Portfolio by toby peterson

TOBY P ETE R SON SAMPLE PORTFOLIO OF ARCHITECTURE AND D ESIGN

STUD ENT WORK

PLATFORMS FOR PUBLIC LIFE

LIBRARY ENTRANCE

FASHION PARK

EXIT TO THE UFFIZI GALLE RY

TREEHOUSE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SKY LAMP

ARCHIV AL BOX

PROFESSIONAL WORK

EMBARCA D E RO PLAZA

MISSION ROCK

BUILD PODS D ESIGN MANUAL

HE RCULES MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL

FOR

P L AT F OR M S

PUBLIC LIFE

Senior Thesis 2011 | Advisor: Richard Beller

KOR E AT O W N , L . A .

RENEWING A LOCAL SENSE OF BELONGING THROUGH A MORE RESPONSIVE, RELEVANT, AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY CENTER

PUB LIC PUBLI C S PAC PACE E DES I GNE D FOR FO R LOS A N NGE G ELES LES

EN COU RAG RAGIIN NG G S USTA IIN NA A B LE LE UR RBA BA N LIV L IV I N G

The dominant features of the cityscape are a relentless network of car-scaled roads and bold, large advertisements. Compared to many cities, L.A. is very private, isolated, and independent. In response to these conditions:

• Promotes integration and self-reliance within the local community, which will in turn promote short-distance transportation such as walking and biking. • Focuses the neighborhood on major public transportation node.

• This project introduces a more communal public life by providing a flexible mixture of more private, personal space and social, communal spaces. • It promotes vibrant, restful, and dignified public life, uncompromised by cars, commercial interests, or other private interests. • It embraces its highly visual cityscape by incorporating displays and visualized information. It also embraces its car-centric infrastructure through space designed for local businesses on wheels to easily plug into during markets. status quo overstretched communities

proposed localized community networks

A L LOW IIN NG G P EO EOP P LE L E TO H HAV AVE E IIN N F LU ENC EN C E ON THEIR S PAC PACE E • Actively flexible design allows for individual influence: human-scale, flexible design features such as reconfigurable furniture change the quality and function of spaces. • Collective influence happens by people voting on what to show on the digital displays integrated into the façade. • Passively flexible design can accommodate a variety of formal and informal markets and events to give a place for people to be heard and local commerce to flourish.

example of flexible furnishings: Enzo Outdoor Furniture

adjustable stair platforms accommodate smaller, informal gatherings while bringing in natural light below, or can fold down for a large event

CON N ECTIN G THE T HE N EIG HBOR HBORHOOD HOOD THR THROU OU G H LOCALLY LOCA L LY AN AND GLOBA LLY L LY R REL ELEVA EVA N T IIN N FOR FORM M AT ATION I ON • The life of the neighborhood is on display: the facade can show art, video, or dynamic visualizations of activity taking place. Passively, one key design strategy of the center is to be a very transparent framework that highlights ongoing events, people, and art that activate the space. • The Exhibit Gallery helps meet the needs of a neighborhood with very low levels of education by making information and data more easily understood through works of art and design. As opposed to linear and sequential information, like text on a page or a gallery of images, ‘embodied information’ arranges information in a way that shows the relationship of each piece to the rest. This reveals the bigger picture behind complex data and ideas while helping convey meaning through visual language. This language of conveying information invites immediate social discussion in a way that reading information sequentially does not.

weather patterns installation

sculpture of music waveforms, can be read back like a record

word cloud

Program

• Exhibit Gallery • Rest and Gathering Spaces • Market space; local cafe/retail • Community Rooms: Groups, Non-profits, Computer Lab, Child Care

• Administration Offices

Opaque and perforated panels compose the interior façade. A series semi-opaque LED displays and glazing enclose the front façade from the noise and air of the street while being highly transparent. 4

dynamic word cloud display based on frequency used in conversation

south stairs

facade exhibition room

V ER M MO O NT

Metro Rail Entrance

Gas

Apartments / Retail Bus

WILS HIR E WILSHIRE

Bus

Apartments

Offices

Park

Apartments

Major circulation is organized so as to not interfere with rest or gathering spaces.

Gallery

The heaviest pedestrian traffic is north-south between the dense residential neighborhoods and highly commercial Wilshire Boulevard.

Gallery

Market Space Auditorium Community Rooms Community Rooms

Community Rooms

Office

Café

Ground Floor

2nd Floor 0’

40’

100’ 30m

BE ING I NG AS I NC LUS IIV VE E A ND N D ACCO MMO DAT ING I NG TO T THE HE N EIG HBOR HBORHOOD HOO D AS P OSS IIB BL LE E.. • By being highly accessible and adjacent to many other neighborhood amenities, the location can include users arriving by public transportation, foot, bike, or car. • The center is not driven and managed by commercial interests, so people who are either uninterested in or unable to be spending money there can feel just as welcome as everyone else.

• By providing a diverse range of amenities and activities, this place appeals to diverse range of people of different interests, education, cultural background, age, level of physical ability, and economic status.

