“Each new situation requires a new Architecture” - Jean Nouvel
Content
[380] High Line Visitor’s Center
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Frozen Improvisations
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Understanding Eisenman
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The Chernozem Files and The Hashtag Landscape
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Moisture Vaporator
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Radical Augmentations
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Collages and Drawing
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At the intersection of 26th and 10th in Lower Manhattan exists a small public parking lot and bike sharing station that sits directly adjacent to the High Line. With land values in this area skyrocketing, this small lot is destined to be demolished in order to make way for a new development. However due to the site’s size and location, creating an underground parking structure would be next to impossible, but taking away these necessary infrastructural elements would worsen conditions for commuters as there are increasingly fewer sites such as this in the local area. In this design for the High Line Visitor’s Center, these elements are minimally impacted as the entire building is cantilevered over the site, establishing a new ground plane even with the High Line. With a truss system supported by four large reinforced steel columns, enough structure is provided to allow space for an information center, gallery, small open office, and a series of outdoor “social theaters”. Additionally, a portion of the third floor can detach itself from the building and extend over the High Line, giving unprecedented views to the park below without permanently affecting existing perspectives to the city.
The High Line is a prime example of the integration of architecture and infrastructure. In this spirit, the building form and skin are designed as reflections of the billboards along the High Line - infrastructural elements that are rapidly being displaced in Manhattan.
Perforated Aluminum Skin
1 Structure Cantilevered Steel Truss
2 Floor Plates 4 Levels
3 Social Theaters Space to Relax
Skin Structure
4 Platform
Extendable for Additional Views
Building
5 Billboard Skin Reflections of Infrastructure
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(Roof Theater) Level 4
(Gallery) Level 3
(Office) Level 2
(Entry & Exhibition) Level 1
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Longitudinal Section
Cross Section
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Understanding Eisenman’s House III This series of investigative diagrams seeks to expose the essential elements behind the design process of Peter Eisenman’s House III. Each exploration was carried out it in a series of axonometric drawings that reflected Eisenman’s own process and which uncovered design strategies, movements and transformations previously unseen. These discoveries are divided into five primary categories: Frame, Plane, Volume, Parts, and Whole. In each category the house is deconstructed, analyzed, reassembled and disassembled to document all formal moves.
1. Compress
2. Frame
3. Connect
4. Break
5. Suture
6. Remove
7. Plane
8. Duplicated
9. Extract
10. Slice
11. Withdraw
12. Swerve
13. Extend
14. Restore
15. Part
16. Exclude
17. Delete [VOID]
18. Affect
19. Re-Exclude
20. Aggregate [MASS]
21. Carve
22. Summation
23. Rotation
24. RESULT
House III Level 2
House III Level 1
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Model Photos During the invesigation a series of architectural “artifacts� were created that represented new interpretations of elements from the House III design process
Projective Drawing After all information was gathered, a projective drawing was created that represented the lessons learned from Eisenman’s design process as well an understanding of new possibilites that could come about as a result of this assessment.
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The Chernozem Files are a collection of data that seek to document the many ways in which man has altered our global landscape with a specific interest in the American Midwest. This area has become one of the world’s largest agricultural production centers, and its environment has been altered on such a grand scale that it has become increasingly important to understand how these food production systems affect our environment and how they may contribute to a potentially bleak future‌
The Chernozem Files & The Hashtag Landscape
The Hashtag Landscape was created as a means of digitally navigating the different pieces of data compiled in the Chernozem Files. Each entry is assigned to a relevant hashtag or series of hashtags which allow the user to view the different entries by category. To experience the Hashtag Landscape or view the Chernozem Files please visit the link below or scan
www.thechernozemfiles.tumblr.com
Research Partner: Emerson Ortiz-Carrera 12
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Moisture Vaporator
Design Partner: Emerson Ortiz-Carrera
In the wake of the devastation caused by the droughts in the 1930’s, farmers on the Great Plains began to pump large quantities of water from the Ogallala Aquifer to irrigate their crops. Since then, water levels in America’s largest underground source of fresh water have dropped more than 200 feet in certain areas. Unless radical changes occur, the aquifer will be almost completely depleted within a matter of decades. The Moisture Vaporator was designed to provide farmers with an alternative water source by harvesting moisture from the air. Current devices such as Atmospheric Water Generators have a similar function but use great quantities of energy in the process. The theoretical design of the Moisture Vaporator utilizes thermal massing to collect natural heat energy from its environment to create a temperature differential that can cause condensation to form, allowing moisture to be collected without an external power source.
