Thomas Masino_Architecture Design Portfolio_2021

THOMAS

MASINO , RA, NCARB

architectural design portfolio select professional and academic work

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROFESSIONAL WORK

CSX EAST - AC HOTEL CAPITOL HILL & ILLUME APARTMENTS

R2L:Architects | Aug 2018 - present Washington, DC

Staff Architect / Project Manager

R2L:Architects | Oct 2017 - Aug 2018 Charlottesville, VA

WEST 2ND PRIVATE RESIDENCE FEATURE STAIRS

Barnes Vanze Architects | Jun 2017 - Oct 2017 Bethesda, MD

Barnes Vanze Architects | 2014 - 2015 Henlopen Acres, DE | Georgetown, DC

Project Designer Project Designer Intern

SCRIBBLED BRICK

GRADUATE WORK

SHIFT AND SUBVERT

Clemson University - Barcelona Architecture Center | Spring 2016 Toni Montes and Miguel Roldan

Barcelona, Spain

CLEMSON BOAT HOUSE 56

Clemson University | Fall 2015 Ufuk Ersoy, David Franco, and Ulrike Heine

Clemson, SC

SELECT PHOTOGRAPHY

Washington, DC

R2L:Architects role: Primary Staff programs used: Revit 2018, Photoshop, and Illustrator

I started on this project relatively early on, right after project start-up and initial massing presentations to the client. The overall project consists of three buildings sited right on the highway in Navy Yard, with great views of the Capitol. The program consists of a hotel, a restaurant, two floors of office space, apartments, and associated amenity spaces. Overall, the project has a budget of $260 million with 225 guestrooms and 756 apartment units.

The site was a challenge to work with due to topography and underground pipes and sewers that could not be built over. The overall form of the three buildings was driven by these underground factors and their associated easements, the highway easement, and creating green veins that extend from the properties to the south through the site. The project has complex connections to existing buildings and between the buildings themselves. The hotel building interacts with an existing building to the south (ORE 82) twice, once on the ground floor through the loading dock and once on the eleventh floor through a bridge. The parking garage interacts with the building to the south (70 Capitol Yards) through a door in the foundation wall and stair. The central courtyard interacts with the courtyard of 100 Capitol Yards through an elevator tower and open-air stair. The hotel also connects to the one of the office floors through a conditioned glass bridge, that same office floor connects to the third building through a similar glass bridge, and the two residential roof amenity spaces are connected via a glass, open-air, skybridge. The purpose of connecting to ORE 82 was to take advantage of zoning regulations. Since we made meaningful connections to ORE 82 and it was built under prior zoning regulations, we gained two additional floors of apartments in Building 3.

While the majority of my time on this project was devoted to the hotel, Building 1, I have also worked on parts of the project relating to the residential scope, including the bridges and the connection to 100 Capitol Yards. In December 2020 the project manager went on an extended sabbatical and I assumed their role and responsibilities. I became the first person the construction team called with questions and was also responsible for compiling permit amendment submissions and returning residential CA items. I have visited the site almost every week and have watched the project from excavation to the present.

Photograph taken between Building 2 (upper, apartments and office) and Building 1 (lower, hotel) looking up (by self).

DOG PARK PROPERTY LINE

BUILDING 2 13 oors, 214 units 2 oors of coworking space 259,000SQFT

BRIDGE 4

An open-air, glass oor skybridge that connects the roof levels of Buildings 2 and 3. BUILDING 3 14 oors, 542 units 489, 700 SQFT

BRIDGE 3

A conditioned, glass wall and glass ceiling bridge that connects the 2nd oors of Buildings 2 and 3.

STAIR CONNECTION TO EXISTING GARAGE

Connects the P1 parking level with an existing stair, meant to allow residents of CSX to park in the Capitol Yards parking garage.

GREEN VEINS

The main reason to orient the buildings in a northsouth direction was to extend the green spaces at Capitol Yards and provide transparency and views through the site.

