BAC Segment I Portfolio

SEGMENT I

PORTFOLIO Laura Isabel Medina B.Arch Boston Architectural College May, 2020

Resume Reflective Introduction

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08

City Lab Intensive

City X

Foundation Studio 1

Design Representation

Sustainable Materials Assemblies

Making and Modeling

Community Practice

Foundation Studio 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LAURA ISABEL MEDINA

RESUME

ARCHITECTURE STUDENT 20 Charlesgate West, Boston, MA, 02215

EDUCATION — Boston Architectural College. Present – 2024. + Graduated from High School at 16. + Medal of Honor. + GPA of 19.48 out of 20. + 4 times awarded “Joven Orgullo de Lecheria.”

KEY SKILLS — + Bilingual ( Spanish & English) + Experience/ Public Speeches + Planning and Organization + Collaborative + Hand Drafting + Model Making + Software: ▪ InDesign ▪ Photoshop ▪ Illustrator ▪ SketchUp ▪ AutoCAD + Microsoft: ▪ Word ▪ Power Point

(646) – 542 - 8577

Lauramedina01.lm@gmail.com

EXPERIENCE + Volunteer teaching children with disabilities (6 – 12) : ▪ Centro de Especialidades Pediátricas Dr. Sixto Espinoza, Lechería, Anzoátegui. a) The 5 Senses b) The Human Body c) Health Care d) Oral Hygiene e) Why is important to go to the doctor? + BAC Student Collection.

COMMUNICATION

+ Graduation Speech.

LEADERSHIP

+ High School Kickball Team Captain. + President of the BAC Social Club, StudioQ. + Leader of Community Practice group at the BAC.

REFERENCES Colegio Dr. José Antonio Ramos Sucre.

Urb Rio Viejo, Avenida B, Manzana D, Sector Madre Vieja, Lechería. contacto@colegiozowie.com.ve

REFLECTIVE INTRODUCTION In my first semester at BAC I was full of insecurities and doubts. I was always worried wondering if this would be the perfect place to further develop my specialty and not just to look around.

I was being skeptical when deciding if architecture was what I really wanted for a lifetime. At least, until I started digging deeper into classes like Foundation Studio 1 and Design Representation. The two most important courses you could have taken. FS1 led me to start my manual modeling skills and with DR my d r a w i n g s k i l l s i m p r o v e d e x p o n e n t i a l l y.

With this new background, starting my second semester was better and e a s i e r, I w a s g e t t i n g e x c i t e d f o r t h e c l a s s e s . I w a s f u l l o f e n t h u s i a s m t o continue learning new skills and generate new ideas that would take me closer to being the architect I want. This enthusiasm is something that was present in e v e r y p r o j e c t I d i d f o r m y s e c o n d s e m e s t e r.

I must say that during my first year of architecture I learned that by opening my mind and thinking outside of what is common is crucial, even when I am still a work in progress, I am sure I want to create for the people who need it, I want to be able to help them and empathize with them when the rest of the world is just turning their backs on them, I want to bring about a change in the world with my designs, before the world has the opportunity to changes us first.

01

CITY LAB INTENSIVE Instructor: Matt Calvey Michael Boone Semester 1, 2019

The course intent was to make students understand the history of South End, as well as providing an understanding about how

modern

buildings

a ff e c t

existent

buildings in an urban context. During the course we walked through the districts of B a c k B a y, R o x b u r y a n d J a m a i c a P l a i n b y hand sketching and studying and closely observing buildings and their design. I learned how to critically engage with my surroundings a little more, and I got to learn its past and its future through the history I was listening and drawing.

PEPPER

City Lab started in Newbury Street, here I had the chance of observing history through the P r u d e n t i a l To w e r, w h i c h w a s f i n i s h e d o n 1 9 6 4 and was the tallest building in the world outside o f N e w Yo r k C i t y.

To p Vi e w

El e vat i o n

T h e f i r s t e x e r c i s e w e d i d w a s w i t h a p e p p e r. T h i s h a d t h e p u r p o s e o f g i v i n g u s a s m a l l introduction to what were the basic drawing; such as plans, elevations or sections, to get more into architectural sketches.

section

The next studies were made in the districts of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. One of the historical monuments that captured my i n t e n t i o n t h e m o s t w a s T h e F i r s t C h u r c h , R o x b u r y. B e c a u s e i t h a s been standing since 1632, making it the oldest wooden building in Boston.

