Catherine M. M. Zanardi Design Portfolio 2020
proposed is a six-story apartment with ground-level commercial space in the TriBeCa East Historic District of Lower Manhattan. the intimate scale of the site, as well as the strong regulations that come with the protected neighborhood, make this modest infill development the perfect opportunity to introduce contemporary, sustainable building methods to the NYC streetscape in a restrained, respectful way.
CHURCH & WALKER APARTMENT september-january 2020 tribeca, new york city, ny in collaboration with anthony orosz
the intimiate scale of the site, as well as the strong regulations that come with the protected status of the neighborhood, make this modest infill development the perfect opportunity to introduce contemporary, sustainable building methods to the New York City streetscape in a restrained, respectful way. the proposed structure is to be made entirely from glued laminated timber (glulam) above the reinforced concrete walls of the ground floor. Engineered wood products such as glulam require far less energy to produce than the modern industry standards. moreover, the low weight of engineered wood construction relative to its alternatives reduces the number of material shipments to the site, allowing for a quieter, simpler construction process. this logistical advantage cannot be overstated in the context of Downtown Manhattan, where inumberable construction projects combine with high population density to create near-perpetual cacophony.
aesthetically, the design takes cues from Tribeca’s rich architectural history without being encumbered by the need to make direct references or utilize existing motifs. the goal was to create a facade that fits into the visual rhythm of the Tribeca streetscape while retaining its own strong personality. ‘fitting the rhythm of the neighborhood’ meant over- sized double-hungwindows, pre-cast facade ornamentation, and a cornice to top things off. high-efficiency aluminum windows without interior muntins were specified with a pale grey powder coat finish, to complement the deep cobalt blue of the hand-pressed, glazed terra cotta facade panelling. the profile of each panel tapers into a shallow fin in order to catch the strong mid-daysunlight that streams up Church Street. the aluminum cornice was inspired by the profile of a Mycenaean drinking cup in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; it projects 3 feet past the rest of the facade, providing additional weather protection to the wall assembly below. copper is also used throughout the building envelope, most notably at the window reveals and in the roofing of the sidewalk canopy that shelters all entrances. a terrace was carved out for each apartment unit at the corner of the building, delineated from the interior living space by thermally efficient glass block. this gesture makes the most of the lot’s corner location without disrupting the rhythm of the facade.
a design for a single-family, livework space on a 3-acre plot in rural Upstate New York, USA. the client is a married couple; one is a painter, the other a woodworker. both intend to use the building as their primary residence, as well as the base of operations for their respective creative enterprises. a mirrored salt-box structure allows for equal parts work and home for the artisan couple.
HOUSE FOR TWO ARTISTS june - october 2019 hudson vally, ny in collaboration with anthony orosz
the starting point for the design was a study of the lean-to additions that are commonly found on traditional, gabled-roof houses and barns throughout the Northeast. enticed by the myriad spatial possibilities inherent to this simple, durable form, we determined that it could accommodate both of the distinct uses entailed in the project briefing.
the central volume is split by a continuous, sound-insulated wall to create two lofted spaces of identical proportions. one contains the living spaces, with the bedroom lofted above. the other contains the garage and wood shop, with the painting studio lofted above. while strictly demarcated from one another, both the living and working wings consist of flowing, interconnected spaces.
an engineered wood structural skeleton was selected for sustainability reasons and for its warm aesthetic qualities. this structure is expressed in the building interior with joists and roof trusses left exposed, as well as structural pilasters in the walls. in order to keep wood elements as dry as possible, the reinforced concrete foundation walls were extruded a minimum of 3.5’ above the finished level of the ground floor. additionally, the standing-seam aluminum roof overhangs prominently on all facades, the triple-glazed windows are inset within double-thick walls, and the cedar board siding was installed in a rain screen system for optimal drainage. overall this project was an exercise in reconciling simple, vernacular building typologies with contemporary, sustain- able building methods.
a proposed expansion for the Carnegie Library in East Liberty is motivated by the neighborhood’s extensive revitalization efforts in recent years, which necessitates more public cultural programming. the design is concieved as a free-standing annex rather than a contiguous addition to define the perimeter of a small public park between the two library buildings.
