Portfolio 2023 - Nada Abdel-Aziz

Architecture + Landscape Architecture Portfolio 2023 Nada Abdel-Aziz

ARCHITECTURE Community Center

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Downtown Revitalization

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STEAM Middle School

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Artist House

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LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE University District Design

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Greenway Park Masterplan

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RESEARCH

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“ON SITE” - Case Studies in Place, Contextualism, and Identity

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“LIVING ROOM” - System for School Learning Gardens

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Terrain Responsive Design Parametric toolkit for Digitally Fabricated Concrete

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Table of Contents |

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COMMUNITY RESILIENCY CENTER FOR GREENVILLE, MS Fall 2020 - Prof. Silvina Lopez Barrera, Fourth Year Studio

SITUATION Greenville is a small industrial and agricultural town, on the banks of the Mississippi river. Greenville like many other small Mississippi riverfront towns suffers from river and storm flooding, wastewater issues, fossil fuel dependence, and community issues such as health epidemics, food deserts, and limited recreational opportunities.

This community center to intended to engage local resiliency issues through a flexible community center building and a larger master plan that incorporate infrastructure for resilience and amenities for community wellbeing.

Vernacular Inspiration : Greenville Railroad Depot - Cooper Postcard Collection

Greenville, MS MS-Yazoo Delta Mississippi river

CONTEXT | CONCEPT

The architecture combines passive strategies from vernacular building, 45,000 28,500 with formal combining 45,000 them 1990 POPULATION 2020 POPULATION 28,500 1990 POPULATION 2020 POPULATION inspiration drawn from the linear 4

Vernacular Inspiration : Greenville Railroad Depot - Cooper Postcard Collection

Riverboat docked in Greenville Cooper Postcard Collection Vernacular Inspiration : Greenville Railroad Depot - Cooper Postcard Collection

Riverboat docked in Greenville Cooper Postcard Collection

dynamic rhythms of Mississippi river steamboats.

Riverboat docked in Greenville Cooper Postcard Collection

North Elevation

East Porch

Elongate north + south faces for solar energy and daylighting.

Narrow floor plates for daylighting and natural ventilation.

Deepen porches for shading and exterior gathering.

Pull apart roofs into clerestories for toplighting.

Scale down parts of the building for intimate and private zones.

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E

EE

A

A

A

C C C

F F

F

E E DD D MASTER PLAN - RESILIENCY STRATEGIES

+ WELLBEING HEALTHHEALTH + WELLBEING

A “PLAY STREETS”

PARK BOULEVARDS A “PLAY STREETS”

PARK BOULEVARDS

B PLAZA FOR CITY FARMER’S

MARKET AND OTHER EVENTS

B PLAZA FOR CITY FARMER’S

MARKET AND OTHER EVENTS

C COMMUNITY AGRICULTURAL GARDENS

AGRICULTURAL C COMMUNITY 6 GARDENS

E EE

BB E

DISASTER RESILIENCY DISASTER RESILIENCY

A PAVED AREAS TO BE USED FOR

AREAS TO HOUSING BE USED FOR TEMPORARY A PAVED TEMPORARY HOUSING

B PLAZA FOR DISTRIBUTION AREAS

B PLAZA FOR DISTRIBUTION AREAS

MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM ACTS AS STORM SHELTER WHEN STORM SHUTTERS ARE LOCKED

MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM ACTS AS STORM SHELTER WHEN STORM SHUTTERS ARE LOCKED

ENERGY WATERRESILIENCY RESILIENCY ENERGY ++ WATER

D PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS TO

SYSTEMS CONTRIBUTE TO ENERGYTO GRID D PHOTOVOLTAIC CONTRIBUTE TO ENERGY GRID

E SWALES AND DETENTION AREAS FOR STORMWATER

E SWALES AND DETENTION AREAS FOR STORMWATER

F CONSTRUCTED WETLAND FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT

F CONSTRUCTED WETLAND FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT

PROBLEM SEEKING RESILIENCY STUDIES FOR GREENVILLE, MS

FLOOD ZONE MAP Data compiled from FEMA flood zone maps and MARIS, Mississippi GIS database.

FLOOD ZONE MAP PERENNIAL STREAM FLOOD ZONE MAP Data compiled from FEMA

Data from flood compiled zone maps andFEMA MARIS, flood zone maps andSTREAM MARIS, Mississippi GIS database.

INTERMITTENT Mississippi GIS database.

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE Greenville has a sewage system too large and outdated to properly maintain with its decreasing population and tax revenue. When the WATER INFRASTRUCTURE sewageINFRASTRUCTURE system is overwhelmed by WATER Greenville hasthe a sewage system too stormwater, sewer overflows large and outdated to properly Greenville has a sewage system too partially treated sewage into the river. maintain its decreasing large outdated to properly The and citywith was recently sued by the EPA population andits tax revenue. maintain with decreasing for repeated violations of theWhen Cleanthe sewage system overwhelmed by the population and is tax revenue. When Water Act. stormwater, theissewer overflowsby sewage system overwhelmed partially treated sewage into the river. stormwater, the sewer overflows The city was recently sued bythe theriver.

EPA partially treated sewage into for repeated of the The city was violations recently sued byClean the EPA Water Act. violations of the Clean for repeated Water Act.

HEALTH WELLBEING 38% Lacked any physical activity in the past month when surveyed HEALTH70% WELLBEING Overweight or Obese HEALTHBMI WELLBEING in adults 38% Lacked any physical 40% Obese BMI inmonth adults 38% Lacked physical activity in theany past activity in the past month when surveyed For Greenville, community health and when surveyed 70%isOverweight or Obese wellbeing a resiliency challenge.

Overweight or Obese BMI adults Many70% areasin have low access to food 40%such BMI in stores. adults BMI inObese adults resources as grocery Likewise, the city’s recreational spaces 40% Obese BMI in adults For community health andis areGreenville, limited.. Data in diagram above wellbeing resiliency challenge.

For community health and forGreenville, state is ofaMS from CDC Behavioral Many low access to food wellbeing is have aSurveillance resiliency challenge.

Risk areas Factor System. resources such aslow grocery stores.

Many areas have access to food Likewise, city’s recreational spaces resourcesthe such as grocery stores. are limited.. diagram above is Likewise, theData city’sinrecreational spaces for state of MS from CDC Behavioral are limited..

Data in diagram above is Risk Factor Surveillance for state of MS from CDCSystem.

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

PERENNIAL STREAM PERENNIAL STREAM PROTECTED BY LEVEE INTERMITTENT STREAM HUNDRED YR STREAM INTERMITTENT FLOODPLAIN PROTECTED BY LEVEE SITE LOCATION PROTECTED BY LEVEE HUNDRED YR FLOODPLAIN HUNDRED YR FLOODPLAIN SITE LOCATION SITE LOCATION FOOD ACCESS MAP

Data compiled from USDA Food Atlas using US Census tracts.

