Katherine Lai Work Sample

katherine lai work sample

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table of contents

Dattner Architects

Scarsdale Public Library

GEC Dallas Arboretum

Young People’s Chorus

Taubman College | University of Michigan

Firestation No. 5

Tele-printing

Faux-luptuous

Double Dipped

Introverted/ Extroverted

Marriott Doomsday Inn

School of Architecture | University of Virginia

Landform Skyscraper

Contructing the Sahn

Parasitic Hydrology

Other

Community as a Classroom

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scarsdale public library 4

Dattner Architects | Schematic Design May 2015 through September 2015 Beginning in pre-schematic design through schematic design, I was the project team’s junior design. My responsibilities were to look at precedents, analyze the site, perform fit studies, create imagery and model (digitally and physically) the proposed design.

The original library, with its domestic scale and emblematic stone walls, is a recognizable public icon within the Scarsdale community. As such, the community has made every effort to preserve stone the aesthetics of

Entrance and Cafe

the building, which were adopted for the 1970’s addition.

The new additions retain and strengthen the elegant, modern horizontal lines of the 1970s addition, while subtly marking its differences by changes in materials and an increased degree of openness. Each of the new additions integrates itself with landscape features, such as the majestic trees framing the entrance plaza and the reading galleries that take advantage of the natural views toward the pond and wooded areas. The proposed design opens up the library interior to the site, allowing in daylight and views to establish a strong new connection between inside and outside.

Main Collection

7.

6.

8.

3.

4.

2.

6.

1.

9.

5.

LEGEND

LEGEND

2.

2.

CIRCULATION

2.

REF.

Reference Dept

5.

REF.

5.

M

Reference Dept

M

M M

M

M M

M

M

5.

CIRC. DESK

Young Adult

M M

REF.

General Collection

Young Adult

CIRC. DESK

Cafe

Cafe

PUBLIC

Meeting

Meeting

1.

INFO

Meeting

PUBLIC ENTRANCEPUBLIC ENTRANCE 1.

Entrance to Community Space SERVICE ENTRANCESERVICE ENTRANCE

Quiet Reading

3.

Children’s Program Room

3. Children’s Program Room

Children’s Program CH Room

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Reading Gallery

1.

Entrance to 3.

1.

Community Entrance Space to Community Space Vertical Circulation

2.

Reading Gallery 2.

4.

3.

Vertical Circulation 3.

Vertical Circulation 5.

Open/Flexible Plan

4.

4.

Cafe/Popular Cafe/Popular 6. Collection Entry Plaza Collection

5.

Open/Flexible 5. Plan Open/Flexible Plan

6.

Entry Plaza 6.

Reading Gallery Cafe/Popular Collection

Entry Plaza

1.

Meeting Meeting

CH

Cafe

INFO PUBLIC

Tech Center

AFTER HOURS DAYLIGHT / VIEWS

PUBLIC CIRCULATION PUBLIC ENTRANCE CIRCULATION PUBLIC

Tech Center

4.Center

PUBLIC

SEATING AFTER HOURS

2.

4.

Scott Room

COLLECTION SERVICE SUPPORT

SEATING

DAYLIGHT / VIEWS SERVICE DAYLIGHTENTRANCE / VIEWS

Quiet Reading

Tech Scott Room

COLLECTION

AFTER HOURS

CIRC. DESK

4.

ADMIN SHARED / GATHERING CIRCULATION COLLECTION

SERVICE SUPPORT SERVICE SUPPORT PUBLIC CIRCULATION

Quiet Reading

General Collection General Collection

Scott Room

ADMIN CIRCULATION

SHARED / GATHERING SHARED / GATHERING SEATING

M

Reference Dept

Young Adult

ADMIN

LEGEND

CH

Cafe

1.

INFO

Cafe

Meeting

Cafe

Children’s Dept

PUBLIC SERVICE

Book Drop

6.

PUBLIC

PUBLIC

6.

6.

SERVICE

Book Drop

Book Drop

Children’s Dept

Children’s Dept

SERVICE

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Ground Level

Upper Level 6

Lower Level

Section Through Entrance, Main Collection and Reading Gallery

South Elevation Beyond its integration with the site, the proposed design is also based on a series of general ideas that guide specific design decisions: flexibility, autonomy, scalability, and technology. Critical here was the library’s desire to function as both a library in the traditional sense, and as a community facility and gather space. The entry of the library, with it’s large meeting rooms and cafe has the ability to be kept open after hours so that people may continue to use the meeting and performance spaces even after the library has closed. Partitions in the meeting rooms can subdivide the spaces further so that varying group sizes from 150 people to 15 people can meet.