LIBRARY ANNEX june - september 2018 east liberty, pittsburgh, pa in collaboration with anthony orosz
the park connects directly to a landscaped terrace on the second floor of the building as an extension of the ground-level park. the south-eastern corner reaches toward the existing library, buffering the park from the parking lot. the eastern face then peels away from the library, creating an intimate outdoor space ideal for lunch with a friend, or a good book.
library admin offices would grow and move to the new building, accessed on the western face. the proposal includes a large cafĂŠ and reading room on its ground level. this lounge space connects internally to a more intimate library space on the second floor. this upper floor also houses a public computer lab, a community art gallery, and access to the terrace.
the design uses a steel structure which is clad in sand-colored brick -- the quintessential Pittsburgh facade choice. although un-ostentatious when viewed from the street, it has delightful embellishments with a red terrecotta roof, pistachio coated window and door frames, and a grove of dwarf dogwood trees on the second-floor terrace.
there was a conscious decision to integrate the building quitely into the existing streetscape and yeild to the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, which looms overhead when approaching from the west. the proposed architectural vocabulary is a modest and vernacular one, exployed in an intelligent, socially engaging way.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY; COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS BUILDING; GREAT HALL Athena Parthenos Athens, Greece c.450 B.C. Phidias
Equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni Venice, Italy c. 1479 Andrea del Verrocchio
Praxiteles Greek c.390-332 B.C.
Laocoön and His Sons Greece c.200 B.C.- 70 A.D.
Phidias Greek c.500-430 B.C.
Apollo Belvedere & Diana of Versailles Greece c.350-325 B.C. Leochares
The Resting Satyr Greece c.350 B.C. Praxiteles
Myron Greek c.480-400 B.C.
Andrea del Verrocchio Italian 1435-1488
The Thinker France c.1904 Auguste Rodin
Pieta Vatican City c.1497 Michelangelo
Carnegie Tech 1912 “My heart is in the work” 1900, Andrew Carnegie
Donato Donatello Italian c.1383-1466
St Mark Florence, Italy c.1433 Donato Donatello
Equestrian statue of Louis XII Blois, France c.1500
Benvenuto Cellini Italian 1500-1571
Adams Memorial Washington, D.C., USA c.1891 Augustus Saint-Gaudens
“My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” (American National Anthem pre-1931); Massachusetts, USA; 1831; Samuel Francis Smith Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Italian 1525-1594 Chateaux Pierrefonds Pierrefonds, France 1393-1407 Jean le Noir r. Viollet-le-Duc 1850
Franz Schubert Austrian 1797-1828 Cathedral of Christ the Savior Moscow, Russia 1839-1860 Karl Magnus Vitberg
Johann Sebastian Bach German 1685-1750 George Freideric Handel British 1685-1759
Brihadisvara Temple Thanjavur, India c.1350AD
Laon town gate Laon, France c.1250AD
Richard Wagner German 1813-1883
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Austrian 1756-1791
Dazheng Hall? Shenyang Imperial Palace? Shenyang, China c.1760AD
Taj Mahal Agra, India 1632-1653
Felix Mendelssohn German 1809-1847 Durham Cathedral Durham, England 1093-1133 A.D.
