Aliza Rosenkranz-Portfolio 2024

University of Southern California

Aliza Rosenkranz

Aliza Rosenkranz

Master of Architecture Candidate

Arosenkr@usc.edu

EDUCATION

U niverity of Southern California

Master of Architecture 2022 - 2025 (expected)

University of Vermont

Bachelor of Science in Biology 2016 - 2020

Minor: Animal Science Trustee scholarship

High School Degree Boston Latin School 2012- 2016

PORTFOLIO

https://issuu.com/alizarosenkranz/docs/ portfolio_fall_2024

SKILLS

Adobe Suite

InDesign

Illustrator

Photoshop

Rhino

MS Office

Excel Word Outlook Powerpoint

Physical Model Building

Keyshot Rendering

+1 (617) 373-0690

EXPERIENCE

www.linkedin.com/in/aliza-rosenkranz

Class Assistant Arch 793b (Graduate Thesis)

University of Southern California, Los Angeles CA Jan 2024 - Present

Working with the coordinator of graduate architecture thesis to support students and prepare for showcases.

Class Assistant Arch 409

University of Southern California, Los Angeles CA Summer 2023

Prepared materials and guided incoming M.Arch students through bootcamp. Co-curated a for welcome Expo2023.

Radiation Oncology Research Technician

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston MA 2020 - 2022

Trained summer interns and incoming personnel. Worked independently and as part of a team developing 3D tumor spheroid models to produce preclinical data, studying the combination of a KRAS targeted small molecule inhibitor and radiation.

Lab Technician

University of Vermont Dept. of Animal Science , Burlington VT 2019 - 2020

Conducted PCR based amplicon sequence analysis for bacterial species identification, maintained lab data and structured data for statistical analysis and presented findings in UVM student research conference

INVOLVEMENT

SPACE USC

Graphic Design 2023 - Present

SPACE is a student run organization working towards an architectural publication curated by students. As a member of the graphics team I helped design and format book chapters.

01 CO-DIVIDUAL HOUSING

Arch 605A | Fall 2023 | Group Work

Partner: Janette De Los Santos

Instructor: Brian De Luna

The fundamental interests of the Return of Housing was to find balance between the needs of the individual and the collective (co-dividual) – given that we now exist in a life/work composite instead of live vs work binary.

Starting with the individual and working toward the collective the Minimal Dwelling was designed first, attempting to locate a balance between minimal living with maximal sharing.

THE MINIMAL DWELLING

The individual room was developed on a grid, able to tessellate in a modular manner.

Private rooms are offset to stagger entrances for more privacy. This pattern reflected on the building’s exterior influenced the facade.

Using cores to create separation

Rooms adaptable to the user(s)

Flexible use spaces

Variation

DESIGN LANGUAGE: RESOLUTION

FACADE SYSTEM

Resolution increases with height. This is a reflection of the interior to a degree. Larger rooms are housed on the lower two floors.

Windows are punched out of the facade, facing in different directions which allows for views down the street rather than directly across.

Alternating between rounded and rigid forms in facade, there is a continuity between floors that gives the overall structure a seamless look. Each floor is able to be constructed in modular pieces allowing for a prefabricated method of design.

SUBVERTING TYPOLOGY

Housing as it has been known has lost relevance to the rapidly changing pace of culture/social conventions and is becoming outmoded especially in expensive cites such as LA. Architectural pieces have been shaken-up and given a new set of considerations which now include questions of what housing is, who controls it, and how we might work and live in the same spaces both as individuals and as collectives. Unbalanced market conditions which no longer accommodate the middle work force, and even more urgently, those who have been systematically disadvantaged and marginalized. As a result, housing has returned to the center of architecture as a rich speculative site.

The return of housing as a central focus in architecture happens cyclically over time and often coincides with massive cultural and societal transformation. Taking on the townhouse typology and modifying the program for modern co-living housing program, the expectation for what is inside has been subverted. The exterior facade is shingled, a typology heavily associated with housing. Wide floor plates allow for a luxurious feeling living area while the minimal dwelling provides individual ownership and privacy to form new social organization and networks.

Core Stacking

Public vs Private Space

Design Strategy

TYPICAL UNIT

Separation of sleep and work.

