ISAAK BENCHOFF
PORTFOLIO
2024
In Northwest Arkansas, we have seen a dramatic rise in the cost of housing to the point that key residents of the region are uprooted and forced to move away. The populationmightseeka new form of housing: one that leveragesitslocationtomaximumeffect.Inaregionthatis atoncehilly,sunny,andhighly vegetated, this low-cost-to-
buildhomecanregulatetemperature through the natural environment;prevailingwinds, sun paths, and thermal mass fromearthandvegetationall working inserviceofreducing energy use. All materials are locally abundant, sustainable, and capable of being moved by one or a few people. The structureisaZollingerlamella created by standard sized
lumber aggregated into a curving shape, best to counteract the structural and hydrostatic forcesat workinan earth-shelter. Efforts taken to formulate the Subterranean Project spans experimenting withwater,wind,sun,vegetation,andlargescalestructural model testing. This research wascarriedoutaspartofmy undergraduate thesis at the
FayJonesSchoolofArchitecture, granting me much time to study precedents in vernacular and contemporary architectureaswellasbuilda myriadofprocessmodelsthat deal in contending with the spatial,hydrostatic,structural, andmeteorologicaleffectson thedesign.
SUBTERRANEANS A REGIONAL EARTH DWELLING FOR COMFORT AND BEAUTY
Named for the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gilded adhesive, Saltivka : Kintsugi is an entry into an international competition to designamodularsystemthat may be applied to damaged and otherwise neglected concrete housing blocks in Ukraine. The chosen site is the Saltivka neighborhood in Kharkiv, where many such buildings sustained heavy amountsofshelling.Thegoals weretodeployanewstructural system where required to
rebuild and reinforce existing buildings, propose a new cladding solution to enhance remaining buildings, improve safety by introducing new stairways and walkways, and revitalize the public areas with public stoas that also serve as air-raid shelters, protecting the residents during their continued time of turmoil. This system aims toprovideaflexiblefloorplan with one-way structural bay system that is evocative of classicalvaulting.Cantilevered
concrete and steel walkways joinnewandexistinghousing unitstoadditionalfireescape routes, where previously there was only one. While this eliminates balconies, it provides an opportunity for improving comfort, as these new interstitial spaces may become sunrooms with operable glazing. As existing rubbleisclearedaway,itmay be gathered into baskets for useinthelandscapingofthe stoas.
CH-CH-CHANGES
In my final semester, I enrolled in a studio with visiting architect Jeremy Smith of Irving-Smith Architects in New Zealand. Our goal was explore an urban design that could handleinternalandexternal changes, with the goal of innovating towards more lastingarchitecture,whileat the same time tracking our progress to a design that is carbon-neutral. Several iterations were produced, each changing as we were givennewprogrammaticor situationalrequirements.
My final design is a vertical street gathered within a basket of timber lamella. The woven form creates a strong but permable framework within residents, visitors,andcustomersmay explore a pedestrian street. Providedunitsofshopsand housingaredesignedtobe adaptable with minimum cost, so that the needs of the users are reflected by the internal streetscape. By providing amenities, the tower seeks to inform about pedestrian-centered urban environments while also investigating what is possible through timber structure.
Alongside Subterraneans, I worked with the nonprofit Urban Design Build Studio in developing the Workforce 16 housingprototype.Itisalowcost to build and maintain house designed to be immediatelyaffordabletothe medianwageoftheworkforce
in Northwest Arkansas, $16 an hour. The work I did built off the work of three previous semesters that had determined the appropriate size and general massing to meet financial requirements. This semester, we worked towards fully refined designs
for an east-to-west and a north-to-south prototype builtofwave-layeredtimber,a Finnishconstructiontechnique for turning dimensional lumber into adhesiveless, mass-timber assemblies. My part was working on the design team creating
the east-to-west prototype. We looked very closely at lowering maintenance costs throughutilizationofsunand wind for heating and cooling throughout the year. Of particularinterestwastheroof profileandwindowplacement, which saw extensive iteration
to find the best combination of daylighting, shade, and ease of constructibility. Since oursemesterworkingonit,a sectionofthehousehasbeen constructedonthenorthlawn ofVolWalkerhall.
Made in Collaboration with Lindsay Anderson
Thisadaptivereuseprojectin Rome was a part of an eyeopening experience studying abroad.Mystaywasrichwith lessons in monumentality, culture, walkability, urban strategies, hand-drawing techniques, proportional relationships, classic motifs, andcommunity engagement.
Working on this project involved delving deeply into thenatureoftheneighborhood context surrounding via Flaminia. The lense narrowed ontoviaGuidoReni,andthen the former army barracks that was to be considered for reuse.The strategy ofthe proposal maintains most of the original complex, making
alterations to the walls to createperforations.Arounded wall creates suction from the streetcorner.
Thisandotherinterventions touch lightly to the original structure.
GRACCH: VIA GUIDO RENI ARTS CULTURE AND COMMUNITY HUB, ROME 2022
In my third semester we travelled to Chicago. There I was enraptured by the classical motifs of the highrises. I transformed this general motif into a study of classical proportions to carry forward into the design of theCulture Center. Theresult wasalessoninacolumn-grid a space made of a structural
matrix proportioned to the golden ratio. Spaces are perfectlydividedamongstthe structuralbays.Ananomalous curvingwallcutsthroughthe rigor, containing a sculpture gallery. All aspects of design aregovernemedbyanattempt to achieve mathematical perfectionintheirproportions andarea.
I worked for two summers and one winter break at a land developer in Rogers, Arkansas, Bespoke Builders Inc. My first projects were todesign,detail,andcreate construction document sets for single-family residential homes. As I took the role of the primary designer at this small firm, I was given much creative control over manyhouses.Ourintentions were to engage with the
community to discover how besttosuittheirneeds.The result was the creation of a few different basic plans that could be built quickly. At this time, the housing market was exploding, and cost per square foot at market price grew. Each subsequent house became smaller. A project of more affordable houses was launched, building two different plans across the
whole development. More recent work was done on multifamily condos in a walkable setting near the Pinnacle-Hills area of Rogers,Arkansas.
For my integrated design studioproject,Iwaschallenged to work with parametric softwares to help guide the iterativeprocessindesigninga libraryinSpringdale,Arkansas. The script written to perform this function was directed to formulate several massings of voxels corresponding to a specifictotalbuildingvolume. The goal was to create a library that touched the groundverylightly,shadinga largeareaandcontributingto
the site of the library serving many community functions: teaching gardens, studying spaces, and market areas. In leveraging locally abundant materials, the structure is entirely wood. The cladding is carbonized wood with an exterior layer of perforated steel sheets. The perforations inthesteelareparametrically designed to convey images reflecting Springdale culture as understood by me as a person who grew up there.
The naturalistic theme depicts local flora and fauna as well as a large bull, a nod to Springdale’s rodeo and livestock industries. Interior program contains many community engagement programs,areastorenttools, aplacetodistributethefood grownonsiteattheteaching gardens, an auditorium, and a children’sgathering area. A greenhouse on site contains exotic plants to further the purposesofeducation.
