ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY &GRAPHICS
career fair portfolio thomas bett
12007-2013
Architecture, Photography, & Graphics career fair portfolio thomas bett
INDEX 4 cathedral 14 mediatheque 28 modular housing 34 glass fin 36 architecture center 48 courthouse 56 community center 60 natatorium 64 technical college 66 light tower 68 san lorenzo 70 graphics 82 photography 86 resumĂŠ 5
austin_tx st.mary’scathedral Designing a cathedral for my thesis began by trying to understand what I delight in within the realm of architecture. It was evident that my architecture is about moments of experience within a space. This made an ecclesiastical typology the prominent choice because it yearns to embody such moments while people who enter the space desire to experience them. The project has become about how to bring individual moments into one harmonious sensibility. The space began by envisioning something that would strike me on an emotional level as awe inspiring. Since that point I have drawn on the subtle nuances of what happens within a church to further the design. However this project is currently in progress and will continue to evolve and be refined.
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At the foundation of the faith are the sacred rituals which have been apart of the church since its beginning. There has been an effort to infuse these directly into the architecture so that what is being preformed in the space and the space itself become one. The cathedral’s development has also been driven by an urge to hint at traditional catholic church architecture to ensure a hierarchical order within the space.
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bryan_tx mediatheque The Bryan Mediatheque project was part of the Integrated Studio, implementing all of our knowledge from systems and structures into the design. The site of the project is downtown Bryan, Texas. In recent years the town has been trying to redevelop itself into a hot spot for the younger generations with a focus on college students. The basis of the design was an effort to foster that development to move the town in the desired direction, while not alienating the other buildings completely. The form originated from a site analysis and a concept of a ripple that was a metaphor for the epicenter of the change that is trying to occur.
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The emanating ripple concept was incorporated all the way down through the layout of the floors. The redefinition of what an auditorium was, became essential too this idea creating a platform which the community could partake in generating a social or cultural ripple through interactions with each other, a speaker, or media. The concentric rings of this “ripple� remain unbroken until they reach the cores of the building representing the grounding stability in the metaphor of the building.
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AHU
BOLIER
DUCTS HOT WATER COLD WATER RESTROOMS
CHILLER
WATER PUMP WATER PUMP
20’ - 20”
NN
B5
B4
28’ - 20”
B3
MM
B4
25.5’ - 20”
7.5’ - 20”
20’ - 20”
22.5’ - 20”
15’ - 20” 10’ - 20”
KK
27.5’ - 20”
B3
B3
JJ
FF
27’ - 20”
EE
CC
24.5’ - 20”
BB
7’ - 20”
24’ - 20”
7’ - 20”
AA
Z
7’ - 20”
7’ - 20”
B1
15’ - 20”
13.5’ - 20”
20’ - 20”
20’ - 20”
20’ - 20”
12’ - 20”
22’
- 20”
Y
24’ - 20”
20’ - 20” 20’ - 20”
B1
1 2 3 4 6 8 9 10 11
V
7’ - 20”
D E F G H J L M N P Q R S
B C
B5
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15 16 18 19 21 22 24 25
25’ - 20” B3
B1
B1
B1
32 33 34 35
20’ - 20”
B3
28 29 30
B1 10.5’ - 20”
9.5’ - 20” 9’ - 20”
B1
9’ - 20”
9’ - 20”
14’ - 20”
”
32 33 34 35
7.5’ - 20”
15’ - 20”
10’ - 20”
B1
”
15’ - 20”
24’ - 20
24’ - 20
15’ - 20”
20”
B1
13’ -
20”
14.5’ - 20”
10’ -
B5
6’ - 20”
”
34.5’ - 30”
37.5’ - 30”
40’ - 30”
45’ - 30”
43.5’ - 30”
46.5’ - 30”
48’ - 30”
48.5’ - 30”
49’ - 30”
50’ - 30”
46’ - 30”
34’ - 30”
48’ - 30”
” 30 ’-
20.5’ - 30”
38 ” 30 ’13 7’ - 20
28 29 30
11 13
15 18 19 21 22 24 25
1 2 3 4 6 8 9
B4
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37 39 40
39 40
B C
D E F G H J
L M N P Q R S
V
Y
Z
AA
BB
CC
EE
FF
JJ
KK
MM
NN
In addition to the design we were responsible for laying out the structural system, identifying various structural loads that the building would need to withstand as well as the creating a beam diagram to call out the various beam sizes and their locations to supplement the loading diagram.
