Selected works 2016

S E L E C T E D W O R K S 2 0 1 6 AARON GUTIERREZ

MA r de l

Steel House

Co ro na

CRITIC: NIEL DENARI WINTER QUARTER 2016

With the background and history of the 20th century houses as a backdrop, this project focuses on the constraints and logics of grids geometric prisms, and platonic spatial typologies within the context of a 3,000 square foot house located on another backdrop of significant importance, the site of the Eames compound. This history points to clear references to High Modernist forms and languages, and even when they are built within a local spirit (Mies’ Farnsworth austerity vs Eames’ Californian informality), these houses are organized more around ideologies than personal expression. If there is a tension between the concept of the paradigm (a universal) and the personal (the singular),then the aim is to explore and discipline this tension through rigorous exercises, clear methodologies, and an acute understanding of the properties and possibilities of steel.

This is a comprehensive studio with a set of production requirements that are, at least in the attention paid to material, detail, and structural resolution, more stringent than any other studio in the core sequence at UCLA A.UD. The primary course objective is to learn the skills necessary to conceive of a fully integrated work of architecture that is precisely and convincingly illustrated as such. It is imperative to understand, however, that this is not simply a project meant to expand a technical skill set. It is, perhaps more importantly, a course focused on architectural culture and the material life of a house. Here, organizational and formal ideas co-exist with specific conditions. In essence, while the work may find references to the abstraction of Modernism, it will otherwise not be an abstract process. Understanding how architecture is real even as it is represented within the illusion of graphic production will also be one of the central

Steel House Characteristics

13’-9” 12’-1/4” 10’ 20

7.5

5

17’-11”

Public

Private

Glazing

Composite Wall

Retaining Wall

Hexagonal Grid Analysis

objectives.

FORMAL DIAGRAMS

Ch

SITE PLAN

t u a

32'-6"

30'-4"

8'-11"

SOUTH ELEVATION

45'-7"

- South elevation -

60'-9"

SECTION A

- Section Looking North -

A EAST ELEVATION

- East elevation -

B 17'-7"

52'-7"

70'-2"

FLOOR PLAN

SECTION B

1 2 3

4 5 6

Glazing Connections and Retaining Wall Detail 1. Exposed Vapor Barrier Roofing 2. Flashing 3. 6” Batt Insulation 4. 1/2” Steel Plate Diaphragm 5. 2’ C-Channel 6. 1/2” x 2’ Steel Plate Space Grid 7.Glazing Encasement 8.Shim 9. Taping Screw 10. Glazing Spacer 11. Double Glazing 12. Retaining Wall 13. 3/8” Rebar 14. Bituminous Coating 15. Waterproofing Mat 16. Concrete Swale 17. 6” Decorative Curb to Retain Paving 18. Geo-Textile Fabric to prevent Slippage 19. Setting Bed 1” of 1/4” Crushed Stone 20. Base Layer 8” of 2” Crushed Stone 21. 3” Perforated Drain 22. Backfill

Skylight Assembly Detail 1. 1” Insulated High Performance Glass 2. Elastomeric Butyle Glazing Tape 3. Clowed Cell Foam Tape 4. Extruded Aluminum Cover Fully Welded 5. Assembly Screws 6. Extruded Aluminum Inner Frame 7. Santoprene Gasket 8. Extruded Aluminum Curb 9. Extruded Aluminum Flashing 10. Extruded Steel Tube 11. Extruded Aluminum Hinge Bar with Powder Coat Fin 12. Exposed Weather Barrier Roofing

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11

12

7 8 9 10

11

Starter Footing Foundation Detail 1. Glazing Encasement 2. 4” Steel Hexagonal Center Column 3. 1/2” Steel Plate Column Fins 4. 1” Finish Flooring 5. Steel Plate 6. J Anchor Bolt 7. Slab on Grade 8. 3/8” Rebar 9. Concrete Starter Footing 10. 4” Mud Slab

1 2 3 4

5 6 7

12

13

8

14 15 16

9

17 18 19 20 21 22

10

EXTERIOR RENDERING LOOKING SOUTHEAST

weCYCLE LA CRITIC: DANA CUFF WINTER QUARTER 2016

Los Angeles is prepared to accommodate the large number of visitors in its existing hotel accommodations and ever expanding public transit system. Though 50,000 of the existing 125,000 3,4, and 5-star hotel rooms are located within 20 km of the downtown cluster, we anticipate that Olympic-goers will also choose to stay near other LA attractions - LAX, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood.

