Lena Pfeiffer ’20 MArch Columbia GSAPP

L E N A M. P F E I F F E R

COLUMBIA GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING AND PRESERVATION - 2020

Lena M. Pfeiffer lmp2196@columbia.edu (202) 316-2809 4619 Brandywine St NW Washington, DC 20016

+ STUDIOS +

Young-Old-Home

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Mottainai Tokyo

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Design for Disassembly

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Eco-Struct Vieques

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Brooklyn Seed Library

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Subway: Traverse

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East River Aquatic Garden

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Above: Radial Matrix

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Greenpoint Theater

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Newark Food Campus

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Cubed Gardens

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The Blur Building

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SS Intrepid 3D

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Transitional Geometry

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Plastic Modernity

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+ TECHNICAL

+ EXPLORATIONS

+ STUDIOS

+ YOUNG-OLD-HOME Columbia GSAPP Core III Professor: Daisy Ames Partner: Julia Gielen Site: The Bronx, New York City This housing project re-imagines multi-generational living spaces by facilitating mutually beneficial relationships for both young families and the increasing elderly population. An interconnected network is woven throughout the site, linking the units to each other as well as the amenities on site.

This network functions not only as a corridor, but as a social space encouraging inhabitants of all ages to interact and establish a sense of ownership and community. Through the use of the pivot doors, the network can expand to the private yards and the public gardens, inviting flexible reconfigurations of space.

Units are designed with a focus on mobility and the potential for aging in place. The House typology consists of an ADA accessible first floor with unhindered access to both the street and the interior network of the site. The levels above allow for flexible ownership depending on family size or shared roommate apartments. The Tower typology lines the busy corner of the site and includes both a health clinic, grocery store, and library at the ground level. Apartment units provide comfortable space for persons of limited mobility, while also offering the potential for live-in help. An interior corridor allows for connections to the units in addition to the outdoor spaces that have been carved out of the towers.

These subtractions within the tower facades allows for both visual and physical connection on site. This strategy of subtraction repeats across the site in both the House typology staircases, and the interior courtyards of the network. Through repetition of unit layout and sustainable deisgn practices, the project aims to create density through efficency and affordable construction.

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+ MOTTAINAI TOKYO Columbia GSAPP Advanced VI Professor: Sarah Dunn, Martin Felson, George Louras Location: Tokyo, Japan Mottainai Tokyo is an urban megastructure focused on a zero-waste lifestyle. Mottainai, translating into “what a waste�, is a way of life that could enhance livability in Tokyo by creating communities of reuse.

What if we were to consider Ueno train station in Tokyo not as purely a transit center but as a new urban typology specifically designed to house and maintain a bustling Mottainai community focused on zero-waste living and working? Then, a megascale architecture could begin to fulfill the needs of residents, businesses, and service workers in order to create a harmonious Mottainai lifestyle.

A range of programming focused around daily life and zero - waste living creates a library of spaces to occupy the structure. By building above the existing train station in a high density neighborhood, this project activates unused space with minimal intrusion. This model could plug into the existing Ameyokocho Shotengai shopping center below Ueno train tracks and rehabilitate vacant storefronts that struggle to compete with dominating department stores.

A library of primitives is created for commercial spaces, residential spaces, and furniture, inspired by existing Tokyo storefronts. As the average life of a building in Tokyo is around 30 years, this project looks at the potential for recycling these materials.

While the structure sits over the train tracks, it links both sides as it begins to reach out into the urban fabric. With multiple connection points to the street and at ground level to Ueno Park, the structure encourages interaction and participation with the broader city residents.

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+ DESIGN FOR DISASSEMBLY Columbia GSAPP ADV V Professors: David Benjamin, Jim Stoddart Site: Philadelphia, PA The built environment requires a shift from a production-towaste mentality to a cradle-to-cradle approach. In the US, the average non-residential building is 82% concrete, while concrete production makes up 8% of global carbon emissions.

Approximately 1.2 million new households are formed each year while nearly 400,000 old, uninhabitable homes are demolished.

Design for Disassembly proposes a closed loop system that intends to offset the ratio of built to demolished buildings in the long term.

