thomas masino architectural design portfolio_select works Clemson University School of Architecture University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
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SHIFT and SUBVERT
Barcelona, Spain Toni Montes and Miguel Roldan Clemson University - Barcelona Architecture Center
EMERGENT EMBASSY Washington D.C. Carlos Barrios Clemson University
CLEMSON BOAT HOUSE Clemson, SC Ufuk Ersoy, David Franco, and Ulrike Heine Clemson University
Select Photography CO-LAB
Washington D.C. Luis Quiros University of Maryland
ENVISION SALISBURY Salisbury, MD Michael Ezban University of Maryland
SCRIBBLED BRICK Douglas Hecker Clemson University
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SHIFT and SUBVERT
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Barcelona, Spain - Spring 2016 critic: Toni Montes time: 12 weeks programs used: Google SketchUp and Podium, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Cloud
The title and concept of this project were inspired by the notion of the government of Barcelona returning the area of Can Batllรณ 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 Batllรณ 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 Gran Via
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existing site top: site section bottom: site plan
Magòria-La Campana
Can Batlló
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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. Magòria-La Campana
proposed site strategy top: site section bottom: site plan
Magòria-La Campana
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 Magòria-La Campana
massing progression top: site section bottom: site plan
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
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plans left to right: ground floor; first floor; second floor; third floor not shown: basement plan; roof plan
lobby gallery theater gallery start-ups/retail polivalent
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.
civic platform cafe
interior views clockwise: conference rooms; greenhouse; gallery; cafe; workshops; multi-use high space
reading rooms classrooms library
greenhouses
conference rooms offices
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.
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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.
interior view of main pedestrian ramp, theater, and civic platform
Operable doors in south partition wall with optional back-of-house at north end. Little amounts of light and views enter.
Operable doors in north-south partitions and half of the lower louvers folded up. Some natural light and views enter.
theater louver configurations
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.
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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
THIRD FLOOR CEILING HEIGHT + 16,34 m THIRD FLOOR ELEVATION + 13,6 m THEATER CEILING HEIGHT + 13,39 m SECOND FLOOR CEILING HEIGHT + 12,94 m SECOND FLOOR ELEVATION + 9,89 m LIBRARY FLOOR ELEVATION + 9,06 m GALLERY CEILING HEIGHT + 8,75 m
THEATER FLOOR ELEVATION + 3,59 m LOBBY & GALLERY FLOOR ELEVATION + 2,05 m WORKSHOP CEILING HEIGHT + 1,44 m LOW WORKSHOP CEILING HEIGHT - 0,61 m WORKSHOP FLOOR ELEVATION - 2,83 m
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 section
roof transformations clockwise: classrooms; greenhouse; solar chimney; reading room
climate information top left: sun path diagram top right: annual wind direction bottom left: design temperatures bottom right: conditioned spaces N
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GALLERY, LIBRARY, CONFERENCE ROOMS, OFFICES, CLASSROOMS, and READING ROOMS.
WORKSHOPS, STARTUPS, MULTI-USE HIGH SPACE, CAFE, CIVIC PLATORM, LOBBY, GREENHOUSES, STORAGE, MECHANICAL, CIRCULATION, and BATHROOMS.
SEMI-CONDITIONED 294 m2 - 5% MULTI-USE THEATER
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UNCONDITIONED 4403 m2 - 73.75%
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TOTAL INTERIOR AREA 5970 m2
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axonometric of building components
modified roof new exterior walls
classrooms learn to teach
greenhouse learn to grow
reading rooms
CONNECTIVE TISSUE
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 TOPOGRAPHY
REALMS
MODULAR STRUCTURE
learn to research
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
exterior views top: public entry to upper public courtyard from metro station bottom: Can Batllo entrance
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EMERGENT EMBASSY
Washington, D.C. - Fall 2016 critic: Carlos Barrios time: 6 weeks programs used: Rhinocerous 5.0, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Cloud
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For this project, we were tasked with designing a pre-cast concrete embassy in Washington D.C. Following rising trends of nationalism, xenophobia, and racism throughout the world, I chose to design an embassy for refugees. I was interested in designing an embassy for people and not a political entity. A building that could make a difference and change public opinions rather than serve an already established country’s self-aggrandizing goal. Vital questions to my process were how to design for a placeless population? How would I incorporate so many different cultures in one building. How would I avoid appropriating any experience that was not mine to draw on? Currently, there is a nine-step process to relocate refugees from troubled areas in the United States. I imagine a building such as this would be the first point of entry in the country for refugees. At the end of the process, the refugees would be brought to this building to stay temporarily. I designed the building to act as a temporary refuge for the refugees as they work with the consulate to get permanently relocated in another state. The consulate would also work to provide permanent jobs and housing for the refugees in those states. I chose a currently vacant site along Massachusetts Avenue, next to the Finnish Embassy. I was interested in the site extremely steep topography and its close proximity to the Vice President’s house across the street in the Naval Observatory. I began by densifying the edge of the buildable area facing Massachusetts Avenue. I extended the landscape to create two wings of the building that embrace a public terrace, like a contemporary St. Peter’s basilica. The public descends a pedestrian ramp to enter this terrace, where they are granted views to downtown Washington D.C. They can then enter the cultural zone of the building which includes gallery space, an auditorium, and meeting spaces. In the meeting spaces, the public can meet with refugees staying in the rooms above. Here, the refugees act as ambassadors of their own experiences, sharing them with the public, and dispelling public fear.
