Architecture Undergrad Portfolio

BAYYINAH C. PIERRE PRATT INSTITUTE

Contact

School of Architecture

P : (516) 451-7364 E : bayyinah.pierre@gmail.com L : New York, USA : @bayyinah26

STUDENT PORTFOLIO

‘I just want to design architecture, never forgetting where I come from.’

THESIS

Porto Livre;

Portugal’s unemployment rate is the fourth highest in the European Union. As a response, our thesis, seeks to provide aid to the homeless community by rethinking how to provide the necessities inherently owned to every citizen, while building a foundation for a sustainable life beyond temporary shelter. With efforts being made by the Portuguese government to house and reintegrate the homeless back into society, there is an opportunity for the waterfront to play a crucial role.

Porto Livre functions as a bridge between the homeless community and the rest of Lisbon; a site where the two locals can merge and the distinction between them can become obsolete with the goal of erasing homelessness as a social problem. Lisbon’s quiet poverty crisis has left many of its nhabitants impoverishe, making the most basic necessities like water and electricity more expensive than ever. With minimum wages at about 500 euros, and rent at about 250 euros a room, they do not earn enough to meet their basic needs, provide for their families, and contribute to society. An overwhweliming majority of the Lisbon’s homeless population is caused by unmeployement; The rest of Lisbon is barely survying, unable to pay for their basic rent or buy basic items, some are left with the only option of seeking refuge on the streets of Lisbon.

Porto Livre’s objective is to provide both temporary and permanent housing for 3000+ homeless residents. This system allows for the residents to become self-sustainning members of society, in aims of reestablishing their lives in an attempt to eventtually eradicate homelessness for the city of lisbon and set a precednt that can be adopted to other cities and countries.

The right to housing... The greatest need of the homeless people is a home, the lack of an ordinary dwelling works as a strong inductor for exclusion from many of simple activities, such as receiving mail, or the possibility of maintaining a stable job. A ‘sem-abrigo’ homeless in Portuguese, means to be without or excluded of a home, a person without a place to individually identify himself with.

The right to work... More than ¾ of the homeless population is unemployed and economically inactive. Those whom are effectively working are poorly paid and laboring in precarious conditions. The lack of a stable income keeps them in the homeless situation. As a potential tenant in Portugal is usually required to provide a two months’ rent in advance, someone in an unstable financial situation cannot afford housing.

The right to hygiene... Homeless people often go without the basic necessities, for them, personal hygiene comes with its own set of struggles. Their right to wash certainly reflects on their marginal position in society and unequal distribution of power and opportunities. Re-establishing a hygiene routine is key to recovering a sense of self.

The right to be self-sufficient...Ensuring the existences of conditions that guarantee the promotion of autonomy. The basic building block to self-sufficiency is planting a garden, and being capable of producing their own food. A garden will produce enough food to eliminate starvation, in addition will integrate the homeless population into the labor market, which will thus generate self-efficiency for not only the individuals but Lisbon as a whole.

Project Mandates: 1. Must create a self-sufficient village for the homeless of Lisbon.

2. Must provide space for both communal and individual gardens.

3. Must collect and store rain and flood water runoff.

4. Must ensure the maintenance of a regime to protect mental and physical health.

5. Must re-purpose existing connection of the main city center to the waterfront.

6. Must provide functional structures to scale up or down, given the owner a sense of ownership, pride and commitment.

Module Type A

2

Module Type B

1. Fits 1-3 person 2. Long-term Residents 3. Resident has to Harvest medium amount of specified produce.

1. Fits 3-6 person 2. Long-term Residents 3. Resident has to harvest high amount of specified produce.

Location: level 1

Location: level 1 & 2

The program requirement is to create a housing complex that provides shelter as well as all the necessary amenities to living; water, electricity, heating; while also creating a sustainable system towards reintegrating the homeless community into society through commerce.

This system resides on the existing waterfront of Lisbon; and allow it to function as a semi-closed system or closed system, able to operate independently by those who will take residence there in terms of modules. The program is able sustain the current homeless population but is also flexible for growth or vice versa.

Ultimately, Porto Livre creates a sustainable social environment in which the homeless can take refuge and become a part of a trade that will reintegrate them back into society. The project funtions as a new port twill using existing piers. The newly created island is accessed though bridges with access being restricted to some extent.

