Ryan Al-Schamma, University of Oregon SAE, Selected Works 2019

RYAN AL-SCHAMMA

Selected works_2019

University of Oregon, School of Architecture & the Environment

1 DIAGRID ALLEY, TIMBER TECH PAVILION 2 OCTAMOD, RIVER ROAD ELEMENTARY 3 DEXTER ROWING ARENA 4 5 TREE HUGGER PIXEL, COMMUNITY MIXED USE 6 FINLEY WILDLIFE REFUGE In what ways can a building conceal itself within the landscape?

How can standard building components coalesce into an evocative, easily deployable structure?

Can modular construction be expressive and functional?

How can form express function in a powerful way?

What does environmental activism look like in architecture?

How can architecture and urban planning connect to disparate zones of a city, in order to revitalize community?

Brother

ME

Vienna (2001)

Hello Reader, Welcome into my mind! Throughout the past four years of my Architectural education at the University of Oregon College of Design I have spared no inkling of my creative energy–as you’ll be able to tell from the variety of differing architectural solutions.

Despite their different appearances, all the projects featured here are perfect embodiments of not only my design style, but also of my character; wildly experimental yet rational, diverse and energetic, cheeky and playful, and community oriented with a keen intention to create a better world. As a result of this, and the differing programs of each project, each studio–a haphazard and giddy frenzy of color and trace paper–has yielded completely different design solutions, languages and styles. Through the selected works featured here you will get to witness my architectural growth throughout my educational career. I hope you enjoy learning about my projects as much as I enjoyed piecing them together (and this portfolio, boy that was fun).

Ryan Al-Schamma e: ralschamma.14@gmail.com p: +1(415)568-1456

RYAN AL-SC HAMMA_UNDER GR A D P ORTFOL IO_ 2019

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FINLEY WILDLIFE REFUGE Educational Visitor center _Corvallis, OR

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ARCH484_Stephen Duff + Don Corner Fall 2018

While countless species of animal are threatened by man kind’s volatile day-to-day activities, wildlife refuges and National Parks provide a stable sanctuary for animals to settle. With the resettlement of many animals to wildlife sanctuaries, parks such as the William Finley Wildlife Refuge need to create infrastructure to accomodate the influx of people seeking to study these animals in their new habitats.

Building for human-use to observe animals, while considering the cause of these animals’ migrations, calls for architecture Dining Hall that canDining mediate man’s destructive tendencies with animals’ Hall SECTION PERSPECTIVE environmental needs.

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RYAN AL-SC HAMMA_UNDER GR A D P ORTFOL IO_ 2019

GRAZING

The William Finley Wildlife Refuge, though originally a bird sanctuary, attracts all sort of animals ranging from cattle to cougars. The wide variety of animals seeking shelter creates a rich biohabitat for all animals, but also creates a population density in such a confined space, making it difficult for animals to find areas to nest that are not already occupied by other animals.

The site is teeming with life, many trying to escape human civilization. Distinct signs of habitation by larger animals such as cow and deer can be found primarily in the clearings between swathes of forest, and also at the perimeter of the water reservoir at the lowest points of the site. Spaces on the site that are more exposed than these tended to be occupied only by burrowing rodents. Traces of habitation by cougars was found in the denser forest, East of the site. The trees are occupied by none other than birds, excluding water fowl.

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The delicate balance of groups of animals occupying their own spaces without feeling threatened by oneanother or humans, thus making them want to migrate any further, is the most important condition in the consideration of this design proposal. The premise of this proposal is the camouflaging of the architecture and connecting elements, with the landscape. This occurs not only in the design of the buildings, but also their individual locations on the site. Buildings are located on the perifery of the grazing areas in order as not to disturb animals’ natural living patterns. The architecture is to appear as natural features in the landscape, and the paths connecting them are to be as simply implied as possible–no structure on the site is to explicitly as having been placed there, but rather as having grown from it. Each building explores a different natural phenomenon in the landscape.

