2022 Architecture Portfolio_Stevie Flores

// Statement

In hindsight, this portfolio is an ensemble of some of the most meaningful projects during the entirety of my education. These proj ects are some of the works that connect with me personally and intellectually. My approach to the curation of this portfo lio is both critical and reflective. Its purpose is to be representative of my growth as an architect, designer, and individual. Showcas ing my journey of learning, failing, learning, and then failing again. Arriving at what I would see as some of my proudest work. These works include Making With, X-Change, and Visionary Wondering. Making with, a fourth-year project, is a highly introspective body of work. It is where I would meet one of my best friends and colleague, and we would challenge our dedication, design knowledge, and, most importantly, each other. X-change, a 5th Year project, and one of my last, was a highly Retrospective body of work. The work was driven by passion and determination, with the bittersweet notion of finishing the degree. My goal for x-change was to create something that was an accumulation of everything I learned to that point, video creation, animation, Drawing, photography, architectural principle, and so forth. Then finally, Visionary Wandering is one of my most challenging pieces of architectural creation. Truly filled with experimentation and argumentative design creation. Not only did we produce architectural designs in individual teams, we actively designed with a collective studio as a whole unit. Making the collaboration of four people turn into nineteen people. Because of the content of this project, I would then find the core value of my design: anything and everything visual in architecture. The eyes. Visual representa tion and personification of architecture are always the main theme and tone of my works; whether through drawings or rendering, I always tried to allow the architecture of my work to speak even if I wasn’t there. Therefore, the “hindsight project” as a series of works is a critique and self-evaluation of those core values of design. Integral to my growth as a designer but very much a nod to my eyesight as it gets worse as time goes on. The hindsight project.

Collaboration lab

// Arch 401 | Fall 2020 | Shelby Doyle

// Team of Two: Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai

Shifting from Anthropocene to Chthulu cene and facing the almost sci-fi future. We are falling into connection with digital products and gradually changing our daily lives. When 3D printers and other digital fabrication become more affordable for families, how do we gradually learn and live with robotics in the future?

//One to One

Do other species dream? If so, what do they dream of? If possible, can I inhabit their environment and live in their world, if only for a brief moment? What if it genuine ly occupies mine? Can I “Stay with the trouble” and be “truly present:’(Donna Haraway)? Can we make it akin to ro bots:’ Gathering what we perceive as a robot is tricky. On the surface level of the “Anthropocene;’ a robot can be summed up to numerical value, functions that rely

So I ask, what do robots dream of? What do they think? To better under stand what a robot is and what they are, takes putting into practice “making kin’’ with them. As Donna Haraway states, “I think that the stretch and recomposition of kin are allowed by the fact that all earthlings are kin in the deepest sense, and it is past time to practice better care of kinds-as-as semblages (not species one at a time).” A robot is present equally on the same fabric of existence. Both are equally important. I need it, and It needs me. No past, no future. It is just aware. Learning might take looking into a robot’s environment and understanding its constructs; while our world is the same, our self is not. Looking into that environment can give us a way to make akin and grow connections with others we may not truly understand. This is the first step to “[make] with” species other than our own.

RETROSPECT

Activities + Spaces :

Human // Robotics // Interaction

The Collaboration Lab offers resilience spaces that emphasize Making-With to educate technological communication and interaction for the public. Studying various activities of robotics and human is the exploration for understanding spatial needs. By tracing different dimensions and paths of activities, the space casts the spatial dimension, volume, and corner conditions.

Robotic Arm Construct Brick Wall Robotic Arm construct Bridges with Human Human Construction Activities

Robotic Arm Makes Clay Pots Robotic Arm Makes Clay Pots with Human Human Craft Clay Port

Robotic Arm Drawing Pose

Robotic Arm Drawing With HumanHuman Drawing Pose

Spot Moving Equipment

Spot Interacting with Human Human Behavior

Spot Circulation

Spot Moves with Human Human Circulation

Social Change: Anthropocene to Chthulucene // Our life is shifting from Anthropocene to Chthu lucene. People and robotics will coexist in the fu ture. Nowadays, our life is full of digital products, and we use them every day. 3D printers are grad ually becoming popular, and digital fabrication will become the next phase, which means each house’s garage will contain digital fabrication robotics. In the future, digital fabrication will not be a choice. Instead, it will become a part of daily habits.

