Abigail Peters | Selected Works by A Peters

Abigail Peters | Selected Works Master of Architecture Bachelor of Science in Architecture University at Buffalo | 2016 - 2020

Cellulose Insulation Fall 2019 Material Culture Graduate Research Group | Pulp Instructor - Georg Rafailidis Team - Craig Brozowski, Michael Hoover, Morgan Mansfield Paper Thin Shell Structure Cellulose insulation is one of the oldest forms of insulation used in the construction industry. It is composed of 85% recycled newspaper and 15% Boric Acid (Borax). These properties give cellulose insulation the highest recycled content and lowest amount of embodied energy. This project explores the structural potential of paper casting as an investigation in temporary and biodegradability in architecture. How can paper particles become structural? Adding only water and flour to the insulation created a strong mechanical bond among the particles. The mix became incredibly rigid when dry and allowed us to cast various forms and varying scales. The goal of the research was to achieve a large scale thinshell paper structure. After studying various thin shell concrete structures, we decided to pursue the catenary arch as the solution to achieve an inhabitable scale. The final proposal explores a modular fabric formed catenary shell system. This system can adapt to any location and configuration. Also, a wide range of variation in the shells with only a few variables.

Photo of final construction

Section of final shell configuration in UB SMART Lab

The Hanging Cloth Reversed Heinz Isler’s New Shapes For Shells was presented at the first conference of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures, in Madrid. Isler proposed three methods of form-finding. Of the three he considered, the “hanging cloth reversed” was the method we decided to move forward with exploring. This method is not typically used in large scale construction because concrete is too heavy and brittle to form upside-down, and then flip in place. However, since we were exploring this technique with paper, we believed we would be able to flip our models after they were cast on fabric form-work. The catenary arch is the shape formed by a hanging object’s own weight under gravitational forces. The hanging catenary is in tension, caused by compression forces of gravity, once the hanging form can be inverted, the shape created is one that is in perfect compression. The most critical element of inversion is how the inverted object connects to the ground plane. The angle of the arch must be absorbed at a 90 degree angle and connected to the earth. Additionally, the ‘feet’ of the arch must be secured in place, so the arch will not lose it’s ideal shape. A conceptual rendering of the inverted formation (below)

The hanging cloth (above)

Shell Making In order to achieve this system, the catenary arch was made out of laminated wood - taking inspiration from Isler’s reusable formwork - this became a reusable element in our construction. Two wood arches would be hung from the ceiling, then a large cut of 100% cotton muslin fabric was draped between them. The fabric was secured to the arches using binder clips. The binder clips were critical in being able to attach the fabric to the wood without puncturing the cotton - this also allowed the fabric to be reusable. The binder clips were the shining star of our form-work, they controlled where we placed the ripples in the hanging cloth - which ended up being critical in the structural support of the shells.

Step 1 - Select catenary arch form-work

Step 2 - Attach foam to wood to round out ridge of the shell form

Step 3 - Drape fabric between two arches, secure with binder clips

Step 4 - Spray the form-work with cellulose insulation pulp mixture

Next, the fabric was sprayed with 15-18 layers of paper pulp over the course of 10 days. The ridges of the shells - where the wooden catenary arches were placed - were the most structural portion of the shell, so we applied additional layers of hand applied pulp to these areas. At the base of the arches, there were cardboard tubes added into the layering of pulp. These tubes were reinforcement that met the footings once the shells were flipped.

Step 5 (Right) - Move, with fabric securing the form-work Step 6 (Bottom) - Flip shell and remove fabric

This diagram depicts the process of making the paper shells throughout the semester.

Modularity The wedge shape of the shell came from the idea of variety in organization that it could provide. The wedge shape is able to create a variety of layouts in addition to being able to stand independently as a single unit. Different spaces can be created using asymmetric wedge shapes, we utilized the asymmetric wedge in order to create a more intimate pinch point in the center of the layout. The wedge shape allowed us to create a flexible organization that weaved between columns and tables that existed in the space. Plan of final shell formation in UB’s SMART Lab

Plan variations (above)

Decomposition Throughout the process of making, we were careful to only use materials that would decompose when exposed to the environment for extended periods of time. Additionally, we used form-work that could be reused multiple times in an effort to minimize waste. We placed a small scale shell outside in order to track decomposition. After about a month outside, the paper began to show signs of break-down. New plan life had emerged from beneath the shell and some small insects had started to inhabit the remains. Decomposition was an important aspect of designing a temporary structure. We wanted to document the lifecycle of the structures - even after they are no longer inhabitable for humans. The goal was to create something that had no waste and could return to the environment it once came from.

