PORTFOLIO
TABLE OF
CONTENTS GREEN URBANISM 2016 ADVANCED STUDIO CONTENT AND CONTAINER 2015 ADVANCED STUDIO ANALYSIS:CASA DE MUSICA by REM KOOLHAUS 2014 CORE STUDIO MATERIAL EXPLORATIONS :CONCRETE 2015 ADVANCED STUDIO URBAN DESIGN 2014 CORE STUDIO REDESIGNING AMTRACK STATION PVD 2014 CORE STUDIO: ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN 2013 CORE STUDIO :PROJECTIONS ST. JOHNS VOCATIONAL SCHOOl :SRILANKA 2015 GRADUATE SEMINAR
Green Urbanism:Biodegradeble Farm
Green Urbanism: This studio was one the most recent classes I took.The title in itself made it seem like a sustainable design studio hence I participated when given to pick a class. However on reading the syllabus I understood the true meaning of this course: To envision a new future for our particular city. To point out it faults and embrace them, enable change within a our own city, not small change, but radical change one that, would inspire us to live more sustainably. As a result I explored Providence. I went on numerous walks all around the city, and the one discovery that remained the same during all my excursions was the emptiness within the city , the emptiness caused by uninhabited parking lots.Keeping that in mind I looked further for a site that allowed me to view that emptiness in an enhanced manner. That's when I found my site: The Steel yard. Located on the outskirts of downtown this site is visually an industrial playground, aesthetically it's a waterfront property now unused and unpopulated. That’s when it struck me, what if this land was reclaimed to grow food, Food that could be packaged in these abandoned factories nearby. And that's when I began my research on biodegradable architecture, that would help provide this soil with nutrients that would allow the ground to be fertilized. As well as act as a good way to encourage people to use their compost waste, and form sculptures that would be act as temporary installations until they fulfilled their true meaning of fertilizing the soil
Intial Site 2016
Fertilized soil 2056
Agroforestry 2036
For my final project I focused on the Industrial district of Providence. A remarkable water-front property that now lies arid and polluted. However within my Utopia,70 years in this future this piece of land would be flourishing with agriculture, with use of modern day composting methods and agroforestry to replen-ish the nutrients back into the soil helping plant life to thrive. Crops flourshing 2086
Sectional Change of the site: Polluted Ground
Clean
Fertilize
Grow
Consume
Agroforestry would be used to clean the soil initially,before food could be grown on this site. Mulberry Tree:PCB’s. Willow Tree: Cadmium ,Zinc,Copper. Sunflower: Lead,Arsenic,Zinc,Copper,Uranium. Hydranges: Aluminium. Melastoma Affine:Aluminium. Water Hyssop:Lead,Mercury,Cadmium. Water Hyacinth: Cadmium,Chromium,Mercury,Lead,Zinc,Cesium
Clean:Agroforestry
Fertilize:Compost Sculptures
Rain water would be harvested on the roof existing buildings and collected in underground cisterns
Grow
The site being an architectural hub, would be home to various farmers markets, built using biodegradable material such as burlap, hemp and bamboo.
Consume
Content & Container
Content and Container This Particular studio was based in Cathedral Square, Providence, Rhode Island. This forgotten plaza was designed by starchitect I.M Pei.However the vision that he had for this particular plaza was not conducted as planned, and now the site remains unoccupied,acting as shelter to homeless people ,and as a parking space for the the nearby cathedral during Sunday mass. After studying the site intensively we discovered the main stakeholders: the drivers. And came to a conclusion that the only way this site can be revived is by adding additional program that would consolidate the drivers along with the pedestrians, adding new life to this site. As a challenge in terms of designing we were also handed over three architectural marvels , that would act as precedents to our design strategy . In the case of my group we were given: Cannaregio by Peter Eisenman, Phillips Exeter Academy Library by Louis Kahn and The Nine Houses project by Raimund Abraham.
Collage: Introducing are precedents for this project : Cannaregio by Peter Eisenman, Phillips Exeter Academy Library by Louis Kahn and The Nine Houses project by Raimund Abraham.
As an initial study for this project we studied Providence Rhode Island: This drawing highlights all the parking lots in the city, including the ones within the site.
Site: Cathedral square;Focusing here on the building enclosures ,and the various zones of parking.
Concentrating on 3 zones within the site, which will be architecturally redeveloped keeping in mind the site conditions and the stakeholders : Drivers.
Viewing the site by removing all the existing parking: As a result of picking are three zones that would address drivers , we decided to remove existing parking lots within the site , freeing up space to add additional program.
