Ko portfolio 2014+ by Steven Ko

STEVEN

KO portfolio 2014

projects

Excerpts from Thesis

JFK Terminal 1-X

Mobile Classroom

Cornerstone Outlook

Furnace 8 Visitors Center

Mutative Camouflage

Demililtarized Zone (DMZ)

38th Parallel

THIRTY-EIGHT° NORTH STEVEN KO • CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY B. ARCH. THESIS 2013 / 2014 Thesis Advisors Hal Hayes Jonathan Kline Rami el Samahy Kent Suhrbier

Excerpts from Thesis Port-City | Near the DMZ between North and South Korea

Thesis Coordinator Kai Gutschow

Can two contradictory cultures coexist in an urban environment through a

negotiation in urban design? The socio-political frictions posed by the Korean DMZ is addressed through the lens of architectural design.

+ NORTH

SOUTH

NORTH

comparing the discrepancies of the koreas

ESTIMATED POPULATION GROWTH

40m

30m

20m 10m

320m

50.0m

1968

313.9m

[USA]

143.5m 127.6m 50.0m 24.8m

[RUS] [JPN]

60 83

[ROK]

POPULATION

1960

1976

1984

SOUTH

1992

0m 1960

24.8m

[DPRK]

EST. POP. GROWTH IN CONTEXT

PERCENTAGE OF URBAN POPULATION

EST. POP. GROWTH IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT

24.8 50.0

50m

comparing the discrepancies of the koreas

122,762 99,313

[ROK]

60% 1.35b

[CHN]

313.9m

320m

2008

2013

0m 1960

9,596,961

[USA]

2013

sq km

SOURCE: THE WORLD BANK & DEVELOPMENT INDICATOR (JUL 2013)

MILITARY TROOP STRENGTH [PARAMILITARY + ACTIVE DUTY | RESERVE]

6.890,000 3,655,000

MILITARY

600,000 4,500,000 ACTIVE DUTY

RESERVE

1,190,000

600,000

3,000,000

655,000

4,500,000

PARAMILITARY

ACTIVE DUTY

RESERVE

23% 5% 2% 70%

[PAR] [ACT] [RES]

6% 1% 9%

[PAR] [ACT] [RES]

84%

[CIV]

SOURCE: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

IMPORTS & EXPORTS [IN BILLIONS]

4.7 552.6

79.3 YEARS OLD

ODA + AID ASSISTING RECEIVING

x10

2.80%

of GDP

4.01

/ 1000

SOURCE: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

INTERNET USERS [PER 100 PERSONS]

0.1 81.5

78.8 -69.0

22.3%

25.34

100 yrs

NET OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE [ODA] & OFFICIAL AID [IN MILLIONS]

< $78,800,000

<0.1%

81.5%

-$69,000,000

-1000

SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE for STRATEGIC STUDIES

-800

-600

-400

-200

200

400

600

800

1000

SOURCE: THE WORLD BANK AID & DEVELOPMENT DATABASE

SOURCE: THE WORLD BANK & FOREIGN POLICY

LITERACY RATE

8.2 26.1

IM / EX-PORT

SOURCE: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

MILITARY SPENDING 2008 [IN BILLIONS]

4.0 514.2

MORTALITY

SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE for STRATEGIC STUDIES

22.3 2.8 $32,400

25.34 4.01 69.2

$1,800

$1,640,000,000,000

[CHN]

YEARS OLD

MILITARY EXPENDITURE AS PERCENTAGE OF GDP

1,800 32,400

[USA]

INFANT MORTALITY RATE [PER THOUSAND LIVE BIRTH]

69.2 79.3

[CIV]

GDP / CAPITA

$40,000,000,000

25m

GDP | PER CAPITA

40 1,640

25m

50m

SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE for STRATEGIC STUDIES

GDP | PURCHASING POWER PARITY [IN BILLIONS]

LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH

50m

5,700,000

sq km

SOURCE: THE WORLD BANK & DEVELOPMENT INDICATOR (JUL 2013)

MILITARY UNITS AS PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION

PARAMILITARY

9,826,675

337,915 sq km [JPN]

83%

2000

17,098,242 sq km [RUS]

AREA SQ KM

[DPRK]

