COLLECTIVE WORKS TWO by University of HOUSTON Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture

COLLECTIVE WORKS VOLUME TWO | 2010

In an expression of the students’ dedication to the work they commit themselves to design at the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, the Student Council took on the responsibility of producing, editing, collecting work and fundraising for Collective Works: Volume Two. The work illustrated on these pages is offered as a journey through the design life of our students, offering glimpses into each of the programs: undergraduate and graduate architecture, industrial design, and digital fabrication. These are both the collective memories and critical assessments of their time spent preparing for the professional lives awaiting them. Even in our own fragmented and ambiguous time, with the rhythms of change, and the cycles of economic boom and bust that we experience in our lives, our design professions continue to provide us with the sense of participating in a greater pattern. The work in these pages reminds us that our design endeavors have a life beyond the studio. T.S. Eliot states in his essay, “Tradition and the Individual Talent,” that our predecessors are “that which we know.” Our students are laying down their work for their successors to extend and renew the vision. Each of the projects described here provides a starting point for exploration by the imagination of those who follow and holds within them the seeds of infinite newness. Welcome to the journey! | Dean Patricia Belton Oliver, FAIA | CW2 | 5

INSPIRED BY STUDENTS MADE BY STUDENTS CELEBRATING STUDENT WORK THIS IS YOUR BOOK! CW2 | 7

UNDERGRADUATE ARCHITECTURE | FIRST YEAR Lannis Kirkland | Assistant Professor Director of Undergraduate Programs

Basic principles of design and communication of design for architecture and industrial design are explored in a studio setting. Students are expected to master basic two-dimensional and three-dimensional design skills, to formulate ideas conceptually, to develop those ideas beyond the initial stages, and to present those ideas at a professional level of craftsmanship. Students are expected to objectively analyze design, including their own work, beyond the domain of personal preference.

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Rose Lee Cube Project Duke Fleshman | Adjunct Assistant Professor

The Cube Project begins with four volumes, 12 x 12 x 12 feet. The cubes are subdivided into 4 elements created by the subdivisions to make a composition. The composition must include a stair. The goal of the Cube Project is to develop inter-relationships between all cubes and elements.

Nichole Bekken Cube Project Duke Fleshman | Adjunct Assistant Professor

The space in between the pieces are included as part of the composition. The method of deriving elements should establish relationships between elements. Individual elements may be interpreted as masses, frames or combinations of both. CW2 | 11

Diana Ngo Building Analysis Duke Fleshman | Adjunct Assistant Professor

Designing requires both analysis and synthesis. The Building Analysis project concentrates on the analytical side of design. Throughout the process of this project, special importance is given to the development of a conceptual understanding of design. Learning to conceptualize ideas is one of the most important lessons of the first year. But, conceptualization is not always about invention.

Patrick Burnham Building Analysis Lannis Kirkland | Assistant Professor

In this project, the students start with the finished building, a product, and work backwards to discover its concept. In following this procedure, students learn that design is neither entirely willful nor mysterious; with diligent probing, a design can be made to reveal its logic and consistencies. The goal of the Building Analysis is for the students to develop the ability to conceptualize and communicate the essential features of an architectural design. CW2 | 13

Meredith Chavez Spatial Relationship Project Mariel Reyes | Lecturer

The Spatial Relationship Project is a response to what students learn from the Building Analysis. They explore formal ordering systems, proportions of elements and space, the organization of elements, opacity, spatial and physical relationships, and jointing between architectural elements.

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Garret DeLano Indoor/Outdoor Chan Huynh | Lecturer

On the given site, which measures 64’ x 128’, both indoor and outdoor experiences are to be designed. The objective is to compose the site as a whole into one composition, considering the entire site’s parameters. Indoor/ Outdoor challenges students to design qualities of space and its underlying order.

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UNDERGRADUATE ARCHITECTURE | SECOND YEAR Robert Griffin | Associate Professor Coordinator, Second Year Design

Second Year deals with problem-solving as it relates to architecture and design, exploration of ordering systems, and translation occurring from abstract reasoning to design reality. Students are introduced to the human dimension and its relationship to architectural elements and space that lead into the development of design process, fundamental design skills, and its communication. Development of structural systems and building tectonics are emphasized.

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Nichole Bekken Quarters for a Visiting Critic Chan Huynh | Lecturer

The living quarters and garden for the visiting critic is a project nestled between the College of Architecture and the University of Houstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art building. In this campus breezeway the students design minimal living quarters for the College of Architecture visiting critics and lecturers. The space is on a North to South axis and is blocked by the two buildings on the East and West sides. The space is comprised of living and eating quarters, a small office and exterior garden. Within this limited space the students focus on the intimate relationship between interior and exterior spaces while working with the moderate passage of faculty and students through the site. This project takes place in the fall of second year as a transition from the first year Indoor/Outdoor project where the students investigate spatial relationships.

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Vivi Nguyen Nature Center Kevin Story | Lecturer

The Nature Center is located within the ruins of an abandoned mill once operated by waterpower. Situated on the edge of a dam, the nature center takes advantage of its multiple vantage points. One border leads the eye to a significant lake while the other is uniquely carved, plummeting into a shallow ravine. Some studios emphasize building within the original mill walls while others are free to create completely new structures. This project focuses on the use of mass and plane to form program spaces and circulation as well as a distinctive site with interesting challenges and design opportunities.