Ludwig van Beethoven German 1770-1827
Andre le Notre French 1613-1700
Tomb of Cyrus Pasargadae, Iran c.559BC
Iktinos Greek c.400s BC
Parthenon Athens, Greece 454BC-435BC Iktinos
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola Italian 1507-1573
U.S. Capitol Building Washington D.C., USA 1800 William Thornton
Charles Gounod French 1818-1893
Santa Maria della Salute Venice, Italy 1631-1687
Campanile di Giotto Florence, Italy 1334-1359
Andrea Palladio Italian 1508-1580
Tower of the Winds Athens, Greece 100BC
Donato Bramante Italian 1444-1514
Monument of Lysicrates Athens, Greece 335BC
Giuliano da Sangallo Italian 1443-1516
St. Peter’s Basilica Vatican City 1506-1626
Raphael Sanzio Italian 1483-1520
Tomb of Egidio Foscarari Bologna, Italy 1289AD
Michelangelo Italian 1475-1564
Mausoleum of Theodoric Ravenna, Italy 520AD
Giotto di Bondone Italian 1276-1337
Temple of Vesta Tivoli, Italy c.27BC
east asia China Japan south asia India
Pierre Lescot French 1515-1578
Notre-Dame Cathedral Paris, France 1163-1345
Hagia Sophia Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey 532-537
Filippo Brunelleschi Italian 1377-1446
middle east Egypt Iran Mesopotamian Turkey
Chapel in Villeneuve Puy-de-Dôme, France c. 1500AD
eastern europe
Jacques LeMercier French 1585-1654
Jacopo Sansovino Italian 1486-1570
Churubusco Monastery CDMX, Mexico 1678
Russia northern europe Norway
Hôtel des Invalides Paris, France 1671-1678
Pantheon Rome, Italy 27BC-120AD
Inigo Jones English 1573-1652
Templo de San José y Santiago Marfil, Guanajuato, Mexico 1556
Christopher Wren English 1632-1723
southern europe Greece Italy
Panthéon Paris, France 1758-1790
central europe
Arch of Titus Rome, Italy 81AD
Luxor Temple Ancient Thebes, Egypt c. 1400BC
Vitruvius Pollio Italian (Roman) c.75BC-15BC
Karnak Temple Complex Ancient Thebes (Modern Luxor), Egypt c. 1290–1224 BC
Austria Victor Hugo French 1802-1885
Germany western europe Belgium France
Palazzo Ducale Venice, Italy 1340
Moliére (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) French 1622-1673
Francis Beaumont & John Fletcher British 1581-1616 & 1579-1625 St Mark’s Basilica Venice, Italy 1092
Jean Racine French 1639-1699
Ireland
Friedrich Schiller German 1759-1805 St Paul’s Cathedral London, England 1675 Sir Christopher Wren
William Shakespeare British 1564-1616 Sheridan Le Fanu Irish 1814-1873
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe German 1749-1832
Cloth Hall Ypres, Belgium 1304 J. Coomans & P. A. Pauwels
Henrik Ibsen Norwegian 1828-1906
Symphony No. 5; Austria; 1808; Ludwig van Beethoven
United Kingdom eastern america United States of America
The Great Buddha Kamakura, Japan 1252
Aeschylus Greek 525-456 B.C.
Lamassu Assyrian Empire c.911-609 B.C.
Sophocles Greek 496-406 B.C.
The Great Spinx Giza, Egypt c.2558-2532 B.C.
middle america Mexico
Hell Gate Bridge; New York, USA; 1917; Henry Hornbostel
GREAT HALL MURALS MOBILE APP june-august 2018 carnegie mellon university, pittsburgh, pa worked under joshua bard and francesca torello
augmented reality mobile application that invites and guides users to tour and decode the murals of the Great Hall in the College of Fine Arts building at Carnegie Mellon University. personally responsible for historical research and decodification of the murals, as well as graphics, content, and wireframing for the application
the murals depict a “grand tour,� which was a popular form of education for academics in the eighteenth centtury to experience the architecture, art, and culture of the world. the murals were designed by the college dean in 1912 to bring this travel experience to the students. a century later, this application and research team saught to reawaken the use and understanding of these murals.
the application uses augmented reality and other experiences to bring the murals into the 21st century. layers of information are stored within the application, which are activated by the interaction between user, application, and murals. for example, postcards from the different locations are revelaed as the application recognizes which area of the murals the user is viewing.
URBAN BATHROOM march-april 2018 lafayette park, san francisco, ca instructor, mary-lou arscott
public bathroom design as a response to answer the hypothetical need for a six bathroom facility, all parts capable of simultaneous use, set in a dense urban location. final respresentation is a threeminute film sequence. in this video, the design was understood through a traditionally constructed five-part narrative.
the manifesto of the project seeks a public restroom that rejects fear, repaints it with the idea of creation, is free from label, and addresses the needs of all. the design is public bathroom within a pavilion, which hosts the self-generating and passive purification systems of the facility. a network of pipes connects the toilet, digestive tanks, and water filtration products of the system.
it is through the recycling phases that the bathroom provides life, sanitation, and pleasure. it is both sides of humanity: organic and artificial, natural and influenced the structure itself is a hovering cast-concrete canopy that funnels rain water into the central fountain, which is dressed with reed beds and green walls, and offers a place of respite for city dwellers, promising an elongated, lingering limbo.