Proposed life cycle of the shells in the environment.

Small scale shell placed outside to decompose.

New growth emerging from beneath the decomposing paper.

Garden slugs feeding on the flour in the pulp mixture.

Centipede larva found amongst remaining pulp.

Two Hands Summer 2019 Study Abroad | Spain Instructor - Miguel Guitart Partner - Michael Hoover Reconciliation of Opposites In The Poem of the Right Angle, Le Corbusier paints two hands and their fingers entwined. The hands are split down the middle and are interlocked. Here, he symbolically illustrates the contradiction and reconciliation of opposites. The site has a distinct separation between the city and the landscape. A new University at Buffalo cultural campus in Madrid, Spain is designed with five “fingers” which act as the hand of the city. Pure volumes reach out as an offering to bring in the natural landscape from the western end of the site. The hand of the landscape creates soft green spaces that are linked in between the rational rectangular fingers of the campus. This contrast unifies both conditions while respecting their uniqueness. In the same spirit the campus brings students of Buffalo and Madrid together in a harmonious relationship.

The Poem of the Right Angle | Le Corbusier | 1947 - 53

Street Level Plan

City and Landscape Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf uses a sophisticated palette of plants that are chosen for the variety they create over the seasons. He focuses primarily on structural characteristics, such as leaf or seed pod shape, present before and after a plant has flowered. He notes that his plants in decay must look as beautiful as they do in the first signs of spring. Oudolf uses plants as a medium to bring out emotions. The soft and loose arrangements of perennial plant varieties. His love of seed heads and wind-dried winter stems is a similar reminder, often of the direct contrast to the rational volumes of the architecture between it. Each “finger” of the campus has a large window that looks out to a Oudolf inspired garden. Beyond each of these gardens is the “hand” of the landscape.

Site plan depicting the divide between the dense city and the rural landscape.

The landscape reaches up as a berm to deny direct view and bring in students via a sunken entry.

Ground Level Plan

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structor: Miguel Guitart / University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning / Study Abroad Summer Program 2019

Through the public library one can see the lush green space of the west.

Elevation of the street side of the campus.

Between the fingers of the library and classrooms, a grand stair connects the landscape to the street above.

Axonometric Key 1. Theater 2. Exhibition 3. Office 4. Seminar 5. Cafe 6. Library 7. Digital Lab 8. Dormitory 9. Workshop 10. Studio 11. Gym

Each “finger” is connected by the central spine that is embedded in the ground.

Building Community Fall 2018 Senior Studio | Competition Instructor - Annette LeCuyer Partner - Nicholas Wheeler Housing for House Makers With poverty rates exceeding 30% and more than 3,000 acres of Vacant Property in Buffalo, Building Community provides a live/ work center for people in building trades that are in high demand as a result of Buffalo’s resurgence. It specifically addresses the urgent need to refurbish derelict houses and infill empty lots on Buffalo’s East Side. Building Community provides stable housing for impoverished people interested in pursuing building trades, as well as housing for experienced tradesmen who want to be involved in the building trade community. A public workshop, assembly hall and materials market provide an environment which supports building trade education and experimentation. Building Community is a space equipped with the technology and mechanics to be able to bring houses from Buffalo’s East side to the assembly hall and either repair them to be brought back to the east side, or dismantled and recycled for parts in the materials market. The apartment units are linked with private workshops that residents can use. These workshops are flexible in size to accommodate a variety of uses. A street level gallery space is available for residents and students of the trade school program to display work and promote their own business and services.

View of Building Community

113 Moselle St. Buffalo, NY

75 Warren Ave. Buffalo, NY

43 Sweet Ave. Buffalo, NY

This map highlights all the vacant properties in Buffalo as of 2018. The building site is shown in black, the houses on the left are examples of abandoned properties adjacent to vacant lots on Buffalo’s East Side.