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Rose Lee Bookstore Café Chan Huynh | Lecturer

The Book Store is a proposed project for the Menil Museum in Houston. Dealing with the local vernacular and subtlety of the Menil, the student’s challenge is to create a bookstore that not only reflects and complements the museum, but works within the neighborhood as well. The focus and design goals of the project challenge the student’s ability to make comfortable, functional space that creates a unique bookstore experience coupled with a contemporary coffee shop. The site of the bookstore is along the path from the parking lot to the Menil and serves as a gateway experience to the museum.

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Adam Cook Youth Hostel: Lake Como, Italy Robert Griffin | Associate Professor

With the scarce amount of undeveloped land by Lake Como, the site for the Youth Hostel is fictionalized, but is consistent with the local site conditions and cultural context. The concept for the Youth Hostel gravitated around the idea of a modular sleeping unit for its visitors. A sense of community was the core of the schematic design. Two main axes began to reveal themselves: a public walkway which follows the general North-South direction of the peninsula, and a private axis which stretches the expanse of the building itself. The hostelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s structure is a series of reinforced concrete planes, from which floors are suspended. This repetition of the structural bays was oriented to take advantage of solar radiation and views of the lake, and engages the uneven grade in a spine-like fashion.

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UNDERGRADUATE ARCHITECTURE | THIRD YEAR William Truitt | Assistant Professor Coordinator, Third Year Design

Third Year studios serve as a link from the fundamental design studios to the more complex and independent architectural study of the last half of the undergraduate education. The projects demand a synthesis of history, culture, tectonics, and material within the study of a large architectural project. Students develop an attitude of design that encompasses multiple scales, from the urban context, immediate site, building, and envelope in order to reveal an architecture as connected to our daily and public life.

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Lauren Roberts Weather Center William Truitt | Assistant Professor

Weather Center examines the grounding of architecture in the specificity of site, the occupation of space through use, and the expression of architecture through its materiality, construction, and building systems. Through site analysis, structural and material research and design, this project examines the way in which architectural space frames public life. The design of the Weather Center demands thought into the inter-relationship of working research center, disaster relief, and public space. The project allows climate to inflect and inform architecture at the scales of study over the course of the semester, linking urbanism, building, and envelope.The role/perception of the public within these components is addressed through fundamental architectural issues, including: threshold/entry, hierarchy of actions, scale, and sequence of spaces.

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Alan Nguyen Houston Public Library Andrew Vrana | Visiting Assistant Professor

Houston Public Library examines the grounding of architecture in the specificity of site, the occupation of space through use, and the expression of architecture through its materiality, construction and building systems. Through research of precedents, structure, and material, this project examines the way in which architectural space frames public life. Critical attention is given to the transformation of the library as type, the role of digital media, and the specificity of the program as defined by neighborhood use. Tectonic exploration of structure, material, and environmental systems give critical definition to the creation of space, and is integral to the conceptual design process.

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Ruqiya Imtiaz-uddin Laboratory of Air, Mexico City William Truitt | Assistant Professor

The outdoor-in lab allows one to experience the sense of being outdoors while in an enclosed space. The skin of the building pushes the outdoor air inwards, and large openings give a consistent view out. The openings in the building become a filter for air, as slits are created by the overlapping skin. The exterior of the building is concrete and glass that overlap like shingles. The exterior perspective illustrates the concept of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;outdoor-in.â&#x20AC;? The overlapping shingles fold and bend according to the program of the interior spaces. Various windows push inward and allow for the outdoor to be pressed in. The glass areas have a constant view out, and the bamboo wireframe allows one to experience outdoor spaces. The slits have a filtration device that purifies the air around the building, allowing semi-fresh air to filter in.

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Vivi Nguyen Independent Film Studio Cord Bowen | Adjunct Assistant Professor

The Independent Film Studio is located on a unique site: heavy highway traffic establishes the Eastern edge condition, while the Western side of the site is comprised of low residences, allowing views of the downtown Houston skyline. The design allows a variety of experiential spaces. Two ribbons of programmatic elements envelop the light and transparent studio spaces. Through the creation of differences in elevation and angles, utilization of void and solid spaces, employment of heavy and light materials, and the use of surfaces as projection screens, visitors are invited to experience the dynamics of the space. The building is not only a shell that contains the moviemaking process, but becomes in itself a means of celebrating independent films.

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Nicholas Jackson Border Bus Station/Market William Truitt | Assistant Professor

Border Bus Station/Market examined the urban conditions along the U.S.-Mexico border in the city of Calexico, California. The project called for the integration of infrastructure and architecture through the common meeting ground of the urban context. Specifically this project sought an architectural exploration of the idea of â&#x20AC;&#x153;reactionary landscapesâ&#x20AC;? or the sprawl and development of additional types of programs on existing nodes of infrastructure.

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UNDERGRADUATE ARCHITECTURE | FOURTH YEAR Tom Diehl | Associate Professor Coordinator, Fourth Year Design

Fourth Year Design focuses on the enriching of architectural intentions, emphasizing the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; maturation by expanding on the means and methods underlying their realization. Students explore the relationship between initial design intentions and their development in the constructed nature of architecture. Work from this year exhibits an understanding of technical information and processes in design development through the application of systems, materials and construction methods.