60 PSF - ASSEMBLY WITH FIXED SEATING READING ROOMS
125 PSF - MECHANICAL ROOMS
80 PSF - CORRIDORS NOT ON FIRST FLOOR
150 PSF - SPECIAL COLLECTIONS STACKS
50 PSF - OFFICES RESTROOMS
100 PSF - BALCONIES COMPUTER LABS MEETINGROOMS ROOF LOBBY FIRST FLOOR CORRIDORS
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1 - EPDM Metal Flashing Treated Wood 2” x 4” 2 - EPDM 6“ Extruded Polystyrene 3/4” Treated Plywood Metal Roof Decking
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3 - C-Channel 4 - Plaster Ceiling C-Channel Metal Hanging Wire
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5 - Plaster C-Channel 24” W Section Connected with 1/4” Steel Plate fastened with Bolts
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6 - Double Pane Low E Glass with Sealant Window Mullion 7 - Aluminum Window Mullion Double Pane Low E Glass 8 - 10” Steel W-Section Column with Intumescent Paint 9 - Carpet Floor Padding 1/4” Steel Connecting Plate 3” Concrete Slab 3” Metal Decking 10 - Aluminum Window Mullion Double Pane Spandrel Glass 1/4” Steel Connecting Plate 1/4” Steel L-Bracket
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11 - Fire Proof Insulation 24 “ Steel W-Section 1/4” Steel Plates with Bolts 12 - Batt Insulation
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13 - 1” Plaster Ceiling Metal Lath Hat Channel
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The screen was a key development in the project to shield our western facade from the heat and glare of the sun, but had a secondary purpose of braking up the large sweeping face of the western fin while maintaining linear continuity. The various iterations were generated through a process of parametric modeling in order to control the amount of light based on the type of room that was being shielded.
iterations first second third fourth fifth sixth
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chicago_il modularhousing This project is the development of an ongoing research partnership between SOM Chicago and Center for Design Research. After the success of the LumenHAUS in the European Solar Decathlon the focus the CDR fundamentally changed from developing the most efficient building to building efficiently for the future. This combines sustainability and industrialization into one idea being that sustainability cannot be attained without the incorporation of industrialization. There is also a secondary objective to integrate this into the “building of tomorrow� which evokes this idea of seamlessly living within a world of technology. As it stands now, the project is the development of medium and high density housing in a future net zero zone of Chicago and to ultimately build a prototypical flat of that proposal.