FOOD ACCESS MAP

FOOD ACCESS MAP LOW INCOME LOW Data compiled fromAND USDA FOODusing ACCESS USING Data from Food compiled Atlas US USDA Census VEHICLE ACCESS Food using US Census tracts.Atlas tracts. LOW INCOME AND LOW

FOOD ACCESS WITHIN 1 LOW INCOME AND LOW MILE FOOD ACCESSAND USING LOW INCOME LOW LOW INCOME AND LOW VEHICLE ACCESS FOOD ACCESS USING ACCESS WITHIN .5 MILE VEHICLE ACCESS LOW INCOME AND LOW FOODINCOME ACCESSAND WITHIN LOW LOW1 NONE MILE ACCESS WITHIN 1 FOOD MILE LOW INCOME AND LOW ACCESS WITHIN .5 LOW MILE LOW INCOME AND SITE LOCATION ACCESS WITHIN .5 MILE NONE NONE

ACCESS TO SITE LOCATION SITE LOCATION PARKS AND RECREATIONAL SPACE ACCESS TO GREENTO SPACE AND ACCESS PARKS AND 15 MIN WALKING PARKS AND RECREATIONAL DISTANCE RECREATIONAL SPACE SPACE SITE LOCATION GREEN SPACE AND 15 MIN WALKING GREEN SPACE AND DISTANCE 15 MIN WALKING DISTANCE SITE LOCATION SITE LOCATION

Community Center |

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PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM

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KBTU/ SQ FT/ YR ENERGY USE INTENSITY MEETS 2030 CHALLENGE STANDARD CONSTRUCTED WETLAND FOR BLACKWATER TREATMENT

BUILDING ENERGY USE

RAINWATER COLLECTION 135,617 kwh/yr

SOLAR GENERATED NET ENERGY

ENERGY ANALYSIS

OTHER

44,000 kBTU/yr

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KBTU/ SQ FT/ YR

EQUIPMENT

90,000 kBTU/yr

364,917 kwh/yr 229,300 kwh/yrDAYLIGHTING HEATING

34,OOO kBTU/yr

LIGHTING

91,000 kBTU/yr

ENERGY USE INTENSITY MEETS 2030 CHALLENGE

BUILDING ENERGY USE SOLAR GENERATED NET ENERGY 8

ANALYSIS

SPATIAL DAYLIGHT AUTONOMY (sDA)

Floor area with daylight autonomy, adequate light levels without artificial lighting for 50% or more of year.

Floor area without daylight autonomy.

135,617 kwh/yr 364,917 kwh/yr 229,300 kwh/yr

COOLING

109,000 kBTU/yr

Analysis created using Sefaira, assuming typical VAV HVAC system. Building envelope R values were based on ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for 50% energy savings.

WATER | ENERGY | DAYLIGHT | THERMAL COMFORT

DEMAND CONTROL VENTILATION

HVAC CHALLENGES

Occupancy levels can fluctuate wildly, such as between peak occupancy when building is in use as a storm shelter (100+ persons) to having low activity during school or work hours (1-5 persona). Many rooms such as the classroooms will lie unoccupied for a large percentage of the day.

INFILTRATION BASIN FOR STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

DCV is the use of sensors to reduce the building ventilation rate during low occupancy hours and to ramp up the ventilation rate during peak occupancy. This reduces the amount of air being actively conditioned, thus preventing unnecessary energy use.

ACTIVE CHILLED BEAMS

ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATION

ACB require less fan energy than traditional all-air systems, while improving comfort though reduced noise.

ACB use chilled water circulated through the building to cool hot air.

Before indoor air is exhausted, an ERV system transfers heat from the warm outdoor air to the stale cold indoor air, pre-cooling the new air and reducing energy costs.

HYDRONIC RADIANT FLOORING

INDIVIDUAL ENVIROMENTAL CONTROLS

Radiant flooring systems can be comfortable at temperatures 6-8 degrees lower than conventional heating (ASHRAE).

THERMAL COMFORT STRATEGIES

TARGETS FOR SDA LEED V4: “Each regularly occupied space achieves sDA300/50% value of at least 55%” Target Achieved: 95% of floor area achieves sDA300/50%, meaning these areas receive more than 300 lux more than 50% of occupied hours.

ANNUAL SOLAR EXPOSURE (ASE) Floor area overlit more than 250 occupied hours annually WATER MANAGEMENT Floor area without excessive annual sunlight exposure.

Small scale systems, such as ductless mini splits allow dormant areas to be lightly conditioned when unoccupied while allowing individuals to control their thermal comfort in the space.

TARGETS FOR ASE

WELL Building Standard: “Annual sunlight exposure (ASE1000,250) is achieved for no more than 10% of regularly occupied space.”

Target Achieved: Only 4.4% of floor area experiences overlighting with 1000 lux for more than 250 occupied hours annually.

RAINWATER COLLECTION

Community Center |

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MATERIAL CHALLENGES

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GYPSUM BOARD Gypsum board has a high energy and carbon footprint.

Lightweight gypsum uses less water and energy to manufacture than standard gypsum and reduces transportation energy.

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MINERAL WOOL INSULATION Mineral wool is produced from rock such as basalt, a naturally renewing volcanic rock, and recycling manufactoring byproducts, unlike other typical petroleum based insulation. It is also produced in Mississippi.

Few environmentally friendly materials are manufactured regionally. Therefore, reducing environmental impacts of typical, regionally available building materials is critical.

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MASS TIMBER

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5

CONCRETE Cement and concrete have high carbon impacts. However, concrete has a long durable lifespan. Concrete is reduced to only the floor slabs. The use of flyash as a mix additive can reduce the cement content, decreasing the carbon footprint.

PLASMA CUT SHEET STEEL Steel is a high carbon impact material. Local steel manufactors use electric arc furnaces, which do not depend on fossil fuels and typically have a high recycled steel content.

Plasma cutting is also a local fabrication capacity, allowing the panels to be transported a short distance to the site.

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Community Center |

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E

D

C

B

A

Floor Plan

C

PROGRAM SPACES

B Communal Kitchen + Laundry

D Conference space

A Street Porch

C Multipurpose event space

E Classroom

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D

E

Community Center | 13

SMALL TOWN BLOCK REVITALIZATION FOR HATTIESBURG, MS Spring 2021 - Prof. Jacob Gines, Fourth Year Studio

Vacant Parking Lot

Abandoned Downtown Buildings

SITUATION

Like many Mississippi small towns, Hattiesburg’s downtown is more dormant due to suburban trends such as big-box stores and shopping malls drawing activity to town outskirts. The project brief is to imagine development that would spur activity in the downtown area. Using urban mapping analysis, the studio chose different 14

programmatic avenues and strategies for increasing downtown vitality.

The studio also chose to focus on revitalizing one semi-vacant block of abandoned historic buildings, allowing for a broader scope rather than a depth of focus on one particular building.