2013

1.40b

99 97.9

IMPORTS EXPORTS

$4,000,000,000 $4,700,000,000

$514,200,000,000

$552,600,000,000

SOURCE: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

8.2b

26.1b 99%

GDP

81.5%

GDP

SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE for STRATEGIC STUDIES

SOURCE: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS | COUNTRY STUDIES

The aim of the thesis is to investigate how archi-

The Port-City is located along the northern edge of

tecture and urban design can re-establish a union

the DMZ estuary, off the western coastlines of the

of culture and cooperation between two divided

Korean peninsula. It is a satellite port city created as

states. The site of study is the Korean DMZ, which

an economic extension to the developing industrial

presents the bifurcation of the two Koreas (North and

region of a city called Kaesong. The Port-City oper-

South) that are further polarizing economically and

ates as the distributor of Kaesongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manufactured

culturally. The premise of the thesis is grounded on

goods to thet global market as well as the gateway

the recent developments of the North Korean gov-

for foreign cultures and business investments to en-

ernment taking new measures to expand its econ-

ter North Korea. It is at the Port-City, a city that is a

omy. An opportunity is presented from this premise

border itself, where the State of North Korea and the

to speculate on the formation of a new Korean city

capitalist culture must contest to coexist.

composed of both the North and the South. This city, simply named the Port-City, is an inquiry on whether two opposing forces (of ideology, culture, interests... etc.) sharing a common space can be mediated through the medium of architecture or urban design.

top-left: Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul bottom-left: Kim Il-Sung Square, Pyongyang

Thesis Question:

n Joseo

Dynasty (14th C - 18 97 )

states interests

vernacular

lifestyles

n atio

rm nfo dI ba

The vision for the Port-City of Kaesong is rooted in the idealilst hope for a unified Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;where elements from the two ideologies and tradition coexist. What happens when a capitalist economy and the culture it entails is imposed on a North Korean city inhabited by people accustomed to a communistic way of living? What does the city look like? How does it operate? What role does the traditional culture of the past play?

l iz

spaces

social structures

communist

politics

capitalist

Gl o

programs

economies

5 19

environment through a negotiation in urban design?

Post-war Mod erni st P erio

Can two contradictory cultures coexist in an urban

1970 - present) Age (

beliefs

Can a method of architecture/urban design resolve socio-political issues?

An early speculation was that a careful curation from each category that rep-

resents portion of Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history could result in a harmonious and holistic future of Korea.

The thesis is an investigation to these questions, depicted as the story of the Port-City and its development.

New Seoul Plan by Byung-Joo Park (1966)

Kaesong

Seoul

The first approach to designing the Port-

The intention was to find commonalities

City involved deducting urban design

between the three types of cities and

rules from precedents from communist

distinguish particular exemptions of

modernism (North Korea), capitalist

“best practice” to codify a rule set for

post-modernism (South Korea), and Ha-

creating a new “Korean” city. Howev-

nok (traditional Korean) practices in city

er, the scope of this approach proved

making. For example, Byung-Joo Park’s

to be too broad and lacked a means

New Seoul Plan, a proposal for the re-

to address the greater socio-political

construction of Seoul in 1966, presented

problems that the Port-City posed. Be-

ideas derived from traditional practice of

side providing an instance of what the

Pungsu (Korean equivalent of Chinese

Port-City could look like, this method

‘Fengshui’) for proper city planning. The

suffered from the arbitrary nature of col-

proposal anchors the center of the city

laging a city from rules, no matter how

with cardinal axes that are represented

rigid the rules themselves were.

by four gates.

o Ro

lop

me ca

nd Wi

old

G ce

Hanok vernacular

communist

Stalinist Modern

a Ro

capitalist

a Tr Ap d Pe

Post-Modern

The second approach was to formulate

Although conceptually this method was

a new architectural language built by

closer to a way of negotiating between

a kit of parts from the three categories

the three categories of Korean archi-

of Korean architecture. The concept

tecture, the manner of choosing the kit

with this method was to establish a co-

of parts was too arbitrary. Implications

herent composite that was identifiably

of architectural style and personal bias

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Koreanâ&#x20AC;? from various components of

derived from the ideological meanings

post-modern, Stalinist modern, and Ha-

behind various components rendered

nok architecture.

the evaluation of a composite difficult.