STONY BROO K STAT I ON

THE F I RST CHURCH

M ENTA L M AP OF J A M A I CA P L A I N

02 CITY X

Instructor: Richard Griswold Karen Nelson Semester 1, 2019

BOSTON ARCHITECTURAL COLLEGE LRC

Bathrooms

6th Floor

Services

Resources

LIBRARY

Diversity of Design & Arch Books

Emergency Exit Computer Lab 5th Floor

OFFICES

Practice Department

The course is an introductory course to contemporary topics by leading

Classrooms

Bathrooms Services

professionals. Furthermore, through written comments from case study about

specific

course

was

to

write

a

manifesto

based on what we want to explore now that we are starting our design

Services

Computer Lab Scanner & Printer

3rd Floor

CLASSROOMS

Bathrooms

design

features. The ultimate goal of this

COMPUTER CENTER

Emergency Exit

buildings, we learned to build strong arguments

4th Floor

CASCIERI HALL Divided into

Screen

Elevators

2nd Floor

Protector

THE LOFT

Divided into

2ND FLOOR

Bathrooms

Elevators

Vending Machines Coffee Machines

Chairs Main Entrance

c a r e e r.

Chairs & Tables

1st Floor

Offices

RECEPTION

Gallery Bathrooms

Elevators

TV OSL Admissions Advisors Photograph Room

Meditation Room

BASEMENT

Studio Lockers

Classrooms Bathrooms

Elevators

Laura Isabel Medina Ocando FND1008 - City X Commentary 5: Ames Scholarship Proposal 10/30/2019

Sierra Leone, located in West Africa, is a city with multiple housing failures. The reason for this matter, it possesses drastic

Sierra Leone

changes in weather, for example, droughts versus mudslides. Besides, it is a city that has inconsistent ground levels and topography, also the community has a lack of infrastructure within itself. A solution to make the communities lives more favorable and satisfactory is rehabilitating the community itself with an act of communal resuscitation. An evidence of this is clearly illustrated in the realization of the Butaro Hospital, Rwanda, built in partnership with Harvard Medical School and Partners in Health.

Source images: https://www.mascontext.com/issues/25-26-legacy-spring-summer-15/journey-with-maps-a-cultural-emergency-project-in-Freetown-sierra-Leone/

Laura Isabel Medina Ocando FND1008 - City X Manifesto 12/04/2019

One of the main reasons why I want to become an architect is to be able to give to those who most need it a more prosperous life. I have always been

Participation & Engagement

A people centered environment

Patient safety health & well - being

attracted to the health field, but definitely the firm Build Health International has inspired

Balance sensory stimulation

me to actually see what architecture should I be based on. I want to be able to create a clean and pleasant environment, but above all functional, an environment that will help people and at the same time will bring them tranquility and comfort while they are occupying it.

Appropriate use of technology

Space to support the needs of people with dementia

Orientation and Navigation

03

F O U N D AT I O N S T U D I O 1 Instructor: Corinne Champagne Semester 1, 2019

MUSEUM OF LIGHT The objective of this project was to understand t h e e ff e c t s a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o d e s i g n f o r l i g h t a n d s h a d o w. W i t h t h i s p r o j e c t I l e a r n e d to work between sketches, diagrams, model, and hand drawings. Another important aspect of this project was to understand how to compose a construction with a site program and human occupation as parameters of the design.

S I T E D R AW I N G S During the site visit, we documented the site with photos, then we also took measurements that will help us with specifics when drafting the plan and sections of the site.

Accuracy in drawing the plan and the sections was important because these would be the underlay to our future design ideas.

section a1

section b

E

S N

W

site plan

section a2

To s t a r t t h i s p r o j e c t I b a s e d m y c o n c e p t o n i m p l i c i t a n d

S K ETCH M ODE L

e x p l i c i t s p a c e s , o p e r a t e d w i t h l e v e l s a n d t r a n s p a r e n c y.

The sketch model was experimenting with ground level changes and lineas elements to create a composition in which the users were able to pass directly from one extreme of the site to the other one with ease.

Pushing forward the sketch model, the first iteration starts to add voids that users are able to occupy as resting areas.

I t e r at i o n 1

The

third

iteration

implements

linear

elements to create crisscross shadows as a threshold that lead to an elevation to the top of the design.