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DINING HALL (2,900 SF)

The dining hall, located at the Southern boundary of the development, serves not only as the communal dining space but also as an event venue, and checkin for overnight stays at the Wildlife Refuge. The building explores a splice in the landscape as a result of a tectonic plate shift as its method of camouflage, burying itself under a layer of the earth. Approaching from upsloap, the view of the prairie below is uninterrupted aside from a cuppola structure jutting out of the earth on the roof of the building–a ‘beacon’ for orientation in the vast landscape. Descending into the space through the cuppola, a sheltered yet bright and airy space reveals itself below the surface of the earth. The irregular mass timber ceiling and the slanted round columns, referencing plants’ roots, accentuate the experience of being underground. The dining area of the hall, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, sets the stage for an unforgettable wildlife observation platform, allowing visitors to surveil the landscape without fear of disturbing it.

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RYAN AL-SC HAMMA_UNDER GR A D P ORTFOL IO_ 2019

DORMITORY (1,900 SF)

Located on an outcrop at the Northern tip of the development, the dormitories appear to be rock proturusions from the lanscape, fanning out over the plateau from the thick of the forest to create a semienclosed outdoor space underneath its spans. The two dormitory builings feature two separate wings (12 people per wing) that share individual washing facilities and a common area between them. With primary access on the top floor on the densely forested outcrop, and secondary access into the clearing under the cantilever of one of the wings, the structure allows seamless access to both vastly different environments, creating opportunities for a variety of activities in both. The buildings have a light footprint on the plateau beyond such as not to disrupt the animals’ grazing patterns throughout the night and times of disuse. Each wing features views onto the prairie and beyond, and back into the forest, creating opportunities for sublime animal watching both while relaxing in the common areas of the wing, or while peering out of one’s personal bunk window at night.

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Dormitory

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ISOMETRIC RENDERING 1/8” : 1’0

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EDUCATIONAL FACILITY (2,000 SF)

The educational facility is located at the heart of the development nearest to the water reservoir, between the dormitories and the dining hall. Though an educational facility for visiting classes of students, the facilitiy features facilities for regular visitors too. The building located upslope is the library, reading stair, and meeting space –a general space for all visitors alike. The building located downslope from this, connected by an outdoor covered walkway contains three flexible learning studios, each with direct access outwards towards the lake. The building references the roots of a tree, snaking its way down the landscape tracing the contours of the slopes.

From dense forest to the open clearing, the structures connect both environmental zones for study and leisure.

The rear of each building is set into the landscape, gradually exposing themselves the farther down the slope, as if the erosion and weathering of the land created usable space.

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Bird Blind (200 SF)

The bird blind (not featured on the site masterplan) is located a mile south of the site at a lake teeming with water fowl. The bird blind, inspired by the Oriole bird’s cocoon-like nest, aims to blend in with the environment as much as it seeks to stand out from it as a giant bird’s nest. Suspended from a “branch”–a weather treated mass timber column–the woven bamboo nest stands just upslope from the reservoir, and meets the ground 40 feet upslope with a simple stilted ramp connecting to the platform within the pavilion. The bird blind aims to attract birds to it, while simultaneously concealing people within it to create an ideal condition for bird watching enthusiasts.

The bird blind is not formally included in the program of the development (as specified by the studio), and was initially only a warm-up exercise that I may have taken too seriously (guilty).

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DIAGRID ALLEY Mass timber pavilion

ARCH410_Nancy Cheng + Mariapaola Riggio Spring 2018 Partners: Alden Carr, Brad Taylor, Morvarid Dilmaghani

Oregon is at the forefront of timber construction technologies today. This studio’s intent is to highlight Oregon’s focus on timber technology by designing and prototyping a pavilion for the annual Mass Timber Summit hosted in Portland, Oregon, out of either mass timber, dimensioned lumber, or a combination. Students are required to work in groups of four with Engineering students from Oregon State University to design and test the construction method and structural integrity of the pavilion.

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DESIGN RATIONALE

Though this course was primarily an opportunity to explore different construction materials to create a small expo pavilion structure, our design team chose to ground our design method in a concept instead of a construction material. We were keen to explore the intersection between fluid airy forms with heavy linear materials–the Möbius Loop out of unspecified timber components.

from its original form. Our second pass at the design was a concave undulating band with a diagrid structure, with its peaks creating arches to allow access into the pavilion. The initial intent of exploring the Möbius Loop was visible nowhere in this rendition, however, so we returned to the drawing board for the third time. The third iteration of the design aimed to combine aspects of both of the disparate designs that we had created thus far. The design retained its undulating form to allow Our first rendition of the project was a literal Möbius access into the pavilion, and featured the twisting of Loop embedded into the ground to resist lateral and the Möbius Loop above the arches. Though this twist shear forces, with a cantilever creating an arch that one returns to its original angle when transitioning back into could sit on and walk beneath. The twisting of the loop the pavilions’ walls, therefore technically not a Möbius posed to be an overly complex structural challenge, Loop, its flattening out gives the impression of being considering we had not changed the Möbius very much one continuous twisting surface.