With over 40,000 vacant lots and 25,000 vacant homes in Philadelphia, there is room for growth. Newly enacted policy enforces a circular approach to building, with permitting contingent on planned disassembly. A long-term service model will be put in place with materials leased out, maintained, and recovered at the end of contract. Modules are cataloged, refurbished, and resold for new structures. This radical rethinking of material responsibility presents an opportunity to sustainably provide the 1 million new units needed each year while removing 400,000 recyclable properties originally slated for demolition from the waste stream.

This service-model approach comes with stable, well-paid jobs in the assembly, disassembly, maintenance, and cataloging of components, enticing both new workers and those displaced from coal, oil, and manufacturing. Long-term thinking, customer demand, and national policy also drives investment in new lowcarbon materials like locally sourced engineered timber and bio-concrete. Standardized dimensions of housing modules ensure cross-compatibility across manufacturers and with future updates. The Climate Design Corps, established under the Green New Deal, would provide the initial development, training, and work force, and help drive adoption by local business.

Shifting the responsibility of the building materials from the consumer back to the supplier and construction company creates the right incentives for a sustainable economy—encouraging healthy competition through innovation and long-term investment while moving away from value engineering and consolidated business models dependent on temporary, exploitative labor. In the future, the most durable design will be the one worth producing.

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12’ x 24’ MODULE CONSTRUCTION LOCALLY SOURCED TIMBER STRUCTURE

PLUMBING LINES

CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER WALL PANELS WITH INTERIOR FINISH

CLIMATE CORPS TRAINEE PARTICIPATING IN MODULE CONSTRUCTION

ELECTRICITY PANELS PLUGGED INTO CORE OF BUILDING

SCREW CONNECTIONS BETWEEN FLOOR AND WALL COMPONENTS

CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER CONSTRUCTION

INTERCHANGEABLE CEILING TILES

INSULATING INTERIOR WALL FINISH INTERCHANGEABLE APPLIANCES AND MILL-WORK PROVIDED AS A SERVICE

CLIMATE REFUGEE FAMILY RELOCATED TO PHILADELPHIA

ELECTRICITY PANELS PLUGGED INTO CORE OF BUILDING ALLOWING FOR EASILY REMOVABLE WALLS AND DISTRIBUTION OF POWER

REMOVABLE FLOOR TILE CAN BE QUICKLY REPLACED IF DAMAGED

ACCESSIBLE CONNECTION POINTS FOR FLEXIBLE WALL SYSTEMS

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+ ECO-STRUCT VIEQUES Columbia GSAPP ADV IV Joint M. Arch and Urban Planning Studio Professors: Richard Plunz, Douglas Woodward Partner: Alanna Browdy Site: Vieques, Puerto Rico ECO-STRUCT VIEQUES is an infrastructure and programmatic initiative to strengthen local education and stimulate economic growth on Vieques, Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. The difficulties stemming from Puerto Rico’s education crisis are especially challenging for Viequensan students who are often victims of minimal resources and erratic scheduling.

ECO-STRUCT VIEQUES aims to reinstate technical education, focused on sustainable and storm-resistant building practices.

It also proposes an education center infrastructure design that is both flexible and self-sufficient. The programmatic and infrastructural elements of ECO-STRUCT VIEQUES work in tandem to promote educational resiliency, preparing students with a hands-on context for learning real and applicable skills. The technical education curricula paired with the flexible, semi-permanent infrastructure design fosters new, local economic opportunities. Eventually a network of education centers, retrofitted pavilions, and standalone structures will exist across the island, as a resource for a number of relevant skills.

The education infrastructure design includes a semi-permanent, allbamboo built pavilion designed for program flexibility. There are three iterations of the design. First, it can be used as a full education center.

The central shell is a storm resistant core of laminated bamboo with multiple connected expandable wings that allow for additional space, but can contract in the event of a storm. A canopy spans between the wings, creating shade and additional workspace in the yard.