ELEVATOR & STAIR COURTYARD CONNECTION

Connects the central courtyard of CSX with the west courtyard at 100 Eye Street. Since all four buildings are now managed out of the leasing o ce in Building 2, the elevator provides an accessible route from CSX to Capitol Yards. The connection also allows Capitol Yards residents to access the amenities in Buildings 2 and 3.

STAIR CONNECTION TO EXISTING GARAGE

Connects the P1 parking level with an existing stair, meant to allow residents of CSX to park in the Capitol Yards parking garage.

70 EYE STREET Existing 100 EYE STREET Existing

drawing by others, edits by self)

AOC PIPES

HIGHWAY 20’ SETBACK

POCKET PARK

BRIDGE 2

BUILDING 1 (HOTEL) 8’ SETBACK FROM SEWER

oors, 225 keys, 134,600 SQFT EXISTING H STREET SE EXTENSION

ZONING TRELLIS

Caps o an otherwise irregular shaped court facing NJ Avenue.

BRIDGE 1

Connects the 12th oor of ORE 82 EYE with the 11th oor of Building 1. Since ORE 82 EYE was permitted under prior zoning, making meaningful connections to it allowed two additional oors on Building 3 (88 additional apartments, 44 per added oor).

concept drawing site diagram (drawing by self) 7

15’ RESTRICTION FROM HIGHWAY EXTENSION OF FIRST ST SE

process sketches

facade development (linework export and markups on trace by self)

view of the east facade and restaurant entrance (modeling, raw render, linework export, and postproduction by self)

process views

view of the hotel from New Jersey Avenue used to study the introduction of other colors and patterns into the above right image (modeling, image export, and image manipulation by self)

process sketch

ground floor axonometric (linework export and markups on trace by self)

construction documents

ground floor plan (initial model, sheet set-up and major model / drawing edits by self)

pattern development

west hotel entrance feature wall (image selection, image abstraction, and renders by self)

process sketch

west hotel entrance and drop-off (linework export and markups on trace by self)

construction photograph

west hotel entrance and drop-off (09/24/21, by self)

construction documents

wall sections

(initial model, sheet set-up and major model / drawing edits by self)

process sketches

east elevation, retail curtainwall used to study options for reducing far left door height (linework export and markups on trace by self)

typical floor plan (initial detailing, drafting, sheet set-up and major drawing edits by self)

Wiles Mensch Corporation MECHANICAL

10411

12950 Worldgate Dr, St 100 Herndon, VA 20170 703.713.0300 www.ktagroup.com

EDG2 Engineering Design Group ELECTRICAL

ENVIRONMENTAL ENG

GeoConcepts Engineering, Inc

Power Design, Inc 19955 Highland Vista Dr, St 170 Ashburn, VA 20147 www.geoconcepts-eng.com

KTA Group INTERIOR DESIGN -HOTEL 520 Nicollet Mall, St 200 Minneapolis, MN 55402 www.dlrgroup.com

Power Design, Inc

DLR Group LIGHTING DESIGN -RESI 11600 Ninth Street North Petersburg, FL 33716 www.powerdesigninc.us

8405 GREENSBORO DRIVE, STE 500 MCLEAN, VA 22102 LIGHTING DESIGN -HOTEL 1671 House Street NE Belmont, MI 49306 www.wpf-engineering.com WPF Engineering, LLC

elevation studies (linework export and sketches by self, decision and model changes by self)

presentation drawing

view of the east hotel entrance and canopy (modeling, raw render, linework export, and postproduction by self)

design drawing

east entry canopy perspective used to futher refine the canopy design and wood slat placement (design, modeling, and linework export by self)

construction photographs

progress photographs of the hotel taken from across New Jersey Avenue, 09/2020 to present (by self)

view of the east facade and restaurant entrance (modeling, raw render, linework export, and postproduction by self)

WEST 2ND

Charlottesville, VA

R2L:Architects role: Primary Staff programs used: Revit 2018, Photoshop, and Illustrator

I came onto this project after the schematic design phase and learned that the project had a somewhat difficult past. The city put out an RFP for a housing project that could also provide a permanent home for the Charlottesville City Market. The city and the vendors disagreed with which proposal should proceed further, but the city went with their own choice.