LONG BEACH

PANAMA

10km

5km

10km

5km

HAMBURG

10km

YOKOHAMA

Gyeongbokgung Palace One of the 5 Great Palaces of Seoul

10km

5km

(Left)

Changdeokgung & Changgyeonggung Palaces Two of the 5 Great Palaces of Seoul

Additional

5km

studies

10km

5km

examined

(Right) Precedents of various types of

Seoulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s royal palaces. The design logic

port-cities were researched in order

found in the organization of these pal-

to better understand how a port-city is

aces, such as the axial connection of

organized. The precedent cities were

privacy to the hierarchy of occupants

mapped into a gradation of urban den-

(royal family members) and the ceremo-

sity levels and how they were related to

nial progression of circulations (royals

the water surrounding them.

vs. commoners vs. royal servants) , were noted as possible options of informing

These studies helped inform the plan-

the urban planning of the Port-City.

ning decisions for the Port-City.

10km

Onsong

Rasŏn

Onsong

Rasŏn

Wihwa Island Sinuiju Hwanggumpyong

Wihwa Island

Hwanggumpyong

Hamhung

Wonsan

Pyongyang 50 km

Wonsan

Pyongyang

150 km

100 km

50 km

Nampo

150 km

100 km

Nampo Kumgang-san

Kumgang-san

Sariwon

Sariwon DM Z

Haeju

D MZ

DM Z

Kaesong

Kangryong

Seoul Incheon

Haeju

D MZ 50 km

Kaesong

Seoul

100 km

Incheon

Daejeon

50 km

100 km

Daejeon

Sinuiju

Daegu

Wihwa Island

Daegu

Hwanggumpyong Busan

Busan

Hamhung

Wonsan

Pyongyang 50 km

Special Economic Zones

150 km

100 km

Nampo

Future of North Korea’s Economy

The leadership of North Korea is currently developing plans for Special Economic Zones (SEZ) throughout the country. The purpose of these sanctioned cities is to attract foreign investments and strengthen its economy. An existing model of a SEZ is the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIP), a

Kumgang-san

Existing SEZ Proposed SEZ Kaesong Port-City

Sariwon DM Z

Kangryong

Haeju

D MZ

Kaesong KPC Seoul Incheon

50 km

100 km

collaborative effort with South Korea. The current development of capitalist initiatives transpiring in North Korea is the premise to the design of the Port City, an SEZ extension of Kaesong.

Network of Special Economic Zones Daejeon

Future of North Korea’s Economy

Daegu

In 2002, the Kaesong Industrial Complex was formed as a special administrative industrial region

KIP offers low cost labor for South Korean capital,

while providing a growing source of income for

of DPRK.

North Korea.

Hired by Pyongyang, Hyndai Asan has been in

As of April 2009, 104 Companies are under full

charge of the master plan of KIC. The master plan includes 6,400 acres of industrial zone and 9,600 acres of supporting zone (including Kaesong). Construction started in June 2003 and pilot phase construction was competed in June 2004.

operation.

As of April 2013, South Korean companies employed ~53,000 North Korean workers.

Industrial Complex

S.K. Sanction

As much as historically progressive the efforts at the Kaesong Industrial Complex have been in opening up communication across the DMZ, the current model of interaction between the people of North and South Korea are limited by the State. The spaces that the South Koreans can inhabit are strictly regulated and segregated from those of the North Korean employees. Essentially, the complex is composed of bastions of South Korea within a field of North Koreaﾂｭ窶馬ot a true assimilation of the two sides. Although the Kaesong Industrial Complex has made some economic gains, in order to sustain a collaborative relationship and address the greater socio-political differences, the model of coexistence must change.

With the development of future Special Economic Zones near the horizon, the new cities where similar collaborative efforts between the North and South

are to converge provide opportunities to envision alternative realities of coexistence.

The Port-City assumes the role of the State in heavily regulating the way the North Koreans interact with the special sanctions of capitalist environments in

the city. However, as the story of its growth will tell, the Port-City challenges the KIC model of assimilation and questions what would occur at the conjunction of both environments.

Kaesong Industrical Complex First South Korean Enterprises in North Korea

KAESONG

PROPOSAL

PORT-CITY

Placing the Port-City

Reflective of the relationship between

manufacture & labor

SEOUL

logistics & IT

finance & capital

INCHEON

Seoul (city) and Incheon (port city) of South Korea, the Port-City of Kaesong becomes an extension to the flow of goods from Kaesong and KIC. The Port-City functions as the gateway to not only Kaesong, but the North Korean economy as a whole .

