daniel eisinger architectural design portfolio
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contents carrying current
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billboard for a new living
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urban building technology training center
eco-conscious dwelling on the Monon Trail
maker_fab: [a kinko’s for 3D] / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / 12 local manufacturing, retail, and hackerspace
other than ordinary
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serving highly mobile lifestyles at a neighborhood hub
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designing for a disconnected world My transition from the virtual world of software development is partly motivated by the observation that even with all of the push toward the development of social networks and connectivity in the digital age, people still find themselves quite alone, if not excluded from society or access to resources all together. There is something about face-to-face contact that technology will never be able to replace, and I believe that architecture can be a powerful tool for bringing people back together and encouraging the formation of healthy community. In my designs in the studio context so far, community in various forms has been a guiding emphasis. In the building skills training and technology testing center (see “carrying current”) community is encouraged first at the mentor-apprentice level and then elevated to larger spheres for the sake of growing a stronger local community with greater economic opportunities. The residence on the Monon Trail in Indianapolis (“billboard for a new living”) is sited in such a way as to provide for interaction with passersby and includes ample space for hosting small social events. The maker_fab incorporates the idea of a “hackerspace” or “maker space”, which encourages the sharing of ideas and equipment through meetups and membership in a cooperative facility. Finally, the mixed-use development design (“other than ordinary”) encourages community through outdoor event space, a community pub, and especially through its program aimed at professionals temporarily living in the city. My interests go beyond community, and the projects highlighted in this portfolio also exemplify a concern for environmental responsibility, an excitement regarding digital fabrication and a desire to make a bold architectural statement. It is my hope to be able to explore all of these interests through a career in architecture as I seek to serve my clients and lead in the field. Dan Eisinger MArch Career Change Graduate Student Ball State University
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carrying current plugging into the grid of developing building tech
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a construction skills training center
The program for this studio project is based on the proximity of a nearby labor agency a block to the east and is designed to provide training for local craftspeople in the building trades. This center specializes in building performance and incorporates an extensive grid of testing bays for wall sections developed within the training center’s workshops. The center is sited along an historic downtown corridor hosting a variety of small businesses, including restaurants, pubs, concert venues, and other shops. The surrounding downtown area is distressed, however, and would benefit from additional, context-sensitive investment.
plug in
The program objective is about feeding into the ecology of local and global issues related to the built environment. Within the training center, the workshops feed into the test center, educating craftspeople in high performance building methods. The test center in turn promotes these values to the surrounding community. As more and more tradespeople become aware of the issues, they have the potential to feed into larger spheres and have an impact on national policy and global climate concerns.
Downtown, Muncie, IN
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Site; (a) Walnut St corridor, southbound traffic flow--maximize visibility; (b) existing street wall exhibits decades of building craftsmanship--contribute; (c) long south property line bordered by street presents opportunity for daylighting and solar-based testing, but (d) buildings opposite obstruct daylight access seasonally at certain times.
6 2nd floor
precedent
The Philadelphia firm Kieran Timberlake conducts building component performance testing right within its own offices. They installed an advanced window system and set up monitoring devices to see how it performed. This allowed them to evaluate both its technical characteristics and its aesthetics as employees encountered it on a daily basis.
test modules
The maximized south facade of the building is made up of individually isolated test modules, each of which accommodates a 10’ x 10’ wall cartridge. Insulated overhead doors provide a tight building envelope whether or not a cartridge is installed.
The second floor south test bank is pictured at right on the right hand side. The east test bank is visible directly ahead.
7 3rd floor
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Workshop spaces provide facilities for training and experimentation. Cartridges created in workshops plug into testing facade. Open circulation and inter-visibility of work areas encourage community and cross-pollination.
View of third floor, atrium space and walkways between workshops.
1st floor
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Exhibit areas provide space for displaying work products. Public exposure introduces local community to latest building trends. Research labs provide opportunities for contributing to larger context of building methods evolution.
The first floor exhibit space is readily accessible from both Walnut and Charles Streets.
