CATHERINE WANG uc berkeley | class of 2022 | aspiring architect
three phases through my academic journey of architecture WEST VALLEY COLLEGE - GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY - UC BERKELEY
LAUNCH entrance pavilion direction | graphic translation | modularity
WEST VALLEY ARCHITECTURE CLUB | INDEPENDENT PROJECT | SPRING 2018
PROMPT
establish visual theme to the LAUNCH fashion show through exterior entrance and interior backdrop.
INTERPRETATION OF EVENT LOGO AND GRAPHICS
CONCEPT The concept of the structure originates from the typography and graphic design of the LAUNCH logo. The bold, crisp letters of LAUNCH, followed by two colored arrows, inspired a notion of movement, where its direction will drive the circulation and excitement towards the event. The abstract, yet geometric, patterns of the LAUNCH logo portrays and effect of indentation. The triangular motif of the logo in 3D translates into pyramid panels, which are attached to three parallelograms in groups of equilateral triangles. This aggregation reflects the textured illusion, adding dimension and symmetry into the design.
STABILITY
PANEL STRUCTURE | STANDING
|
3
PANEL PROBLEM | MODULARITY
MATCHING
THE
PANELS
CARDBOARD + ZIPTIE + PLYWOOD
TESTING
CONNECTIONS | BENT BEAM SEATS
CORNER PROBLEM | STRUCTURE
COSMETICS | PAINTING BASECOAT
1
CONSTRUCTION
PLAY
AT
NIGHT
ATTACHING ALL THREE PLANES
|
LIGHTING
FINAL
ALIGNMENT | ATTACHMENT TOOLS
|
DATE
EFFORT 4
A S S E M B LY P R O B L E M | R E P E AT
CONNECTIONS | SCREWS + STAPLES
TEAM
ASSEMBLING THE TOP PLANE
L-BRACKETS
PROBLEM | SIZE
|
BRACING | CORNER POSTITIONS
STRUCTURE
CONNECTIONS
2
PROCESS
FINAL RESULT
TO CARRY forward
direction | to lead - to strategize - to incite
graphic translation | to take - to synthesize - to inspire modularity | to optimize - to pattern - to repeat
URBAN INFILL for artists of concrete and calligraphy
specialization | core + tunnel | gradient
GEORGIA TECH | FIRST-YEAR STUDIO FINAL | SPRING 2020
CALLIGRAPHY | CONCRETE This infill is a gallery, work, and living space between a calligrapher and a concrete artist.
PROGRAM NEEDS
CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY The process of Chinese calligraphy contributes towards both the aesthetical appeal and literary interpretation. Artists spend years copying and perfecting strokes from predecessor artists, and study various literature to draw inspiration from; they prefer to work in a peaceful environment with a clean, minimal workspace and plenty of natural lighting.
WORK BY ZHIYU WANG
THIS ITERATION OF THE PROJECT SINGLES OUT THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE TWO CRAFTSMEN. THEY SHARE THE SAME MISCONCEPTIONS FOR BEING STRICT AND RIGID. HOWEVER, BOTH HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR FREE-FLOWING AND INSIGHTFUL WORKS. BOTH CAN ADHERE TO BOUNDARIES FOR PRACTICAL USES, BUT THEY CAN ALSO TURN INTO SOMETHING SUBLIMINAL.
CONCRETE SCULPTURE The ideal workspace for someone who works with concrete would be a workshop environment that is not as delicate or clean as a calligrapher’s. While lighting is important for work, artificial lights would be preferred since it is more stable than natural. However, natural lighting would still play a role since ventilation is important. There will be large tools involved with the working space, so there will be areas for such needs.
STEALTH BY FORMATIONS-STUDIO
PRECEDENT STUDY LIGHTING STUDY | FALL 2019
GATECH FALL 2019 - SPRING 2020
examining patterns through shadows - definition of space by amount of light
PRECAST STUDY | FALL 2019 FALL 2019
permutations by the panel flexibility of a single pattern
PROSPECTIVE PANEL SYSTEM
| scale | screen | solid |
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM | TRANSITION OF PUBLIC TO PRIVATE
TRANSPARENCY | MATERIAL GRADIENT
Visitor
PARTI | LIGHT CORE + TUNNEL
Concrete Artist
Calligrapher
CIRCULATION | SPECIALIZATION OF VISITORS
SYNTHESIS >>
FINAL RESULT
TO CARRY forward
specialization | to cater - to prioritize - to shelter core + tunnel | to formalize - to follow - to guide gradient | to reveal - to transition - to define
COMMUNITY commons
clustering | spontaneity | equality
UC BERKELEY | THIRD-YEAR STUDIO FINAL | FALL 2020
RECTILINEAR GRIDDING When the form unfolds, the gridlines concentrate around the planar intersections. The expected result would produce a form whose sides are divided due to their proximity to one another, introducing the thesis of a cause-and-effect relationship between surface adjacency and gridlines.
INITIAL RESEARCH RECTILINEAR + IRREGULAR GRIDDING The division of each surface is predetermined by its adjacent surface, so the organization of the lines is defined by the form itself. This creates a relationship in which the surfaces are formally defined by an implicit grid, and the gridding of those surfaces is defined by the form. The grid begins on the top of the rectilinear form, and its lines flow off of the surface and onto the irregular surfaces. This result is organized through its surfaces, and it defines its own character based on the grid—where there are no two identical surfaces, depending on shape or grid.
