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water harvest bath house

The purpose of this project was to design a building on the banks of a river/waterfall in Deckertown Falls, NY. The site is steep and inaccessible to the elderly, children, and those with disabilities. The design is meant to provide a similar experience for all guests, including those with mobility limitations. In doing so, the architecture could not take away from the beauty of the natural surroundings or hinder the experiece of people who want to explore the landscape around the structure. Water Harvest Bath House is designed around three main concepts: materiality, sustainability, and the user’s experience.

PRIVATE

MATERIALITY The goal was to create material cohesion throughout the architecture. Wood was choosen because it is a natural material that blends into the heavily wooded site. The design was inspired

by Japanese architecture where wood is a prevalent building material due to its ability to evoke calmness and serenity in a culture that practices Buddhism and meditation.

hot tubs/ baths

sauna/ steam rooms

yoga/ exercise studio

bathrooms

offices/ classrooms bathrooms cafe reception

pool

PUBLIC

locker rooms

The north side of the site focuses on mindfulness and serenity with its spas, a yoga studio, and saunas. In contrast, the south side is rather public with its two large community pools, a restaurant space, and classrooms, where social interactions are encouraged.

According to research of the nine most common tree species for timber in the state of New York, beech, cherry, spruce, and white pine trees were the best timber species based on their price, workability, sustainability, and durability. Those four species were mapped throughout New York and based on their proximity to the site and the overall appearance of the wood, the white pine was choosen as the primary material of the structure (displayed in the renderings).

SUSTAINABILITY The primary focus of the project was the collection and reuse of rainwater. The architecture was formed around this idea through the sloped roofs and location of the water collection pools.

This system was choosen for this specific site because of the high precipitaion in the Ithica area year-round, and to combat the high water usage of the site due to multiple pools, hot tubs, and showers. First, rain water is collected from the roof and drains into pipes where it is then filtered underground. Next, the water is transferred to a holding pool where it is then pumped back to the building to be used for pools, toilet water, bath water, etc. The water holding pools are exposed, rather than hidden underground, to highlight this sustainable feature of the design.

USER’S EXPERIENCE The intention was for the project to be primarily outdoors, therefore all circulation through space takes place on outdoor ramps to evoke calmness and a connection to nature. Each building placement was determined by which areas of the site are flattest to minimize disruption to the environment.

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System model contrasting the rain water from the roofs and rain water pools (dark blue) to the filtered water in swimming pools and hot tubs (light blue).

creekside youth hostel

The youth hostel is sited in downtown Syracuse, New York near a creek and public walking trail. The plan of the building was influenced by the uniqueness of the site and from a previous study on movement and space.

The facade of the building bends to the shape of the trail in order to not disrupt this public space. Additionally, the roof is extruded to highlight the path of the natural water feature below.

As this building is located in a public urban area, a coffee shop was incorporated into the first floor for hostel guests and public use. The seating area is used for both the cafe and dinning area.

SUN PATTERNS SUMMER SOLSTICE

WINTER SOLSTICE, 12PM

sun is lower in the sky during the winter the southern facade receives the most direct sunlight

SUMMER SOLSTICE, 12PM WINTER SOLSTICE

sunlight enters dining hall through the skylight and large south facing windows. this space takes the most advantage of the direct southern sunlight because such a large space would require a lot of artificial lighting. optimizing natural daylight helps reduce energy use.

SUMMER 3PM SUMMER 11AM

WINTER 3PM WINTER 11AM

sun is higher in the sky during the summer. the upper balcony and souther facade will receive the most direct sunlight

The building responds to the environment by utilizing natural daylight through skylights which minimizes the need for artificial lighting. The placement of skylights also influenced the geometry of the building.

As windows are also contributors to heat loss during the winter and heat gain during the summer, windows are avoided in places where they are not needed, like the bathrooms. Additionally, the light coming into the single person rooms are filtered through an array of small metal columns.

An important part of the design was to optimize outdoor space, so each single-person bedroom is complete with a small balcony. Two additional balconies are located outside the library and on the 3rd floor. To optimize outdoor usage during inclimate weather, each balcony is either fully or partially covered.

exhibition pavilion

The purpose of the pavilion is to exhibit three chairs of historical significance by crafting a sequencial experience through design.

The pavilion sits on a 96x96 ft site and is entered at the southeast corner. Each chair is displayed on an individual pedestal.

The three chairs exhibited in the pavillion are the LCW chair by Charles Eames, the B3 chair by Marcel Breuer, and the Donald Judd chair.

The concrete structure is intended to contrast the light wood materials of the LCW Chair and Donald Judd Chair, along with the metal and dark leather of the B3 chair. Only two materials were used throughout and all the walls are straight, rectangular surfaces as to not take away from the exibited pieces.

The diagram demonstrates the relationships between elements of the pavilion. The pavilion fits within a square shape. The red lines intersect through the center of the chair displays. While the light blue lines show that the concrete walls are parallel. The dark blue lines show a similar relationship between the vertical wood elements.

Concept models used to display initial ideas.

topography and structure This three part project started with the research of a landform. A case study was then implemented of a house that responds well to site. Lastly, key concepts from the research of the first two stages were combined into a design project.

The first stage of the project was to research an atoll. An atoll is a ring-shaped island formed from a former volcano. They typically form in a chain of multiple atolls.

The diagram on the top right exhibits a chain of atolls that form the Maldives. As climate change worsens and sea levels rise, the atolls will grow further apart from eachother which is diagramed by the blue circles. The diagram below shows materiality and depth of a single atoll.

The second stage of the project was to research the House in Monsaraz by Aires Mateus. The key details of the house which are highlighted in the diagrams of the following page are the solid vs. void spaces and how natural light circulates the house.

Losand/ocean floorm ipsum

Lotropical pacific plantsm ipsum

Locoral reefm ipsum

Locoral sand and limestone ipsum

Lovolcanic rock

lagoon

10 km

The final stage of the project references the round and chain-like nature of an atoll. The continuous rings around the circles mimic the varied depth and materiality of an atoll.

The House in Monsaraz is shown with the concrete materiality and thickness of structure, along with the structure-to-ground connection and circular skylight openings.