Development Strategies 1 - Increase population density by replacing parking lots with dense multifamily housing.

2 - Increase youth opportunities in the city through a children’s library, makerspace and parklet.

3 - Diversify use types to maintain foot traffic throughout the day.

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PROBLEM SEEKING

ANALYZING NEEDS OF DOWNTOWN HATTIESBURG

The mapping studies led to a focus on creating youth activities (map 5) and increasing population density (map 6).

1 - Hydrology

5 - Youth Population

3 - Population - Immediate Vicinity

7 - USDA Food Deserts

2 - Racial Dot Density

4 - Population - Downtown Area

6 - Senior Population 8 - Youth Resources

9 - Health Resources

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Park and Facade Sketches

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P R OG RAMMIN G ADAPTIVE REUSE AND NEW INFILL DEVELOPMENT

NEW MULTIFAMILY HOUSING WITH UNDERGROUND PARKING REUSE INTO CHILDREN’S LIBRARY AND MAKERSPACE

NEW GROUND FLOOR RETAIL NEW PARKLET

RENOVATION INTO SMALL CAFE

Project Axon

Site Axon

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN PROGRAMMING, TECTONIC AND FACADE STUDIES

Concept Models

Downtown Block |

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DN

Health and Wellness Supply Store

UP

Kitchen

Dressing Room

Demo Kitchen

A

Dressing Room

Small Yoga Studio 1

Male Shower + Rest RM

Small Yoga Studio 2

Female Shower + Rest RM

PreK - K Reading Level Zone Third - Sixth Grade Reading Level Zone

B

C

Librarian

D

Large Yoga Studio Gender N. Shower/Rest Room

Lobby

First - Third Grade Reading Level Zone Story Tower Mail Area

Admin. Office

Ground floor plan Hattiesburg Timber Tower A001 Ground Floor Plan 1/8" = 1'-0" Nada Abdel-Aziz

UP DN

Ground Floor Plan

DN

DN

E

A DN

Study Pod

UP

Study Pod

DN

Mens RR

Neutral RR

B Womens RR

Story Tower Below

DN UP

Second floor plan 18 Hattiesburg Timber Tower A002 Second Floor Plan 1/8" = 1'-0" Nada Abdel-Aziz

Storage + Service

A

LIBRARY ATRIUM

B

CAFE ENTRY Cafe

Library Atrium

2 BEDROOM LOFT

PROGRAM SPACES

E

E

1 BEDROOM LOFT

1 Bedroom Unit Render

2 Bedroom Unit Render

RENOVATIONS

NEW CONSTRUCTION

A Abandoned bank to be renovated into cafe w/courtyard.

C Parklet - play spaces with amphitheater

B Existing buildings to be combined into children’s library

and makerspace

D Ground floor retail E Multifamily housing w/parking garage Downtown Block | 19

1 2 3 4 5 6

EPDM Roofing Membrane Rigid Insulation Sheathing Framed Air Cavity Roof Underlayment 5 Ply CLT Panel`

1 2

mberTower Tower mber tive Section ve Section ziz iz

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

3

Brick Rainscreen Wall

4 5 6

Rigid Insulation Vapor Membrane 3 Ply CLT Panel

4

Storefront Window Casement Window Pine Railing

Roof Assembly - Exterior to Interior 1 - EPDM Roofing membranes 2 - Rigid Insulation 3 - Sheathing 4 - Framed Air Cavity 5 - Roof Underlayment

3

Pine Screen Wall Pine Screen Wall

2

Storefront Window

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6

5

7

6 - 5 Ply CLT Panel

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Exploded Axon Hattiesburg Timber Tower A13 Exploded Axon Section Nada Abdel-Aziz

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Exploded Roof and Facade Assemblies

Enclosure Assembly - Exterior to Interior 1 - Brick Rainscreen Wall w/ Pine Screen Panels 2 - Rigid Insulation 3 - Vapor Membrane 4 - 3 Ply CLT Panel

1 2

1 2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

3

7

6

3 4 5

Wood Rainscreen Concealed Cladding Clip Cover Board

6 7

12mm Toughened Glass Double Pane 8mm Glass Aluminium Skylight Frame Insulated Sklylight Support

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Metal Plate Connector

4 5

8

2

Skylight for Story Tower 1 3” : 1”

ght for Story Tower

”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Timber blocking + flashing Gravel + Sand Bed Roof pavers EPDM Roofing Membrane Rigid Board Insulation Shealthing Framed Air Cavity 5 Ply CLT Panel`

Overlap Detail 3” : 1”

3

6 4 9

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7

5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Double Glazed Roof-Light

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Wood Rainscreen

Aluminium frame Wood Rainscreen Aluminium L channel L to Wall Clip Vapor Membrane Exterior Gypsum Board Rigid Board Insulation Metal Stud Wood Furring Strip Wood Acoustic Panel

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Sectional Perspective Skylight for Story Tower 3” : 1”

2

1

CLT Roof detail Reading tower skylight detail Overlap Detail 3” : 1”

Cladding detail for exterior of reading tower

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6

Site section through children’s 7 8 library, parklet amphitheater,9 retail and housing 10

4 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

1 2

Double Glazed Roof-Light Aluminium frame Wood Rainscreen Aluminium L channel L to Wall Clip

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Vapor Membrane Exterior Gypsum Board Rigid Board Insulation

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Metal Stud

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Concealed Cladding Clip Cover Board 12mm Toughened Glass Double Pane 8mm Glass Aluminium Skylight Frame Insulated Sklylight Support Metal Plate Connector

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Wood Furring Strip

5

Wood Acoustic Panel

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ASSEMBLAGES Skylight for Story Tower 3” : 1”

BUILDING DETAILS AND ASSEMBLIES

Skylight for Story Tower 3” : 1”

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Detail Drawings

Downtown Block | 21

DINING TERRACES

PRAIR

IE P

LAN

TI N

G

AMPHITHEATER WAITING AREA FOR PICKUP

and tributaries 270

280

Historical context 280

From the beginning of 1900

28 0

site area and surrounding blocks w STEAM MAGNET MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR JACKSON, MS

Spring 2022 - Profs. Jassen Callendar, Mark Vaughan and David Perkes, Fifth Year Studio primarily small residential units. In MS Museum of Art

SITUATION

Sanborn map, the area finally beg

develop a few small businesses, m

26 0

FOREST PLANTING

surrounding blocks are home to b

government institutions and small

businesses. The area is in a flood Jackson Fire Dept.

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Federal Courthouse

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US Post Office

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270

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auto sales. In its current state, the

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John Dewey once stated that education is “a process of living and not a preparation for future living”. Contemporary educational pedagogy is changing to embody Dewey’s ideals. Project and inquiry based learning27methods 0 are becoming more common.

Progressive schools utilize their context as a learning laboratory for their students. This middle school is situated on "Town Creek", a stream in need of restoration in the midst of a decaying urban environment. The project centers around alternative educational spaces and their relationship with an ecological and educational creek environment. The school is designed to provide community programmatic assets as well as redeveloping the street and urban fabric experiences.

