guy laforet 2016 -19
résumé
education 2008 - 2013
British Int’l School, Vietnam* 2013 - 2016
Yokohama Int’l School, Japan* 2016 - Present
Univ. of Southern California Bachelor of Architecture
Guy
Laforet-Kawaguchi Undergraduate Student +1 (213) 712-2284 laforetk@usc.edu U.S. Local Address
325 W. Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 Permanent Address
269-11 Yamate-Cho, Naka-Ku, Yokohama, JP Nationality
Japanese, French November 5th, 1997
*Int’l Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
work experience 2013 - 2016
Global Issues Network (NPO)
Environmental Committee Chairperson Projects to improve neighborhood / school 2016 June - August
Yokohama Int’l School
Summer School English Class T.A. 2017 June - August
Bloomfield Co. Japan (Architecture) Part-Time Employee Site visists, Construction drawings 2018 May - August
静雅堂 Japan (Retail)
Part-Time Employee English & Japanese Customer Service
relevant skillsets Trilingual (Japanese, English, French) Adobe Programs (Ps, Ai, Id, Pr, Fw) MS Office Programs Rhinoceros 3D AutoCAD Sketchup Modeleling (+ Woodshop, Laser cutting)
interests Amateur Boxing (2018) Basketball (High School Varsity Team) Piano (Have performed in a concert) Self-taught Instruments (Trumpet, Guitar) Coin Collecting (1875 Indian Head Penny) Watching relatively obscure movies
contents
gehry residence
2
warehouse daycare
8
material experimentation | santa monica
spatial conditions exploration | la arts district
field conditions
18
autopia: los angeles
26
supportive housing
38
manipulation of geometric form
a study of the four ecologies | sunset blvd.
designing for a community | los angeles
gehry residence material experimentation |santa monica
The Gehry Residence project entails the scrutiny and exploration of materials used in unconventional ways. From the visual effects brought about by the seemingly out of place chainlink fence, the bluntness of the wedged tilted glass cubes; it was a design that clealry deviated from the norm. Having explored the vast complexities of this Santa Monica home, the following project is the culmination of material experimentation, trial and error, and a greater understanding of the concepts of deconstructivist design.
2
deconstruction To better understand the controlled chaos that is the Gehry Residence, the “2.5 Dimensional Model� is an attempt to discover a design logic. The exercise is an opportunity to pick apart the Gehry Residence, piece by piece. It is evident that Gehry supplanted clarity for ambiguity; lines that distinguished the old from the new, the walls to the roof, the horizontal and vertical are simply no more. What’s left in its place is a design unrestricted by the confines of materiality -- a wall can be clad in corrugated steel if it also functions as a roof.
reconstruction
With the lines of traditional architecture blurred, ma no longer confined to a single surface. Witness the stretching, converging and contorting to occupy ne The result is a geometric form with little to no resemb former self. Instead, introducing new spatial conditio
reconstructed models museum board 4� x 4�
aterials are e materials ew spaces. blance to its ons.
6
warehouse daycare
spatial conditions exploration |la arts district
The warehouse daycare synthesizes the knowledge of materiality gained through the Gehry Residence project, and takes it a step further. The project requires an abandoned warehouse in the industrial district to be converted into a daycare center. Materiality remains as a key principle in the design. The daycare center is to be built in such way that the original warehouse facade remains mostly intact. The project is an exploration of materials and program, and how these two factors can interrelate to produce spatial conditions fit for a daycare facility.
8
arts district warehouse 1567 industrial st, los angeles, ca 90021
mĂŠlanger To break the inherent monotony of the warehouse facade, a series of graphic “swatches“ are developed using photographs taken during an on-site investigation. Ultimately, the collages serve as opportunities to identify interesting interplay between materials and components.
reassembled model (left) plywood, chip board 12” x 12” corner condition (down) foam core, textured card 12” x 12”
reassembly A given corner condition of the warehouse is broken up into 27 modules, which is then scrambled in a fashion similar to that of a rubik’s cube. The purpose behind this operation is to prevent the full destruction of the iconic warehouse facade. The achieved visual effect is akin to the look of a partially solved cube, in which portions of the facade remain unscathed. It is intended so that any face could be the floor, the roof, or the wall.
