WILLIAM McCANN ARCH 281- NILOU VAKIL
Introduction I am currently a Senior in the Architectural Engineering department. This portfoilio highlights my work in the Spring section of ARCH 281 Workshop II: Design Thinking with Nilou Vakil.This semester our assignments focused on a single building to research and recreate in both the digital and physical world. I selected the Clyfford Still Museum located in Denver, Colorado deigned by Allied Works Architecture’s Brad Cloepfil.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 01 RESEARCH 05 MASSING 11 DETAILING 15 MODEL BUILDING 18 DIAGRAMS 21 RESOURCES
01 RESEARCH Digital Design architect Adrian Smith is famous for his work on megatall structures such as the Burj Khalifa located in Dubai. Adrian’s utilizes 3D design and engineering software that allows him to simulate extreme weather conditions to predict the behavior of structures at high altitudes in harsh enviroments. Smith seeks to advance technology through architecture
Adrian Smith designs his buildings in a neo-futuristic architectural style that stresses vernacular forms, energy efficiency, and sustainability. He termed this practice as Global Enviromental Contextualism.
The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, embodies Smith’s Neo-futuristic style with vernacular forms and stands 2722 feet above the city of Dubai. Looking oin plan view one can see the Onion Dome shapes that have been used for centuries in Islamic Architecture. Inside the Burj is a condensate collection system which stores water produced from the humid desert air coming into contact with the conditioned building.
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A 3D printed scale of the Burj was used to simulate conditions and understand the wind forces that develop due to the shape of the structure. Several iterations (top left) were developed in order to reduce wind loading at such a high altitude.
The Burj Khalifa is an engineering marvel that has supplanted Dubai as a top destination for travlers and a financial player on the world stage. Although currently the world’s tallest structure, Smith has already designed its successor the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia.
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05 MASSING The Clyfford Still Museum was constructed in 2011 in the Cultural Arts district located in Denver, Colorado. The Museum is dedicated to the art of Clyfford Still, an Abstract Expressionist, and houses 94% of all his works.
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Cloepfil’s design is soild structural form that is penetrated by natural light. The grove of trees on the exterior is meant to give occupants a place of refuge from the bustling city.
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After reaching out to Allied Works Architecture about the Clyfford Still Museum they afforded me a set of construction documents to aid in our classes assignment to use Sketchup to create a massing model. This allowed our class to learn how to read and undertand the complex nature of construction documents. It also provide us with detailed sections that helped produce a digital massing model true to the actual structure. Sketchup also allowed me to important surrounding buildings to mimic the real location and show the true scale of the museum.
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Sketching the Museum with trace paper added a softness and sense of natural life that a digital model lacks.We used this exercise to evaluate sun path and shadow as well as emphasize scaling techniques.
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11 DETAILING The main entrance to the Museum is intentionally shaded to act as a transition point from the bright exterior Sun light to the filterd natural light in the gallery on the second floor. The vestibule and part of the glazing are adorned with wood slates of varying widths.
The reason I chose this section was that it incorporated all of the important features of the building such as the skylights, exterior wood slates and the conrete screen in the gallery area. Also the entrance has such an important function to the Museum as the lightning transition point. Again, using Sketchup I was able to take 2 dimensional construction documents and create a digital 3D section model showcasing the intrical aspects of the Museum.
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Sketchup’s sunpath feature allowed me to simulat by the Museum throughout the year at anytime o ed Cloepfil’s light filtration design from the skyligh crete screen to the gallery below.
te the shadows created of day. It also demonstrathts throught the con14
15 MODEL BUILDING
The next phase in our project was to take our digital section and construct a 1/2 inch scale model. through the use of the school wood shop, laser cutter and adhesives my model of the Clyfford still museum came alive.
Model building proved to be the most challenging part of the process. I used dimensional lumber and plywood to construct the base and exterior wall systems. The vestibule was made from 1/4 inch plywood with groves to fit the acrylic pieces used for the exterior glazing. The vestibule would also help support the cantelevered floor above it. The exterior walking pavers and the interior concrete screen were etched using a laser cutter.
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18 DIAGRAMS
Presentations in professional photography as well as Adobe Illustrator allowed me to create lighting and ventilation diagrams using the physical model. Aluminum Skylights With High Performance Glazing Filter Out Harmful UV Rays
Concrete Screeen Diffuses The Light To Lessen The Intensity And Produce A Scattering Effect.
North Facing Windows And Wooden Slates On The Vestibule Help Shade The Lobby Area
The Lobby Is Intentionally Deprived Of Natural Light To Serve As A Transitional Point For Visitors Before They Ascend To The Luminous Galleries Above
PERIMETER WINDOWS AT THE ENTRANCE VESTABLE, LOBBY ARE HEATED WITH RADIANT IN-FLOOR TRENCH HEATERS TO HEAT WINDOW SURFACES.
This case study of the Clyfford Still Museum has afforded me a wealth of knowledge in the art of digital design. Using different mediums both digital and physical has grown my understanding of building systems and enriched my love for design. 20
RESOURCES ALLIED WORKS ARCHITECUTRE - DAN KOCH CLYFFORD STILL MUSEUM.ORG THE ARCHITECTURE OF ADRIAN SMITH, SOM: TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
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