Bryan Samuel - Selected Works 2021

B R Y A N J A C O B S A M U E L

Selected Works 2021

Bryan Samuel 862.432.1987 bryanjacobsamuel@gmail.com @bryansamuel_architecture Cover Image Stress force analysis of the Bouazizi Opportunity Center superroof using the Millipede plug-in for Grasshopper

*Award-Winning Project

TABLE of CONTENTS

THE GREAT KEMERI JOURNEY Anomaly in the landscape

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BOUAZIZI OPPORTUNITY CENTER* An internet center for the economic revolution

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ALLERTON NATURE BOXES New perceptions and old memories

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FIELDS + FABRICS* A panoptic patchwork in Eixample

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PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

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THE GREAT KEMERI JOURNEY Anomaly in the landscape

DATE Spring 2018

PROJECT TYPE Accessible Observation Tower

The Kemeri National Park is home to a unusual and significant ecosystem: a raised bog. Bogs are acidic wetlands that can only support specific forms of plant life.

Among these few species is Sphagnum Moss, whose ability to function as a highly effective carbon sink is a significant combatant to the effects of climate change.

The Great Kemeri Journey introduces a handicap accessible boardwalk and observation ‘tower’ that provides clear passage through this otherwise impassable quagmire, and allows visitors to interact with this special ecological phenomenon.

LOCATION Kemeri National Park, Latvia

COLLABORATORS Lauren Gilmartin

The tower and boardwalk are designed with railings and vertical fins to accomodate physically and visually impaired visitors. The consistent repetitive motif is designed to dissolve into the forest background. At a clearing along the walk, the motif changes.

Rising out of the mire, the observation forks into two divergent outlooks. The raised observation offers a pleasant perch for birdwatching while the sunken observation delves down into the earth, bringing visitors closer to bog’s surface.

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DISAPPEARING ACT The Troxler Effect is a neurological phenomenom that causes unchanging background stimuli to fade from perception. This optical illusion is translated architecturally into the repetitive vertical motif of the Kemeri Footbridge. The consistent language of the boardwalk recedes, allowing the everchanging natural surroundings to take center stage.

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Defying the paradox: how to design an accessible observation ‘tower’?

STRATEGIES

PROS / CONS

MITIGATION

simple / too gradual, not dramatic, boring journey

enclose journey to generate suspense. height can be exaggerated when combined with descent strategy

can acheive vertical drama / requires power source

could rely on renewable energy as power source or handcrank

simple, comfortable viewing / not dramatic

can used in combination with other strategies to acheive drama

unique. does not require great distances to create drama / not useful for birdwatching. disruptive to landscape

small footprint minimizes disruption. foundation research required

unique. highly accessible. can be very dramatic / atypical. may not satisfy the intention of the brief

can be combined with more conventional strategies

ramp

lift

shelter

descent

camera obscura

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ramp

descent shelter

Project Elevation

Section Callout

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1 Polycarbonate Roof 2 Glulam Support 3 Aquarium Railing 2

4 Floating Rigid Raft Foundation

+5’- 0” Raised Observation

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- 5’- 0” Sunken Observation

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SUNKEN OBSERVATION The journey continues directly into the bog. An aquarium-like glass railing displays the characteristic peat sediment and celebrates its crucial function as a carbon sink. Enveloped in water, concrete, and wood, the sunken observation is a sanctuary.

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RAISED OBSERVATION The journey continues upward. Wooden vertical fins only permit views perpendicularly, slowing the ascent.

The structure begins to dematerialize, culminating in an airy perch that offers sweeping views of the bog, the forest, and the winged creatures that call this park home.

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Graduate Award for Design Excellence - 1st Place AIA Chicago Award in Architecture - Results Pending

BOUAZIZI OPPORTUNITY CENTER An internet center for the economic revolution

DATE Spring 2021

PROJECT TYPE Community Internet Center

On December 17th, 2010, Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in front of a police station in Tunisia. He had been a street cart vendor who sold produce at local markets, but on that Friday he was adjudged to be operating illegally without a permit. When he visited the police station to retrieve his confiscated goods and equipment, he was turned away. In an act of frustration and hopelessness, Bouazizi returned to the station with a can of gasoline and a lighter.

