RYAN SAKS
Columbia University GSAPP Class of 2026
Master of Architecture
Lehigh University Class of 2022
5-year Arts-Engineering Dual Degree Program
B.A. Architecture, B.S. Civil Engineering
TABLE OF CONTENTS 01 Intervening at the Forum Core I Studio 02 University Heights Core II Studio, In Progress 03 Questioning the Foundation Core I Studio 4-8 Undergraduate Works Studio and Technology 09 Leaf Pavilion Personal Project 10 Photography Personal Project
2020 2010 2000 1990 1980 1970 1960 1950 1940 1930 1920 1910 1900 1890 1880 1870 2020 2010 2000 1990 1980 1970 1960 1950 1940 1930 1920 1910 1900 1890 1880 1870 Year Acquired Mapped to Foundation Depth
HOSTILE VISUAL SIGNIFIERS
Columbia is currently building their new 17 acre Manhattanville Campus right up the road from the main campus. As the self proclaimed “gateway to the community,” the Forum sits at the corner of 125th Street and Broadway. The ground floor is open to the public, but a community member would have no sense of this as all entrances have a key card swipe access device (which are not active), and there are 22 exterior cameras and 21 interior cameras on the ground floor. These elements signify distrust to passersby.
THE INTERVENTION
The Forum requires a radical change in function and its physical manifestations because it is not connecting the University to the surrounding community as it is intended. I propose that it be drastically altered through deconstructing the physical building and collecting those parts to form a material library as the new program. It must function like a traditional library with no monetary transactions and the materials in place of books to open a reciprocal relationship within the community.
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Entrance Vestibule
Maker Space
Outdoor Gathering Area
Inventory Exhibition
Resource Library
Pulley System
Pickup Road Access
Support & Consultation
Mixed Used Open Floor
Workshop & Classroom
Repair Shop
Auditorium
Open Inventory Storage
Closed Inventory Storage
Open to Below
Admin
THE FLOW OF INVENTORY
The primary method of flow and storage for the inventory is the mobile tracks on the second and third floor that house the largest items, the deconstructed curtain wall panels. The rest of the items (ex. furniture, carpet, drywall) are stored in the open floor plan where visitors are allowed and encouraged to browse the collection.
Inventory Storage
User Paths of Travel
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
12 4 2 1 3 6 5 7 9 10 8 3 6 6 16 15 13 14 11 13 13 Exploded Isometric, Floor Plans
02 Core Studio II, Spring 2024, In Progress
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, NEWARK
DAMAGE
In the 1960s, an urban renewal project headed by Mayor Hugh Addonizio announced that the neighborhood now called University Heights would be demolished and replaced by the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry. In 1961 and 1967, the use of eminent domain would displace a total of 7,627 people from this predominantly residential neighborhood. Of the 925 displaced families, 76% were of color. The university campus occupies 140 acres of which is 80% empty space and surface parking.
This is the beginning of a semester long research project on the lost architecture and community of this neighborhood which is shown in red overlaid upon the current infrastructure.
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Site Plan
L Mottilla James Reddick John S Rega Matilda Schadel Charles J Coleman Ethel Daniels Arthur Gamba Vito Gamba Robert Johnson Leroy Pryor Thomas M Ball Fred King David Mills Edward Gilmore Hosea Jackson Benjamin Sanders Boyd Wells Henry E Adams Leroy Potter C E Day Morris Isacoff Charles E Day Robert Etheridge Arthur P Lyness Martha P Ott Rose Brodders E B Deloatch Gertrude Hawkins Guy Derricott Willa Maeellis Nancy Graham G Hawkins George Morris Doris Smith Arthur White E Fortney A L Criss A L Driss Ercelle Jackson J E Thompson Earl Brown Augustus Dawson Cleveland Gardner Charles Walton Jesse Anderson Ernest Cannady John Robinson Willie Tomson Viola Winkey Stella Mccloud Leoni D Brinew Viola Brown Rose M Jones Biagio Messineo Dorothy Taylor Robert