IA Condition: Industry To Digital Fabrication // The geographic location causes technological culture and companies to be more popular in the east and west coast, rather than middle west. The middle west and emphasis on agriculture and in dustries. It is routine to see the giant agricultural or mining machine as a part of the landscape. How ever, when mining is gone, many industries’ space is abandoned and wasted. Thus, when digital fab rications are brought to Iowa, it creates a chance that encourages the public to adapt to technology change, reborn the industry, and lead the future.

KUKA Arm And Spot Study: Interaction //

Spot and robotics arm is a multifunction and mature technology. Spot mimics the dog’s form and acting way. It not only helps us to transport and works but arouse people’s interaction and empathy, which helps us learn to cooperate with robotics. The ro botic arm is an extension and improvement version of people’s arms on distance, force, and precision. It also can interact with people by different sensors.

RETROSPECT

Site Context:

The site is a light industrial area near downtown Des Moines, Iowa. For the light industrial area, the digital fabrication lab gives a new opportunity to the region, which may bring relevant facilities and influence the culture of the community. For the city, the lab brings a new iden tities of the city and may become a new landmark or tourist place to refresh the impression of Des Moines in the future.

In this diverse region, the lab also faces various users. Schools and agricultural or ganizations could potentially benefit from the experience of the new creativities.

The architectural firms there may already interest in digital fabrication. We would like to further support that development.

Architectural Firm Tourist Attention

With the given parameters our project. The site’s lot is extended from 5th Street to 4th Street, and Court Avenue. The perimeter is roughly 350’ x 150’. The lot is currently being used as a construction site BNIM new Heritage Center. Due to legislation, the Union Train Depot, is under preserve. The Depot was used as a warehouse, then abandoned later on. The warehouse that was north east of the depot was demolished.

The depot was a train station and started in 1909. It was a witness to see the brilliant pass. Passen gers used to take the train from here to Chicago. It also saw a lot of trains working for industry, mining, and agriculture. After finishing the job of a train station, it was used as a depot and aban doned for a while.

//SITE PLAN

INTROSPECTION

Pedagogy:

//Shifts in Education

In advancing the geopolitical landscape, a domestic environment built out of con sumable plastics and objects of mass-pro duced desire and a technological proph ecy foretold in science fiction is now realized in a new world of computation, Computers, and technology. However, architecture is not impervious to such shifts advancments. Archtiecture as a discipline sought to explore the new ter ritory by embracing its relationship to the technological, socio-political, and cultural transformations.

//YALE UNIVERSITY

//ALDO VAN EYCK

//ALDO VAN EYCK

//ALDO VAN EYCK

//AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO PEDAGOGY AND CLASSROOM SPACES

//EXTRUDE

Create solid mass ing follows the rigid site boundary

//SUBTRACT

Create the void spaces based on contest and urban fabric

//DIVIDE

Divide massing based on the layout of programs

//SPLIT

Split basedbetweenboundaryprogramsoncirculation

//FILET

Create round cor ners based on the radius of robotics turning

//PROJECT

Create opening follow the needs of programs

//TRANSFORMING SPACE BETWEEN ROBOTIC AND HUMAN

First Floor Second Floor Amenity Office Region ResearchProfessionLabConstruction(Advanced) ResearchSpaceLabInteractionRobotics

//LAYOUT AND CONNECTION FROM HUMAN TO ROBOT

Drawing, Craft, and Consteruction for the Public Second Floor: Reseach Lab

Combine and Transform

//FLOOR PLAN SKETCH CIRCULATION FLOW

//FLOOR

INTROSPECTION

Facade + Thresholds: DETAILS

//Threshold Iteration

Our program reflects an institution and educational facility. We have labs, class rooms, and other educational spaces, but through our concept, we created a new pedagogy of education teaching, this would deeply effect the way we consider designing the facade. Workac, and Steven Holl are our two mentor projects, more specifically Beirut Museum of Art, and Visual art museum. These two projects are chosen because they have a consideration of both function and user experience. If we look into each projects, Workac influ ences us on how we began to open our windows and program use. Solid, and void, X and Y axis shifting, how they reflect there facade onto the floor plan. For the Visual Arts building, we were influenced by subtraction of form for the building envelope. This principle helped us create inbetween spaces, and break the bound aries between interior and exterior. CASE STUDY