I t e r at i o n 3

T h e F i n a l I t e r a t i o n c o u n t s w i t h t h e p r e s e n c e o f d i ff e r e n t pathways and resting areas. It possess transparency p r o v i d e d b y g l a s s a n d h a s t h e p r e s e n c e o f t w o d i ff e r e n t floors with a variety of experiences. It is a combination of all my elements since the first iteration, and counts with more intimate and social spaces.

f i n a l i t e r at i o n

SECOND F L OOR P L AN

F I RST F L OOR P L AN f i n a l i t e r at i o n

One of the relevant and most

important

these

projects

parts were

of the

realization of sections and random sections to show how

the

light

impact

in

the Museum of Light and to show all the interiors of your model.

L ONG I TUD I NA L SECT I ON

A3 A2

A1

B

B

A1 A2 A3

section a1

section a2

section a3

04

D E S I G N R E P R E S E N TAT I O N Instructor: Luis Montalvo Semester 1, 2019

SOMA CUBE This course helps you get an introduction to basic drawings since you are starting your career as a designer; such as, plans, elevations,

sections

and

axons.

The

course implements this based on the your own composition using the SOMA Cube Puzzle.

My first project is based on the creation of a composition u s i n g t h e “ S o m a C u b e � . To m a k e i t I c h o s e 5 d i ff e r e n t p i e c e s ; A , P, T, L a n d V, a n d t o g e t h e r m a d e s e t o f d r a w i n g s and photographs to have the greatest understanding of it. These drawings are divided into 4 Elevations, 1 Plan Vi e w, 2 S e c t i o n s , 1 O b l i q u e a n d 1 E x p l o d e d A x o n .

front

to p v i e w right side

e l e vat i o n 1

e l e vat i o n 2

e l e vat i o n 3

e l e vat i o n 4

left side

back view

Solution: First place piece A and piece P matching each other as shown in the first image on the right side. Then p i e c e T g o e s t o t h e l e f t s i d e o f p i e c e P. A f t e r t h a t p l a c e , p i e c e L j o i n s w i t h p i e c e A a n d f i n a l l y, p i e c e V i s p l a c e d on piece L.

(A+P)

compressed axon

(A+P+T)

exploded axon

section 1

a

(A+P+T+L)

section 2

p

t

l

v

(A+P+T+L+V)

M c C O R M I C K G A L L E RY The intent of this project was to do a case s t u d y o n t h e M c C o r m i c k G a l l e r y, w h i c h i s located in the first two floors of The Boston Architectural College. The study starts with a research on the donor of the gallery Katharine McCormick, then it shifts towards the timeline of the gallery space. The end goal of this project was to complete a series of plans, sections, elevations and a x o n s o f t h e g a l l e r y t o g e n e r a t e a p o s t e r.

The McCormick Gallery exhibits a variety of design work that s p e a k s t o b r o a d e r t h e m e s o f s u s t a i n a b i l i t y, h i s t o r i c p r e s e r v a t i o n and new technologies. Prominently located on the corner of N e w b u r y a n d H e r e f o r d s t r e e t s , i n t h e B A C ’s m a i n b u i l d i n g , t h e gallery engages thousands of shoppers, students, and tourists that pass by its windows and the bustling college within. All come together in this space for public opening receptions and exhibition-related lectures.

Source: “Exhibitions.” Exhibitions - Boston Architectural College. Accessed May 23, 2019. https://the-bac.edu/experience-the-bac/exhibitions.

F I RST F L OOR P L AN

E L EVAT I ON 1

E L EVAT I ON 2

SECOND F L OOR P L AN

The Boston Architectural College building was renovated i n 2 0 0 0 b y S i l v e r m a n Tr y k o w s k i A s s o c i a t e s . T h e y e l l o w wall, the fishbowl and the raised floors were three key elements to the renovation. The design uses cantilevered, suspended masonry masses and accentuated vertical “ s l i t s ” i n t h e e x t e r i o r b y w h i c h s o m e o f t h e b u i l d i n g ’s c o r e functions can be seen from the outside.

compressed axon

L ONG I TUD I NA L S e c t i o n

cross Section

05

S U S TA I N A B L E M AT E R I A L S A S S E M B L I E S Instructor: Michael Fiorillo Praphulla Devanapally Semester 2, 2020

Green wall

Growing medium

This

course

knowledge materials

was

about that

meant the

exist

to

give

d i ff e r e n t along

you

type

with

VENTILATION

of

their

advantages and disadvantages.

We w e r e r e q u i r e d t o d o s e v e r a l c a s e

Purified Air

studies in which we needed to investigate a l l t h e d i ff e r e n t c o m p o n e n t s t h a t s p e c i f i c building possesses.

