Melissa Jacobs Architecture Portfolio 2020

2018-2020

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

CONTENTS

1

THE CUBE

2

INTERVENTION

3

THICK/THIN

4

PAVILION

5

LIBRARY

6

HOUSING

THE CUBE 2018

The objective of the introductory cube project was to develop a rudimentary understanding of formal spaces and volumes within a small-scale, dynamic model. Using simple foam core, predetermined forms as well as other individually chosen shapes were cut out of five inch squares; using these shapes, a six inch cube was to be “built� using creatively oriented planes in order to imply volumes and spaces.

1

Elevation

AutoCAD and Adobe Illustrator were both used to develop a set of simple drawings. The focal point of the drawings is the concept of line thickness and the visualisation of gaps and spaces between planar elements.

Plan Cut

Despite being the first architecture project of the school year, the goal of this design was specifically not meant to represent or reference any traditional architectural forms like walls, roofs, columns, etc. This was done to encourage thinking about spaces, not “rooms�

INTERVENTION 2019 Le Corbusier’s Carpenter Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts is an American icon of contemporary architecture that serves as a multi-disciplinary home for a wide variety of art forms, including architecture, painting, and sculpture. Serving as an educational space for nearby Harvard students, the center has become a very charged site.

The objective of this project was to create an outdoor public space for the general public, using the empty space that currently exists directly behind the Carpenter Center. This space would serve as a public venue for both general individual use, as well as support a larger educational lecture event.

2

Using sharp angular forms, the topography of the site is broken up into a mesh of inter-connected planes that create a subtle dip in the landscape. This is done to maintain consistent access from all sides of the site, and create a sense of comfort and privacy. Within the mesh, two larger triangular forms emerge and unfold from the landscape to form enclosed crystalline-like structures. These volumes would serve as the most private niches within the space. These spaces could also serve as opposing audience spaces for lectures or events.

The topography that is created within the site forms unique spacial qualities. Views into the excavated site are most intriguing when one stands beneath the site’s ramp. The pavilion structures create increasingly sharp, narrow, and dark spaces.

THICK/THIN 2019

“Thick/Thin” is a term that refers to a programmatic organizational system where “thick” and “thin” spaces are defined by a relationship in which the “servant” spaces corridors, staircases, bathrooms - enable the program of adjacent “served” spaces - living room, kitchen, bedrooms, etc.

The goal of this project was to design a simple, small-scale residential space that would utilize the “thick/thin” design tactic.

3

Starting with a very simple and traditional thick/thin diagram, one can see that with a small, rectangular site and residential scale, this design can really only fit central circulation. But, by simply rotating the envelope, more volume can be given to the servant spaces for things like bathrooms and closets.

THICK/SERVANT SPACE

SECOND FLOOR

FIRST FLOOR

2019

PAVILION As one of the oldest and most vibrant communities in Boston, Chinatown houses a diverse range of public functions.

Unfortunately, not included within this range is a dedicated public library for residents. The Chinatown public plaza is an active space of diverse age groups, and houses many different public activities including a playground, seating for board games, and other pop-up activities. Using this heavily charged site adjacent to the Chinatown Gate, a design for a pop-up library pavilion was proposed that would be installed quickly over the summer months, and be easily disassembled.

4

Using a simple rectangular shape, similar to that of a flat sheet of paper, corners are folded to create a standing surface whose cascading walls can be taken advantage of for bookshelves.

A supporting fin structure was designed and tested to hold up the curved surface while hugging the interior walls without interrupting circulation. These fins would also serve as the vertical support for the bookshelves.

The central goal of this design was to incorporate a fun playground-like environment that would attract the younger generation into the area to participate in reading. Inspired by the existing playground on the site, large holes were punched through the exterior surface to create new circulation paths as well as seating for reading. These apertures would act similarly to the existing playground’s hexagon shaped volumes in which children sit in and jump through. The holes also allow for parents to see in and out of the pavilion more easily in order to maintain views of their children.

