Zachary Vacovsky Design Portfolio
(443) 677-1193
zvacovs4@uoregon.edu 441 E. 17th ave. Eugene, OR 97401
table of contents
Skinner’s Boulevard New Medford Fire Station Westcott House Design 4 Disaster Sunshade Talawanda Shelter NY Hotel + Sky Garden Thermal Analysis
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Skinner’s Boulevard a street-centric, live/work community Eugene, OR Fall 2013 Academic Project was archived at UO Department of Architecture
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activate the street! Due to the site’s urban context, how the scheme interacts with the street is vital to how people will use the space. Instead of meeting the street edge, my live/work proposal creates an avenue down the center of the development. This main axis of activity allows the live and work aspects of the community to be centralized and engage its surroundings. The street becomes the focal point within the community and serves as both public and semi-private functions depending on the time of day. During the day, the avenue will be open for patrons and tenants alike. After normal business hours, the avenue then transforms into space designated for the residents. The centralized public square also features space used for various displays of community including art displays, outdoor concerts, etc.
Parti Sketch
Exterior Perspective showing street activity
Process Model
Process Model
Final Site Massing
Site Plan
N
Bar Scheme Massing
Shifted to expose views
View of stairwell with view out to butte
Property Line
View of double-height living space
Skinner’s Butte
Private Formal Gardens
Centralized Avenue Transverse Site Section
Development in Section
Property Line
Using the building’s sectional qualities to create spatial interest allows for more dynamic spaces in a residential application. The double height volume of the living room provides a focal point of the building in section. The double height volume also allows light to penetrate deep into the space, creating enjoyable interior environments for the tenants of the development. The site section also allows for the live and work functions of the development to stem from the main axis. Featuring living spaces above each work space offers street level retail and office space in a vibrant urban setting
Shelton Mcmurphey Blvd.
New Medford Fire Station civic identity meets environmental stewardship Medford, OR Winter 2014 Academic Project involved through the Sustainable Cities Initiative
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designing for the occupant Over the duration of the Winter 2014 term, the studio visited Medford several times to gain valuable feedback on how the space would be used by its eventual occupant. Speaking with firefighters allowed myself to comprehend their unique needs. The fire station serves not only as a beacon of civic identity but it also needs to function properly. Time matters to firefighters when they are responding to an emergency. My scheme features major spaces all connected to a circulation core that leads directly into the apparatus bay. The core of major spaces also has a direct connection to the implied exterior courtyard. This project was also in partnership with the Sustainable Cities Initiative. We were encouraged to pursue, in detail, green design technologies to improved fire station building performance.
Functional Poche
Regulating Lines
Spatial Grain
Day Room Marker Rendering
Drawing Legend 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6:
7: 8: 9: 10: 11:
Apparatus Bay Emergency Support Lobby Classroom Shared Office Cooling Tower
Day Room Kitchen/Dining Physical Training Courtyard Dorm Wing Process Sketches
3 4 2
1
5
6 7
8
9 10
11
Floor Plan
N
Site Plan
Exterior Courtyard Marker Rendering
environmental diagrams
Cooling Tower
PV Solar Hot Water Collection
Rammed Earth Walls
Louvers Shade Primary Spaces
Interior Lobby Marker Rendering
North Elevation Showing Apparatus Bay
Westcott House master planning and integrated architecture Springfield, OH Fall 2011 Academic Collaborative Group Master Planning Individual Contributions -Building of Froebel Box -Exploring Spatial Organization via Block Constructions and Weaves -All architectural solutions are individual work
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Froebel Block Constructions This project was based in principles of design discovered by Frank Lloyd Wright. Following these principles allowed the design to ultimately remain site specific and connected to the surrounding environment. In groups, we collaborated to explore these ideas and to help develop a cohesive master plan proposal. Principles include: - Froebel exercises to develop spatial organization - Using weave as a metaphor for part-whole relationships - Moments in nature as precedent
Box Construction
Froebel Box
Tension
Rupture
Decay
Tension Axon
Aggression Axson
Weaving Exercises
Centralized
Tension
Visitor’s Center Ground Plan Scale:
1/8” = 1’
Visitor’s Center
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22
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33 33
44
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My design for the Visitor’s Center incorporated axial relationships developed through our group’s master plan. All of my individual architectual solutions implemented on site utilize the concept of a sloped roof towards the Westcott House on top of the hill. The sloped roofs exhibit a salute to the House’s presence on site while dealing with environmental issues such as heat gain and rain water runoff.