The main shell acts as a shelter during a storm, while the wings can re-expand with minimal damage. Second, the lightweight, mobile wings can be retrofitted to existing buildings. Third, the mobile wings can be standalone, either for standard or emergency use. The wing can easily be folded and brought on-site. All options include selfsufficient and sustainable energy systems - compost toilet, solar panels, and water catchment.

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+ BROOKLYN SEED LIBRARY Columbia GSAPP Core II Professor: Benjamin Cadena Site: DUMBO, Brooklyn This project proposes a library for seed collection and distribution. With one in five species of plants currently in danger of extinction around the world, a seed vault looks towards the future to protect biodiversity. With the aim of sheltering and conserving New York’s native species in a highly controlled archive, this library combines a collection of biodiversity with opportunities to educate the public about issues of plant extinction. The library provides a sharing system where people can borrow seeds to grow their own plants and food while replenishing the collection the following season. Programs are provided for teaching locals and visitors how to grow and maintain their own garden in a city of concrete. By inviting Brooklyn youth from surrounding high schools, this library introduces a diverse range of children to the possibilities of growing their own food, protecting the native flora, and reclaiming unused space in their own neighborhoods to start community gardens. Three volumes stack to support each other and create tunnel-like structures with unique lighting conditions throughout. Floating floor plates allow for visual connections from the ends of each tunnel, allocating space without the use of walls.

The seeds are stored within these tunnels on specific floors, giving the public visual connections to the seed archives but limited access without a librarian. Reading rooms and social spaces are placed at the edges of each volume to allow for use of natural light, while keeping the archives interior to protect from harsh conditions.

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+ SUBWAY: TRAVERSE Columbia GSAPP Core I Professor: IĂąaqui Carnicero Site: 14th St Subway, New York City 2 week project This project transforms the standard spiral staircase into a cascading subway station of multiple pathways, vantage points, and uses. The station gives passengers an array of options for exit and entry based on traffic, speed, and purpose. Providing three paths of least resistance around the axis of each stair, the structure also allows for seating areas, a canopy, and waiting areas for trains. This project works to blur the line between stacking circulation and horizontal plates by means of a topographic flowing stair. The three staircases overlap in an interstitial space meant for sitting, waiting, subway vendors, and viewpoints towards the tracks. The layout allows for maximum airflow, and light to penetrate into the subway station, while still providing protection from the elements. With multiple choices of entry presented to the passengers, the act of tunneling people in single file in and out of the station is no longer a major problem. Structural wires provide visual queues; dense around the stair axis, sparse in the interstitial areas between the three axes providing better views of the subway underground. Narrow stairs are available for quick access, wider stairs can be used for overflow traffic during rush hour, and deeper cascades can be comfortable waiting areas for passengers. An outdoor canopy rises out of the ground providing shade, a viewpoint, and an area for bike racks.

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+ EAST RIVER AQUATIC GARDEN Columbia GSAPP Core I Professor: IĂąaqui Carnicero Site: East River, New York City 4 week project Building off of the existing sports fields and playgrounds of the East River Park, the Aquatic Gardens aims to bring additional after school education and recreation spaces for children.

Driven by the existing paths of the constructed wetland and composting site, the Aquatic Gardens extend out on to the water, inviting pedestrians to experience the constructed topography. Tucked into the South East corner of the East River Park, the Aquatic Gardens fit seamlessly into the existing infrastructure, allowing for a clean connection and extension of the park. The landscape combines circulation and building into one continuous surface, blurring the lines between roof and entry. The roof landscape forms both dunes for circulation and pools for aquatic life to grow. The interior program consists of a library, an auditorium, classrooms, and a performing arts studio. The interior spaces connect below the undulating landscape above, creating unique views through the dunes to the neighboring ponds.

With the intention of drawing in pedestrians and students, the Aquatic Gardens are both a place of leisure and a place of learning, aiming to bring awareness of the East River water quality, native species restoration, and East River ecology.