Adjustable Doors

History Gallery

Coffee Shop

Gender

Gift Shop

Research Lab

Research Office

Management

15,000 SF Robotic Construction Labs

2 Lab // 5500SF

2 Lab // 1500 SF ea.

2 Lab // 500 SF ea. 1440 SF Education Suite 2 Conference/Classroom // 675 SF ea.

1 Activity Room // 400 SF

1 Office for Education Coordinator // 120 SF

1 Workroom // 240 SF

1600 sf Public Cafe Kitchen/Bar // 400 SF Dining area // 1200 SF

Sidewalk access/seating desirable. 750 SF Public Shop Shop floor // 500 SF Office/Storage // 250 SF 1000 SF Public

300InformationLobbyKioskSFPublicToilets

6 gender neutral, each with WC and lavatory. at least 2 ADA OccupancyaccessibleTypes:

F-1 Light lndustrial//B -Business//S-2 Storage FLOOR

3 Researcher Offices// 120 SF ea. Workroom// 500 SF Storage// 500 SF 1320 SF Administration

1 Director's Office// 240 SF

2 Asst. Director's Offices// 120 SF

1 Clerical/Reception// 360 SF

1 conference room// 480 SF 530 SF Staff

2 Locker rooms// 200 SF ea. 1 lounge// 240 SF

3 gender neutral toilet rooms, 300 SF Public Toilets

6 gender neutral, each with WC and lavatory. at least 2 ADA accessible

Occupancy Types: F-1 Light lndustry// B-Business// S-1 Storage

The collaboration lab provides an environment and program to encourage the public to interact with robotics. The opening environment gives the chance to see the interaction, which shapes the feeling of living with robotics. Meanwhile, different digital fabrication programs provide different ways to understand robotics and learn the interaction gradually. On the ground floor, the labs are for the public. Labs are divided on a different level of interaction skills and needs of spatial qualities such as acoustic control, but the transparency of space still encourages to see labs’ activities and encourage to develop upper-level skills in the future. The second floor is one open lab space for the processional research lab. The space collects various digital fabrication tools in one open space. Researchers can explore the workflow with multi-digital fabrication tools. Also, the open space encourages the diversities of the working process to inspire different thoughts and communication between different project researchers.

The front yard and backyard are the extension of showing digital fabri cation. The front yard shows some working processes by robotics, such as masonry construction. The backyard shows some constructed works produced by digital fabrication. People can experience various tempo rary works and spaces.

X-CHANGEUNESCOLEARNING CENTER

//PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The goal of the studio is to propose a UNESCO Learning Center through methods of preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, and new construction. In this process, We create create a Historic Structures Report for every 5 missions in San Antonio, Texas.

As a native Texan, this project was very meaningful to me. In every regard, It was super critical to approach this project realistically, preciously, and sensitively. During the trip to San Antonio, we had the opportunity to learn and hear from the family descendants of the missions, A UNESCO Member, City officials, Locals, and cultural and preservation historians. This was key to understanding the aspect of the city and its people at a deeper level. From the perspective of a tourist, the city is beautiful. It has amazing architecture and such a rich history. San Antonio is a beautiful city filled with many amazing people and cultures. Exploring and talking to people from different backgrounds and experiences was fun: We went to the river walk, one of the main tourist attractions, and all the missions. It was fascinating to learn different opinions about the city’s future development. It was then when we saw the polarization.

San Antonio was beautiful and had many great places to see... on the surface level.

HOWEVER, in retrospect, there are a lot of injustices here. Deep rooted issues of gentrification, displacement, stories being lost to time, development conflicts, and overall, sadly a lack of representation.

