Portfolio

Nicholas Goharzadeh

Architecture Portfolio 2019-2025

Table of Contents

01 02 03

04 05

06 07

Framed

Adaptive Reuse Art Center Comprehensive Studio

Circular Circulation Multi-Program Urban Infill Semester Abroad Studio

Modular Minneapolis Multi-Family Modular

Modular Missing Middle Housing Options Studio

Campus

Higher-Ed Brochure Charles Rose Architects

The Edge

Conference Tour Map Northeastern University Campus Planning

Personal Work

Landscaping & Photography Independent

ReGeneration

Ongoing Masters Thesis Designing the Rural Masters Thesis Studio

01

Framed

Comprehensive Studio Collaboration w/ Ben Harding

Location: Upham’s Corner, Dorchester Project: Adaptive reuse of 1920’s bank Program: Community art center

‘Framed’ revitalizes Upham’s Corner in Boston, a significant addition doubles the usable area of an existing building for the current tenant, the Design Studio for Social Intervention, while providing ample studio spaces, classrooms, commercial galleries, and a café.

The existing building consists of four volumes of variable size and architectural quality. Aside from an interior insertion, the historic bank volume is largely left alone. All interior walls and roofs are carved out for the other three volumes, creating an urban ruin. A tower is then inserted into the void. An occupiable double skin accentuates this relationship.

By integrating passive systems, structure, circulation, and aesthetic appeal, a double-skin façade prioritizes sustainability while promoting occupant comfort. This project not only showcases architectural innovation but also serves as a vibrant hub for lifelong learning and community engagement. “Framed” embodies a blend of historic preservation and modern design sensibilities, poised to thrive in an evolving urban landscape.

Timber Structural Grid Nuki wood joinery replaces more permanent metal hardware.

In an end of use scenario, one floor of one of the three towers could be remade into a pavilion in a greenfield...

CLT Floor Plates Standardized floor plates create an open plan that can be customized along a grid system to promote future programmatic use.

...or used as a variable height urban infill townhouse.

Infill Panels Panelized wall systems allow for easy customization & replacement of partition walls.

60% Of the occupied hours are thermally comfortable without the use of active systems

Existing brick walls at the base of a double skin facade and a thermal chimney at the top create a buoyancy differential that facilitates passive ventilation

Building Embodied and Operational CO²e Intensity

Baseline

Adaptive & Material Reuse Carbon Neutral Materials

12.4 kbtu/sf/hr Operational EUI

Passive Systems On-Site Solar Energy Generation

8.14 kbtu/sf/hr Operational EUI Net-Zero Grid Energy

+

+

+

+

8.14 kbBTU/sf/yr

+

0 kbtu/sf/hr Operational EUI Design for

+ Disassembly

02

Circular Circulation Study Abroad Studio Location: Madrid, Spain Project: Multi-program urban infill Program: Park, gallery, dojo, rock climbing...

Working on an urban infill site with two parallel frontages, a pedestrian connection through the site revealed itself as an immediate design priority. Mimicking traditional Spanish architectural practices, Circular Circulation creates a courtyardtype condition utilizing the adjacent party wall.

A ramp wraps around a large cylindrical rock climbing wall as the primary circulatory system of this project. Rock climbers are challenged to work their way to the top of the wall and dismount at a roof-top urban park.

Meandering curves shift each floor plate to create dimensions that coincide with each floor’s program. As a result, each floor has unique outdoor spaces, many of which are partially covered, creating a necessary refuge from the harsh Spanish sun.

Since the site is relatively narrow, maintaining large windows was essential to create daylit spaces. This also has the function of creating a visual relationship between climbers and occupants of the building. `

1 st. floor

2 nd. floor

3rd. floor

4th. floor

Ceiling Joist Framing

Hanger

Header Header

Interior Wall Framing

Exterior Wall Window Framing

Header Interior Wall Framing

Steel Chassis Header

Exterior Wall

Plywood Floor Slab

Floor Joist Framing

03

Modular

Minneapolis Missing Middle Modular Housing Studio

Location: Minneapolis, MN Project: Study of modular platforms Program: Multi-family modular housing

Based on an analysis of Connect Homes’s innovative steelchassis modular platform, I developed a flexible multi-family housing scheme to be adaptable to various residential lots in Minneapolis.

Located in California, Connect Homes designs and constructs high-end modular homes. The steel chassis system functions as a load-bearing volume with a fixed area. Instead of delivering a bespoke project, they utilize a product platform design mentality to create a standardized series of single-family homes. From conception to occupancy, the efficiencies of the Connect Home create an expedited project timeline compared to typical construction and other modular platforms.

Utilizing existing unit configurations, I propose a hybrid townhouse and multi-family scheme that prioritizes privacy while maximizing light and outdoor access. The stacked and separated format contracts and expands based on site constraints - units can be single or double-wide and can be attached or detached from other units without any design changes apart from mirroring or window placement.

Site 3 2,744 12th Avenue South

7,680 Total sq. ft 3 Stories/ .44 FAR 8 Total Units 4 Split Level units, 4 Flats

Site 1: 1,030 Lowry Avenue Northeast

6,400 Total sq ft 3 Stories / .30 FAR 6 Total Units 4 Split level units, 2 flats

Site 2: 2,811 Emerson Avenue North

7,680 Total sq ft 2 Stories/ .42 FAR 4 Total Units All units split level

04

Campus

Charles Rose Architects Project: 85 page portfolio Purpose: University marketing strategy

Prior to my involvement with Charles Rose Architects, the firm had completed numerous higher-ed projects ranging from pavilions to master plans. We created a portfolio tailored to potential institutional clients to strengthen CRA’s market positioning in the academic sector.

