RYAN GILES / / 2010 M. ARCH CANDIDATE
>> design
Design does not exist within a vacuum. Nothing that is created can or should stand alone. Every decision, every iteration is a result of a complex and ever-extending network of reasons, causes, and contextual frameworks, the sum of which adding up to a whole that can address a myriad of issues that its individual components cannot. Design is more about the process than the result; while the finished work is an end goal, it is also merely a small module of what it takes to fully understand a project. This portfolio is in itself a process, a small snapshot of a larger exploration into understanding architecture. Each piece is not meant to be considered as an individual, polished object, but rather a raw, energetic and critical moment in a larger pursuit - the process of design. Ryan Giles
M. Arch. Candidate
academic work 2006 - 2009
spatial excavation ug1
fall 2008
>> carve
How does one establish form? Is it built up as the sum of individual parts or can it be subtractive from a pre-existing mass? What are the tools that designers have at their disposal in order to establish a common language, a conceptual framework, a physical and intellectual superstructure with which we define and articulate space? There is no absolute correct method for this establishment of the space. Because of this, it becomes both necessary and critical to maintain a conciousness and a desire to explore the various methods with which space can be defined.
Ryan Giles ug1
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2008
contextual formalism ug2
winter 2009
>> process
One of the most dynamic aspects of architectural expression lies in its capacity to successfully negotiate a balance between the internal needs of a space and its relation to its urban context. Perhaps even more interesting than this balance is the limitless number of paths a designer can take to forge it. What contextual cues are integral to the proliferation of a project and which ones can be circumvented? How does each iteration force the designer to rethink his or her strategy by exploring the constant ebb and flow of the symbiotic relationship between form and concept?
>> about
This project’s focus was to design a community center that both formally and programmatically responded to its site in downtown Detroit, MI. My design responded to visual and circulation paths at a larger urban scale at a formal level, while reshaping and reacting programmatically by arranging itself around an adapted circulation diagram following the same logic. Its overall form is meant to embrace and pull people in from the urban fabric. while maintaining its identity as an urban scale building. Ryan Giles ug2
M. Arch. Candidate winter 2009
GROUND PLAN
SECOND FLOOR - ATRIUM
PLANS SCALE
-
1/16” = 1’
RYAN GILES UG2 HARRIS
THIRD FLOOR - GYM
FOURTH FLOOR - TRACK / LABS
FIFTH FLOOR - LIBRARY / LECTURE HALL
1/2 FLOOR SPLIT
Ryan Giles ug2
M. Arch. Candidate winter 2009
TRANSVERSE SECTION
SECTIONS SCALE
-
1/16” = 1’
RYAN GILES UG2 HARRIS LONGITUDINAL SECTION
Ryan Giles ug2
M. Arch. Candidate winter 2009
urban instruction ug3
fall 2009
>> re-programming
Architecture is not merely the shaping and control of space; its reach can extend far beyond its own physical presence to act as commentary on deeply intertwined social and spatial conditions. A prime example of this in modern urbanism is the prevalent skyscraper condition. As examined by Koolhaas in his Downtown Athletic Club model, the skyscraper, in conjunction with the rise of the elevator as a primary means of circulation, led to a concept of layered programming, within which the occupant goes directly to the desired programmed space, while effectively ignoring the rest of the architectural experience of the space. Is this necessarily a good thing? In what ways can this model be tweaked to introduce greater programmatic overlap while maintaining continuity with the urban language that already exits?