Longitudinal section through the three primary zones of the building: political (left), cultural (middle), residential (right)
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TYPOLOGICALLY:
an embassy that not only appears open but actually is and engages both the public and residential realms in a new, transformative way.
ARCHITECTURALLY:
form(s) that emerge from one another
CONCEPTUALLY:
emergence from the “architecture of fear� that has dominated embassy design since the terrorist attacks of 9/11
IDEOLOGICALLY:
emergence from xenophobia, fear of foreigners, and fear of refugees; emergence into a new era of global acceptance
A country this size would be the 22nd largest country by size, behind the United Kingdom and ahead of France.
65.3
million forcibly displaced people worldwide
A country this size would be the 57th largest country by size, behind the Ivory Coast and ahead of Sri Lanka.
21.3
million refugees
A country this size would be the 89th largest country by size, behind the Portugal and ahead of Azerbaijan.
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million stateless people
Top hosting countries
1.1m
Lebanon
24.44% of total population
664,100
1.6m
Jordan
Pakistan
979,400
736,100
Iran
Ethiopia
Where are they going? 12% Americas
29% Africa
6% Europe
39% Middle East and North Africa
14% Asia and Pacific
54%
of refugees come from three countries
1.1m Somalia
2.7m Afghanistan
4.9m Syria
2.5m Turkey
3.33% of total population
site strategy diagrams
site
top to bottom: continue chain of embassies south to Embassy Row, extend the landscape, densify the edge, place tallest portion of building near existing buildings, integrate building into the site, offer multiple circulation paths, sun path diagram, wind diagram
top: site plan bottom: site section through pedestrian ramp
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SEVENTH FLOOR (below)
TYPICAL HOSTEL FLOOR (below)
a. ambassador’s suite b. entertainment room c. laundry room
a. two double bed unit b. one double bed unit c. one double, one twin unit d. communal kitchen
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GROUND FLOOR (above)
FIRST FLOOR (above) a. fire place lounge b. hostel lobby c. coffee bar
a. gallery b. atrium / cultural lobby c. public terrace d. public ramp e. open gallery f. upper embassy entrance g. auditorium h. storage
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building plans
Below the cultural zone of the building stands the political portion of the building. I intentionally placed the formal embassy below ground so that the focus of the building would be on the spaces where the public interacts with the refugees and where the refugees temporarily stay. The political zone forms the subterranean, chthonic support of the building. The only portion of the building that is visible from Massachusetts Avenue is the residential tower. The base and focal point of the tower is a lobby and fire-place lounge. Here, the public and residents can also interact in a warm and comfortable environment. I designed these rooms based off of hostels, drawing on my only experience of placelessness; in Stockholm, it was such a relief for me to finally reach a hostel and have room to store my belonging and a need to rest on. The room was not big but it was temporary, similar to the rooms the refugees would stay in for three to four days. A communal play room, laundry facilities, and the ambassador’s residence occupy the top floor of the residential tower. The tower is intentionally too tall for the context; it becomes a statement about the refugee crisis and refuses to be ignored.
