Josh Robertson | Student Architecture Portfolio

JOSHUA ROBERTSON PORTFOLIO

_01 SPRING 2021

VIKING SHIP MUSEUM COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Scandinavian culture is commonly tied to its voyagers who traveled around the world establishing settlements, farming, and crafted high quality ships; who we know as vikings.

This museum is a celebration of these ancestors in their own home. The prompt for this museum was to accompany five 1:1 scale ships on display, three of which being authentic viking ships recovered from their ruins and fixed to be put on display.

The most significant problem faced with this building was accomodating these large artifacts within the 40,000 sqft allowed by thr program. Solving this problem allowed for a unique set of spaces and opportunities for residents to become reconnected with their past.

Within this context, the museum is housed on the waterfront side of the redesigned street. The main entry of the building opens towards the public parking and popular walkways located to the west of the square, next to the brewhouse. It was important to face this direction due to its concentration of traffic. The second entry, found between the north wing and the administration wing of the museum, faces perpindicular to a small public park on the plaza (green box northwest).

Much of the buildings design focuses on adding to the plaza in place of what it may be taking away from it. Public spaces are enhances with the native seaside grasses, and the entries both direct those leaving

Perforated weathered steel sheets reflect the warm oranges and reds of the historic brick and terra cotta buildings. The perforations reflect the movement of the canal and match the BLOX(3) building’s detail.

Mass timber was a prerequisite to use in the program, and in this building it helps in inspiring the structure through the wooden construction of ships.

Charred wood is used on the administation wing, fire stairs, and the interior of the north wall. It carried the rustic, weathered appeal of the viking ships, and alludes to their culture. It also reflects the

Located on Copenhagen’s Slotsholmenisland, Kierkegaard Plaza is a waterfront public square surrounded by the historic Christian IV’s Brewhouse building[1], the BLOX building[3], the Royal Library(or the black diamond)[2], and the Danish Jewish Museum[2]. The public square is bisected by Christians Brygge, a two-way street used by bikers and motorists.

Site Plan

Exploring Character

A tension between the streetside mass and the riverside mass would allow for a form that is more dynamically responsive to its context. The cornered spaces created outside would be devisive towards the circulation into the building.

Parti Development

Established early in the project, the large roof that defines the gestalt of the building embodies the movement of a ship pushing through water. It also reflects the traditional form of viking longhouses, responding to the concept of homecoming.

Split into two masses, the interior spatial definition comes from allowing the structure to be a means to the end of displaying the ships. The split was initially used to create an interesting circulation, but ended up as an atrium wing and exhibit wing.

Exhibit/Cafe Ship Atrium Administration Circulation Cores

The ships are the main focus of this design, so much of the design process is focused on how they interact with the spaces of the building. I decided early on that suspending the ships would be the best option, displaying them at every angle to show the skilled craftsmanship which went into every detail. This lead to a design done mostly through three-dimensional and sectional studies. Another aspect I studied through sketches was the motion that seems to be embodied within the ships, and exploring how I might bring that into the design.

Third Floor Plan

1. General Exhibit

2. Small Boat Exhibit

3. Meeting Spaces for Admin

4. Walk over ship exhibits

Atrium from Third Floor

Building during long scandenavian night

Public Cafe

Second Floor Plan

The cafe and bar on the second floor was something I chose to add to the program of the building. Not only would this supply the museum’s visitors with a place to rest and ruminate over their visit, but it would also supply local residents a chance to celebrate their ancestral culture within their morning rituals. The cafe connects directly to the ship atrium, allowing visitors to enjoy their morning coffee or nightly drink with a complimentary view towards the artifacts without needing a museum entry fee. I did this to respect the cultural connection locals may feel towards these objects. It would be wrong to keep them from seeing something so significant to their past.

1. Entry Atrium

2. Public Cafe

3. General Exhibit

4. Administration Office

5. Lecture Atrium

Top Floor of Atrium

Top Floor Plan

PROGRAM

1. General Exhibit

2. Walk over ship exhibits

3. Multipurpose Roof Patio

PLACE OF SEDINTARY REST

Continuing the dialogue of viking culture, the placement of the ships is meant to symbolize the ash floating through the air both in the home and above the sea, in the home as part of the longhouse’s heart, and sea as part of the ritualistic cremation of the vikings, their souls taking the forms of ashes floating up to the heavens

4. Old Ship Exhibit Atrium

_02 SPRING 2023

CENTER FOR REMEMBRANCE

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO [THESIS PROJECT]

When introducing outsiders to a community with a strong cultural identity, existing culture can begin to be changed or watered down by the identities introduced. This process is known as transculturation, and it is occuring in the urban sprawl of southwest Santa Fe.

This building and its program is designed towards establishing an outlet between this cultural desert and the rich cultural density of downtown Santa Fe. The concept that drives this is the concept of rememberance.

To feed this concept, the building has spaces which persuade inhabitants to be reflective over both their identity and the cultural identity reflected in the art exhibits. This is paired with a workshop which allows locals and artists and residence to populate the sitewide sculpture park with their representation of Santa Fe identity.