Thermal Massing
During the day the thermal mass heats up and draws air underground where it cools, thus creating a temperature differential allowing condensation to form and be gathered.
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Theoretical Prototype Exploded Axon 1. Thermal Mass Skin 2. First Stage Air Filter 3. Air Funnel 4. Copper Coil 5. Second Stage Air Filter 6. Air Intake Fan 7. Moisture Reclamation Filters 8. Air Exhasut 9. Water Storage Tank 10. Irrigation Line
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Temperature Differential
Condensation occurs when a surface is cooler than the dew point temperature of the air next to the surface. By drawing warm air underground the necessary temperature change occurs and condensation forms inside of the device.
Collection Rate of Built Prototype = 1/8 Cup of Water per Hour
Outer Turbulence
Laminar vs. Turbulent Flow
In order to have the process of condensation to occur, different forms of turbulence are necessary. The first stage of turbulence begins with the device’s skin which can allow it to collect moisture even when it is windy.
Over the course of a 4 day period 2 soil modules were saturated with moisture, one from the device and one from a watering can while a third was kept as a control. Results showed that the module watered from below using the device retained more than 4 times as much water in the soil.
Construction Documentation
Built Prototype Section
Copper wool is inserted into the coil to create further turbulence as well as give additional surface area for the air to react with. By creating turbulence the air is able to stay in the coil long enough for it to drop in temperature and create condensation.
Moisture Retention Study
Solar Panel
Mod 1. Mod 2. Mod 3.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Irrigation Line
Water Pump
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Inspired by the Chernozem Files, Radical Augmentations is the investigation of a possible architecture in a dystopian future. In this setting, most of the world’s fresh water resources have been depleted and a new Dust Bowl has gripped the American Great Plains, forcing civilization to look for sanctuary underground.
Radical Augmentations
Moisture Vaporators draw humidity from the surface below in order to replenish the Ogallala Aquifer. The device’s by-product, oxygen, is funneled to new subterranean structures that utilize massive, blossoming solar collectors to fuel large scale hydroponic labs. These labs now provide the local population with the majority of their sustenance as the surface has become almost entirely inhabitable.
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Exploded Axonometric Subterranean Park
Solar Collectors
Solar Collector
Honeycomb Substructure Fiber Optic Cable
Moisture Vaporator
Park Space Vertical Circulation
Light Dispenser
Platform
Water Line Floor Plates
Structural Rings
Seed Storage Hydroponic Lab 2
Storage Banks
Steel Structure
Water Treatment Facility
Water Treatment Facility
Live/Work Space
Seed Storage Air Duct
Treatment Tanks
Subterranean Park
Platform Hydroponic Lab 1
Primary Storage Tanks
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Ogallala Aquifer
Depth to Water
- Over 174,000 mi sq. in area - If spread across the U.S. the aquifer would cover all 50 states with 1.5 feet of water. - If drained, it would take more than 6,000 years to refill naturally. - More than 90 percent of the water pumped is used to irrigate crops. - $20 billion a year in agricultural products depend on the aquifer. - At current rates, the aquifer will be completely depleted within a matter of decades.
Change in Water Levels
Consumption of Water by County
NE
Finney County
OK
NM
160 Million Gallons per year
+50 ft.
> 300 ft.
Section 0
100 Miles
2013
0’
KS
CO
0 ft.
0
100 Miles
-150 ft.
predevelopment-2013
0
100 Miles
TX
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predevelopment-2013
1000
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Model Photos
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Site 06
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Finney County, Kansas 07
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Site Plan
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Collages and Drawing These select works reflect a personal interest in the process of taking “found� objects and compiling them into architecturally related pieces in multiple mediums. The objects originate from multiple sources, including personal photos, magazines, periodicals, books and digital media. These Items which are otherwise completely unrelated morph and are fused in an on-going transformative process to create new artifacts that serve as creative inspiration.
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Contact: travis.tabak@gmail.com