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280

0

Above: Surrounding blocks, site in orange, Below: April 1979 flood of Pe Davis Planetarium

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270

0 28

EXISTING ERODED URBAN STREAM

SPARSE BARREN URBAN FABRIC

WITH DEEP SETBACK FROM STREET

RESTORE RIPARIAN ECOLOGY INCREASE FLOOD STORAGE; AND REHABILITATE STREAM FUNCTIONS

INCREASE STREET ENCLOSURE AND INTIMACY FOR PEDESTRIANS AND REDESIGN STREET FOR BIKE + BUS + PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCES

UTILIZE SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT TO CREATE NEW ASSETS FOR SURROUNDING RESIDENTIAL AREAS AND BRING ACTIVITY TO DEAD SOUTHERN EDGE OF DOWNTOWN

CAPITALIZE ON STREAM CORRIDOR AS LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR STEAM EDUCATION (SCIENCE, TECH. ENGINEERING, ARTS, AND MATH). TIE INTO ARTS AND MUSEUM DISTRICT TO THE NORTH.

Corner of S

PROJECT AGENDA 23

LANE CONVERSION FOR SIDEWALKS + BIKE LANE + TREE BARRIER THEATER + BAND

OVERFLOW PARKING AT POST OFFICE

LIBRARY

LEARNING LANDSCAPE NEW TRAIL

BUS RIDER DROP OFF CAFETERIA + SHOP US POST OFFICE

CAR RIDER DROP OFF

GYMNASIUM

NATATORIUM

STAFF + VISITOR PARKING

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TRAI

E RI

L

P

IN G

PR AI

CRE EK

NT LA

CONTROLLED EXIT TO CREEK + STREET RETAINING WALL AS SCHOOL PERIMETER

AGRICULTURAL TERRACES

G

SW ALE W/ RIPA RIAN PLANTIN

DINING TERRACES

PRAIR

IE P

LAN

TI N

G

AMPHITHEATER WAITING AREA FOR PICKUP

FOREST PLANTING

STEAM School | 25

K J A

B

C H

I

H K K

H

J

K

I

H

F

I

H

G

H

PROGRAM SPACES LEARNING SPACES

LARGE ASSEMBLY

A Auditorium

C Entry Vestibule

F Shop

H Learning studio

J Large collective pod

B Library

D Gymnasium

G Gymnasium

I Small group room

K Admin. or Faculty

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E Natatorium

D

E

STEAM School | 27

A

B C

D

E Second Floor

A Auditorium Mezzanine

C Counseling Wing

B Library Mezzanine

D Faculty E Special Education

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B

A

E

D

D

F

F

F

C

Third Floor

A Band Hall

D Laboratory

B Library Mezzanine

E Lecture + Presentation Space

C Solo Practice Space

F Art Studios and Resources

STEAM School | 29

30

North Elevation, Classroom Building with Theater and Band Hall

Elevation Facing Town Creek

STEAM School | 31

32

WE Section perpendicular to Town Creek

STEAM School | 33

ARTIST HOUSE FOR BUSBY PARK, ACKERMAN, MS Spring 2019 - Prof. John Stack Ross, Second Year Studio

SITUATION This project is an artist’s residence and studio in Busby park near Ackerman , MS. The residence is sited in a forest clearing on a steep hill. The artist studio is oriented for a portrait view looking over the top of a forest, while the residence faces the same view horizontally.

This house was inspired by Japanese concepts of painting with shadow. The residence incorporates deep overhangs with the roof taking prominence. This creates shaded walkways where the entry to the house is recessed in shadow. Overhead surfaces consist of alternating rhythms of narrow and wide boards and with the gaps in between creating patterns of solid, void and shadow.

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35

First Level

Basement Level 36

South Elevation

Cross Section

Entry - East Elevation South Elevation Artist House | 37

North North North M A R

M MM A A A R R R

2 0

2 2 2 0 0 0

J U N

J J J U U U N N N

2 1

2 2 2 1 1 1

S E P

S S S E E E P P P

2 1

2 2 2 1 1 1

D E C

SITE ANALYSIS

D D D E E E C C C

N

Winter Solstice

2 1

2 2 2 1 1 1

View of pine forest

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9

3WEST PM 3 PM 33PM PM

West West West 9 AM 9 AM 9 AM East East 9 AMEast EAST South South South 12 12 PMPM Shade Shade Shade Studies Studies Studies 12 PM SITE Aliving NALYSIS TheseThese shade These shade studies shade studies help studies help define help define where define where thewhere building the building the building and outdoor andand outdoor outdoor living spaces living spaces should spaces should beshould placed. be placed. be placed.

East

12

N

N

ed. n in winter ens un. ces.

Ideally, Ideally, the Ideally, building the building the Summer building would would be would located be located be within located within summer within summer shade summer shade and shade winter andand winter sun. winter However, sun. sun.

However, However, as seen as seen inas seen in in Solstice the second the second therow, second row, thererow, there is basically there is basically is basically no summer no summer no shade. summer shade.

The shade. north The The north andnorth west andand west landwest land do have land do have do some have some winter some winter winter Winter Solstice Spring Equinox solarsolar access solar access mostly access mostly in mostly theinafternoon thein afternoon the afternoon as seen as seen inasthe seen inlast theinrow. last the row. last Likewise, row.

Likewise, Likewise, vegetation vegetation vegetation such such as gardens such as gardens as gardens or anoroutdoor anoroutdoor an winter outdoor winter space winter space would space would bewould well be well suited be well suited to suited thetonorthern the to northern the northern and western andand western land western land for more land for more for sun.more sun. sun.

The lack The The lack of solar lack of solar shade of solar shade necessitates shade necessitates necessitates built built shading built shading devices shading devices for devices summer for summer for and summer spring andand spring outdoor spring outdoor spaces. outdoor spaces. spaces.

3

View of pine forest

View of pine forest

3

N

9

12

View of pine forest

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12

3

9 12

SPRING EQUINOX

SUMMER SOLSTICE

WINTER SOLSTICE N

N

SUN | WIND | SHADE 38

SITE STUDIES FOR JEFF BUSBY PARK Summer Solstice Fall Equinox

3

9

North Elevatio North Elevation

South Elevation South Elevation Artist House | 39

MASTERS IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FALL 2020 TO FALL 2022 COURSEWORK 40

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CAMPUS DESIGN

FOR MSU COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES

Fall 2020 - Prof. Cory Gallo, Graduate Studio I

SITUATION The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at MSU is growing, consistently outpacing the rate of new building development. The current growth patterns of MSU are suburban, defined by car-centric streets lined with low-rise buildings setback with large lawns and interspersed parking. CALS is also adjacent to the historic quarter of campus, where buildings are organized around a great vacant central lawn. This central green model was started in the early 19th century and was propagated across the country. The goals for this studio were to propose a third alternate model of development for the future of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

VEHICULAR ORIENTED SHARED STREET PEDESTRIAN/TRANSIT ONLY TRANSIT HUBS AND STOPS

VEHICULAR ACCESS

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AGENDA The campus district master plan focuses on pedestrians, density, shade and functional green spaces as an alternative to current car-centric land use patterns of campus.