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Tarana Hafiz Urbanism in Developing Metropolises William Truitt | Assistant Professor India has emerged as a global player in business ventures and the economic boom in the past decade. The planning undertaken by the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd. (CIDCO) aspires to encourage direct foreign investments and generate a new

commercial life for international trade in Mumbai. However, as with most metropolitan conditions, the issue of density in the built environment arises. This project focused on the contemporary urban condition of a large area within the city, which gave rise to urban questions such as: what is the current infrastructure? what is the role of wealth? what is the challenge of the slums in working with the development of the city? and what are climate/environmental affairs

that will possibly induce a generative component for the future of the city (sustainable urban design)? The idea is not to obliterate existing conditions in order to simply ‘’solve” the problem, but to re-evaluate the role of the cities in India and address urbanity by the constraints on site. The built environment could, in essence coexist within human interaction set by certain invisible “boundaries” called nature or the natural, all of which manifests the culture of the domain.

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Joshua Robbins Moments of Exchange William Truitt | Assistant Professor

When Saigon was founded, the port was the optimum moment of exchange due to its efficiency. As the technologies of transport and communication evolved over the years, the moment of exchange quickly became a global event. Instead of applying the regional way of thinking, which defined the port as the moment of exchange, it is locked as a small part of a much larger global moment of exchange. To accommodate this problem, a new deep water port was constructed 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, which facilitated a more efficient system of global trade.

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Athena Patira Houston Pavilion for the Arts Tom Diehl | Associate Professor

Houston Pavilion for the Arts (HPA) fuses and enhances the inter-relationship of nature and urbanism, an impulsive and ordered grid, through various experiences. HPA is composed of a small scale main attraction Event Pavilion and a larger scale Cultural Center. An anchored layering system creates a new ground plane with a transparent core, as HPA becomes a continuation of the park and creates the skin of the building. HPA takes on a larger scale to address the commercial side of the project, Fannin Street. Controlled views and a projection of the new ground plane layer visually links Hermann Park with the building. The ordering systems of the grids are evident in the different layers of skin and offer new experiences for different functions of the building program.

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Jason Kite Wetland Nursery Patrick Peters | Professor

Wetland Nursery provides hands-on education for visitors, a research facility to monitor the conditions of the bayou and site, and houses a small nursery where native plant species are grown. Its goal is not to be carbon neutral, but carbon negative by its long term benefits to the local environment. Primarily, the site will function to continuously produce plants and trees that are naturally found in Wetland or Riparian zones. These species are favorable to carbon sequestration and water filtration. As specific flora grow, it will be selectively harvested, then reintroduced into the environment throughout the region. Secondarily, to aid in a minimal carbon footprint, beneficial existing site conditions will be emphasized. Materials currently found on the site will be incorporated into the new construction where appropriate, and all will be recycled.

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UNDERGRADUATE ARCHITECTURE | FIFTH YEAR Geoffrey Brune | Associate Professor Coordinator, Fifth Year Design

In Fifth Year, students are expected to demonstrate a mastery of comprehensive architectural design, including building systems from schematic design through detailed development. They are challenged to question deeply their ideas and processes, exhibit a high level of skill in craftsmanship, utilize advanced technology, and understand as well as respect the power of design to shape lives.

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Cesia Kite Houston Botanic Garden Geoffrey Brune | Associate Professor

The intention of the Houston Botanic Garden is to offer an experience where people can become one with nature. Visitors to the garden can enjoy multiple activities in one place. Children and adults can learn about different vegetables and fruits, go fishing, canoeing, or simply enjoy the scene as they have a picnic along the shores of the lake. An on-site Visitor Center accompanies the garden. Its placement and programmatic order are dictated by the circulation, which gives the design different building forms. Natural light illuminates the interiors, therefore reducing the energy costs. High ceilings in certain spaces highlight important pieces of its program.

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David Sahagun Houston Botanic Garden Geoffrey Brune | Associate Professor

The organization of the site for Houston Botanic Garden revolves around the natural flow of water. Great importance is placed on water due to the necessity for survival of the site. The water channels capture rain water runoff and supply water back to the site. By xeriscaping (conservation of water through creative landscaping), it becomes feasible to create a sustainable site. Sustainability is achieved by grouping plants with common water needs, minimizing turf area, designing permeable surfaces, and providing more ground cover. Water access has played a key role in the development of habitats and civilizations. This reasoning organizes the site and its components.

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Jonathan Old Scaffold Peter Zweig | Professor

Scaffold is a mixed-use housing retail and market prototype designed to combat the overly dense living conditions in Manila, Philippines. Most residents in Manila have little to no access to public community spaces in general and essentially no access to green spaces. Scaffold takes the existing density conditions of Manila and re-interprets that density and incorporates both open public space, as well as a green space into the site to increase the quality of living in the Philippines. The result is a new typology for housing in the Philippines that aims to bring the communities together as well as create a new density within the city.