Marlin R W O’bryant J Thornton William Bennett Bernard Gunner Edison Mcdonald Maceo Simms William Curvin Robert Lasure Jimmie Cooper Theresa Jefferson Robert L Neal Lulu Reed Carrie Mcmillian 123 121 119 117 115 113 111 109 107 105 103 101 99 97 95 93 91 89 87 85 83 246 130 132 134 138 142 144 150 152 156 158 160 Dorsey Burks Robery Dawsey Joseph Herbert Dennis Stevenson Mitchell Vandyne C L Williams R E Wright Betty G Ogburn Morris Wilson Booker Bryan C Byran Lecara Harvey T Hightower Emma Diggs Florence Jackson Elijah Loew William Loew Floyd C Morgan Charles Oulds Lenore Gilmore Othar Greene Carrie Portorfield Lenore Williams Joseph Young David Garry E Johnson Lee Bascomb Leroy Green William Jones Mary Washington Larry M Baker Charles Braxton Bessie Gainer Mary Lee Benjamin Shipman Charles M Thomas Doshie Bell John Esposito Prospero Pavia Charles E Watson Orlando Jones Bessie Mason William O Rodgers Essie Mcrae Mattie Mcrae 418 90 92 94 96 98 102 108 112 116 118 120 126 Joseph Flanagan Mary Healey Elijah Lilly John Manochio John J Moore William Moore Susan Sommerock Lawrence E Nolan Elizabeth Griffiths Columbus Harper Anna M Harper Thomas J Seib H Nolan John Cosman Anna Gainer F Walker Adolph Wright Docia Wright M M Dixon E Marshall F Mcfarlin L William C Willis C Barney Wallace Bishop Elizabeth Rielly T P Mcglade Barbara Miller E Rhodes M E Kane John W Minitee Sylvester Smith Pearl Carter David Dudley Harry H Hayward Jesse Mcneill David Person Chas Plumb Curtis Smith Lee Thompson Eula Hall Essie Lee Harris Will Washington V G Evans Dora Battle Mabel Camans N W Crensaw W W Cuttino Mary Davis Savannah Diggs Berlean Gardner Lulu Jordan C J Miller Frank Peyton Otis Russ Joseph W Mccray Vernell Mccray Joseph C Towe Herbert T Higgins Pearce Miller Edna Niezgody Eugene J Quinn Percy Wilson 215 101 99 97 93 91 89 87 85 83 81 79 77 75 73 71 Sally Brown Mary E Beverly Carrie Pinckney L M Redding J R Stevenson Earl Turner William Turner W R Arlington E C Gray Fletcher Gray Mattie Bronson Paris Gregory B Mitchell Walter Sanders, Catherine Squire Mary E Wynn, Irene Steele P Stevenson Mabel Johnson M Baumgardner James Bullock John Edmonds C Hoskins Lucy Jennifer F Robinson James Elder Henry Hinton Leroy Hinton G Kershaw W D Saunders Mary Dixon Charles Brinoli Irene Horn Lawrence Patterson Joseph Pellegrino Antonio Troiano Samuel Cutrone Tikia Gollis Irene Mueller Eliza Beal M Wyckoff James Cooper Edward Lee Peter Little George Towler Nathan T West Michael Weston Richmond Bryant Julies Flemming Clarence Fowlkes Rose Toyer Charles White R A Dantzler Frank A Cifelli Michael Cifelli Dennis Ryan Jessie Ryan Alfonso Clyburn Bamma Gaston Maceo Pringle George Sheffield Clyde P Cogdell Anderson Coleman Jessie Easterling William Hill William Hughes Hubert Mccloud Willie Roberson John Roberts Allen T Smith L Smith Jacob Brodus Lucille Brown Rov Furbanks Annie C Holt Amos Johnson Amos Jr. Johnson Williams Smith Physical Model with Last Known Tenants Before Demolition RYAN SAKS 7 E. HUNTERDON W. HUNTERDON W. BRUCE W. BERGEN
03 Core Studio I, Fall 2023
QUESTIONING THE FOUNDATION
REVSON PLAZA BRIDGE
Completed in 1964, Revson Plaza Bridge at face value appears to serve the purpose of a passageway from Columbia’s main campus to the East campus just across Amsterdam Ave. Many questions consumed my research of the true purpose and realized function of this built work.
CONCRETE IN COLUMNS = 6440 ft 3
WHY are the concrete columns so massive? Why are there so many columns? Why are they so closely spaced?
It is a pedestrian only bridge, the largest load is its self weight. The excessive column size and frequency from short spans must have been a conscious choice.
WHY do you need to enter the campus in order to cross the bridge?
If approached from the public street, one must significantly elongate the path of travel in order to cross the bridge as you need to enter campus to reach the entry stairs. If one approached from the inside as one would if a part of the University, it is very accessible.
WHY are there two crosswalks directly adjacent to the bridge if they serve the same purpose?
Using the bridge is not necessary to get from one campus to the other.