The project was further inhibited by an initial design that called for an expensive, two-anda-half story underground garage, unrealistic structural system, and inefficient typical residential floors.

The project came to R2L:architects as the firm is known for high quality, cost-effective design. A number of changes included reducing the amount of excavation, changing to a concrete structural system, increasing rentable office space, and more efficient residential floors.

My initial contributions to this project included presentation drawings for board of architectural review meetings that we were required to present at once every month. Additionally, I worked on almost every drawing including plans, sections, elevations, egress plans, zoning information, unit sheets, stair and elevator details, and exterior details. The exterior details were particularly interesting as they allowed me to work closely with the principals and envelope consultants.

I also really enjoyed working on the plaza paving plan, seen on page 20. The plaza had gone through various iterations and was restricted to about 30% cast stone and 70% stamped concrete, for budget reasons. The design I proposed established a subtle 10’x10’ grid for the vendor tents with cast stone borders to separate the vendor space from the circulation space. Various gray hues of concrete reach across the path to hide the incongruity of the lines extending from the building’s 20’ openings and the 10’ tent grid.

Exterior rendering of northeast corner (by self).

presentation drawings

top: context map (by project manager);

bottom: plaza paving plan with inset showing process drawing (by self)

presentation drawings

top left and right: building massing and program axonometrics (by self);

middle: plaza trellis during the week (design input provided by self, trellis model and export by others);

bottom: plaza trellis during Charlottesville City Market (design input provided by self, trellis model and export by others)

presentation drawings

left: indoor market hall entrance (raw render and linework export by self, post-production by other with input by self)

right: residential lobby entrance (raw render, linework export, and post-production by self)

left: office lobby entrance

(raw render and linework export by self, post-production by other with input by self)

right: retail entrances (raw render, linework export, and post-production by self)

7'-7 1/4" 20'-0" 7'-11 5/8" 8'-0 3/8" 20'-0 3/8" 20'-0 3/8"

9'-0 3/8"

presentation drawings

north elevation perspective (raw render, linework export, and postproduction by self)

12435 Park Potomac Ave. Suite 300 Potomac, MD 20854 MARKET STALL SCHEDULE B CountType 16' 8' Indoor Stall 58' 12' Indoor Stall 1410' x 8' Indoor Stall 310' x 10' Indoor Stall 5010' x 10' Outdoor Stall 210' x 15' Outdoor Stall 810' x 20' Outdoor Stall 1110' x 30' Outdoor Stall TOTAL: 94

CIVIL ENGINEERING LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT 11600 Ninth St. N St. Petersburg, FL 33716 t 727‐210‐0492 POWER DESIGN, INC. Charlottesville, VA 22903 t 434‐295‐5624 TIMMONS GROUP ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ENVELOPE CONSULTANT 1828 L St. NW Suite 950 Washington, DC 20036 t 202‐239‐4199 SIMPSON GUMPERTZ & HEGER CODE CONSULTANT Ashburn, VA 20147 t 703‐481‐2000 f 703‐437‐6432

VA 22902

A2.10

fourth floor plan (initial model by others, sheet set-up and major model / drawing edits by self)

presentation drawings

west elevation perspective (raw render and linework export by self, post-production by other with input by self)

construction documents

unit floor plan (initial model by others, sheet set-up and major model / drawing edits by self)

presentation drawings

south elevation perspective (raw render, linework export, and postproduction by self)

11600 Ninth St. N St. Petersburg, FL 33716 t 727‐210‐0492

11600 Ninth St. N St. Petersburg, FL 33716 t 727‐210‐0492

POWER DESIGN, INC. Charlottesville, VA 22903 t 434‐295‐5624

TIMMONS GROUP

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

608 Preston Avenue Suite 200 Charlottesville, VA 22903

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ENVELOPE CONSULTANT 1828 L St. NW Suite 950 Washington, DC 20036 t 202‐239‐4199

SIMPSON GUMPERTZ & HEGER CODE CONSULTANT Ashburn, VA 20147 t 703‐481‐2000 f 703‐437‐6432

IBTS

ACCESSIBILITY CONSULTANT 10309 Rosser Rd Dallas, TX 75229 pete@skarzenski.com

Potomac, MD 20854

POWER DESIGN, INC.