Residential Bar

Studio Apartment

One Bedroom Apartment

All units are south facing to maximize light in each apartment. There are 66 units total for a maximum of 122 residents. The facade is characterized by perforated brick to nod at classic Buffalo brick apartments and housing while adding a new twist to maximize light and privacy at the same time. Every apartment has its own private balcony hidden from view of other neighboring units. The ground level activates the street with a gallery space for residents to display and sell their work and services as well as a cafe.

Two Bedroom Apartment

Typical Residential Plan

Programmatic Bars

‘Slippage’ of Programmatic bars created entries and outdoor spaces.

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Material Characteristic of each bar.

Circulation

Apartment aggregation

Ground Level Plan

Assembly Hall This space has a north facing saw-tooth roof in order to fill the seven story high space with indirect light. This space is where the trade school meets to work on full scale construction projects. The space is lined with perforated metal decks that residents and students use to circulate from one programmatic bar to another. Movable gantry cranes double as an essential tool for moving derelict houses in and out of the space as well as catwalks across the large atrium space. Workshop Bar The first floor of the workshop bar has a large, fully equipped space for the trade school to use on their full scale projects. This space also allows outside patrons to open memberships to use the facility. This helps drive a making culture in Buffalo. The upper floors of the workshop bar are flexible spaces for the residents to use in tandem with their apartment units they rent. The spaces are open and variable in sizes so that residents can utilize them for their own professional and hobby driven persecutes. This bar of the building is characterized by wood construction methods - glue lam and cross lam as well as plywood and light wood framing so that residents may build out the size of their work spaces using readily available materials that they may be familiar with.

Section model

Cross Section

View of the Assembly Hall

Materials Market The Materials Market is a seven story public recycled materials shop. The materials sold here are sometimes collected from the derelict houses brought to the Assembly Hall that are not salvageable, other instances may be from donations, as well as some standard building materials that are bought and sold here. The market is fully accessible by fork lift. This bar is characterized by concrete construction - an often times recycled composite material that represents the second life that many of the materials and objects in the market are given.

Materials Market

Workshop Bar

Assembly Hall

Residential Bar

Longitudinal Section through the Assembly Hall

Interlace Spring 2018 Junior Studio | Comprehensive Design Instructor - Jin Young Song

Center for the arts in Cleveland, Ohio The Cleveland Center for Arts has a dynamic site on the edge of the Superior Viaduct. The Viaduct was a critical aspect in industry and transportation of goods in and out of Cleveland. Now, the Viaduct is revitalized by new businesses and apartment buildings on either side of its raised infrastructure. The city wanted to highlight this location by bringing a much needed art culture to the industrial area. The proposal for the City of Cleveland acknowledged the three important levels of access to this site. The three levels include (from bottom to top) the Bike trail, Washington Street, and the Viaduct. Additionally, the design celebrates the integration of the arts through the weaving of various programmatic elements so that they entwine and rely on one another for both form and function.

Site analysis diagram

View from Washington Street (below)

Cross Section

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1. Grid organized perpendicular to the Viaduct

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2. 10’x10’x10’ Grid Organization

Viaduct

3. Floors are pinched together to create continuous circulation between the levels.

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Plan at Viaduct Level

4. Program spaces are organized on the grid with the theater as the central core of the layout.

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5. The grid shifts to align with the angled sides of the site. The Square grid clashed with this side of the plan.

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Plan at typical mid level (above)

Plan at Washington Street Level (below)

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6. The ramps now split with the grid lines, creating continuity. Dow

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Weaving Certain programs have certain requirements and needs. Others are more flexible and loose. Categorizing which programs fall under either category helped in the arrangement of the plan. The theater had the most demanding requirements as far as accessibility, capacity, seating, stage, circulation and production. This became the core of the building. The gallery space was more flexible in its requirements controlled lighting, and space for exhibition and viewing. The gallery morphed around the theater, using the wall space the theater provided as exhibition space. The theater clicked into the grid lines the sloped floors of the gallery created. The two main programs became entwined. The gallery wrapped itself around the theater, as well as connected all three levels of site access. The idea of continuity through weaving was important in the aspect of allowing pedestrians traveling on the bike trail to be able to have access to the Vidauct above through the circulation of the 1:20 sloped gallery. This would expose people to the artwork displayed who might not otherwise go to a gallery. The Viaduct connects the bike trail to the downtown area of Cleveland.