Internalized Issues:

//Contention Retrospect

We want to observe, critique, and ad dress current social and political issues throughout the hemisphere of the city.  Therefore, we want to create spaces that foster representation of the city’s people and San Antonio’s neighborhoods. To facilitate this, we look towards notions of art and exchange as a way to develop spaces for people to gather, share, learn, and listen.

“The controversy is the way in which it’s cropped, (which) totally alters the narrative,” Shumow said. “It looks like Father Marquette is the one saying, ‘This is where you go,’ so it really changes this whole power structure.” / DISPLACEMENT / FORGOTTEN STORIES

//LOSING THEIR MISREPRESENTATIONCOMMUNITY

Her sister Brenda explains that, “because that was our backyard as children, we understood a very small portion of how significant that was, but the one thing we did know from our families and watching Western movies was that it was probably where many Indians lived and died. IN TRANSLATION: SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. External Issues.

Debbie shares, “I remember a lot from my childhood growing up behind the mission. One thing that was enlightening once I got older, basically when we had to move, was not really embracing and understand ing the value of growing up where I did. When I was young I took it for granted, it was a home. I didn’t think about it being historic. At school they would take us to the missions, and to me it was like, ‘What’s the big deal. It’s a mission, San Jose Mission’. I lived behind it. [...] Growing up in the house that you see where my grandmother is holding me, I remember the porch, I remember the doors, I remember just growing up in that home.”

Retrospect

Preservation of Tradition + Culture:

//Art + Exchange

// Defining Artistic Exchange.

A conceptual notion involving the trad ing of artistic methods, ideas, and other elements of artistic practice: the act of exchange is an important concept as it al lows for sharing of knowledge, skills, and dialogue with each other.

As the most beautiful, attractive Mission in San Antonio, the place doesn’t have many Surroundingtourists.

Mission San Jose, lots of development potential can better promote South San Antonio’s development.

The current proposed real estate development is too close to Mission San Jose to meet the needs of historic preservation or contribute to the advancement of the local community.

Surrounding Mission San Jose has very few dining options. Many local great craftsmen and artists, but tourists couldn’t know their merchandise.

Mission San Jose does not have a good commercial complex to engage tourists to go directly to the location.

Mission San Jose is one of the most important mission in south San Antonio. Its location is close to the city and allows for rapid commercial development. The new proposal can potentially produce synergy with surrounding buildings

RESIDENTIAL Residential buildings, 80% There a population of about 4900

COMMERCIAL AND BUSINESS o ces, very few restaurants

MISSION SAN JOSE

PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE

ROOSEVELT AVE.

Mission Marquee Plaza Mission Library

Initial Structure

Arts + Crafts

Local Artist Murals

//SOUTH - WEST FACADE WITH NATIVE VEGETATION

//SOUTH-EAST ARIAL VIEW

//SOUTH ARIAL VIEW

Contention.

Resisting the Dehumanising architecture.

Perhaps monotony kills. There can be something to be said about the cyclical nature of a city’s everyday life. Mundane, repetitive, or routine...sounds familiar? A city’s everyday life refers to its individuals and the complex city morphology that consumes it. It can be manifested by its built environment, paradigms, economics, history, politics, and cultures and are influenced by these manifestations. The mindset of individuals, architectural standardization, desire for efficiency, and mass production can all propel us towards a greater future, but all the while is inevitably creating an ever-growing monotonous and mundane life. We become more advanced, but we lose spontaneity, freshness, and the charm of the unexpected. Therefore, archi tecture paradigms and standardization hinder advancements of the foreseeable future. Stan dards create these generic and almost formulaic built environments.. for generations even. It promotes certain ideological bubbles within academic, professional, and media services. This is not a proposal to say that architecture is “wrong” or think it is unnecessary. Rather, archi tecture space is not the problem. It’s what the architecture profession has come to stand for.

Survivance

At face value, the term “survivance” invokes, but suggests something more than mere sur vival or subsistence. Deconstructed, sur-vivance divulges a bursting forth of life. Sur: above and beyond, rhyming in intent with hyper, meta, super. Vivance: the French take on the Latin root for vitality, vigor, and vivaciousness. Thus, survivance: hyper vitality, super vigor. Surviving as Thriving. Thriving as Surviving.