Concrete Bridge East Campus Buildings Built prior to East Campus and remains Demolished for the East Campus
RYAN SAKS 8 Elevation
Through Time
19'-6" 18'-0"
EXPANSION
The East Campus and bridge were Columbia’s first major expansion since moving to the Upper West Side. The expansion required demolition of 18 small academic buildings and 7 apartment buildings. Notably, 117th street between Amsterdam Ave. and Morningside Dr. was removed from the New York City grid.
RYAN SAKS 9 Site Plan
Revson Plaza is an unnecessary built work for its function of passage between campuses, therefore the principle purpose becomes exclusion and elevating the University from the community around it. The choice of concrete as a building material that lasts for decades becomes the burden of the “outsiders.”
RYAN SAKS 10 East Campus Gate
1981
Erected:
Completed: 1964 Chapel Gate Erected: 1967 Barnard Main Gate
1920 Earl Hall Gate
1916 119th Gate
1969
Revson Plaza
Erected:
Erected:
Erected:
Noise Visualization Diagram
Section of the Upper West Side and Harlem
04 Advanced Studio I, Fall 2021
ETYMOLOGICAL COLLISIONS
NINE INSTITUTIONS
What happens when you strip a classification of space to the most basic definition, remove unnecessary connotations, and break it down until you are left with only the most basic architectural elements needed to foster its purpose?
Here, I have defined nine “institutions” that classify important spaces in our society by their core essence, etymology, and my personal experience. In each building block, everything serves its definition, becoming the minimum elements needed to fall within that class of space.
HOUSE
A place for fostering communication and gathering
TEMPLE
STREET
A transitional space characterized by fluidity, not a destination
GALLERY
A covered passageway for shelter from natural elements
A place of appreciation for the natural world
HOSPITAL
A place for healing both the mind and the body
SCHOOL
A place for discussion and instruction
MARKET
GARDEN
A place of sanctuary from the outside world
A place for reciprocal giving and receiving
REFUGE
A place removed from the outside world to provide safety
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Temple
School
Gallery Market
Stairs
Street Facades
Street Slab
HIERARCHY OF SPACE
It was very clear from the start that I was going to create my form derived from a hierarchy of space based on how the user would move throughout the structure. At the base of the model is the street. Users are able to approach from all sides and are given a multitude of paths to take. The users are not obligated to stay and are free to pass through to the other side as the street is characterized by fluidity. If a user chooses to go up, they are to use one of two main staircases that take them to the gallery. The covered gallery is a central node of movement and allows the user access to all secondary spaces. From there, the user can travel down to the market, outward to the school, or up to the garden. Lastly, the temple is only accessible from the street as it needs to reside separately at the top of the hierarchy. The procession of ascending to the temple, entering through a small void, and then arriving at the open space above allows the user to feel peace and foster appreciation upon arrival.
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Garden
Plan Oblique with Materials & Shadows
CLAIMING BACK THE STREET
The principal concept behind this model was the ascension of the user from the street to the other eight institutions. They can either pass through or continue to explore the space. The street design is similar to an Italian Piazza where there are many entry and exit points that are not aligned for a linear flow through the space. The street is to be carved how the user sees fit. The multitude of threshold choices and columns that cut up the space allow for a flow of movement to take shape and the street to carry out its purpose. Here the user can claim agency in what they want from the architectural landscape.
STREET
= A transitional space characterized by fluidity, not a destination
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Main Street Access Point, Final Foam Board Model
Congregating Area , Final Foam Board Model
Section View , Final Foam Board Model
COLLISIONAL FORM
Here is the final foam board model. It is a cropped view of the computer based model on page 3 with orange poché to designate where the section planes lie. This cropping was specifically chosen to highlight the plentiful number of paths to move throughout the street.
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Foam Board Model, 3’
4’
Final
x
x 2.5’
05 Introductory Studio, Fall 2019
REPETITION
When constrained to maintaining the chosen plan view (2” x 2” block), what forms can be explored in the layers hidden underneath? The chipboard model is based on the beauty and promise of a concrete structure in the midst of construction when only the columns and floor slabs have been erected. The final model expands the language of the blocks to escape the original constraints and dive deeper into the possibilities of what can be hidden underneath.
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2” x 2” Block
Basic Building Blocks, Rhino Isometric Projection
BlockA
Final Model
8” x 8” x 8” Chipboard Model BlockB
06 Architecture Technology II, Spring 2021
RULED SURFACE
When faced with a research project on a small influential precedent of architecture, the civil engineer in me was captivated. I needed to pick the one option that I did not understand. The Iglesia de Cristo Obrero is revolutionary in its masonry structural forms, some of which were invented for this project by Eladio Dieste, the engineer and architect.
My fascination on how this structure stood drove my exploration. I examined the statics that allowed the Gaussian vaults to span such large distances, the transfer of forces from the vaults to the curved wall, and the construction of the ruled surface wall.