Spurred by social media and digital journalism, Bouazizi’s self-immolation sparked a series of protests and revolutions across North Africa and the Middle-East that

LOCATION Tunis, Tunisia

COLLABORATORS Francisco Hernandez

we now call the Arab Spring. Though Tunisia did topple their 23-year old dictatorial regime and develop a new constitution, the same economic issues that haunted Bouzazi persist. The Bouazizi Opportunity Center turns to the internet once again to find a solution where the government cannot.

Underneath its oversized photovoltaic superroof, the center provides resources for the development of creative and trade skills as well as the tools to directly sell to both local and global markets. It is a forum to continue the Tunisian fight for economic independence, fairness, and progress.

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MASSING CONCEPTS

Early concepts investigated different approaches to address the global scale of the highway and the local scale of the neighborhood. The sketches explore solutions that either independently address the different scales or agglomerate elements that can be read as both part and whole.

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CONTEXT MAP The site is located between a neighborhood and a busy highway that leads directly to the airport.

LOCAL

GLOB Highway AL to Airpo

rt

Residential

Research

Education

M

Metro Station

2000’

1000’

500’

250’

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REGIONAL MAP Fomented by the internet, revolution spread from Tunisia into a series of uprisings known as the Arab Spring

Timeline of Protests

Government Overthrown

SITE MAP The site is located on a highly exposed corner in a hot-summer mediterranean climate

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SITE PLAN

Site Entries

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Public Plazas + Green Space Boulev ard M oham med B ouaziz i

Programming Areas Public

Support

Creation

1 Internet Cafe 2 Reception Gallery 3 Information 6 Mechanical 7 Metalshop 8 Ceramics 9 Woodshop 1 13 Art/Photo Studio 14 Digital Fabrication 15 Bouazizi

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Rue

el A ttar i

ne

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7 17

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and Bathrooms 4 Administration 5 Prayer Rooms 10 Resource Center 11 Performance Studio 12 AV Lab Market 16 Oculus 17 Service Alley 18 Bioretention

250’

100’

50’

25’

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SITE AXON - PAVILIONS

Structural Foundations

Underslab HVAC System

Egress Circulation

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SITE AXON - SUPERROOF

Band Beam Grid

Triangulated Waffle Structure

Punctured Roof Slab

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SITE SECTION The superroof is a functional icon designed to shield and harvest sunlight. The geometry of the oversized canopy is vertical enough to be seen from the highway and horizontal enough to be seen from an airplane. The resulting angle is coincidentally an ideal slope to maximize solar generation potential.

Residential Neighborhood

Reception Gallery

ROOF EXPLORATIONS Simple Slab

Rectangulated Bays

Uniform 48” thick slab. Structurally limited. Requires disruption to introduce light.

Bay-dependent morphed waffle structure. Complex and irregular forms. Visually breaks up roof into sections.

Dance

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e Studio

Ceramics Workshop

Highway Bioretention

Isostatic Slab

Triangulated Roof

Nervi-inspired isostatic waffle slab. Structure follows natural flows of stresses. Complex and irregular.

Triangulated waffle slab. Uniform bubble sizes. Retains roof identity as a whole. Complements multi-curve form.

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SITE ELEVATIONS The south elevation presents a new sustainable face to the oncoming traffic of Boulevard Mohammed Bouzazi with an enormous photovoltaic roof preceded by a bioretention garden. The northeast elevation opens up to welcome the neighborhood inside the grand canopy. The pavilions and the roof serve as a backdrop to a lively market space where locals can sell produce, services, or creations they have made in the center’s facilities.

South Elevation - Highway

Northeast Elevation - Residential

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NET-POSITIVE POWERHOUSE With over 100,000 sf of photovoltaic panels, the Bouazizi Opportunity Center is able to generate enough excess electricity to offset the annual energy usage of 621 Tunisians. The solar roof comes with a cost to daylighting; however this approach is validated by the relative insignificance of lighting loads compared with cooling loads, as well as the scarcity of quality views around the site.

sDA Map

PV Energy -157.63

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Energy Use Intensity (kBtu/ft²/yr)

