John Holtz
Architectural Portfolio
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Table of Contents Bowling Green State University Re-Ligare Institute Ansel Adams Tower Le Corbusier Grid Mapping Exercise Loja Saarinen Museum Toledo Urbanism Niagara Falls Visitor Center
Westlake Reed Leskosky
2007 - 2011 Bachelor of Science in Architecture
Summer of 2011
Baldwin Wallace Visitor Center Slippery Rock Study Model The Blossom House Southwest General Hospital
Miami University Tenth Avenue Tower
2011 - Present Master in Architecture
Animations: http://www.youtube.com/user/johnmholtz/videos
The Re-Ligare Institute
Chicago, IL
This project is located in the city of Chicago on Michigan Ave across from Millennium Park. It is a community center with a program to aid in the healing and renewal within the realms of the social, the body, and mind of the individual. The project challenged the class to design a public urban center dedicated to reconnecting people with their authentic selves, others, and nature.
Support Diagrams My project both distinguishes and reconnects the three elements of social, mind, and body. To distinguish between these three, the building is divided into three zones. These three elements are reconnected with each other through nature. Each zoned part is distinguished by a garden/green space in the front of the building. The zones also share common green spaces throughout the building. The architecture of this building is meant to become a sanctuary for finding, studying, enjoying, and developing the being.
Zones The program was divided up according to how it serviced and helped the individual. The program that deals with social elements is coded in yellow. The program that involves physical activity and renewing the body is coded red. The space dedicated to renewing the mind and the spirit are coded in blue.
Green The program of this building is pushed off to the right side of the site, leaving the left side open to be a green space. This design move of leaving the left side of the site open for green space attempts to symbolize the balance between nature and the human needs. These green elements move up the south facade of the building and on to the roofs, attempting to “wrap� the three zones in nature.
Transparency The transparent nature of the building helps all sections of the building to receive ample light, along with giving a sense of connection to the park across the street.
Structure Part of this design competition involved the usage of innovative steel structure. Here it can be seen that structure is celebrated and used innovatively by its curvature up the south facade with the green wall.
Green Wall
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1. Grass and other types of foliage 2. Soil and roots 3. Permeable root support system and moisture retainer 4. Irrigation tubes 5. Root barrier 6. Moisture barrier membrane 7. Concrete support 8. Steel reinforcement 9. Insulation and ceiling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Roof
Detail
Green Roof. Reduces heat
island effect.
Dynamic Green Movement.
Maintaining the green wrapping feel throughout the building.
Sun Screens. Creating double facade capabilities.
Dynamic Glass Elevator.
Creates additional movement through nature.
Green Terraces. Creating a
Court Yard Space. Creating
picturesque view of Millennium Park while creating a retreat space.
a light-well effect.
Store Fronts. Optimizing
Michigan Avenue real-estate.
Section
Detail
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2 4 3 1 Fourth Floor 1. Green Space/Gardens 2. Lobby 3. Support Space 4. Spinning Room 5. Weight Room 6. Locker Room 7. Restroom 8. Music Room 9. Office 10. Store Front 11. Theater/Lecture Hall 12. Dancing Room 13. Meditation Rooms
Public Space Private Space Green Space
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7 9 9 9
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1 10 10
Ground Floor
8
3
13
8
2
1
1
First Floor
Eighth Floor
Ansel Adams
Tower
This project entailed designing a space for a historically significant individual. I designed the dwelling space for the famous photographer, Ansel Adams, in which the “tower scheme� was used. The form and function for this building were influenced by his style of photography, the process of film development, and personality characteristics of Ansel Adams himself.
From Dark To Light In my design the building transforms upward from a dark, private area of the house into the light, glassy and public spaces of the house. This contrast of dark and light was inspired by the monochrome style of Ansel Adams’ photography. The film development process, from the dark room to the film exposure also inspired the transformation from dark to light in this building. The west facade of the building is divided into layers, attempting to symbolize the steps of developing film. In contrast, the east side is a continuous glass facade symbolizing the process of film development as a whole. Ansel Adams’ love for nature inspired the multiple exterior outlooks on all sides of the house, attempting to allow for a more unified existence with nature.
Section Cut
Floor Plans 3
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
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4 7
UP
5 2
DN
DN
UP
UP
Dark Room Workshop Closet Bathroom Master Bedroom Exterior Outlook Entrance/ Gallery Kitchen Dining Space Living Room Guest Bedroom
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Sub-Floor 2
Sub-Floor 1
Ground Floor DN
6 UP
UP
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6 4
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4
6 Floor 1
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Floor 2
Floor 3
The layout of the floor plans were created specifically for the needs of Ansel Adams. The tower entrance is on the third level, or the ground floor. This floor moves the person around the level completely before allowing them to continue their journey through the rest of the house. This allows the floor to be an ideal spot for a gallery or a place to view the building’s natural surroundings. The ground floor also acts as a divide between the private and public areas of the house. The two sub levels of the house, or the privately zoned areas, contain the master bedroom and the workshop. The upper most three levels contain more public spaces and are given the best views in the tower.