By removing all parking spaces and consolidating them, the site is reframed to provide a potential connection to Providence. Restricting the flow of vehicular traffic within the site requires the following gestures: ascension, elevation, and excavation. Each zone accounts all the existing parking spaces with [x] programs to reinforce the defined gestures. 1) The traffic is guided towards a spiral ramp to occupy the rooftop of nearby context.2) Vehicular traffic is separated with ascending ramps to high rise retail. 3) The flow of traffic is dispersed by entering an underground program
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Zone 1: Mechanic Shop Ascension Area: 7,500SF (42000 SF) Public Parking space :100
Zone 2: Plant Nursery Elevation Area: 10,200SF (32000 SF) Public Parking Space: 370
Transparent facade: Natural light + visible content
Ground : Ascending ramp
Plant Nursery: Elevation designed keeping in mind the plants that would help clean the air ,from car pollution.
Zone 3: Casino Excavation Area: 1000SF (13000 SF) No Public parking
Using the principal of The Exeter Library the casino was designed in way that the public and private spaces were completed separated. The highlighted spaces are the private rooms that could only be accessed by people who wanted to play privately .
Analysis:The Path of Sound
Casa De Musica: Analysis of the Casa De Musica made by Rem Koolhaas, located in Portugal. After studying this building to a great degree, to understand it shape and how , it had been defined I learnt that the defining factor were the acoustics. After which I examined the path of how the sound traveled within the structure, which i did so by unrolling the whole structure and giving it a shape of my own.
This is an x-ray drawing of the Casa. Showing all the entry and exit points of this structure,the different spaces and how they have all been placed so that the building is acoustically sound. The Sound quality was the defining factor when designing this building , hence it is also what denoted its shape.
After understanding the exterior of this structure. I went on to analyse the interior. I did so by secluding the main center auditorium: that being the focal point of this structure, and studying the different paths and rooms that were wrapped around it.
 Exploded axonometric drawing.
After understanding how the structure had been formulated on the interior, i began to unravel the building ,trying to understand how sound traveled through it, and which path, lead to which room. Doing so i learnt that each auditorium was naturally lit, and the reason the sound didn't travel were the curtain walls, in each room that opened on to the exterior.
Concrete
Concrete Material based Studio: This studio helped me learn extensively about the construction side of architecture . And design keeping in mind the constraints of material and form. For this particular project I chose the the RISD campus as my site. I wanted to design a guidance system for the freshman students living in the dorms (Quad) through a method of shadows projected by my concrete lattice. As initial research I mapped the whole campus , and the walking patterns of the students from the quad to the various buildings. After which I created a model projecting those patterns.Studying the model I was able to discover the directional patterns that led to my final design. The design however was not compliant with the material , various tries with the material led me to form a wooden mold that held my directional lattice, displaying different patterns for different distances.
Rhode Island School of Design Campus, focusing on the center as the Freshman dorms.
Model: Study of student movement within the campus using dowels and string.
Creating a lattice over the building, defining the various paths that can be taken to go to different RISD buildings.
Extracting a portion of the Lattice that will be placed In the center of the dorms. This Lattice is what will be cast in concrete with the names of buildings engraved, acting as an overhead map, guiding people through the campus
Studies on how to cast the piece with different textures that will best direct the students in the direction they are going. Blue: Buildings one hill down. Green: Buildings two hills down. Red:Buildings on Flat Ground
Drawing of the final cast piece at 1:1 scale.
C u a
Cast build out of wood, using wax as mold release and wire mesh for structure.
Urban Design:The Wave
Urban Design: A collection of my work from Urban Design Principles, a class taught by Elizabeth Dean Herman.This project is an in depth study of a site in East Boston, which after adequate analysis was transformed into an urban sculptural landmark. I started my project based on the observation of the site itself, and the view of it from the opposite coast which is Charles Town. But what intrigued me the most was the shape of the water itself, between the two sites in plan view.
The study of the water body between the two coasts , inspired the initial design for my building.
Ground floor plan for my building. The Wave is divided in two halves in order to provide a an interactive public space in the center as well as a great view from both buildings . The ground level for the larger building is public, with restaurants and grocery stores, which can be accessed by the public without having to enter the realm of the actual promenade. However for the smaller building the entire building is private. with apartments on the lower floors as well, which have several different entrance points as indicated by the arrows.
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Apartment layouts One Bedroom 25’ x 42’=800sq ft
Two Bedroom 25’ x 42’=1050sq ft
Four Bedroom 29’ x 62’ =1798sq ft
Elevations
The Wave: I built an armature model of my building, in order to understand the living experience that my building would entail.