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billboard for a new living
9 an eco-dwelling on the Monon Trail
25th St and the Monon Trail, Indianapolis, IN
Sited on along the Monon Trail in Indianapolis, IN, this small residence is designed for young people looking for an environmentally conscious presence in the city. Much like a billboard, its elevated structure advertises a lifestyle that prefers bike transport over cars, a minimal site impact, and renewable energy sources. The dwelling makes the most of the sun’s resources, incorporating solar panels, a green roof, clerestory daylighting, and appropriate shading. The kitchen balcony boasts a built in garden bed to supplement food purchased from local stores.
minimal site impact
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Limited footprint preserves local ecology Prefab modules minimize site disturbance during construction
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level 2
level 1
eco strategies
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Summer shade, winter sun Clerestory daylighting Solar energy Green roof and balcony garden
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maker_fab: [
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a kinko’s for 3D
25th St and the Monon Trail, Indianapolis, IN
process
Designing this manufacturing facility was a very iterative process back and forth between software and manual or physical exercises. The initial idea was a reference both to traditional saw tooth factory roofs and to the possibilities of parametric design and 3D printing. The clerestory elements were optimized through Grasshopper to minimize occlusions created by neighboring clerestory units. The initial design proved difficult to incorporate into a complete composition. A series of sketches informed by program led to a more cohesive design that incorporated some earlier ideas. Subsequently I decided to explore the use of our CNC mill, so I translated the roof scape into a Rhino model and, through consultation with the operators of the mill, prepared it to be milled out of three layers of MDF. I also worked with them to generate tool paths for cutting out the remainder of the base from other sheets of MDF. There were complications during milling--the angle of the tool paths in relation to the geometry of the model caused pieces of the MDF to break off. Even so, with a little cleaning up, the model turned out well as an abstract representation of the building form (see next page), and I learned a lot along the way.
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The final model after assembly and spray painting (above). The detail above left shows the angle the CNC router bit traveled in relation to the orthogonal geometry of the clerestories in the plane of the roof. The sloped roofs depicted in the drawings below were implemented in a later design iteration.
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other than ordinary semi-permanent living on the monon trail
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project parameters
This studio project, again sited on the Monon Trail, involved a set of given constraints on program and building envelope within the context of a proposed new neighborhood center. This mixed-use facility was to incorporate a pub and residential units, fit within a building envelope measuring 30’ x 100’ x 40’, and develop an outdoor plaza space including a station for a proposed light rail route aligned with the trail.
In order to bring some control to this unusual form, I used a grid to establish a rhythm for window placement (above). Loft apartment boundaries are also delineated based on this grid. I projected the result onto the building form, resulting in a window placement logic that leaps out when viewed from certain angles. The apartment boundaries expressed on the surface extend into the space on the upper floors.
development
Thinking that the sort of person likely to live a pub might not be your usual four person family, I decided to develop the program for the residential units around semi-permanent city dwellers (see next page for more details). Responding to both the unusual shape of the site and unusual lifestyles of the residents, I sought a way to express these aspects in an other than ordinary fashion.
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25th st
n trai
Starting with some of the angles and shapes formed by the site, I developed a boldly expressive form that sticks out from its neighbors. It forms a dynamic dialog with the light rail station across the plaza, which incorporates a similar angular language.
site
mono
25th St and the Monon Trail, Indianapolis, IN
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program
This mixed-use development is designed to serve the modern professional or contractor living in one city and working in another during the week, flying home on the weekends. The residential units above the first floor pub are minimal, geared for one person and one or two guests. None of the units have kitchens; rather they all share a common kitchen stocked for their use by management. In addition to private living areas in each loft apartment, there is a shared lounge area adjacent to the kitchen/dining area, as well as a shared outdoor space on the roof overlooking the plaza below. All of the lofts have two floors, with the second floor spaces having direct access to the roof space.
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daniel eisinger
MArch career change graduate student 637 ½ W University Ave Muncie, IN 47303 (317) 809-4109 dmeisinger@bsu.edu
copyright Š 2013 daniel eisinger