

INDEPENDENT

Located in a site adjacent to Buffalo Bayou Park, this project explores the concept of two zones, exhibition and administration, connected by bridges weaving through the existing landscape. Visitors and employees of the education center will be forced to interact with the site as they circulate from parking to building.

The two zones are alike in form, providing visual repetition. In doing so, a constant and predictable setting is created allowing the landscape traversed by the bridges to be the stimulus on site.

This project promotes interaction with existing nature, and bridges the disconnect between Buffalo Bayou and the residences of Jackson Hill St. while educating visitors on the history of Houston’s Bayous.

SYSTEMS DIAGRAMS

The building orientation and roof design is established to maximize natural daylight and flexibility in the openness of the floor plan. The truss shape is established to create order and allow for large open spans.

HAND-DRAWN EXTERIOR PERSPECTIVE

The exterior of the nature center is composed of a warm and repetitive textures, to not distract from the surrounding landscape. The truss repetition found on the interior is carried to the exterior, providing shading with a similar language..

Glass Sheet Metal Roo ng

Structural Insulating Panels

Aluminum Window Mulliens

Glue Laminated Girders 1’x6”

Aluminum Flashing Plywood

Limestone Cap

Foam Insualtion 6”

Glue Laminated Beam 1’x2’

Limestone Veneer 3/4”

Rigid Insulation

HVAC Ducts

Metal Studs 8”

Foam Insulation 8”

Laminated Plank Wood Composite Board 1”

Steel Beam

Plywood

Metal Studs

Foam Insulation 6”

Gasket 1”

Laser Leveled Pedestal Foam Insulation 6”

Concrete Footing

Solar Panel 39”x77”

Mounts

Racking

Steel Columns 6”x6”

Steel Bracing

Steel Frame 6”

Steel Trellis Supports

Wood Decking

Wood Beams-- 1’x6”

BUILDING SECTION

The mechanical systems are housed within the thickened walls and raised floor systems in order to allow for an open and light roof, unobstructed by ductwork.

FLOOR PLAN DIAGRAMS

The scale of the admin building and nature center is similar, supporting the uniformity created in the parallel nature. .

BUILDING SECTION

The building program is elevated several feet above the landscape as the site is located in a floodplain. The thickened walls act as anchors on the site.

The windows incorporated into the roof system introduce activity and movement into the space through the varying shadows and daylight. The building would be experienced entirely differently in the morning versus

MODULAR GREEN

+ SPRING 2018

+ UNDERGRADUATE - ACADEMIC WORK

PROF. DONNA KACMAR AND SUSAN ROGERS

+ IMPACT ANALYSIS

COLLABORATION WITH CANSTON FITZWATER AND JOHN TAYLOR

+ ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

INDEPENDENT

In disasters, like Hurricane Harvey, individuals are displaced from their homes for extended amounts of time. Affordable options for housing are hard to find. This project proposes to create a multi-family complex that can better withstand a disaster.

Using modular design, the transportation and assemblage of the complex is expedited and cost decreased, providing accessible, affordable housing solutions for many families. The modular nature of the complex allows for flexibility among various sites, making this a viable solution across many situations. Programmed green spaces create unity and community in the complex, while providing ownership in the form of a “yard” in an otherwise urban context.

SITE PLAN

The green spaces deployed throughout the building are individually programmed, incorporating activity spaces to provide the “yard” component that is often lost with multi-family projects.

Green Zone 1 Shared Neighborhood Garden

Green Zone 2 Mini-Golf Garden

Green Zone 3 Basketball Hoop Garden

Green Zone 4 Small Dog Garden

Green Zone 5 Medium-Large Dog Garden

Green Zone 6 Picnic Garden

Green Zone 7 Community Vegetable Garden

Green Zone 8 Hammock Garden

ENTRANCE ELEVATION

The facade is softened and activated with greenery incorporated in the form of vertical planting, supplementing the established green spaces..

FLOOR PLAN DIAGRAMS

The building is made up of three floor play layouts, efficiency, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom. The dimensions of the modules is specific to allow a mixture of the layouts while maintaining uniformity.

SIDE ELEVATION

The parking encompasses the entire ground floor, clad in the same vertical planting to preserve the residential nature of the neighborhood.

STREET PERSPECTIVE

The entry green space provides an amenity to the neighborhood as a gathering space in which activity will be hosted. The building responds to surrounding context, providing a seamless transition from single-family to multi-family residential

MASS Y VOID

+ FALL 2018

+ UNDERGRADUATE - ACADEMIC WORK

PROF. WILLIAM TRUITT

+ SITE ANALYSIS

COLLABORATION WITH CANSTON FITZWATER + ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

INDEPENDENT

In his book “Architecture and Utopia”, Manfredo Tafuri discusses formalist and avant-garde conditions in a utopian city, defining the avant-garde as an “appendage” or an afterthought, not completely integrated into the formalist organization. This approach can be found in Ciudad Kennedy in Bogota, Colombia.

The formalist conditions occur in the residences and commerce, through repetition in the parcels, and avant-garde conditions are present in public program, including schools, hospitals, civic buildings, etc. The lack of consideration for the avant-garde conditions has resulted in these programs occupying green spaces in the city. This project acknowledges the presence of the public conditions and utilizes them as drivers for the organization of the program.

