Spring 2020 Portfolio

Guy LafĂ´ret Architecture Portfolio 2016 // 2020

resume Guy Laforet is a fourth year under graduate architecture student at the University of Southern California. Born and raised in a multicultural family with relatives spread across multiple continents, he believes his knowledge of diverse cultures played a role in forming the foundation of his study of the creative arts.

He has his father to thank for the multiple opportunities he had to move to different countries. Having lived in Yokohama, Paris, Ho Chi Minh City, Barcelona, and now Los Angeles, his notion of a “home� has been challenged and redefined frequently.

Now, he hopes to apply his life experiences into his study of architecture, and produce creative solutions that place an emphasis on the familiarity and comfort of a home.

Guy LafĂ´ret

phone +1 (213) 712 2284 email laforetk@usc.edu address 2370 Portland St. Los Angeles, CA 90007

edu

wrk

intrn

Yokohama Int’l School

Seigado (清雅堂)

Bloomfield Co.

USC Shoah Foundation

A RoundHouse Platform

International Baccalaureate Prgm.

Yokohama, Japan May 2016

University of Southern California NAAB Bachelor of Architecture Los Angeles, California Aug 2016 ~ Ongoing

Universidad Ramon Llull La Salle

Yamanaka Lacquerware Retail Store Cashier duty, translation work and customer service for foreign shoppers The Red Brick Warehouse, Japan May ~ Aug 2018 Institute for Visual History and Education Digital migration & archiving of media, Quality controlling, and Logistics Los Angeles, California May 2019 ~ Ongoing

USC Architecture Study Abroad Prgm.

Barcelona, Spain Aug ~ Dec 2019

Retail Space Design Firm Blueprinting and Costruction experience with BAKE Cheese Tart project Shonan Terracemall, Japan *May ~ July 2018 Architecture Design & Curatorial Platform Parametric model designing and Building projects such as “PP: LA is Endless” and “Horizon made of Wool” Los Angeles, California *May ~ Aug 2019 *Internships were done simultaneously with summer jobs

exp

skls

fun

Space Saloon 2019

Communication

Backpacking

Software

Creative Arts

Teamwork & Initiative

Athletics

Design Laboratory and Workshop Fabrication of Workshop materials for A RoundHouse Platform in collaboration with Office Kovacs and MILLIØNS Morongo Valley, California Jun 2019

Interior Renovation Proj.

for the USC Shoah Foundation Designing ideas for $5000 office renovation Los Angeles, California Mar 2019 ~ Ongoing

Tri-Space Design Comp.

Special Mention Award Apr 2020

Fluent in Japanese and English Conversational French Experience with Customer Service Adobe Suite (Ps, Ai, Id, Au) Rhino 3D, Grasshopper AutoCAD, SketchUp V-Ray, Lumion, Blender Intercollegiate architecture workshops with La Salle and U. of Virginia students A Team-first Mindset

Memorable travels include 6-day tour of Iceland, a day-trip to Gibraltar, and Andorra Visited 25 Countries and counting Architectural Photography and Sketching Cinematography and Digital media Self-taught Trumpet due to interest in Jazz Home-style Cooking Boxing for 3 yrs with background in Karate Played Varsity Basketball in Highschool

heim The affordable housing project entails the study and exploration of solutions to resolve homelessness; an issue that plagues the south Los Angeles neighborhood. Primary considerations for the design includes its feasibility, affordability and accessibility while ensuring that local building regulations are fulfilled.

The new apartment complex should, ideally, be much more than just a cluster of shelters. This is an opportunity to redevelop the stagnant neighborhood by introducing public facilities and services to evoke a sense of community. The site sits at an intersection between Figueroa and Slauson, and has its back towards the 110 freeway exit. Evidently, traffic in this area is plentiful and so is the potentiality for many new visitors. Yet, as of now, the site is merely a passing point for many commuters.

Fall 2018 South Los Angeles, CA Community Residence “Puncture House�

The objective of the proposed design is to create reason for people to stop by, whether that is to marvel at the building, or to visit one of its many services. The project takes on two phases; first, to propose an interior design prototype for a single-occupancy studio -- a preliminary study to get acquainted with working on limited space.

This is followed by a general proposal of a supportive housing complex specifically designed for the given site.

A lived-in studio is meant to feel like a living organism; shrinking and shifting in response to the inhabitant’s specific needs. However, excessively modular designs can also be problematic, with increased costs to manufacture and difficulty of use.

With only one moving component -- the table and partition combo -- the studio transforms into a pseudo 1DK apartment, giving the user the option for privacy. The shifting partition not only closes off the bedroom, it also enlarges the kitchen and dining space.

Conversely, opening the partition reveals a wide corridor allowing for wheelchair access.

