Architecture by Michael Arias

PORTFOLIO ARCHITECTURE

Michael Arias

USC School of Architecture

Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION

University of Southern California

Master of Architecture, Expected May 2024 Activities: Integrated Path to Licensure (IPAL) Candidate AIAS Member

Los Angeles Institute of Architecture and Design

Masters Preparatory Program, June - December 2020

University of California, Davis

B.A. in English Literature, June 2018

Minor: Communication Activities: CAPA International Education in London, England, Spring Quarter 2018

EXPERIENCE

ROST Architects, Irvine, CA

Intern Pre-Design

May – August 2022

Researched code constraints and compiled plans and sections of surrounding buildings for a multi-use development to produce a 1/8” 3D printed site model for massing studies. Recorded as-built measurements of a 10,000 square foot office space and modeled it in Revit including a reflected ceiling plan, demolition, existing, and proposed partition plan.

Schematic Design

Developed and refined Sketchup models for single-family homes. Produced a Lumion render package and fly through. Photoshopped plans and formatted the InDesign file for a client presentation. Modeled and produced a detailed ¼ inch 3D print of a single-family residence.

Construction Documentation and Permitting

Edited and organized building specifications and details using CSI divisions for a firm-wide standard database in Revit. Shadowed a project manager on plan checks and phone calls with the building department. Attended a site visit with the principal architect and general contractor.

johnnie-O, Los Angeles, CA

Licensed Product Specialist; Customer Engagement Specialist

October 2018 – August 2020

Served as first line of support for wholesale and e-commerce customers and assisted in Sales Representative engagement. Organized customer accounts using excel and engaged in business development for potential clients. Used various integrations and POS systems, including Full Circle, Shopify, and RepSpark for general operation and organization of inventory.

Blow Up Records, London, England

Intern

April – June 2018

Implemented new strategies to assist and expand marketing campaigns for record releases using digital promotion systems and social media platforms. Managed correspondence with press and radio music supervisors to promote album sales. Oversaw stock output and compiled on-line listings for national gigs and Blow Up Club events.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Skills: Revit, Rhino, Sketchup, Lumion, Enscape, Adobe Creative Cloud, Excel

Venice Bath House

Professor: Rodolfo Reis Dias Spring 2022

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Venice Bath House, located in Venice, CA, is an adaptive reuse project in which the existing building retains the historic Venice beach colonnade first brought to the area by Abbot Kinney in 1905. For this reason, the front facade and colonnade were to remain intact. The design strove to be a destination for relaxation while also having a sense of wonder and emergence. The circulation becomes the driving force behind the design as the individual winds their way around the exterior walls of the building. Walls along this path at eight feet high so

the only perspective available is the ceiling above. As you move deeper into the depths of the building pools are revealed that vary in temperature, and your view of what is to come slowly begins to appear. At the lowest level, a large communal, open air pool sits adjacent to a lounge area and cafe, and the space is lit with three large oculi that tower above.

Concept Sketches

Circulation

Bath House Reception

Elevation

2 Subterranean 3

Studio Sea

Professor: Amanda Ortland

Contributors: Farida Mokhtar

Fall 2022

Event & PerformanceSpace

Gallery

Cafe

Studio Sea is a collective of artists and musicians in which connectivity and collaboration are at the heart of the design. The program stems from a system of overlapping pods that contain private rooms and restrooms for each inhabitant. The form is meant to blur the lines between public and private spaces through an intermingling of courtyards, private rooms, and shared kitchen spaces.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Each pod is shared between eight people, and each person has access to the patio spaces from both their rear and main entry. The complex provides gallery and studio space for artists and stages and soundproof practice spaces for musicians. Public pools are offered to the public as well as providing acoustic benefits for live performances.

Performance Space

Maker Space

Community Engagement

The site location was a golf course on which all students from the studio chose a section to build. The orientation and massing of our project was based around Studio Sea as a public space in which the greater community could enjoy the

pools and live music throughout the week in a central location. The massing becomes a fracture in a larger orthagonal mass that creates an inviting gateway between projects or destination for leisure.

Concept Sketches

CONNECTION THROUGH ADJACENCIES

The form of the building becomes a succession of linear living spaces connected by perpendicular spines that connect each common area. The private rooms feed directly into each common area perpetuating the idea of connection in all directions. The private living spaces are separated

by courtyards that can be accessed through the brie soleil hallway or directly from your room itself. These shared courtyards are designed to accommodate the adjacent rooms while also accessible from the adjacent pod.