Built in storage to maximize room space and maintain organization in private space.

Murphy bed, which can be kept down or folded into couch for additional space, or for hosting guests.

3D printed with softwood floor plates

1’=3/16” scale model

02 A Collection of Objects

Arch 505A | Fall 2022 | Individual Work

Instructor: Ryan Tyler Martinez

Portraits of Architectural Form, Order, and Representation

Five objects were designed using a variety of techniques including stacking and stamping, developable revolved objects, and spherical envelopes. The objects were compositionally placed on a field condition with the goal of having all five objects designed and represented through elevation and axonometric drawings. These Objects were then physically built out of museum board.

THE FIELD CONDITION

2D field drawings created utilizing a variety of compositional approaches and then translated into a single composition with material thickness.

Typography and Shapes

Grids, Points, Lines and Fills

Shape Cluster

A matrix that unifys diverse elements while maintaining the identity of each part. This was created by taking repeating elements and manipulating them to create a balanced aggregation and part to whole relationships.

OBJECTS

Five objects were designed to rest on of top of their field condition model. Characters were created based on plan and elevation part-to-whole relationships with composition and placement in mind.

Working through the study of subtractive and additive modeling techniques in Rhino, five specific techniques were employed:

A. Grids to volume

B. Developable revolved object

C. Spherical Envelope

D. Top, Middle, Bottom Characters

E. Primitive Shape Modeling

A LAND-FORM LIBRARY

Arch 605A | Fall 2023 | Individual Work

Instructor: Amanda Ortland

TYPOLOGY

Having a public building that looks civic so that the public can recognize this structure as a space they are welcome to utilize and enjoy.

Chinatown LA is a vibrant are characterized by low- to mid-scale residential uses, and commercial and retail services. Current typologies include interior pedestrian streets and plazas. Architectural features such as decorative roof-lines, flared eaves, rafter tails, carved brackets and projecting balconies stand out against a more mid-century context. The urban form includes a variety of building heights ranging from one-story single family homes and retail establishments to multi-family mid-rise buildings.

Incorporating a public courtyard recognizes the importance of plazas and similar gathering spaces in this neighborhood. Having it sunk reduces the street noise and allows for a sense of privacy. Integrating public pedestrian pathways into this development creates a porous built environment that contributes to further enhancing this neighborhood.

04 Reliefs

Arch 605B | Spring 2023 | Individual Work

Instructor: Amanda Ortland

Relief designs were inspired by organic movements. The concept of folding and layering found in cloth, and man made forms but also in nature is represented in both reliefs. In Relief 1 the design undulates and has a textured draping. The cardboard was oriented so that corrugation remains consistent throughout the design. In Relief 2 looser forms are combined with extrusions varying in height to create rifts. A rippling pattern is revealed in the more organic forms and cardboard is oriented so that contrast between flat surfaces and curves is emphasized by the corrugation.

Maggies Center

Arch 505A | Fall 2022 | Individual Work

Instructor: Ryan Tyler Martinez

The center was designed thinking both in plan and in section to understand circulation, program organization, volumetric space, and how these spaces might start to act independently from one another while also working as a cohesive whole.

This design is characterized by its posture. The central structure protrudes forward and has different angularities depending on viewpoint. The structure’s exterior figure is reflected on the inside by the curved staircases which wind through the tower to the upper floors and by the angled wall, ceiling and windows. On the ground floor, the program is organized in an open concept with the kitchen, sitting area and library interconnected and arranged radially around the central courtyard. The court yard acts as a point of circulation with the spiral staircase creating a loop from first to second floor. Quieter spaces are featured on the upper levels with the second floor being composed of the relax room and a patio, and the third floor having only the nap room.

05 Full Resolution Study

Arch 505A | Fall 2022 | Group Work

Partners: Janette De Los Santos, Delaney Ryan, David Wright

Instructors: Ryan Tyler Martinez, Jimenez Lai

A quick two week design charette focusing on documentation, research, and design for week one and fabrication and construction during week two.

The material selected was dimensional lumber and plywood. A functioning bench was constructed into the project looking part-to-whole relationships as a tectonic and aesthetic strategy. Yellow accent lined were painted with the objective of emphasizing underlying tectonics.