2.62 Hot Water

0.35 Pumps

26.85 Fans

8.78 Equipment

4.50 Lighting

Annual Sunlight Exposure

0.01 Heating

Spatial Daylight Autonomy

16% 37.42 Cooling

33%

903.96 Annual Net Energy Generation (MWh)

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PAVILIONS

Pavilion Concepts

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STUDIOS

Partial Studio Elevation

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PVC Roofing Membrane 5” Extruded Polystyrene Insulation Brass Fascia + Soffit Trim Metal Slab Edge 9” Tapered Concrete Slab Mechanically Operated Sliding Bifold Window Assembly, Thermally Broken Steel Frame, Double Glazed Low Solar Gain Low-E Coating 4x4 Hollow Steel Column, Embed in CMU Bond Beam (Beyond) Hanging Tube Light Pendant Fixture

Brass Trim 1” GFRC Panel 1” Air Gap 3” Extruded Polystyrene Insulation Vapor-Permeable Air and Water Barrier 8” Insulated Concrete Block 1” Cement Plaster Brass Window Trim Picture Window, Thermally Broken Steel Frame, Ptd. to Match Trim, Double Glazed Low Solar Gain Low-E Coating Wood Blocking 4” Concrete Slab Polyethylene Vapor Barrier 3” Extruded Polystyrene Insulation Crushed Stone Drainage Layer Underground PVC Supply Duct Linear Slot Diffuser Metal Flashing

Studio Wall Section

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PRAYER ROOMS The population of Tunisia is 99.1% Muslim. Though the government is secular and the population tends towards progressivism, there is a large number of practicing Muslims. The Bouazizi Opportunity Center offers male and female prayer rooms for members who wish to conduct their daily prayers within the campus. The rooms are accessed via the oculus, with an ablution courtyard offering a transition between public and private. The walls of the prayer room are thickened for sound absorption, and the interiors darkly contrast with the bright exterior. This space is designed to be a sanctuary.

Prayer Room Section Concept

Oculus

Prayer Room Entry Concept

Ablution Courtyard

Prayer Room

Service Alley

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OCULUS The defining moment of the Bouazizi Opportunity Center is the Oculus. All roads lead toward this central plaza; even the ground patterning ripples out from its influence. Gentle terracing provides seating for visitors and descends to a versatile lawn space that serves as a stage, a playground, and a stormwater collector. Through the geometric void, the scales of this project become apparent: the human-scaled pavilions, the heaviness of the structure, and the superroof soaring beyond.

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Graduate Award for Design Excellence - Nomination

ALLERTON NATURE BOXES New perceptions and old memories

DATE

PROJECT TYPE

LOCATION

COLLABORATORS

Fall 2019

Architectural Folly Design-Build

Allerton Nature Preserve, Illinois, USA

ARCH571

The midwestern United States has a peculiar landscape. Most of the pre-existing forest has been razed to make room for soy and corn farming, so what’s left is mostly a geometric agricultural patchwork of prairie.

Robert Allerton was a peculiar man. Son of Samuel Allerton, a livestock and financial mogul, he defied his birthright by eloping to Europe to study art. A failure as a painter by his own admission, he returned to stateside and was put to work by his father on a plot of land in Central Illinois. However instead of developing a bountiful farm, he created an artistic haven of garden and sculpture. His legacy is the Allerton Nature Preserve.

In addition to formal landscaping, Allerton reserved the northside of the park for the existing forest. Numerous trails cut through this lone woody expanse, including a now overgrown parking lot. This is the site for a triptych of peculiar architectural follies.

The Allerton Nature Boxes are the product of a chaotic design-build studio with only 5 weeks of construction time. Each of the three extended box frames are clad with century-old wood siding taken from the site and offer new vantage points to a tree and the nearby Sangamon River. These peculiar pavilions invite you to come inside and find your Allerton.

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THE BLUE TRAIL

Site

Foliage Density + Size

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THE NATURE BOXES Portal, Riverview, Skybox

THE CLEARING The site is a former parking lot that has been overtaken by grass and is home to the best view of the river.

Skybox Sangamon River

The Tree Riverview

The Clearing

Portal

Blue Trail

SITE VIEWS The Blue Trail, The Clearing, The Sangamon River, The Tree Canopy

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1'-0": 1/16" Conceptual Models

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1:4 Prototype

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STRUCTURE AND CLADDING

Compound Cross-Lap Joint Detail

Structure and Cladding Exploded Axonometric

Most of the cladding was recovered from a decaying 100 year old chicken coop on the Allerton grounds.