Four Patterns for Growth 1 - Build denser, taller building clusters around functional or recreational green spaces, creating smaller identifiable nodes across the district.

The intent is to create multiple smaller distinct places instead of one large lawn to which all else is secondary. One such node for CALS could be adding a student farm to the existing greenhouses in the center of campus.

Perspective looking north towards new pedestrian “forest” corridor

2 - Link these nodes into a web of densely forested and shaded pedestrian corridors.

East-west traffic is addressed through a loop encircling the existing core of CALS with new building clusters forming the loop’s perimeter. Pedestrian boulevards handle north-south traffic. One such corridor is a pedestrian “forest”, where a boulevard is densely planted as shown in perspective above.

3 - Green spaces and pathways can serve double duty as a stormwater management network.

MAJOR PED. BLVD MINOR PED. BLVD WALKWAYS

4 - De-prioritize car traffic by converting existing streets to be “naked” shared streets where pedestrians move freely and car traffic is subservient..

PEDESTRIAN ACCESS

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Existing buildings New buildings 44

LEGEND Major pedestrian greenway Campus green spaces Prominent building frontages Existing building clusters Stormwater flow Top left - Concept diagram Top right - Stormwater diagram Bottom left - Infill and growth diagram̀ Bottom right - Rendering of smaller campus open space clusters Campus Design | 45

GREENWAY PARK SYSTEM MASTERPLAN FOR MEMPHIS, TN Fall 2022 - Prof. Peter Summerlin, Graduate Studio III

SITUATION

SITE CONCEPT

The Epping Way portion of the Wolf River Greenway sits along central north Memphis. In its current condition, the site has few indicators of ownership that would decrease its perception as unregulated property. As a result of its currently isolated nature, the perception of safety is critical to public adoption. While the site is abundant in natural resources, the educational experiences of the site are limited to those facilitated by a tour guide. The current ecological exhibits are uninviting without a guide proclaiming their benefits. This proposal addresses these issues by creating a sense of adventure and identity for the site, re-imagining the ecological experiences, and supplementing the existing programming with new diverse opportunities.

a CONTINUOUS JOURNEY

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define a clear path through site that acts as a consistent thread for visitor experience

a

a+b

b EXPANDED PATH EXPERIENCES intertwine slower lingering moments along linear trail for a journey of expanded moments c DISPERSED UNIQUE NODES use the clear consistent path as a backbone that ties together unique and dispersed experiences

a+b+c

PROBLEM SEEKING

ANALYZING NEEDS OF MEMPHIS IN RELATION TO THE GREENWAY

increase visibility and sense of safety from "eyes on the street" facilitate K-12 education experiences and community recreation restoration and reintroduction of regional ecologies for conservation

SITE PROSPECTS Cultivating immersion and adventure balanced by sense of community

New identities and iconic moments for Memphis to claim

Inviting edges that indicate that this land is valued civic commons

Didactic experiences of ecology even without a guide

Opposite top left: View of sandbar (Image credit: Carly Shows) Left: Concept sketch of a linear bread crumb trail passing through ecological exhibits Right: Programming concept for events on the greenway 47

n ds ssla a r G

Park Trails

MASTERPLAN FOR WOLF RIVER GREENWAY

This master plan is bounded to a small fragment of the 26+ mile greenway trail system. This scope entails the creation of a new education + recreation hub, a new grasslands park for Memphis as well as new experiences along the river.

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A New engagement with road and existing trail connection

New connection to bottomland forests, lake or river system

Open view shields for a series of structures interspersed into the site, providing new prospects that pull visitor through, like a bread crumb trail.

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Top: diagram of experiences and their associated program elements learning

Bottom: diagram of new visions + goals for the greenway and the relationships between their associated program elements

play

VISIONS FOR THE GREENWAY + MEMPHIS

PROGRAM VISIONS FOR GREENWAY HUB PARK

ENGAGING WITH AQUATIC ECOLOGIES

The new park has the potential to further conservation but also to define new exciting relationships between the people and the land, becoming an artistic and ecological facet of Memphis culture.

Park agendas can coexist such as the possibilities for ecology and recreation afforded in the new grasslands. Tracks and zones for play and learning intertwine throughout the land conservation.

Top Left: Program concept of wetland tree houses for youth play Bottom Left: Gravel lounging area on restored riparian edge of lake.

Top Right: Program concept of amphitheater on the river sandbar

Conservation is inherently hopeful, but it could also be artful and joyful.

ecology + gathering + learning + respite + play

novel water-side experiences for respite and play

Greenway Park | 51

ARTICULATING CARE AND ARTFUL JOY SCALE 1”:100’

GRASSLANDS PARK TRAILS

Concept sketches of grasslands punctured by corrugated metal planes; Plan fragment of trails and pavilion in grasslands area.

52

One challenge with native ecologies in public space is the perception by uneducated visitors that the land has been neglected and that the plant life are undesirable weeds as a result of improper maintenance. The inspiration for the grasslands was the idea of providing a new

context for visitor perceptions: If you placed weeds in a flower vase, they would appear to be a cultivated beautiful aesthetic due to the change in context. In the park, this context shift is provided by angular shifting metal planes that slice though the grasslands to define articulated paths.

"Propaganda" poster as design tool, used to define character and values for new park visions.

Greenway Park | 53

GREENVILLE COMMUNITY RESILIENCY CENTER Fall 2020 - Prof. Silvina Lopez Barrera

SITUATION

54

INTENSIFYING K-12 EXPERIENCES

EDUCATIONAL NARRATIVE JOURNEYS

The site is currently heavily used

by K-12 school groups with limited time to spend at the site. For this reason, many ecological exhibits are clustered in a hub on the north side.

Unfolding set of pavilions and park structures to keep a dynamic but unifying theme across exhibits.

CANE BRAKE PLAZA

WORKSHOP

WETLAND WEIRS

BOAT HOUSE

CANOPY TREEHOUSE

TEACHING TERRACES

WILD + CALM PLAY

GRAVEL SANDBAR

introducing lost ecologies

making the invisible visible finding fellowship with treetops engaging all ages and abilities

home base for budding scientists launch point for aquatic sports guiding Memphis in new practices sinking into wildlife of lake edge Greenway Park | 55

56

TRANSITION FROM URBAN TO WILD

CANE BRAKE PLAZA

This is the moment visitors enter the northern edge of the park. The plaza is punctured by mounds of native cane, introducing visitors to a species that once dominated the Mississippi River tributaries but now exists in rare patches.