2019

LIBRARY After the pop-up library design, the scale of the project was meant to be expanded, to a full sized conceptual public library project for Chinatown. The goal was to design an environment that would serve the community in ways other than just supplying books - might that be technological access, lecture halls for educational use, private rooms for meetings, etc - thus creating a functional and modern library. This design in particular aims at a similar goal of the pop-up library: creating an environment interior and exterior - that engages with all age groups.

Before jumping into the design process, a thorough investigation was done into the site’s context including surrounding green space, transportation, and direct pedestrian access.

5

ARMENIAN HERITAGE PARK; THE ARMENIAN WEEKLY

ROSE KENNEDY GREENWAY BOSTON, MA

RINGS FOUNTAIN; BOSTON DISCOVERY GUIDE

DEWEY SQUARE PARK; BOSTON MAGAZINE

CHINATOWN PARK; NEWTON COURT

CHINATOWN LIBRARY PROPOSAL

PARKING (WITHIN HALF A MILE)

T T STATIONS

T

PEDESTRIAN PATH

PARK STREET ~20,000

STREETS

SITE

RAIL LINES

T

DOWNTOWN CROSSING ~23,000

T

T

BOYLSTON STREET ~7,000

CHINATOWN ~6,500

T

SOUTH STATION ~30,000

T

TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER ~6,000

LINCOLN STREET

SITE

JOHN FITZGERALD SURFACE ROAD CHINATOWN PARK

JOHN FITZGERALD EXPRESSWAY TUNNEL

ET ST RE LINC OLN

After investigating access to the site, two central potential entrance points were identified on opposite sides of the site. The first design choice was to simply cut a flat facade facing perpendicular to these points EN

W AY

in order to engage with people coming from both

GR E

Chinatown and the leather district.

So, on one end, there is a much larger facade facing towards the Chinatown gate as well as inviting passers-by from the Greenway. On the opposite end, a shorter, more subtle entrance for those potentially coming from South Station or other busy areas is

JOHN

FITZG

ERAL

D SU

RFAC

E RO AD

created as a small inlet for the busy street corner.

BEAC

H STR

EET

Large columnar volumes are drawn in the corners of the site to organize the program. These columns vary in size to accommodate different programs; larger volumes for larger, more public programs like the cafe and circulation, and smaller volumes for the more private programs like bathrooms, private reading rooms, etc.

The volumes often taper upward in order to adapt to changing program size. This tapering gives the volumes a massive, leaning effect, that adds to the overall towering drama of the design.

Tall, thin mullions hold inset glass a few inches in from the ends of the floor slabs to create a multi-dimensional facade as well as protect from high summer sunlight.

Mezzanines and double-height spaces can be seen clearly from the exterior.

The thick floor slabs and concrete walls are expressed by extruding through the facade in order to add to the multi-dimensionality of the surface.

An almost entirely glass facade creates a highly transparent building that can be seen through at almost any point. This adds to the “solid vs void� motif that already exists between the open spaces, and the thick columnar spaces.

2020

HOUSING There is no doubt that there exists an increasingly urgent issue in urban housing throughout cities around the world. This project aims to address specifically the lack of efficient and comfortable housing in Boston, MA. The goal was to design a prototype that is adaptable to site-specific conditions, taking inspiration from existing walk-up housing models. The walk-up housing model is being used because of its potential social benefits without traditionally dense, double-loaded corridors.

The concept for this project is a semi-private environment that encourages interaction between residences through the use of shared circulation cores as well as large, shared, elevated green spaces accessible to residents.

Boston building code was the basis for the technical decisions made in this project including egress stair distance, travel distance from the farthest point in each unit, and total number and measurements of shared and private stairs.

6

PRIVATE (BEDROOM, BATHROOM) PUBLIC (LIVING ROOM, KITCHEN) SHARED CIRCULATION ENTRANCE PATH

SHARED CIRCULATION

A

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

A

A

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

A

A

THIRD FLOOR PLAN

SECTION AA

A

MELISSA JACOBS // 2020

THANK YOU!