The main collection of the library has been opened up through the demolition of the mezzanine.

Books have been redistributed onto lower height shelves to maintain sight lines through the library.

This allows for greater light penetration into the center of the library, and utilizes the double height space to create a grand sense of scale for such an important civic space. Reference desks are aligned down the visual spine of the library allowing for easy wayfinding and a more active, engaged staff. A technology suite accessed off the main collection will host vocational classes and a maker suite similar to a Kinkos for document printing, binding and plotting.

The traditional library functions remain with a mixture of hard and soft seating with large communal tables and clusters of sofas and armchairs. The books shelves of the main collection are all located to the interior of the floor plate, with seating was placed in the reading gallery by windows with exposure to natural light and views to the neighboring park. Smaller study rooms that accommodate between 4 and 10 people provides additional flexibility in the kinds of groups that the library serves.

The Scarsdale Public Library holistically provides both an expanded civic institution and a flexible recreational and community space for the Village of Scarsdale.

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general education center dallas arboretum 8

Dattner Architects | RFP Competition April 2015 through May 2015 The Dallas Arboretum commissioned the design of a general education center (GEC) that would serve as a visitor center for tourists, classroom/education space, and rentable event space. With multiple user groups, a diverse range of activities/programs and a site that slopes steeply downwards towards White Rock Lake, the project poses a complex series of intersecting problems. Two schemes were ultimately proposed: 1. A structure that is sensitive to the site conditions, with two stories below ground and one above. A planted roof give the appearance of hill rising from the earth 2. A structure that would serve as a signifying structure for those visiting, rising two stories above ground and hearkening formally to open aired structures such as pergolas.

Both schemes follow a general formal organization of being biforcated on the ground floor united by a continuous roof element.

Ground Level

The second scheme, shown here, is organized so that ticketing and visitor services is handled in a separate pavilion, while the event, dining, and education spaces are located in the main structure that is tied together with a grand communicating stair that acts as a circulation spine. Administrative services is located upstairs, while a set of classrooms are located at the lower level and have direct access to the rain garden and to the Children’s Adventure Garden.

Different schemes’ relationship to ground plane

Mezzanine Level

Scheme 1

Scheme 2

Lower Level 9

Circulation for different patron types

General Admission

Site Section

Longitudinal Section

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School Children on Field Trips

Event Programming

Administrative and Service Personel

Transverse Section

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young people’s chorus 12

Dattner Architects | Graphic Design February 2015 through March 2015 I was tasked with designing a graphic vinyl wall cover for the non-profit group Young People’s Chorus. The base image was photo of the full choir singing at the Lincoln Center. The final wallcovering is a dot pixel version of the original image, straddling the line between a recognizable representation of the children in the chorus and an abstract grid of circles in shades of saturated color. The graphic went through a number of iterations, studying the impact of the circle radius, color variation, and gradient in the negative space.

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studio: instructor:

firestation no. 5

semester:

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ARCH4010 | Info Informal Laida Aguirre Fall 2017

In this studio I was asked to consider how data and data visualization might be used as a source of both meaning and form for a building. The exercise began first with data mining - finding a source of information that was measurable and indexing the raw data. From there, a 2D visualzation was

above: exterior perspective

right, above: division of data to building massings

generated, and this 2D visualization had the opportunity to take many forms from bar graphs, pie charts, etc. Depending on the method of 2D graphing, 3 dimensionalizing the data could take different forms.

The first studio of the 2 year M-Arch cirriculum is always dedicated to design of a civic/institutional piece of architecture. This semester the program was a firestation. This typology is unique because it combines a number of programs together that are infrequently combined. Domestic life finds itself in close proximity with a garage, industrial storage, administrative fuctions, and recreation. In addition, we were asked to include a public piece of program into the design. The site of the studio was an existing firestation in Ann Arbor.

right, below: south elevation model photo

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CIRC 8%

CLASSROOMS/ ADMIN 10%

LIVING QUARTERS 12%

RECREATION CENTER 30%

APPRATUS BAY 40%

INDUSTRIAL

PUBLIC/ INSTITUTIONAL

OFFICE

VACANT

RECREATIONAL

RESIDENTIAL R1: SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING R2: TWO FAMILY DWELLING