Le Corbusier Grid
Juxtaposition
This project allowed for the exploration of combining forms with the grid, to create positive and negative spaces. Inspiration for the forms are pulled from the painting Still Life by Le Corbusier.
The Grid And Forms In my project I take the approach of making the grid a non-hierarchical object by using it as a support system for the forms. I continued the project further by creating an abstract drawing of my model.
Mapping
Exercise
This project involved the abstraction of a chosen architectural element into a 4”x4” model. During a class trip to the Cranbrook Campus, inspirational architecture was chosen along with a representational phrase or word that described it. After choosing architecture that was found on the campus I selected the word “Through” to describe it. The architecture and “Through” influenced these models.
Mapping Exercise The building attempt to transform upwards from a dark, private area of the house into a light, glassy and public spaces of the house. This contrast form dark to light was inspired by the monochrome style of Ansal Adam’s photography along with the process involved in the development of film, from the dark room to the film exposure. The east side of the building is divided up into layers, attempting to symbolism the steps or separate aspects when developing film. In contrast the west side is a continuous glass faced symbolizing the process of film development as a whole.
Loja Saarinen Museum
Cranbrook, MI
This project is located at the Cranbrook Academy of Arts in Bloomfield Michigan. The academy’s renowned architecture was primarily the work of Eliel Saarinen. This project called for the class to design a museum that showcased the weavings of Loja Saarinen, wife of Eliel. The building works to not only serve as a gallery space for Loja’s work, but also a workshop for weaving.
My design for this project came from primarily two ideas. One was the site and the campus itself. The campus already has very powerful architectural elements in place which my building strives to preserve and reinforce. The element of axial relationships and the edge conditions that the existing buildings have with each other greatly influenced my design. Secondly, I incorporated one of the abstract models that I previously created from the mapping exercise.
Contextual Relationships The form of my building was heavily influenced by the existing axial relationship and edge conditions found on the campus. There is evidence of a five degree shift that happens between the existing buildings all throughout the campus. My building was influenced by this as well and it can be experienced when inside of my building. The building also strives to strengthen the space that surrounds the Triton Pools. This is done by closing off an open space and reinforcing an edge condition that creates a court yard space in between the buildings and around the pools. These design elements were taken into account in order to enhance and reinforce Eliel’s original design of the campus.
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The Concept Of Through The forms of the building were also greatly influenced by the concept of “Through”. An abstract model that was done earlier in the semester during the Mapping Exercise was used for inspiration during this project. Elements of “Through” that were found in my previous abstract model can be seen in this building.
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
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Lobby Gallery Space Office Restroom Meeting Room Workshop Storage Mechanical Circulation/Gallery
4 8
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Basement 5 9 1
Ground Floor
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4 4
Urban Design
Toledo, OH
This project deals with the urban decay of mid-sized cities. The city of Toledo is a mid-sized city that is losing population as a result of suburban sprawl and difficult economic times. Toledo was once a thriving city due to the automotive industry. The city is now filled with abandoned buildings as a result of the lack of businesses and residents in the downtown area. The challenge is to rethink the future of the city in order to bring life back to it.
River Front Development My design to renew the city of Toledo involves river front development. The goal and attempt of my project is to make the Maumee River the focal point of the city. Currently the river acts as a physical and social barrier between the downtown area and the east side of Toledo. The barrier that the river creates is in existence because of poor access across it, and private ownership of river front land. In order to dissolve the barrier I transform the river front into a public area. This new design will connect the two sides and bring people back and forth across the river more efficiently. This new public realm space also acts as a focal point to bring businesses, entertainment, and people back to the city.
Figure Ground 1940s
Figure Ground 2010
Process Drawings River Barrier
Building Removal
Public Realm
Grid Reinforcement
Perpendicular Integrations N
0’
1000
My design is taken one step further with the implementation of the perpendicular integrations. The perpendicular integrations act as additional public realm spaces that move perpendicularly from the river into the city. This design move attempts to create movement and a pull between the city and the river. These spaces are designed to be fragmented in a way that green spaces, water, footpaths, and new buildings are created in them. The design of fragmentation makes an effort to give the occupancy of a single space an awareness of the overall city design.
Visitor Center
Niagara Falls, NY
This project is a visitor’s center for Niagara Falls. It is sited in New York on Goat Island, an island that splits the river and the falls into two. The program includes a gallery space for art work and history, a cafÊ, and a gift shop.
Niagara Falls
This building strives to accomplish several things. The Visitor Center’s main goal is to enhance the visitor’s experience at Niagara Falls. The way that the building helps to bring the experience of the falls to the visitor is by reflecting the movement and flowing rhymes of the falls. From elevation, the building’s gradual growth out of the ground is symbolic of the river’s increasing size and velocity as it approaches the drop. From plan the building’s curves immolate the natural flow of water. Another very important design aspect of this building is the interplay with the landscape. Because it is nature and the natural environment that visitors are coming to see, it is very important for the building not to be too intrusive on the landscape. The forms of this build emphasis the experience of the river by creating circulation paths that move over, under, in-between and though the program and landscape alike. This interplay with the landscape and blurring on what is inside and what is out will give the visitors a more engaged experience of the falls. In addition this building is symbolic of the falls in that the building appears to be three separate entities, but in actuality the building is one single unit. Like the Niagara Falls which is divided up into 3 separate falls, it can also be considered one waterfall or unit. Creating a transparent feel was another important goal of the building’s design. By making creating a transparent feel, it allowed the building to mirror the transparent properties and attributes of water. The clear and frosted glazing also allowed for a more unified existence and experience with nature, as well as creating ample natural light and opportunity for views.