GRIDDING + SURFACE DIVISION BERKELEY FALL 2020
PROJECT FINDINGS This project explores the language of clustering, in which the rooms group together by their program, and these groups are connected through the common ground plane. This approach would reveal the figure-ground relationships between the positive-program rooms and the negative-leftover space.
First Floor
Second Floor
FIRST FLOOR
SECOND FLOOR
ENTRANCE:
ENTRANCE: A1 A2 A3.1 A3.2
ENTRY PLAZA LOBBY CAFE (INTERIOR) CAFE (EXTERIOR)
RECREATION: B1 B2 B3
RECREATION SPACE (INTERIOR) RECREATION SPACE (EXTERIOR) GARDEN SPACE
CIRCULATION: C1 C2
ELEVATOR STAIRS
COMMUNITY AND SERVICE: D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 D10 D11 D12
COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY HALL (INTERIOR) COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY HALL (EXTERIOR) COMMUNITY MEETING ROOM (INTERIOR) COMMUNITY MEETING ROOM (EXTERIOR) COMMUNITY SOCIAL ACTION ROOM YOUTH SOCIAL ACTION ROOM (INTERIOR) YOUTH SOCIAL ACTION ROOM (EXTERIOR) SENIOR SERVICES ROOM FAMILY SERVICES ROOM COMMUNITY SERVICES ROOM COMMUNITY STORAGE ROOM COMMUNITY STAFF ROOM
LIBRARY:
BATHROOMS AND JANITORIAL:
E1 E2.1 E2.2 E2.3 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8
F1.1 F1.2 F2
COMMUNITY LIBRARY COMMUNITY PERIODICAL ROOM COMMUNITY MAGAZINE ROOM COMMUNITY PAMPHLET ROOM COMPUTER ROOM READING ROOM (INTERIOR) READING ROOM (EXTERIOR) CHILDREN/YOUTH READING ROOM (INTERIOR) CHILDREN/YOUTH READING ROOM (EXTERIOR) LIBRARY STAFF ROOM
BATHROOM (1 STALL) BATHROOMS (2+ STALLS) JANITORIAL ROOM
1’ = 1/16”
A1 A2 A3.1 A3.2
ENTRY PLAZA LOBBY CAFE (INTERIOR) CAFE (EXTERIOR)
RECREATION: B1 B2 B3
RECREATION SPACE (INTERIOR) RECREATION SPACE (EXTERIOR) GARDEN SPACE
CIRCULATION: C1 C2
ELEVATOR STAIRS
COMMUNITY AND SERVICE:
LIBRARY:
D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 D10 D11 D12
E1 E2.1 E2.2 E2.3 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8
COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY HALL (INTERIOR) COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY HALL (EXTERIOR) COMMUNITY MEETING ROOM (INTERIOR) COMMUNITY MEETING ROOM (EXTERIOR) COMMUNITY SOCIAL ACTION ROOM YOUTH SOCIAL ACTION ROOM (INTERIOR) YOUTH SOCIAL ACTION ROOM (EXTERIOR) SENIOR SERVICES ROOM FAMILY SERVICES ROOM COMMUNITY SERVICES ROOM COMMUNITY STORAGE ROOM COMMUNITY STAFF ROOM
BATHROOMS AND JANITORIAL: COMMUNITY LIBRARY COMMUNITY PERIODICAL ROOM COMMUNITY MAGAZINE ROOM COMMUNITY PAMPHLET ROOM COMPUTER ROOM READING ROOM (INTERIOR) READING ROOM (EXTERIOR) CHILDREN/YOUTH READING ROOM (INTERIOR) CHILDREN/YOUTH READING ROOM (EXTERIOR) LIBRARY STAFF ROOM
F1.1 F1.2 F2
BATHROOM (1 STALL) BATHROOMS (2+ STALLS) JANITORIAL ROOM
1’ = 1/16”
Each program is divided into a series of rooms, of which were rotated and arranged along a grid and at least one edge of each room adheres to a grid line. Here, the green represents the library programs, and the blue represents the community programs. Additional patterning is embedded into the ground floors to mesh together the space between the rooms.
What was interesting about this development is how a strict set of rules was able to produce a spontaneous-looking form.
1’ = 1/16”
1’ = 1/16”
Without acknowledging the base grid, the physicality of each program seems distant or unrelated to one another, yet the overall composition communicates a sort of order.
This phenomenon is further explored through the gridding of exterior surfaces, in which windows and skylights are punctured through the grid modules. As shown with the rendered perspectives,
the absence of these grids reveals instinctual randomness with each opening, yet all of these openings come together through this language. From the creation of these forms, this play of
cluster and rotation proves the equal necessities between positive and negative spaces. The negative-void spaces were opportunities for specific occurrences—there were voids that act as courtyards that connect the surrounding rooms together and provide a shared space. Examples of this are found in the second orthographic, where an exterior reading room is a void created by three library masses. In this case, this void is large enough to harness a program, but there are plenty of other spaces that are unoccupiable, yet they still serve a circulatory purpose—examples of this show in the voids created within the community service rooms. In addition, there are negative spaces that may be seen as useless or redundant gaps, but these
smaller spaces are just as important as the larger ones. Without them, there would be less focus on the programs and the form would lose its spontaneous qualities. The definition of these gaps is flexible, for we could identify these gaps upon the exterior of the building. It is moments like these that offer points of interest for the form, so if these areas were to be filled in, the massing approaches the look like a monolith rather than a cluster of rooms.
MOVING forward