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+ ABOVE: RADIAL MATRIX Columbia GSAPP Core I Professor: IĂąaqui Carnicero Site: 14th St and 2nd Ave, New York City 2 week project Taking on the corner of 14th street and 2nd avenue, this project modifies an existing hospital facade and interior with the application of the radial matrix module. By multiplying and distributing these modules, the building takes on dynamic potential. This module has multiple functions, as rotating partition walls, circulation, auditorium seating, canopy, balcony, and facade. The kinetic character of the modules rotating around an axial grid provide endless combinations of aperture, furniture, and circulation from floor to floor.

These temporary layouts can be modified for different spatial experiences while increasing light, airflow, and fluidity of space. The structural columns feeding through the building act as the axis for the modules to rotate around and form a logical grid throughout the building. Through the process of expanding the modules, an existing 2nd floor roof is converted into a roof garden. This garden is activated by the different layouts dictated by the expansion and contraction of the radial modules, blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior.

Flexible spaces expanding outdoors allow for fresh air and sunlight to influtrate the interior, increasing the potential of healing spaces for patients.

Endless configurations promote unique spaces and combinations of interior and garden.

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+ TECHNICAL

+ GREENPOINT THEATER Columbia GSAPP Course: Avdanced Tech IV Professor: Sarrah Khan Lead Critic: Nicole M. Dosso Partners: Jack Lynch James Piatiantini Adina Bauman Site: Greenpoint, Brooklyn The Greenpoint Theater introduces a new arts and culture center to Transmitter Park. The project invites the users to enter though an open air plaza lined with commercial spaces.

A thuroughfare directs pedestrians towards an outdoor stage overlooking the Manhattan skyline. With multiple stages for events and showings, including a 500 person auditorium and an intimate black box, the building caters to a range of performance and gathering spaces.

Above the open air plaza, the elevatied black box uses a frosted glass flooring system with subtle views into the performance space. The pedestrians below can see the hint of movement above, inviting them in to participate and enjoy.

With the use of both passive and active building systems, the Greenpoint Theater attempts to lower its environmental impact while fully integrating passive features into the design.

Through the use of a green wall for shading and bioswales for managing rainwater and flooding of the East River, the theater aims to educate the users about sustainable design initiatives.

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4 A300

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A300

A503

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A EWS_01

UP

T.O.F.F. 24' - 2"

1

DN EWS_04

A503 T.O.F.F. 24' - 2" T.O.S 24' - 0"

EWS_05

BAR

PE 01

PE 02

676 SF

THEATER LOUNGE

DN

B

6 A712

UP

847 SF

EWS_01

ELECT

FL-2

WOMEN'S WC

78 SF

GL-1 W-2

168 SF

FL-2

FL-4

1 A111

MEN'S WC 136 SF

C MECH 377 SF

KITCHEN BLACK BOX STORAGE AND ELETRICAL

744 SF EWS_05

CONCRETE CONTROL POINTS EWS_05

209 SF

D GL-2 GL-2

2

LOBBY AND CONCESSIONS

A401 W-2

DN

1 A112

1 2 3

3754 SF W-2

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1

A401

BLACKBOX

A300

RESTAURANT

2970 SF

E

1643 SF W-4

T.O.F.F. 24' - 2" T.O.S 24' - 0"

FL-3

3 A300 13 A712

FL-2

4 A710

F W-3

GALLERY

FL-2

A401

1278 SF 5 A710

3

15 A712

W-2

UP

G SERVICE COORIDOR

STUDIO RECEPTION

866 SF

345 SF

UP

1 A710

G DN

DN

CHANGING ROOMS

EWS_01

2 A710

DANCE STUDIO 828 SF

263 SF

MECHANICAL

W-6

259 SF

FL-5 W-7

UP

423 SF T.O.F.F. 24' - 2" T.O.S 24' - 0"

ELECT.

ELECT

Pro

100 SF

Da

EWS_02

66 SF SE 01

H

MECH

EWS_02

STORAGE 231 SF

T.O.F.F. 24' - 2"

I 1

101

Level 2 1/8" = 1'-0"

EWS_02

Sc

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+ NEWARK FOOD CAMPUS Columbia GSAPP Course: Avdanced Tech V Professor: Craig Schwitter Lead Critic: Scott Demel Partners: Julia Gielen, Nika Teper, Lucy Navarro, Krista Wiryomartono Site: Newark, New Jersey The Newark Food Campus aims to incorporate waste, energy, water and transit into a multifacted system. With the creation of a vertical farm, along side residential and commercial infrastructure, the Newark Food campus will work to process food waste and water into energy, grow and distribute produce, and provide public outdoor space for residents.