+ https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/woman-holding-tissue

ockphoto.com/illustrations/woman-holding-tissue

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DESIGN

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CONSTRUCTION + STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

In the consideration of our design, our team attempted to use a variety of timber construction materials.

Though we were most curious as to the outcome of juxtaposing a fluid undulating form with mass timber components, the use of mass timber did not prove to be at all beneficial to the design.

The fluid pavilion is comprised of very standard dimensioned lumber and steel components: • Douglas Fir 2x4 (450ft) • Birch Plywood (80ft2) • Steel Connections (x144) • Steel Bolts (x576)

Though the pavilion appears to be a single structural system, it is comprised of two systems–the curving and slightly concave diagrid walls, and the twisting threepinned diagrid arch. Because the systems are so similar and only change in form rather than structural system, the load transfer between the two systems is seamless.

The diagrid walls serve as the feet for the three-pinned arches, and the twisting arches–changing the section orientation of the 2x4s–resists out-of-plane bending of the walls and arches. Using the Grasshopper plug-in, Karamba, our team was able to determine that with this structural system, and with these exact dimensioned components, our pavilion walls experience very little Given such a standard kit of parts, once all components utilization, while our arches, due to the tensile stress have been milled the pavilion can be constructed in from restraining the walls, experience high utilization.

Despite this the system is stable and does not deform. under six hours by just two people.

KIT OF PARTS

base plate connection base plate connection

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OCTAMODOR

River Road Elementary_Eugene,

INDIVIDUAL MILLED PARTS (fabricaton)

ARCH484_Judith Sheine Spring 2018 Partner: Sandra Byers

This experimental studio explored the feasibility and possibilities of mass timber modular classroom systems that coalesce into a school building. Octamod, the River Road Elementary School’s redesign is a pioneer of Mass Timber modular school buildings in the USA, and the first structure to use Mass Plywood Panels (MPP), a recently released mass timber material making its debut through this project. With a focus on rapid and easy assembly and shipping, the studio adapted the overall building form of the River Road Elementary school in Eugene. 31

RYAN AL-SC HAMMA_UNDER GR A D P ORTFOL IO_ 2019

THE MODULE

The school’s progressive and equitable approach towards collaborative learning is reflected in the shape of each of the classrooms, the octagonal module for the creation of the entire school. Having twice the amount of sides than a typical rectangular classroom, the octagonal classroom module creates an insular and equitable learning environment in which each of the students is a valuable contribution to the collective learning experience. The octagonal classroom also has a greater floor area and is more structurally stable than its rectangular counterparts, while using the same amount of material in its walls. The octagonal classroom module is not only efficient in its use of materials, but also compelling as a place of learning.

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THE SYSTEM

The octagonal classroom modules are joined wall-towall in their diagonal directions, but have a rectangular floor and ceiling module spacer between them in their rectilinear directions. This spacer creates opportunities for clearer circulation spaces between classroom pods, quiet corners for reading and other group activities in the hallway, and more spatial variety in the school.

The strict octagonal grid is interrupted in two places: at the coner where the entry lobby meets the the classroom wing in order to accomodate the media library, and to the left of the main entrance to accomodate the cafeteriagym flex space. Though the structural repetition of the school stops here, the language of the school carries through to these double-height spaces as seen in the wooden “coffered� ceilings, where the rectangular modules between octagonal coffers admit daylight into these large spaces.