SITE ANALYSIS

avant-garde formalist avant-garde formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist

artistic arti cial artistic arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial

avant-garde formalist avant-garde formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist formalist

artistic arti cial artistic arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial arti cial

A site analysis diagram illustrating Manfredo Tafuri’s definitions of the formalist vs. the avant-garde in Ciudad Kennedy.

PUBLIC CONDITIONS

public condition: school

SECTION PERSPECTIVE

The building program is arranged introspectively, with a major focus on the central courtyard space. The major technical workshop volume hosts a curtain wall providing views both into the space and out towards the courtyard.

public condition: Super Park 10 Tequendama

URBAN FABRIC OF CIUDAD KENNEDY

A diagram illustrating the relationship between building program and surrounding formalist and avant-garde elements.

A public conditions diagram illustrating the driving factors for locating building program

COURTYARD AND WORKSHOP SECTION

The courtyard space provides both an amenity for building tenants as well as an activated path that connects the public condition of the school and Super Park 10 Tequendama. The scale of the courtyard program is similar to the large open workshop space.

STUDY MODELS

This study model uses wood and acrylic to illustrate the contrast between the heavy solid and light transparent nature of the building program. The solid building form wraps and supports the glass volumes.

PUBLIC PARK PERSPECTIVE

A diagram illustrating the relationship between transparency and opacity in the building and surrounding public conditions.

NORTH HOUSTON DISTRICT LIVABLE CENTERS STUDY

+ FALL 2018

+ PROFESSIONAL WORK

HUITT-ZOLLARS

+ TEAM MEMBERS

CHRISTOF SPIELER, VICE PRESIDENT

ARMANDINA CHAPA, PROJECT MANAGER

DAVID COPELAND LAREDO, PLANNER

MADELEINE PELZEL, PLANNER

ASHLEY WHITESIDES, PLANNER

As part of the Huitt-Zollars planning team, I assisted in the production of public meeting material and facilitation of discussions and engagement with community members and stakeholders.

The North Houston District Livable Centers Study proposed a vision for the North Houston District, identifying goals and recommendations for the district based on an analysis of the existing conditions. The recommendations relate to connectivity to the greater region, safe walk and bike routes, flood management, and accessibility to affordable housing.

This

DIAGRAM OF PROPOSED TRANSIT CENTER LOCATION

diagram illustrates the access 1/4 and 1/2 mile radius for two proposed Bus-Rapid Transit stop locations, highlighting the amenities

PROPOSED CENTRAL PARK IMPROVEMENTS

The central park will address flooding impacts to the North Houston District, with proposed hike and bike trails, soccer fields, kayaking, and surrounding residences.

TRANSIT CENTER DIAGRAM

The transit center houses a parking garage, grocery store, and residences.

LET’S MEET AT THE PLANE!

+ WINTER 2023 + COMPETITION

CONCENTRICO 09

+ TEAM MEMBERS IN COLLABORATION WITH LUCAS DOBBIN

The simplicity of a paper plane begins in childhood, being the first object we learn to create from a singular sheet of paper. The paper plane exemplifies the iterative process of trial and error, allowing for experimentation and design with the most bare of tools, our hands. In its simplest form, the paper plane is the epitome of ephemerality, gliding through the air for seconds before landing with unintentional bends and creases.

Let’s Meet at the Plane! draws upon this concept of primitive design, scaling up the paper plane we once held in our hands for experience and manipulation from an entirely different perspective. The folds and creases we once generated with our hands become larger than life, an ability to step through and into the creation our young selves once imagined. To continue this circular practice of creation, Let’s Meet at the Plane brings festival-goers the opportunity to create their own paper planes from Concentrico’s own festival map, with instructions to create the same object that inspired this pavilion or alternatively to dare to embark on their own design.

SITE PLAN

Let’s Meet at the Plane‘s location in the Plaza Escuelas Trevijano invites festival-goers to interact with the structure in circulation, contemplation, and presentation. Visitors can walk through, lean against, or look onto the structure, while presentations and projections can be made on or against the structure.

EASE OF ASSEMBLY AND TRANSPORT

Let’s Meet at the Plane utilizes the proposed materials in the most pure and natural form, allowing for ease of transportation and assembly. The cuts of the material are streamlines, and assembly is straight-forward, allowing for disassembly in the evenings to preserve safety.

(i) cut 20no wood panels

(ii) angle edges / transport to site

(iii) connections layout

(i) cut 20no wood panels

(ii) angle edges / transport to site

(iii) connections layout

(iv) on site assembly (v) result position A (vi) result position B (vii) result position C

EPHEMERAL IN NATURE

The ephemerality of Let’s Meet at the Plane is proposed to permeate through and beyond the festival. Visitor experience will extend to the physical Concentrico festival map, which the public themselves can utilize to recreate the paper plane and learn to design through making.

DAY AND NIGHT

The pavilion will extend its reach beyond that of the light of day, casting shadows under sunlight, and glowing brightly under the moonlight. Lighting will be integrated into the joints and folds, further exaggerating the “folded” nature of the structure.