Contaminated Air

Water supply

VENLO CITY HALL Kraaijvanger Architects

Ve n l o i s a c i t y a n d m u n i c i p a l i t y i n t h e s o u t h e a s t e r n N e t h e r l a n d s .

They has built a new City Hall as a sign of its excellent service to residents and businesses. The design is a paramount example of applying the Cradle to Cradle design principles on building scale.

It is characterized to anticipate future innovations and continuous improvements at all scales.

All products and materials, at all levels of operation are 100% reusable and environmentally friendly in production.

m at e r i a l s l o c at i o n

a c c o ya w o o d

styrofoam

holz 100

g r e e n wa ll s

s t r ato b e l

b b li g h p i p e e v o

plasterboards

perla op 0.95

Green wall

Growing medium

VENTILATION

Purified Air

Contaminated Air

Water supply

Green house

GREEN lung SUN CHIMNEY

GREEN ROOFS

The green facade works like a green lung to produce clean purified air for people in and around the town. It also transmits b e t w e e n h o t a n d c o l d a i r, w h i c h p r o v i d e s healthy working employees.

06

MAKING AND MODELING Instructor: Luis Montalvo Semester 2, 2020

This course helped develop my modeling s k i l l s e v e n f u r t h e r. I a l s o l e a r n e d h o w t o e x p l o r e d i ff e r e n t m a t e r i a l s i n v i r t u a l models as a tool to document space and form. The goal for this course was that through the analysis of physical and digital models create a space using the softwares learned AutoCAD and SketchUp.

El e vat i o n 1

El e vat i o n 2

My design is meant to be a Butterfly S h e l t e r f o r d i ff e r e n t t y p e s o f b u t t e r f l i e s l o c a t e d i n a f o r e s t . I t h a s d i ff e r e n t g r o u n d levels. The

first

floor

is

dedicated

to

human resting areas and storage for the butterflies' is

i n v e n t o r y,

dedicated

to

the

the

second

protection

of

floor the

butterflies and cocoons, and the third one is an observatory for the butterflies’ keeper to be able to look around. Through the design I added green areas for both the human occupancy and the butterflies.

p e r s p e c t i v e Vi e w

a r e a ki n d o f milk w e e d b u t t e r f ly k n o w n for

their

t i g e r - lik e

orange-and-black

stripes The twin forces of human-caused c lim at e c h a n g e a n d h a b i tat l o s s a r e n o w t h r e at e n i n g

N o rt h

Am e r i c a n

monarch

b u t t e r f li e s w i t h e x t i n c t i o n .

S o u r c e : h t t p s : / / w w w. n e w s w e e k . c o m / m o n a r c h - b u t t e r f l i e s - e x t i n c t - 1 3 0 2 8 3 8

07

COMMUNITY PRACTICE Instructor: Rashmi Ramaswamy Killion Mokwete Semester 2, 2020

This course is meant to teach you how to e n g a g e w i t h t h e c o m m u n i t y, b u t a l s o , h o w to project yourself and communicate with others. This course helped develop my leaderships skills, resolver conflicts, team work and empathy towards others.

0%

0.1 - 5%

5 - 10%

10 - 25%

25 - 50%

50 - 75%

75 - 100%

My project was based on the Sea Level Rising. It is one of the major problems nowadays existing in the world and we noticed that not too much people are aware of the consequences or how serious it is gonna get.

The diagram of the maps mundi is representing the percentage of the countries that are most l i k e l y t o b e u n d e r w a t e r 5 0 y e a r s f r o m n o w.

-Percentage of countries that will be drowned by a rise sea level.

Years Sea Level

TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS

8000 80m

8000 years

Antarctic Ice Sheet (South Pole) 61m

1000

Greenland Ice Sheet 7m

20m

West Arctic Ice Sheet 6m New York

8m

London

Taipei

Heating Ocean Expanding 1m per country

800 years

7m New Orleans

400 6m Shanghai

5m

Edinburgh

South London

300 4m 200 3m 2m

Hamburg

100 1m

Los Angeles Venice

St Petersburg

San Francisco

Lower Manhattan

100 years

Amsterdam

Already Happened 20m

Through our investigation, my group and I decided t o f o c u s o u r a t t e n t i o n i n t h e B o s t o n Wa t e r f r o n t , d u e to it is one of the areas that is going to be more a ff e c t e d b y t h e s e a l e v e l r a i s e .