Future Flow of Commerce Port-City: an extension of Kaesong to the global market

Thesis Statement: Two conflicting interests with an urban environment can be negotiated through an appropriate design of the public space between them.

The previous approaches to addressing

Public space should be neutral—absent

the thesis question assumed a degree

of any extrinsic meanings that architec-

of assimilation between the North and

ture may represent. Although the archi-

South that was perhaps too encompass-

tecture near a public space may affect

ing or too absolute. Instead of forcing

the way the public space is perceived,

a coherence between the elements of

architecture cannot change the possibil-

capitalist or communist urban design,

ities of a public space. The events and

the final approach treats the negotiation

movements that can occur in one is not

of their differences as an active process.

scripted, cannot be scripted. Hence, the

This acknowledges the validity of both

public space acts as a perpetual stage

forces without weighing in bias in ar-

of negotiation for the various interests

chitectural style, ideology, or discretion

that occupy its stage.

on design. How we use the public space—to socialize, to exercise, or to simply rest—can change how we perceive and engage the urban context around it.

Basic Types

Par

Hybrid Types

Ice

Squ

Thr

Rin

Arc

ade

Gate

Sitti

Fen

Cou

Bar

Gar

Wa ter

Sta

Mon

Ram

Han g Gar ing den

Lak

Inte r Fou active ntain

Outd Con oor cert

Am u Par semen k t

Alle

Stre

Pav ilion

Refl e Poo cting l

Pro je Scr ction een

Shr

esh

are

old

rtya

Brid

rier

den

ume

Mar

ket

ine

Elements of Public Space 9 base types and their combinations

Flow Gar er den

Fou

Swim Poo ming l

Stre e Per t form a

Ste

ntain

Mur

The Elements of Public Space is a catalog of the various functions, forms, and programs of public space. Nine basic elements of Park / Square / Thresh-

Arc

nce

Spo r Are ts na

Mem

Pub li Art c

Mar

oria

Gall

ery

old / Barrier / Garden / Water / Stage / Monument / Market were identified as the ingredients to the hybrid types that result from a matrix of combinations. A

Alle y Baz aar

single type by itself may not constitute a public space, but the combination of mulitiple types suggest varying levels of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;publicnessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. These elements were the building blocks to the design process of the Port-City.

ketp

lace

No Man’s Land: Glass buildings bearing the names of foreign businesses begin to rise along the waterfront. They are a strange sight in contrast to the modest local businesses

that reside only a few blocks inland. A strip of undeveloped No Man’s Land acts as a buffer between the two sides.

Phase 1

Recreational Space

Border Control

Real Estate Development

Surveillance

Business Relations

Special Economic Zone

Propaganda/ Perception

Public Park

1st Wall: The State becomes concerned for its position of control as capitalist culture permeates the natural way of life. Under the pretext of protection, a wall is constructed that spans parallel to the No Man’s Land. Security tightly monitors who and what can pass across the wall.

Central Business Zone

2nd Wall:

Phase 1: The Strip The first border between the SEZ and the North Korean city

As the Port City continues to attract outside investments, pressures to develop the No Man’s Land arise, while the State maintains its interest for border control. A second wall is proposed to establish a controlled yet shared environment. This neutral zone between the two walls prospers into public spaces where the inhabitants of both sides can communicate.

Recreational

Ceremonial

Convention

Park

Entertainment

Phase 1

Street Performance

Ferris Wheel

Outdoor Theatre Mural

Sports Field

Kiosk

Monument

Conference Hall

Concert

Cinema

Fountain Interactive Fountains

Place of Play

Place of Meeting

Tea House

Gallery

Place of Dialogue

Ceremonial Space Shrine

Flower Garden Swimming Pool Memorials

Place of Leisure

Place of Ceremony

JFK Terminal 1 Expansion JFK Airport | Jamaica, NY With the future of aviation in mind, how do we design the 21st Century air-

port? Within the complex of JFK Airport, a new wing of gates must take the place of decommissioned T2 and T3.

As the size of airplanes continue to increase, the terminals of T4 T1

split between holdroom and express

the bygone era are becoming obsolete. At JFK International

Airport, T2 and T3 are such terminals that cannot accommo-

date the demands of modern aviation. To take their place, the Port Authority of NY and NJ plans to expand T1 and T4.