The Los Angeles Metro rail currently serves 350,000 riders per weekday. To cater to the influx of people for the 2024 Olympics, Los Angeles is investing $88.2 billion resident tax dollars in lengthening the Metro system by 50%. By expanding 4 rail lines and adding 27 new stations, the Metro system will cover 120 miles, servicing the LA urban area.

Los Angeles is home to the nation’s largest clean air bus fleet and is committed to reducing greenhouse gas and making strides in the “greening” of the transportation system through investment in electric and biomethane fuel sources. LA’s latest green implementation in public transportation is bike share.

Breeze Bike Share began in Santa Monica in November 2015, and Metro plans to kick off a bike share in Downtown LA in summer 2016. Bike share is an eco-friendly compliment to the public transportation system and could be utilized to fit the mobility needs of the 2024 Olympics.

Encouraging Olympic spectators to bike to events will reduce greenhouse gas emissions while minimizing vehicular traffic. We propose to make bike commuting more comfortable and convenient. weCycle LA uses mobile technology to integrate bike share with washrooms and bike repair facilities. weCycle stations will act as beacons, bringing together bike commuters during the Olympics, and will continue to serve the cycling community after the games.

TEMPORAL ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTION PROPOSED FOR LA 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES BID

PROPOSED LOGO DESIGN

6

Oh, yay! I’m going to Los Angeles for the 2024 Olympics – but where will I stay?!?!!

HOLLYWOOD

Its Ted’s first time to Los Angeles. In

existing hotel accommodations and ever expanding public transit system.

Though 50,000 of the existing 125,000 3,4, and 5-star hotel rooms are located

1

10

Los Angeles is prepared to accommodate the large number of visitors in its

5

like to venture to iconic parts of Los

16

Angeles, such as Santa Monica,

15 14 8

Beverly Hills

not only visit these places but stay in 18

children. Angie is a university professor at USC and her husband works Downtown at City Hall. Due to their conflicting schedules and children, they are a two car family,

driver’s license in order to get around

How will I get around LA without a car? I don’t have a driver’s license.

Maybe I can bike!!!

in his home country and as a result is

17

an avid cyclist. Ted plans to bike for

The Los Angeles Metro rail currently serves 350,000 riders per weekday. To

the entirety of his trip.

cater to the influx of people for the 2024 Olympics, Los Angeles is investing

Iconic Los Angeles Lodging 1

Chateau Marmont

Learning about public transportation is

expanding 4 rail lines and adding 27 new stations, the Metro system will cover

2

The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites

essential. The metro line and its

120 miles, servicing the LA urban area.

3

The Standard

future expansions allow for Ted to

4

Shutters on the Beach

traverse the city, with his newly

5

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

rented bike.

6

Langham Hunnington Hotel

7

Sunset Tower Hotel

4

Los Angeles is home to the nation’s largest clean air bus fleet and is committed to reducing greenhouse gas and making strides in the “greening” of the transportation system through investment in electric and biomethane fuel sources. LA’s latest green implementation in public transportation is bike share.

Breeze Bike Share began in Santa Monica in November 2015, and Metro plans to

Hotel Angeleno Millenium Biltmore Hotel

10

Beverly Wilshire

his LA experience, because he knows he might never come back to LA.

when needing to sleep, to maximize

Best Western Hollywood Hills Hotel

12

Magic Castle Hotel

eco-friendly compliment to the public transportation system and could be

13

The Queen Mary

Ted packs an extra pair of clothes, one

utilized to fit the mobility needs of the 2024 Olympics.

14

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Montage Beverly Hills

water bottle, sunscreen, simple bike

15 16

Hollywood Center Hotel

17

Ace Hotel Los Angeles

18

The Line Hotel

emissions while minimizing vehicular traffic. We propose to make bike

Angie is excited about all the attention Los Angeles is receiving due to the Olympics, but is concerned about the amount of traffic influx caused by the event. Angie and her family plan to attend the events, but are reluctant to

We can bike to the events as a family! It will be a fun way to stay active!

Ted plans on only staying at the hotel

8 9

11

Encouraging Olympic spectators to bike to events will reduce greenhouse gas

but carpool whenever possible.

use vehicular transportation.

kick off a bike share in Downtown LA in summer 2016. Bike share is an

weCycle LA uses mobile

Jefferson with their two young

neighborhoods. Ted did not need a

2

3

commuting more comfortable and convenient.

recently moved into a house in

a famous hotel in each of these iconic

9

choose to stay near other LA attractions - LAX, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood.

her entire life. Angie and her husband

The Olympics are here! But so is the traffic. Ugh!

