annamarie olsen. 2022-2024
THINK GLOBAL, PLAY LOCAL.
Architecture is the largest tangible human creation that engages with every person of this earth every day.
Play is an intrinsic characteristic, no matter the suppression we attempt to put to it as we age. Not only is play innate, but it is essential, for the development of our single minds, thus and for our collective society.
In this belief, play is a guiding principe in my practice; the play between the building and its user engagement, the play of materiality, how sustainability shapes play, and how we frame play in our narratives and drawings. Playing , is a collection of recent works from 2022-2024 that attempt to explore play as being architecture.
Annamarie Olsen St. Louis, MO
312.343.5137
annamarieolsen14@gmail.com
ANALOG
TIMBERRR! 8-11
Conservation Project in Roosevelt Island, NYC
Cross-Winds 20-27
Senior Living in Barcelona, Spain
People, Place & History 34-35
Collection of hand sketches, Global
DIGITAL
1283.9 TONS 12-19
Steel Innovation Center in St. Louis, Missouri
iso 28-33
Library in Barcelona, Spain
TANGIBLE
Klein Stool 4-7
Poplar Stool
Klein Stool
Summer 2024 ARCH 300A Studio
The Klein stool was my first design project in graduate school. This twoweek proposal was to design and build a stool within the bounds of 18”, using poplar wood.
The stool’s form suggests a function for meditation; a reminder to myself to take pace for this new chapter of life. The seat is composed of 18 identical slender pieces, that when flipped, rotated, and stacked create a faux weave. The weave allows for lightness in the volume and the soft ridges make for a comfortable sitting.
model iterations faux weave model
TIMBERRR!
Spring 2024 ARCH 474 Studio
c.1865 Smallpox Hospital Ruins | Roosevelt Island, New York City
Part of the responsibility of being a designer is knowing when to step in, and how much to offer.
TIMBERRR! is a proposal intentfully designed to conserve the ruins of the Roosevelt Island smallpox hospital utilizing traditonal wood joinery for stabilizing the structure. This method allows the stone to go untouched, instead carving away at the wood. The project aims to keep the weathered ruins as they have aged to be, allowing users to experience and admire the passage of time as they walk throughout it’s walls.
Mortise & Tenon Model
Scribed Plinth Model
Elevational Detail Perspective
Perspective
Exterior
Interior Perspective
1283.9 TONS
Fall 2023 AISC Student Competition Studio
Steel Innovation Center | St. Louis, MO
Just in St. Louis alone there are approximately 25,000 vacant and abandoned buildings. Many sit stiffly, collecting dust, rust, and decay, yet at one point, there was a significant amount of energy that went into the creation and use of each building. Where did this energy go, and can we still harness it?
1283.9 Tons is a project that uses salvaged materials for the structural and decorative components of a steel innovation center in the southeast LaSalle Park neighborhood of St. Louis. The steel will be salvaged from the local St. Louis Jamestown mall, which is in demolition this year of 2023.
By utilizing existing steel members from the demolished Jamestown mall, we can save approximately 1283.9 tons of carbon emissions caused by new steel production.
The site is isolated by a mixture of the audible and visual chaos of Interstate 55, McArthur bridge, an elevated rail line, and the Mississippi River.
Site Map
Salvaging Steel from Demolition
200 x 35' H-section steel columns salvaged (285 tons steel)
400 x 25' steel I-beams salvaged (408 tons steel)
2000 lbs of rebar salvaged
Cut to length, prime and paint with fire resistant coating to ready for building
Inspect steel for corrosion, and test the strength is up to code.
Preparation Inspection & Test
Retreive the member and clean surface using chemical solvents or sand Paint Removal Rust Removal Surface Cleaning
Depending on the severity, remove rust with either wire brushing or sand blasting.
Using degreaser, clean the surface to prepare for inspection.
The grid-like layout of the floor plan is due to the predetermined sizing of the salvaged steel members.
Key
Key
a. Lobby
a. Lobby
b. Exhibition
b. Exhibition
c. Renewables
c. Renewables
d. Workshop
d. Workshop
e. Office
e. Office
f. Classroom
f. Classroom
g. Copy Room
h. Training
g. Copy Room
h. Training
i. Open Bay
i. Open Bay
j. Locker Room
k. Cafeteria
j. Locker Room
l. Library
k. Cafeteria
m. Daycare Lobby
l. Library
n. Sleeping Room
o. Play Room
m. Daycare Lobby
p. Playground
n. Sleeping room
o. Play Room
q. Courtyard
p. Playground
q. Courtyard
Concept Development
Seen in Section
With a busy exterior context, the building lies low to blend with the existing community, reflect noise, and absorb more light into all of the programmatic spaces.