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proposal aims to re-introduce industry within the masterplan of a new development, supported by recent studies in the benefits and advancements of manufactuing and factories in urban locations. offering a dense urban mix of program and multiple means of production, this hybrid building contains retail, housing, and three manufacturing facilities.
INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS november - december 2017 hazelwood, pittsburgh, pa instructor, daniel colvard in collaboration with sally sohn and jakob uhlenhopp
this site’s past success and culture is historically linked to industrial production. reflecting pittsburgh’s tech and art scenes, as well as hazelwood’s needs, a made-to-order additive manufacuring company, shared crafts-based manufacturing shops, and a community workshop and training center will live together within the project.
a hybrid manufacturing faciltiy, with phsyical and financial support of retail and housing, would provide learning, network opportunites, entrepreneurship, a range of jobs, diverse manufacturing, and shared resources to the region. site visits, research, and professional consultations led to the design of the production spaces and internal configuration.
this building fosters the symbiotic relationship of the programs through an entangled choreography between the shared, semi-shared, and exclusive elements of each. the main face along the retail corridor is activated by a variety of users and activity. the facilities’ circulation and shared amenities are pushed toward this face.
the main plinth of the building is wrapped in a unifying mesh that also provides privacy and shade. the internal organization promotes interaction and shared resources while maintaining independency for the three facilities. the design of the vertical factory’s structural skin, deep trusses, and two side service cores allow for open floors, ample daylighting, and stability for vibration-sensitive machines.
ROBOTIC TIMBER FABRICATION january - april 2016 instructor, joshua bard in collaboration with josh kim, carter nelson, and cĂŠsar neri
project fabricated a full-scale model prototype of a larger designed truss system intended for a spanned roof support. the course merged traditional wood steam bending techniques and construction with emerging robotically-assisted fabrication technologies as an ecological solution to contemporary architectural production.
techniques: wood steam bending wood working in shop ABB industrial robotic arm RAPID programming RobotStudio simulation Rhino modeling Grasshopper scripiting materials per module: 18 white oak pieces and 78 screws, washers, and hex nuts
project achieved: internal stability design flexibility modular changes assembly ease
design balanced steam bending strategies, computational strategies, structural strategies, and fabrication strategies
SITE ANALYSIS january 2017 schenley park, pittsburgh, pa instructor, joshua bard in collaboration with josh kim and trent wimbiscus
beginning with examination from the larger pittsburgh context and zooming inward to the project site, the work looks at the current pool locations and operations, surrounding neighborhood populations and connections, schenley’s current map and amenities, specific site infrastructure, drainage, and topography, wind and solar studies, and approach photos.
project uses the ideas of Grossform to intensity identity of the Bishopsgate Goodsyard and its neighboring context within London. with a fantastical idea of arches multiplied across the site, the proposal would become a celebration of the spatial and experiential qualities of the arch, unifying the diverse program and the character of the site.
BISHOPSGATE GOODSYARD VISION november - december 2015 bgy, london, england instructor, jonathan kline in collaboration with cĂŠsar neri
the most notable and beautiful mark history has left on the BGY is the expansive, brick Victorian vaults lined across the site. the project multiplies these arches across and upwards to serve all site-wide functions, therefore unified as a mega-building to stitch together what was left behind and give coherence to the site’s intended use and spirit in the city.
by studying the distinct qualities of the formal family of arches, different program was defined by the nature within the known varieties. the logic of the kit-of-parts allows for both volumetric transformations and further detailing at their own scales to avoid ambiguity and create openness and interchangeability within the site.
the public space framework begins with the ground level, where the existing structure is repurposed for public life and amenities. rising up, a park to unifiy the activities of the ground realm is created across the plinth of historic arches. the BGY, which exists at the convergence of several distinct neighborhoods, becomes a connecting path and a destination.
overall massing is created between the site’s constraints and opportunities as well as program requirements. the form, sized for a double loaded cooridor, maximizes solar access, navigates within limited foundable land on the site, and gives organization necessary for the kit-of-parts mentality. the form, mostly comprised of housing and ammenity, resolves itself into an office tower at its end.