Unit layout diagram

Typology plans

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Scott Smith Market Value: Spore-phosis Blair Satterfield | Assistant Professor

The objective of Market Value was to design a space/armature for a client at the Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Market on Airline Drive near the Heights, a densely populated area of Houston, Texas. The design must be a semi-permanent stall for a seller at the market. The program for the stall was developed to be flexible for future configurations and programmatic shifts. Surfaces are laid flat and patterned, then bent to desired shape. Patterns are then flexed into position to create a fabricating structure, storage, table space or simply allowing light to shine through. Openings in the shell are filled with soil and grass, supported by the existing freeway structure. The lawn creates an elevated urban park, while reducing the heat island effect. Apertures in the surface of the shell allow light to penetrate deep into the spaces below.

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Designated areas allow for delivery to occur in and around the units. Solar panels are attached to the skin in designed areas elevated to the ideal pitch and facing South. Herb gardens owned by the customers keep the heat index to a minimum. Existing joist system, sits on top of girder system, seemingly carrying much less than capable.

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Preetal Shah Social (Re)condition Jeffrey Brown | Adjunct Assistant Professor

The project involves three major programmatic elements: a series of international markets, a 750-car parking garage, and a 150 precious car collection. The limited square footage of the given site, as well as the unusual combination of fine cars and retail space, allows for the creation of a new approach to shopping and parking. The internalization of all building elements stems from a precedent project proposal by Rem Koolhaas. In “Dolphins,” a short essay in his book, S, M, L, XL, Koolhaas speaks of “...Huge buffer buildings, that simply absorb all the flows, swallow the goods, the cars, the people from wherever...” Koolhaas also states that “...using slack within seemingly exhausted infrastructural spiderwebs,... mutt buildings that would quickly become ersatz cities, spontaneously develop paraurbanistic mutations,...would be infiltrated by commerce,...invading the endlessness of the concrete decks...” Ultimately, the building attempts to make a statement on commercialism with the display/advertisement of cars and international goods. Furthermore, a different type of social situation is introduced, mixing pedestrian and automobile traffic vertically, densely combining shopping cultures, placing/viewing fine cars in the midst of average ones.

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Alfredo Pimentel Thesis: Campus and City Geoffrey Brune | Associate Professor

New York Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (NYU) Department of Social and Cultural Analysis (SCA) is planning to renew its facilities through the means of renovating an existing NYU building on Bowery Street. However, considering the purpose of this department within the context of the University and its residing city, it would be in the interest of the SCA and its users to build an approachable structure instead of allocating a single floor to it. It will be assumed that the first floor is the most critical part of this procession. When approaching SCA from Cooper Square, all but the first and second floor facades are held in the same plane as that of the East Elevation. This perspective holds a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gaze until there is a void that reveals a pocket park, conveniently found across the street. Program organization is determined according to the geometry of the site. Since the site sits on the corner of a major intersection, processions on both East and South sides need to be heavily considered in order to defend the purpose of the institution.

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GRADUATE ARCHITECTURE | LEVEL 1 Cord Bowen | Adjunct Assistant Professor Coordinator, Graduate Level 1 Design

Level 1 introduces students to basic design and architectural concepts through a series of projects that develop individual cognitive design tools and skills. Students are introduced to organizational structures with problems of growth, change, aggregation, and metamorphosis at various scales. Beyond these foundational principles of design and communication, the Design/Build studio consists of the construction of a site specific, climate-influenced building project.

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Cube Project Cord Bowen | Adjunct Assistant Professor

Cube Project begins with four 3” cubes that are subdivided each four times creating 16 individual pieces using a proportional grid of 1/4”. All divisions are orthogonal to the original volumes. Using a predetermined theory of composition, a base element is derived to hold and compose the 16 pieces while expressing an understanding of proportion and scale. The pieces are intentionally assembled in relation to each other, both physically and spatially. Theories of composition include hierarchy, dominance, and axial composition. Final models are constructed from 1/4”, 1/2”, and/or 3/4” medium density fiberboard (MDF). Once composed, color composition is added to strengthen the intent of hierarchy and flow, but leaving 75% of the project in its natural finish.

01 | Apurv Prakash 02 | Chris Ellermann 03 | David McFalls 04 | Katherine Schaefer

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Cube Space Cord Bowen | Adjunct Assistant Professor

Using a section of the Cube Project as a base with an applied scale, Cube Space introduces human scale, design theory, and architectural elements to create a simple place of being. Form, space, and order are the underlying determinants of the process. The objective is to design a place of rest and meditation. This place of rest is at the scale of a telephone booth or a living tomb for meditation. The resident is to have his/her body held and enclosed with a combination of opaque, translucent, and transparent boundaries. The enclosure closely relates to the proportions of the human body, as well as keep it contained. Consideration is given to how the enclosure is entered and how it seals itself. Different levels of boundary deterioration, i.e. skins that breathe were incorporated into the design.

01 | Apurv Prakash 02 | Chris Ellermann 03 | Candace Burmaster 04 | Svetlana Menefee

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Graduate Design/Build Workshop Solar Shade Tree Patrick Peters | Professor

The Solar Shade Tree for Neff Elementary School is the product of a universitybased community engagement initiative, the Graduate Design/Build Studio, aimed at intelligent community improvement. Fourteen graduate students collaborated on the design, which includes a standingseam roof, trellis for additional shading, solar-powered photovoltaic panels and both planting and rain-collection basins. In support of the Neff education community, the Solar Shade Tree provides accessibility to the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing concrete amphitheater at the heart of its 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s era campus and creates a shaded and rain-protected gathering space that supports the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s significant performing arts program.