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25’
25’
25’
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PASSIVE SOLAR ORIENTATION
DISTRICT SCALE ENERGY CO-GENERATION PLANTS USING CLEAN FUEL SOURCE
SUN ANGLE STUDY
BIOMASS FUELS METHANE GAS (LANDFILL) NATURAL GAS
ACTIVATION OF THERMAL MASS IN WINTER PROVIDING SHADING IN SUMMER
WIND POWER SEWER HEAT RECOVERY
GREEN ROOF
BUILDING SCALE RE NEWABLE ENERGY
REDUCES HEAT ISLAND EFFECT ADDITIONAL INSULATION LAYER RAINWATER RETENTION
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR THERMAL
SMART BUILDING CONTROL SYSTEM NATURAL VENTILATION
MANAGES ENERGY AND ALLOWS FOR OPTIMUM ENERGY EFFICENT OPERATION
NATURAL CROSS AND NIGHT PURGE VENTILATION PROVIDES FRESH AIR AND HELPS DISCHARGING THE THERMAL MASS IN SUMMER
UTILIZES DATA FROM ONSITE WEATHER STATION PROVIDES ENERGY INFORMATION TO HOME-OWNER THE SYSTEM CONTROLS: INSULATION PANELS SHADE SCREENS WINDOW DAMPERS LIGHTING CROSS VENTILATION HVAC HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
THERMAL MASS PASSIVE SOLAR HEAT GAIN
GREEN HOUSE
ENERGY EFFICIENT GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMPS
OPENS UP TO THE OUTDOORS IN SUMMER ACTS AS THERMAL BUFFER IN WINTER
HEAT PUMP
ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATORS
COURTYARD
AIR TO AIR HEAT EXCHANGERS
EXTENSIVE VEGETATION REDUCES HEAT ISLAND EFFECT AND MANAGES THE STORMWATER RUNOFF AND COLLECTION
HEAT PUMP
SMART GRID TECHNOLOGY REAL TIME COMMUNICATION WITH UTILITY TO OPTIMIZE ENERGY EFFICIENT OPERATION PROVIDE ENERGY MANAGMENT INFORMATION
HEAT PUMP
INCREASE IN NATURAL LIGHT HEAT PUMP
TIGHT BUILDING ENVELOPE STRUCTURAL INSULATED PANELS (SIPS)
HEAT EXCHANGE
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY PILES LONG/SHORT TERM HEAT STORAGE SEWAGE HEAT RECOVERY DEEP LAKE GEOTHERMAL EXCHANGE FOR COOLING FROM LOCAL WATER FILTRATION PLANT
TRANSPORTATION
HEAT EXCHANGER
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGE STATION INTEGRATED PHOTOVOLTAIC CANOPY CONNECTED TO CITY METRO & BUS TRANSIT NETWORK
DIURNAL/SEASONAL ENERGY STORAGE
T GEOTHERMAL ENERGY PILES GROUND BORE HOLES INTEGRATE GEOTHERMAL LOOP INTO STRUCTURAL PILE FOUNDATION SYSTEM
HOT WATER AND PHASE CHANGE ENERGY STORAGE STORAGE SUPPLIED BY SOLAR THERMAL SYSTEM DISTRICT HEATING SYSTEM
WATER COLLECTION GRAY WATER RECYCLING RAIN WATER HARVESTING
This is the first iteration of the prototype that will eventually be built on a 1 to 1 scale. The iteration was an attempt at a hybridization of a typical flat, accommodations the full project would offer and a showcase area. The project has since stayed from this hybrid type in favor of a more direct analog. However, does offer a fairly complete cross-section of the things that are being pursued. One of the focuses is how to offer a kind of suburban lifestyle in an urban environment a key component to that idea is the outdoor space that suburbia offers to residents. The prototype starts to hint an idea of an “Urban Garden” as part of each unit. To be able to make that space usable year round there is also a secondary. Project of developing a dynamic façade that would be able to control the environment of the garden space.
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som_vt glassfin Design and development of a dynamic faรงade began as part of the previous over arching project. The object was to design and prototype elements that could be used to enclose and mediate what is being called the Urban Garden and the outside environment. In their final iteration the elements would be motorized and manipulated by either a building control system or the occupant of a unit. The glass fin came to fruition in the exploration of the idea of parallax. What started out purely as away to change a persons perspective to an object by their relation in space. It became apparent that by controlling the density and offset of ceramic frit on multiple layers of glass it was possible to control the transparency of the glass through rotation. Through optimizing the frit pattern and utilizing multiple fins adjacent to each other the fin could either shade the space and cross ventilate or act similarly to a green house based on their orientation and the desired interior environment.