3

Module Type C 1. Fits 1 person.

2. Short-term Residents, low-commitemenent.

3. Resident has to harvest very low amount of specified produce.

Location: level 4 & 5

In order to provide a public avenue to facilitate interaction between the homeless residence and pedestrians, a temporary or permanent marketplace is placed in various locations where the community can sell and trade their goods. To sustain possible growth, the project addresses a system of residenc based on commitement and lenght stay in Porto Livre.

The waterfront- as one of the most damaged areas of the Lisbon earthquake and tsunami of 1175-reveals the remnants of the industrial history of Lisbon which used to import hundreds of tons of cargo and export at least 60% of that amount by the end of the 19th century of and now today is operating at a only a fraction of what it used to.

To facilitate a successful reintegration into society, the homeless must develop a way of sustaining through commerce.

The Program cycle is geared towards creating a system that takes the homeless off the streets, provides temporary housing, and the provides the means to which they can sustain

their own lives without the aid of government intervention. This commerce is linked to a public market where this new community can sell and trade their goods. Through this system, the people who come in will come out with a trade and second chance. The relationship to the public is also an important factor

in the success of the this project; the public will be a vital part of helping to restore the broken lives of this community through commerce. A problem once ignored will be one that people will interact with daily.

This new intersection between the public and the homeless will exist between the waterfront and the city.

“Form follows function”

DESIGN

Selected Works

01

03

WTC

Theatre

07

Myrtle Residence Hall

Dormitory

29

07

39

Urboid Library

Columbia University Boathouse

13

05

04

19

03

02

Rome Study Abroad Library

Brooklyn Chapel Chapel

Farmstead

06

35

08

43

Wall City

Wavehill Retreat

09

45

Points and Lines

Form

VESEY ST

TOWER 2

WEDGE OF LIGHT PLAZA TOWER 1: FREEDOM TOWER

PATH TERMINAL NORTH POOL

PATH PLAZA

MEMORIAL MUSEUM

9/11 MUSEUM

TOWER 3

SOUTH POOL

01 WTC Performing Arts Center (Team) 70 Vesey St, New York, NY Fall 2015 (16 weeks)

03

01

Above: Site Plan, 1_ Front Elevation Right: Render

The WTC Performing Arts Center Project features three main halls enclosed by a transparent framed structure. In such a traumatic site, the building acts as a connective elements between its visitors, history, and background, as it’s transparency allows other buildings in its background to be seen. The building is supported by a series of small columns on a gridded structure.

The building also sets a stage for the movement of its visitors to become a creative piece. The WTC performing houses a main theatre of 700 seats of its last floors, a concert hall, and a dance hall. All spaces are enclosed with glass on all four sides or one single side in an attempt to dissolve spatial boundaries with transparency, allowing its visitors the ability to penetrate and occupy the

ground floor freely. The building appears to have a sense of lightness as a result of reflection of massive floating theatre. Reflection helped give it a sense of transparency, as solid objects in reflection seem to disappear or merge with the surrounding space. Transparency and movement are the main measured elements that began to define the space. The WTC Memorial site is a

memorable place for all of its visitors as the building seeks to articulate its transparency, and feelings of being lost. Water, light, shadows and views become the main architectural agents set in dialog with the natural surroundings, to create a sense of a memorial.

04

05

building !"#$"%& '()*+"$,"- *.'/" *'&*0*1")1"*(# *

01

f massive floating ) **01*1($'-*(23"%&1*')* 4"#$"%&'() *

02

Left: Sections Above: 1_ Render (pool), 2_ Render (street) Right: Elevations

06

M LU CO

CO LU M BI A

01

02 Columbia University BoatHouse (Team) 33 Indian Rd, New York, NY Spring 2015 (16 weeks)

07

Above : Site Plan Right : 1_View from Water 2 _ Boat Storage

02

This scheme aggregates the program into three different clusters centered around the existing pedestrian and vehicular movement around the site.