Hollywood, Downtown. Ted plans to

within 20 km of the downtown cluster, we anticipate that Olympic-goers will also

$88.2 billion resident tax dollars in lengthening the Metro system by 50%. By

who has been living in Los Angeles

of the 2024 Olympics, Ted would also

12

7

Angie is a first-generation U.S. citizen

addition to participating in the viewing

11

Angie and her family enjoy leisure bike rides year round and plan on using their own bikes to travel to the Olympic events. Due to her recent pregnancy, the family was unable to ride their bikes often and need a tune-up before using them to travel to the events.

repair kit, and snacks to keep his trip pleasurable, but knows that he will

13

need to change and rehydrate for the

Angie also needs a place to hydrate

events.

herself and her children during their Olympic excursions, as well as a place

technology to integrate bike share with washrooms and bike repair facilities.

to change her infant child’s diapers.

weCycle stations will act as beacons, bringing together bike commuters during the Olympics, and will continue to serve the cycling community after the games.

Ted the Tourist METRO, Department of Transportation, Los Angeles Kudler, Adrian Glick. "The 18 Essential Los Angeles Hotels, November 2014."

Curbed Los Angeles. Mar. 2014. Web. 1 Feb. 2016.

weCycle LA

Aaron Gutierrez + Victoria Shingleton

LA’s Air Quality 10.0

6.0

6.5

5.7

6.7

Aaron Gutierrez + Victoria Shingleton

L.A. is expecting approximately 150,000 daily spectators over the

Transportation is a source of substantial and rapidly increasing greenhouse gas

16-day Olympics.

emissions. When evaluating different modes of transportation, it is the bicycle

5.9

which allows for important greenhouse gas savings. The bicycle is not a carbon

and Visalia, CA.

To calculate the amount of CO2 that would be emitted by the estimated 150,000 Olympics

free mode of transportation, as the production, maintenance, and fuel (food

describes a mixture of emissions from industry pollutants, cars and vehicles, and

“smog”

weCycle LA

Reducing CO2 Emissions

Too High!

L.A. is ranked 3rd in U.S. cities with the worst air quality in 2015, according to the American Lung Association, behind Bakersfield

Angie the Angeleno

NYC

San Francisco

LA

Compared to other US cities, LA has one of the lowest per-capita

conditions. It is hazardous because it

electricity consumption rates (5.9 megawatts per hour). However, due to

ozone , a pollutant that

can harm our health.

bicycle. This amount of CO2 is that in addition to the average 91,031,000 kg released by on-road

bicycle’s greenhouse gas emissions are still over ten times lower than those from

transportation in LA daily.

a car and five times lower than those from a bus.

open burning under specific climate contains

spectators, we assumed four people (one driver, three passengers) per car, verses one cyclist per

consumed by the cyclist) needed to power the bicycle emit CO2. However, the

CO2

the use of cars and trucks, LA’s greenhouse gas emissions are 30% higher than those of San Francisco and New York City.

emissions

Transportation emissions from vehicles generate

+

=

74,763,750 g CO2 per day

+

=

3,150,000 g CO2 per day

21 g

(grams/passenger/kilometer)

over one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions. irritates the respiratory system

101 g

reduces lung function aggrevates asthma damages the lining of the lung Stationary Sources

Los Angeles

19.7%

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) billion. In 2014, LA exceeded the EPA

Gold, Mark, Stephanie Pincetl, and Felicia Federico, eds. 2015 Environmental Report Card for Los Angeles. Los Angeles: UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, April 2015.

Smog - Who Does It Hurt? What You Need to Know About Ozone and Your Health. Washington, DC: United States Environmental Protection Agency, July 1999.

carrying four people. If Olympics spectators choose to travel to events via bicycle, rather than rely on vehicular transportation, we can greatly reduce the amount of CO2 released, working towards a

Building Energy

healthier, smog-free Los Angeles.

Oh, my car is causing all of this smog?

standard, resulting in

bad air days

271 g 39.2%

has set an ozone standard of 72 parts per

94

The amount of CO2 emitted by a bicyclist is 86% less than the amount of CO2 emitted by a car

I can help the environment and get exercise by cycling!

On-Road Transportation

33.5%

if...

100% 75% 50%

weCycle LA

Aaron Gutierrez + Victoria Shingleton

weCycle LA

Aaron Gutierrez + Victoria Shingleton

of Olympics spectators bicycle, we would reduce CO2 emissions in LA by

86% 68% 53%

Liban, Cris, Madonna Marcelo, Lauren Ledbetter, and Jennifer Klausner, comps. Bicycle-Rail Trip Analysis and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Focused Study. Los Angeles: LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, June 2011.