R3: TOWNHOUSE DWELLING

RESIDENTIAL

R4: MULTIPLE FAMILY DWELLING R5: HOTEL/MOTEL

PL: PUBLIC LAND PUD: PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT

TOWNSHIP USE ORL: RESEARCH/LIM. INDUSTRIAL C3: FRINGE COMMERCIAL RE: RESEARCH O: OFFICE C1: LOCAL BUSINESS

R1: SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING R2: TWO FAMILY DWELLING

R3: TOWNHOUSE DWELLING

AG: AGRICULTURE-OPEN SPACE M1: LIMITED INDUSTRIAL

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R4: MULTIPLE FAMILY DWELLING R5:

RECREATION RECREATION CENTER CENTER 30%30%

data mining, data visualization The data I selected was a documentation of the landuse and zoning in the area of Ann Arbor that Firestation No 5 serves.

This area comprises mostly of the city north of the Huron River. From there I cross referenced the landuse as compare CIRCCIRC CLASSROOMS/ CLASSROOMS/ LIVING LIVING 8% 8% ADMIN ADMIN QUARTERS QUARTERS 10%10% 12%12%

to zoning for parcels of land and extracted different landuse/zoning types and how much square footage each of these categories had. I indexed this information as “symbolic blocks” comprised of a size (250 sf), color (landuse), and symbol (zoning. I remapped the information back onto the map of Ann Arbor, producing a pixelated map of the city.

As a representation of the data, the pixelated map began to look like

COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL

INDUSTRIAL INDUSTRIAL

PUBLIC/ PUBLIC/ INSTITUTIONAL INSTITUTIONAL

lintels, etc). In order to better organize

OFFICE OFFICE

components (walls, beams, columns,

VACANT VACANT

RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL

indexed the symbolic blocks as building

RECREATIONAL RECREATIONAL

for 3 dimensionalizing the data: I re-

TRANSPORTATION TRANSPORTATION /UTILITY /UTILITY MIXED MIXED USE USE

Legos. This gave me a methodology

the building components, I took the pixelated map and, based on an early programming exercise, allocated certain parts of the map to different programs.

These programmatic clusters would recieved all the symbolic blocks and reindexed building components in their allocated part of the map.

R1: SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING R1: SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING R2: TWO FAMILY DWELLING R2: TWO FAMILY DWELLING

R3: TOWNHOUSE DWELLING R3: TOWNHOUSE DWELLING

At this point, with the building components assigned to the programmatic clusters, I began arranging and massing the building components

R4: MULTIPLE FAMILY DWELLING R4: R5: MULTIPLE FAMILY DWELLING HOTEL/MOTEL R5: HOTEL/MOTEL

based on the spaces in each cluster. The programmatic clusters were the fire apparatus, living area, administrative suite, and recreation center.

right above: left above: pixelated map

left below: maps of landuse and zoning

index represented as a bar chart

right below: index shown with cross reference of zoning and landuse

PL: PUBLIC LAND PL: PUBLIC LAND PUD: PLANNED UNIT PUD: DEVELOPMENT PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT

TOWNSHIP USE ORL: TOWNSHIP USE RESEARCH/LIM. INDUSTRIAL ORL: C3: RESEARCH/LIM. INDUSTRIAL FRINGE COMMERCIAL C3: FRINGE COMMERCIAL RE: RESEARCH RE: RESEARCH O:

OFFICE O: C1: OFFICE LOCAL BUSINESS C1: LOCAL BUSINESS AG: AGRICULTURE-OPEN SPACE AG: M1: AGRICULTURE-OPEN SPACE LIMITED INDUSTRIAL M1: LIMITED INDUSTRIAL

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10% TRANSPORTATION /UTILITY MIXED USE

12%

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building parti and organization right, above:

The overarching parti of the building was a soft story structure, with

site plan

the fire apparatus comprising the entire ground floor, while all other piece of the program were located above on the second story. The

right, below:

building is situated so that the fire trucks, parked in bays that are

section longitudinal

angled at 45 degrees, can easily exit the fire apparatus onto Beal Ave, which takes them to most of the neighborhoods. The 45 degree angle of the bays allows for the building to take on a narrower,

left, below:

longer proportions. In between each bay is a work station for the

section transverse

fire fighters to dress down and inspect their equipment.