11600 Ninth St. N St. Petersburg, FL 33716 t 727‐210‐0492

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

TIMMONS GROUP

Charlottesville, VA 22903 t 434‐295‐5624

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

ENVELOPE CONSULTANT 1828 L St. NW Suite 950 Washington, DC 20036 t 202‐239‐4199

IBTS

SIMPSON GUMPERTZ & HEGER CODE CONSULTANT Ashburn, VA 20147 t 703‐481‐2000 f 703‐437‐6432

Plaza, LLC Charlottesville, VA 22903

Charlottesville, VA 22902

A8.20

POWER DESIGN, INC. SCALE: 3" 1'-0" 2 TYPICAL MASONRY WINDOW JAMB SCALE: 6" 1'-0" 3 TYPICAL AIR WATER BARRIER BELLOWS

east elevation perspective (raw render and linework export by self, post-production by other with input by self)

-

PRIVATE RESIDENCE

Bethesda, MD Barnes Vanze Architects role: Primary Staff programs used: SketchUp and AutoCAD

I started on this project relatively early, just after initial plans and elevations of the house had been approved by the client. As I was the only other staff member on this project, I was able to work one-on-one with the project manager. I drafted and produced almost every drawing used in client or consultant meetings and drawing sets.

The project focused on the demolition of an existing house and construction of a new residence for a family of eight with an in-law wing, play court, media room, formal dining room, informal family room and attached porch, and three story feature stair.

I learned the most on the project working on building and walls section, and associated details. Meeting with and coordinating drawings with the structural engineer was also an important step in my understanding of the design process.

I particularly enjoyed modeling the house and its interior in Sketchup, producing various images such as the one to the right, to show the client. Being able to see the clients’ joy and interest as I navigated around the model to show them their future home was especially exciting.

Interior view of living room (by self).

construction documents

first floor plan (inital drawing by project manager, major edits by self)

presentation drawings

interior view of family room (model and view by self)

exterior elevations (inital drawing by project manager, major edits by self)

presentation drawings

exterior view of front of house (model and view by self)

construction photographs (by project manager)

construction photographs (by project manager)

FEATURE STAIRS

Henlopen Acres, DE | Georgetown, DC Barnes Vanze Architects role: Secondary Staff programs used: SketchUp, Rhinoceros 5.0, AutoCAD

While my role on both of these projects was somewhat limited to helping out as needed and editing already drafted drawings, I had the chance to explore issues relating to the detailing of the feature stairs of both residences.

On the left is a more contemporary, steel staircase for a beach house located in Henlopen Acres, Delaware. A digital model produced in Sketchup was used to study the intersections of the c-channel stringers at each corner and how that intersection interacted with the railing post above. Various options were explored including a completely open corner, one that included welded pieces at the flanges but left the web open, and a boxed-off corner. Ultimately, the corners were boxed off with additional welded pieces, creating a strong, assertive corner that appears to hold the railing post quite nicely and transitions from the lower stringers to the upper one.

On the right in a more classical, marble staircase for a weekend house located in Georgetown, DC. The stair is interesting in that it is supported on one side by the marble stringer and the other by a concrete wall. I was tasked with modeling the staircase in the firm’s go-to program, Sketchup, in order to provide initial drawings to the fabricator who would be producing the marble stringer and treads. Initially, I struggled to model the staircase in Sketchup, downloading plug-in after plug-in, only to fail at achieving the proper geometry of treads that had a different curve at the front than at the back and were also tapered in section. I knew I could model it more easily in Rhino and eventually convinced the project manager and principals to let me use my personal computer to do so. The task was then quickly achieved with a number of 2-rail sweeps to produce the exported image on page 39. Linework was then exported from this model and sent to the fabricator.