LA Bike Share

LA’s Bike Commuters

3,928,827

Walk

10.6%

Bikes

Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Bike Share

The City of Santa Monica launched the Breeze Bike Share by Hulu

program for Downtown Los Angeles will begin mid-2016. LA and

program on November 12, 2015. The city oversees the program,

Metro will share capital costs, with LA financing 65% and Metro

and CycleHop, a private bike share program, is responsible for

35% of net costs. They are also sharing sponsorships - Metro

daily operations. The bike technology and station equipment is

has naming rights, and LA will have advertising rights for future

provided by Social Bicycles (SoBi).

bike hubs. Private vendors, Bicycle Transit Systems and Bicycle,

federal grants through Metro and South Coast Air Quality

will oversee operations and maintain equipment.

Management District.

Metro’s Bike Share will launch mid-2016 with...

In its first three weeks of operation, Breeze Bike Share...

Transit

Stations

This percentage may

1,000

sound small, but LA has the second largest number of bicyclists of US cities, behind only NYC. The number is

gained 2,128 members

Bikes

also increasing as bicycling continues to become more convenient with the implementation of bike lanes and bike

L.A.’s Bike Share will serve as an extension of Metro’s transit

share programs. More and more commuters are turning

system so that bike-sharers will use their TAP cards with the new

to bicycles, the Metro system, and their own two feet to

system.

get around.

115.4% GROWTH

The program is funded by

65

Although LA is regarded as a car-centric city, 1.3% of its residents commute via bicycle.

500

Purchases, Installs, and Maintains Equipment

24,334

Bicycle

Stations

Oversees Local Operations

Bicyclists:

3.4%

75

Integrates bike share with transit

Population:

1.3%

Breeze Bike Share Bike share!

Cool!

traveling 17,887 miles

who took 8,760 trips

logging 3,900 hours of ride time

Compared to automotive travel, Breeze saved riders $11,260 and

in bike commuters from 2000 to 2014

reduced carbon emissions by 17,120 lbs.

Barragan, Bianca. “Los Angeles Bike Share Program a Go to Launch by Mid-2016.” CurbedLA. 28 Aug 2015.

McLeod, Ken. “Where We Ride.” Report on 2014 American Community Survey Data by the League of American Bicyclists. 2015.

weCycle LA

Aaron Gutierrez + Victoria Shingleton

weCycle makes biking convenient and affordable for tourists and locals alike.

Carrier

8:08 AM

50%

Because of weCycle’s accessibility and ability to accommodate, weCycle is taking

Interactive Screen

PLAN

10’

section

13’

a step in the right direction for making weCycle LA aims to make bike commuting a comfortable and convenient form of transportation. Cyclists can use the weCycle app to reserve a bicycle and washroom time, plan their

greener forms of transportation the new

Welcome to Los Angeles! - 2024 Summer Olympic Games

norm. Coming to a city near you!

82OF 28Oc

bike-friendly route, and get step-by-step instructions for bicycle repair.

Check in on weCycle Mobile App!

Compact (10’x40’) weCycle stations can be placed in parking lots near Olympic venues throughout the city. weCycle stations can operate unmanned, as the washrooms are self-cleaning, and the bicycle rentals and repair machines are assisted by the weCycle app. However, weCycle will also work with local businesses to

40’

provide personal expert experience through the addition of mobile bike shops which can hook up to the fixed weCycle stations.

While the weCycle mobile app aids users in bike commuting, it will also provide us with important information to run weCycle efficiently. Understanding peak times for weCycle use will allow us to provide more bicycles for pick-up when a station is most popular.

I love weCycle!

weCycle stations and mobile app will bring together the cycling community with its large, interactive screen. During the Olympics, the screen will locate every cyclist who arrives at that station on a world map, illustrating just how large the cycling community is.