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roanoke_va architecturecenter This project began as a question of how to complete the cornerstone block of Roanoke, Virginia. Two things became evident in that process: the need of a public space with no prescribed function and an integration of the site into the rigid town fabric that existed. These afforded the opportunity of duality to be embedded as a core principle to build upon. The exterior area became a series of horizontal planes that conformed to the rigidness of its surroundings whereas the enclosed spaces are rational geometries that have deformed or fractured. Once developed the two languages began to feed of one another providing a basis two read either the normative or the fractured elements by utilizing the other.
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The exterior spaces really kick started this design. There was a 10’ change in elevation that needed to be addressed through the manipulation of the site. The desire to have the site continuous, open yet have moments of intimacy, and maintain the same accessibility to the existing buildings, really left one way to develop it. The series of planes sliding past one another on different horizontal levels that developed began to inform the decisions about the vertical elements that were to become the enclosed spaces, but it became a question of the natural way a geometries would accommodate this. Thinking about the horizontal planes of the public exterior space as tectonic plates the vertical structures became rocky uplifts that had become fractured and deformed on the journey upward.
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The fractures in the structure provided entry. Whether entry of people or entry of light a solution needed to develop in order to accommodate this. The term being used to describe the breaks actually led to the answer and the building began to take on the notion of being a geode. Where a beautiful crystalline structure emerged from within a hardened lithic exterior. The fracturing alternatively opened the formal parts of a building to become more ambiguous in nature. Walls, floors, and ceilings became one in the same that wrapped the enclosed space. Deformation of the building also compounded the dual nature of the building by making it possible for the building to become its lit inverse at night.
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christiansburg_va courthouse Courthouses are governed by their programmatic association of spaces, as such this scheme developed a hierarchical arrangement of spaces that was inherent to the basic function of the courthouse. This became a component which I compounded its necessity, into importance by implementing a degree of transparency through the use of volumetric arrangement and separation. The idea is that a person has an innate sense of where they are supposed to be before they even actually enter the buildings threshold. It began to determine the proportional characteristics of the individual volumes and started to indicate the form of each volume especially those of the courtrooms.
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B
B
A
A
Floor Plan 2 Scale 1/8”=1’
Floor Plan 3 Scale 1/8”=1’
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Section B Scale 1/8”=1’
Section A Scale 1/8”=1’
Section A Scale 1/8”=1’
Section A Scale 1/8”=1’
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poble_nou communitycenter Poble Nou is emerging as the one of the fastest growing regions in Barcelona and Spain. It has quickly become a hot spot for media and technology corporations looking for a European headquarters. The area is known for the experimental nature of its buildings as well as the adaptation of existing structures into contemporary ones. Our project was aimed to help facilitate this growth in through designing a community center in the neighborhood to accommodate the influx of young professionals to the area. The project had to respond to the existing conditions of the urban fabric as well as becoming more conducive to pedestrian traffic while maintaining the integrity of Cerda’s Eixample blocks.
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A
Administration Reception Polivalent Space Association Rooms Program Hall/Exhibition Space Mechanical Mediateca Storage Restrooms Ludoteca
Re-understanding how people move in, and around, an eixample block guided the design. We studied the distribution of pedestrians around the site to choose a typology that reorganized the preexisting block as it functions today, to be prepared for the functions of tomorrow. The streams of people were redirected from the peripheries of the block to the interior. This reversed the population concentration, turning the focus back in towards the center. Capitalizing on this shift, we expanded and improved the existing public space with minimal impact on the surrounding structures to revitalize the social and cultural aspect of what was, a warehouse district.
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san diego_ca natatorium The project developed through an idea of push and pull of a single surface to generate occupiable space. The building explores the subtle relationships between people, and space through an investigation of site context, circulation of people, and the interaction they have with water. The project was placed on a fictional site surrounded by a residential neighborhood. The final design was respected the existing suburban context while trying to develop a new neighborhood center. The possibility and need for a green roof became apparent to replace the open field that the project occupied. The project became a cohesive implementation of all these attributes into one design.