Detail photographs of feature stairs (by professional photographer).

project images

top left: process digital model (model and drawing by self); top right: professional photograph (by project photographer); bottom: construction document stair detail sheet (initial drawing by project manager, major edits by self)

project images

top: construction document stair detail sheet (drawing by others) bottom left: process digital model (model and drawing by self); bottom right: professional photograph (by professional photographer)

SCRIBBLED BRICK

Clemson, SC - Fall 2016 critic: Douglas Hecker time: 6 weeks programs used: Rhinoceros 5.0, Cura, and Potterbot

Tasked with the goal of rethinking the brick, I began my studies by testing the capabilities of the clay potterbot. I was interested to see how far I could push the technology and material and still produce a successful brick. I tried to produce intentional failures that would allow light to penetrate though the brick. However, the potterbot worked better than I expected and produced both of the “disintegrated bricks”. Next, I tried to see how steep of a slope i could print in clay, producing the “stressed brick”. Then, I designed and printed a brick with long sides that were made of ribbons of material. I alternated concave, straight, and convex ribbons hoping that the gaps between them would produce the light penetration I was seeking. However, the material drooped during the printing process and produced a much more interesting effect than I expected: a “woven brick”.

My first true success came when I designed a brick whose long sides had been scribbled somewhat randomly. These scribbled surfaces occasionally intersected one another and produced the “scribbled brick 1”. I tried to increase the number and complexity of the scribbles making up each long face, resulting in the failed bricks 2 through 5. The potterbot was simply unable to print in a continuous path due to the complexity of the surface. As a result, it moved around discontinuously and printed clay in strands where I did not want it. With “scribbled brick 6”, I returned to the success of the first scribbled brick, but contained the brick in a 3-inch by 3-inch by 9-inch volume to allow for stacking and the creation of a wall.

The addition of notches along the long sides of the brick in “scribbled brick 8” allows for either stacked to staggered arrangements. In the final wall assembly photos, both arrangements are shown. The interacting long sides of the brick create structural infill, allowing for an otherwise hollow brick. The holes in the brick allow for the light penetration I had sought after from the beginning.

Ideally, this brick would be used to construct interior wall partitions in office settings or create interesting museum installations. They are also lighter than typical bricks and arguably more visually interesting.

Detail of scribbled wall

brick prototypes

top to bottom: disintegrated brick 1; disintegrated brick 2; stressed brick; woven brick; scribbled brick 1 ; scribbled brick 2

brick prototypes

scribbled brick 3; scribbled brick 4; scribbled brick 5; scribbled brick 6 ; scribbled brick 7; scribbled brick 8

increased surface area increases sound absorption

voids allow for light to penetrate brick and view through

notches allow for easy stacking scribbled infill creates structural integrity

SHIFT and SUBVERT

Barcelona, Spain - Spring 2016 critic: Toni Montes time: 12 weeks programs used: SketchUp and Podium, AutoCAD, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign

The title and concept of this project were inspired by the notion of the government of Barcelona returning the area of Can Batlló to the citizens and allowing them to organize and govern it and themselves. This notion, representing a subversive paradigm shift, appears in the building as a series of ramps that shift and subvert around other ramps and programmed spaces. The primary ramp descends through the building, creating an interior pedestrian passage and navigating an existing topography change between the east and west facades. It connects can batlló to the nearby metro station and larger metropolitan area. Program then fell into one of three realms: that of the topography below, that of the modular structure above, or that which connects the two. Larger and more public program, such as the workshop and multi-use high space, belong to the topography while smaller and more private program, such as the offices and classrooms, belong to the structure. The civic platform and combined gallery and library connect the two previously mentioned realms and allow the visitors to interact with the citizens.

Each of the programmatic elements contains an educational component, aimed to educate the citizens at a variety of scales, in order to teach the community how to thrive independently of the government. For example, children can learn typical subjects in the classrooms while adults learn to grow food in the greenhouses and students research in the library.

exterior view of south facade, including cafe and user shop space, from the Gran Via

existing site

top: site section bottom: site plan

A tall masonry site wall prevents views into Can Batllo while walking along the Gran Via, driving by on the Gran Via, or approaching the site from the nearest metro station. Visitors can access the site through an opening in the south site wall or through an entrance at the northeast corner. This site wall creates a barrier that isolates Can Battlo from the rest of Barcelona.

