turceai h ZIMMERMAN
PORTFOLIO
think. design. challenge
[spells out front cover]
Today, I feel as if architecture has slipped from the ideal embrace of public support and scrutiny into a zone of uncertainty and quietness. The public forces a need for open plans that accommodate a variety of functions missing the raw beauty that is a perfectly designed, functional space. Architecture should not just be a grey space of mixable function, or “cookie-cutter” buildings stamped throughout cities and suburbs. Realizing this universal sentiment, I feel there are many opportunities for architects to embrace the needs of today without losing the beauty and clarity of good design. It seems as if customers have a construction document tossed in front of them, a, b or c for them to select. Positively, its trending that society wants sustainable design, but who is to do it within a “cookie-cutter” system? I have professors, whom I respect, that tell me that I will never be like Frank Lloyd Wright or Louis Kahn, but maybe it is not about being able to relate yourself to a famous designer. I feel it takes innovative thinking to be a great architect and there is a long list of architects known for just that. I can be one of those successful architects. The strength of the work done by America’s great architects is its innate ability to speak for itself. It is not important the name on the seal, but the success of the project. How can we fit design back into everyday life? Society is slowly coming around to realize architecture and the good an architect can do, and I want to help them along. As an architect we are called to be social beings, therefore, always putting society first in order to impact their lives. Creating architecture that is not temporary but lasts a lifetime, offering a true home to society. It is important to create architecture that is practical but also professes a desire to take on its own form. Some moves may be seen as risky in a world of simplified boxes filled with grey space. I want architecture that achieves sustainability to protect the built environment and make healthier the lives of a society while saving a person’s life that may need it along the way. I want to return architecture to the forefront of people’s lives and express to people that architecture is all around us and in everything we do. This impersonal design process only encourages the current disconnect between society and architecture.
Ryan Zimmerman
Education 2010 - 2013
Auburn University B.S Interior Architecture
2010 - present
Auburn University B.S Architecture
Skills Personal + Characteristics
hand modeling sketching hand drafting strong communication (verbal and written) leadership organizational skills research skills
Technology Contact Info Email: rkz0001@tigermail.auburn.edu Phone: 334.868.2365
AutoCAD Rhino4/5 Adobe Creative Suite Microsoft Office Suite SketchUp Ecotect Analysis Laser cutter
community education
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Wetumpka Meteor Impact Center
public space
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Castel Sant’Angelo Public Space
documentation
..............................................................13 Sketches and Photography: Study Abroad
social design Gee’s Bend, AL Trade School
healthcare
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..........................................................................29 Boston Specialty Children’s Hospital
community education
science and research center
studio: 2nd year project: Wetumpka Meteor Impact Center location: Wetumpka, AL
The purpose for this design is to enhance the public’s knowledge within the city of Wetumpka and state of Alabama about the 58th crater location and first ocean impact meteorite in the United States. With the moment of impact in mind, this design shows the process that occurs during impact: space, atmosphere, impact, explosion, and disbursement of the meteor.
exterior roof perspective
light entry diagram
exterior perspective of study model
Creating a research facility and public center for a community demanding national attention requires a clever and risky solution. The design incorporates the meteoritic impact sequence to derive the form of the science and research facility. As a person enters the building like a meteorite entering earth’s atmosphere. One, first descends into the front gathering space before being drawn into the narrowly growing entrance. One feels small and compressed into the entrance doors leading into darkness to the building, much like outerspace. One then begins to see “the light at the end of the tunnel” which is the main lobby. Entering the lobby there is an explosion of light and fantastic views of the horizon, much like entering the earth’s atmosphere on top of the earths horizon.
circulation diagram
The meteorites entrance givesway to the form of an exploding and rotating pavillion for the research center.
Second Floor 1. Temorary Exhibit (continued) 2. Mechanical 3. Black Box 4. Permanent Exhibit
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First Floor 1. Entry 2. Research 3. Classroom 4. Office 5. Rest room 6. Lobby/Ticketing 7. Kitchen 8. Cafe 9. Temperory Exhibit 10. Gathering 11. Event Space 12. Event Entrance
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SC: 1’ = 1/16”
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entry elevation
main lobby perspective
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southwest eleva
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ation
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lower gallery perspective
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public space
studio: 3rd year project: Castel Sant’Angelo Public Space location: Rome, Italy
urban development strategies
“these travels are intended to challenge our students and faculty to test their ideas and knowledge of environmental design and planning against the realities of varied contexts and, in the process, expand their understanding of the nature of their varied disciplines and their effect on human experience.� -CADC, Auburn University
The images to the right are hand-drawn renderings for the Castel Sant Angelo public space design proposal. I wanted to provide a public gathering space that would also function as a touristic destination to admire Castel Sant Angelo and Ponte Sant Angelo from angles and views that someone would normally be able to view. It was important in the design for people to want to slow down when viewing the city and be invited to sit in order to recollect upon the eternal city.
Through studying Castel Sant Angelo I have an understanding of the basic environment of Rome much better than I previously assumed. Rome appears to have insufficient piazza spaces within the city center and people need public spaces for gathering. I found that empty piazzas to the right and left of Castel Sant Angelo could be used solely for public rest and be free of vehicular traffic.