the strucutral logic of the project begins with the existing vaults on the site. their dimensions were extended, creating a grid that served as a flexible platform for the developed kit of parts. as for the new construction, steel structures first define the massing as well as the interior volumes of such units. then this skeleton is encased with brick or fitted with preformed concrete pieces to create arches.
the multiplication of the singular language of the arches will reinfoce the character and identity of Bishopsgate Goodsyard. both the multiplied language and mega-building invite the openended relationship between the city and its occupants sought by Grossform. rather than representing the intended function of the site, this proposal operates as the connector itself.
early process started with precedent studies to understand issues and solution types of mixed-use circulation, massing, and program organization and interaction. these studies were applied to the constraints of the project site: rows of barrel vaults, an elevated subway, and a sunken railway. diagramatic ideas informed the site-wide proposals, ensuring a well considered final massing.
CHARTER MIDDLE SCHOOL january - april 2016 friendship, pittsburgh, pa instructor, stefani danes
the program of the middle school uses a centrally-based split parti to organize regularized work zones and open format learning spaces. the central zone becomes a learning space itself - acting as a plaza to stitch together the school’s differing behaviors. it strengthens the relationships within each grade and visual and acoustic connections to the other grades.
the exterior is made of a singular wrapping of red brick, to site peacefully within the context as well as create a feeling of privacy and safety within an urban zone. Daylight highlights program wihtin by cutting large, yet specific, cuts into the heavy facade. the classrooms and offices are stacked to recieve northern light and partake in the urban coridor.
a large cut into the buidling’s massing softens the entry sequence, connects to the neighboring park, and alludes to the split within the program. the project specifically investigated structural systems, wall detailing, HVAC routes, lighting control, solar shading, economic balance, and building code within the parameters of a a strict program.
EPIC METALS CAMERA OBSCURA ÂŽ
3 days, march 2016 friendship, pittsburgh, pa instructor, steve lee
in collaboration with meghan chin
project to design a camera obscura installation within an urban park to provide learning opportunity for the students in the adjacent school and reinvitalize the space for the larger community. inspired by the mystical qualities of the camera obscura, the installation is a pavilion evoking a light and ephemeral atmosphere within the park.
the pavilion roof is constructed of perforated metal decking, which hugs around the trees and accepts overhead light. Its mirrored underbelly and camera obscura pods reflect colors and movement within the space. benches surrounding the pods can transform the pavilion into either a classroom setting or a place of relaxation within the park.
in the smaller enclosure, the students are introduced to the basics of the camera obscura by using the identifiable view of the school and park trees. the larger pod transitions the lesson to the creative potential of applied optics. the students can engage with three experimental types of optical modifications to the camera obscura.
project to create a housing solution in an industrial neighborhood using architecture to hybridize human experience and ecology. buildings in the project represent a tool which can be specified to enhance form, placement, and operation of the element for better response to flow of energy and information.
ECO: HOUSING october - december 2015 strip district, pittsburgh, pa instructors, christina ciardullo and eddy man kim in collaboration with cĂŠsar neri
circulation aims to extend the main circulation of the neighborhood toward the site by creating a market to recieve and redistribute pedestrian flow. the paths then extend toward a single destination, allowing visitors to wander through a collaged experience of diverse landscapes and the buidlings’ atrium lobby spaces.
adaptable atrium space implemented to the standard apartment introduces strategic element with possibility to respond to virtually any site condition. atrium’s geometry can bend to diffuse light through the space. units are regularized in contrast to articulate as a separate system. each unit enages through the slits of the atrium’s shell design.
central void hosts eco-machine functions. tunnels reaching out of the shell naturally ventilate. living machine cycle is implemented as a means to process water and reinforce building as a closed system. tubes of the atrium’s shell travel water down to living machine tanks - the last being an exposed wetland to beautify the atrium space.
project designed to awaken the arts in a redeveloping area. glass envelope allows events to be open to the public’s eye. central cylindrical extrusion holds the building’s theater and gallery. whether traveling through or passing by the outside, any viewer is constantly circircumnavigating the building’s heart.