Interior of the theater space

View from Washington Street (above)

Final Model (below)

Continuity The continuous slope of the design switched back and forth between the two grid lines provided by Washington Street. The switch back nature of the ramp provided opportunities for interior and exterior spaces in the design. The bottom level at the bike trail is open to cyclists to stop and rest, lock up their things, or pass through the space to access the Viaduct. The uppermost level is an outdoor sculpture park. Lake Erie is visible from this vantage point, as well as downtown Cleveland.

Rooftop sculpture park (top) Interior view of gallery space (above)

View of final model from Washington Street (above)

Longitudinal Section (Below)

Unity Island Spring 2017 Sophomore Studio | Landscape Design Instructor - Sean Burkholder

Seasonal Visitation Located on the Niagara River, Unity Island is a small abandoned island located just to the north of downtown Buffalo, NY. The island is an abandoned landfill that the city wanted to turn into a park that can be utilized during all seasons of Buffalo’s dynamic climate. The Island is severed by a railroad crossing that connects the United States to Canada on the other side of the river. This boarder is used in overall site layout as the boundary between humans and animals - specifically birds of prey. The southern half of the site is a series of berms that create a system of peaks and valleys that can be utilized for a wide variety of all season activities. The valleys crate a channel that can be filled with water for ice skating in the winter, and dried for biking and roller blading in the summer. The berms make for great sleigh riding in the winter and for great lookouts in the summer. The northern half of the site is a gradient of the various landscape typologies found in the Buffalo region to attract birds of prey to hunt and nest in this area. Many people enjoy nature and animals in their natural habitats, and birds of prey are notoriously illusive. By creating an environment that would be ideal for their natural life cycles, this provides an opportunity for people to enjoy the habitats these birds are drawn to, and an opportunity to maybe witness some of these animals in real life. People can enjoy the Raptor park from the pavilion designed for the ideal viewing of birds that may inhabit that half of the park.

Plan of the Raptor Pavilion (Below)

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Site Plan

Summer Conditions

Fall Conditions

Winter Conditions

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Micro Habitats The birds that the Raptor park aimed to invite to the site, are all birds that would typically live in a temperate environment like Buffalo’s. The site was organized into a strict grid in order to layout the varying habitats. The grassland area was organized closer to the railroad bridge as these birds are generally less shy to humans as the birds that tend to live in the more dense forest regions. The area in the middle of the site addresses various needs for the birds based on hunting, nesting and mating patterns of not only the birds of prey - but of the prey itself. The island would not be home to raptors, if it is not an ideal environment for their food source as well. Many birds of prey like to nest and mate in one habitat type, while they hunt in another. This made for a pattern of varying densities of forest and grassland areas as well as wetlands that are critical for many of the bird’s survival. The Raptor Pavilion was a series of framed timber arches that angle in varying directions based on the habitats the space intersects. The angles optimize viewpoints based on the actions of the birds in those moments. Additionally, the pavilion evolves sectionally to immerse occupants in the environment of these birds. The space starts sunken into the landscape so the eye is level with the ground in the grasslands. The ground is where most nesting and hunting occurs in this region. By the end of the pavilion, the ground plane is lifted so the occupants would have a better view of the birds that nest high in the tree line of the forest.

Diagram of how the Pavilion formally reacts to the surrounding habitat zones.

Overall Zone Diagram of the Site

View at the beginning of the Pavilion

View at the end of the Pavilion

Section 1 at the start of the Raptor Pavilion. The viewer is partially submerged in the landscape.

Section 2 showing the occupant emerging from the ground.

Section 3 is level with the ground plane. Here there is access to leave the pavilion if one wants to wanter the grounds.

Section 4 shows a moment where the pavilion allows for interaction with one of the wetland areas.

Section 5 is the final section through the dense wooded area. The pavilion has raised up from the landscape in order to bring the viewer closer to the tree canopy.

Inhabitants Unity Island is proposed to be a perfect place for people and animals to share. The island is meant to be enjoyed and visited all year to be able to enjoy the dynamic environment it provides. The birds will also come and go throughout the year. Certain species may nest and mate on the island during certain seasons, while others may utilize it during their migration or hunting seasons. People may not even see a bird of prey during their visit, but they would be able to see the other wildlife that help to sustain these raptors. The changes in the seasons creates an entirely new experience for both the people that use the park and the wildlife that call it home.

