Studio 06 | Summer 2023

Wentworth Institute of Technology

School of Architecture and Design

Studio 06 | Summer 2023

Integrated Architectural Design

Course Number: ARCH 3500

Lecture/Lab/Total Credits: 0/12/6

Class Schedule: M & Th 12:00-5:50

Professor: Ignacio Cardona

Projects Excerpts S1

G1: Madisen and Ryan

G2: Jessica and Kat

G3: Stephanie and Rachel

Becoming

Projects Excerpts S2

G4: Brianna and Julia

G5: Nessa and Santiago

G6: Rob and Mike

Syllabus Summary

The studio course will allow students to concentrate on the integrated design relationships between architecture and its systems of construction. Students will explore how architectural ideas are manifested and integrated into buildings through the various systems required for inhabitation and construction. Course materials and assignments will cover a broad range of topics; however, the focus will be on the detailed development of a work of architecture and its requisite systems. Students will draw upon knowledge gained throughout their various coursework and experiences to produce architecture that is realizable, sustainable, adaptable and intelligent design decisions. The performative qualities of the design response will reinforce the architectural ambitions for the work.

Design Process

Phase 1: Precedent Analysis

Phase 2: Site Analysis

2.1 Findings and Analysis Report

2.2 Digital & Physical Site Models

Phase 3: Design Concepts & Building Systems Prototypes

3.0 Design Charrette

3.1 Structural Prototype and Mock-up

3.2 Enclosure

3.3 Environmental Controls and Lighting

3.4 Performance Analysis & Diagrams

Phase 4: Design Development & Synthesis

4.1 Site Massing Response

4.2 Site and Building Circulation/Access

4.3 Detail Program Integration

4.4 Integrated Design Development

4.5 Synthesized Building Proposal

W4.6 Final Course Portfolio

Program

This semester students will work in teams to design a new community-based maker space inspired by the Autodesk Instructables community. Instructables is a community of people who like to make things. The current online community is global in reach, however having a local presence, where people can “drop-in” and work on projects can be quite impactful. The building is to serve, support, and promote the creative act, its processes, and impacts upon the surrounding community. One may argue that Instructables is, in essence, a museum of process and a teaching environment. This will be a place where people exchange ideas and develop new forms of knowledge through making.

Outline Program:

Exterior Space: 6,000 sf of outdoor spaces minimum. Outdoor programming should include spaces for making, exhibition, public uses, performances, gatherings, material storage, accessible parking spaces, trash/ recycling areas, and the required service areas for loading and truck access.

Interior Space: 40,000 – 45,000 sf of indoor space. Indoor programming should include spaces for lobby/exhibition, small cafe/lounge, 2 large makerspaces, 3 seminar style classrooms, 2 conference rooms, large material storage, loading and receiving area and general building service cores. Include a “double height/high-bay” and “column free - long span structural” zones in the makerspaces.

This Program is just a reference and is conveyed as a catalyst for architectural ideas. The course prioritizes spatial experience over space distribution. Through the design process, students elaborate on how the Program articulates this experience with the integration of three main systems: structure, envelope, and environmental control.

Site

There are 3 vacant parcels along East Merrimack Street, the Concord River, and Concord River Park, slated for development; these parcels are to be combined into one for this project. Supplemental information is provided at the end of this document.

The parcel addresses area listed below:

1 E. Merrimack Street: 9,915 sqft.

11 E. Merrimack Street: 6,084 sqft.

21 Davidson Street: 6,764 sqft.

Combined Total: 22,763 sqft.

The proposed makerspace building in Lowell, MA, is an inspiring hub for community creativity and sustainable design. It features a large open courtyard on the second floor, connecting the residential district and the city visually, while lush green spaces and gardens throughout create a harmonious relationship with nature. The makerspace offers diverse workshops for woodworking, sewing, pottery, and digital design, fostering collaboration and skill-sharing among residents. With a strong focus on sustainability, the building incorporates green roofs and energyefficient systems. This community-driven makerspace aims to nurture creativity, social connections, and a deep appreciation for nature, enhancing the cultural fabric of Lowell.

Group 1 The Shutter Box

Acting as a lens into Lowell, the Makerspace provides key resources to an underserviced community.

1. Ground Floor Plan |

2. First Floor Plan |

3. Second Floor Plan

Drawing inspiration from Lowell’s industrial past, our design reimagines traditional mill construction, repurposing its style for the citiy’s contemporary needs. From the rigid brick form emerges a dynamic heavy timber inset. The building is straticically placed onsite, in order to foster unique chances for interactions between the river and the urban fabric, in turn promting connections between the community and the maker spaces. The interior program spaces intertwine in a rotation of the ideation, creation, and finalization process, encouraging natural interactions and encounters.

Group # 2

All About Connection

Connecting people through pockets of space. Connecting history through building typology.