Reducing the size of the highway allows bikers and pedestrians to utilize the outdoor space.

Providing the city with a composting collection site, the campus works with the local community to generate power out of waste. Composting infrastructure is built into the system of mixeduse buildings, allowing for easy collection and participation. The vertical garden doubles as an education space and a lighting installation in the evenings when the LED growing lights can be exposed.

Farm-to-table restaurants line the waterfront, bringing awareness about food distribution, while recycling food waste back to the bio-digesters on site. By improving mobility and catering to the pedestrian rather than the car, the Newark Food Campus hopes to improve the quality of life for local residents and serve as a model for future development of Newark.

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+ EXPLORATIONS

+ CUBED GARDENS Columbia GSAPP Course: Techniques of the Ultrareal Professor: Joseph Brennan, Phillip Crupi Partners: Lucy Navarro, Stephanie Bigelow Site: Hudson, New York Cubed Gardens is an exploration into rendered imagry as a tool for design. Starting from hand sketches, to 3d modeling, to final images, this project embraces the process as a means to create an architectural story. Large intersecting cubes scatter around an aquatic garden full of vegetation. Monolithic in form, but subtle within the landscape, Cubed Gardens aims to emphasize small details within the larger whole. Carved staircases are subtracted from the masses, accentuating the stone materiality.

Sectioned plant beds hide below the surface of the water, revealing moments of intricacies. Large glass facades invite the viewer to see a glimpse of the interiors. A dappled landscape emphasizes a dreamy atmosphere. Through Techniques of the Ultrareal, Cubed Gardens transforms from a quick notebook sketch to a set of images full of life. The initial vision for a final image drives the design process, rather than a rendered image resulting from a traditonal design method.

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+ THE BLUR BUILDING Columbia GSAPP Course: Architectural Drawing & Representation I Professor: Farzin Lotfi-Jam Site: Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland This project investigates the existing Blur Building by DS + R, built for the 2002 Swiss Expo. The project analyzes the design through drawing and representation techniques from multiple influential precedents.

Studying the work of DS + R’s technical drawings, in combination with the negative space in Dogma drawings, the atmospheric qualities of Emilio Ambasz, and the hatching of Paul Rudolph, a new language is formed. Taking these techniques and applying them to the Blur Building allows for a completely unique reading and a new understanding of how representation can transform a project. The model follows the theme of experimenting with new modes of representation, modeling fog out of glycerin, a solid, to create a physical from for something ethereal. The animation attempted to represent the clouds with an even less likely substitution, popcorn.

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+ SS INTREPID 3D Columbia GSAPP Course: Tools for Show Professor: Bika Rebek Partner: Hamad Almuzaini Site: USS Intrepid, Hudson River, NY This class worked with emerging technologies to 3D scan objects, people, and spaces. With a focus on the inactive naval aircraft carrier, the SS Intrepid, this class was given access to parts of the ship not open to the public. The Sick Bay has yet to be converted into a safe space for visitors, or properly preserved. Using these scanning technologies, 3D digital and physical models were constructed. These tools were then used to give virtual access to visitors of the museum into the Sick Bay. Prototype phone applications were developed to provide this virtual access. As one of the largest rooms in Sick Bay, Surgery Room 1 invites the visitors to explore the space where sailors would have received medical attention. As one moves through the virtual space, different textures, materials and sounds emphasize the experience of visiting Sick Bay. Interactions with the machines in the sterilization room allow for exploration through historical moments from the ship, while the VR headset gives the freedom to walk around within the space. One can follow the buttons in the sterilization room or roam through Surgery 1 to uncover hidden information from historical moments of the ship. The surgery chair stands in the middle of the room, inviting users to maneuver around it.

The chair becomes a character in the space, helping to form the story of Intrepid’s Sick Bay.