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PORTAL Enter and Find Your Sanctuary

RIVERVIEW Sit and Enjoy the View

SKYBOX Lay Back and Listen

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PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY

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Graduate Award for Design Excellence - 1st Place AIA Chicago Award in Architecture - 1st Place

FIELDS + FABRICS A panoptic patchwork in Eixample

DATE

PROJECT TYPE

LOCATION

COLLABORATORS

Spring 2020

Urban Renovation of a former Panoptic Prison

Barcelona, Spain

Shweta Krishnan

La Model is a former prison in the Eixample neighborhood of Barcelona. It was built in 1904 under the intention of becoming the modern standard for humane incarceration, implementing Jeremy Bentham’s 18th century panoptic vision and a “one cell, one prisoner” mantra. However, that number swelled to almost twenty per cell during the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, and the prison was forever tainted with the memory of injustice, torture, and political executions. Overwhelming pressure led to the prison’s closure in 2017, and the community has spent the last few years collaborating with various government and

non-profit agencies to envision a plan for La Model’s rebirth.

The Fields + Fabrics proposal seeks to transform La Model prison into a patchwork of vegetation and architectural additions to serve the community’s needs. The project removes the existing perimeter wall that separates the site from the neighborhood and invites locals inside to a public green space with schools, housing, retail, recreational facilities, and civic centers.

The result is the antithesis of a prison: welcoming, integrated, and designed to improve the lives of its community.

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REFERENCES, CONCEPTS, AND CONTEXT

La Model Prison Wing - Vincent Guillerm

Eixample Galerias - Rosa Feliu (Edited)

Eixam

Patchwork Concept Collage

Administration and Tower - Vincent Guillerm

Recreation Center Entry Concept

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mple Connectivity Cartography

Scaffolding Garden Sketch

Barcelona Neighborhood Fabrics

Interior al Aire Libre - Ramon Casas

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN

HISTORIC CONSERVATION Significant Buildings are Retained

REGULATING GRID Organizing Influence of the Panopticon

NEW INS Gently Placed Sca

SERTIONS affolded Elements

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100m

LANSDCAPING Planters follow Regulating Grid

50m

25m

10m

REVEALS Gabion Walls frame Openings and Lightwells

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SITE AXON

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2320 m2 CIVIC Panoptic Observation / Community Center

5630 m2 EDUCATION School / Youth Club / Nursery

2770 m2 RECREATION Multisport Pavilion / Fitness Center

2120 m2 MEMORIAL Museum / Gift Shop / Administration

1470 m2 RETAIL Restaurant / Storefront / Grocery

7060 m2 RESIDENTIAL Public Housing / Senior Living

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MEMORIAL

2

3

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4 5 La Model Prison Museum - Procession

4 Existing Prison Barbershop

3 La Capitana Gitana Mural

2 Existing Prison Gallery

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1 The Ascent

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6 Memorial Courtyard

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5 Gabion Wall Section

Existing Prison Mural

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RESIDENTIAL

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2

2

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1 Stepped Public Park

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2 Family Apartments 3 Senior Living 4 Couple Apartments 5 Collective Housing 6 Community Center / Retail 7 Restaurants / Cafe 8 Open Air Market

40m

25m

10m

5m

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1x

1x

4x

5x

2x

2x

2x

Facade Proportions (Based on Existing Galerias)

Material Palette

Facade Patchwork Elevation

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Galeria Plan Options

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Galeria Axon Options

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Galerias Perspective

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PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE BALLINGER Philadelphia Summer Intern Summer Intern

ALLIANCE ARCHITECTURE Washington DC 06.15 - 08.15 06.14 - 08.14

Design Associate Winter Intern

08.16 - 08.17 12.15 - 01.16

Design-Assist Detailing for an IMP Facade Retrofit Cooper University Hospital

VR Still and Presentation Spread for Law Firm Proposal Cooley LLP

Layout Options Lasercut Model University of Maryland Medical Center

Render vs Reality Commercial Office Renovation First Citizens Bank Plaza

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SQUARE 134 ARCHITECTS Washington DC Project Architect Design Associate

KAHLER SLATER Chicago 08.18 - 08.19 08.17 - 08.18

Graduate Intern

06.20 - 08.20

Designs for Co-Housing Project 2106 Vermont Avenue

Renderings for Company Website Baker Tilly / Net-Zero Apartments

Proposals for Mixed-Use Apartments 218 Cedar Place (Under Construction) / Airdome (Unbuilt)