12
main entrance elevation
section
daycare The warehouse daycare retains aspects of its former structure, including its distinctly tall triple-pitch roof and its vehicle access doors. The spatious interiors are used extravagantly, establishing large pockets of programmatic zones (learning space, dance floor, indoor play area etc.). While the mirrored plan does produce duplicates of each space, the interchanging of materials helps to determine program, whilst simultaneously evoking a completely diferent aesthetic feel. The ample ceiling height enables the facility to encorporate mezzanines, which houses programs that won’t be frequently accessed by the children, such as the faculty offices. The placement of partitions and frequent level changes in the ground make the facility itself feel like a playground, encouraging the children to freely explore the interior spaces.
ambiguity The footprints of the former warehouse is only evident through its brick facade and its pitched roofs. Ultimately, the design takes inspiration from Gehry’s theory regarding the deconstructivist movement -Abandoning the doctrines of traditional architecture leads to the birth of unique spactial conditions that continues to blur the boundaries between the old and new, the wall and roof, the interior and exterior.
daycare sectional model museum board, acrylic, artificial grass, foamcore 30” x 15”
field conditions
manipulation of geometric form The field conditions project is prefaced with a series of exercises to aid in the investigation of distinct geometric forms associated to 3 types of architecture: the cave, the hut, and the tent. The preliminary investigation is an opportunity to understand its formal qualities and the fundamentals of form manipulation. Knowledge of form manipulation is to be applied to a hypothetical, featureless public square, or the “ruin�. The spatial qualities of the three archetypes are brought into the site as architectural follies -- occupiable, yet lacking in programmatic value. Facilitating the design of the ruin are certain field conditions established through a series of interpretive 2 dimensional diagrams.
18
venturi house plan
the cave The cave archetype can be regarded as an agregate of massings that create spatial conditions evoking a sense of security. The models below are based off of a particular portion of the Venturi house plan that are made into simple geometries.
extrusion The process of designing a cave-style enclosure is to take advantage of its bulky nature. The final model employs a series of boolean subtraction operations that extract chunks of solid massings. Consequently, the resulting design retains the cube-like shell, with a hollow core.
sketch models (left) museum board 3” x 3” x 3” final cave model (down) museum board 8” x 8” x 8”
the tent The tent is an enclosure created through folding and creasing. The design docks two folded surfaces together to produce varied spatial conditions -- some fully enclosed, whilst others fairly exposed. final tent models museum board 6” x 6” x 6”
final hut models museum board 6” x 6” x 6”
the hut The hut bridges the gap between a cave and a tent: there is an implication of enclosure, achieved through a skeletal system. Implied spaces are easily created by the grid system.
22
field condition diagram
plan
section
final ruin model museum board 18� x 18�
the ruin The initial concept for the ruin is established through a plan drawing of the tent project, albeit transformed into a more interpretive version of its former self. While extremely abstract, the goal for the project was to identify and establish a design logic based on this field condition diagram. The series of diagonal lines intersecting the site was eventually converted into the main walkway, whilst other tighter line patterns were treated as contour lines, dictating the general elevation of the site. This resulted in a promenade-like design, featuring gentle hills.
autopia: los angeles a study of the four ecologies|sunset blvd.
The Four Ecologies, conceputalized by architectural critic Reyner Banham, meticulously categorizes the geography of the city of Los Angeles into four sectors: Surfurbia, Autopia, Plains of Id, and the Foothills. An observation of the vernacular aspects of the city, such as its local culture, history and topography, effectively divides the city into its four distinct labels. The initial phase of the project provides the opportunity to experience the four ecologies first hand, and retrieve samples of objects that are indicative of the ecology it belongs to. One of the samples are chosen for further investigation and will serve as the basis for designing a single-unit dwelling.
26
felix chevrolet The Felix Chevrolet sign embodies the automobile-centric lifestyle of Los Angeles, from its strategic placement at the center of a bustling intersection, to its association with a 90-year old car dealership business. A series of analytical drawings will be produced, with the intention of identifying its architectural qualities and develop an intimate understanding of their form. It will follow steps similar to Peter Eisenman’s investigative transformational drawings of House IV.
sheared felix model museum board 6” x 6” x 6”
28
transformation diagram (left) stonehenge paper 24” x 24” transformation models (down) museum board 5” x 5” x 8”
modularity Following a formal analysis of the sign, the diagrams illustrate the evolution of the original object. Manifesting qualities of scaling and rotational symmetry, the sign undergoes a number of formal operations that deconstruct the object into modular components. By recombining the modules arbitrarily, the new forms generate massing and elements of vertical shifting. The concept of misalignment playfuly engages with the notions of hidden asymmetry, and intentional flaws in design like that of a “glitch”.
