SYDNEY M SASSER UNDERGRADUATE PORTFOLIO
Student at the University of Virginia B.S. Architecture sms9ty@virginia.edu 703-786-0798
In
Lynchburg Courtyard Intervention, 6-13 Pod2Go, 14-17 Preston Avenue Housing Complex, 18-23 UVA Arts Grounds Threshold, 24-27 Environmental Atmospheres, 28-29
ANALYSIS UVA Campbell Hall, 32-33 USAFA Cadet Chapel,SOM, 34-35
VISUAL ARTS
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
ndividual field studies & photoshop overlay
DESIGN
High School Thesis Samples, 38-39 Introduction to Drawing Samples, 40-41 Photography & Digital Media Final, 42-43
3
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
DESIGN
5
The project along the 9th Street corridor of Lynchburg, Virginia was conceived to address the issue of flooding as well as redeveloping some of the abundant unused gray space in the city. The key feature of the intervention is a water retention courtyard located at the center of the block that holds excess rainwater to help prevent flooding. I wanted the courtyard to become a public space between the surrounding buildings that would serve as a connecting threshold within the community. I also designed two new buildings for the site: a residential apartment complex in an unused parking lot and a multi-purpose cafĂŠ aquarium placed between two existing buildings in order to finish framing the interior courtyard space while introducing new programs to a block dominated by office buildings.
Interior Render of Multi-Purpose Commercial Building First Floor Aquarium
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
Lynchburg Courtyard Intervention
7
Simple render of water courtyard at different rain levels: heavy towards the left, light towards the right
Photoshop overlay of site massing model in Lynchburg cityscape
Heavy Rain
Diagram of courtyard during different rain levels
Heavy Rain/ Flooding
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
Light Rain
9
Scale: 1/8" = 1'
Site Cross Section
AquaCafe Building Plans
Fourth Floor
Site Plan
Jefferson Street
Commerce Street
Third Floor
Cross Section Cut
Fourth Floor Cut
Third Floor Cut
Second Floor N
10th Street Second Floor Cut
First Floor Cut
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
9th Street Axis
First Floor
11
Exterior Render of Courtyard from 9th Street Entrance
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
13
Pod2Go was designed as a temporary living space scaled to the human body that only utilized recycled and recyclable materials. As we considered how the human body occupies space as well as the concept of portability, the design was conceived around the idea of “structural unfolding� for quick set up and take down. Cardboard was chosen as the primary construction material due to it being thin enough to fold and manipulate while still rigid enough to hold an upright form. Due to the size requirements of the pod, the unfolded net had to be subdivided into its individual three repeating shapes and then attached together by threading string through holes drilled near the joining edges. The final pod was completed as a series of folded units each composed of six connected cardboard pieces. These were conceptualized to allow any number of units to be joined together as larger or smaller pods to accommodate any potential user’s needs.
Bottom Section Detail
Site photo joiner with pod perspective overlaid
Side Section Detail
Front Sectio
Exploded Section Detail
on Detail
Unfolded Pod Template
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
Showing sewing method for connecting individual cardboard pieces
Pod2Go Team Project Members: Jeannie Kim, Sydney Sasser, Chandler Windom
15
Pod side elevation with human scale overlay
Scaled model of early iteration
Back perspective of pod in site
Ph
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
hoto of pod in site
17
Existing Overall Site Plan
Preston Avenue Housing Insertion
In Charlottesville, Virginia, Preston Avenue is a road bisecting a historically divided area comprised of commercial buildings around the central corridor and highly segregated residences at the outer edges. This design of a residential housing insertion arose as a means of addressing these divisions arising from economic and social factors and large topographic changes. The existing single-family residences around the Preston corridor are scattered on underdeveloped lots that waste much of the viable land actually available. The new design proposal implements a type of housing that combines smaller units into a larger, unified mass to bring residents together and better instill a sense of community to the area.
Pr
Single
Single
es
to
n
Av
en
ue
Single
Aggregated Section Strips Commercial buildings/businesses highlighted in purple and singlefamily housing highlighted in green
Diagram showing carving principle for designing unit shapes
Double
Family
Single
Double
Family
Strip 3
Family
Single
Double
Family
Strip 2
Double
ns of Residential Unit
Family
Single
Double
Family
Strip 1
The asymmetrical units draw inspiration from the form of ha-has utilized in landscape design where topographic shifts and cuts create different defined spaces while preserving site views. From this idea developed a method of “carving� the topography into a series of undulating edges that aggregate into long strips of built forms. These forms result in unconventional housing units offering unique spatial and living conditions. Within the context of the site, these strips of residences are inserted along the edges of a block and arranged in tiers to leave designated communal space in the center for residents to interact with one another.