Research for Post-Pandemic Housing Flourish

PROJECT CREDITS THE GREAT KEMERI JOURNEY Team Member ������������������������������������ Bryan Samuel Team Member �������������������������������� Lauren Gilmartin BOUAZIZI OPPORTUNITY CENTER Team Member ������������������������������������ Bryan Samuel Team Member.......................... Francisco Hernandez Faculty Advisor �������������������������������������Scott Murray ALLERTON NATURE BOXES Design Lead ��������������������������������������� Bryan Samuel Construction Lead ��������������������������Musa Muhammad Digital Fabrication Lead ������������������������ Efrain Araujo Foundations Lead...................Juan Sebastian Pazmino Publication Lead ������������������������������� Akshay Srinivas Construction Detailing ������������������������� Bryan Samuel Team Member............................. Clayton Overmeyer Team Member �������������������������������������� Ivan Damian Team Member ��������������������������������������� Sneha Patel Team Member..................... Marc de Antonio Ventura Team Member ��������������������������������������� John Dohse Team Member ������������������������������������������Jingran Xu Faculty Advisor ������������������������������������Aaron Brakke Photographer ������������������������������������� Bryan Samuel Photographer...................... Marc de Antonio Ventura Photographer ���������������������������������� Alexis Halcomb Photographer...................Maria Emilia Pozo Barahona FIELDS + FABRICS Team Member ������������������������������������ Bryan Samuel Team Member �������������������������������� Shweta Krishnan Faculty Advisor ���������������������������������Sara Bartumeus COOPER UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL Architecture Firm ���������������������������������������� Ballinger Project Manager ����������������������������Edward Robinson Architecture Intern ������������������������������� Bryan Samuel

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL CENTER

AIRDOME

Architecture Firm ���������������������������������������� Ballinger Design Principal �������������������������������� Craig Spangler Model Manager ����������������������������� Lauren Pierzchala Architecture Intern ������������������������������� Bryan Samuel

Architecture Firm.......................Square 134 Architects Design Principal ����������������������������������� Ron Schneck Project Manager �������������������������������Samson Cheng Project Architect ���������������������������������� Bryan Samuel Design Associate �������������������������������Inna Nazarenko

COOLEY, LLP BAKER TILLY Architecture Firm........................ Alliance Architecture Design Principal ��������������������������������������� Phil Olson Marketing Director ��������������������������� Brenton Hardee Associate Principal ������������������������������ Sherry Banaei Design Associate: �������������������������������� Bryan Samuel Graphic Designer: ������������������������������� Bryan Samuel

Architecture Firm ����������������������������������� Kahler Slater Design Principal..............................Trina Sandschafer Project Manager................................. Joshua Forseth Visualizations...................................... Bryan Samuel NET-ZERO APARTMENTS

FIRST CITIZENS BANK PLAZA Architecture Firm........................ Alliance Architecture Design Principal ������������������������������������ Tim Kearney Design Associate ��������������������������������� Bryan Samuel

Architecture Firm ����������������������������������� Kahler Slater Design Principal..............................Trina Sandschafer Project Manager ������������������������������������Peter Bissen Project Architect.................................. Daniel Causier Interior Designer..................................Anna Bergman Architecture Designer �������������������������� Bryan Samuel

2106 VERMONT AVENUE Architecture Firm.......................Square 134 Architects Design Principal ����������������������������������� Ron Schneck Project Manager �������������������������������Samson Cheng Project Manager (Interim) ��������������������� Bryan Samuel Project Architect ���������������������������������� Bryan Samuel Design Associate �������������������������������Inna Nazarenko 218 CEDAR AVENUE Architecture Firm.......................Square 134 Architects Design Principal ����������������������������������� Ron Schneck Project Manager �������������������������������Samson Cheng Project Architect ���������������������������������� Bryan Samuel Design Associate �������������������������������Inna Nazarenko

FLOURISH Architecture Firm ����������������������������������� Kahler Slater Design Principal..............................Trina Sandschafer Marketing Director ������������������������������ Kelli Zaremba Designer..........................................Abigail Peterson Designer............................................. Bryan Samuel