I want to cut through the river walls and replace sections on them in these specific locations with steps, much like the Spanish steps.This intervention will provide a direct connection with the river and provide pedestrians with the privilege of accessing the river more frequently and view the city on a different level, a level in which the city was originally built. Included in the proposed design is an amphitheater [left] that will have views onto Ponte Sant Angelo as a back drop for performances. Restaurants [right] and boat rentals with views onto the Tiber River will also be proposed to utilize more forms of tourism.
documentation sketches and photography
studio: 3rd year poject: documentation location: Rome, Italy
While participating in the study abroad program we were required to sketch, draw and photograph as much as we were able to. Documenting our travels whether its through means of sketching or photography allows for a deeper understanding of the process and make-up of our innate world. Through the use of my pencil, light strokes, heavy strokes, discovering the radius of a curve to form the perfect structural arch to support a thousand year old structure into my sketch pad. Capturing the right angle and exposure to perfectly preserve an innate structure was a challenge as well.
The postcard assignment [example pictured above] was assigned in order to develop a true understanding of “capturing the moment.�We had to truly diagnose a scene while we were traveling or walking around daily and capture it. The theory behind the postcard is that every image tells a story. The image above was captured on a snowy day in Rome. Rome had not truly seen snow for 26 years and capturing snow falling in front of one of the worlds oldest man made structures was once in a lifetime.I love the photo because of its contrasting elements of the pure white snow against the grey,monolithic 2000 year old Pantheon.
exterior roof perspective
exterior roof perspective
Pictured to the right is a sketch of the Santa Maria di Montesanto which is one of two churches at Piazza Del Popolo. I chose to leave out the detail in the sketch of this church because it was similar to my first sketch of the right church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli. The premise of this sketch was to compare the two churches with their individual plans, expressing that one church plan is an oval and the other is circular [pictured right].
Santa Maria di Montesanto [pictured left] as well as, Santa Maria di Montesanto [pictured, far left] were both designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and completed by Carlo Fontana.
sketches
The sketches to the left and right are two of my favorite personal sketches. I chose to show these to recreate my line of thought while touring Francesco Borromini’s San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (San Carlino) and Sant’ Ivo alla Sapienza. Documenting the plan first and then the section on top allowed me to carry the lines from plan to section. Seeing the actual plan helped me to recreate an original plan to try and better understand the geometries and to try and relive what the architect intended the form to express. I found the most prominent ideas to be expressed were the idea of space and light. The space was captured as one enters the church and light would guide you to the various important features of the church. Both of these concepts can be applied to both churches.
social design
studio: 3rd year project: Gee’s Bend Vocational school location: Gee’s Bend, AL
developing skills and outreach
There is a statewide initiative to revitalize and explore the rural communities in Alabama and with much debate the location Boykin, AL also, known as Gee’s Bend. Gee’s Bend is a small community, of about 700 residents, located on a peninsula in a band of the Alabama River in the southwest region of Alabama. Though isolated geographically, it is a place of extraordinary social and cultural history that began with farming the rich soil of the Black Belt region.
This project addresses innovative and sustainable design initiatives and activities that aim to improve the social, economic, and cultural conditions of the under served Gee’s Bend, AL community. Research will focus on the investigation of how important human, cultural, historic and natural heritage in the rural area can be linked to educational travel and service learning. The vocational practices that will be encouraged are computer technology, automotive design, mechanical tech, welding and basic construction tech.
exploded axon The concept was to create a design that renovated the existing structure while upgrading and expanding the building’s main features to make it usable in the functions of a vocational school. Creating a sustainable building was important and in part was to keep as much of the existing building as possible. Use passive design techniques were implemented into the design to reduce as much of the heating and cooling loads as possible. Creating a multi-purpose building will create flexible spaces that will prevent wasted energy consumption when out of use. Heavy emphasis will also be placed in the proper material selection to increase building efficiency while visually expressing the new and pre-existing spaces.
original building
repurposed building
courtyard access diagram
In response to the location and needs of this rural perverse town, we have been asked to design and implement a strategy that will revitalize and stimulate the economy of Gee’s Bend (Boykin), AL. The proposed design to the problem is to establish a voc ational sc hool in t h e sa m e l oc a tion a s th e e xis ting abandoned Boykin S c hool.
circulation diagram
healthcare
studio: 4th year project: Boston Specialty Children’s Hospital location: Boston, MA
specializing in the community Boston Children’s Specialty Hospital (BCSH) collaborates with innovation and contemporary practices in the field of medicine. The design incorporates new medical, administrative and clinical staff innovations to create efficiency, innovative planning solutions with flexibility to adapt to various specialty care model choices. The idea of natural daylight as a healing element is emphasized heavily in the design. Vertical stacking reduces horizontal traveling for medical and support staff Circulation has been selected to be exposed on the first four floors, which are heavily staff influenced. The idea is to encourage more daily use of the greenway park and so that the hospital circulation will be viewed from the park. The top four floors will be centralized circulation except for the family rooms and children play rooms. Views of the city, natural sunlight, and patient visibility are optimized in the patient unit layout. Invasive procedures such as the surgical suites, radiology, in/ out care are collocated for efficient prep and recovery service.
Flexible children’s inpatient care units are grouped in expandable modular units to vibe and flow with daily needs. Inpatient units are decentrally staffed as intimate clusters but each floor accommodates a different number. The configuration of the inpatient units are similar but the top two floors differ from the two floors below that slightly change to accommodate a more flexible bed with family, faculty, stuff support areas and maximum natural daylight entry.
exterior roof perspective
exterior roof perspective
thank you.
think. design. challenge