Load Pattern & Internal Forces Diagram, Short Axis Section
Load Pattern & Internal Forces Diagram, Long Axis Section
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Internal Forces Visualization, Picture by Rafael Oliveira
Load Pattern & Internal Forces Diagram, Plan Oblique Ruled Surface Concept Diagram, Isometric Projection Internal Forces External Forces 01 5 15 0 5 15 0 5 15 30 01 5
My final project was a dive into the construction of the ruled surface through a scaled model of the wall. The actual wall was constructed in a series of steps to ensure that it was made structurally sound and with the intended curvature. The wires that guided the curvature of the wall were removed after construction and it was no longer possible through observation to understand how to perfectly build the smooth shape
The model is meant to provide other curious minds with the knowledge of how to successfully build a ruled surface like the one in the Iglesia de Cristo Obrero.
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Close Up Elevation View, Miniature Brick Model
Ruled Surface Miniature Brick Model, 12” diameter
07 Intermediate Studio, Spring 2020
FILMMAKER’S RESIDENCE
STUDY OF MOVEMENT
What is architecture when looking at it through the lens of film? This is a recreation of the movie set from a short clip of the film Contempt. With cinematography, a simple architectural plan becomes dynamic through the panning and tracking of the camera as shown through the visual scopes (1), the duration an element of the set is visible (2), and the narrative of the characters we watch (3).
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Floor Plan of Contempt Cinema Set Contempt Clips 1-14 Visual Cone Woman’s Path 5’ 1’ 1” 6” Women’s Path Man’s Path Visual Cone Scale: 3/16” = 1’ Man’s Path 5’ 1’ 1” 6” Women’s Path Man’s Path Visual Cone Scale: 3/16” = 1’ 0 1 5 15 1 2 3 + + # Of Times in Visual Scope 0 5’ 1’ 1” 6 1 2 3 4 5 7 Number of Times in Visual Scope 6” Women’s Path Man’s Path Visual Cone Scale: 3/16” = 1’ 12345678
Rotation & Wall Intersection Hatch
REVERSED PERSPECTIVE
What happens when the role of the camera and the set are reversed? Here, I have depicted the camera as stationary and always pointing north as the Contempt movie set rotates around that singular point. I picked 14 important moments from the clip that showed me more about the set design and extracted an important piece of the wall. These 14 pieces on the left were used to make the four unique modules on the right.
RYAN SAKS 19 + + + + + + + + + +
Process for Creating Each Module from Respective Scene Pieces
0 1 5 15
Modules for Scenes 1-4, 5-8, 9-11, 12-14 (from the top)
CONCEPTUALIZING IN PLAN
The modules were to be used like legos. I experimented with many versions of stacking and rotating these modules until discovering this basic plan. I saw the possibility of activating the central opening between the modules as a space defined by the geometry and it only existed in one plane through the geometric relationship. Another aspect that drew me to this layout was the flow through negative space on the ground level that I envisioned activating.
Y1 Y2 Y3 X1 X2 X3 X4 X5 X6 X7 X8 Y4 Y4 Y3 Y2 Y1 X2 X3 X4 X5 X6 X7 X1 X8 RYAN SAKS 20
Link Between
Final Floor Plan Roof 2nd Floor 1st Floor
Reoriented Modules Conceptual Floor Plan of Stacked Modules
Modules &
CONCEPTUALIZING IN PLAN
I was to design a filmmaker’s house with a movie screen (14), workspace (2), and exhibition space. This residence is centered on an experience: watching a film and going through the filmmaker’s story. You enter the home by descending from the front door into the hallway (1) with the huge ceiling window (15) above allowing you to have a clear view of the upstairs where the film experience occurs. The projection wall is visible through the windows from the entry hall (1) and dining room (3) as well.
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1 Entrance/Foyer 2 Workspace 3 Dining Room 4 Kitchen 5 Bathroom 6 Living Room 7 Patio 8 Master Bedroom 9 Closet 10 Small Mezzanine 11 Hall of Fame 12 Terrace 13 Large Mezzanine 14 Projection Wall 15 Ceiling Window Section A-A 0 1 5 15 0 1 5 15 0 5 15 7 A A 1 1 2 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 5 9 10 11 11 5 11 12 13 14 15 First Floor Overall Plan Second Floor Overall Plan Open to below
FILMMAKERS RESIDENCE
Guests to the filmmaker’s small screenings would go up the stairs and arrive at the Hall of Fame (11), an area that has short clips projected on the walls as you are guided through and around the bend. Then guests go to either of the mezzanines (10 or 13) where they get their first unobstructed view of the projection wall that extends out from the dwelling. The entire upstairs architectural landscape is curated for telling their story and seeing the projection wall.