1. Exploded composite axon of building fragment

Jessica Tracy

Kaitlyn Germann

2. Full length building section

3. Site plan with first floor plan visible

Our Lowell Makerspace is a public area for community members to gather and have the space to be creative. Our concept is having central focal points of our building pointing to the Middlesex Community College, Greenway, and the bridge connecting the Community College to the large parking lot to build a community connection. Our timber and rainscreen system emphasizes our concept and window openings towards the three connections are shown throughout our project. Our greenery spaces throughout our site interact with the greenway and the water creating a connection to nature.

Group 3

Carving Paths along the River

Building relationships from the site to the Middlesex Community College, Greenway, and the Bridge

6

8 9

4. Ground Floor Plan | 5. Site Analysis: Views from Entryways Diagram | 6. Wall Section | 7. Bridge Connection to Middlesex College Massing Model View | 8. Greenway Massing Model View | 9. Middlesex College Massing Model View

Stephanie Abarca-Lopez

Rachel Carfagno

1. G1: P4.4 Integrated Design Development |

2. G3: P4.1 Site Massing Response

3. G5: P4.1 Site Massing Response | 4. G6 with Julia Clarke (Arup) on Consultant Week (after 4.2 Site and Building Circulation/Access)

5. G4: P3.0 Design Charrette | 6. G2: P4.4 Integrated Design Development

7. G1: P4.5 Synthesized Building Proposal | 8. G5: P4.5 Synthesized Building Proposal |9. G4: P4.5 Synthesized Proposal |10. G6: P3.0 Design Charrette

This makerspace will stand as a symbol that embodies Lowell’s industrial heritage while embracing the potential of the future. Located next to the Concord River this space selectively employs facade and structural tactics that imply the joining of nature and industry. The structural system is visible in the project, letting makers connect to the space as a place that has been made itself. The brick veneer evokes a sense of timeless craftsmanship, honoring the city’s architectural legacy, while the curtain wall systems open the space to the community for transparency and connectivity. We will establish a creative ecosystem that will extend Lowell’s economic and cultural growth further into the suburban neighborhoods, and revive the area along the river as a continuous greenway experience.

Group 4

Sculpting Tomorrow’s Canvas

Combining the historic past of Lowell with the spirit of innovation.

1. First Floor Plan |

2. Conceptual Discursive Image |

3. Conceptual Discursive Image | 4. 1/16” Scale Model

4

Ramey

Julia Harrison

Brianna

LOWELL MAKER SPACE

SHADOW CREATIONS

Shadow Creations allows people within Lowell to create home decor like furniture and pottery.

The proposed building is developed to utilize steel framing, metal panel facade, and a constructive heating and cooling system. The structure is exposed to the exterior representing the continuity throughout the building. Along the exposed steel structure,is a glass wall with aluminum overhanging. The glass walls will be facing the north and south. The aluminum overhanging reveals itself to the exterior to show the program. The facade also utilizes the modular system grid that the steel structure uses. During the process of the design, water collection was added underneath the facade and embedded within the structure.

1. Charette 1

2. Charette 2

2. Ground Floor Plan

Embodying innovation, the “Lowell L-Space” integrates seamlessly into Lowell’s cultural landscape. Its L-shaped design divides spaces for makers and entrepreneurs, fostering creativity. Ground-level commercial spaces invite businesses, while serene library and instructional areas offer solace above.

Vibrant workshops resound with activity in the adjacent wing. The building’s height acts as a stepping stone betwen that of neighboring structures. Three layers define the architecture—robust ground floor, inviting middle floor, and airy upper floor.

Empowering individuals, the “Lowell L-Space” encourages entrepreneurship, creating a dynamic ecosystem of innovation and collaboration.

Group #06

Cornerstone

Street side storefronts wrap a courtyard to foster creativity, entrepreneurship, and artistic exploration.

1-3. Concept Images | 4. Site Plan

Rob Weavill

Mike O’Connor

5. Courtyard Render | 6. Street Render |

7. Ground Floor

Instructor:

Ignacio Cardona. Doctor of Design (Harvard, 2021), Urban Designer (Unimet, 2003), and Architect (USB, 1998), with 20+ years of teaching experience, he is currently Associate Professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Director of the Spatial Opportunity Lab. He is also President of the Latin American Institute of Spatial Democracy.

Guest Critic:

Chris Cuttitta AIA is an architect in Cambridge (Massachusetts. She holds a Master in Architecture (MArch II) at Harvard Graduate School of Design. She has taught architecture for 20+ years and currently teaches the online Master of Architecture Integrated Design Studio at the Boston Architectural College.

Guest Critic:

Karen Mata Ortas is an associate urban designer at Sasaki with over 6 years of professional experience. She holds a Master of Architecture in Urban Design with Distinction at Harvard Graduate School of Design and a degree as Bachelor in Architecture, mentioned “Summa Cum Laude” from Universidad Simon Bolívar in Venezuela.