BASEMENT -1 (left) a. gallery b. classroom c. neutral embassy d. closet e. restroom f. cafe g. cafe storage h. under-terrace connector i. consulate waiting room j. consulate vestibule k. security checkpoint l. security office m. hallway n. storage o. consulate office space p. lower embassy entrance
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BASEMENT -2 (below)
BASEMENT -3 (below)
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a. restroom b. printing and supplies c. refugee services offices d. conference space e. hallway f. kitchen g. director office h. employee lounge
a. restroom b. printing and supplies c. ambassador staff offices d. conference space e. hallway f. kitchen g. deputy consul’s office h. ambassador’s office
a. storage b. archives c. resource library
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CLEMSON BOAT HOUSE
Clemson, SC - Fall 2015 critic: Ufuk Ersoy, David Franco, and Ulrike Heine time: 5 weeks programs used: Rhinocerous 5.0, Maxwell renderer, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Cloud
This project is the first of three in a semester long project series aimed at “Rethinking Clemson�. Seeking to fulfil 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.
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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
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site selection top: site section bottom: site plan ABANDONED LOT NEWSING PROPERTY - too far; - too much land area;
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.
Y BEACH
- too programmed already;
EXISTING BOATHOUSE AND ROWING CENTER
BEHIND MADREN CENTER - too small; - too close to golf course; - poor access;
site analysis diagrams right: regional connectivity iles
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bottom, left to right: water levels; sun and wind climate; proximity to residences; gateway conditions
Highway 123 dist: 0 mi
DOWNTOWN CLEMSON
Y BEACH
GREENVILLE: 28
College Avenue dist: 0.84 miles
YMCA Circle dist: 0.97 miles
miles
HIGHWAY 123
HIGHWAY 93
HIGHWAY 76
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY Sikes Hall dist: 1.08 miles
PERIMETER ROAD
EXISTING BOATHOUSE Beach Drive dist: 1.19 miles
ANDERSON: 17.2 miles
MADREN CENTER Madren Center Drive dist: 1.9 miles
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Clemson University Gateway
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sunrise 6:18 am
sunrise 7:33 am
wint er sols tice
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work on this page completed in collaboration with five other students.
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Residential properties near site sunset 5:24 pm
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DROUGHT LEVEL -22.00 feet
1500'
3000'
analog massing models
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: private, semi-private, public program; arrange program along topography; pierce with boat circulation; pierce with public circulation; extend groundscape onto roof
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site plan
highway
public river dock
public green
parking lot
trailer parking row house rower green
perspectives left to right: entry; gallery; rower lodging; boat bay
plans top: site section bottom: site plan
a. entry b. gallery c. public roof d. reading space e. library
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g. rower lodging n. rower lounge o. public corridor p. boat bay q. dock
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f. machine storage g. rower lodging h. locker rooms i. rower gym j. library stacks k. office l. restroom m. classroom
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sections top to bottom: longitudinal section through ramp; longitudinal section through gallery; longitudinal section through library; transverse section through entry and library; transverse section through rower lodging; transverse section through boat bay
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full-scale model of wooden louver top: closed bottom: open
section detail
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SELECT PHOTOGRAPHY
The following photographs, taken on various trips to major cities around the world during my graduate studies, represent my interest in museums and adaptive reuse. While some photographs show larger gallery spaces, such as those of the MusÊe d’Orsay or the Louvre, others show specific moments I found particularly interesting, such as the juxtaposition of material in the Caixa Forum, the blending of materials in the Neues Museum, or the oculus in the Broad Museum.
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Broad Museum, Los Angeles
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Barcelona Pavilion, Barcelona
Caixa Forum, Barcelona
view of Plaza Espana from the MNAC, Barcelona
Museo Nacional del Prado extension, Madrid
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina SofĂa, Madrid
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Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Neues Museum, Berlin
Louvre atrium, Paris
LACMA, Los Angeles
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
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CO-LAB
Washington D.C. - Fall 2013 critic: Luis Quiros time: 6 weeks programs used: Google SketchUp and Podium, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Cloud
We began the design of this collaborate maker space by designing in section. I designed this main section to have a large, full-height atrium to visually link all of the programmatic elements. Public functions, such as a cafe and gallery-display space occupies the ground floor while semi-public functions, such as an auditorium and maker space, occupy the floors above. The upper floor program is divided across the atrium, separating the auditorium and child care area from the maker and hacker spaces. These two groups of program are contained by multi-floor glass panels while figural staircases cross the atrium. Service is moved the north side. I conceived of the parti of this building as a continuation of the public realm into a large, multi-story, light-filled atrium into which volumes of the think/make space would be inserted. The volumes of think/make spaces were divided across the atrium, with the auditorium and children’s space facing 14th Street and the hacking, collaborative, and fabrication spaces facing the alley. Visitors enter the building from the west and enter the lobby with views into the eating space and large performance/exhibition space. A staircase allows visitors to ascend on axis halfway, then the landing reorients visitors 180 degrees, where they finish the ascent to the auditorium. Staircases with similar forms lead to the floors above, ending with a rooftop terrace facing 14th Street. Wood panels cover the walls of the atrium, appearing warm and glowing in the light. The wood directs visitors up the staircase. Smaller beige tiles of a similar scale cover the walls of the auditorium and children’s space while larger, metal plates cover the walls of the hacking, collaborative, and fabrication spaces.