Architectural Design :Cornucopia
Architecture Design: This project is a proposal for the Providence train station which I created as a 2nd year in architecture, based on the carbon emission of this station. The shape was denoted in order to make the building more environmentally friendly , as well as in the hopes of redesigning the skyline of the city. When given the challenge to redesign the Providence train station , we were told to pick an element, that we studied after the analysis of the station, and use that to create a matrix. For me my element was " carbon footprint". So in order to measure the foot print , i layered down a simple plan map of the station within the city, and used sticks to define the border of the station, tracks and the parking lot. Once that was complete with the help of statistics I was able to understand, that the station itself had the largest footprint because of carbon emissions due to electrical usage, which I highlighted using the red string. The second highest was the car-park depicted through the color green and thirdly were the tracks itself which I represented using yellow string. The train station now redesigned, was shaped like a cornucopia : a symbol of abundance. Providence being a city with a high amount of commuters required a station that well represented this city, and its grandeur as well as helped redefine Providence's skyline.
So in order to measure the foot print , I layered down a simple plan map of the station within the city, and used sticks to define the borde r of the station,tracks and the parking lot,and using string I was able to define the hierarchy of carbon emission. Red: Highest ( generated by electricity) Green:Medium ( generated by the carbon emitted by cars) Yellow:Lowest ( generated by the trains themselves)
After my study, I understood that the carbon footprint seemed to a have a sweeping effect. So in order to capture this movement I used fabric, and formed an initial shape for my new station that would use less energy and be more environmentally friendly . I continued to work with fabric , and incorporated chipboard to create this cornucopia shape for my station, that was stretching down, allowing light to penetrate the space in the best possible way , as well as provide great views of the city.
Sections
The ground floor plan contained a model of the city in the center, this space acted as the main transit space for all passengers as it was close to both elevators and the staircases on either side of the building. Allowing the two sides of the cornucopia to contain programmatic elements such as restaurants , ticketing booths, bathrooms and a gift shop.
The program for the upper floor of the building included a viewing deck and more formal restaurants, and acted as an entertainment space for passengers who were waiting . There were sky decks created to provide walkways between the two sides.
Projection:Experimental Design
Projection: This project was a digital simulation of a still life in Rhino. This project was engineered to teach us how to work with a three dimensional object and transform it systematically into a two dimensional drawing.
Drawings of the still life.
Projection of the drawings with shadows, back on to the still life.
Apparatus: Used to measure the shadows in a pixelated manner.Marks Made on the still life depending on the shadows, and measuring apparatus.
After several studies, I was able to create an exploded view of my new three dimensional form , which was a result of real life and virtual modeling.
My new still life.
Vocational School Srilanka
Soil Studies Calcic brown soils
Reddish brown earths
Old alluvial
Batticalao
Solidized sololez
Gley soils
36ft 30ft
22ft
15ft
Regosals
8ft
Vocational School: This project was part of a grad seminar that was based around designing a vocational school, in Sri Lanka, Batticaloa. Faced with a minimal budget and limited resources , we had to conduct various studies on how to make this particular structure, useable in the most efficient manner.
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0.70mi
0.80mi
0.90mi
1.00mi
Sun Diagrams 8am Sun Angle=50
12pm Sun Angle=80
3pm Sun Angle=40
5pm Sun Angle=20
1.10mi
Wind Diagrams January-March
March-September N
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Warmer winds with temperatures ranging from 25-29 C, travelling at high speeds of about 25 mph from the NE. Cooler winds with temperatures between 15-19 C, travelling at 5 mph from the South , West And East. The strongest winds travelling at 25 mph are still coming from the NE, however they have lower temperatures ranging from 10-15 C .On the other hand the strongest warm winds ranging from 30-25 C, traveling again at high speeds are coming from the SE.Strong winds of up to 25 mph with moderate temperature also seem to be coming in from the West.
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September -December
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Stronger winds travelling up to 25 mph at average temperatures ranging from 30-20 C seem to be coming in from the NW.However the most constant winds seems to be coming in from the North at higher temperatures that range from 30-25 C. The coolest winds between 19-20 C still seem to be travelling from the South.Strongest and warmest winds traveling at high speeds are coming in from the NE .High speed cold winds are travelling from the SE.
SW
The temperature in Sri lanka as a whole is on the warmer side, so the warmest winds range from 37-26 C and the coldest winds range from 23-17 C.
Material Studies for the new structure, in order to make the interior more comfortable.
Rendering of final model for the vocational school. Developed after studying the environmental and social conditions in the area.