Volume of wood products used: 40,987 cubic feet (1,161 cubic meters)

CONVENTIONAL CONSTRUCTION

Conventional Construction Completion: up to 2 years

CONVENTIONAL CONSTRUCTION

U.S and Canadian forests grow this much wood 3 minutes

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Mass Timber Construction Completion: up to 6 months

Carbon stored in the wood: 1,089 metric tons of carbon dioxide

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Offset greenhous 563 metric tons o

se gas emissions: of carbon dioxide

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skylights and clerestories provide ample daylight to classrooms and hallways throughout the day

roofgrade and roof material orientation direct water toward landscaped raingardens

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Total potential carbon benefit: 1,652 metric tons of carbon dioxide

restrooms + services administration

Equivalent to: 349 cars off the road for a year

filtered water is re-used in the school for cooling and sanitary needs

water is collected in rain garden, filtered, and stored in rainwater storage tank

Equivalent to: Energy to operate 174 homes for a year

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DEXTER ROWING ARENA University of Oregon boathouse_Lowell, OR

ARCH384_Tom Hahn Spring 2017

Though rowing is a fast-paced high-intensity sport, the far distance from which the sport is observed dilutes the impression of it. The power of each oar stroke, the shouting within the boat, the flurry of water and wind hitting the rowers, and the constant surge forward, only translates into gradual inching forwards when seen from afar. Architecture must serve as the medium to not only bring spectators closer to the sport of rowing, but also to translate the power and intensity of the sport, through built form.

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BACKGROUND + PROPOSAL

The University of Oregon is looking to construct a boathouse at Dexter Lake, in Lowell, Oregon, where the team currently trains. The existing facility is a shipping container in which boats are stored between training sessions, and all boat washing, rigging, and team gatherings take place in the driveway of the facility near the water. Spectators to rowing regattas at Dexter Lake observe from unmarked areas along the shore, either in the grass or on the rocks.

The Dexter Rowing Arena proposal will create a fully integrated maritime community center for the small city of Lowell, on top of the required UO boathouse program.

The building will provide facilities for boat washing, rigging and storage, team gatherings, training, locker rooms, as well as a community gathering space, all within a powerful form expressive of a rowing oar stroke.

The entire building serves as spectator grandstands, gradually reaching out over the shore of the lake to bring spectators closer to the sport. The form of the building reaches out into the landscape, providing a landscaped outdoor space in the wake of the building for spectating.

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PARKING LOT

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ARCHITECTURAL GEOMETRY

Each of the individual stylistic and structural elements of the architecture of the boathouse has a precedent in rowing. The arcing forms that reach across the landscape mimic the sweep of an oar stroke, the interior walls’ orientation is based off of the fanning out of an oar during different stages of each stroke, and the allignment of the structural column grid within the boathouse represents the dynamic back-and-forth motion of an oar in action. The combination of all three elements of a strong rowing oar stroke synthesizes into a cohesive and dynamic architectural composition.

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The dynamic column grid references the blade path during an oar stroke, as seen from above. The diagram above hows the movement of the blade, relative to the rower in the boat, where the upper side of the diagram represents the farthest end of the blade, and the bottom side of the diagram represents the movement of the rower in the boat. The concentration of lines is the swift motion of the oar during each stroke, to which the boathouse’s column grid is referencing.

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The pivoting interior walls of the boathouse resemble the pivoting motion of an oar around the oarlock during an oar stroke. All interior walls perpendicular to the arced axis of boathouse hinge about a point in the distance determined by the directions of both end faces of the boathouse. The orientation of those faces is determined by the restraints of the narrow site on which the building sits, and the most logical and compelling angle from which to receive athletes at, and to spectate the 2km racecourse from.

Three arcs of differing sizes form the two main bays of the boathouse, and its longitudional interior walls. The differently sized arcs create gradually expanding spaces, instilling a sense of dynamicity in the building that users experience in passing while progressing through the building. The end of the building overlooking Dexter Lake is the largest end of the building, as the “sweep of the oar� explodes outwards opening up grand views of the racing arena to spectators and athletes in the workout area on the first floors, and in the community viewing spaces in the upper floors.

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PIXEL

Mixed-use development_SPringfield, OR

ARCH484_Philip Speranza Winter 2019 Partners: Jade Danek, Jaime Barajas

The architecture of buildings often times only concerns itself with how it can serve its direct users. Though this approach towards the built world is sound, architecture should not operate in a vaccum as it ultimately effects the world beyond the confines of its walls. Pixel explores an architecture of serving its community, one that is derived from the specific needs of the city of Springfield in order to nurture a more rich pedestrian friendly environment. The project investigates this not only through architecture, but also urban plannning, and a careful consideration of the 47 building envelope.