The main and public entrance is located on the east side of the builidng off of the street. From there, one is led into the circulation core, up onto the second floor which houses the living quarters of the fire fighters, the administrative suite of the fire house, and the recreation center, which is also a public space where the public can come exercise.

The building components are arrayed in a grid that acts at units of 2 foot by 2 foot, 12 feet by 12 feet unit, and a 36 feet by 36 feet.

Structural elements such as columns and beams are spaced at the widest increment, while components such as wall panels and window apetures plug into the smaller sizes.

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2nd floor plan

640/00

640/00

1 2

ground floor plan

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model photo

model photo 23

tele-printing 24

class:

ARCH516 | Representation instructor: Jefferey Halstead semester: Winter 2018 The images shown are from a 3 week exercise from the Representations class. The class used a piece of geometry interpreted from a case study (Eisenman’s House VI) and used the software ZBrush to project that geometry onto a cube.

The project undermines the orthographic projection in architectural drawing, as the projection uses the viewport and geometry to clip and boolean the cube and the case study together. The generated geometry was then rendered with shadow and taken into photoshop. The raster image was deconstructed based on the grey scale tone of the image.

Once the rendering was separated out based on tone, the image was taken into illustrator. In illustrator, the image was reconstructed using patterns. The variance generated from translating the image from a raster into a vector based format created unique moments where hatches overlap and cross one another. In my own work, I took the same hatch pattern and carefully played with the linework and orientation to get tonal difference and overlap in the patterns.

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double-dipped: act 1 28

class:

ARCH537 | Fabrication instructor: Jeffrey Halstead semester: Fall 2017 The sequence of models shown are from a 3 week exercise that incorporated the use of ZBrush, CNC milling, and vacuum forming. It was the first stage in a two part process, this act entailed the composition of the geometry and then its actualization as a physical object. Inside ZBrush I took a recognizable character (in this case Mario), multiplied him several times, and performed a series of transformations and deformations on him to create a composition that was then sectioned through a bounding box. The composition was then milled out of high density foam. Once I had the form, I vacuum-formed a sheet of styrene over the foam to create a surface that was taken into the next stage of the class.

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double-dipped: act 2 30

class:

ARCH537 | Fabrication instructor: Viola Ago semester: Fall 2017 In the second act of the exercise, I returned to ZBrush to apply color, texture, and pattern to the geometric form. My particular interests in the geometry that I had generated was the interesting section that was created from the intersection with the bounding box.

The section cut was treated differently to create a strong differentiation between it and the moments that were receding in the model. The geometry was rendered with color, pattern, and shadows; the image generated was printed on a water transfer film. The plastic surface generated from the last act of the exercise was then dipped through the image so that the colors, pattern, and shadows were re-applied to the physical geometry. The process is imperfect however, and the misregistration of the image on the form creates misreadings and undermines the legibility of the form.

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landform skyscraper

studio:

ARCH4020 | Undergraduate Thesis instructor: Karen Van Legen semester: Spring 2014 This project sought to question three different found conditions found in Manhattan. Defining ground as both a actual, physical foundation that human constructs act upon and a cultural, shared public space, the three types of ground [infrastructural, skyscraper, and temporal flooding] were discovered and considered.

Using the crisis of flooding as a method of contextualizing and constraining the project, a site in the lower east village, at the edge of the east river was chosen. The selection of an edge

FDR Highway

condition served as an opportunity for the building to act on water crisis [storm water runoff and flooding exposure] and allowed the building to serve as connector, bridging over the FDR. A hard edge along the FDR collects and slows the flow of polluted storm water into the East River, while a terraced gradated park space acts as a buffer to absorb water from floods. The building’s is lifted from the ground, and the lower floors are given over to parking and a day market. This gives the allowance that should this area of the building flood, the area can be fully evacuated with little to

14’

no damage to life or property. Part of the building’s

12’

10’

8’

0’ sea level

proposal plugs into a scheme by BIG which proposed the building of an occupiable wall-scape that would circle lower Manhattan.

exterior rendering from manhattan bridge

FDR Highway

East River Park

6’ break wall 0’ sea level

existing site

14’

12’

10’

BIG’s The Big U intervention

collect: stormwa

8’

0’ sea level

1’ splash zone 14’ flood 10.5’ storm surge: NYC subways flood

areas of flooding risk 32

6’ break wall 0’ sea level

catching stormwater runoff

6’ break wall 0’ sea level

14’