CINEMATEK ARTS CENTER april 2015 east liberty, pittsburgh, pa instructor, mick mcnutt
the restaurant opens to the main street. the bar lounge sits above on the first floorplate.
poured concrete forms the base and rises to form the central cylinder and back service extrusion.
the office perches as the top floorplate, acting as a nest where managers can oversee the building.
the cylinder disappears into a grated metal layer which connects the i-beam and truss system to support the concrete roof.
the back, solid block functions as the service area. the center opens up for the plant-laden stairs to climb up the light-filled atrium.
three floating floorplates sit on similar systems. steel t-bars hold an envelope of glass panels.
the gallery intertwines the role of viewer and viewed. selected visions created by the nature of the tunneled walls and the punched out windows challenge what is looked at and how.
the media space is comprised of two appraoches to flexibile space. first is a room for stationry art but unordered seating. second is the floor’s unique shape opening to options of arrangement.
the curved affect provides an interesting slate for art, whether seen as a new frame for hung art or opportunity to play with the illusions of the gallery design.
this second floor also allows entrance to the cinema, whose curved walls hug toward the stage and seating design accomodates for natural human breadth.
project is a hostel and bath house set in the mountains aside a trail for travelers.
SACO LAKE BATH HOUSE february 2015 white mountain forest, nh instructor, mick mcnutt
design explores scattering the heirachy of the classic bath types to allow the user to further investigate and discover the qualities of the water with their senses. hostel explores a continuation of this figure ground to create a gradient of building to nature.
the close quarters of the enclosed bath lead to two stark experiences: bathing in tranquil solitude or bathing in curious proximity.
a path between the pods suggests the users gently down and across the landscape, but they are invited to explore in any order.
a shell of concrete masonry units creates a breathable barrier. thin concrete walls are added in instances of privacy and protection.
the construction and design of the bath pods attempts to rectify the ethos of building in a naturally wooded area. the plan works around the natural slope and vegetation to avoid unnecessary conflict or uproot.
site-cast concrete poured into the terrain form the base and basins.
URBAN AGRICULTURE LEARNING CENTER november 2014 larimer, pittsburgh, pa instructor, art lubetz
larimer is a community which has suffered from the effects of population decrease, vacant housing, and neglect. project argues that an urban agriculture center should be a place devoted to nature in the midst of a redeveloping cityscape. the space will serve as a safe and open green relief for the public.
program is mitigated by the artifical landscape of the site through interwoven paths of circulation. a central, below ground path leads to market, greenhouse, and oureach spaces, which benefit from the thermal efficiency of the surrounding earth.
sunken program gives precedence to the garden that stretches over the plot, resulting in a surface that is 80% garden. mass coverage along with reduced building shadow maximizes growth of sun-seeking plants.
a build landscape overlaps this space, crossing at key moments to define spaces above and below.
roof of the building constructs the base for the fabricated landscape, alluding to shared experience.
acrylic on canvas studies depicting urban settings.
PAINTING STUDIES october 2018-october 2019
searched for colors and compassitions in the world that together defined the feeling of that location. the painting process allows for an in-depth study of a view as you dedicate the time to review and recreate each element.
B&W FILM PHOTOS april-may & august-september 2017 pittsburgh, pa instructors, ivette spradlin and martin prekop
120 film taken, developed, and enlarged using a Mamiya rb67. Assignment captured grafiti found within Pittsburgh’s semi urban setting. 35mm taken, developed, and enlarged using a Canon AE-1. Assignment documented the interjection of infrastructure in Pittsburgh’s nature to combat the steep slopes of the topography.
drawings consist of conte crayon in varying pigment on newsprint.
ANATOMY AND ORGANIC FORM september - december 2015 instructor, doug cooper
studies on organic form began with capturing the shapes of dinosaur bones. this progressed to human skeleton formation, detail, and connection. addition of muscles overlayed onto bone studies reinforced body shape and movement during in-class figure drawings.
WATER COLORS may 2018 schenley park, pittsburgh, pa instructor, doug cooper
paintings captured intrastructural intervention within Schenley Park. the geographical history of the park lies in glacier melts that ate away at the slopes. although natural and overgrown, the park necessitates built elements to navigate the topography. the watercolors intended to capture this dichotomy and even find and depict beautiful moments where the raw contours of the park inform the infrastructure.
catherine m. m. zanardi zanardi.catherine@gmail.com catherinezanardi.com 908.448.6212