The cane and paving form a figure ground relationship to create a transition from the urban to the wild: The paving is broken by cane patches until the relationship and proportion shifts to where the cane brake is dominant with meandering swarths of paving. The walls change from controlling the cane to being scattered into the cane. The plaza connects to the wetland weirs and to play zones to the south.

57

Greenway Park | 57

58

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LEARNING BEYOND SIGNAGE

WETLAND WEIRS Small changes in water depth have large impacts on plant specifics that will colonize the area. The invisible gradient of water depths is punctured by colorful weirs that label each aquatic zone in one area of the wetland: WET MEADOW > 6" deep SHALLOW MARSH = 6"-18" deep DEEP MARSH = 18"-36" deep DEEP AQUATIC BED < 36" deep This physical demarcation allows visitors to comprehend the changes of vegation and identify the different eco-types. The weirs and boardwalk begin as gentle forms in the wet meadow, only to become more turbulent and forceful upon reaching the deep aquatic bed.

Greenway Park | 59

RESEARCH

SPRING 2020 TO SPRING 2022 60

61

DRAWING ON SITE RECIPROCAL FROM PLACE POWERS CASE BETWEEN STUDIESARCHITECTURE IN CONTEXTUALISM AND PLACE 1 ROME - GRAND MOSQUE OF ROME 2 VERONA 3 VICENZA 4 VENICE 5 LJUBLJANA 6 CHUR 7 ZURICH In the spring of 2020, I8received BARCELONA - SAGRADA FAMILIA 9 IGUALADA a travel and research award from - IGUALADA CEMETERY 10 GRANADA the Aydelott foundation. I chose to 11 MERIDA - NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ROMAN ART investigate how architecture can 12 BILBAO draw from place, and its reciprocal 13 ONATI

2020-2022 - Advisor Prof. Hans : Prof.

Herrmann Hans Herrmann (Research Mentor)

SITUATION

relationship, how architecture can reveal and amplify the spirit of a place. I chose this topic on the belief that architecture should tell local and regional narratives, acting as a mirror for citizens to see themselves and their place, not just the contemporaneous global.

As part of the award, I traveled across Western Europe and wrote a collection of essays as case studies for how design can respond to local narratives. This project also resulted in a lecture and exhibition.

6 2

3

4

5

1

13

12 9

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1

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ITINERARY 1 - Rome, Italy

6 - Zurich, Switzerland

11 - Merida, Spain

3 - Verona, Italy

8 - Barcelona, Spain

13 - Bilbao, Spain

2 - Vicenza, Italy 4 - Venice, Italy

5 - Ljubljana, Slovenia 62

7

7 - Chur, Switzerland 9 - Igualada, Spain

10 - Granada, Spain

12 - Onati, Spain

5 Ideas to Draw from Place + Communicate Local Narratives 1 - Design can convey multiple layered identities simultaneously.

2 - Design should copy the haptics of memory, their physical sensations not just symbolism.

3 - Foils, contrasts and dialogues with context amplify the existing character and create narrative journeys.

4 - Make visible the passage of time in a place.

5 - Progress local tectonics.

Case Studies | Contexts NATURAL Igualada Cemetery, Igualada Geological Basin, Spain URBAN Mosque of Rome, Rome, Italy HISTORICAL National Museum of Roman Art, Merida, Spain REGIONAL Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ROMAN ART RAFAEL MONEO, 1986 MERIDA, SPAIN

Other Buildings Documented ITALY Castelvecchio and Brion Vega Cemetery by Carlo Scarpa SLOVENIA Joze Plecnik’s works in Ljubljana SWITZERLAND Shelter of Roman Ruins, St. Benedict Chapel, and Therme Vals

by Peter Zumthor SPAIN Parc Guell by Gaudi and Sanctuary of Arantzazu in Onati, Spain SAGRADA FAMILIA

ANTONI GAUDI + SUCCESSIVE ARCHITECTS, 1883 - 2026 EST. COMPLETION

63 BARCELONA, SPAIN

CASE STUDY Grand Mosque of Rome.

PAOLO PORTOGHESI, 1995

1 layered identities

“recalling what a location has been while indicating what it is becoming” But just as designs that intend congeniality with place overlook opportunities for creative transformation, those that import something new to the place, something developed in isolation from existing conditions and constraints, also miss the point.

DAVID LEATHERBARROW, BUILDING IN AND OUT OF PLACE, 2015

1 - Urban surfaces of Rome 2 - Exterior courtyard 3 - Parasol pine tree of Rome 4 - Exterior walkways 5 - Major prayer hall 6 - Exterior courtyard 64

1 The Mosque of Rome seamlessly weaves the identity of the city, a minority religion, and the values of the present generation into a unique variant of the typology custom tailored for its time and place. The mosque repurposes the major urban surfaces that define the city of Rome, its cobblestones, travertine marble, and Roman brick. These surfaces that make up the majority of exterior urban space in Rome become the defining façade and ground surfaces of the mosque, turning the city fabric into the building fabric.

Likewise, Portoghesi abstracts the iconic parasol tree of Rome and its distinct top heavy branching patterns into the mosque’s columns throughout the exteriors and interiors.

4

2

3

5

6

I am my mother’s daughter, not my mother. Design can reflect past and present values.

Rather than cloning the visual details of a typical mosque, the values behind Islamic traditions are preserved but redrawn in the image of the present generation. The aesthetics of infinity and complexity that drive traditional Islamic arts are remade into modern aesthetics and construction. The dome of the

main prayer hall and the endless colonnades follow the intents of Islamic art to draw out serenity through infinite and complex patterns.

On Site | 65

CASE STUDIES National Museum of Roman Art, Rafael Moneo, 1986 Igualada Cemetery, Enric Miralles and Carme Pinos, ~1984

2 copy the physicality of memory

The powerfully emotive image of the Saynatsalo Town Hall is a condensed image of a hill town, reminiscent of familiar childlike images in Medieval paintings... the image of a town projects a greater wealth of narratives and emotions than that of a single building.

JUHANI PALLASMAA, THE SPACE OF TIME, 1998

National Museum of Roman Art 1 - Roman Aqueduct of Merida 2 - Nave of museum 3 - Street Facade 4 - Street perspective Igualada Cemetery 5 - Cemetery terraces against blue marls cliffs 66

1 Juhani Pallasmaa writes on Aalto’s Saynatsalo Town Hall that Aalto captures the sensations of a small mountainside village town.

Navigating the town hall feels as if one is walking through a a small town. The town hall lacks the visual kitsch hallmarks of a village like gabled roofs or chimneys. The town hall resembles a village in its clustering of small buildings up and down a terraced slope with streetlike walks. Pallasmaa observes that architecture has more power when it taps into the physicality of a memory rather than its visual details.

The National Museum of Roman Art exists in a town littered with vestiges of a Roman colony. The museum steals the sensations of Roman construction but none of the visual hallmarks. The museum imitates the mass, weight, verticality, and relentless repetition seen in the town’s Roman ruins,

4 but none of the exquisite detail of Roman ornament on display in the museum. Instead, the museum draws on our collective memories of Roman ruins as solemn structures whose details that been eroded away in time.

