ROSS McCLELLAN YALE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE SELECTED WORKS
02
06
10
14
SLOPE CIRCUIT
NARROW HOUSE PROTOTYPE
32 LILAC STREET
118 GREENWOOD STREET
18
26
32
36
40
50
CASIS HEADQUARTERS
BOSTON 2024 OLYMPIC VILLAGE
LIGHT AND MATERIALS
MATERIAL FORMATION
GUGGENHEIM HELSINKI
LONDON ASSEMBLY
2
SLOPE CIRCUIT FALL 2012 STUDIO In Frederick Kiesler’s Endless House concept, one continuous surface encloses all space in a home, shaping the actions of the participant. In this project that precedent’s generative process is reversed so that the actions of one continuous path form spaces that intervene in the given starting condition of an endless sloping plane. The reciprocal flexing of the surface creates two major spaces which modify the conditions of the path that generated them. The primary tectonic language consists of structural ribs, which defines a variety of spaces and filters the light as it passes through from above, highlighting moments along the spatial sequence by creating a variety of lighting conditions that one can pass through. Critic: Joyce Hsiang
3
4
opposite: plan, longitudinal section, and cross section right: model photographs, circulation sequence 5
6
NARROW HOUSE SPRING 2013 STUDIO Preliminary analysis of the effects of transposing a precedent building onto a narrow lot condition raised issues of dependencies among components of the house, and spurred consideration of which elements of the prototype need to adapt to site conditions from site to site and which core elements remain unchanged. In this scheme, two prefabricated boxes act as housing cores that hold all critical components, while circulation paths and site elements wrap through and wind around these boxes and create bonus rooms out of interstitial spaces. As different site lengths and widths are accommodated, the relationships and spaces between the two central cores change as the prototypical elements encasing them contract and expand to adapt to the site conditions. Critic: Trattie Davies
7
8
opposite: longitudinal section, house and yards second level plan ground level plan, yard organization and site right: model photographs, final prototype design 9
10
32 LILAC STREET SPRING 2013 This group proposal for a prototypical house responds to the site condition of facing a residential neighborhood to the front and an institutional parking lot to the rear by conceptually positing a three-story front house and a two-story back house in order to maximize square footage and create generous living spaces on a narrow site. A split-level sectional strategy allows the creation of an intimate bonus den space that receives natural light from above. At the ground level, the elevated kitchen space enjoys visual access to both the street in front and the enclosed yard behind the house which functions as an extension of the living room. On the upper floor, central circulation allows a spacious master bedroom overlooking the street and two bedrooms in the back of the house. Critics: Amy Llelyveld & Joeb Moore Collaboration with Elena Baranes, Hiba Bhatty, Zach Huelsing, PJ Nakamura, Mahdi Sabbagh, & Emau Vega
11
12
opposite: longitudinal section second level plan ground level plan above right: exterior rendering, lilac street above middle: interior rendering, central stair right: exterior rendering, rear yard 13
14
118 GREENWOOD STREET BUILDING PROJECT 2013 The Jim Vlock Building Project has been a Yale School of Architecture tradition since 1967. For the 2013 Building Project house, the class of 2015 worked with faculty and the local non-profit organization Neighborhood Housing Services to design and build a 1500 square foot single family home for a first-time homeowner. Designing and building on a non-conforming narrow lot allowed for only 17 feet of buildable width, adding another level of challenge and necessitating close understanding of local zoning codes. The project was designed as a flexible prototype to be adapted to narrow lots in and around New Haven, which was tested when the site needed to suddenly change after construction had already begun. By prefabricating components in a warehouse while the new site was being prepared, the prototypical design was still able to be fully realized on the new site by the original deadline. Critic: Adam Hopfner Collaboration with YSoA Class of 2015 15
left: construction photographs, various stages 16
right: completed house photographs, taken during summer open house event 17
18
CASIS HEADQUARTERS FALL 2013 CORE STUDIO Generated from a vertical hybrid between museum and office, this scheme’s diagram is built around a spatial sequence from ground to sky, winding around program components and exhibition trays held in the framework of an outer shell. By floating the massiveness of the upper tower above a lower plinth, a spatial condition is created that defines a public sequence into the project. Ascending the plinth, one is presented with framed views of the water and the city, culminating in a transition through the massiveness into a large vertical atrium around which the complex and multifaceted CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science In Space) organization is structured. The central void creates allows unique and diverse spatial and visual connections among not only all components of the organization, but the public as well. Critic: Sunil Bald
19
20
administration operations education exhibition conference
administration operations education exhibition conference
administration operations education exhibition conference
opposite: early ‘program constellation’ diagram early conceptual rendering right: conceptual sections, internal geometry and massing relationship 21
22
opposite: final plans, upper exhibition level and tower lobby level above: final section, plinth and tower on site 23
above: final model photographs, interior details opposite: final model photograph, site photographs beyond 24
25
26
BOSTON 2024 OLYMPIC VILLAGE FALL 2013 CORE STUDIO This scheme proposes leveraging the budget and excitement of Boston’s potential bid for the 2024 Olympics to create a piece of lasting usable infrastructure that would connect the fabric of South Boston to the developing design district to the north. An early interest in the typology of the street as a vibrant public space and active realm developed into the creation of a single linear site gesture, a simple move that creates a number of connections to nearby attractions and larger infrastructural systems in the city. The length of the street is organized by key program elements embedded in the park space below, which distinguish neighborhoods and give each zone a sense of individual identity. Strategic voids in the form introduce porosity and ensure that each inhabitant is given framed views of prominent features in the surrounding context. Critic: Keller Easterling Collaboration with Jeannette Penniman