Stimulationwonderingforsurvivance Arch Fall 2021 | Mitchell Squire Team of Four: Stevie Flores, YanJiu Bai, Cuiling Chen, Zixiong Lin

Los Angles:

//Conceptual Models sites of survivance

We are a team of four. The conceptual models are a collaboration of four mem ber’s work. Each person reflects upon the Los Angeles map graphically and consid ers the problems hidden behind the cities, which are cast by architecture in a phys ical environment. Instead of routine site analysis. The practices use artistic ways to represent. These conceptual models emphasize an expression of feeling through non verbal language.

The Game of Information explores the idea of social engineering behind Los Angles. The information and media become the game of different groups. The interaction influenced different level of information falling and focusing on parts of the public. Cuiliing Chen

The Loop reflects on the cyclical relation ship between nature and human society. Zixiong Lin

Framing Reality expresses that the differ ent framing views of communities show a different picture when we zoom out. A city may frame it most beautiful places, but when we take a closer look, we begin to the issues that lie within the city. It is better to understand the places from different frames of view or beyond our known view.

Hybrid Memories develop from the idea of a time capsule. It has two parties: the past and the future. The past reflects the un covered histories underground contained by the personal items.The models em phasizes the minorities histories uncov ered behind Los Angeles underground.

Yanjiu Bai

Stevie Flores

//Conceptual Machine introspection

The machine creates the illusion of the environment through reflection and re fraction created by the rotation of various mirrors and acrylic. The illusion recon nects and organizes the elements of its surrounding context by overlapping and projecting. This creates a very obscure, almost fragmentation of our environ ment. By doing so we are able to imagine / perceive our world differently. Hence, creating an augmentation of our reality. This is our factory of future feelings. The Mechanism for Stimulation and potenti ality of a different future feeling.

Visual Illusion:

Assembly. Phenomenon of Visual Stimulation.

The assemblage is a reinterpretation and combination of our devel oping process. It synthesizes the design tactic and the exploration of our survivance. The assemblage reflects the mechanisms of visual stimulation that can affect people’s contemplation and encourages them to be aware of the divergence from reality. It affects how people view and think about their memories differently.

Perhaps Stimulation Heals. Going beyond standards and the mundane is more than just surviving. It is a constant process of imagining futures that never exist. In order to get past this yielding point of “Just surviving” we need to fully participate in the activities that are not typical to our everyday action. That is to us stimulation. Stimulation is the tool and trigger to go beyond the everyday mun dane, it is the very concept that helps us past the point of just surviving. It is the tool to thrive… It is the means of survivance.

And so we thrive…

Using different mediums of creation: art, film, and theater. With the stimulation, we can potentially accelerate future imaginations and even imagine a new architectural paradigm shift. Breaking the monotonous and mundane everyday life.

TRANSITION.

Visionary Wandering

Oil wells hide in every place in Los Angeles. They produce pollution and are harmful to the public. The Visionary Wandering comes from urban space’s in-between space and gradually goes above the oil refineries. The occupation of the sky be comes a part of the cityscape. It becomes a symbol to challenge the original solidified social system. Flying above all refineries demonstrates that the oil wells are hiding in the circumstance. Moreover, the illusion overlays the problems of reality. This is not to cover the problem but to pull at tention to it. This brings a strange feeling compared with reality. It encourages people to reflect on and recognize the harmful problems in their daily life.

Architecture Proposal. OF FUTURE FEELING AND PAST THE NEVER EXIST. propose A MECHANISM THAT INSURES THE NECESSARY STIMULATION FOR LIFE.

in HindSight.

The project was an experiment to challenge the architec tural development process; instead of rational analysis, sim plified and linear development. Our design tactic focuses on the artistic and argumentative provision, with introspec tive interpretation, compilation, and collective processes. Our project mediates architecture as a mechanism for stimulation. Using the mechanism to nudge people to jump out of the daily mundane for awareness of problems hidden in society.