SINGLE-OCCUPANCY STUDIO MUSEUM BOARD, FOAM CORE 6” X 12” (1’-0” = 1/2”)

3’-0”

PUSH

PUSH

6’-6”

12’ - 0”

34”

12’ - 0”

24’ - 0”

COMPONENTS EXPLODED

MORNING ROUTINE

PRIVATE SPACE

COMING HOME ROUTINE

“WET” ZONE PUBLIC SPACE

MANEUVERABILITY DIAGRAM

A principle goal is to create a sense of community whilst respecting the needs for privacy. To encourage social interaction, units are configured to form clusters of localized ‘micro neighborhoods’. This zoning logic is made possible as a result of the customizable angular housing units, where increments of triangular modules can be combined for additional rooming capacity.

of unit types -- the lower floors reserved for single occupancy studios, and family homes dominating the upper floors. Consequently, every floor enjoys a vastly different grouping of homes, and will share outdoor community terraces of varying size. Meanwhile, residents can expect a comfortable level of privacy whilst indoors, as units branch out toward the edges of the site boundaries.

The units are extensible in a way that retains the overall profile of the building, which should be evident from the likeness in all floor plans spanning 5 stories. However, each floor consists of different combinations

Given the traffic heavy neighborhood, the apartment faces a unique challenge. The site should be inviting, but it would benefit from moments of quietude. The perforated facade is a visual barrier, allowing for an uninhibited

view from within, while calming glows permeating through the punctures treat the public eye. Another imporant feature is the sunken public plaza, which mitigates visual and sound pollution from street level. The vastness of the plaza makes it ideal for hosting various events, including a farmer’s market, a venue for performances or simply a picnic spot.

3 4

2

5

4

1 4

1 2 3 4 5

COMMUNITY TERRACE TYPICAL 2 BEDROOM UNIT TYPICAL FAMILY UNIT STAIRCASE ELEVATOR

TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN

PUNCTURE HOUSE MUSEUM BOARD 8” X 11”

aqua The public pool project is the culmination of the studies conducted on the characteristics of long-span structures. Following a precedent study of successful long-span projects, the goal is to design a structurally sound aquatics complex in Los Angeles.

With heavy emphasis on the ADA standards, the project looks to demonstrate understanding and application of the building codes, all the while satisfying a myriad of design specifications.

Given the alotted site bounds of 180ft by 180ft, the facility is meant to be more than just a public pool -- it is to become a family-oriented venue with eateries, lounges and activity rooms.

The challenge of the project was to fulfill the strict list of design requirements, which dictated the type, number, and square footage of each program. In addition, a practical accessibility scheme would also become paramount to the success of the design.

SPRING 2019 Los Angeles, CA Aquatics Center “The SLAB”

Unlike past projects, the approach to this design is heavily influenced by pragmatics: the type of long-span structure must first be elected, and a series of programs are pre-determined. Thus, the project is an opportunity to test one’s creative limits within the restrictive conditions.

The aquatics complex relies on a site-cast, two-way joist system as its primary structure.

The waffle slab construction shines in its application of long-span structures; which is especially true for buildings requiring large uninterrupted spaces, such as pools. The slab produces a grid with 5ft intervals, doubling as an ideal organizational system in which programs can be laid out.

Supporting columns are meticulously hidden within specific load-bearing walls, which are also spaced apart to correspond with the maximum allowable distance between adjacent columns; in this case, 30ft. The distinctive concrete waffle grid is left

exposed on the underside for both aesthetic effect, as well as to serve the important function of organizing the electrical and ventilation systems discreetly.

Similarly, the aquatic hall is fully clad with glass panes, in order to take advantage of the picturesque view of nature that resides behind the site.

The project design emphasizes the pair of diagonal load-bearing concrete walls, which are the only components disobeying the grid layout. This was a decision made to break the parallels between the building and street.

Consequently, the front entrance and plaza will no longer be visually connected to the busy intersection to its immediate right.

Instead, the plaza becomes a little pocket of tranquility and a possible spot for outdoor activities.

NORTH-EAST CORNER CONDITION PLYWOOD, MUSEUM BOARD 36� X 36�

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

ESTABLISH LOAD-BEARING CONCRETE WALLS

CONCRETE WALLS ARE ROTATED ON AN AXIS AGAINST STREET

TWO-WAY JOIST SYSTEM IS INTRODUCED

SLABS ARE SHIFTED VERTICALLY TO DIFFERENTIATE FLOORS

WALLS ARE ESTABLISHED AND FRONT PLAZA IS DEMARCATED

STYLISTIC FEATURES ARE ADDED IN RESPONSE TO SITE

1

3

2

5

4

6 7

SECOND FLOOR 1) Pool Balcony 2) Fitness Room 3) Solarium 4) Games Room / Lounge 5) Aquatic Hall 6) Bathrooms 7) Staff Lounge

1

2

3 5

4 6

7 8

9

GROUND FLOOR N 1) Swimming Pool Area 2) Lifeguard Office and Infirmary 3) Gendered Changing Rooms 4) Aquatic Hall 5) Staff Offices / Meeting Room

6) Lobby and Eatery 7) Bathrooms 8) Staff Lounge 9) Outdoor Plaza 10) Storage Area

10

PLANS

CONSTRUCTION DETAIL MDF, CHIP BOARD 24” X 12”

SITE-CAST CONCRETE STANDING SEAM VENTILATION DUCT WHITE BITUMEN ROOFING SLAB REINFORCEMENT MESH #4 REBAR Ø1/2IN STEEL DRIP SCREEN CONCRETE EDGE PARAPET