The original site boundary of the project was given by Port

Authority as what I suspect was a bureaucratic gesture that

tried to negotiate the potential expansions of both T1 and

T4. However, my studies found that if either expansion was

realized within this boundary, the other half of the apron is rendered non-expandable due to limited space. The deci-

sion to break the given site boundary was made in order pivoting connection between concourse

original site boundary

to capitalize on all of the expandable area and maximize the number of gates possible.

To optimize the layout of the concourses, the parameters of available apron space, airplane dimensions and turn radius, minimum square footage of programs, and the constraints

from T4 had to be considered. The strict rules regarding the width of the concourse provided a challenge as accommo-

dating adequate space for holdrooms conflicted with the available space for airplanes. By introducing the Expressramps of 1:25 slope for ceiling clearance

way (equipped with dual moving walkways) going over the

holdrooms, the main circulation through the concourse is elevated away from the occupiable space of passengers

waiting by their gates. The faster paces are separated from

the slower ones. This relieves congestions found in many airports, while expanding the overall holdroom areaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;four holdrooms sharing an open plan.

The final design provided 12 gates, as opposed to the project brief requirement of 7, and the number of planes servicelight well illuminates the central space

able increased from the required 7 to 15.

4 wheel carriage

rail/ brake assembly

hangar frame

ll io

gl as ed

mu gl az

1/ 2"

cl ips

al um

rd wo o

ee l

ch a

fr am

suspension link

piv

desk

sliding storage panels

wood joists

revolving blackboard interior decking nook

interior decking aluminum channels rigid insulation exterior decking

Mobile Classroom Frick Park | Pittsburgh, PA The Mobile Classroom brings the outdoors to the classroom... or is it the

other way around? Nature offers hands-on opportunities of learning and the Mobile Classroom seeks them out. Collaboration with Rohan Rathod

The aim of the project was to design an environmental school that engages students to the natural sciences found outdoors.

Frick Park, the largest regional park in Pittsburgh, services environmental classes for youths. The goal of the project was

to design a classroom for the environment school, located

near the main entrance to the park. From early on, I realized the limits of a static structure to the educational model of the

school, which was to encourage exploration and exposure to natural sciences. Young students in large groups could only

study within a modest span of the park due to constraints of time and convenience. How could their range of expedition be broadened?

I took this opportunity to study as much of the 561 acres of

Frick Park as possible. After traversing through dense for-

ests, across meadows, over creeks and on top of slag heaps,

it was clear that the students’ education would benefit from the array of environments. The design concept was to convert the classroom into a mobile unit that could access the diverse landscapes found throughout Frick Park.

The Mobile Classroom operates on a cable system, which is supported by follies. Each of these follies represent the landscape on which it sits and is equipped with educational

tools specific to its context. The designs of three follies were explored: the creek, the meadows, and the slag heaps.

Most importantly, the Mobile Classroom itself is a tool for learning—a lens through which the students can observe their natural surroundings. Equipped with a washroom,

storage spaces, desks and even a blackboard, the Mobile Classroom provides opportunities for education anywhere along its tracks.

Cornerstone Outlook Uptown Community Center | Pittsburgh, PA The Mobile Classroom brings the outdoors to the classroom... or is it the

other way around? Nature offers hands-on opportunities of learning and the Mobile Classroom seeks them out.

Collaboration with Jae Han Bae, Sandra Kalanyan, Yuriy Sountsov, Erica Tong

outdoor space

new primary axis (public access)

live-work

Community Center former primary axis (front entrance of church)

FORBES AVE.

SENECA ST.

flexible conditioned space

WATSON ST.

17' - 11 5/8"

6' - 3 1/4"

(15) TREADS AT 11" WIDE W/ 1" NOSING 2' - 6"

34' - 6 1/2"

14' - 7 1/4"

This proposal was part of a project called Action Uptown by

6' - 0"

DOWN

Action Housing Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission

is to provide affordable housing with an environmental focus and community outreach. Action Uptown asked fourth year

8' - 1 1/8"

1 MAINTANENCE ROOM 30 SF EL. = +8' A.F.F. CEILING HEIGHT

TYP. 13

Carnegie Mellon architecture students to create proposals

that meet these criteria. My team took this opportunity to pro-

5' - 6 3/4"

KITCHEN 410 SF

LARGE ACTIVITY SPACE 942 SF

8' - 7"

Uptown.

tively prominent in the surrounding neighborhood. The 11' - 6 3/8"

7' - 4 1/8"

8' - 4"

5' - 11 1/2"

6' - 0"

TYP. 6

5' - 3 3/8"

2' - 4 1/8" 4' - 6"

4' - 9 7/8"

24' - 2 1/4"

4' - 3"

7' - 9 1/2"

7' - 0"

7. custom fabricated bookshelves. each cubbie to be 18” x 24”. mount to the floor. 8. remove existing single pane windows and replace with double pane as specified. 9. double glazed window to be installed 18” above ground level. 10. cut glass panes as specified and fit to the exterior of existing window openings.