44 77 66
Greenmount Ave.
Plan Legend: 1
Museum Store With Coffee Service
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Restrooms
5
Staff Break Out Room
2
Museum Storage
4
Staff Offices
6
Education Space
1: 2: 3: 4:
Merchandise Store Merchandise Storage Restroom Office
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7
Mechanical Space
5: Staff Breakout 6: Education Space 7: Mechanical
Process Work
Interior Perspective
West Elevation
Visitor’s Center West Elevation Scale:
1/4” = 1’
Final Model
Exterior Perspective
Longitudinal Section
Design 4 Disaster small scale disaster relief structure utilizing passive solar strategies Colorado Springs, CO Fall 2012 Academic
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Disaster Relief
disaster details:
An architectural solution for a disaster relief setting poses interesting questions. How will this unit be transported to the site? How long will the structure be in place? The main issue I considered for my disaster relief shelter was maintaining a sense of identity. When a family loses everything in a natural disaster they must turn to each other for strength and comfort. My particular design expresses ideas in building performance as well as constructability and form. The structure helps the family maintain a sense of identity with an entire wall dedicated to the storage and display of items that were salvaged from their home during the disaster.
Waldo Canyon Region; Colorado Springs, CO June 23, 2012 - July 10, 2012 32,000 Residents Evacuated 346 Homes Destroyed 18,482 Acres Destroyed Most Destructive Wildfire in Colorado State History
concept: Family dissplaced by disaster embodies the spirit and energy of a Phoenix rising from the ashes Disaster Site Disaster Site
Unit can be deployed on the site of home to help maintain a sense of community and self.
Drawing Legend 1: 2: 3: 4:
5: 6: 7: 8:
Parent Sleeping Quarters Children Sleeping Quarters “Identity� Wall Dining Area
Glazing Wall Food Prep Area Solar Hot Water Tank Bathroom
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1
Process Model
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3 4 6
Thermal massing wall Glazing wall; optimizing heat gain during winter months Process Sketch
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Passive Solar I intended on using passive solar strategies through solar heat gain and solar hot water collection. The overhang on the south facing wall blocks steep summer sun angles to help maintain a comfortable interior temperature. Thermal massing was also explored throughout the majority of the building enclosure. The wall system was composed of a Thermasteel panel along with additional rigid insulation for an increased R-Value. Thermasteel panels are SIPs panels with light weight galvanized steel structural members instead of wood framed. This creates an energy efficient solution that is easily assembled in the event of a natural disaster.
Roof form mimics Phoenix wing
Photovoltaic panels for solar hot water collection
Process Sketch
Summer Interior finish Winter
Expanded polystyrene molded to steel frame Steel frame Extruded polystyrene Furring strips for drainage Cut-out for electrical wiring Exterior sheathing Wood siding
Wall System R-Value: 49 (Calculated through Passive House Planning Package)
Designation of Program
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Sleeping Quarters
Dining/Food Prep
Bathroom
Interior Perspective
Exterior Perspective
Sunshade design/build collaboration with an emphasis on quality interior environments Oxford, OH Fall 2012 Academic Collaborative Group Design/Construction Individual Contributions -Initial Design Charette participant -Researched upcycling techniques and connections -Aided in constructing model to show design intent to University faculty -Participated in all phases of installation -All Documentation/Sketches presented in portfolio are individually created
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Upcycling The first-year architecture studio at Miami University has a large, south-facing window which tends to create glare for students working below. Working in a studio consisting of 15 students and a professor, we quickly came up with design solutions for providing shade for the interior space. After narrowing our designs in teams, we collaborated, with our final design focusing on upcycling. We explored the idea of re-using old banners typically used to display various graphics on light poles or at sporting venues. Cutting them into strips and weaving them into a designed system increased the banners’ value by providing a much needed function.
Section Diagrams
The Problem: Glare becomes such an issue that students resort to using umbrellas at their desks and often wear sunglasses to class.