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bakong_cambodia technicalcollege
Bakong Technical College is an actual project in Cambodia that was given to our studio. We were charged to produce a master plan and design the individual buildings of the campus. My group developed the winning design, ultimately slating it to be built and is under construction still today. The project had to take advantage of highly sustainable and economical practices due to the lack of resources available to the college while not compromising design. We focused our efforts local regionalism, drawing inspiration from prominent Cambodian architects like Vann Molyvann as well as the ancient master plans of the Angkor temples utilizing their symmetry and symbolism in the final design. The project was a successful attempt at understanding the cultural and design differences of a community that has drastically different needs than us.
HALF PARTITION WALL
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adrenaline_junkie lighttower The light tower project was a study in the interaction between materials and the way light interacts with them. The tower had to represent a client, personifying their essence in both the form and the elements.
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turin_italy sanlorenzo This was a reconstruction of Guarini’s San Lorenzo in Italy. The idea was to take the as-built drawings made by physically measuring the space and extrapolate new drawings utilizing only geometry to replicate the building exactly.
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graphics & screen printing
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The Peckerwood Poster was achieved through photo manipulation. The poster was designed to make the gardens appeal to a younger crowd. Everything about this project had to be geared toward grabbing attention of college aged students (the new target audience), at the same time it could not loose the essence of the nature preserve and cultural center that is, Peckerwood Gardens. The final image epitomizes the current trend of pop art posters drawing on the simplification of the color pallet and flattening the image to produce a poster identifiable by my peers.
peckerwood garden
6-7 17-18 May 8-9 October 16-17 November February 27-28 March 27-28 AprilFolk No charge Art Tour 2pm $15 each Plant Sale 12pm-5pm Garden Tours 1pm & 3pm $10 each Mexican
This piece is a study of how the whole can develop into something radically different than the sum of its parts. The concept was to take an object in it’s simplest form and create a new form using the element and its inverse. The final design was generated through the manipulation of the secondary design to produce a form with very little resemblance to its predecessors but with a common theme of countering inverses.
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Tommy Bett Owner/CEO P 421.574.8415 tb@latitude.com 1604 Wynkoop St. Denver, CO 80202
39˚ 45’ 7”N
fictional tea company branding
105˚ 0’ 2”W
tommybett215@gmail.com 713.202.5257 12319 kimberley houston.tx.77024
12319 kimberley houston.tx.77024
tommybett215@gmail.com 713.202.5257 12319 kimberley houston.tx.77024
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personal identity branding
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photography
My photography is a study on the way light transforms our environment into a sensual experience of texture and color filled with subtle complexities of light and dark.
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resumĂŠ
education
Virginia Tech 2011 to 2013 Blacksburg, VA Masters of Architecture Texas A&M University 2007 to 2011 College Station, TX Bachelors of Environmental Design, Architecture Summa Cum Laude GPA: 3.91
experience
LumenHAUS Graduate Assistant Blacksburg, VA 2011 to Present Graduate Teaching Assistant Help opperate the LumenHAUS and get it ready to be a research platform SOM and Virginia Tech Chicago, IL June 2012 Researcher Colaborated with SOM Chicago to design a net zero “house of the future� Creole Design Houston, TX January 2011 Drafter Fixed redline drawings, drew floor plans and electrical plans Reynolds and Reynolds Houston, TX Summer 2010 Graphic Design Intern Designed logos, e-news letter, and commercial emails and letters Bakong Technical College Bakong Cambodia Spring 2009 Designer Drafted site plan, monument, and administration building
volunteering
achievements
Militia Mariae Missionary Work (Mexico and Costa Rica) Avenue CDC Eagle Scout projects Freshman Younglife Leader Wyldlife Leader Edward J. Romieniec Senior Award Eagle Scout Deans List AP Scholar
computer training
Revit, AutoCAD, Rhino, Inventor, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, After Effects
extra-curricular
AIAS, Craggies Officer (A&M rock climbing team), AIGA, Tau Delta Sigma Honor Society, Phi Eta Sigma Honors Society, Sigma Alpha Lambda Honors Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars
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