Monastery Fall 2016 Sophomore Studio Instructor - Daniel Vrana Coordinator - Georgios Rafailidis Site Analysis The project is based on the abstraction of Diocletian’s Palace and its aggregation over time. This idea of aggregation was translated to the site in Glen Park in Buffalo, NY. The site has a steep slope which the building is situated on. The form is broken into a grid of units that step down the hill to create a layered aggregation of spaces which are linked together by circulation paths that weave between the volumes similar to the streets of Diocletian’s Palace.

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Abstraction of Diocletian’s Palace (above)

Section Axonometric (Below)

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Site Plan

Aggregation The site was broken into a grid that was aligned with the street that accessed the area. Volumes were formed on this grid and they were raised or lowered based on the contours of the site to minimize excavation of the park and to reflect the steep incline in the aggregation of the volumes. This allowed each volume to receive daylight even if it was surrounded by neighboring spaces.

Organization of the grid on the site.

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Street level Plan Reflection of the slope in the offset of the volumes.

View from the Street

Variance in the height of the volumes.

Volumes are shifted off the grid to create more opportunities for daylight and circulation.

Section 1

Circulation The monastery is fully accessible through a system of ramps and stairs that weave through every space in the stepped building. The small level changes separate rooms and programmatic elements, which creates a need for a defined circulatory path. There is a clear distinction between programmatic spaces and circulation. The circulation mimics the idea of the street versus the buildings in Diocletian’s Palace. Each space is accessed through a series of semi enclosed paths that navigate through and around each space. This is meant to keep the programmatic spaces pure of noise and distraction caused by the movement of people throughout the building.

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Circulation Diagram

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Mid level Plan

Section 2

Public Seclusion The Monastery is a place that Monks can live and work in while they practice their faith as well as a place for the community to enjoy and learn about their way of life. There are three main public programs in the Monastery, a cafe accessible from the street, a library, and a small chapel that looks out to the park. The monastery utilizes its access to the park to bring the public and the lifestyle of the monks together.

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View of Circulation

View from Glen Park

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Lower Level Plan

View of Circulation

Diverging Lamination Fall 2017 Junior Studio | Tectonics of Buoyancy Instructor - Stephanie Cramer

Branching as a Structural System Tectonics of Buoyancy is a study of buoyant structural systems translated into tectonic building systems. The system that was utilized in this project came from the idea of bent laminated wood evolving into a system of branching. The idea was abstracted from the general structure of a boat turned upside down. Wood boats typically have a keel which is the centerline on the bottom of the boat, often referred to as the boat’s “backbone”. This central spine was developed into the main structural element in the structural concept of branching. The reference to buoyant structures is relevant due to the site’s location at the mouth of the merging Niagara creek and Ellicott Creek where they merge into the Niagara River. The building is a community center for the people of the town of North Tonawanda to come and enjoy access to the water through the public boat launch as well as a new home for the Buffalo Niagara Water Keeper.

Site Plan

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Top view of a scalar structural model

Section Perspective (below)

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First Floor Plan

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Second Floor Plan

Structural Organization The system of branching was organized based on a primary, secondary, and tertiary structure. The primary structure shaped the roof and second floor system. This was the main source of structural stability. These branches stemmed from the main spine as beams and curved down to form a grid-like organization of columns. The secondary structural branches organized room boundaries and provided cross bracing for the long spans of the primary structure. The tertiary structure stemmed from the secondary and created the wall system of the rooms themselves. Complete structural system

Primary structure

Secondary structure

Tertiary structure

Tectonics of Buoyancy The project started with a studio-wide boat making exploration in order to study structural methods utilized in the construction of buoyant systems. The task was to create a boat selecting only certain techniques of boat making to fabricate a full scale single person boat. The techniques that were chosen were a system of lamination and lashing to create and connect structural members. Additionally, fabric was chosen as a material to clad the upper portion of the boat to keep the structure light. The images on the right show the sequence of making the full scale boat. The first image is the main structural members that were lashed together at the ends, spread apart and laminated with multiple thin strips of wood, shown in the second image. The third image is the process of lashing together the main structural members with smaller secondary structure that the cladding on the bottom of the boat would be connected to. The bottom of the boat was thin strips of wood that were also laminated into place to create a continuous watertight membrane. The fabric membrane for the top of the boat was secured through adding it between layers of lamination for the main structural elements on the outside of the boat. Team - Rion Codrington, Jeong Su Han, Bryce Karcz, Dean Nieves, Morgan Mansfield, Hannah Marshall, Natasha Mendis, Mitchel Mesi, Morgan Smykowski, Brian Pacos, Boubacar Sow, Adian Woolsey