N-S Section 7

LIBRARY ENTRANCE Florence, Italy - Fall 2009 Professors: Marco Brizzi, Paola Giaconia, Achille Michelizzi

This project replaces the existing sciences building with a new entrance building for the Humanistic Library of the University of Florence. The site is next to Piazza Brunelleschi within the historic center of Florence. Bordering the north end of the piazza is a rotunda designed by Filippo Brunelleschi.

CON TEXT

residential facades

traditional uniform and repetitive organization

Brunelleschi window

undulating roofscapes

self-driven discovery, individuality

The design interprets a library as a place for self-driven discovery. A school tends to provide a sequential path of education led by others, whereas a library is a place where you should discover on your own. The entrance building serves as a more accessible version of the library. It is intended to pique the interest of a passerby enough to explore the rest of the library. Upon entering the building, the quiet aesthetic and layering of spaces allows for mindset of tranquility and curiosity. One then has a choice of either proceeding directly to the main library or exploring the variety of spaces along the way. To encourage individuals to discover, reading rooms are organized along a curious and inviting path. Each space is unique to allow individuals to choose whichever fits them best.

This emphasis on individuality is reflected in the fenestration of the facade, which also refers to typical residential facades found across the street and throughout the city. The windows relate to the nearby Brunelleschi rotunda by tapering inward. Stone, plaster, glass, and steel are drawn from various points in Florentine building history to give a timeless quality to the library. Finally, the roofs undulate to meet the connecting library at the same angle and provide an inviting entrance.

library

rotunda residential

Section B

Section A

1 UP

1. Exhibition

50â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

2. Bookshop

1st Floor Plan

3. Lecture Hall

4. Bathroom

2nd/3rd Floor Plan

5. Reading Room

6. Cafe

7. Roofdeck from cafe

FASHION PARK Florence, Italy - Spring 2010 Professors: Marco Brizzi, Paola Giaconia, Achille Michelizzi

This overall project was developed by a group of three while we each took responsibility for certain programmatic areas. My focus was on the west retail/residential structure (center of photo) as well as its connection to the adjacent street.

The challenge was to redevelop the unused area into a mixed-use hub for fashion while facilitating the various transportation connections. The site is bordered by train tracks to the north which continue to the main Florence train station one-half mile further. To the east, a high speed train station designed by Norman Foster is planned to be built, and to the southwest, the existing shed is planned to be converted into a fashion museum. The material qualities of fabric inspired our conceptual approach. This was done by allowing the enclosure to be folded and draped by the programmatic organization. This fabric-inspired enclosure takes on a more expressive nature than simply fitting like a sock or glove. It pulls back in some places to reveal entrances and spans across structures to provide a mix of shaded and unshaded public spaces. It also layers in some places to reveal an entrance to the building within the folds.

railroad tracks

Train Station Fashion Museum

busy road 12

Development

Retail Housing Studio Exhibition pedestrian tram car

High Speed Train Station

Entry below from station

2 2

5 5

4 4 4 4

5 5 5

6 5

Fashion Museum

2 3 1

1 1 1

Parking entry

1. 2. 3. 4.

retail restaurants/cafes main office fashion artist studio

5. 6. 7. 8.

apartment courtyard tram stop Exhibition (below)

4 4 4

50â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Ground Floor / Site Plan

EXIT TO THE UFFIZI GALLE RY Florence, Italy - January 2010

Professors: Marco Brizzi, Paola Giaconia, Achille Michelizzi

existing exit and piazza

This project aims to allow the Uffizi gallery’s due cultural significance to be reflected in its neighboring piazza. The Uffizi’s entrance accomplishes this with a monumental path lined by recessed sculptures. The exit, however, currently seems more like a nondescript fire exit than one from one of the most important museums in the world. Here, the rigid, somewhat exclusive Uffizi transitions into the public and organic urban context through a ‘piazza gallery’ offering various experiences of art. From one side, a path weaves through terraced galleries. When standing near the stairs connecting them, each wall frames a view of a sculpture in the next terrace below. The other side offers a more monumental perspective and then later a more intimate one. The abstracted loggia covering the immediate exit is glazed on one side to contain a cafe which partially makes use of remodeled space in the Uffizi.

public piazza

galleries site analysis

Development

TREEHOUSE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Las Vegas, NV - Winter 2009 Professor: Thomas Fowler

source image > vocabulary development

Las Vegas is somewhat of a pleasure playground for adults. As such, it is out of place environment for children, so this project uses the concept of a treehouse to create a protective place of their own while continuing the playful aspects of the city.

parking

I began my design process with a group by analyzing a somewhat arbitrary image and generating gestural diagrams and relief models to describe its order and energy. Individually I then overlaid these diagrams and models to generate a “source image” which was the basis for my vocabulary development. I moved between working with digital and physical models to generate an architectural vocabulary.

ENV IRO ENVI RO NM NMENTA ENTA L CON CO NT T R O LS

sports ﬁelds commercial areas

The environmental control strategy focuses on minimizing the gains from the hot sun. By raising the structure above the ground it can provide a cool, shaded space beneath. The canopy-esque roof alternates in section to provide clerestory daylighting to the classrooms. The cladding system consists of a branching structure which upholds semi-opaque panels to absorb the sun’s direct heat but still allow in light. A few smaller panels are removed to provide framed views outward.