12’

collect: stormwa

10’

8’

0’ sea level

1’ splash zone 14’ flood 10.5’ storm surge: NYC subways flood 6’ break wall 0’ sea level

collect: stormwater

buffer: storm surge

1’ splash zone 14’ flood 10.5’ storm surge: NYC subways flood 6’ break wall 0’ sea level

1’ splash zone 14’ flood

greenspace on riverfront

continuity of streets to riverfront

10.5’ storm surge: NYC subways flood 6’ break wall 0’ sea level

building mass creased by streets

1’ splash zone 14’ flood 10.5’ storm surge: NYC subways flood 6’ break wall 0’ sea level

landform skyscraper 33

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hybrid skyscraper The building’s form is found in a series of ramps that allow the public space [programmed as a park] to ribbon up from the terraced land/ wall scape. The ground plane of the park serves as part of the water remediation strategy proposed in BIG’s project the Big U. Nested within the park is a downward flowing landscaped filtration system that collects and stores water on the roof, and recharge the filtration system to provide a stream that flows through the entire building.

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daytime view of skyscrapers

storming view of skyscrapers

view of farming regions

view of park 36

vertical urban landscape This building combines a hybridized program and a synthesis of three ground conditions, generating a new typology of building that is able to react to a future crisis and serve as a new edge condition and connector in the city. Because of the highways that wrap Manhattan, the island often feels and appears bifurcated from its waterfront property. The ground plane of the park folds over the highway, providing easy access from the interior of Manhattan to the water’s edge. The space between the towers opens out onto a new marina, where boats can be launched, as well as an urban beach. The Landform Skyscraper is a valuable civic space where people can engage with the waterfront, the collection and cleaning of water, and prevention of stormwater runoff, and the protection form flooding while inhabiting a public amenity. section perspective

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constructing the sahn

ARCH4010 | Design Research Studio Megan Suau Fall 2013

studio: instructor: semester:

existing city

a new cultural landscape for za’atari The studio was based on the premise that the

market space

architectural method of thinking [the iterative design process] is one that can and should be applied to other disciplines. Called a design thinking research studio, the studio took an ongoing problem in the world and asked how the design of architecture, process, and policy could begin to expand our understanding of how

public spaces

we as students could act in the world.

The ongoing civil war in Syria has generated an over 2 million refugees, a quarter of which have been displaced to Jordan. To accommodate the enormous

desired direction of water flow

influx of people, a refugee camp was founded at the border between Syria and Jordan called Za’atari.

Despite how long the Syrian crises has been going on, the camp remains a collection of tent and caravans.

It has become a city unto itself, yet has none of the

areas to be lifted

infrastructure in place to support the 120000 people currently housed there.

The brutal climate of the desert, coupled with the

designated water collection

unsanitary, crowded, and unsecure environment creates an incredibly stressful environment for the refugees, who have already escaped a lifetime of trauma. The proposal involved the use of water and landscape, to create a system of landscaped terraces that slow the flow of water, cleaning and collecting it.

Plugged into this system would be a series of public

residential neighborhood

spaces [school, religious institutions, gardens] all designed around the Islamic typology of the courtyard or sahn.

new topography

residential | collection point

buffer zone

fountain | gathering

public space blackwater

bathing

water filtration | terracing

composting

watershed

agriculture

5m terracing module collection tank

ablution fountain

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research phase Operating from an insurmountable distance both geographically and culturally, the research phase of this project was essential for understanding the environment of the refugee camp and the health and psychological state of the refugees within the camp. Through analysis of the site, it was discovered that the Z’atari Refugee Camp shared a number of qualities with a prison: limited mobility, limited resources, suspended rights, and a banal environment. Coupled with health problems, both mental and physical, a positive feedback loop was created where the negative environment generates health problems which in turn contributes to adding to the tension in the camp.

The refugees, displaced from their heritage and home through violence, were placed into an environment that furthered the isolation and alienation, making it a prime breeding ground for more violence: terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda have used the camp for the purposes of recruitment. Given the fact that over 50% of the refugees in Za’atari are children, the design prompt that emerged was this: Za’tari is fostering the new Lost Generation of the Middle East. What can me done to help these children heal the sense of anger and injustice that consumes them so they can re-assimilate with society upon the end of the war? How can the space of the refugee camp become a landscape that provides for and heals these refugees?