To g i v e f u r t h e r e x p l a n a t i o n I d i d a s e r i e s o f d i a g r a m s that explain the level of the water with a timeline based on our research of how far it is going to be a ff e c t e d a n d h o e m u c h d a m a g e w o u l d h a p p e n .

Low tide

medium tide

high tide

10 years from now

30 years from now

50 years from now

1. How much do you know about climate change?

0% 15% 30% 50% 75% 100%

2. Are you concerned about climate change?

To b r i n g a w a r e n e s s t o t h e c o m m u n i t y o f t h e w a t e r f r o n t , o u r p r o p o s a l w a s t o d e s i g n a game that has definitions and concepts of our main topic. This games are designed for every age range.

study

Sea Level

Yes No Other

3. Did you know that sea levels are rising due to climate change?

Yes No Other Maybe

4. Have you ever go the Waterfront? If yes, why do you normally go for?

Views Restaurant / Food Parks Aquarium Business Other

4. Would you miss Downtown Boston if it gets destroyed by the rising water levels?

Yes No Other

PLAY

the average level of the ocean’s surface at any given time.

08

F O U N D AT I O N S T U D I O 2 Instructor: Chala Hadimi Semester 2, 2020

I N H A B I TA B L E WA L L This

project

was

meant

to

study

the

human scale and its movements through diagrams. The goal was to design an inhabitable wall that will accommodate all this body movements and have spaces to r e s t a n d g a t h e r.

M y d i a g r a m s a r e r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e d i ff e r e n t s h a p e s in which the body changes for every single action we were investigating

A

A

A

A

My idea was to use linear elements to represent the shapes that the body does to develop the specific movement to the designates area

Movement Pause

B A1

A1

A2

A2 B

My final iteration consists on a space t h a t p o s s e s s e s d i ff e r e n t a r e a s f o r h u m a n occupation. It has ground level changes a s w e l l a s d i ff e r e n t a r e a s t h a t c a n b e u s e f o r d i ff e r e n t f u n c t i o n s .

T H E N A R R AT I V E D E V I C E The narrative device put a lot of emphasis on understanding how to appropriately scale

and

proportion

occupied

spaces

well as the greater public.

M A S S AV

both in relation to the individual body as The project intent was for us to create an

everyday

public

space

that

would

answer questions based on site analysis.

Additionally our design would allow for a s p o r t i n g e v e n t t o t a k e p l a c e o n c e a y e a r.

BOYLSTON ST

The project started with the investigation of the sporting event. In this case a Diving Event.

My diagrams are representing

POOL

POOL

the several movements the diver

does

before

falling

into the pool, as well as the d i ff e r e n t

measurement

the

pool and the structure need to have to be able to work.

12’8”

9’8”

POOL POOL

16’5”

12’6”

S I T E D R AW I N G S During the site visit, we documented the site with photos, then we also took measurements that will help us with specifics when drafting the plan and sections of the site.

A

BOYLSTON STREET

BOYLSTON STREET

B

B

MASSACHUSSETS AVENUE

A

MASS AV

A site model it was also required to be able to see how the future iterations were going to take place.

foot traffic vs. car traffic

I wanted to investigate the f o o t t r a ff i c v s t h e c a r t r a ff i c a t d i ff e r e n t t i m e s o f t h e d a y and see the contrast to see how can it work within my design.

noise diagrams

B MASS AV

A

A

B BOYLSTON STREET

My first iteration starts to explore the site within the

section A

required elements it needs to have. Fot this design I was

focus

my

attention

i n v i e w f o r d i ff e r e n t p a r t s from the site.

section b

section a

section b

My fourth iteration start experimenting with changes in t o p o g r a p h y a n d d i ff e r e n t g r o u n d l e v e l s t o w o r k s a s r e s t i n g areas and gathering spaces for human occupancy as well a s w o r k i n g w i t h t h e d i v i n g e v e n t i n t e r m s o f v i e w. section c

My final iteration keeps the elements of my past iterations and it is creating a s w e l l d i ff e r e n t a r e a s f o r the human occupation to e n j o y. T h i s i s r e p r e s e n t i n g a mediation point between all the noise and movement i n t h e c i t y. I t w o r k s a s a s p a c e t o r e l a x a n d e n j o y.

first floor plan

second floor plan

B

A

A

B

SECTION A

My drafting were one of the skills that I improve the most in this project. I learned how to use the line w e i g h t i n a b e t t e r w a y, a s well as representing them i n a c l e a r e r w a y.

SECTION B