DOUBLE GLAZED WINDOW STEEL FRAMING / SILL WOOD BLOCKING

COVER BOARD 2IN x 4IN METAL STUD DOUBLE LAYERED 3/4IN GYPSUM BOARD THERMAL INSULATION

WEST ELEVATION

FIRE EXIT

FIRE EXIT

EX SE

91

’

IT ON

TI RA PA

SOUTH SECTION

S DI E NC TA AX

(M ’)

7.5

12

FIRE EXIT

180’

CODE COMPLIANT MEANS OF EGRESS

POOLSIDE PLAN

Area of Refuge 36’ x 48”

7”

3’-0

”

11”

”

6’-0

”

3’-0 3’-0

”

”

6’-1

0”

4’-6

”

’-0”

6’-5”

4’-0

Ø 79”

3

Turning Radius Clearance (Min 60”)

ADA COMPLIANT LOCKER ROOM

ADA COMPLIANT EGRESS

urbn blk The urban limits of the greater Montjuic area marks a vast plot of industrial land of a by-gone era. The site is strategically located on unique topography and surrounded by major infracstructure like the harbor, railroads and a major street leading into the city of Barcelona.

This project is a study of an abandoned industrial super block, and how it could be revived into an enclosed residential community and a new social hub on the west side of the Montjuic.

The qualities of a self-contained city is, in many ways, similar to that of a human cell. There are key components shared among the two that served as a basis for the design of the block. The street facing facade serves as a semi-permiable membrane allowing access through a hard threshold whilst blocking the visual connection to the outside. Public squares are large essential hubs which allow for the exchange of information, serving a function of the cell nucleus.

Fall 2019 Barcelona, Spain The Super “Super� Block

The project explores the potentialities for an overhaul of the Marina del Prat Vermell area, utilizing a simple zoning logic that divides the city into compartmentalized super-blocks. This project will act as a prototype in which future sites could refer to, in order to maintain coherence among neighboring urban blocks.

The urban oasis developed here relies on an organizational logic that primarily focuses on mitigating the unsightly industrial cityscape, providing a community hub, and introducing an effective circulation system to help navigate through the dense urban blocks.

A challenge was that existing structures were not to be demolished, but incorporated into the design. The contrasting techniques of Catalan artists, Chillida and Oteiza served as a foundation for the establishment of space.

3 building languages were produced.

The inspiration for the design was founded on the principles of Cerda’s utopian vision of the interior courtyards, which at the time, never came to fruition. Public spaces are to be activated by a near-continuous facade of commercial programs, while upper floors were reserved for more privacy-oriented residential units.

Chillida’s concept of space revolves around the forced introduction of voids in a solid: a design language applicable when building through or within an existing structure.

Oteiza’s method of creating space is to use surfaces as a means to contain it. Buildings that are built up on existing structures benefit from this method of claiming space.

The use of two local artists’ techniques was a deliberate choice to make the super-blocks more culturally relevant.

UNITERRUPTED FACADE WITH FEW ENTRY POINTS

SITE STRATEGY

BUILDING THROUGH EXISTING STRUCTURE VOID MANIPULATION A

EDUARDO CHILLIDA

EXTERIOR FACADE BUILDINGS DOUBLE AS OUTER PERIMETER CORRIDOR

BUILDING WITHIN EXISTING STRUCTURE VOID MANIPULATION B

EXISTING BUILDINGS EXTRACTED SPACES (PUBLIC PLAZAS) NEWLY ADDED BUILDINGS PEDESTRIANPATHWAYS

BUILDING UP ON EXISTING STRUCTURE SURFACE MANIPULATION

JORGE OTEIZA

OTEIZA’S SURFACES CHILLIDA’S VOIDS PUBLIC FACILITY

CA

RR

ER

COMMERCIAL

DE

LP AB

IGL

ES

IAS

COMMERCIAL

LO

COMMERCIAL

ETA

AM

EL

COMMERCIAL

BATHROOM

PUBLIC FACILITY

COMMERCIAL

RD

RE

R CA

IA

RG

U L-L

reserved for residential units [site B]

typical residential unit [site C] 16m 9.5m

mezzanine [site A]

8.9m

2.4m

30.3m

33m

40m

27.25m

continuous corridor allows access to outer-most perimeter of superblock

172m

N SITE PLAN

reserved for residential units [site B] 16.8m

mezzanine [site A]

6.75m

7m

9.5m

17.6m

1.8m

4.1m 5.6m

5.5m

13.1m 6m

90m

5.25m

10.65m

SOUTH SECTION

5.6 m

6m

3.8m 3.8m

corridor 3.6m

1.8

m

2m

3.6m

m 4.6

r

6m

do

rri

glass panes

2m x 2m steel panel & wood louvers

co

2m

FACADE MATERIAL DETAIL

RESIDENTIAL UNIT SECTION

RESIDENTIAL UNIT

typical residential unit [site C]

4.9m

7m

1.8m

6.5m

12.5m

17.5m

8.3m

7.25m

35m

82m

SOUTH ELEVATION

smpl wrks. sketches, models & renders