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BACKGROUND + SITE

Eugene and Springfield’s histories’ lay in mining and lumber, the two industries practically having laid the foundation for each city respectively. Through the growth of the University of Oregon in Eugene, founded in 1876, the city of Eugene has shifted its focus away from such industries, to accomodate the research institution and commerce. Without such an institution, yet in such close proximity to Eugene–only separated by the Willamette river and the Interstate-5 freeway–Springfield finds itself to be simply a satellite of its larger neighboring city, and so has retained its industrial facilities to support itself. Thus, while Eugene’s industrial streetscape has transformed into a clean and highly urbanized city, not far away Springfield still thriving on its lumber industry, retains its gritty charm. The two cities are making efforts to improve access between them through improved public transportation and biking and pedestrian access.

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The Chambers Construction Corporation of the EugeneSpringfield metro area is looking to develop their plot at the Springfield-Glenwood city limit at the edge of the Willamette River. This site, divided into four development plots, plays a pivotal role in the urbanization of the city of Springfield. Our design team chose Plot B for development, as we believe it has the most potential for the strategic revitalization of the city. The disused and inaccessible site separating the lush Island Park and the river to the West, and the gritty downtown of Springfield to the East, connected solely by bicycle and bus routes along Mill and Main streets, presents the opportunity to create a new urban core of the city by connecting the urban life with that of the park, bringing the park into the city and vice versa. The development will be driven by the needs of the community in an effort to breathe new life into the urban setting of Springfield.

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DATA DRIVEN DESIGN

In order to make an informed decision on how to approach designing a building with such a pivotal role (and location) in creating positive change in the Springfield community, our team studied features of the urban landscape of Springfield that made it both desirable and undesirable (primarily from the perspective of pedestrians). The intent was to be able to use these indicators and their respective data, and apply them to our site to either mitigate or create opportunity for good, using what we know. After extensively studying the downtown area logging quantitative and qualitative data, the four indicators that we found to have the most profound impacts on pedestrian life (both positive and negative) are: noise, light pollution, the presence of art, and the presence of overhead cover.

“If you have data and can sense what’s going on, you can make a change, and the system responds. That’s a true smart city.” Carlo Ratti

We took our data gathering and implementation a step further and allowed it to inform the program of our mixed use development. The need for spaces free of noise and light pollution, with ample shelter and opportunities for creative expression, lead us to create a building that acts as an extension of the public realm. Though its primary tenants are to be a flexible co-working space, rentable office spaces, and an art gallery, the building creates opportunities for public interaction and use, namely on the top and bottom floors–a cafe and observation deck, and a public food hall respectively.

The stair element connecting these two locales also serves as a public feature, creating opportunities for unparalleled panoramic views on one’s ascent, while also acting as a community gallery space.

SOUND

Noisy throughfare creates uninhabitable urban areas.

Slight amounts of noise prevents static urban settings.

LIGHT

High levels of glare, primarily from passing cars, creates an unpleasant pedestrian zone and residential area.

PRESENCE OF ART

Visual signs of artistic outlet contribute to vibrant urban street life.

OVERHEAD COVER

Physical presence overhead lessens the feeling of exposure to the elements, and promotes pedestrian traffic.

ENVIRONMENTAL

SOCIAL

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PUBLIC FOOD HALL 6 vendors, seating, access GROUND FLOOR public : PUBLIC FOOD HALL 6 vendors, seating, public access 4900 square 4900 squarefeet feet

GROUND FLOOR :

LEVEL 1 : CO-WORKING SPACE 7 small units, open office, 2 balconies 6400 square feet

: CO-WORKING SPACE 7 small units, open office,OFFICE 2 balconies LEVEL 2 : RENTABLE SPACE large units, 2 balconies 6400 6square 6400 squarefeet feet

LEVEL 1

LEVEL 3 : ART GALLERY art exhibitions, artist receptions

4900 square feet : RENTABLE OFFICE SPACE LEVEL24balconies : BAR/CAFE 6 large units, seating, balcony, river views 2500 squarefeet feet 6400 square

LEVEL 2

4900

LEVEL 3 : ART GALLERY art exhibitions, artist receptions 4900 square feet LEVEL 4 : BAR/CAFE seating, balcony, river views 2500 square feet PROGRAM