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A series of steel trusses contained within figural concrete support the floors and roof slabs. Smaller steel beams frame into the trusses, supporting the concrete slabs and decking. Steel columns placed at twenty foot intervals originating from the corners of the thirty foot by thirty foot atrium support the trusses. I zoned the plans of the building to place all servant spaces (fire stairs, elevators, storage, and bathrooms) against the north party wall. The two volumes of think/make spaces are contained by multi-story height glass walls, punctured by floor slabs and circulation spaces. Think/make spaces interact across the atrium using communal lounges placed against the south party wall. The west elevation projects the zoned interior with a concrete core containing the servant spaces. The volume of the auditorium projects from a glass facade, covered in wood panels. Spaces along the west side of the building are shaded with louvers and overhangs.
Site plan
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section progression top: site section bottom: site plan
model progression top: site section bottom: site plan
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building plans top to bottom: fourth floor plan; third floor plan; second floor plan; ground floor plan
design drawings top: section perspective middle left: 14th Street elevation middle right: tranverse section bottom: technical longitudinal section
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ENVISION SALISBURY
Salisbury, MD - Spring 2014 critic: Michael Ezban time: 12 weeks (6 weeks urban design, 6 weeks building design) programs used: Google SketchUp and Podium, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Cloud
Similar to Salisbury, this proposed scheme functions both a gateway and destination; a gateway to riverfront recreational activities and a destination for city cultural events. Service spaces, all contained within a 15-foot high volume, wrap around and nestle the larger public spaces. The steel structure exposes itself in these larger public spaces while walls surround the structure in the service spaces. All large public spaces are flexible enough to host a variety of events including performance, exhibitions, lectures, and receptions. The lobby gently caps the space between the brickclad service volumes, allowing for views through the lobby and to the river.
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Exterior view of main entrance from Circle Avenue
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community workshop above: pamphlet made by the studio to lead community members around their own city to understand more about their needs and desires for a public building right: photos from the community workshop (I am pictured at the head of the table in the middle left photo)
urban analysis top: regional connectivity bottom: urban issues
work on this page completed in collaboration with Adam Louie.
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urban design top: scheme 1 - 75% natural, 25% built middle: scheme 2 - 50% natural, 50% built bottom: scheme 3 - 25% natural; 75% built
work on this page completed in collaboration with Adam Louie.
site design top: site strategies bottom: site plan
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design drawings top to bottom: plan; section through lobby; section through great space; north elevation
1. Great Space 2. Lobby 3. Outdoor Terrace 4. Exhibition Space
a. service corridor b. green room c. men’s changing room d. women’s changing room e. great space service space f. loading dock g. storage h. kitchen i. mechanical room j. Strait Java cafe k. Strait Java cafe patio
l. coat room m. women’s restroom n. ticket office o. men’s restroom p. service corridor q. office(s) r. women’s restroom s. men’s restroom t. mechanical room u. storage v. loading dock
design drawings right: lobby persective below: lobby component axonometric
right: great space persective below: great space component axonometric
right: view of river elevation below: structural axonometric
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SCRIBBLED BRICK
Clemson, SC - Fall 2016 critic: Douglas Hecker time: 6 weeks programs used: Rhinocerous 5.0, Cura, 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 occassionally 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 more visually interesting.
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Detail of scribbled wall
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brick prototypes top to bottom: disintegrated brick 1 disintegrated brick 2 stressed brick woven brick scribbled brick 1 scribbled brick 2
brick prototypes top to bottom: scribbled brick 3 scribbled brick 4 scribbled brick 5 scribbled brick 6 scribbled brick 7 scribbled brick 8
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brick process top: process bottom: interior office application
3” 9” FLAT NODE
MIRROR
SWEEP 2
TRANSLATE
3”
final scribbled brick wall
increased surface area increases sound absorbtion
voids allow for light to penetrate brick and view through
notches allow for easy stacking
scribbled infill creates structural integrity
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Thomas Masino 13202 Idlewild Drive Bowie MD 20715 (permanent) 601-B Smoke Rise Drive Central SC 29630 (local) (301) 832-0315 tfmasin@g.clemson.edu
thank you