Guest Critic:

Mónica Gonzalez de Wulff. Architect (USB), and MSc. Construction and Management (UCL). with 20+ years of experience, deep knowledge of design & innovation, and extensive expertise in project management, consulting, building, and construction. Professor of Design Studio at Boston Architecture College.

Guest Critic:

Robbie Gaskins recently graduated from BArch´s Wentworth Institute of Technology, and will be a returning graduate candidate this Fall. He has worked for Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, in Austin, TX, as a project designer. He currently teaches design and fabrication at WIT’s SummerFAB Program.

Guest Critic:

Rodrigo Guerra works at Sasaki, where he has participated in academic campuses and mixedused domestic and international projects at diverse scales.He holds a Masters of Architecture in Urban Design (Harvard GSD, 2017) and an Architecture Degree (Universidad Simón Bolívar, 2012).

Guest Critic:

Samuel Maddox is an architect and design educator from the Deep South. He hold Bachelor’s degrees in Architecture and Interior Architecture from Auburn University and a Master in Design Studies in Urbanism, Landscape, and Ecology from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design (GSD).

Guest Critic:

W Gavin Robb is an architectural designer, educator, and activist. His work centers advocacy, policy, equity, and community organizing around the right to the city and the cultivation of equitable social infrastructure. . He is studio lead at Kin Design Studio, a radical design practice which focuses on transformational social justice through community-building, placemaking, and rapid design deployment.

Partnership

Studio 06 | ARCH3500

Course Coordinators

Professor Anthony Piermarini | piermarinia1@wit.edu

Professor Troy Peters | peterst2@wit.edu

Sections:

1: Professor Anthony Piermarini | piermarinia1@wit.edu

2: Professor John Ellis | ellisj@wit.edu

3: Professor Robert Trumbour | trumbourr@wit.edu

4: Professor Antonio Furgiuele | furgiuelea@wit.edu

5: Professor Ignacio Cardona | cardonai@wit.edu

6: Professor JP Allen | allenj2@wit.edu

8: Professor Troy Peters | peterst2@wit.edu

Passive & Active Systems | ARCH3200

Professor NJ Unaka | unakan@wit.edu

Professor Nathaniel L. Jones | jonesn5@wit.edu

SoAD Labs & Workshops

Chris Sledziona | Director

Rosemary Taylor | Lab Technician & Technical Instructor

Joe Fratoni | Lab Technician & Technical Instructor

External Consultants

(Consultant Week: 7/10 – 7/14)

MEP: Christopher Davis | Terva Engineering

Envelope: Ryan David Ewell | Envelope

Lighting: Robert Lindstrom | Boston Light Source

Sustainability/Urban: Julia Clarke | Arup

Structure: Stratton Newbert | RFS

References

Allen, Edward, and Iano, Joseph, The Architect’s Studio Companion, 7th Edition. New Jersey. John Wiley and Sons, 2022.

Allen, Edward, and Joseph Iano. Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods.7 th edition. New Jersey. John Wiley and Sons, 2019.

Allen, Edward, and Rand, Patrick, Architectural Detailing : Function, Constructability, Aesthetics new Jersey. John Wiley & Sons, 2016. Print.

Ching, Francis with Juroszek, Steven. Design Drawing, 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ, 2018.

Ching, Francis D.K., and Steven R. Winkel, Building Codes Illustrated: A guide to understanding the 2018 International Building Code. New Jersey. John Wiley and Sons, 2018.

Ching, Francis, Building Constructed Illustrated, 5 th Edition. New Jersey. John Wiley and Sons, 2014.

Deplazes,Andrea (ed) Constructing Architecture, Materials, Processes, Structure A Handbook 4 th edition. Darch ETH, Birkhauser, Basel-Boston-Berlin. 2018.

Knaak,Ulrich. Klein, Tillman. Bilow, Marcel. Auer, Thomas. Facades – Principles of Construction 2nd and revised edition. Birkhauser Verlag GmbH, Basel, Switzerland, 2014.

Melendez, Frank, Drawing from the Model: Fundamentals of Digital Drawing, 3D Modeling, and Visual Programming in Architectural Design, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, New Jersey, 2019.

Moe, Kiel, (ed). Building Systems: Technology, Design & Society, Abingdon, Oxon [England] ; New York, NY: Routledge, 2012.

Pottman, Asperl, Hofer, Kilian, Architectural Geometry, 1st Edition Bentley Institute Press, Essex PA 2007.

Simich, Andrea and Warke, Val. The Language of Architecture: 26 Principles Every Architect Should Know, Rockport Publishers, Beverly, MA. 2014.

Unwin, Simon. Analyzing Architecture, Routledge, New York, NY 2014.

Yee, R., Architectural Drawing: A Visual Compendium of Types and Methods, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 4th ed, 2012.