The re-purposing strategies:

8' - 2"

7' - 9"

7' - 4"

11. match new finished floor to existing floor. 12. curtain to be hung from railing attached to the underside of balcony. 13. cut glass panes as specified and fit to the exterior of existing window openings

ble.

• Introduce an outdoor community space.

3' - 11 7/8"

Keynotes 1. double glazed window to be installed 3’ above floor level. 2. mount railing onto the floor and the treads. 3. range oven install as instructed. 4. counter top with sink hole. 5. install dishwasher beneath counter top. 6. re-finish existing church pew and secure to new location.

residents of Uptown.

• Preserve as much of the existing structures as possi-

10 8

social amenities, such as fitness club and childcare, for the

3' - 9 3/8"

11' - 8"

8' - 10" 4' - 0"

EL. = +10' A.F.F. CEILING HEIGHT

11 5' - 3"

(6) TREADS AT 11" WIDE W/ 1" NOSING

RECEPTION SPACE 420 SF 16' - 1"

20' - 0 1/8"

6' - 5"

3' - 7 3/8"

main lot includes the church building and the lawn. The other

6' - 0"

8' - 0"

6' - 11 3/4"

2' - 6 1/4"

3' - 0"

TREAD WIDTH

8' - 0"

3' - 9 7/8"

central location of the Church is an ideal place to provide

2' - 1 3/8"

OPEN OFFICE 350 SF EL. = +11'-4" A.F.F. CEILING HEIGHT

8' - 0" TYP.

11" TREAD

5' - 3"

14' - 3"

3' - 0"

0' - 5 1/4"

TREAD WIDTH

3' - 9 7/8"

property line of the church encompasses two lots. The larger lot is used as housing for the pastor, but it is in disrepair. The

Baptist Church at a corner off of Forbes Avenue and Seneca neglected in the recent years, its presence is still rela-

EL. = +15' A.F.F. CEILING HEIGHT

UP 4

The chosen site for Cornerstone Outlook is the Corinthian

Street. Although the church is rarely used and has been

FLEX. TRANSITION SPACE 300 SF

EL. = +22' A.F.F. CEILING HEIGHT

would create a sense of community for the neighborhood of

2' - 1"

7' - 3 7/8"

CIRCULATION CORRIDOR 320 SF

EL. = +8'-3" A.F.F. CEILING HEIGHT

2' - 0"

9' - 9 1/4"

20' - 0"

59' - 5 1/4"

(10) TREADS AT 11" WIDE W/ 1" NOSING

6' - 3 1/2"

11' - 6 3/8"

2' - 6"

pose a community center, named Cornerstone Outlook, that

11' - 9"

4' - 10"

EL. = +8' A.F.F. CEILING HEIGHT

11' - 9"

LIVING ROOM 270 SF EL. = +12' A.F.F. CEILING HEIGHT

6' - 0 1/2"

3' - 1"

UNISEX RESTROOM 65 SF

4' - 10 1/8"

14' - 8 1/4"

11' - 4 7/8"

2' - 0 1/8"

4' - 8 7/8"

2' - 3" 2' - 2 3/4"

2' - 5 1/8"

3' - 0 1/8"

5' - 5" 6' - 0 3/8"

• Reconfigure the Church and its access by opening up the east facade.

• Retrofit the live/work housing on the west lot. • Contract live/work participants who will maintain and organize events for the community center.

6 

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Furnace 8 Visitors Center

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Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area | Rankin, PA 

Carrie Furnace Memorial

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Corridor through Ore Bridge Auditorium

How should we memorialize our past? The Furnace 8 visitors center is a

memorial to Pittsburgh’s steel-making legacy as well as the beacon to its future.