Final boat in Lake Erie

Sequence of construction photos

Gradual Stillness Spring 2019 Material Culture Graduate Research Group | Silence Instructor - Christopher Romano Team - Craig Brozowski, Elizabeth Gilman, Shane Joyce, Stanicka Mathurin, Morgan Smykowski, Ryan Vigiolto A Study of Distilling Sound Our surroundings no longer respond or adhere to the occupants, rather they are content with the lack of intimacy that becomes evident in how space is occupied. The operation of adding more material to reduce reflections of sound in these spaces are the first attempts to make humans feel more received and welcomed. The extent that this can be encouraged is found where one seeks a sensational and curious experience. Eliminating sound altogether renders spaces unusually and disturbingly silent to an uncharted degree, far from what is comfortable to the average person. The common design of what has been known as the anechoic chamber, where sound is fully absorbed to prevent all instances of persistence of reflectance, has found success in amplifying the sounds of one’s body. Meticulous orders have deemed thick, bunker-like spaces that utilize repetitive, soft wedge-like materials, complete with the absence of seams and a brief entrance as the only method to create such a space. In hindsight, however this has just as easily translated the anechoic chamber as unappealing and engineered, therefore unaccommodating for humans. Contrary to utilizing a closed system, Gradual Stillness operates as a living organism, like a diaphragm, where openness and silence coexist. Natural occurring instances of this are found in sponges and caves as their masses are read by their void, saturation of air, and absence of solidity. Photo inside a 1” = 1’ scale model

Photo inside a full scale mock-up of the central core of the chamber

Exploded axon of final proposal

Box Within a Box The flow of circulation from each consecutive bounding box to the other forces people and air to travel between the precise voids of the material. The user explores three different conditions that are translated by the transposing of the bounding boxes, similar to that of the Russian nesting dolls, where each previous doll is scaled to occupy the interior of the next. The chamber utilizes the same logic in that each section of the passageway meets a new experience.

Photo inside a full scale mock-up of the central core of the chamber

Experimental study models

Plan of final proposal

Passageway threshold progression and human interaction

The Sponge The complete absence of sound lies in the deepest chasm of the chamber where the user is most intimate with the abundance of soft material that evokes a similarity to occupying the interior of a sponge.

Studies of how sound travels through the wall system by the multi-scalar relationships evident in the interaction of the pores. (Right) Sponge Ink Prints (Below)

Distilling Sound The first encounter with the chamber meets the user with air and openness, where various pores subtly begin to trap and block sound from entering the interior space, providing the user to question: “how many holes does it take to achieve silence?” These pores filter sound in its air chambers within the membrane of each perforated wall to gradually impede the passage of sound to the chamber. The compactness and density of the foam within the ceiling, floor and chamber walls that follows this first filtration traps the unconsumed sound.

Photo of full scale mock-up (above)

Final Scale Model (above)

Section perspective of chamber (below)

Rammed Earth Spring 2020 Material Culture Graduate Research Group | Manus et Machina Instructor - Miguel Guitart Collaborators - Michael Hoover and Morgan Mansfield Rammed Earth Raw earth as a building material has been used for millennia due to the availability of harvesting local materials at little to no cost. The process of ramming and compacting preserves the raw state of the earth in a way that prolongs its lifespan, but still allows for it to age over time. Eventually it will return back to the soil without a trace. Strata connects to this deep history and tradition through construction of rammed earth walls that utilize often discarded excavation material from the construction site of the platform.

(Below) View of Strata from campus sidewalk

(Above) Physical scale model exploration

The Platform and Campus The platform sits within its greater context of the University at Buffalo South Campus. It serves as a gathering space out in front of Hayes Hall and is situated along the most commonly used path for architecture students walking between classes. It is envisioned as a place for informal meetings and conversation, as well as a focal point for planned events such as lectures. Strata is organized as a series of parallel walls of varying heights, with the level of the ground descending from southwest to northeast. This organization allows the massive wall segments to retain a sense of rhythm and motion, while providing sight-lines through the platform to the campus.

