Gabriela N. Gomez
Email: gnathaniag@gmail.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gabriela-gomez-751526264 # : 951-252-5795
Undergraduate 01.
Undercurrent
MIT - Boston, MA Memorial Drive & Ames St.
Working to change the focus of MIT’s campus away from the subjective towards the objective, Undercurrent reorients the purpose of the site to one grounded in permanence found in the Lord. Stemming from the idea of being set apart, the building design creates distinction between itself and the site, and furthermore, between the chapel space and the rest of the programming. In doing so, layers of spiritual defensible space are created, adding to the experience within the building.
The Making of Form
Drawing from its conceptual driver being the word Undercurrent, the building form features a waved facade. Identifying the movement towards the chapel space, the exterior slatting shifts from curvilinear to linear, from disorder to ordered.
DistinguishThresholdRefine
Memorial Drive
Ames St.
Upper Library Space
Library Reception
Circulation Space
Seminar Rooms
Office Spaces
Restrooms
Main Lobby Space
Lecture Room
Kitchenette
Library Reception
Lower Library Level
Chapel
Prayer Rooms
Family Room
Restrooms
1st Level Floor Plan
2nd Level Floor Plan
Section Perspective - Longitudinal
Section Perspective - Transverse
Chapel Structural Composition
Through the use of internal columns, the chapel guides the visitor’s eye upwards as they enter the space. From the exterior, vertical wooden slatting contrasts the building’s curved front facade, communicating the groundedness of the chapel.
Facade Composition
Composed of wooden slats, the building’s facade undulates, transitioning from waved to vertical. This language mirrors the movement one has in the building, from non-sacred to sacred space, as one is lead to the chapel.
Undergraduate 02.
Surge
Chicago, IL
319 Lower North Water St.
Addressing the need for people to move upwards as city density increases, Surge moves life from the horizontal plane to the vertical. The layering of the site & plaza design directly leads to the building’s own layers, stretching life on Earth to that above. And the building’s mullions which further emphasize its vertical layering, aids in the continuity seen in its formal composition.
The Making of Form
Echoing Chicago’s own layers, Surge draws a closer connection between people on the ground floor and the tall building typology. As the building’s layers pull away, an open plaza is formed, allowing for direct engagement.
N. Columbus Dr.
E. North Water St.
Street
Level Floor Plan
Riverwalk Level Floor Plan
Arch. Lobby
Arch. Gallery
Public Lobby
Arch. Studio/s
Plumbing
Meter Room
Storage
Data Room
Public Lobby
Street Level Floor Plan
The Future of Work
Looking to adaptability alongside rhythm and order within post-Covid work, the architecture firm within Surge utilizes the concept of module in its design. At a large scale, order is found within the distinction of spaces in the office. At an individual scale, each desk space is constructed from a kit of parts, allowing desk pieces to be moved around to one’s liking.
Level Two Floor Plan
Base Section Perspective
Maggie’s Center
Newport Beach, CA 2499 Cliff Drive
Acting as a calming safe haven, offering security and familiarity, Maggie’s Center’s integration allows for a direct dialogue between the built and the natural, drawing focus to the healing and restorative properties correlated to being in nature. Through various levels of embeddedness, Maggie’s Center Newport provides patients and visitors with a place of respite amidst life altering travesty.
EmbeddednessRespite
The Making of Form
Situating itself within the hillside, the form of Maggie’s Center Newport sits embedded with the terrain, influenced by the slope’s terracing. This composition then lends itself to direct engagement with the natural.
Levels of Access
Cliff Dr.
Small Sitting Rm
Consultation Rm
Consultation Garden
Terrace
Other Works
Graphite Drawings
Photography
With sketching being a life-time passion, and film photography a more recent one, both have influenced how I perceive the world. These hobbies, as with any pursuit, are qualities that require a continual posture of learning in order to see and experience improvement. The drawings and photos featured here are a product of a summer study abroad trip to Italy where the buildings I had studied came to life in front of me.