The building embodies the idea of inward reflections through its unpenetrated exterior walls, indirect lighting and natural daylighting from above. It also carries a very simplistic design language in order to be more of a canvas for the art shown accross the landscape than a focus itself.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT SOCIOCULTURAL RESEARCH

CULTURAL DESERT

For a place known for its rich cultural identity, this area of Santa Fe leaves much to be desired in its celebration of this culture The nearest cultural building is Meow Wolf which, while it is based in Santa Fe, it carries a more general celebration of art rather than one for Santa Fe. The closest significant example of a celebration cultural identity occurs 7 and a half miles away in the downtown.

SITE CONTEXT

KEY Sites

1. Center for Rememberance

2. Multi-generational Center

3. Farm to Table Restaurant

4. Performance Arts Center

5. Santa Fe Permaculture Institute

6. Center for the Humanities

7. Underprivileged Center

8. Drainage Path Didactic

Exploring Character

Resonance of Clay

Parti exploration

Traditional Pueblan Culture

Artwork and perspective of Georgia O’Keeffe

Garden View

Sculpture Wrap

Garden Paths

Two Part Exhibit

LENS TO THE GARDEN

Presentation Courtyards

SITE ANALYSIS

Shaped around existing site conditions

Healthy cottonwood trees populate most of the exisiting site. This parti uses them both to frame the building’s entry past an arcade of trees and as a means of having some context to respond to.

Expansion and contraction

Approaching the building, the two buildings guide you through a compression in between the two masses. Upon entry, the compression is immediately contrasted by an expansive view into the building’s sculpture garden and the didactic garden. The same event happens again between the east of the building and the adjacent multi-generational building.

DIALOGUE BETWEEN BUILDINGS

Between Generations

Towards Culinary Arts

Each side of the building according the “Lens to the Garden” parti responds to programs on the master plan.

To the east, the greenway shared with the multi-generational center affords more in depth dialogue towards the common goal of both programs to preserve inherited culture and tradition.

Southwest, the entry of the building and face of the workshop speak towards a culinary center, expanding the breadth of culture available on the site.

Across the park and viewed upon entry is a permaculture center filled with greenery and connected into the didactic garden, enhancing the impact of creating a garden lens.

Across the Garden

DEVELOPMENT OF CIRCULATION

Silent Grid

Designing a building that focuses on exhibiting art, the plan is layed out on a simple base 6’ grid, to seed the development of a humble canvas. The two buildings are seperated to provide acoustic privacy, and the workshop is tilted further from the exhibit spaces. This also defines a meeting point for entry into both buildings.

Wayfinding

Form is a diagram of the forces which act upon it. In this case, the force is the movement of circulation around and into the building. Monolithic cylinders interupt significant spaces in the grid and invite visitor approach.

The larger building is split in two for the exhibit program to have its own wing. Further splitting these three masses are transition bars, providing views to the outside to cleanse visitors visual pallete, and designating service spaces.

Choreography of Circles

In plan, circles embody a suggestion of orbiting around a point. In order to work with this suggestion, circulation leaving these circles follows a line tangent to both circles, to allow for the continuous movement throught the many exhibit spaces.

Final Development

The final touches to the design are a response to the understanding of structure around the concrete cylinders. Structural walls are pushed in to avoid being tangent to the cylinders’ surface. The transition bar between the two exhibit wings is expanded to lengthen the pallete cleanse and make room for elevators and HVAC.

Walls that would be awkward if pushed in are then arched away from the cylinders with a radius concentric to monoliths. This adds

Entry Wayfinding Parti

Entry before Final Development

Structure solutions

EAST ELEVATION OF MAIN BUILDING

ELEVATION STUDIES

Entry Patio

Sculpture Courtyard

|Center for Remembrance

Cafe for Dialogue

Main Lobby into exhibit, library and cafe

Exhibit Wing Entry Hall

Exhibit Circulation diagrams

ROUNDABOUT CIRCULATION

The circular room affords a unique way of moving around space. Since there aren’t many places to pause that are out of the way, patrons are made to continue to move and wander around the room.

CIRCULATION FOR AUTONOMY

This circulation, found in the exhibit for remembrance, affords patrons a matrix of pathways which they decide to take. The friction of decision making, I believe, makes each footstep more meaningful and impactful. This makes it tough to simply go through the motions, and you begin to tie your decisions to the artwork you get to explore.

Exhibit of Remembrance Sunlit Gallery

Transition Cooridor

_03 FALL 2020

Boys & Girls Club

Alma, Kanas

Small towns and cities all over the US are struggling to keep up with the national mental health crisis and the institutions needed to guide it. Alma, Kansas is one such town.

This Boys & Girls Club is a response to Alma’s crisis. In desigining this building,Through soft natural lighting, warm natural materials, views towards nature and an organizational response for privacy and transition, I focused on providing spaces which embody the biophillic patterns, responding to the different age groups, and creating a comforting atmosphere.

Natural light wraps around the building through the long spanning windows, reflecting and diffusing off of the natural pastel colors of the native limestone and pine.

