ZAC CORDOVA
Auburn University B. Arch PORTFOLIO
rainscreen study. rail workers memorial museum
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Railworkers Memorial Museum
Fall 2012 - Spring 2013
Montgomery, Alabama
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Miami Cultural Arts Center
Spring 2012
Miami, Florida
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Ludoteca Spring 2011 Rome, Italy
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Design Habitat 4.0 Fall 2011 Meridian, Mississippi
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Shop House Summer 2011 Baldwin County, AL
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Tool Shed Summer 2010 Baldwin County, AL
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Build - Modeling and Drawing
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PORTFOLIO 2009-2013 Zac A. Cordova
Auburn University
zaccordova@gmail.com
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RAILWORKERS MEMORIAL MUSEUM WESTERN OF ALABAMA RAIL SHOPS / MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA The museum is a place to reflect. Reflection on an institution that changed the landscape of the American South. First providing a great infrastructure of movement, then disappearing as fast as the trains it employed, leaving behind its ruins of prosperity and hope. The construction of these great railroads and preservation of its machinery was a grueling endeavor that employed long forgotten tradesmen and laborers. The souls of these men toil amongst these ruins. This project is committed to the preservation of their memory. 9
The WofA, founded in 1832 was one of the earliest railroads in the American South. By the end of the nineteenth century, Montgomery had grown into the heart of a vast transportation network. The WofA built its primary rail shops there in the 1850s, where workers produced everything from passenger depot furniture and signs to freight cars and locomotives. The WofA rails shops began as a loose collection of buildings straddling N. Court St., approximately one mile north of downtown Montgomery. Following consolidation east of N. Court St. and dramatic growth between 1890 and 1910, the shops were considered the largest and most complete in Alabama. 10
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Montgomery, Alabama 1899 below - WofA rail yards in current decay
left - Southern Railway system 1895 below - Western of Alabama
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present day Montgomery After peaking in the 1920s, the road declined as a result of the combined effects of the depression, improved highway systems, and increasing air traffic. Today only 5 structures remain standing of the original 20, the enormous car shed, red brick planing mill, supply house/locker room building, oil house, and the coaling tower. Although extensive recording of the remaining buildings has been completed by the Historic American Engineering Record, little has been done in way of preservation. The degree of degradation in these structures varies but overall The site itself is 45+ acres in area and bounded by existing and pre-existing rail infrastructure. The interior is scared by the footprints of old buildings and rail lines that connected the activities of rail car production and maintenance. Large, modern electrical service towers and lines stretch across the southern portion of the site, dominating in height and providing a verticality not existing in the elongated original program. The monumental coaling tower, the northern most structure, suffers the least amount of decay in comparison to its counterparts thanks to a solid construction of reinforced concrete. But with its pitched roof and mechanical assemblies missing, the tower is almost undefinable as it rises from the landscape, a timeless presence that can call upon feelings spiritual in nature.
Being inactive for many years, the site has found new life as natural species have begun to aggressively inhabit. Many native species of plants and trees (and some invasive) now claim residence in what is a heavily industrialized region of Montgomery, providing a powerful contrast that resonates a historic and cultural significance. 13
existing built conditions
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3 4 extant structures
coaling tower
planing mill
supply house
car shop
footprints in landscape
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existing landscape 1 3 2 4
extant structures footprints in landscape
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The adaptive design of the museum will incorporate existing structures and preserve the quality of the site in decay, allowing visitors to engage in the passing of time. New construction is to be built with materials found on site and limited to the centralized location of the existing structures, encouraging regeneration of the natural landscape, promoting a constantly changing dynamic between the visitor and site itself. Time becomes relative to experience. Upon entering the site from Perry St., the visitor finds the courtyard which opens to face the passing freight trains along Court St., engaging the visitor in a multi-sensory experience, flooded with historical significance. The tension between new and old, architecture and ruin, landscape and controlled environment is used here to develop an experience of understanding. The museum lobby will occupy a new two floor building, taking an agrarian form but of a modern steel and glass construction. In addition, a loggia is constructed, connecting the gallery spaces of new and old structures. Careful consideration was made in how the buildings and their elements meet each other.
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1 courtyard 2 lobby 3 loggia entry 4 loggia gallery 5 planing mill gallery 6 car shed gallery 7 offices
plan_ground floor
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C existing/adapted interior space
existing wall reused
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materiality = identity Nature is a memory. There is no landscape untouched by man, only those which we have chosen not to inhabit remain
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virgin. This site signifies the dynamic relationship that exists between man and nature today. It is a place once occupied by an industrial process which allowed for us to transplant the farthest regions for growth. The role here has reversed. Nature has new life where another has died. We can find nature in architecture. By creating works of architecture that activate our sensory system we are able to feel more alive within our buildings. Attention to detail and materiality excites theses senses. Natural materials have an embodied memory of nature and our imaginations can create a new perception of nature in everyday moments.
plan_second floor 1 gallery 2 bridge gallery
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A
B
C existing/adapted interior space
existing wall reused
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section_A
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section_B
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section_C
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construction detail
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construction detail
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construction detail
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conceptual imagery of car shed use 30
planing mill floor gallery 31
new structure shown in current context 32
loggia entry 33
loggia entry with view of downtown Montgomery 34
courtyard space framed by new construction 35
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MIAMI CULTURAL ARTS CENTER spring 2012 The center is a place for exploring the history of Miami and the people that make up this unique place. Its day lit galleries house works of art from all over the world with a cultural significance to Miami. At night, the building transforms. Its translucent facade glows from within and the sculptural garden becomes a theater for the public to enjoy cinematic events beneath the stars while the cool Atlantic breeze stirs the air. In addition to galleries, the building houses an auditorium, restaurant, bookstore, and cafe.