At the urban scale, the museum aspires to the grandeur of the ruins but fits in seamlessly with the small

2

3

5 town. The museum mimics the shifting piecemeal patterns of its neighbors even though it shares little visual resemblance.

The Igualada cemetery is a microcosm of its larger landscape.

It is not a clone of its surroundings but instead an intensified, compressed rendition of the

surrounding river gorge and dried basin. The architects began with a deep cut into the landscape into which they transformed retaining walls into cliffs, plateaus, and deep gorges.

On Site | 67

CASE STUDIES National Museum of Roman Art, Rafael Moneo, 1986 Igualada Cemetery, Enric Miralles and Carme Pinos, ~1984 1

3 foils and contrasts

ARTIFICIAL / NATURAL TOMB / RIVER GORGE PERMANENCE / DECAY

2 4

LIGHT / HEAVY SCAFFOLDING / RUINS MODERN / ARCHAIC

Igualada Cemetery 1 +2 - Tombs projecting out of the earth.

3 + 4 - Tombs overtaken by the earth and vegetation.

5 - A gorge defined by soft and hard retaining walls.

National Museum of Roman Art 6 + 7 - Heavy masonry construction paired by lightweight steel walkway structures.

68

Foils in literature are two characters whose opposite personalities complement and bring out the best in each other. In architecture, the use of opposites and contrasts heighten the character and perception of both elements.

3

The Igualada cemetery is a dialogue between artificial and natural. There are two tectonics across the site, rusted gabions that bend and dissolve into the earth, and individual modular concrete tombs that are built up 4

5

6 into large catacombs that resist the earth. The retaining walls oscillate between projecting out of the earth versus decaying and becoming the earth. The journey through the cemetery is similar to that of transversing archaic temple ruins, moments of permanence through stone punctured by erosion of vegetation

7 and time. This articulates a tension between inevitable decay and the permanence of memory.

In the National Museum of Roman Art, there are two juxtaposed tectonic systems: the archaic, heavy, arch and buttress Roman construction and the light, thin, steel walkways. The archaic

heavy system holds a rigid order across the buildings, while the steel structure zips through the buildings. The steel in contrast to the archaic construction sets up a narrative sensation of walking around on scaffolding in an old ruin.

On Site | 69

CASE STUDIES Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi, 1883 ~2026 Igualada Cemetery, Enric Miralles and Carme Pinos, ~1984

1

2

3

4

Pallasmaa argues that architecture helps us find our place in the long stream of time; Architecture should respond to place specifically but engage us in time broadly. The Sagrada Familia marks the passage of time where Barcelona’s shift from Gothic Revival to Modernist arts such as cubism are seen in changing visual languages

throughout the building. The older Gothic facades are paired across the nave with contemporary cubist facades. In doing so, a visitor can see and participate in the evolving timeline of the city.

4 marking time We are equally frightened of being left outside the progression of time as being lost in the anonymity and meaninglessness of space... Consequently, architecture has to create a specificity of space and place, and at the same time, evoke the experience of a temporal continuum.

JUHANI PALLASMAA, THE SPACE OF TIME, 1998 Sagrada Familia 1 - St. John modernist alcove 2 - St. Mary Gothic alcove 3 - West entry facade 4 - East entry facade Igualada Cemetery 5 - “Falling” ceiling 6 - Individual tombs 7 - Gabions merging into the land 70

5

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7

When weathering and decay are made visible, visitors participate in the larger timeline of the

site, rather than their individual moment. The Igualada Cemetery is a built as a ruin, such as the “falling ceiling” in its covered exterior space. Some tombs hold steadfast or even project out of the earth, still immaculate through time.

Other tombs and terraces of the cemetery are overtaken by nature and decay, playing out a struggle

participating in the passage of time, in erosion, weathering and decay

between human permanence and the inevitability of erosion and decay. The effects of time are made visible for a grieving visitor to partake in.

On Site | 71

CASE STUDY Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi, 1883 ~2026

1

1

5 progress and

transcribe local tectonics

Sagrada Familia 1 - Thin tile masonry in Sagrada Familia sacristy 2 - Typical example of thin tile masonry craft of the Catalan region 3 - New modernist basilica structure 4 - Traditional basilica in Barcelona, St Maria del Mar 5 + 6 - Modern faceted geometries in masonry 7 - Light filled ceiling due to new structural system in contrast to darkness of traditional basilica in fig 4

72

2 Critical regionalism has often repurposed local crafts as a means of connecting to the specifics of place, such as the works of Carlo Scarpa in the Italian Veneto region or the contemporary works of Wang Shu in China. Gaudi gave the masonry crafts of Barcelona new geometric languages of modernity, creating faceted, primitivist, cubist

forms as well as fluid, muscular, pleated forms, progressing the craft past its gothic aesthetics with new languages for modernity.

Yet, Gaudi surpasses merely giving old crafts new looks. He spent his career experimenting with the thin-tile Catalan masonry, fig. 1 and 2. He gave the basilica typology a new structural expression relevant

ILIA 3

CCESSIVE ARCHITECTS, 1883 - 2026 EST. COMPLETION

5

BARCELONA, SPAIN

6

4

7

to the skyscraper age, believing a modern basilica should be light filled instead of the darkness of the Gothic tradition. Through marrying modern graphic static methods with Catalan masonry crafts, he created a basilica in the image of a light-filled forest, a basilica specific to its time and place.

On Site | 73

LIVING ROOM DESIGN|BUILD

FOR GALLOWAY ELEMENTARY IN JACKSON, MS

Fall 2019 to Fall 2020 - Profs. Cory Gallo, Hans Herrmann, Suzanne Powney

SITUATION The “Living Room” at Galloway Elementary School is an outdoor learning space designed for teachers across academic subjects to pull learning and classroom activities outside. The garden features learning structures such as chalkboards, storage and a workbench to facilitate curricular activities alongside garden activities. The intents of the living room is to provide a flexible space for gathering and outdoor learning.

This garden is the first of three school gardens produced by a collaboration between MSU’s Dept. of Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture, and Dept of Graphic Design.

74

CONTEXT

The garden was commissioned by the Fertile Ground Project, a city-wide arts imitative. Galloway Elementary is located within the extensive food deserts of Jackson, MS. The garden is intended to be a playful, artful space for children to get excited about nutrition. Since Galloway, MSU has worked on three other school gardens, such as the Partnership school depicted to the left.

Drone imagery from Fertile Ground JXN, other images by the author.

THE TEAM

The Department of Landscape Architecture at MSU developed a modular system of sub-irrigated planters and hoops using off the shelf agricultural parts. This system has been replicated and adapted so far to three additional school

learning gardens in Mississippi. The School of Architecture produced the classroom structures and 3D printed concrete stems and benches. The Department of Graphic Design created colorful ground paintings for activity

areas and walkways, as well as educational surface graphics covering each planter.