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+ TRANSITIONAL GEOMETRY Columbia GSAPP Course: Transitional Geometry Professor: Joshua Jordan This project focused on the abstract study of tiling principles. By studying different iterations of strategically placed nodes, new found relationships created a library of objects. These combinations allowed for a single tile to create a unique three-dimensional pattern over a large area. Further development through digital and physical fabrication created additional challenges and design directions. Starting with a sketch of potential replicable geometry, a digital model was developed and tested for 3D printing.

This 3D printed prototype was cast inside of a silicone mold. When the geometry was removed, the negative space remained. This allowed for replication of concrete tiles to be made using the silicone mold repeatedly. Photography played a role in the representation of scale and potential uses as figures occupy the scene with the concrete tiles.

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+ PLASTIC MODERNITY Columbia GSAPP Course: Advanced History Professor: Luis Carranza Partner: Matteo Cordera El Monumento Nacional a la Bandera in Rosario, Argentina, was inaugurated on June 20, 1957 to commemorate Manuel Belgrano, the creator of the Argentinian flag. The monument was designed by architects Ángel Guido and Alejandro Bustillo, along with sculptors José Fioravanti, Alfredo Bigatti, Eduardo Barnes and Lola Mora. The 10,000 square meter memorial represents Argentina as a ship, “cutting through the waters of eternity towards a future of greatness”.

This book extracts the many sculptures and reliefs that were created to enhance the architecture of this monument. Through a layered analysis, this project aims to investigate the statues’ meaning and historical relevance. By using three lenses of representation, we isolate the statues form, detail, and context. Our aim is to create a catalog of not only the monumental architecture, but of the statues that tell a story of Argentina’s national identity.

Due to the lack of English language sources about El Monumento Nacional a la Bandera, this project is bilingual in hopes of reaching a broader audience.

The marble paper cover speaks to the patina of the bronze sculptures. The pages are individually threaded into the spine, to create a handmade piece to display the research. Page material varies; card stock for silhouettes, mylar for transparent overlays, and paper for color images.

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Patria y Amor

Patria y Amor

Name: Homeland and Love

Nombre: Patria y Amor

Type: Statue

Tipo: Escultura

Material: Bronze

Material: Bronce

Dimensions: 19.5’ x 8’ x 5’

Dimensiones: 6m x 2.5m x 1.5m

Artist: Jose Fioravanti

Autor: Jose Fioravanti

The values represented in the monument to the flag are Argentina’s spiritual heritage. The personification of the “Motherland of Love and Brotherhood” , situated in front of the civic plaza and the work “the ideal and the glory” and presiding over the atrium leading to the crypt.

This massive yet feminine bronze statue by Jose Fioravanti stands inside a large niche of the tower and displays a serene demeanor towards the spectator. With her arms open to the public, the statue also wears a cape covering her back and a crown made of laurel.

She carries a shield, however, her demeanor is not aggressive but rather calming and protective: exuding self confidence, cheerful alertness and aware of her own power. The right foot is reaching out symbolizing the clarity of the journey towards the future.

Los valores representados en el Monumento a la Bandera son los valores espirituales, en este caso la Patria del Amor y la Fraternidad, ubicada frente al Patio Civico y El Ideal y La Gloria, presidiendo en el Atrio los dos ingresos a la Cripta. “La Patria de la Fraternidad y el Amor” de Jose Fioravanti emplazada dentro de un gran nicho, es una figura femenina en bronce de formas macizas y actitud serena. Sus brazos estan abiertos, una larga capa cubre su espalda y en su cabeza lleva una corona de laureles. Porta un escudo, “pero la suya no es actitud de combate, sino de tranquila seguridad, de connanza en si misma. de serena alerta y de consciente poderio”. Su pie derecho esta adelantado como un simbolo de la marcha sin sobresaltos, propia de aquel que sabe a donde va, que conoce su ruta y que tiene delante de si un horizonte claro”.

“ Monuments are human landmarks which men have created as symbols for their ideals, for their aims, and for their actions.They are intended to outlive the period which originated them, and constitute a heritage for future generations.

As such, they form a link between the past and the future.”

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