University of Minnesota College of Design 1046 15th Avenue Southeast Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414 keaton. kronberg@gmail.com | 612.710.1661
KEATON KRONBERG
Academic WorkG 2008 - 2012G
Juxtaposition Arts creating an integral intervention
For the final project of my third studio, I proposed a new facility for Juxtaposition Arts, an urban arts program rooted in enrichment of underprivileged youth. The program was unique in the fact that it called for a building that not only blended in with the urban fabric, but also stood as individual and unique, just like the goal of Juxtaposition Arts. Intervening within the site was much more than simply placing a building in a designated spot. With an area so rich in urban context, like that of the Northloop Neighborhood of Minneapolis, the intervention should be helpful in clarifying or strengthening that place, merging with the city and creating a new dialogue. The facility houses several programs, including an art gallery, a cafe, education and work spaces, a black box theater, and social spaces. In the design of the building, a central approach was taken, arranging all of the spaces around a commonly shared atrium. The atrium, normally used as a means to distribute natural light, functions even more so as a social connection between the building and the inhabitant. Revealing the program of each space creates an inviting environment to the visitor, placing them as an integral intervention. Modeling: SketchUp Render: Kerkythea with Photoshop post-processing
Form is identified.
Black Box Theater becomes marquee of the building
An atrium is made to reveal building program.
Program is distributed throughout the building.
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Southeast Section
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Materials & Methods understanding through detail
In our first construction class at the university, we were asked to model an existing building, giving attention to the detail of not only the overall design, but the construction materials and methods used. Starting with the wood frame and building outwards, the entire structure of the model was formed and assembled in the same order as a full scale building. The Great Bay Residence, designed by Pill Maharam Architects, utilizes a large amount of passive and solar design. The southern facade of the building features a large amount of glazing to heat the spacious floor plan, made possible by the glulam beams supporting the roof.
in collaboration with Neil Christianson
Floor, Wall, & Roof an equal hierarchy
This small project was part of my studio in Oaxaca, Mexico and focused on three seemingly simple architectural ideas: the floor, wall, and the roof. The exercise was to explore the implications of each element, developing a rich relationship between the three. These three elements contain a complexity that coexist to inform how a space is, and how the inhabitant is in that space. The program of the model called for a bed, a dining area, and a chair. Again, three seemingly simple programs, but when combined, create a complex hierarchy of program throughout the structure. That program acts as a duality, being influenced by the spatial arrangement of the three architectural elements, and also influencing those elements as well.
Plan Diagram
Riverside Pavilion shaping the void
This Studio 1 project focused on informing a public space by designing the void that inhabits it. All too often, architecture creates walls, floors, and roofs without attention to the negative void that these barriers create. By focusing on that void in the primary stage of design, those aforementioned architectural elements become more coherent. We were assigned a site in the Cedar Riverside Neighborhood of Minneapolis. To first understand the implications of designing void space, we started out modeling in blocks. We modeled both the negative and positive abstractions of the site. From there, plaster was used to further enhance this modeling of the void. By creating forms, the plaster took the place that became the positive forms of the models. Later on, program was introduce, including a bus stop, a community room, and a public gathering space.
These explorative plaster models were used in developing the void of the area. By casting the negatives of each plaster model, the awareness of each void became more apparent. The resulting “positive� of each casting became the elements that contained those voids, creating an architectural whole.
A blank slate is given, allowing for multiple interpretations of the site.
The slab conforms to the existing site, following the angle of the road. A partition is given to program space.
Projections are made to house certain program, still adhering to the site’s partition.
The projections are shifted past each other to differentiate the program.
Heights of the structure change, further differentiating the program of the site, while new projections arise to complete the site program.
Valparaiso, Chile an urban-scale adjustment
In my final studio at the university, we took on a project much larger than any other I had experienced prior. Our site of focus was the city of Valparaiso, Chile. Starting at an urban scale, we researched the city relentlessly. We wanted to learn who these people were, what they wanted and needed, what they did on a day to day basis, and truly understand the issues underlying the city’s infrastructure. We proposed a series of metro cable stations throughout the city, connecting different nodes of program. Each programmatic node includes housing, student housing, and a program needed by these two types of residents. By creating a connection throughout the city, the disconnect that had previously been problematic begins to dissipate, working to create a city that is connected as a whole.