I was in charge of the graphic design and publishing of this book and was also involved in writing the text. Taking my time to familiarize myself with each individual project to represent them in a faithful and compelling manner, I developed a deep-seated appreciation for collegiate architecture and an understanding of portfolio design and firm marketing.

05

The Edge

NU Campus Planning Project: Map and timeline of recent development Purpose: Handouts for a conference tour

As Northeastern’s contribution to a conference hosted by the Society of College and University Planners (SCUP,) the University organized a tour showcasing recent developments of campus buildings along Columbus Avenue - an urban condition that I referred to as the Edge.

To accompany the verbal tour, I was in charge of creating a map detailing the route and relevant information about each stop on the tour. I took this as an opportunity to show that, situationally, this Avenue is part of Northeastern and the Roxbury Community at large: Carter Field, Ruggles Station, and the Southwest corridor are all vital parts of this locality.

I was particularly interested in how our presence on the street is something that helps define not only the character of the institution but also the local community - this relationship, although tenuous at times, serves to strengthen both experiences of the site.

06

Personal Work Landscaping & Photography

Location: Garden - Charlton, MA Purpose: Personal fulfillment & enjoyment

The isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic served as an impetus for millions to pursue hobbies - instead of making sourdough bread, I made a 500-square-foot garden in a long-defunct horse pasture. The steep grade change at the eastern edge of this garden was a perfect moment to create a staircase of flat boulders I found in the woods. This condition, along with a large swath of gravel, gives the impression of a meandering river culminating in a cascading waterfall - a technique inspired by the long-held Japanese tradition of karesansui, or dry gardening.

Shaded by the adjacent barn, the southern edge of the garden hosts multiple species of moss, some purchased and others foraged. The northern edge, with full solar exposure, is home to a myriad of flowering plants and evergreen shrubs.

Also, I enjoy photography. I like buildings and trees the most.

Included, I have photographs of the Pioneer Valley, which is the site of my thesis project and the closing project of this portfolio.

Pioneer Valley CDC

Social Model

Housing development

Manages the production of housing and placing of housing modules.

Oversees

Pioneer Valley Host and Visitor Bureau

Hou ses

s nd Fu

Opportunities

Housing

Local Pride

On-Site Farmers & Business

Receives active and passive benefits from increased visitation.

Economic Regeneration

Tourism Development as Community Development

tion uca Ed

Regional NGO created to start a PV occupancy tax.

Functions at the managerial partner.

Local Community

Education Partners Local colleges utilize greenhouses to teach students about diverse agricultural practices. Also involved in training up-in-coming farmers.

Greenfield

North Valley Marketplace

Education

Disenfranchised groups given opportunities to economic success.

Involved the day to day visitor experience and a managerial board.

Business Development Opportunities

Visitors

Tr

ai

ns

Local Farmers & Business

P a tr o n

Local and domestic visitors fuel the economic system by patronizing the hubs and other sites

iz e s

g nin rai Agricultural & Job T

Montague

Provides regional identity and benefits from increased visitation.

Annual Redistributive Impact

ver c Dri Primary Economi

Ashfield Commons

5,000 3-Night Stays

= 60-120

Conway

Ashfield South Deerfield

&

6% “Tourist” Tax

Deerfield

$68k Average Household Income

1 in 5 People are experiencing poverty

Housing Units

Culinary Tour Route

$445k Average Home Cost

Leverett Whately

1 in 6 People are housing insecure

“People in these towns work so hard just for half of our tax dollars to be sent to Beacon Hill and used to fix up Boston. We have problems here too,

Amherst Cummington

and we would like to solve them”

Hatfield

-Retired Landlord & Veteran

Worthington

Economic Model

Hadley

Local Visitors

Occupancy Tax

Non-Local Visitors

Oxbow Garden Lodge

Classes & Activity Fees

Direct Sales

Marina Fees Dining

Lodging

“Communities face a double edge sword of increased tourism”

Off-Site Local Businesses

Northampton

North Valley Marketplace

Subsidized Food Costs Increased Business

Oxbow Garden Lodge Operational Costs

Vendors' Shares Education

- Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Official

Subsidized Food Costs

Individual Module PVCDC Housing

Development Sites

Subsidized Farm Land

User

Activity

Site

Overhead

Active Benefits

Passive Benefits

Housing

07

ReGeneration Designing the Rural Masters Thesis

Location: Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts Project: Rural regional planning study Program: Regenerative agritourism model

Just tourism is not just about tourism What if large-scale resort-style recreation was, in fact, the best way to offer a just tourism model? In this provocation, I propose a reimagination of the resort model of tourism, where a CDC takes the place of a private corporation, and the profits are directly used to benefit the community via a program of affordable housing provisions.

The conventional model of rural tourism creates an unequal exchange between host and visitor communities.

ReGeneration proposes a regenerative and redistributive approach to rural tourism. A bipartite strategy involves creating a regional tourism council NGO to develop the Pioneer Valley as a destination while a community development corporation ensures that this tourism-driven growth directly benefits disenfranchised locals.

Tourist hubs are re-imagined as catalysts for active economic regeneration. The profit from these operations is redeployed into an affordable housing scheme that serves as the backbone of a passive redistribution strategy.

Oxbow Garden Lodge Location: Connecticut River Oxbow, Northampton Program: Hospitality & Agricultural Education Hub

North Valley Marketplace Location: Reclaimed Paper Mill, Turner Falls Program: Commercial & Cultural Hub

Ashfield Commons Location: Ashfield Program: Elder Housing & Public Park

Nicholas Goharzadeh (508) 344-3950 nickgoharzadeh1@gmail.com