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Perspective, Final Model
Detail View of Large Mezzanine & Projection Wall (right)
Detail View of Ceiling Window & Main Hallway
08 Advanced Studio II, Spring 2022
MUSEUM EXPLORATION
THE
ATRIUM
In my museum, providing agency in user experience was the most important factor when formulating this design project. I wanted users to be able to choose which of the four unique spaces they wanted to experience, in what order, and at what pace. The openness of choices available upon entry presents the user with clear agency to navigate, and they know they are not being herded along an invisible line from entry to exit like sheep.
RYAN SAKS 23 Atrium, Perspective View Entry as Seen from the Street, Perspective View
FLOOR PLANS
The museum has four main exhibits based on light exposure: plentiful (4), controlled (7), dark (9), and outdoor (10). Between these experiences, I have created passageways through balconies, ramps, and staircases that pass through to the atrium. The ground floor is the beginning of the “network” experience where the user is presented with the education center, four staircases, and implied spaces framed by the columns upon entry.
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Ground Floor Plan Second Floor Plan Fourth Floor Plan Third Floor Plan Fifth Floor Plan 1 Check In 2 Education 3 Atrium 4 Plentiful Light Exhibit 5 Balcony 6 Main Balcony 7 Controlled Light Exhibit 8 Hall of Fame 9 Theater Exhibit 10 Roof Sculptor Garden 1 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 5 5 5 5 6 5 7 4 5 6 5 8 9 10 10 6 5 0 5 15 0 5 15 0 5 15 0 5 15 0 5 15 A A
USER EXPERIENCE
A fault in providing too many choices in a museum can lead to confusion by the architectural landscape and feeling as if one has missed a part of the experience. I was careful with the paths provided to the user so that all key nodes are visible while the user is in the atrium gazing upon the maze of stairs. In addition, I provided one clear main path that traverses all four exhibit experiences and the central balcony.
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Section A-A, Isometric Projection
Personal Project, Fall 2022
LEAF PAVILION
How can the built environment in Lehigh University’s architecture studio space be changed to improve student’s mental health and foster inclusivity? With this personal project, I explored an architectural addition to the main studio space at Lehigh that would solve many shortcomings. The industrial space was minimizing with its huge bay ceilings and sterile feeling environment. There is no comfortable space for students to claim as their own while spending the majority of their education in a warehouse.
RYAN SAKS 26 Minor Axis Elevation 0 1 5 15 0 1 5 15 Major Axis Elevation Perspective View, Final Model
09
The pavilion is based on a leaf. The roof structure becomes a canopy and restores a sense of belonging in a quaint space designated for our student community. Through the material choice of wood and the organic form of a leaf, nature and its positive effects on mental health have been introduced into the space. Most importantly, the structure is taller than the current space dividers, so it is visible to all studio classes in C3. It is a beacon of community and better health.
RYAN SAKS 27 Pavilion Location in C3 Building C, Isometric Projection
TensionSteelCables SecondaryStructuralFrame PrimaryStructuralFrame Axonometric of Leaf Canopy Plan View *Wall dimensions provided by AAD. All other surveying conducted by myself* 0 1 5 15 0 1 5 15 0 15 50
LightweightFabric
10 Personal Project, 2019-2022
PHOTOGRAPHY
POWER OF VANTAGE POINT
If I am known for one thing, it is having my camera with me at all times. Because of this, I get the opportunity to capture many beautiful moments, but I also strive to capture the world with intention. This is a series of unique vantage points and perspectives. From these photographic framing choices such as the straining figures within the iron gate (3) and the oculus just being cut off to show the Pantheon’s dwarfing effect (2), I hope to allow the viewer to be transported to how it felt to be in that moment.
1 - “When will you realize? Vienna waits for you”
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2 - Enlightenment
5
3 - Tension Within
4
- Just out of Reach
- Only Time can Unearth
STOLEN MOMENTS
With portraiture, I aim to capture surreal moments for my subjects. I capture honesty in their experience of introspection like my father taking in the beauty of the Rocky Mountains (4), or the cellist in Vicenza who became so lost in his performance, he forgot I had asked to take his photo (1). My favorite image in this series is of the man meditating on the beach as we both appreciated one of the last warm days in November (5).
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2 - Awakening Through Serenity
1 - Seized by the Rhythm
3 - Capturing the Fleeting
4 - Sublime Humility
5 - Escorted by Daydreams