The program is distributed along the surfaces of the three clusters; ascending, descending and incrementally, and spiraling around a central space. The serpentine plan was designed to provided a link between the three different clusters

and between the different spaces. Its contortion and twists go beyond the loop, rather they refer to a perception of movement and performance by the human body. Thus, the building becomes a performance space for its visitors, allowing one to carry out to their desired destination while circulating on a continuous path that links the different spaces within the three clusters.

The Columbia Boathouse functions as both an academic facility and a community facility. With a storage shed for the team’s boats on the lower floor, the team could easily bring the long boats in and out. The building also serves the community by having athletic programs and facilities like a gym that occupy the upper. The facade of the building was inspired by row boats in motion

The building of the facade could seem complex. However, all the rooms are exposed to daylight with this facade. The large openings in elevation enables daylight to reach the landscape yard in betweeen the two buildings and ultimately the crystal building behind.

08

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

09

Recepetion Desk Mechanical Room Boiler Room Janitor’s Closet Women’s Locker Room Men’s Locker Room Coaches Office Boat Storage

Railing +36 Roof+32

ERG 3rd +20

LOUNGE 2nd +10

PRACTICE TANK

OFFICES Ground Floor +0

Railing +36 Roof+32

MECHANICAL ROOM

CLASSROOM VIDEO ROOM

GYM 3rd +20

DECK

BATHROOM

BATHROOM

KITCHENETTE

2nd +10

OFFICES Ground Floor +0

Right : First Floor Plan,Model Above: Sections

10

Above: Render (View for the ramp) Right : 1_ Gym 2_ Physical Model Right : 3,4_ Physical Model

11

01

02 03

02

04

12

01

03 13

02

Farmstead, Wall City

Milton, Iowa

Summer 2016 (10 weeks)

Above: 1_View 2 _ Aerial View Right: Corner Entrance

This project focus on the study of rationality and proportion; bringing nature, dwellings and people into a higher unity. It is a study of minimal spaces through point, line and planes. Just like Mies’s Brick house, the plan of the project seems chaotic but it is based on a precise, asymmetric logic. Using Mies’ ideas, a spatial quality was formed in which interior and exterior are interwoven

The walls which could go on forever allow for the closing of a field where a distinctive boundary is nowhere to be found. The project creates a sustainable walled city, with the capability of growing any food. The axial, l-shape composition is a module from which the rental clusters, home, and fields grow. The design encourages an open way of living, and the chance for common

interaction among the inhabitants of Milton, Iowa, and other states in the nation… The project focuses on the idea of reavealing and concealing different parts of the site. The walls were strategically placed to reveal, frame and lead to a space. The space could be a garden, the farmstead, and storage facilities. The body of a person was taking into account with its relativeness to a

wall height. Different experiences were created by the wall height, depending on the visitor’s location The ‘Ha-ha’ wall was also introduced, used to enable ‘nature’ to appear as part of the garden while keeping animals away from the house, similar to that the shifting of different plates allows different rooms and nature to intergrate through the design without a distinctive boundary.

14

A

B D

D

Office Space

Machinery Storage

Green House

View 3

View 1

C

Food Storage

C

Pantry ± 0.00 - 5'.0"

Living - 10'.0"

B

± 0.00

A

View 2

15

Above: House Floor Plan

Section B-B

Section A-A

Above: Sections

16

01 1_ Home Entrance from Main Street.

2_Interior Courtyard.

02

17

03 1_ Home Entrance from Intersection.

2_Interior Courtyard.

04

18

01

04 Pratt Dormitory Project (Team)

250 Grand Ave, Brooklyn,NY Fall 2014 (16 weeks)

19

Above: 1_Aerial View 2 _ The Bridges Right: Myrtle View, Corner Entrance

02

Composed of 52 Units with laundry space, lounges, performing spaces, computer labs and classroom for a dormitory for Pratt students. The module units are organized around a simple rotation of 45 degrees, which alternates direction on the next floor above. Voids are then created for larger bacolnies acts as a meeting place around the single loaded corridoor.

In the rear of the property, a small crystalized building houses the programs shared in between tenants such as laudry, classrooms, and lounges. Long span bridges from three floors connect the sleeping area to the active. The bridges starts from the larger voids allowing students to easily finds their way around both buildings. Each unit speaks for itself.

Each with a different skin, the project becomes one with its facade.