(Above) Site Plan

(Below) View from sidewalk passing through Strata

(Above) Plan

Excavation and Construction Earth directly from the site is used in the construction of the platform. By gathering excavated sub-soil material for the rammed earth walls minimal waste is created. Next, the material is formed into wall panels. The walls are placed, and the earth around them is tamped into place, creating a final seal for the surface treatment of the site as a whole. The platform utilizes the subsoil beneath South Campus in complement to additional layers of clay mixtures. Hand and machines coalesce to produce uniform wall segments. These methods reduce the amount of retouching that needs to be done on site, optimization of layering, mixing, curing and labor.

(Below) Physical modeling explorations

(Above) Site Excavation

(Above) Wall implantation (Below) Finished Platform 0

The Decent As you descend into the platform it creates a greater degree of connection with the site and campus. The descending steps blur the boundary between what is existing and what is reused in the process of making the pavilion itself. This ambiguity reinforces the idea that the pavilion is in the earth and of the earth. The wall modules become an extension and expression of the hidden layers of the earth’s strata. Sitting in the space gives viewers a different perspective of the surrounding campus, an embedded view of the built world around them. The space is sunken into the ground to create physical separation from the campus fabric, while still maintaining a visual connection in a different experiential way within the earth.

(Below) Longitudinal Section

(Above) Strata during Winter months

The Experience The walls are a direct reflection of the haptic construction process, and the layers are a recording of time. Horizontal striations of rammed earth mimic the sectional condition found in geologic strata. They express their relationship to the earth in which they are embedded, and blur the boundary of how they coalesce. The earthen walls embody the pure ornament of their own appearance. The natural finish displays a highly tactile condition that evolves over time from a smooth form-work finish to a rough eroded surface. The rammed earth platform is built in harmony with natural cycles and creates a balance between ephemerality and permanence.

(Below) Utilizing Strata for lectures

(Above) Strata during Fall months

Weathering and Erosion Over the years, the surface of the walls will change as weather and use create erosion. The platform is not stagnant, but ever changing and evolving with the campus. Erosion will soften edges, and round corners, but the integrity of the space created by the walls, will remain the same. Earth as a material naturally inhibits erosion: after the first few years the outermost layer will wash away. The rough surface stabilizes the wall and becomes a mechanism to protect the wall from further erosion. It requires several years, but eventually the Rammed earth will reveal its finished rough surface and expose embedded larger stones which increase resilience to the elements and express a new appearance from the results of time.

(Below) Strata’s proposed weathering over time

(Above) Strata’s sequence of weathering over time

House B Fall 2020 Project Proposal Partner - Michael Hoover

Micro House House B is a proposal for infill housing in the East Side neighborhood of Buffalo, NY. This neighborhood is considered one of the most vacant areas in the country (based on 2017 census data). Abandoned housing has been demolished, leaving a patchwork of vacant lots in their absence. House B is an affordable, micro house proposal that allows for people to begin to reoccupy Buffalo’s East Side, with detached tiny housing that allows for maximum use of the lot it occupies. The interior organization maximizes living space, without sacrificing the comforts of a full size house. NN

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NG ING SS

0.5

(Below) House B shown on a vacant lot in Buffalo, NY - East Side neighborhood

Vegetation with 76mm Extensive Soil Mix 3mm Separation Fabric 25mm Drainage Plate 6mm Protection Mat 38cm Thick XPS SIP, 54.6 R-Value

12.5mm Sanded Pine Plywood Finish 13.5 kWh Solar Battery Pack (x2) Mirrored Sliding Wardrobe Door Double-Pane Low Emissivity Glazed Window Push Latch Pine Plywood Casework 38cm Thick XPS SIP, 54.6 R-Value 100mm Thick Radiant Concrete Flooring Closed-Cell Expanding Foam Sealant Weather Barrier Cedar Shakes Coated in Black Pine Tar 38x235 Pine Lumber Side Plate

PEX Tubing Studded Polystyrene Panels 38cm Thick XPS SIP, 54.6 R-Value

Eco Low-Flush Toilet Electric Tankless Water Heater (x2) Septic Tank Rainwater Reservoir Stainless Steel Joist Hanger 38x235 Pine Lumber Rim Joist Stainless Steel U-Saddle Bracket Holder 500mmx500mm Concrete Footing

SERVICES 3

LIVING