ALICIA RUIZ HERNANDEZ // PORTFOLIO SELECTED ACADEMIC PROJECTS: GRAIN MARKET // AHMEDABAD, INDIA // Final Thesis Project INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE // BASEL, SWITZERLAND FARNSWORTH HUTS // FARNSWORTH HOUSE VISITOR CENTER, IL, US GRAN VIA HYBRID // MADRID, SPAIN URBAN REGENERATION, CITY PLANNING // MADRID, SPAIN
GRAIN MARKET // AHMEDABAD, INDIA // Final Thesis Project My Final Thesis Project is a grain market in Ahmedabad, India. It is located near the old city center. The project replaces the informal market that is there now with permanent facilities. The are two existing religious buildings, an Islamic tomb and a Hindi temple, that are preserved. Religion is an important part of everyday life in India and as such become an important part of the public spaces and of the grain market. The project also takes into account the food security issues in India and provides the market with proper and safe grain storage. This is accomplished with grain concrete silos.
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The market stalls are built with reused wood pallets. The module used follows the main structure and also de standardized sizes of the pallets. The stalls structure is a light frame structure with a module the size of a wood pallet. The pallets give rigidity and strength as well as serving as breathable enclosure. The market space is protected and unified with a big concrete roof. The roof also allows the market to collect larges amounts of rainwater to be used and recycled.
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INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE // BASEL, SWITZERLAND Individual project
ETSAM Spring 2011
EISA BASEL is an international college of architecture. It is located on the east bank of the river Rhine, in the city of Basel. The main building includes all the teaching facilities, administration spaces, as well as an auditorium, exhibition space, and cafeteria. Three smaller buildings to the south hold the teacher housing and student residence. The principal working spaces are placed in the two wings that extend towards the river. Each student has their own work space and between there are common areas for group work, lectures and critiques. The glazed walls are protected from direct sunlight with movable wood louvers. On the exterior it mimics the trees that surround the buildings.
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FARNSWORTH HUTS // FARNSWORTH HOUSE VISITOR CENTER, ILLINOIS, USA IIT Spring 2010 Group project: concept design, plans, details and physical model done as a group. Personal work: render images. The Farnsworth House, one of Mies van der Rohe’s most significant works is located alongside the Fox River, two hours away from Chicago. The facilities on site to accommodate visitors are insufficient. The director of the visitor center was looking to provide overnight accommodation for a few visitors and short-term lodging for students and volunteers. The brief was simple, yet restrictive: very limited budget, temporary foundations, and low-impact construction on site. The cornfield, between the entrance and the river, is the most suitable site for the huts because it avoids construction on historic grounds, but still maintains the close connection to nature. The plan for the project has two rooms facing south and a common bathroom. The three modules are each an independent box raised from the ground on a platform that connects them. They are also connected on the roof level. The rooms and the open space that divides them are covered by a continuous monopitch roof, and this cluster is connected to the bathroom with a pergola. The covered exterior spaces serve as transitions from outside to inside, recreating the approach to the Farnsworth House. They also provide shading in the hot summer days and prevent the rooms from overheating. Except these coverings made of a metallic structure, the modules and the platform have a wood frame that is prefabricated to avoid damaging construction on site.
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GRAN VIA HYBRID // MADRID, SPAIN Individual project ETSAM Fall 2010 This mixed-used building is located in the center of Madrid, very close to Plaza del Callao. The lot is very long and narrow, with only two free facades, and the short one of these facing the main street. The building is broken through with two big atriums to bring light into the interior. The mixed uses are distributed throughout the three areas, starting with exposition areas and the auditorium, over these the offices and at the end the apartments. Concept sketches - Hybrid building
Draw public in - Bring in natural light
Distribution cultural public spaces
Connections office and residence areas
Three volumes separated by two voids that bring in light Project 4 24
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URBAN REGENERATION, CITY PLANNING // MADRID, SPAIN Group project ETSAM Spring 2009 This new urban development plan is set on the grounds of an unused military base in the southwest of Madrid. The area is bordered at the north by a highway, and at the south by a sports center. On the east and west, there are residential areas with some commerce and public transportation. The open green spaces organize the new plan: the spinal cord of the project is a longitudinal public park where most urban facilities lie. The residential blocks have green common spaces separated by pedestrian walkways that connect to the park. There is a commercial street with a pedestrian walkway running parallel to it and ending at the park. Office buildings and a green slope are located next to the highway and the street to serve as a barrier from the traffic and noise.
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Surrounding conditioning factors
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