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GRADUATE ARCHITECTURE | LEVEL 2 Bruce Webb | Professor Coordinator, Graduate Level 2 Design

Students entering the program at Level 2 already hold a degree in architecture or environmental design and might already be licensed to practice architecture. This program offers an opportunity for specialization and advanced study following standard degree plans or custom tailored programs of study. Level 2 exhibits the same goals and builds on the objectives and leadership roles that are established in Level 1.

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Poonam Patel Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Theatre Bruce Webb | Professor

This project is a contemporary interpretation of Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Globe Theatre. The theatre is an expression of an era that was full of drama, sarcasm, enlightenment and a sense of being outlasted. In opposition to a society ruled by a king, the theatre is an expression of self. Its presence within the site is dramatic, while industrial undertones of the surrounding city are implied through its mechanized characteristics and appearance.

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Greg Estes In:Habit Park Theatre Bruce Webb | Professor

In-Habit Park Theatre is located in Houston’s shopping center, Town and Country. The concept explores what happens when you start to slice apart a garage, exposing its structure and design within its shell. Using the garage as a host, the In-Habit Park Theatre embedded itself within the portions of the bays. Starting at the ground floor and extruding itself up the levels of the garage, where the “slice” exposes itself and celebrates the final destination, the theatre. The exploration through the “slice” and interior of the garage allows the user to experience architecture like never before. Reaching the theatre becomes a journey, exposing the user to different platforms, along with programs. The journey ends as you exit the “slice” and are exposed to an exterior lobby with overflow space inside the theatre. The theatre’s tectonic forms extrude from the garage floor as it is erected right in front of you. The interior is left open to allow the user chances to explore on their own and to congregate with others within the theatre.

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Michael Hunton GLOW Bruce Webb | Professor

The luminance, scale, and materiality of industrial markers mystify us as children and continue to captivate us as we grow older. For Pittsburgh, the public can now experience these alluring memories in a steel museum. GLOW monumentalizes the past and provides an icon for the present and future. Coupled with the programmatic requirements of the museum, the project proposes the utilization of a vacant area as a public park as well as an event space for the greater Pittsburgh community. A raised platform allows people to walk down to the river, observe the Carrie Furnace, and enjoy the museum from a different angle.

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GRADUATE ARCHITECTURE | LEVEL 3 Ronnie Self | Associate Professor Coordinator, Graduate Level 3 Design

In Graduate Level 3 Design students are challenged with projects that are actual or hypothetical with interdisciplinary bases that are undertaken with faculty as project coordinators. Students may choose to pursue independent design studies which lead to advanced research projects or explorations in a regional, national or international context. Studios, seminars, and lecture courses are consistently focused on the process of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;makingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; through which ideas find form in the field of architecture.

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Catherine Callaway Daughters of St. Paul Convent Thomas Colbert | Associate Professor

The site of the Houston convent of the Daughters of St. Paul is organized in parallel bands that offer a gradual procession from public to private. The sidewalk gives way to the recess from which the chapel rises. A park corridor mediates between the public front and the private housing. The sacred, as represented by the chapel, is available and accessible. It is similar to its corporate neighbors in materiality and orientation, yet distinctly set apart. A sequence of materials envelop the heart of the chapel. Illuminated metal mesh gingerly covers the concrete walls and roof. The convent sits nestled behind a vegetated lattice and a tall screen printed with Biblical images, drawn by artist Rob Pepper. The screen panels stop short surrounding the entire building, inviting the public to the bookstore and cafĂŠ.

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Vincent Chang-Ming Yu School of Visual Arts Media Center Ronnie Self | Associate Professor

With the development of technology, there are diverse materials and methods being applied to faรงades that express many different messages, becoming the medium of transmitting inner messages. School of Visual Arts (SVA) is designed so that its internally complex program connects to the outside environment with a transparent faรงade. Located in Manhattan at a turning point of the High Line, SVA addresses an important issue of creating a public connection between the media center and the High Line. The media center is an architectural complex that includes gallery spaces, a media research facility, a theater, SVA classrooms, and administrative offices. These different architectural components connect with various abstract symbolic graphics of the faรงade to create harmony.

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Kevin Walton Seeking Urban Connections Ronnie Self | Associate Professor

Houston relies on the automobile as its major source of transportation, triggering the perpetual expansion of roadways, creating highways that carve through the landscape, solving only traffic issues. The intersection of these major transportation arteries produce vast interchanges, consuming the land. Created below the overlapping pathways of the interchange are unwelcoming spaces left to parking lots, shelters for the homeless, cyclone fences, and rubbish. In exploring the interchange, reinstating its significance as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;place,â&#x20AC;? this thesis seeks to create an architectural environment in which pedestrians may inhabit the harsh landscape of the freeway. The buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s form, placement, and variety of programs are intended to draw people into a normally inaccessible and overbearing site.