The former steel industrial site seeks a new economic future.

steel wide flange column

A visitors center is proposed by the Rivers of Steel Heritage

standing seam metal panels

Corporation to attract tourism and future investments to the

metal roof decking roof flashing stainless-steel sheet envelope over wide flange roof

surrounding brownfield.

aluminum mullion on steel cross beam steel web joist

From 1875 to 1980, Carrie Furnace and the other steel mills of southwestern Pennsylvania comprised the steel making

aluminum vertical louvers

capital of the world. Carrie Furnace is now a defunct blast

aluminum mullions on steel cross beam rigid insulation steel wide flanges roof

furnace site located along the Monongahela River in Pitts-

burgh’s historic industrial area. It is one of the few surviving remnants of the region’s steel legacy.

steel plate bracket steel tubing web joists angled mullions with double glazing

The project brief called for a visitors center connected to the

existing Furnace 7 that showcases the smelting process and the history of steel-making. Furthermore, elements of pyrotechnics were suggested as the main experience for the visitors. However, after touring the industrial ruins of the furnaces, I was fascinated by the natural rust of the existing site

aluminum vertical louvers

rather than the supplementary flash. double glazing

If the mission of Rivers of Steel is to preserve and celebrate Aluminum mullions on steel cross beam steel wide flanges roof

should be physically detached from the existing Furnace as

a gesture of respect to that history. Instead of focusing on the

highload insulation welded wire mesh

cast-in-place concrete with radiant thermal heating base flashing prefabricated channel with steel cover grating rigid insulation waterproof composite panel

the history of Carrie Furnace, I resolved that the additions

entertainment features, the visitors center is to serve as a memorial to the blast furnace workers and the iron-grit culture that they embodied for Pittsburgh.

The visitors center, named Furnace 8, is a reflection of Carrie Furnace and a continuation to its story. The new

furnace, abstracted and pristine in form, anchors the nave of

Furnace 8 and is positioned in alignment with the two existing furnaces. The building envelope extends beyond the roof, 

 

representing the notion of building forth from the old—an

expression of appreciating and enhancing the original furnaces.

Illegal Vendors escape routes surveillance

Mutative Camouflage Rialto Bridge | Venice, Italy How can the function of ornament be redefined? Mutative Camouflage in-

vestigates the role of ornamentation as a mediator of cultural activity within the canals of Venice.

Collaboration with Emerson Stoldt

0°

angle

180°

Using programming (Processing) and parametric scripting

(Grasshopper), this research was a process of algorithmically generating form. (000, 000)

(120, 000)

(300, 000)

(420, 000)

(600, 000)

0°, 0%

36°, 0%

90°, 0%

126°, 0%

180°, 0%

Beyond aesthetics, how can the function of ornament be redefined? Could it also be structural or performative?

The research of this question prompted to the architectur-

al origin of ornamentation. Gottfried Semper theorized that

the role of ornament began as an expression of ownership. (000, 120)

(120, 120)

(175, 175)

(225, 225)

(420, 420)

0°, 20%

36°, 20%

52.5°, 30%

67.5°, 37.5%

126°, 70%

The carpet wall, the first mode of enclosure that protected

% of edge offset

the hearth of society, was the canvas onto which artistic distinctions classified the built environment. Adopting this concept, the project was an experimentation on how ornament could become an expression of cultural ownership

100%

through direct interaction with cultural activities. (000, 300)

(300, 480)

(400, 480)

(450, 600)

(500, 600)

0°, 50%

90°, 80%

120°, 80%

135°, 100%

150°, 100%

The text Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino was used as the in-

spiration for the fictional narrative of Venice’s atrophic future. degree of angle x°

x°

“The empire is being crushed by its own weight,” Kublai thinks, and in his parent as mosquito netting, cities like leaves’ veins, cities lined like a hand’s

ee gr

palm, filigree cities to be seen through their opaque and fictitious thickness.

se off

or ct

vector offset %

dreams now cities light as kites appear, pierced cities like laces, cities trans-

-Invisible Cities

Venice has been besieged by a subculture of illegal vendors

who exploit the tourism attracted by the city’s architectural charm. As a means of eluding the municipal police, these fugitives have learned to transmute the vernacular ornaments

of Venice (a hybrid of Italian Gothic and Islamic influences) to camouflage their illicit activities. This medium functions

as concealment as well as the channels of escape routes, constantly mutating its form relative to the forces of illegal movement and police surveillance. This new ornament rep-

resents the partial ownership the vendors have on the

overall Venetian experience. In the process, the parasites are what reverse the atrophy of the sinking city.

Thank you