Process Sketch
Recycled banners
Cut to specified lengths
Assembled on wooden frame
Model built to illustrate design intent to University faculty
Woven through net
Interior view of Sunshade during construction
Assembly The finalized design consisted of a system of curved forms. We calculated how far the curves must hang in order to block lower winter sun angles. The design was an iterative process. Once a segment was woven on a temporary wooden frame, we hoisted the net up and attached it to the steel I-beam. Following this pattern throughout the construction process allowed the sunshade to be built in a timely fashion I-beam connection
Installation Process
Installation Process
First segment of project installed
Final product viewed from sun deck
Talawanda Shelter a bioclimatic approach to outdoor classroom design Oxford, OH Spring 2012 Academic
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Climate Responsive An outdoor classroom provides a unique opportunity to exhibit an expressive form as well as an educational moment. My outdoor classroom provides area for seating as well as cover from the rain. In addition, The roof system filters rain water through a gutter which then runs the rain down the face of a masonry bearing wall and disributes it into a rain garden. Teachers could use the performance of the structure in terms of water collection as an educational device in Biology or Agriculture classes.
Process Perspective
Process Work
Rain Garden
Final Model
Final Model
Building Section
Rain garden detail
Exterior Perspective
ny hotel & sky garden Large scale solution fostering urban revitalization New York, NY Fall 2012 Academic Competition Entry
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Urban Vibrancy Located in the neighborhood of Manhattanville in New York City, this particular site offers a unique opportunity for blending socio-economic classes as well as provide the area with an enriching place with a variety of different functions. Expressing unique energy levels that come with an urban context, I wanted to express New York’s vibrancy via vertical fluctuations. The design draws from the verticality at a large scale with its impact on the skyline as well as street level perspectives. Through rigorous site analysis of the urban environment, I was able to pinpoint various factors that come into play when designing for this specific neighborhood of New York. The project was an entry in the 2012 International Superskyscraper Competition
Process Form Studies
Site Analysis
Plan Legend Hotel Office Residential Commercial/Retail
Diagrammatic Site Plan
Manhattan Public Transit
B B
B B
B
B
B
B B
B B
B B
B
M B
Regular Property Lines
Irregular Building Footprints
B
Circulation
M B
B
Important Adjacent Areas
Site Movement
Solar Chimney
Process Sectional Study Vertical Gardens
Exterior Perspective
Street level perspective viewing site activity
Structure
Hotel
Office
Residential Massing Rendering
Thermal Analysis an introduction to thermal bridging and high performance detailing Isle of Gozo, Malta Summer 2011 Academic
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Thermal Performance During a summer abroad experience I began an exploration in thermal bridging began at the International Passive House in Innsbruck, Austria and ended in the country of Malta. We ran thermal models of simple Maltese details composed of basic limestone construction, a traditional Maltese building material. After locating thermal bridging we designed details to enhance the thermal value of various wall systems. As a supplementary experience in Malta, I enrolled in a sustainable design class the fall after my study abroad, which focused on Passive House. A final exercise in the class was the construction of a full scale detail that adhered to Passive House standards. Traditional fishing village of Marsaxlokk in southeast Malta
Excerpts from Conference Sketchbook
Temperature Change (T)
Locating Heat Transfer (Q)
Floor to wall connection (T)
Floor to wall connection (Q)
Door jamb connection in plan (T)
Door jamb connection in plan (Q)
Scale:
T
Q
Thermal Bridging
Door sill connection (T)
Door sill connection (Q)
It is important to be able to locate thermal bridging. Once a thermal bridge is located you can start to understand the thermal properties of a particular detail. In Malta, I ran thermal analysis through the software program, Heat 2. I analyzed simple Maltese details and located thermal bridging. Observing details and their thermal performance has sparked an increasing interest in building performance.
Super Insulated Ridge Working in a group during a sustainable design class, we explored solutions and applied them to a ridge detail. We constructed a full scale ridge detail and calculated r-value as well as determined the location of the vapor barrier. Working in full scale allowed me to grasp connections and the intricate roles each material plays. We hoped to achieve a ridge detail that adhered to Passive House standards. Filling the ridge cavity with mineral wool instead of blown in cellulose or batt insulation increased thermal performance. We also heavily insulated the exterior of the cavity to completely eliminate thermal bridging.
detail construction process
Initial Ridge Detail
Super Insulated Ridge Detail
Model Legend 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7: 8: 9: 10: 11:
Ridge vent Asphalt siding Exterior sheathing Furring strip for drainage Tyvek vapor barrier 4� Extruded polystyrene 2x10 Ridge beam Ridge cavity filled with mineral wool Gypsum board Plywood sheathing 2� Extruded polystyrene
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Final roof R-Value: 84 Calculated through Passive House Planning Package
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