spaulding square 7447 w sunset blvd, los angeles, ca 90046
w sunset boulevard
section c
section b
section a
mulholland drive diagram (above)
A timeline diagram tracking the movement of characters through various scenes serve as design logic.
mulholland dr. The design for the dwelling largely retains its formal qualities from the previous phase, however, certain adjustments are made with program in mind. The finalized design features exaggerated vertical shifts as a way to create a juxtaposition with the flat site. With the aid of a movie analysis diagram above, the dwelling is introduced to another design logic -- a secondary scale that adds subtler shifts to the modular “pods� that serve as programs. Given the square footage available, the design intentionally incorporates the furniture into the pillars which extrude beyond the ceilings. At these moments, the pillars serve as desk space, a staircase, a bed, and skylights. The preservation of these moments were crucial as a design choice, as it served to exemplify the dynamic transformation that generated the dwelling.
34
verticality The site model employs a layered laminate technique to illustrate the flatness of the site, while adding emphasis to the verticality of the dwelling. The design choices also reflect the unique characteristic of the site condition. For instance, the orientation of the dwelling is intentionally misaligned, or unparallel to its adjacent buildings. The wedging of the house between the existing buildings produces a funneling effect, which serve as a visual barrier to the traffic, as well as a split pathway.
layered laminate site model (left) museum board, basswood, foamcore 36” x 36” dwelling model (right) museum board 6” x 6” interior model (bottom row) museum board 6” x 6”
36
supportive housing designing for a community |los angeles
The supportive housing project aims to provide a solution to the growing need for affordable housing in the south Los Angeles area. The project design will take into consideration the feasibility, affordability, and accessibility of the housing complex, all while abiding the local building code requirements for circulation. The project begins with an on-site visit of existing supportive housing complexes such as those designed by Michael Maltzan Architects. Furthermore, a preliminary design exercise entails the designing of a single occupancy studio, which will serve to better understand programmatic needs of the inhabitants, while getting acclimated with the basics of the building code accessibility requirements.
38
morning ritual returning from work ritual
288 Sqft (12’ x 24’)
single occupancy studio The primary objective was to maximize occupyable space, whilst establishing clear zones for each program. The use of thin screen-like partitions provide visual barriers between the public (dining, kitchen), private (bed space) and wet (shower, toilet) zones, while being mobile enough to be used as a sliding door. The design uses a ribbon-like system, in which 2 large partitions intersect at a right angle, demarcating the three major programmatic zones.
40
adaptability A lived in studio is meant to feel like a living organism; expanding, shrinking and shifting to adapt to the inhabitant’s specific needs. However, a design too modular also poses problems such as cost and ease of use. Consequently, this design features just one moving component (table/ partition), but retains a wide range of customizability.
studio model museum board 6” x 12” ( 1’-0” = 1/2” )
metamorphosis The transformative nature of the studio serves the primary function of creating moments of privacy. However, an equally important purpose of a modular system is that room sizes are dynamic and can be altered to fit the specific needs of various inhabitants. For instance, the dining, workspace and kitchen area could be expanded to accomodate guests. Conversely, the main walkway can be expanded to clear the accessibility requirements stated in the building code.
south figueroa // slauson 5800 s. figueroa st, los angeles, ca 90037
community A principle goal is to create a sense of community whilst respecting the needs for privacy. To encouorage social interaction, units are configured to form clusters of localized ‘micro neighborhoods’. There will be opportunities for neighbors to come across one another, as their unit entrances will be in close proximity to each other. Furthermore, due to the vastly different floor plans, each floor will have access to outdoor community terraces for social events. In the mean time, inhabitants still retain a comfortable level of privacy whilst indoors, as each unit branches outwards towards the edges of the site boundaries.
5th floor plan
studio apartment
2 bedroom apartment
3 bedroom apartment
46
shared site model museum board 48� x 48�
privacy Given the traffic-heavy location of the apartment, certain measures have been made to ensure that the inhabitants’ privacy is not compromised. The perforated facade is a visual barrier that works as a one-way filter, allowing an uninhibited view from within, while being practically invisible from street level. Instead, the public eye is treated to a calming glow that permeates through the perforations. Furthermore, the sunk in plaza breaks the visual connection to the streets, mitigating both sound and visual pollution.
apartment final model museum board 8� x 11�
50
thank you.