proposed site strategy

top: site section bottom: site plan

This project focuses on connecting Can Batllo to the larger city area by puncturing an opening in the site wall and creating a main pedestrian ramp through the proposed civic center

survey existing conditions

demolish select existing structures

create new upper public courtyard and renovate existing lower public courtyard

manage topography change with new interior pedestrian passage through building

excavate basement and ramp down to high-ceiling workshop space

ascend up to main civic space, hierarchically placed above pedestrian ramp

create civic platform by connecting main civic space to outdoor space on north side of building

extend civic platform through building with a cafe on the southern side, creating an open public facade

modify classroom and reading room roofs for access to indirect northern light

lift greenhouse roofs to allow for direct southern sun exposure

plans

left to right: ground floor; first floor; second floor; third floor

not shown: basement plan; roof plan gallery lobby cafe

theater civic platform gallery polivalent start-ups/retail

Secondary ramps allow users to access a basement level workshop space, where citizens can learn to produce products on their own and sell them in the adjacent store space. Citizens can also use the tools in the workshop to build the wood frame window panels featured prominently throughout the building. The primary ramp subducts under the main public space, the civic platform, that penetrates the building in the north-south direction and connects a northern outdoor space to a new southern terrace. A small lobby, multi-use hall, and cafe comprise the interior promenade along the civic platform. An existing structural grid informed the placement of ramps and interior spaces.

offices

reading

classrooms library greenhouses conference rooms

interior views

clockwise: conference rooms; greenhouse; gallery; cafe; workshops; multi-use high space

rooms

The multi-use hall appears as an atypical space in which wood frame glass panels with attached louvers form the walls. Moveable partitions on the north and south walls allow the room to be completely open to facilitate movement through the building or completely closed to allow for a more traditonal venue for meetings and performances. Operable louvers create a variety of lighting conditions and views into the space, creating a dynamic space the reinforces the importance of the community.

theater seating options

left to right: market; reception; concert; tribunal

Folding partitions comprise the north and south walls of the focal theater space on the civic platform. Changing these partitions allows for a variety of communal activities to occur on the platform.

North-south partitions open and lower louvers folded up. Natural light and views enter.

Operable doors in N-S partitions and half of the lower louvers folded up. Natural light enters and some views enter and exit.

Operable doors in south partition wall with optional back-of-house at north end. Little amounts of light and views enter.

interior view of main pedestrian ramp, theater, and civic platform

Operable doors in north-south partitions and half of the lower louvers folded up. Some natural light and views enter.

Louvers that fold up and down, together with wood-frame glass panels, make up the walls of the theater. These louvers allow for different views and amounts of light to enter and exit, based on the use of the theater space, depending on their position.

building sections

top: transverse section through lobby

bottom: longitudinal section through pedestrian ramp

section details

top left: new wood wall

top right: library wall panel and concrete floor

bottom left: theater wall panel and louver

bottom right: corten steel wall

3/4” wood sheathing wood joist with insulation 1/2” drywall new window in existing opening new window with operable upper portion new concrete floor new steel decking new steel structural beam

existing truss new concrete floor new steel decking new steel beam wall panel supports (tied into concrete slab) new wood frame glass wall panels louver supports new operable wood louvers louver track

new wood frame window panels new concrete floor new steel decking new steel beam (beyond) drop ceiling ties 3/4” wood sheathing 1/2” drywall ceiling new spandrel glass

existing roof 1” corten steel wall cap

1” corten steel wall panel 2” air gap moisture barrier 3/4” wood sheathing 2x6 metal stud with insulation 1/2” drywall

existing truss new glass infill panel new concrete floor new steel decking

building sections

top: transverse section through civic platform

bottom: environmental strategies section climate information

left to right: sun path diagram; annual wind direction; design temperatures; conditioned spaces

roof transformations

clockwise: classrooms; greenhouse; solar chimney; reading room

modified roof classrooms learn to teach

new exterior walls greenhouse learn to grow reading rooms learn to research offices learn to administrate library learn to educate conference rooms learn to collaborate multi-use hall learn to govern and perform civic platform learn to engage cafe learn to interact gallery learn to display multi-use high space learn to exercise vertical circulation start-up stores learn to sell storage workshops learn to make

new program

existing and modified exterior walls

modified terrain

views top: public entry to upper courtyard from metro station bottom: Can Batllo entrance