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Oppressive, insecure environment results in inhabitants feeling threatened

Volitile emotional +mental health

Prison-like environment

Violent behavior contributes to unsafe atmosphere

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current current conditions conditions on on site site

typical block typical block tents: infilled at the edges of the block kitchens: communal, arranged in a row at the edge of the block caravans: arranged in an imposed cartesian grid bathrooms: communal, arranged in rows along edge of block

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sectionalmodel model+and sectional mapmap

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study of sahn typology What emerged from the research was the knowledge that the refugees were in dire need of tactile stimulus and protection from the harsh desert environment. Using an existing architectural typology in Islamic architecture - the courtyard or sahn - I designed a new landscape that would flow through Za’atari. This new landscape would provide shade, color, recreational space, agriculture, and worship space for the refugees. Taking the flat, barren existing condition, the proposal, through the process of moving of earth, constructing wetlands and the design of public space, creates cultural landscape that generates different outdoor rooms and soothing, multi-sensory micro-climates.

iwan mosque or school

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residential compound

transformation of existing sahn typology

garden courtyard

traditional typology of courtyard [iwan]

landscape typology of space

image of space and function 45

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introverted | extroverted Zoning District: M1-5A

Zoning District: M1-5A

FAR: 5.0

FAR: 5.0

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Total Allowable Area: 54155 sq ft

Total Allowable Area: 54155 sq ft Number of Floors: 5

Number of Floors: 10

Open Space: 0 sq ft Total Allowable Area: 54155

Open Space: 5400 sq ft Total Allowable Area: 54155

Number of Floors: 5

Number of Floors: 10

Open Space: 0 sq ft

Open Space: 5400 sq ft

Tower Formation: Standard Form

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Total Allowable Area: 54155 sq ft

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Towers terrace inwards to allow more light into an open courtyard Towers terrace inwards to allow more light into an open courtyard

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Tower Formation: Block-like tower

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Tower Formation: Block-like tower

Plot Divided into two zones: Form One tower on each plot with a rear backyard Plot Divided into two zones: One tower on each plot with a rear backyard

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Stack floors to allow for outdoor space Stack floors to allow for outdoor space

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FAR: 5.0

FAR: 5.0

Zoning District: M1-5A

Building occupies 100% of the plot footprint Building occupies 100% of the plot footprint

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Zoning District: M1-5A

Total Allowable Area: 54155 sq ft

Number of Floors: 15

Number of Floors: 16

Open Space: 10000 sq ft Total Allowable Area: 54155

Open Space: 12000 sq ft Total Allowable Area: 54155

Number of Floors: 15

Number of Floors: 16

Open Space: 10000 sq ft

Open Space: 12000 sq ft

ARCH3020 | Monster Studio Robin Dripps + Ghazal Abbasy Spring 2013

studio: instructor: semester:

This studio sought to rigorously critique current urban housing as it exists in the dense, contemporary cities. In doing so, it raised this question: how can the architectural discipline design hybridized typologies and programs of housing that would in turn generate new ways of living and experienced the modern city? The catalytic mixing of the different spatial conditions produces the monster, an entirely new mode and spatial strategy for living.

left: exterior rendering

right, top to bottom: public courtyard stairs between the upper residential area

below: zoning diagram

Curvilinear instead of Terracing Terracing onform Southern Edge

Building Height Steps Down on the Site Block Building Height Steps Down on the Site Block

Building Height Steps Down on the Site Block Building Height Steps Down on the Site Block

Wooost W osteerr S Stt

Total Allowable Area: 54155 sq ft

Total Allowable Allowable Area: Area: 54155 54155 sq sq ftft Total NumberofofFloors: Floors:149 Number

Number of Floors: 9 7000 sq sq ft ft Open Space: 6000 Total Allowable Area: 54155

Open Space: 6000 OpenArea: Space: 10000 Total Allowable Allowable Area: 54155 sq ftft Total 54155 sq NumberofofFloors: Floors:149 Number

Number of Floors: 9 7000 sq ft Open Space: 6000

Tower Formation: Rotated Private Interior for Views Courtyard

Number of Floors: 16 Open Space: Total Allowable Area: 15000 54155 sq ft Open Space: 11000 sq ft Total Allowable Area: 54155 Number of Floors: 16 Number of Floors: 16 Open Space: 15000 sq ft Open Space: 11000 sq ft