Throught it, module units are erased forming a surface that not only hides supporting beam structure creating the voids, nut no distinctive boundary cannot be found. A network of relationships are then interwoven across many places throughout the facade using materials such as concrete sheet panel and glass.

The building of the facade could seem complex. However, all the rooms are exposed to daylight with this facade. The large openings in elevation enables daylight to reach the landscape yard in betweeen the two buildings and ultimately the crystal building behind.

20

Above: Typical Floor Plan

21

5

1 2 3

4

3

4 2 1 5

1 2 3 4 5

Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom 1 Bedroom 2 Balcony Right : Unit Module Variation Above : Section A-A

22

CONCRETE PANEL INSULATION FINSHED HARWOOD FLOORING DECKING REINFORCED CONCRETE FIXED MULLION A2 A-112

GLASS

FIXED MULLION A3 A-112

CONCRETE PANEL TIE FINSHED HARWOOD FLOORING REINFORCED CONCRETE INSULATION DECKING

23

A1 A-112

Wall Section A1

Right : Elevations Above: Street View Render

24

05 Study Abroad Project (Team)

Roma, Italy

Spring 2016 (10 weeks)

25

Above: 1_Aerial View 2 _ The Bridges Right: Myrtle View, Corner Entrance

Panel 1

Panel 2

Panel 3

Group

A library for the locals and the tourist.

The library seats on Via Teatro Marcello with a large piazza and shops on its ground level. Unlike traditional libraries, it is organized through three sections in one single volume. The library starts in the first section, circulation takes place in the second, and an exhibition space that houses the Plastico(Rome’s largest model) in the final section.

The new library is a tourist center containing a library, an exhibition area, a hall, tourist office, shops and cafes, which together work to embrace diversity and interaction in Rome. Organized around a variety of platforms of activities that enhance interaction between users, which enables the library to become the new hip place. The building embodies a sense of transparency

and openness.The library is designed to gather the city’s cultural functions under one single roof. The building looks onto history as it celebrates the future with knowledge.The sloped reading room is a stepped space between two outdoor terraces which acts a natural amphitheater, allowing for public gatherings and events, ensuring that the building remain active from day into evening.

26

Study Abroad Sketches

(Italy)

Urbino

27

Florence

28

Study Abroad Sketches

29

(Italy)

Spoletto

Selinunte

Urbino

34

01

06 Wavehill Retreat

249th St, Bronx, NY Fall 2013 (16 weeks)

35

Above: 1_2 _ Physical Model Right: Floor Plan Render

02

This Project is situated in a beautiful location along side of the Hudson River,visitors enjoy its greenery, and remoteness to nature all around. Although visitors were there in large numbers, some parts of the site remained inactive, the areas located near in entrance, with greenery, plant life, and water were observed to be the most attractive spaces to the visitors.

The writer’s retreat was planned with a living/dining area, gallery for books, with a courtyard at its core, featuring a green as its entrance that invite the flood of natural light and of visitors. Each room provides its own individual feel and function, but they are all interwoven via the basic elements of architecture, floor, wall, ceiling, stairs, voids and openings, like the courtyard, and the mesh.

The mesh created pockets were books can be stored, while a seamless boundary between the floors, walls, ceilings,furniture, the exterior and the interior. Exterior and interior are interwoven and the building becomes extremely poorus at each of its corners. The project aims to do just that, to exemplify the true meaning of living outdoors and loving the outdoors.

Not knowing whether you should consider the space you are in to be outdoor or indoor space is translated by natural light source through its diverse openings. My intentions were not to create an architecture that is about space nor about form, but simply about expressing the riches of the outdoors, and celebrated it looking onto beautiful scenery.

36

Services

Gallery

Studios and Classrooms

Green Space

Green Space Gallery

Studios and Classrooms

Green Space

Gallery Services

Green Space

Studios and Classrooms

Gallery

Services

Studios and Classrooms

37

Se

ce

Sp a

Gallery en

rv

s ice

Gr e

Stu dio s

an dC

las s

ro om s

Services

Left: Diagram Above: Floor Plan Right: Sections

38

07 Urboid (Urban+ Void) Library

Chinatown, NY

Spring 2014 (14 weeks)

39

Right: Physical Model Sketch Above: Floor Plan

The concept was to create (mesh) based on rules used in a prior analysis. I decided to apply the mesh three-dimensionally, the pattern was then applied as a skin, floor plate, structure. Sited on the cornes of Chrustie Ave and Grand Street, in Chinatown, the building is an archive library for films with viewing where various films from different eras can be viewed.