Tiered Massing

Pod Accessibility

ARTISTIC EXPRESSION

The project takes advantage of the phenomenon of sound over water in which the cooler surface temperature of water stretches the sound waves and projects that sound to further distances. It is analogous to the clarity of faint voices across a lake or children playing near a pool in a backyard. Musicians will have the opportunity to showcase their work to small scale

audiences through stages adjacent to large pools for acoustic performances. In addition to performance spaces, artists have access to maker spaces equipped with canvases and work benches as well as art galleries to hold events.

Sound Across Water

Stage and Gallery Space

Cafe and Maker Space

BLURRING THE LINES OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

Brise soleil becomes not only a shading device to keep the interior hallways cooler, but also a necessary partition between the shared courtyard spaces and the inhabitants‘ private space. Because the overall concept of

the project relies heavily on adjacencies to connect individuals, brise soleil offers some seclusion and changes the nature of each shared hallway by enhancing what may be considered private or semi-private space.

Pod Transformation

Operable Brise Soleil

Shared Space within Pod

Circulation

The Enclave

Professor: Amanda Ortland

Fall 2022

POSITION

The Enclave strives to bridge the gap between the comfortable and the confined by making a 10'x10'x10' room appear larger while also maximizing the efficiency of a small space. The resident enters onto a platform with an 8' ceiling above and a work space 2' below. The tiered floor layout with the recessed floor gives the illusion of a larger space as the resident enters the room from a higher vantage point. The large operable windows will give the resident a wider field of view and enable them to change eye angle down from eye level. This effect would be felt significally with the communal spaces level with the enterance two feet above the work space. This design can comfortably facilitate a place to sleep, work, relax, excercise, and have company.

DESCRIPTION

The room attempts to maximize utilization while having the ability to transform into the most efficient and minimal space possible. The sleeping area uses a bed that can easily convert into a sofa for a pleasant reading space or to have company in the room. The wood platform houses bookshelves, a 6' closet with a hanging rod, a desk, and a desk stool. Three-foot-long drawers are hidden within the stairs for ample shoe and folded clothes storage. Ninety degree operable windows allow the space to breath while still retaining some level of privacy. With all the amenities of the room securely stowed away, the 8'x4' recessed floor is large enough to sprawl out to excersize.

LEGEND

1. Convertable Bed/Sofa

2. Stowaway Desk

3. Stowaway Desk Stool

4. Six Foot Deep Closet with Hanging Rod

5. Bookshelves

6. Exercise Area

7. Stair Drawers

8. Frosted Window

9. Television

10. Operable 90° Windows

Computational Design

Instructor: Matt Conway

Contributors: Jessie Lou, Rahul Bagga

Fall 2021

Using descriptive and computational design, we investigated planar quad and complex panelization of developable surfaces. My responsibilities included the creation of the shape using boolean operations, aligning the isometric lines to determine the size of each panel, the line drawings below, and the fabrication of the physical model.

Boolean operations and rationalization of geometric inconsistencies

Japanese Wood Joinery

Instructor: Geoffrey Von Oeyen

Contributors: Joseph Brand, Farida Mokhtar

Spring 2023

Kai - no - Kuchitsugi

The kai-no-kuchitsugi joint is an end-to-end joint used to extend the length of heavy pillars. To be able to reach heights of about 100 ft, Japanese craftsmen used kaino-kuchitsugi joints in pagodas. Japanese pagodas date back to the early 7th century to serve as a sacramental space for artifacts. Pagodas are mostly constructed out of wood to withstand earthquakes. The pillar in pagodas in which the kai-no-kuchitsugi joint is most commonly seen is known as shinbashira, translating to the heart pillar. The shinbashira’s diameter tapers in size from the base to the spire in order to maintain its strength and adhere to the architectural features. A typical shinbashira has a diameter at its base of around 2.5 feet, around the middle a diameter of about 2.14 feet, and 0.8 feet at the top. For a five-story pagoda, the shinbashira would be divided into three sections: from the base to the third story, from the third story to the base of the spire, and from the bottom of the spire to the top. These sections are generally where the kaino-kuchitsugi joint would be seen in order to connect each respective section. The benefit of a shell mouth joint like kai-nokuchitsugi is its ability to resist rotation and stack multiple pieces of heavy wood on top of each other. Due to the joint’s proportional relationship, however, it is susceptible to tensional deformation. For this specific joint, there are no male and female components - the joint components are identical. Each joint has an x-shaped section protruding out, with an identical chiseled out section on the bottom of the piece where the other should slot into to ensure that the pieces are secured.

ROST Architects

Internship - Summer 2022

3D Printed Model - 1/4” Scale

High Drive Residence

This single family home is located in Laguna Beach, CA. I created the 3D print file using Sketchup and ideaMaker, and the completed model consisted of fourteen separate prints

including interior partition walls, operable sliding doors and clerestory windows. I refined the Sketchup models, photoshopped plans, and created Lumion renders.