CLEMSON BOAT HOUSE

Clemson, SC - Fall 2015

critic: Ufuk Ersoy, David Franco, and Ulrike Heine time: 5 weeks programs used: Rhinoceros 5.0, Maxwell, AutoCAD, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign

This project is the first of three in a semester long project series aimed at “Rethinking Clemson”. Seeking to fulfill a need of the city of Clemson, we were tasked with designing a new community boat house. My initial inspiration came from the shape and direction of a rowing shell itself. I arranged three types of program (cultural, residential, and private) in this form. The building itself protrudes from the terrain as if moving away from it, similar to how rowing shells begin races.

The challenge of moving rowing shells from the parking lot to the boat storage bay provided me a unique design challenge. I solved this challenge by piercing the building with a ramp that would allow rowers to move the shells from up above to down below, moving through the building. In this way, the act of a team moving the boat together as one become a public spectacle. Cultural facilities, such as a gallery, library and race viewing platform, are placed on the upper level. Facilities to allow for the long-term stay of rowing teams, such as bedrooms, a gym, and a lounge, occur in the middle of the building. Finally, the lowest level is dedicated to the boat bay and storage as the rowing shells need direct access to the docks and water.

Exterior view of the west side of the building, as seen from the water.

Of the sites given to us to choose from, I chose the site labeled as “Abandoned Lot” to the right. The site, located across from a hotel and at the eastern end of a bridge, had a steep grade change that interested me. Its location had prominence as a potential gateway into the city of Clemson. Also, its proximity to residences to the south and a commercially developed highway to the north provided interesting design opportunities.

work on this page completed in collaboration with five other students.

Of the above study models, the largest one interested me most because of its strong, simple gesture into the water. This is the scheme I pursued further.

massing progression

left to right: separation of private, semi-private, and public program; arrange program along topography; pierce with boat circulation; pierce with public circulation; extend landscape onto roof

row house

parking lot

highway trailer parking site plan

public green rower green

perspectives left to right: entry; gallery; rower lodging; boat bay

p q

a b c d e

f g h h j k l l m

a. entry b. gallery c. public roof d. reading space e. library f. machine storage g. rower lodging h. locker rooms i. rower gym j. library stacks k. office l. restroom m. classroom

g n o

i plans 61

sections

top to bottom: longitudinal section through ramp; longitudinal section through gallery; longitundinal section through library; transverse section through entry and library; transverse section through rower lodging; transverse section through boat bay

full-scale model of louver

top: open bottom: closed

SELECT PHOTOGRAPHY

While I don’t consider myself a particularly skilled photographer, I always end up with hundreds of photos from trips. Occasionally, I take a photograph that I find surprisingly good and it sticks in my mind. I love wandering around and capturing images of buildings and elements that make me pause or capture my attention. The following photographs, taken on various trips to major cities around the world during trips spanning from high school to post-graduation, represent a selection of photographs I find particularly striking. They show my wide range of interests including public spaces, museums, adaptive reuse, material juxtapositions, framing elements, aerials, color, and details.

While some photographs show larger gallery spaces, such as those of the Musée d’Orsay or the Rijksmuseum, others show specific moments I found particularly interesting, such as the cornice of Sant’Ignazio, the axial organization of both St. Peter’s Square and the Plaza de España, the juxtaposition of material in the Caixa Forum, the blending of materials in the Neues Museum, the oculus in the Broad Museum, or the arrival sequence in the Kyushu Geibunkan .

Barcelona Pavilion, Barcelona

Monastery of St. John, Patmos

Temple of Poseidon, Sounion

Piazza Sant’Ignazio,

Rome

view of Plaza de España from the MNAC, Barcelona

Parc de la Villette, Paris

Museum, Berlin

Kyushu Geibunkan, Fukuoka

Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest

2323 40th Place NW, Apt. 205 Washington DC, 20007 301.832.0315 thomas.masino.arch@gmail.com issuu.com/tommymasino