Gesu Almonte Portfolio 2017 vol.2

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.01 National Library

.02 The Flooding

.03 Fissure Hostel

Institutional & public library program

Water expressway & landscaping program

Housing & community space program

.04 Parasite

.05 Arching Bifurcation

.06 A Mask Through Time

Information center & local gallery program

Geometric structural design

Parafictional object

.07 Robo Dummy

.08 Firth & Wilson Website

.09 Y.E.S. Table

Short animation study

Web redesign

Table design

.01 NATIONAL LIBRARY Fall 2012 Professors: Federico Bares & Brigida Hogan

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The location of the project was established in the CaĂąo Martin PeĂąa, in part due to its proximity to local neighborhoods, commerce, and the main public transportation center. These multiple elements made the area rich in potential for the use of a mixed program library that could house needed services that were not provided to the residents who live next to the site.

The design process revolved around the value of a book, using it as starting point to regulate progammatic distribution, circulation and veluable services that could be incorporated into the project.

As a result, the main library program spans all four floors of the building, in every posible degree and orientation the building can provide, while eneveloping all alternative forms of added programs.

Program Volume

Views

Refinement

Openings

Cores

Library Location

Platform

Basement

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Program Organization

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Lobby

2nd Floor

3rd Floor

4th Floor

West Elevation

South Elevation

North Elevation

East Elevation

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Lobby

2nd Floor

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3rd Floor

4th Floor

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.02 THE FLOODING Spring 2012

This project was designed to accommodate new green spaces Professors: Anixa Gonzalez Rios & within a heavy urban context, Adriana Bultron Rodriguez offering areas for native flora and recreational activities, as Team: Stephanie Morales Alsina & well as a water based transport.

Amaury Paradis The location of the project was based in the planned water expressway for the Caño Martin Peña, redesigning the current landscape used as a parking lot into a lush series of mounds filled with different native species of vegetation.

City Space

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Urban Zones

Rural Space

When designing the landscape, and by extension the building, we took into consideration the impact terrain formations and its proximity to water had on the soil, vegetation and potetial developments in program. As a result, the flow of water from the canal into the landscape became a focal point during the development of the project’s outline, form and circulation.

Unity of Elements

Flower Typology

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Basement Plan

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First Floor Plan

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.03 FISSURE HOSTEL Fall 2011

Hostels provide both economically viable and Professors: Eugenio Ramirez & culturally enriching alternatives Robin Planas to other lodging spaces. The location of the lot resides Team: Stephanie Morales Alsina & in a heavy urban zone with Elizabeth Gonzalez many commercial, cultural, and transportation hotspots.

However, the placement and orientation of this infrastructure is often percieved as fragmented. Our intention was to transfer these qualities into the building design, via sensorial

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elements present within the site and the immediate context.

As a result, we abstracted the froms of fissures and the spatial qualities of buildings within the area, to use as a base for the design of both the main lobby and the distribution of each hostel unit. The desired outcome was to create a highly sensorial experience via fractures in the building interiors, floors and facades that could enrich the experience of potential visitors.

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Lot Space

Site Fragmentation

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Vertical Circulation

Living Spaces

Unity of Elements

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1st Floor

2nd Floor

4th Floor

3rd Floor

5th Floor

6th Floor

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Program Distribution

Longitudinal Section

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.04 PARASITE Fall 2011

This project blends into a portion of the Castillo San Professors: Eugenio Ramirez & Cristobal, as part of a study Robin Planas on how to integrate external programmatic elements via parasite architecture.

The form of the building is acheived via a grid created by extending the visual relationships present within particular spaces of the the castle. This grid served as the base from which the plan and innitial program would

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later be organized. The program within the building is split between an information center for the castle and the sorrounding area, an art gallery for local artists, and a cafe for passersby. The information center is split into offices and an open lobby, with a staricase that passes throught the project as both the main circulation element and a small plaza.