Process Models
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Floor Plans
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1. Lobby 2. Exhibition Space 3. Retail Space 4. CafĂŠ 5. Theater 6. Restroom 7. Kitchen 8. Office 9. Conference Room 10. Support Space
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2
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Section Cut
6 10
1
Exploded Axo Dynamic Roofs.
Parts of the roof are left open for skylights to further reinforce the transparent feel.
Glass Skin.
The faรงades of the building are made up of opaque and frosted glass to allow for a transparent feel throughout the building.
Second Floor & Interior.
The interior spaces are left open to encourage circulation between the spaces.
First Floor & Green Space. Landscape moves between each of the three parts of the building while they are interconnected under the landscape.
Professional Work
Cleveland, OH
During my time at Westlake Reed Leskosky I primarily worked with the marketing department and created physical models. I assisted in finding future projects for the firm and putting together job qualification booklets for interviews. I was also responsible for creating physical models using a laser cutter. The models were both study models and final models for clients and job interviews. I worked there during the summer of 2011.
Westlake Reed Leskosky
Baldwin Wallace Visitor Center This model was done for an interview for a visitor’s center at Baldwin Wallace College. I modeled the site along with a before and after plug for our proposal. The proposed construction included several phases. The first phase would have been the visitor center and the new parking lot. The second would have been the two additions to either side of the student union. The picture to the left shows the campus as is, and the picture to the right shows both phases completed.
Existing
Proposed
Baldwin Wallace
Slippery Rock Study Model This model of Slippery Rock’s campus was built as it currently is without the firm’s building proposal. WRL was hired to renovate and expand upon the university’s theater (the building without façade detail). This model was built as a study model to experiment with different building forms.
Slippery Rock Universi ty
The Blossom House During my time at WRL I was assigned to restore this physical model that had been neglected. The model was originally constructed in 1921. While restoring this model, I fixed and added vegetation to the landscape, painted, re-modeled chimneys and dormers, and thoroughly cleaned the model. Shown here are the before and after pictures of the model restoration.
Before
After
Built In 1921
Southwest General Hospital This model shows Southwest General Hospital’s campus as it exists along with two proposed buildings. The model was taken to the interview and shows a proposed bed tower and parking garage along with new vehicular circulation.
SWGH
Tenth Avenue Tower
New York, NY
This project is a mixed-use high rise near the new development of Hudson Yards in New York City. In 2005 New York City rezoned the area from industrial to residential and commercial for medium to high density development. For this project our studio class worked with SOM New York. The program includes, retail, a hotel, and residential units. During this studio our class followed the zoning, set back and FAR requirements of the site.
Site at 500’
Tenth Avenue Tower When first designing the building I tried to emphasize a linear movement in response to the form of the building. Because the tower was proportionally tall and skinny, it allowed for a vertically linear element to work best. The “wave” modules give the tower this linear movement. The waves also allow the tower to be fluid, elegant and dynamic. To create the variations in the waves each module is 15’ wide and dips in and out of the tower within a 6’ limit.
West 31st Green Space
10th Ave
The waves of the tower purposefully do not meet the podium. When the waves approach the podium they “fray” off of the tower. This design move was meant to give the tower a lighter feel as the waves float above instead of sitting on the podium. The wave language of the tower is continued inside of the podium with the atrium. The building’s atrium connects the floors below grade up to floor seven. The atrium allows the user to experience the wave language while inside the hotel amenities and the retail program as well as letting natural light to reach these spaces. The podium benefits from 1060 square feet of green space which serves the hotel restaurant, health club and banquet hall. The green spaces allow for an interaction with the High Line. The building strives to be a very functional building as well as an iconic skyscraper for the new Hudson Yard development and New York City.
Green Space
West 30th
Pedestrian Traffic Vehicular Traffic
Floor Plans
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1 8
7 9
Residential Level
8 Residential units per floor. 54 Residential Floors. 88% Residential Efficiency.
Level 5
8 1 9
4 6
Hotel Level
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15 Floors of Hotel Rooms. 18 Hotel units Per Floor. 270 Hotel Units Total.
1. Hotel Lobby 2. Residential Lobby 3. Retail 4. Service Area 5. Loading Dock 6. Banquet Hall 7. Restaurant 8. Kitchen 9. Green Space 10. Health Club
Level 3 Retail Hotel Residential Service
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1 4 2 3 Level 1
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John Holtz Contact: holtzjm@muohio.edu Animations: http://www.youtube.com/user/johnmholtz/videos