a collection of iterations
cristopher pallares the investigations of
CPP Architecture
the clash_model photos
DownTown Pomona: The Alley
CPP Architecture
Spring 2023
Second Year Design Studio
Instructor: Jeehye Kim
Program: Multi-use building. School of Architecture. Public programs include cafe and art galleries.
Definition: Alley
A (usually) long and narrow path that connects different buildings through their back entrances.
The floor plan of the plinth is derived by the traditional definition of the alley. In plan, the central courtyard is the congregation of the different programs of the building. The central space becomes a nexus of events and interactions. As users gather in individual programs with designated purposes, they can look into the alley as a mixture of events and interactions occur.
Downtown Pomona is a central social, cultural, and economic hub for the city. Yet, it is heavily reliant on a strict system of alleys that adhere to a distinct definition.
This project is a play on the idea of the alleyway and the social and spatial implications it may have in the context of architecture. The traditional definition of the alley is treated as a metaphor that can be used to organize the spatial properties of the plinth and tower. In the same way that an alley connects different buildings with different functions to one another, the vertical and horizontal thresholds of the project are used to connect different programs, interactions, and visual queues.
Sectionally, the alley way serves as an artery that visually connects programs to one another. Being inside of these thresholds, users in the lower, more public programs can visually connect with the upper levels that house the private studios and administrative offices.
This is done for individual programs via the smaller internal sections in the building, as well as for the broader connection between the plinth and tower. The thresholds of the two major components of the building make the vital connection between administration and the students; similar to how the alley creates a common ground between two different buildings.
staircase_collage
Inside the tower, the thresholds serve two purposes. They visually connect different programs to one another through double heighted spaces, and they connect the context to the tower through its apertures. The apertures on each floor capture different areas of the city in isolation. This isolation fosters the implication that the school is only part of the city,
chunk_physical model
Triangle Fields
CPP Architecture
Spring 2023
Second Year Design Studio
Instructor: Jeehye Kim
A restricted medium. A restricted rule set. This made it important to hone in on one specific action.
The project is based on the creation of field drawings. It places an emphasis on the idea of triangles and the different actions that they can express. The placement of different canvases is arbitrary. It forces viewers to determine what action each composition is doing.
Pursuing these actions allowed unique compositions to be created, which were used to inform more nuanced architectural forms.
Mount Wilson: The Path
CPP Architecture Fall 2023
Third Year Design Studio
Instructor: Giovanni Fruttaldo
Program: Multi Use building for scientists (astronomers) to reside in and conduct research. Open to the public.
Awards: Chosen for Spring 2023 Interim Exhibition
site analyses_trees and views
The project is a study of the pathway that leads up to the site and the spatial qualities developed by the natural landscape around it.
By studying these specific qualities on site, the initial scheme places an importance on the interstitial spaces between the different volumes developed by the plan view of the trees. This makes the different volumes of the final design a metaphor for the trees on the site. With this logic, the negative space in between is the pathway that guides users through the mountain.
tree to massing_concept diagram
above: south_elevation
below: west_elevation
concept diagram_views
The metaphorical pathway is calibrated using a combination of frames that highlight the natural and man-made landmarks of the site. This combination creates a unique juxtaposition between the tacticality of the scientific instruments and the natural beauty of the context. In doing this, the frames are acting as an instrument that stitches the different programs of the building together, both vertically and horizontally.
The metaphorical pathway affects the built environment both explicitly and implicitly. It acts as an explicit pathway since it is used as circulation, guiding the public throughout the building, into the sky amphitheater upstairs. Visually however, it is connecting the frames on different levels. This is done sectionally through the cantilever design that keeps each individual volume from touching the other.
courtyard_collage
The result of the investigation is a courtyard that acts as an artery for the different landmarks on the site. Being in and exploring the space via the circulation of the building, users are rediscovering the experience they got going up the mountain. Here they can experience the juxtaposition between nature and science as they stand inside the manmade institution.
The change of materiality on the inside of the towers is an indication that users have entered the metaphorical path of the building. This decision places an emphasis on the interstitial spaces that occur between the now fully developed metaphorical trees (four towers).
courtyard_collage
LATTC: The Ensemble
CPP Architecture
Fall 2024
Fourth Year Topic Studio
Instructor: Sarah Lorenzen
Collaborator: Heidy Chiu
Program: Multi-media building. School of fashion.
Los Angeles Trade Tech Community College’s new fashion and graphic design building emphasizes creating a safe, collaborative environment where different disciplines can work together. The design concept connects four distinct “fabrics” through the building’s massing, metaphorically representing the different disciplines while encouraging interaction between them.
The building features three main masses and a large skin system, each with unique qualities and skin systems tailored to program needs and environmental conditions. The layout separates studio spaces from support spaces, with classrooms and support facilities on the ground and basement levels, while open studios occupy the second level. Faculty offices are positioned on a mezzanine level above the studios.
The design incorporates an enclosed interior courtyard for 24-hour student access and safety. A mesh skin system on the south side creates an interstitial space connecting different levels while providing shade and visually linking
fashion assembly_diagram
courtyard_collage
Tectonic Studies
CPP Architecture
Fall 2023 - Spring 2024
Project 1: Mount Wilson, The Path
Project 2: Santa Ana, The Bridge
cantilever_physical model
Modeled Work
CPP Architecture
Fall 2023 - Spring 2024
Project 1: The Cantilever
Project 2: Mount Wilson, The Path
Project 3: Downtown Pomona, The Alley
the path_physical model the alley_physical model
thank you
cristopher pallares
cristopherp1@cpp.edu
linkedin.com/in/cristopher-pallares