After the Olympics, the screen will serve as a hub for information, updating users with world and local news, weather, and progress towards minimizing CO2 emissions.

weCycle LA

Aaron Gutierrez + Victoria Shingleton

Bathrooms

Drinking Water Station

Cycle Share Kiosk

$

Cycle Part Vending Machine

Cycle Repair Station

Interactive Screen

weCycle LA

Aaron Gutierrez + Victoria Shingleton

RIGID PLIANCY

& FORMAL ANALYSIS OF SAINTE CHAPELLE CATHEDRAL VAULTING CRITIC: JASON PAYNE FALL QUARTER 2014 For preexisting precedents, there is an underlying diagram that expresses the dynamic nature of static objects. For Gaudi, it was the catenary arch, for Frei Otto it was his in depth knowledge of soap bubble

 

properties that allows him to create his tensile membrane structures. Through understanding Sainte Chapelle’s vaulting as the result of forces meeting and intersecting, the final designed objects can be 

vastly different from the original precedent. Since the lower chapel serves as the structure for the upper

 



 





chapel, the forces expressed in each vault composition are similar but inversions of each other to further





emphasize their assigned roles in the existing form. The mirroring and inverting of the dynamic force diagram to generate one form, externalizing the vaulting characteristics, creates a lack of orientation that



 

holds true to the way vaults are documented and presented today.

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VAULT OBJECT 1

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VAULT OBJECT 2

Monolithic + Layered Curvilinearity, Firmness, and Delight Sami Boukai, Aaron Gutierrez, & Alyssa Koehn CRITIC: STEVEN CHRISTENSEN SPRING QUARTER 2015 The group’s interest resides in the relationship between two different wall types in a double wall system. One wall, a straight, pure extrusion, and the other a series of curvilinear undulating surfaces peeling and fusing to the straight wall in order to increase structural performance while having aesthetically pleasing qualities. MIT Chapel appears to be monolithic due to its materiality, while still being layered to conceal interesting connection details that implement various lighting and acoustical affects. We aim to implement the same logic as Saarinen while expanding on other topics, such as construction methods and irregular loading paths.

Through the analysis of MIT, a typology was created of different isolated moments that needed to be explored and documented to understand not only the relationship of one wall to the other but one condition to the other. An exploration of how a curve can fold back on itself or pass-off from one surface to the next was conducted. The next typological exploration was vertical and horizontal apertures, which allowed a way to let in light. One of our forms is more like the window seen in the precedent while the other is rotated 90 degrees to form a large pocket window.

Bringing back the discourse of both the rough pour concrete, as seen in Corbusier’s Beton Brut, as well as the roughness of the clinker brick used on the interior and exterior of original precedent, the group explored a contemporary discourse on chosen rough expressions that are more in line with our now digital age.

MIT is a purely extruded form with regular load paths. To subvert this, an exploration on what would happen if there was irregular loading and how that would affect the surface. The transition from direct, vertical loads to irregular and branched oblique loads, created complexity and difference within this surface that helped create interesting forms while still performing structurally.

In a combination of various typologies, the group focused on ideal moments of interest, that being the horizontal window, the entry way and creation of a vestibule, and a corner condition. The group envisioned all three of these conditions would be part of a larger composition, that of a large box with an open plan typology. The final form aims to experiment with the methodologies of cast-in-place and tilt-up concrete construction to implement texture while still performing structurally. In cast-in-place concrete construction, the structure is heavily dependent on the shear strength of the bolt that ties the metal roof to the concrete walls. In increasing lateral stability, while being aesthetically interesting, it alleviates the burden of hardware to remain intact.

The entry condition was devised initially as an undulation that would help support the two walls laterally. To create a curve that would stand out more without occupying too great a space along the length of the wall, the curve was manipulated into more of a bulge, pinched where it connects with the wall. Due to the depth between the two wall surfaces at the point of this bulge, there was naturally a gravitation towards transforming the area into an occupiable space. This vestibule would have a more private entryway and could serve as a place for people to sit down and rest in a more intimate setting that would relate to the intimacy of space in the original precedent while also keeping the facade elevation reading as a continuous form.

In likeness with the horizontal window of the MIT Chapel, this horizontal window does not frame the outside, but rather is a means to let natural light in. Because the undulating surface need only be connected in areas of structural support, the surface is able to peel far enough from the other surfaces to create an opening. This logic also applies to the floor plate placement. The beams of the floor can only be connected with the monolithic areas of the double wall system allowing for the floor to peel away from the pure extrusion wall making a visual and auditory connection to the floor below.

This project was used to root ourselves within the greater dialogue of the studio. Corbusier used rough pour concrete to achieve an aesthetic value that expresses materiality, and we aim to bring that same spirit of discourse in a more contemporary, digital age through our form. On the other hand, Gehry is expressive in the plasticity of the surface, using any structure necessary to achieve his aesthetic intention, while Saarinen is more structurally expressive, paying attention to similar aesthetic values. We conclude our research though this form which is a structurally expressive skin in a double wall system that is a composite of our typological study interests.

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