User Experience
Close Up
Today, the public visits the innovation center
Exterior Yard X Loading Bays
Urban chaos as dominated by industry
Equitable Learning
Through architecture we can program to provide equitable access to spaces and services
Main Avenue
Division between public and private, and an area of convergence
Greenroofs and Renewables
A worker maintains the roofing which consists of greenery for more efficient thermal cooling and heating
Amidst the railways and freeway sits an unexpected garden of safety and peace
Oasis
A quiet space to read, study, and learn new information about steel and related topics
Workshops
With a design focus on natural lighting and ventilation, workers are ensured safe working and learning conditions
The Mission Education, steel innovation, holistic sustainability, and future growth
Public Spaces
A hotspot for the exchange of new ideas and meetings
Classrooms
Learning takes place in every space of the center which includes classrooms, laboratories, and training rooms
Our Lasting Impact
1283.9 strives to give space to everyone in the community a safe space to grow, learn, and innovate
Green Roof System
Eastern Redbud (Cersis Canadensis)
Eastern Redbud (Cersis Canadensis)
Pink Turtlehead (Chelone Lyonii)
Buffalograss (Buchloë dactyloides)
Moment Connection
Maximum resistance to deflection and shear forces
Structure
Cleat Connection
Allows for easy assembly and disassembly
Specific connections are ideal with the usage of predetermined member lengths. The cleat connection allows for easy assembly/disassembly for future repurposing. The bolted splice connection joins multiple member to create a longer member. The moment connection is ideal for long span members and shear forces.
Bolted Splice Connection
Join two steel sections to create a longer continuous member
Shading
Vertical and horizontal louvers fabricated with salvaged rebar provide the west, east, and south facades with solar shading. The rebar panels reach from the ground to a maximum of 15', allowing ivy to grow along for biophilic health benefits.
Exterior Face Brick
Reflective Air Space
Wall Tie
Foam Sheathing
Interior Face Brick
Vertical Louver System
Horizontal Louver System
Vapor Barrier
Cross-Winds
Spring 2023 Studio
Mixed-Use Residential Complex | Barcelona, Spain
Collaborators:
Scarlette Solano-Roman Kamila Czyszczon
Cross-Winds is located in El Poblenou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.By design, Cross-Winds aims to orchestrate the earth’s natural winds and sun for the health and well being of all the various people who reside within the complex. Within the complex is three separate volumes: senior living, residential living, and work-life living. The three volumes share the same DNA, with adaptations to their respective programs. The structure is composed of pre-fabricated CLT panels, sourced from a local factory in Lleida, Spain.
Contribution:
Senior Living Volume, perspectives, structural drawings, & diagrams
Concept
The push-pull layout creates a stronger structure while utilizing the in-between space Zig Zag
Timely Division
The units are divided by night and day program elements
Cross Laminated Timber Structure
Exterior Living
Two outdoor spaces bring balance to the unit
Before our final designs, we visited a CLT factory in Lleida, Spain, to gather more information on the construction of CLT details and structure.
Senior Living
Each floor is composed of 4 identical, accessible units, which can be furnished to host 1 to 4 people.
Unit Dimensions
2nd & 4th Floor Plans
Micron Ink on Vegetal
Single Unit Study
Air, Light, Movement
North-East Section
Exterior Perspective
Day view of Senior East Facade
iso Fall 2022 Studio Work
Mixed-Use Residential Complex | Barcelona, Spain
Collaborators:
Bode Freeman
An isovist is the volume of space visible from a given point in space. Most commonly used in health care facilities, isovists measure perception and predict spatial behavior. Isovists are a strategy which, in libraries, can help guide users through space, stimulate brain activity, and encourage collaboration.
Located in Barcelona, on the brink of old Gracia and the new Eixample, this public library aims to give the community a public space that will grow with the community; using the structure as a means to divide and host a variety of spaces. The 5 hollow vertical towers organize the interior community spaces, while allowing for more private rooms inside. Each floor hosts the same layout, with the exception of the the gridded exterior facade, in which there are 3 interchangeable modules: book shelves, working desk, and a reading bench.
Contribution: Site Plan, Floor Plans, Sections, Details, Models
Isovist analysis helped to lay the 5 vertical blocks
The grids rules the placement of the modules and the blocks
Detail Diagram
The Human Scale in iso
Lobby 2. Children’s Room
Group Room
Reading Room 5. Elevator 6. Bathroom 7. Shelves
8. Flex Auditorium 9. Book Repair 10. Employee Lockers 11. Employee Kitchen 12. Office Floor Plans
The exterior facade is composed of 1.5 x 1.0 meter modules. The modules consist of three options: a desk, a bench, and a bookshelf. The desk allows for personal study, the bench for comfortable reading or intimate discussion, and the bookshelf for shading into the building, and book storage.
Interior Render
Section Facade Detail
The three modules in action.
The Book Shelves
A dynamic element to the facade, letting in light between the books on the shelves. The books are protected with special tempered glass.
The Work Desk
A place to read, work, and enjoy the street views with the comfort of a quiet space. An ergonomic height for all users at 85 cm.
The Reading Bench
Suitable for 1, 2, maybe even 3 with a squeeze, the reading bench is a relaxing space to read. It invites users to melt into the seat, and lose themselves in their book.
PEOPLE, PLACE, & HISTORY
2022-2023 | Global
The notion of architecture as anthology is a concept that embraces the role of design in weaving together a narrative of both global and local environments.
thank you.