LOGAN SQUARE - SITE PLAN
1� = 32’
>> about
This project’s focus was to design a large scale high school in a historic neighborhood that lies in close proximity to downtown Chicago. My design is meant to act as a commentary on the skyscraper condition through formal design, using a redistribution of form and consequentially program to create new physical and implied relationships across the space - essentially, a “sidescraper”. This internal openness is expressed in the external form as well by creating a traversable ramp over the entire structure, mirrored underneath by a large scale community plaza. Ryan Giles ug3
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2009
>> precedents
This semester’s studio was as much about dealing with the problem of bigness (in terms of Koolhaas’ large iconic forms versus Leon Krier’s approach of building up form using a “village” of modular forms) as dealing with the ambiguous dichotomy of public and private spaces in a large scale institution. An early exercise in formmaking was to examine a precedent project that exhibits a modular logic and explore ways to expand this logic to make a larger building. In this case, SANAA’s Moriyama House in Tokyo was expanded in the spirit of Krier’s village polemic in a number of iterations to explore the potentials of this logic as a form-making practice.
Ryan Giles ug3
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2009
Ryan Giles ug3
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2009
>> form reversal
The studio’s approach to the project’s design is unique in that, rather than starting with context and program, we started by an extensive exploration of form and adapting the generated forms to contextual and programmatic constraints. This led to a more diagrammatic approach as form became more refined over time.
Ryan Giles ug3
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2009
Ryan Giles ug3
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2009
plans
level 3 - classrooms + study space
level 6 - roof garden + complete ramp path
level 2 - lobby entry + bookstore/cafe
level 5 - cafeteria + classrooms + computer labs + gallery + study space
level 1 - lobby entry + ground public space + sports area
level 4 - auditorium + library + classrooms + study space
Ryan Giles ug3
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2009
transverse section - B
transverse section - C
tranverse section - D
transverse section - E
sections
transverse section - F
transverse section - G
transverse section - H
G F
I H
E B C
D
A longitudinal section - north
Ryan Giles ug3
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2009
Ryan Giles ug3
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2009
Ryan Giles ug3
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2009
Ryan Giles ug3
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2009
Ryan Giles ug3
M. Arch. Candidate fall 2009
outside work 2006 - 2009
reshaping style
hessel, MI
summer 2009
>> reinvention
Over the past summer I worked as intern doing some rendering work at Hessel On the Lake, a lakefront property in upper peninsula Michigan that the owner is trying to convert into condos due to its prime location and lake access. My role was to propose new designs to blend the disjointed styles of the various existing cabins in order to create a more unified aesthetic throughout the property. I also wanted to redesign selected units to better adapt to their orientation and maximize views and thermal comfort throughout the year.
UNIT 2
TAYLOR HOUSE UNIT 2 OFFERS A UNIQUE OPPURTUNITY, BASED ON ITS LOCATION NEAR THE BAY AS WELL AS ITS CURRENTLY UN-UTILIZED 35 FOOT HEIGHT LIMIT. THIS ALLOWS FOR THE ADDITIION OF A SECOND LEVEL, OFFERING A PANORAMIC AND BREATH-TAKING VIEW OF THE LAKE AS WELL AS ALLOWING PLENTY OF NATURAL LIGHT TO PEN ETRATE THE SPACE. THE DISPLAYED RENDERING ANGLES THE UPPER LEVEL IN RELATION TO THE GROUND FLOOR IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE THE AFTERNOON SUN FOR WARMTH AND COMFORT, WHILE COUNTERACTING ANY MORNING SUNLIGHT THAT COULD DIS TURB GUESTS DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. THE ADDITION ALSO GIVE THE UNIT A MORE HYBRIDIZED STYLE, BLENDING THE TRADITIONAL RANCH STYLE THAT IT EXHIBITS CURRENTLY WITH THE CHALET / A-FRAME STYLE POSSESSED BY BOTH UNIT 1 AND THE MAIN HOUSE. THIS ADDITION IDEALLY OFFERS THE OCCUPANTS A LARGER UPSTAIRS SPACE FOR RELAXATION AND ENTERTAINING; IT CREATES A FEELING OF PROXIMITY TO THE LAKEFRONT, WHILE MAINTING THE OVERALL PRIVACY OF THE BEDROOM AND BATHROOM AREAS TOWARDS THE NORTH END OF THE UNIT.
Ryan Giles hessel, MI
M. Arch. Candidate summer 2009