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Towers start to rotate, greaterviews terracing along southern framing outwards exposure to increase access to sunlight Towers start to rotate, greaterviews terracing along southern framing outwards exposure to increase access to sunlight

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Towers start to rotate, framing views outwards Tower forms to interact, Towers startstart to rotate, pushing pulling on one nother framingand views outwards Tower forms start to interact, pushing and pulling on one nother

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Open sq ftft OpenSpace: Space:6000 10000

Tower Rotated for Views CentralFormation: tower: Terrace Towards Street Fronts and Southen Edge Tower Formation: Rotated for Views Central tower: Terrace Towards Street Fronts and Southen Edge

Tower Formation: Rotated Private Interior for Views Courtyard

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center to accomodate Smooth, for rather thetower skythan exposure Stack towards plane terraced facade center to accomodate Smooth, rather for the skythan exposure plane terraced facade

GGrra GGrra ann ann dd SS dd SS tt tt

SStt

Smooth, rather than terraced facade Smooth, rather than terraced facade

W. Bro adw ay W. Bro adw ay

Curvilinear form instead of Terracing Central tower: Terrace Towards Street Fronts Curvilinear form instead of Terracing Central tower: Terrace Towards Fronts StackStreet tower towards

CCaa CCaa nnaa nnaa l lSS l lSS tt tt

Curvilinear instead of Terracing Terracing onform Southern Edge

Total Total Allowable Allowable Area: Area: 54155 54155 sq sq ftft Number Number of of Floors: Floors: 16 16

Open 12000 sq ft Total Area: Open Space: Space: 11000 Total Allowable Allowable Area: 54155 54155 sq ft Number Number of of Floors: Floors: 16 16

Open Open Space: Space: 12000 11000 sq sq ftft

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studies in typology The first part of the studio was devoted to precedent studies on examples of different forms of dense, urban housing. Analysis of gradients of privacy, circulation, organization of program, public space, and hybridity were diagramed by hand.

Using these parameters, I studied Sky Village, by MDRDV, and isolated the spatial logic that determined the aggregation and organization of the building.

Each precedent study was categorized as either a block, slab, tower, or mat. Sky Villiage was a block of modules that was dissolved and reaggregated into a tower. Using the logic deduced from the Sky Village, I applied the steps to the other three typologies, allowing a logical rational drive the generation of form.

no module is more than 2 units

modules are subtracted from

away from circulation core

bottom and added to top

tower typology 2u

2u

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2u

block typology

slab typology

mat typology

3351

public space: hybrid function

public space: subdivision

public space: performance 52

Plinth Marking Entrance to Unit

Partition Allowing for Privacy Sleeping Area Living Area

Bathroom

Bedroom

Bathroom

Living Area

Entrance

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section perspective, transverse 54

First Floor

Second Floor

Third Floor

Fourth Floor

Fifth Floor

Sixth Floor

55 37

section perspective, longitudinal 56

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exterior perspective on doomsday

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ARCH3010 | The End of the World as We Enow It

instructor: Matthew Jull semester: Fall 2012 In the event of an apocalypse, the collapse of societal order, what would people do? What new ways of living would emerge? Could

E

people keep some amount of luxury

Lobby/Lounge Auditorium

and security in the face of societal W est

Federal Building

Parking Garage

Reception

E SE

Main

Stre this collapse? The studio began with et

Gym

Pool

Courtyard Eating/Dining

inquiry: with the assumption that Retail

the end of the world would happen

Retail

in December 2012, as a designer, what is the architectural reaction to impeding crisis? Injecting in a a space designed to prepare for the end of the world intersect with the more banal, ordinary world?

site plan

e St reet

degree of skepticism - how would

Ridg

marriott doomsday inn

studio:

speculative models: The semester first began with an intense period of speculation, culminating in the production of a series of study models imagining how people react to feelings of uncertainty through spatial means. upon moving into the design realm, the models became studies on concept, organization of program, circulation, and form. the reactionary spatial logic developed was a maze of interstitial spaces nested within a banal appearing structure.

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60

section perspective

From the speculative studies, the spatial strategy that emerged was a labyrinth-like series of “prepper� programs nested within another a seemingly ordinary structure.

The interstitial spaces appeal to the paranoid preppers because they are heavily reinforced spaces; within these rooms, programs such as artillery, hoarding spaces, and different living accommodations that achieve the necessary safety qualifications for different typologies of preppers were organized such that the preppers could coexist with non-paranoid guests without the latter every realizing. There were three layers of protection in place: material protection, camouflage, and desired program that would allow for the preppers to hide in plain sight while they watched the world self-destruct.