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RYAN AL-SC HAMMA_UNDER GR A D P ORTFOL IO_ 2019

N

SITE PLAN 1/16” - 1’0”

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RYAN AL-SC HAMMA_UNDER GR A D P ORTFOL IO_ 2019

DESIGN DECISIONS

Pixel’s form is derived solely from the programmatic, environmental and climatic needs of its site. The architecture of the building is developed on a 10’ by 10’ grid, within a 20’ by 20’ structural grid, to form an 80’ by 80’ (by five story) mass. 10’ x 10’ parcels are subtracted from the grid in response to the climatic and environmental needs of the site, and the building’s program to create lightwells, balconies and roof garden spaces. An eccentric stair winds around the building to connect the ground floor dining hall with the rooftop lounge and observation deck, acting as a community gallery and circulation to open the roof to the public.

The stair also provides additional solar shading where it is needed most, and unparalleled views. Operable shading devices are then added to the most exposed faces of the building to mitigate glare from the sun and cars, as well as being a noise buffer.

cube mass with road

subtraction at base for weather shelter and building access

wrap eccentric stair around building to provide access to roof deck and creates shade

subtraction at north side increasing daylight, and access to rooftop observation deck

subtractions for balcony spaces

subtractions above certain balconies for increased daylight

add operable screens for glare and noise control

final form

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RYAN AL-SC HAMMA_UNDER GR A D P ORTFOL IO_ 2019

URBAN EXTENSION

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The urban vitality of Springfield is the lifeblood of Pixel. In order to create a new urban core for Springfield, and thus revitalize its urban setting, Pixel creates opportunities for pedestrian interaction not only outside of the building, but also within it.

Food Hall (Ground Level) Designating the ground floor of this mixed use development to be a public food hall alongside the lobby with access to the offices allows for a seamless transition between the street and the dining hall. An easily accessbile and central food hall will attract people at all times of the day to the development, not only from the upstairs offices, but also from around the city. With views out over the Island Park and the Willamette River, as well as outdoor covered seating in the plaza facing downtown Springfield, the dining hall will be a no-brainer decision for people around lunch time, and those looking for a mellow happy hour after work.

Observation Deck + Lounge (Roof Level) The rooftop lounge (cafe-bar) and observation deck on Pixel’s roof level creates opportunities for people to revel in the lush scenery over the Willamette Valley, acting as a local hangout spot as well as a new tourist attraction and city icon. The roofdeck acts as an extension of the public realm to a more scenic elevation.

Eccentric Public Stair The connection of the food hall to the rooftop level via an eccentric public stair winding around the building is an effort to not only create a forum for community art, but also for public notices and a gathering space within the stair, allowing city residents to personalize the space and make the building their own. Shade provided by the 10’ cantilevering stair will also create covered outdoor space.

Landscape Features Along with the architectural manifestations of creating pedestrian spaces in the building, accomodations have been designed in the landscaping to create common spaces. Raised planters serve as bike racks and public seating, while also using its shrubbery to provide shade and noise diffusion. Several large graffiti walls will act as sound barriers as well as create opportunities for an artistic outlet.

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RYAN AL-SC HAMMA_UNDER GR A D P ORTFOL IO_ 2019

STRUCTURE

The 80’ by 80’ by 5 story structure is organized in 16 20’ by 20’ structural bays per floor, which regulates the 10’ by 10’ architectural grid–enabling the building’s pixelated and cascading form. The structural system of the building is composed of: 10’ wide CLT panel shear walls (1’ thick), glulam columns and beams, and 10’ wide CLT panel floorplates running perpendicular to the floor below’s beam direction. Certain floorplates cantilever 10’ beyond the building envelope to create a landing to support the prefabricated steel stair. This requires that those floorplates have at least a 30’ backspan in order to avoid deflection, and so CLT floorplates have to be arranged strategically to create a balanced structural system. On top of being supported by the floorplate below it as a landing, the prefabricated steel stair segments are trussed such as to be self supporting, with steel tubes supporting the length of the stair below.

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59 floorplates (orientation considered)

columns + Shear walls

beams (orientation considered)

ryan-al-schamma

ryanalschammaphotography.wordpress.com

ralschamma.14@gmail.com