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INDUSTRIAL DESIGN | LEVEL 2 EunSook Kwon | Associate Professor Director of Industrial Design Program

Industrial Design (ID) studio projects outline the learning process the student undergoes in order to shift the paradigm of their learning engagement. Such an engagement suggests a model of student-centered, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and authentic learning that leads the product development profession. ID studio projects emphasize the design process that is contextually sensitive and research-oriented based on the effects that are trends in the global market and emerging technology.

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Leo Chen DEW Adam Wells | Assistant Professor

A letter holder is often found in offices and cubicles. It is a nice tool used to get organized. However, it may take a lot of table top space. DEW is designed to hang on the wall of your office or cubicle. Made with molded plywood, DEW is a sustainable product and functions like a hair clip. It is perfect for letters, papers, magazines, or anything that will clip on.

Timothy Tobola Ribbon Wine Rack Adam Wells | Assistant Professor

The ribbon wine rack is a modular system that can be easily expanded to hold multiple bottles of wine, while still appearing to be one continuous ribbon. A single unit can also stand alone to display your favorite bottle of wine. The horizontal orientation of the wine bottle is important to maintain the flavor of the wine in addition to keeping the cork moist. The copper finish matched with a clear core lightens up the visual weight as the multiple units are all connected. The black gripping material is a juxtaposition to the pristine copper to visually explain its behavior of keeping bottles from slipping off of the rack, as well as maintaining the continuous form.

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Arvin Abadilla SOMA Adam Wells | Assistant Professor

Tea has long been a significant part of life in cultures across the globe. Originating in ancient China over 5,000 years ago, tea made its way through Europe and even to the Americas. With the teadrinking process in mind, SOMA was created by observing the drawbacks of everyday teacups. The goal was to embody a calm and fluid alertness within a tea cup. The process of drinking tea was broken down into tasks and actions. Through task analysis, some actions highlighted issues and concerns. SOMA is stackable and inverts to protect from dust. Its saucer doubles as a lid to maintain brewing temperatures. A string catch on the lip secures the tea bag during pouring, stirring, and drinking.

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INDUSTRIAL DESIGN | LEVEL 3 EunSook Kwon | Associate Professor Director of Industrial Design Program

The Level 3 studio explores multi-dimensional projects and applied problem solving methodologies. Three-dimensional design and Interface Design explore existing and conceptual design solutions as they relate to today’s increasingly interactive world. Workshops led by visiting industry professionals offer unique and valuable additions to the studio environment. Another integral aspect of the industrial design education is design internships, in which students gain valuable “real world” studio experience.

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Kyle Hall BOT (Bicycles On Trains) Jinhee Park | Visiting Associate Professor

BOT was created to help increase ridership on the Houston Light Rail System. By allowing better access to cyclists using light rail, the METRORail can extend its reach to potential riders and help rid the city of unnecessary automobile commuters.

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Arvin Abadilla Basso Adam Wells | Assistant Professor

The floor is used for a variety of reasons. Work accessibility, freedom of movement, and the ability to spread out are among some of the advantages. However, posture and support are rarely addressed when working on a floor type setting. Basso is an extension of the floor itself. Starting off as a floor mat, the planes are manipulated to create a work surface.

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INDUSTRIAL DESIGN | LEVEL 4 EunSook Kwon | Associate Professor Director of Industrial Design Program

The Level 4 studio prepares the student for entrance into the professional design world. Great care is given to the development of a professional and effective portfolio that represents the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body of work. A semester long thesis is the focus of the final design studio. The student writes a comprehensive thesis proposal, selects advisors and upon department head approval, works independently toward a thesis solution.

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Efrain Villa Transcend Eunsook Kwon | Associate Professor

Transcend is a living system that gives the user the flexibility to change and adapt to their needs. It is composed of three materials: steel, denim, and laminate wood. It requires no tools, and can be broken down for transport. The materials are abundant, inexpensive to produce, and highly recyclable. Parts can be replaced and cleaned to increase lifespan. It is an upgradable system that allows users to modify according to their needs.

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Timothy Tobola Urban Kayak Eunsook Kwon | Associate Professor

As kayaking becomes a new recreational activity amongst the masses, multiple body types and multiple sites must be taken into account when designing this floating vessel. Non-recyclable billboards have been re-purposed as the material that cases the kayak. The material is repaired, and is then patched to form a cohesive skin that fits the framing of the kayak. The framing itself is composed of two lightweight pieces that are made of aluminum. They are made to slip into the skin and then be laced tightly to maintain a sleek robustness. The separate pieces allow for the kayak frames to be stacked into each other, which is ideal for packing and shipping. The billboard skins make the kayaks unique, and create opportunities for corporate sponsorships.

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Kyle Hall Minimum Eunsook Kwon | Associate Professor

The recycling rate in Houston is an incredibly low 4%. Minimum is a receptacle that promotes the recycling of aluminum cans. It is marketed for middle school and high school students. The receptacle will educate them about recycling, as well as the physics involved in the crushing of cans. Minimum makes recycling cans informative and fun at the same time.

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Arvin Abadilla Veer Eunsook Kwon | Associate Professor

Veer is a rental pedal car designed for Recreational Transportation in Hermann Park in Houston, TX. Human factors were studied to understand the mechanisms in play and the clearances needed to accommodate a variety of motions. Materials were selected for outdoor public settings that offer durability, weight, and longevity. To achieve shipping efficiency, a condensed footprint was made possible by keeping assembly design in mind throughout the design process.