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First Floor Plan 26

Second Floor Plan

Basement Floor Plan

Main Section

Top Section

Bottom Section

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Fort Section

West Elevation

South Elevation

.05 ARCHING BIFURCATION Spring 2017 Professor: Masoud Akbarzadeh Team: Ricardo Hernandez Perez

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The design process of this project was based on the continuous iteration of force diagrams that could inform how to build a given structure. The force diagram has a specific set of changes in angles, vector projections, and force distributions. In this course by designing via the force diagram, we could build a structure that corresponded to the force applied. Taking this information, and using it as a basis to look at

the relationship between forces as another form of structural and architectural design, we began by form finding the proper force diagram that corresponded to a bifurcating structural system. Afterwards, we applied the knowledge gained from 2D exploration into 3D, which led to a complex series of fragmentations and divisions within a simple rhomboid. This resulted in an arching bifurcated structure. .03

.02

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.04

.01 2D force diagram .02 3D force diagram .03 3D force subdivision .04 Elevation perspective

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.06

.07

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Elevation .05 Structural assembly .06 Plan .07

.06 A MASK THROUGH TIME Fall 2015 Professor: Kutan Ayata Team: Roxanna Perez Nisuel

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This project sets out to push the qualities present within selected artifacts, altering the original and introducing new realities into the function of it. The outcome is a fictional object, with hyper realistic elements. As part of the design process, we paired into groups and chose a 19th century Dutch painting, where we would select an object to abstract. Our selection was a crown, which we split into four equal pieces. Using the material

and symbolic attributes of the crown, we molded each of the faces of into masks. In our scenario, all four pieces of the mask would be combined to make a crown that belonged to Dutch royalty. This hybrid artefact would have the symbolic impact of the crown, with a scenario in which it was used to hide birth defects within the royal bloodline; with each side corresponding to an emotion needed for expression.

Selected Object

Crown Division

Sadness

Anger

Fear

Joy

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Emotional Spectrum

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.07 ROBO DUMMY Fall 2016 Professor: Joshua Mosley

Animation Setting

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The intentions behind this project were to serve as an introduction to animation and sound editing. During the design process I wanted to interpret the music and sounds used for the project into a humorous encounter between a mechanical and a biological creature, set within an highly contained setting. The setting behind the encounter would reflect spaces relating to the physical attributes of the

characters, and vice versa. The environment would be set in a wasteland, in which a robotic unit would attempt to remove an alien creature from a small junkyard it is surveying.

Robot Iteration

Creature Iteration

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.08 FIRTH & WILSON WEBSITE Spring 2016 Professor: Sebastien Derenoncourt

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The concept is founded on the principle of providing methods of consultation and awareness on cycling within the Philadelphia area. Clients require a simple platform that can accurately depict the experience and sensation of being in the physical store, in regard to an online setting. The idea is to tap into the customer and owner relationship as a driver for the development of the design. The functionality of the website

began by exploring potential pathways through the web that lead to the Firth and Wilson website. The idea was to minimize the wait time for users to get to their desired pages of content, in which the personas were used for content focus.

Overall the style of the website would provide insight into the types of accesories, object and bicycles that are both symbolic of the store and that can hold a deep personal value.

Getting more people on bikes

Translating physical store into online

Strengthening customer relations

Card Sorting

Data Points

Website Functionality

Journey Map

Thomas Q

Tara M.

Lilly R.

35, Human Resources Manager

19, Athlete

24, Junior Sous Chef

26%

“I stopped in here to buy two bikes for my daughters. The staff was incredibly helpful, kind, and patient. They even let us step into the workroom so we could watch as they took the training wheels off. I can’t wait to go back.”

60%

“This is a business run by true cycling bosses whose only “sales pitch” is that they want you to ride a bicycle, and look cool as hell while doing it.”

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35%

“Definitely the best bike shop in Philly. The owners and employees are all so friendly and extremely helpful. I bought a new bike here recently and have had absolutely no regrets.”

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.09 Y.E.S. TABLE Spring 2015

The table was designed to complement and expand on Team: Ricardo Hernandez Perez & the themes present during Gary Polk the year end show at the University of Pennsylvania.

Our team was in charge of developing a platform for the faculty to showcase the various projects designed in seminars, workshops, and design studios during the semester. Part of the theme during the year end show centered around the slight reveal of emerging geometries

through envelopes and skin.

As a result, the design behind the table centered on the slight reveal of structural elements and volumes, that began to show their silhouettes and edges as a shrink wrap material tensed between them. The shrink wrap would serve to combine all these elements, making the table a cohesive piece.

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Elevation

Plan

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