The two systems, prepper and ordinary, exist intertwined, one only to be revealed in the event of catastrophe. The ordinary citizens exist in ignorant bliss, living under the assumption that the world will remain the same, that safety is ensured. The prepper group, in their paranoid mindset is hidden in plain site, sleeping securely in reinforced bunkers, living in a semi-luxurious state that allows them to feed their paranoid fetishes. All their interests can be pursued within the confines of the hotel - the storage of essential items, defensive training, surveilance, dining, and healthcare.

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living quarters

facing theaters

shooting range 62

physical model

63

L8

L7

L6 Hotel Room: Sleep/TV/etc

L5

L4

L3

L2

Elevator/Stairs to room Check-in

GF

Eating/Dining Entrance

Elevator/Stairs to room Exit

Leisure Activites: Pool/Gym

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den Roof top Gar

L8

Evacuation

L7

Room

Special Key Card

L6

Meeting Room Special Key Card

L5 Special Key Card

L4

Special Key Card

Special Key Card

nge Shooting Ra

L3

Medical Room

Operations

Room

L2

MEZZ.

GF

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parasitic hydrology

mapping density of activity in lynchburg

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studio: instructor: semester:

ARCH2020 | Urban Explorations in Lynchburg Robin Dripps + Brad Schuck Spring 2012

A study in the urban condition, this introductory studio required intense mapping, analysis, and exploration of the city Lynchburg, through the eyes of a chosen character, the parasite. Interpreting the character of the parasite as a human child, the city was studied and re-understood as a both a playful, tactile playground and a performative/infrastructural landscape. Children are inherently reliant on their caregivers for sustenance. Yet children are rich in imagination, and are able to imbue program and significance to objects, things and places that would have none to an adult eye. A muddy puddle after a summer thunderstorm is a ripe with stories to tell and games to play for a child.

mapping density of activity in lynchburg

Program: Level of Privacy

Usable Roofs

Gradient Edge Conglomeration: Narrowing Focus

degree of privacy Building Heights

Conglomeration

building heights

Privacy

Usable Roofs

Gradient Edge Conglomeration: Narrowing Focus

usable roofs Heights

Conglomeration

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thickened surface The system utilizes a kind of “kit of parts� that pull on the existing language in lynchburg [composite brick laying methods, exposed trusses and beams] and added elements to create and active ground level, roofscape, and inbetween condition. the kit of parts creates a woven, highly textured, thinkened surface that covers the downtown of lynchburg, turning the area into a vibrant landscape to be inhabited by child and adult alike. The surface, thickened enough would become volumetric, creating inhabitable spaces and niches for children and adults to explore

above: a view of the new streetscape right: interior perspective 68

kit of parts

model of full roofscape 69

the community as a classroom UVA Study Abroad + obdl summer of 2012 and 2013 During the summer of 2012 and 2013, I traveled and had the opportunity to work in cape coast Ghana. My first visit was through a studio abroad program called the community as a classroom; structured as a design build studio, the class was introduced to life, people, and culture in cape coast Ghana. We met with the fishing community, the market stall owners, school children, and local leaders of the area, grappling with their every day experiences to catalyze a design issue that we might begin to address during our stay. One of the prompt that arose was pedestrian safety along a busy thoroughfare. Traffic accidents are a common cause of injury in Ghana and with no sidewalk along this street, the cars would intermingle dangerously among people walking. With our limited budget and a galvanized group of young local children, artists, and market stall owners – we designed a painted sidewalk of bright oceanic blues and whites. The final painted walkway began as a series of fish diving amongst one another playfully, coiling together to become a strand of rope.

My second year I traveled to Cape Coast as a research assistant, helping to set up a vocational/educational workshop for a group of local people interested in becoming small business owners. We taught them how to make their own soap and helped them to develop a distinctive brand to help distinguish their soap at the market place. The workshop was part of a a group or projects by obdl (open boundary design lab) - a non profit that worked collaboratively with the Muslim community.

Both years, the success of the project hinged on the involvement of the community, and our ability to advocate strongly for a grassroots level of interest that proved the design could be sustainable after the designer leaves.

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above: final installation of the painted sidewalk

right from the top: 1. cutting of the soap bars 2. branding stamp 3. completed soap bar 4. bucket of complete soap

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