Awning Sunbrella速 100% solution-dyed woven acrylic fabric Sunbrella fabrics withstand sun, wind and rain while remaining beautiful for years and do not wash out or fade. Upper Frame Aluminum 6061 Good workability, welding, appearance, and structure. Corrosion resistant. 1/3 the weight of steel means less pedaling effort and better maneuverability. Seating Vinyl Upholstery Abrasion, chemical, UV resistant, and easy to clean. EVA Foam Padding (thermoformed) -vibration absorbing -weather resistant Chassis Steel CROM 4130 (powder coated for corrosion resistance) High-strength, low-alloy steel Excellent weight-to-strength ratio Easily Weldable.

Fairings Polypropylene Copolymer Thermoformed with UV Additive for outdoor use. Excellent stress crack resistance, and low-temperature toughness.

Tires Micro-Cellular Polyurethane Extremely strong, durable and wearresistant. Exceed the wear co-efficient of rubber tires by up to 200%-300%. CW2 | 129

COMPLEMENTARY STUDIES Advanced study opportunities in design allow students to develop critical awareness and creative abilities through projects that build on personal interests and aptitude. Students are able to select from individual programs of study that draw upon resources and expertise, while working with senior design faculty and consultants. Complementary studies focus on the intersection of emerging digital technologies with advanced fabrication methods as well as environmentally innovative material exploration.

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Carry It Big Architecture of the Object Cord Bowen | Adjunct Assistant Professor

Architecture of the Object seeks to define the relationship between the discoveries often found in architecture with industrial design. The objective of Carry It Big is to design a way to carry objects on the body by investigating how it interacts with added weight and connections. Students begin by defining a particular object or set of objects to be carried, and then follow this with a careful process of defining the best way to carry the objects with the body.

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Plywood Architecture of the Object Cord Bowen | Adjunct Assistant Professor

Plywood challenges students to learn about the properties and methods of manipulating wood to create an object that serves as a “catch all” or small shelf. Using a strata effect (sandwiching) of plywood, students design a surface/object that is no greater than 30” in the long direction and 14” in the others, and that must be mounted to a wall.

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Deconstruct Helvetica Graphic Realization Cord Bowen | Adjunct Assistant Professor

The objective of Deconstruct Helvetica is to research and understand the geometric and theoretical compositional qualities of the typeface and how their internal pieces interact with each other mathematically and geometrically. Students use Helvetica as a typeface graphic to explore and create a composition or montage. The graphic demonstrates multi-program manipulation while using illustrative and photo rendering techniques.

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Students

Jonathan Aljets, Eric Arnold Lara Hamilton, Jennie Macedo Travis McCarra, Alan Nguyen Hugo Palma, Agustin Prebisch Preetal Shah, Marco Teran Fabian Vargas

Ceiling Cloud Digital Fabrication Andrew Vrana | Visiting Assistant Professor Joe Meppelink | Adjunct Assistant Professor Scott Marble | Visiting Assistant Professor

Students were challenged to design a ceiling system within a new Jury Space in the College of Architecture. They developed a Ceiling Cloud that clips on to a modified suspended ceiling grid using lightweight folded aluminum panels that are designed to incrementally change dimension and drape into the space below. Constraints and variables within the parametric models allowed for the optimization and extraction of 150 unique panels that are also perforated with their own individual pattern. The variations in the folded surface disburse and dissipate light and sound through refraction and absorption created by the corrugation in the panels and their perforation.

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New Harmony Grotto Digital Fabrication Andrew Vrana | Visiting Assistant Professor Joe Meppelink | Adjunct Assistant Professor Ben Nicholson | Associate Professor

The Grotto for Meditation, which was proposed in 1963 for New Harmony, Indiana, and commissioned by Mrs. Jane Blaffer-Owen, was the culmination of Frederick Kieslerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life-long project. Though the structure was not realized in New Harmony at the time, it embodies all of the influences of his career, from surrealism to biomorphic form and protocybernetic theory. Through the University of Houston and the Blaffer Foundation, we are engaged in formal research and tectonic resolution of the project, employing contemporary digital modeling and fabrication technologies at our College and in our city. It is under construction and will be a permanent campus landmark east of the Architecture Building next to a pond.

Students

Armando Arteaga Rosalia Covarrubias Juan Deleon Travis Eidson Justin Garret MIchael Gonzales Agustin Prebisch Lee Kelly Matthew Lewis Jose Martinez Lori Matthews Minh Nguyen Y-Linh Nguyen Negaar Nikahd Jasleen Sarai Preetal Shah

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UH GREEN BUILDING COMPONENTS Andrew Vrana | Joe Meppelink Directors of the Green Building Components

The mission of the Green Building Components Initiative is for faculty and students to design, develop, and implement sustainable, renewable, green building components and systems. This is coupled with the application of parametric design in the development of intelligent and optimized building systems and components that are prototyped via digital fabrication in the Burdette Keeland Design Jr. Exploration Center and professional fabricators in Houston.