Biophillia

material

A combination of Pine, Fir, and Limestone area designed around the space as the structure for the building. The Wood framing mimics the form of the rare trees in the flint hills, growing from the heavy set limestone lining the lower portions of the building, just as life grows atop limestone in the hills

nature

Around the circumference of the space, greenery, whether tall grass from the prarie or native flowers such as the goldenrod, surround the building, visible through windows flush to their floors level, allowing a greater connection to nature that might be abscent in this small urbanscape otherwise. The Park to the east of the site also plays a part, as it’s natural greenery is displayed

Pine was chosen as the dominant structural material to enhance the already abundant natural light through its lighter color value.

Fir was decided to be secondary in the structure of the building, with only horiztonal elements would make use of this material. This was to add contrast to make the properties of the pine more present in the building

The deciding factor for vegetation’s placement was where it might bring back the loss of nature that is created by making a building on top of a landscape. it is especially present with the limestone, to prevent the stone from loosing it’s natural qulities it has in nature as being a canvas for life

NATIVE STONE

Alma’s pride for its natural limestone supply finds its way into its name, the City made of Stone. In this building, limestone had much less of a structural presence asside from retaining walls, and more of a grounding the building’s precense in this main street.

PHYSICAL WRAPPING

Natural Light

All play, study and work spaces are supplied with ample natural lighting. Large curtain wall windows on the east and west side of the building and a tectonic structure work towards an open system of shared daylight. Additionally, a clerestory that allows light to flood into the second floor office and teens spaces.

Long-Span Structural Bay

The long span structure bay found in the gymnasium space of the building consists of four 100 ft spanning wooden box beams housing HVAC and electrical. Every 18 ft has joists to assist in any deflection of the long span beams in the non-spanning directions. This roofing support system is supported through

Typical Structural Bay

A typical structural bay is a 18’0” x 18’0” glulam structure with CLT slab flooring and roofing. The glulam beams are connected to glulam posts through bracing, and posts area connected to eachother in a similar manner to the tallwood structure, when there is CLT slabs involved at least. Glulam posts were decided

Foyer Gym & Coats

Teen’s Kitchen

Atmosphere Studies

Section

The idea driving this project was to turn a motion into a section idea. The motion i chose was an odd take on the German Hang, releasing the grip from the bar after the full rotation rather than rotating back the starting position. Since this isn’t an action everyone can do, I chose to develop a program that embodies aspects and emotions I found while exploring this action. My means of saturation were my own body, several art pieces and sketches, and research on proportion.

SECTION A

The section for the eye

STUDY PIECES

FULL ROTATION

Embodied in piece of chipboard, the idea of the exciting in between is shown in this piece, with the wild curves eventually moving back towards it’s starting place in itself. This piece lead to the development of the program embodying the movement, rather than servicing it.

THE EYES

Part of a larger art piece exploring the shapes and colors I felt in the different parts of the body while doing the action myself. This piece, representing the eye came to be one of two ideas driving the space.

NOT-A-TRASH-CAN

Looking towards the sky, this model carries the idea of entering a space that causes you to move your gaze upwards, as the light pours through the translucent material. The interaction of light was kept in the final idea.

CARVED STORY

This piece studied and exaggerated the way in which the body intruded it’s surroundings, outlining in three different parts the two dimensional movement of the legs and torso. The middle of the story became the second of two ideas driving the space.

SECTION B

The section of the experience

CHIASMA OF SECTIONS

The experience of the eye’s gaze and the story of emotions felt created two different sections, for this space. Embodying the key points I felt represented this motion, section A is carved by the gaze of the eye as the performer goes through this motion, deeper points of the section representing the more emotionally impactful views.

Section B reflects the emotional elevation of the journey in a circulation that begins neutral, eyes equally distanced from the floor and ceiling. These two planes are then warped in response to excitement(carving upward) and a sense of adrenaline (carving downward), with light wells signifying first, when your feet leave the

The Basilica di San Lorenzo of Florence, Italy was initially designed under the direction of Filippo Brunelleschi, and later by Michelangelo after Brunelleschi’s death in 1446. Due a lack of funds from the Medici family, who commissioned the construction of the church, the facade of the church was never constructed. This proposal is a modern interpretation of the finished San Lorenzo facade, aimed towards evoking a presence which the unfinished facade is unable to carry.

ELEVATION PRESENZA

Borrowing the Sacred Geometry found in the design of renaissance cathedrals and churches, the unfinished facade of San Lorenzo is given a simple, bold presence in the geometry of a sphere pressed into the stone facade of the church. The carbon-fiber disc, reaching beyond human scale and proportion, evokes awe and wonder through its ethereal smoothness and uncommon texture. Through modern craft and technology, it celebrates God with care and precision, just as the Italians of the renaissance did through skilled masonry, carpentry and sculpture. Furthermore, the limestone travertine cladding the new facade acts as a canvas, porous and textured, contrasting the features of the disc and allowing it to take full attendance to the facade.

Due to the concave geometry, those on the ground gazing towards the object will see an upside-down reflection of the sky,.

Series of hand sketches I did studying how a building’s form and organization of geometry might be abstracted from different organic artifacts.