Site Plan

Library; Art, Media, & Science Facilities

Cafeteria

Main Office

Gym

Gathering Facilities

Classrooms Program

2010

VELLUM FURNITURE COMP ETITION When aligned, this lamp is curiously opaque but hints at something more from within the seams. Pushing and pulling the layers apart releases a soft bright light from within. This change took inspiration from the manipulation of light through clouds. Instead of using a dimmer switch, it allows for a more playful and natural interaction to adjust the light output. This variety of formal configurations allows for some degree of personalization and responsiveness to the task at hand.

ARCHIV AL BOX The challenge of the archival box project was to suggest the form of a 6”x6”x12” box while remaining abstract and focusing on “the adoration of the joint.” My personal goal for the design was to develop a sense of hierarchy as well as balance without resorting to symmetry.

PROFESSIONAL WORK

REBAR ART + D ESIGN GROUP - SAN FRANCISCO, CA

EMBARCA D E RO PLAZA San Francisco, CA - Spring 2013

Situated on the marginal wharf between the Exploratorium at Pier 15 and Pier 9, this public space is structured around interactive seating that offers visitors an opportunity to view and explore the dynamics of social behavior. By adjusting the orientation and configuration of the seating, visitors can fine-tune their experience, which in turn reflects the changing nature of the Embarcadero promenade as thousands of visitors course along it. A bold graphic pattern painted on the asphalt ties the space together with modular seating elements containing greenery. The ‘Social Spirograph’ seating area consists of two adjustable long benches and a third surface in between which is fixed in place. In addition to engaging people by inviting them to adjust the seating to their liking, the design includes an additional feature that records and interprets this activity. As the benches pivot and slide from a central point, a chalk line is inscribed on the ground, charting the movements over time to give a sense of the collective use of this space. An important lesson learned after the opening of the plaza is that anything heavy that can gain momentum can easily become a safety hazard. This wasn’t a problem for the ‘Social Circles’ (seating along curved rails) but was for the ‘Social Spirograph’ seating area and so it was later fixed in place.

initial concept

Social Circles

Seating Grove

Social Spirograph

Seating Grove

final plan

reconfiguring seating and the resulting graph

PROFESSIONAL WORK

BUILD PODS / HORNBE RGE R + WOR STELL - SAN FRANCISCO, CA

BUILD PODS D ESIGN MANUAL Summer 2010

Build Pods is the leading US producer of prefabricated building pods for multi-story construction. In order to clearly communicate the concept and installation process, I helped create a 63page design manual under the supervision of an architect and Jack Worstell at Hornberger + Worstell (the firm collaborated with Build Pods to realize the project). The process included research, meetings with consultants, drawing a set of details and illustrations, layout design, and 3d modeling. When the project began, the design of the typical pod was not yet finalized. I was therefore able to observe the design proceed through many iterations and gain insight into how and why the design changed over time. I learned about how structural, MEP, acoustical, durability, and cost concerns were balanced all while carefully coordinating how the Pod would be installed during the construction process.

TYPICAL INSTALLATION PROCESS Integrating Buildpods into your Building 6. CLOSE THE BUILDING ENVELOPE After the exterior pod walls have been inserted, framed and rocked, the building envelope and the rest of the unit are finished out with less trade congestion. The pod is now a fully finished bathroom unit integrated seamlessly into the building; the door is locked and controlled by the general contractor. Pods can be integrated into each completed structural floor slab as the building structure continues to rise, maximizing efficiency and shortening the project schedule.

7. REPEAT FOR THE NEXT POD There are various ways to install a Buildpod bathroom. Depending on the building type and structure and the schedule, pods can be integrated several floors at a time, using top down, while the building is being erected and others. See the table on the adjacent page for a brief overview. Buildpods will guide you through the process and you can select the best means to incoporate a Buildpod into your next project.

6. CLOSE THE BUILDING ENVELOPE 7. REPEAT FOR THE NEXT POD

POD READY TO INSTALL

BUILDING ENCLOSURE FOLLOWS POD INSTALLATION

buil ods

advancing the built enviroment

Build Pods provided Build Pods provided, Contractor installed Contractor provided, Contractor installed

PROFESSIONAL WORK

HY ARCHITECTS - OAKLAND, CA

HE RCULES MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL EXPANSION MASTE R PLAN |

Fall/Winter 2011 ( p r e p / s t o r a g e & s t a ff a r e a )

lecture

3 2 ’ - 0 ” TY P.

Over a period of a few months, this master plan was developed along with two architects and a team of consultants. In addition to new science classrooms, the plan includes a culinary arts building and commons building. The commons building and outdoor areas were designed to accommodate school and community events. The culinary building is supplemented by outdoor teaching gardens where food could be grown and prepared for events. The final scheme incorporates sustainable features such as bioswales and ample daylighting.

project/lab area

circulation 5 0 ’ -0 ” T YP.

REVIT REND E RI NGS Hercules Middle/High School

Fairmont Elementary School