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PV-POD Photovoltaic Mounting Systems Joe Meppelink | Adjunct Assistant Professor Travis McCarra | Student Assistant Kurt Vrbas | Student Assistant

PV-POD is a High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) vessel that is filled with water as a ballast and used to mount single Photovoltaic modules to flat rooftops in a cheaper, more convenient, and safer way than existing flat roof PV mounting methods and systems. With over 30 billion square feet of existing flat roof space in the United States, the University of Houston Green Building Components research team, with industry partners Metalab and Standard Renewable Energy began the investigation by identifying existing flat roof buildings as the market with the most potential for rethinking how solar panels are installed on buildings. The PV-POD allows for quick and safe installation by simply loading the roof with plastic tanks, mounting the panels, arranging the array, filling each tank with the specified amount of water ballast, and finally wiring the array together and into the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electrical grid. Because there is one Pod for each panel, the layout is flexible. Adjusting the amount of water in each tank allows for the array to respond to different wind loads across a rooftop, and minimizes the weight that is added to the rooftop. Installation of each panel takes only minutes, and uses only a garden hose and a wrench. The design for the PV-POD was inspired by other Polyethylene vessels such as waterfilled road barricades, driveway basketball goal bases, and curbside dumpsters, all of which are made by the same process.

H20

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SHINTO Peter Zweig Globally, 2.6 billion people lack access to proper sanitation. SHINTO responds to this world of unsanitary conditions in a myriad of ways: incorporating filtered and recaptured water from its roof; solar heating and storage of gray, black, and potable water; a composting toilet; alternative offgrid power sources; natural ventilation; and artificial lights that repel mosquitoes. SHINTO could potentially reduce the number of people, 9.7 million (mostly children), who die each year from dysentery and other diseases caused by poor personal hygiene.

Students

Kha Dinh Michelle Giuseppetti Stacy Giuseppetti Alejandro Lara Rose Lee Mai Nguyen Jonathan Old April Phelps Xavier Vargas

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SPACE Andrew Vrana | Visiting Assistant Professor Joe Meppelink | Adjunct Assistant Professor Travis McCarra | Student Assistant Ned Dodington | Student Assistant

SPACE is an up-cycled international shipping container paired with a flexible solar panel rack system that holds 10 or 20 PV panels, and can fold up either for transport or extreme weather. With its strong colorful presence and clearly visible solar panel system, it is also an iconic billboard for sustainability. SPACE is 100% self sufficient and has zero impact on its site. Modular in nature, all components of SPACE are fabricated offsite in manufacturing environments with virtually no waste, all the way down to the footings which use no concrete. They are simply screwed into the ground, enabling it to be moved to a new site when necessary. SPACE is a high quality, robust, off-grid structure ideal for any application requiring a portable, self-contained environment capable of generating its own power.

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| COLLECTIVE WORKS: VOLUME TWO SPONSORS |

| $1000 CORPORATE BENEFACTORS | BARBARA AMELIO | $500 CORPORATE BENEFACTORS | KENDALL/HEATON ASSOCIATES PAGESOUTHERLANDPAGE SHAFIK I. RIFAAT, INC. SUNSET SETTINGS | $250 CORPORATE CONTRIBUTORS | G & G MODEL SHOP STUDIO RED ARCHITECTS | $100 CORPORATE SUPPORTERS | CELESTE WILLIAMS HINES LEWIS T. MAY STUDIO OFFICE OF JAMES BURNETT STERN & BUCEK ARCHITECTS WEBB ARCHITECTS

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Sometimes the hardest part of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;makingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for many designers is to just get started. Deciding to produce this publication was exciting because there are immense opportunities ahead for the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture. Collective Works: Volume Two, as with the first volume, aspires to showcase the thoughtful, committed, and talented work produced by the students. This publication also offers a glimpse of a future that is being shaped by the students in this college daily. To create in our minds beyond what we know now, is the challenge for every designer. Having a clear vision can help us get there. The vision for Collective Works, Volume Two, was unanimous for the publication team. First and foremost, at the very core of the book was the student work. The book captures the progression students make from year to year as they advance and prepare for their lives beyond the studio. Reflecting upon the journey we took in making this book, we realize that getting started was not the hardest part. But rather, it was ensuring the publication mirrored the enormous talent and high caliber of work that defines our college. The publication team could not have produced this book without the guidance of and technical contributions made by Eric Dowding. Without his time and support, this book would still be just an idea. He challenged us to publish a second volume of Collective Works, and without fully understanding what we were to do and how we were going to do it, we accepted! This book would also not have been realized without Assistant Dean Trang Phan. She helped us see the opportunities and encouraged us to make the best of them. And of course, this book would be nothing without the College and the students that give it life! | Randall Hayden, Editor in Chief |

All work included in this publication was submitted by faculty and students of the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture. The work included in this book is not a comprehensive and absolute representation of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, but rather, it is an exemplary sample of the work produced by the students of the College of Architecture from the Spring of 2007 to the Fall of 2009. Every effort has been made to ensure that the credits correspond with the information supplied. CW2 | 157

COLLECTIVE WORKS VOLUME TWO | 2010 University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture 122 College of Architecture Building Houston, TX 77204-4000 www.arch.uh.edu 713-743-2400 CW2 | 159