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
Double
19
One of the first problems I noticed in the area was disconnection between Preston’s commercial core and residential edges due to drastic differences in the scale and massing of their structures. The small, scattered residences are dwarfed in comparison to the sheer bulk of the businesses connected into single buildings lining the sides of the central axis. This blockade of centralized massing cuts off the local residents from interacting with each other. As my project works to unite the smaller housing units into a communal mass, I was also interested in the idea of breaking up the sprawl of the commercial buildings. By separating the large massings by the footprint of each business, the smaller buildings can be spread more evenly around the blocks. Doing so frees up public space along the interior corridor and permits greater connection between the two sides.
New Commercial Buildi
New Housing Insertion
Primary Focus Area, site highlighted in blue Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
ings
n
Exterior Axon of Single Unit, Double Unit, and Family Unit
Exploded Unit Axon of Single Unit, Double Unit, and Family Unit
21
Render of interior community space Proposed Locations of Future Housing Insertions
Aggregated Section Diagram of Tiered Site Insertion Focus area plan with new housing insertion
Aggregated Plans of Residential Unit Strips
Single
Single
Double
Double
Family
Family
Family
Single
Single
Single
Double
Family
Double
Double
Family
Family
Site Cross Section
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
Single
Double
23
Front Cross Section
Longitudinal Site Section
Accessible Design in the UVA Arts Grounds Threshold
Front Section Cut
Rear Section Cut Longitudinal Section Cut
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
Rear Cross Section
Addressing inaccessibility at the University of Virginia is a difficult feat given the hilly topography and historical significance of the campus. Particularly segregated is the Art and Architecture Grounds around Campbell Hall, the Fine Arts Library, and the Fralin Museum which encounters abrupt elevation changes along the Rugby Road corridor. The Fralin’s tiered front entrance traverses a 10-foot topographic shift while the distance from the sidewalk along Rugby to the highest point of the site between Campbell Hall and the museum’s rear is more than double that at 25 feet. As a result, stairs dominate the circulation systems in the site, proving difficult to impossible for those with physical disabilities to have equal access to them. This universal design project to revitalize the Arts Grounds threshold has two main goals. First, it looks to solve the issue of inaccessibility. Second, it also aims to address the isolation of Arts Grounds from the greater university due to its lack of a well-defined public entry threshold along the busy corridor of Rugby Road.
25
The project consists of a new complex ramping infrastructure at a 1:20 grade that provides equal access to the site while also defining a new axis perpendicular to Rugby Road. This system extends from the Arts Common at one end of Campbell Hall across the street to the side of Mad Bowl, linking Arts Grounds to the greater university public. Additional programming and gathering spaces integrated throughout the structure further encourage interaction between members of the community.
Campbell Hall
Fralin Museum
Pavilion
SITE PLAN New ramping infrastructure in light gray, existing buildings in medium gray, and roads and parking lots in dark gray
Side Ramping
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
Pavilion Perspective
Fralin Side Ramping Perspective 27
ENVIRONMENTAL ATMOSPHERES
Unple Distr
QI
Unlea Glo
QI
Exerci enviro elicit respon differ e
II
asant/ oomy
III
Pleasant/ Exciting QI
Pleasant/ Tranquil QIV
ise models of scale onments designed to t specific emotional nses according to rent quadrants of emotional range.
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
easant/ ressing
29
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
ANALYSIS
31
Campbell Hall Landscape Addition | Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
Soldered Wi
Third Floor Terrace Detail Hybrid
Desig Architects, Hall at the U of a series of southern side o I conduc systems in
gned by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape the landscape addition of Campbell University of Virginia is comprised f outdoor terraces connected to the of the building. The site analysis cted notes several of the different nvolving material, circulation, and water that define the design.
Outdoor Landscape Axon Material Hybrid
Unfolded Line Hybrid with Building Views
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
ire Model of Landscape Circulation Path
33
United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel | Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill
Front Facade Perspective
Interior Chapel Perspective
Designed by SOM, this analysis of the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel was devoted to practicing 3D modeling and V-Ray Rendering skills. Careful attention was paid to the geometries of the building as well as how to best represent its built form through my renders.
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
Angled Front Perspective
35
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
VISUAL ARTS
37
Samples from High School Studio Art Thesis Porfolio, Fall 2013-Spring 2014
“Tree People”
colored pencil on black paper
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
newspaper, acrylic paint, & charcoal on canvas “Veins�
39
Sample work from Introduction to Drawing (ARTS 2610), Summer 2016
Still Life No. 3
charcoal
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
micron pen Still Life No. 5
41
Samples from Final Project for Photography & Digital Media (ARCH 2240), Summer 2016
“LIGHT PORTRAITS”
Sydney Sasser | University of Virginia | sms9ty@virginia.edu
43
Thank You
SYDNEY M SASSER
Student at the University of Virginia B.S. Architecture sms9ty@virginia.edu 703-786-0798