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view south from intersection
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corner_6th street and Washington The site chosen is a corner vacancy brown site that rolls out from the southern facade of The Angler’s Hotel. It is the terminating point of old Penn Ave. and the moment where the grid meets boulevard. Given the intersecting conditions, I chose to follow the datum of Penn Ave. and the regulating lines of neighboring structures. The footprint of the new arts center is generated from existing poche of the proximity.
site_corner of Washington ave. and 6th st.
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material selection
facade studies
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cladding
bleached mahogany
ground floor walls
concrete
hardscape
coral stone cobble
6th st.
penn ave.
washin g
ton av e.
The site’s neighbors provided many regulating lines for the facade to be constructed from.
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A1
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1 main lobby/ticketing 2 cafe+bookstore 3 museum entry lobby 4 restaurant 5 kitchen
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A2
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plan_ground floor 42
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A1 2
1 gallery 2 gallery 3 gallery 4 auditorium
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A2 2
B
plan_second floor
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section_A1 44
section_A2 45
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section_B
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sculptural garden concept model
Miami was built on an ecosystem of mangrove swamp, which was eventually filled to create real estate. The roots of mangroves are home to many species of marine life. They also create underwater structures filled with varying degrees of light and shadow. The sculptural garden is a spacial and historical reference to the natural ecology of South Florida.
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LUDOTECA spring 2011 The “Ludoteca� translated to English is simply, A place for children to play. In the case of this project, a facility that advocates play and learning for children in the ancient neighborhood of Trastevere in Rome, Italy. This Ludoteca is dedicated to a natural outdoor play environment where children will learn through an engagement with nature. The site has a strong visual connection to the Aventine orange grove and the smaller gardens of the neighborhood, providing a context to anchor this concept.
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Site Analysis The site is adjacent to
Chiesa Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy. One of the first Christian churches and nearly 2000 years old, the church is the monumental presence and all local traffic funnels through its piazza.
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stainless steel
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stone slabs
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material selection concrete
Ancient site Relationship of site to ancient gardens of the Aventine.
Urban site
Below: Entry into the site was determined by secondary, feeder streets. The void spaces created by these streets allow vistas to and from the site and beyond the Tevere.
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plan_ground floor
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1 main lobby 2 gymnasium 3 gallery 4 office 5 lobby 6 classroom+library 7 cafeteria+event space 8 gallery
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plan_second floor
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7 6
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courtyard play space showing lobby and assembly building
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public entry and facade of Ludoteca
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classroom and library space showing courtyard verdure 58
gymnasium dappled with light from above 59
DESIGN HABITAT 4.0 fall 2011 Design Habitat is dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of residential homes both in construction and energy use while providing decent affordable housing design for Habitat for Humanity. Normally an Auburn studio option, in 2011 there was an opportunity for engagement outside of studio. The program was approached by Lauderdale County Habitat for Humanity to design two houses specifically for Meridian, Mississippi that would meet their sustainable aspirations. This was the first time Design Habitat has worked directly with an affiliate.
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Scheme 1 House 1 is conceived as a “dog trot� type. Private quarters are separated from the active public spaces with a flexible dining room. In pleasant weather the double door and operable windows of the dining space can be opened, creating a seasonal dog-trot condition and expanding the living space out onto the side porch. 62
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Scheme 2 House 2 is composed of two bars that shear apart creating generous porch spaces. During our visits to Meridian it became evident the importance of neighborly interaction and a strong outdoor connection in the design. The interior public space is open and free with natural light bathing the main path. In fair weather these windows can become operable, allowing for additional ventilation. 64
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SHOP HOUSE summer 2011 In the Summer of 2011 I was asked by a longtime friend to design an apartment. He specifically requested a steel building that would have a primary function as a shop/garage with an attached living quarters. The design was to be the first phase of construction after a property is purchased where my single friend could eventually build a family home. I gladly accepted the challenge and focused on providing the best space for minimal cost. The majority of the structure is unconditioned and minimal, allowing for quality in the interior living quarters. Remembering my Case Study House research, the interior walls are few, all utilities are in a central core, and the living space extends outdoors. Oriented to the south, and insulated properly the building will also perform well.
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build_tool shed
TOOL SHED summer 2010 After the completion of a single family home in the summer of 2010, I had the opportunity to build a small tool shed for a retired couple from Boston. A small footprint and minimal requirements allowed the shed to become a project of detail. With the help of my cousin Robbie, we built the structure in a week’s time.
Cedar was chosen as the cladding material, the natural greying that will occur finds balance with the pines and underbrush of the adjacent property.
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The details are simple and carefully constructed. Each cladding piece, along with facia detail, was hand driven and nail heads reveal consistently throughout. I believe that everything we build should be well considered in its design and construction. Although very small in size, this project was an opportunity for me to express those ideas in practice.
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build_facade construction drawings
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build_models
section model. fall 2010
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build_models
lake house model. fall 2009 78
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build_models
above_arboretum pavilion model. spring 2010 right_bookstore facade. fall 2009
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