27
opposite: renderings at terrace and street level above: site strategy/connectivity diagrams 28
29
30
opposite: model photographs, final sectional model above: sectional diagram, view corridors through building voids right: model photograph, final site model 31
32
LIGHT & MATERIALS FALL 2013 ELECTIVE Using Plexiglas’s inherent optical qualities of simultaneous reflectivity and transparency as a starting point in the design process, this window installation modifies the space in which it sits by transforming a quotidian beam of sunlight into a brilliant and dynamic radial display. A series of Plexiglas fins held within a frame are calibrated to serve two functions, one being directing light in a new direction, and the second being to preserve the original view through the window by aligning with the passerby’s cone of vision. The reflected light constantly changes throughout the day as the sun’s angle shifts, washing a variety of radial patterns, ruled surfaces, and unexpected patterns onto the adjacent wall. By drawing interest to the manipulated light rather than the device itself, the installation is able to change the space in which it sits a great deal with a minimal amount of material. Critic: Michelle Addington Published in Retrospecta 37
33
34
opposite: concept refraction diagram above: model photographs, various times of day 35
36
MATERIAL FORMATION FALL 2013 ELECTIVE This series of explorations in fabrication explores an interest in holding multiple layers of information within a single surface, generating a static physical artifact that is capable of making the history of its own formative process evident. Digitized graphic information from a photograph of an early material manipulation becomes the source material for the series of following material explorations. Iteratively testing various materials as formwork for one another results a feedback loop, such that each generative step contributes traces of information to the final object. This process preserves the original artifact while allowing the economical creation of multiple custom cast pieces through a single thermoformed mold. Critic: Kevin Rotheroe Published in Retrospecta 37
37
38
opposite: photograph, material explorations through iterative study models above: generative process and production of final surface panels 39
40
GUGGENHEIM HELSINKI FALL 2014 STUDIO The scheme responds to the international Guggenheim Helsinki competition by overlaying the critical programs of the museum onto existing systems of infrastructure and strands of movement in the city, creating new public spaces and improving connections between the primary city promenade and the distant infrastructure. By submerging the new museum into existing infrastructural flows already running across the proposed site, a programmatic hybrid is generated that benefits both infrastructure and museum. Existing transit routines are ameliorated with the intervention of art displays and public spaces, and the museum typology is enhanced and reinvigorated through increased activity from a wider pool of visitors. This new hybrid typology generates an iconic museum specifically appropriate to Helsinki, offering an opportunity for the Guggenheim institution to reinvent its reputation. Critic: Joel Sanders Published in Retrospecta 38 41
GALLERY TERMINAL
42
GALLERY TERMINAL TERMINA AL
TTERMINAL ERMINALL GALLERYL GALLERY
opposite above: diagrams, typical traditional gallery condition and proposed open gallery condition opposite left: diagram, programmatic overlap between gallery and ferry terminal above: hybrid collage renderings, final model photographs and site visit photographs 43
left: ground level plan, open galleries, ferry terminal, education, offices, and loading opposite: upper level plan, traditional galleries, restaurant, and upper lobby 44
45
above: model photographs, looking southwest and north opposite: model photograph, looking southeast 46
47
48
above: final section perspective through ferry terminal, traditional and open galleries, and public ramp 49
50
LONDON ASSEMBLY SPRING 2015 STUDIO Positing a situation where an autonomous future London has gained devolved powers, this studio investigates of architecture’s power and role in public representation through an assembly space in the City of London. Study artifacts created in the first portion of the semester provoked a strong personal interest in mechanisms that dictate or encourage relationships between two or more protagonists, and in finding an architectural device that could generate a similar effect at the scale of a building, the archetype of the Greek agora was investigated as a mechanism that generates a democratic heirachy and set of relationships among people, allowing for democratic public representation. In responding to the busy urban site at Bank intersection, a need for public space and a moment of pause was identified and solved by carving a new public square in the heart of the City of London. The square and attached assembly building function to create more democratic forms of representation in the city. Critic: Niall McLaughlin 51
52
opposite: concept artifact, interactive drawing machine, establishes a physical record of relationships among the human hand, wind patterns, and the moving sun through constructive interference above: concept artifact, adaptive light modulator right: concept artifact, ‘portable parliament’ puzzle box, encourages dialogue between two parties through interactive cooperation toward a common goal 53
A.P.
Associated Press INFORM
PUBLIC
Citizen Commuters DEMAND
54
GOV’T
Representatives DECIDE
opposite: constituency diagram, establishing a symbiotic tripartite relationship between the commuter public, the goternment representatives, and the associated press above: final plans, ground level, level 2, and level 3 right: opposite, bottom: elevation diagram, cross-programmed deployement among constituencies encourages a natural system of checks and balances 55
above: final section, space in the public square is shaped by its visual relationship to interior spaces in the adjacent building, mediated by a layered facade opposite: public square plan, showing the layering of possible activity through paving demarcations, with unfolded surrounding context elevations 56
57
58
opposite: building elevation study, showing fully closed and fully open positions above: facade panel study, showing possibilities of multiple readings in various positions 59
60
opposite and right: final model unpacking sequence, model is prepared for presentation through participation and dialogue between multiple people, representing the importance of dialogue, cooperation, and representation to the future of politics in london 61