The building contains five floors to which are stacked in a way to allow controlled and sun light to reach every room if need be, a basement with an auditorium, and a green roof for festival and screening receptions.

From floor to floor, the programs go from less private and to private rooms and office for the library.

Spaces were designed around the perforated mesh.

The mesh created voids throughout the building to allow light through on every floor as it situated on a corner lot, at the intersection of two streets.

The interior void spaces hold a hanging private spaces in certain moments, allowing the visitor to comfortably watch the film privately.

Form, space and voids are the basic elements used in architectural design process.

The building ‘s facade could seem complex, however it derived from the mesh. its perforations are created to be a permanent installation. Shadows created from the mesh create their own performance as the sun moves along the day. It becomes a movie in itself.

40

3

5

4

3

A

2

1

Above: Physical Model Right: Floor Plan

1

Basement 1 2 3

41

Stage Auditorium Mechanical Room

Ground Floor 1 2 3 4 5

Cafeteria Reception Desk Information Wall Kitchen Bathrooms

2

2

3

3 2

1 1 Above: Physical Model Left: Floor Plan

Second Floor 1 2 3

Lounge Book/ Video Shelves Office Space

Fourth Floor 1 2 3

Screening Lounge Lounge Type 2 Bathrooms

42

08 In Beween Brownstones

Brooklyn,NY

Spring 2013 (15 weeks)

43

(Poem written to describe the space )

Marrying Classon Ave. Although I have never gotten married, I patiently await for the “big” day.

Patiently waiting for the day, I proudly walk through my space.

As if right now, I don’t belong.

I belong to no one, to nothing including “my” space.

I belong to no one; I don’t even belong to myself.

The lot is for sale, but at this hour, in this day, It hasn’t been claimed.

Wife to be…

Really, I can only hope.

Certainly, Could it be as clears as the pathways I’m about to take.

I stroll along a curve lane, I love you for eternity in a minute I will say, I love you for eternity, can I stay?

I’m at the altar, Can’t walk away.

Upon the bells we should say, let’s go away!

Up the staircase, lies our future…

Up the staircase, I should say…

Love is marriage, Love is pain.

Is it too late?

Decided by faith, I’m walking alone…

Decided by faith, you are not there…

Decided by faith, you are away…

Don’t worry forever yours.

I belong to no one not even myself.

I belong to no one, What can I say?

Up the staircase, lies our future…

Up the staircase, I should say…

The lot is for sale, but at this hour, in this day, It hasn’t been claimed ‘till my last breath, I should say.

2

1

1_Private, Honeymoon Suite.

Above: Poem Right: Plan

2_ Balcony Room is not enclosed.

44

Section

Left

1:1

1:2

1:1

Back

1:2

Isometric

Top

1:1

1:2

Section

1:1

Front

1:2

Right

1:2

Bottom

Unfolded Views, Sections, and Isometric Drawings

09 Point, Line, Plane

First Year Project

Fall 2012 (16 weeks)

45

Above: 1_Paper Fold Drawing Right: Top view, Site Plan

The model took form with my interpretation of the verb to gather.

The meaning of the verb has lost some value over the years. The project took a spiritual meaning of the verb by the desire to elevate off of the ground to reach our God.“To gather by lifting.� The construction of the first model started with a set of ordinations A, B, and C. A being a point on the edge of the paper.

B being one of the original points; and C the central, the gathering point.

The distance between A and B determined the height of the triangle, and the distance between B and C determined the base of a triangle. At the end, I had multiple triangles that had to meet at a single point or area.

a

c

Different models and drawings were constructed as an experiment. With line weight types based on a set of rules, while consideringthe distance between the viewer’s eyes and the drawing. The different thicknesses translated into the distance between the lines and the dimensions of the triangles. The darker lines are closer to the eye and the lightest on ground level.

b

d

46