75

THE CLASSROOM STRUCTURES The classroom structures are a set of three “petals” that conclude the winding patterns of the planter structures. The largest is a storage room with a chalkboard with two 76

smaller structures for a second chalkboard and workbench. The structures are curved in plan and section to follow the hoop system.

The fabrication process began with

Rhino models that were then sliced into “waffle” structures through Grasshopper and Bowerbird. The “waffles” are made of slotted plywood fins that were CNC milled

and rapidly assembled together.

The plywood fins were stiffened through dimensional lumber.

Left: Assembly diagrams by team member Luke Murray Right: Construction photos by Prof.

Herrmann and the author.

On Site | 77

TIMELINE AND ROLES CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, 2019 In the fall, I assisted with early conceptual design, including precedent studies, modeling and renders.

78

SCHEMATIC DESIGN, 2020 I assisted with early modeling work on the 3d printed concrete benches, but focused mainly on the design and fabrication process for the three classroom structures.

CONSTRUCTION, 2020 I was involved in the CNC milling and assembly of the classroom structures. I was also involved in the majority of the on-site construction for the garden.

ONGOING WORKS MSU has adapted the kits of parts started at Galloway Elementary to different sized schools, such as Leland Middle school (bottom left image), Mississippi State University Partnership Middle School (bottom right image) and Itta Bena Blues Garden.

Top - Galloway Elementary School, Jackson, MS Left - Leland Middle School, Leland, MS Right - Partnership Middle School, Starkville, MS Image credits: Fertile Ground JXN and Cory Gallo.

On Site | 79

PARAMETRIC DESIGN TOOLKIT FOR DIGITALLY FABRICATED CONCRETE 2022-2023 - Prof. Abbey Franovich (Research Mentor)

SITUATION Emerging robotic construction technologies could create new possibilities for landscape architecture, particularly digitally fabricated concrete (DFC). This research imagines a potential application for DFC not yet exhibited: to create landscape structures that respond to their terrain. Digitally fabricated concrete is defined by new processes and parameters based on mechanical limitations and the properties of concrete that hardens in minutes instead of days. The toolkit helps communicate the “design space” of DFC to describe the feasible geometries for fabrication and identify the limiting process factors. The research proposes an adaptive and didactic design environment that allows 80

a designer to explore their ideas and see the implications of the fabrication system. This research resulted in a toolkit of modular scripts for DFC, demonstrated by retaining walls that adapt their geometry to their context and their varying structural loads.

Top: Retaining wall designed with a drone capture photogrammetry model of an existing amphitheater.

Bottom Right: Alternate variation of a retaining wall for an existing amphitheater.

PROCESSES for terrain responsive gravity walls

SOIL VOLUME TO BE RETAINED

PRINTED ADAPTIVE WALL FORM

In the above example, the soil volume is used to expand and shrink the wall proportions. The soil volume is also used as data for adding random variations to the wall form to add visual interest.

CONCEPT / CONTEXT

The structural evaluation modules describe resultant forces and risks such as crushing and overtuning.

The printability analysis checks the design for issues specific to 3D concrete printing during design, providing continous feedback.

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P R O J E C T M O T I V AT I O N S

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

GEOMETRIC FREEDOM + RESOLUTION S U R FA C E Q U A L I T I E S REINFORCEMENT OPTIONS S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y S T R AT E G I E S

DESIGNERS + CONTRACTORS AS FINAL FRONTIER

MACHINE SELECTION PROCESS FOR DESIGN INTENT

S I M U L AT I O N S I T E ?

LANDSCAPE A P P L I C AT I O N S

IN -SITU DFC R O B OT I C CONSTRUCTION IN + WITH TERRAIN

A P P L I C AT I O N O F D F C T O LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FACILITATING DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

DESIGN TOOLS AND SIMULATIONS

Significant progress has been made in the fields of materials science and robotics to create systems that print concrete at resolutions as small as a water drop as well as mobile robots that print large surfaces in minutes.

These technical accomplishments indicate that implementation 82

cropped site with existing walls separated

challenges by designers and contractors are the critical limiting factor for DFC. Likewise, existing research has demonstrated the feasibility of robotic construction with digital terrain excavation and digital printing of concrete in-situ.

This research aims to provide a toolkit to alleviate designer difficulties as well as speculate on the potential applications of robotic construction to landscape architecture.

First, a comprehensive review of systems and machine parameters was undertaken to describe processes for designing for the machine and choosing the machine for design intent.

Second, the scenarios of a terrain response wall were developed to investigate how DFC might facilitate more individualized site-specific designs and perhaps even reduce material consumption.

PROJECT CONCEPT

Wall width responds to soil volume actively retained

This became the basis for a series of Grasshopper modules for generating adaptive retaining walls and modules for fabrication feasibility and structural analysis.

A local amphitheater was used to simulate the potentials of DFC by replacing the traditionally constructed walls with various freeform iterations feasible with DFC technologies.

DFC Research | 83

wall width front batter toe batter

SETTING WALL PROPORTIONS

ADAPTIVE SOIL LOAD TO WALL RATIOS Base Width Toe Batter Front Batter Height above Soil

ADDING VISUAL INTEREST

RANDOM DEVIATIONS IN PROPORTION TO LOADS deviation point

added to top edge

unaltered top edge

Number of deviations Magnitude relative to soil load Randomizing seed number Frequency of cross sections

deviation point

added to bottom edge

84

The walls are created with a series of cross-sections matched to a particular soil volume fragment.

This soil load is multiplied against designer chosen ratios to determine the wall proportions.

This sets the basic wall form against which the designer can add random variations. The magnitude of these variations is also set as a ratio of the soil loads, where larger volumes of retained earth can have larger bulges in the wall form. The frequency of cross-sections, the size of the soil fragment each wall responds to can be enlarged or reduced, creating larger or finer geometries in the wall surface.

1

DESIGN PROCESS EXAMPLE 1 SET WALL PROPORTIONS 2 + 3 ADD NUMBER OF DEVIATIONS, SET THEIR MAGNITUDE, AND RESHUFFLE DESIGN WITH RANDOM SEED NUMBER

a

a

4 CHANGE FREQUENCY OF

CROSS-SECTIONS, REDUCING SIZE OF CORRESPONDING SOIL AND WALL FRAGMENTS FOR SMALLER LEVEL FEATURES.

2

5 FINETUNE PROPORTIONS

c

3

FOR SMALLER WALLS

FEEDBACK EXAMPLES a SEGMENT EXCEEDS

#

PRINTABLE VOLUME b STRUCTURAL STABILITY CONFLICT c SURFACE SLOPE EXCEEDS PRINTABLE RANGE SURFACE CURVATURE EXCEEDS TURNING RADII LAYER LENGTH IS OUTSIDE OF PRINTABLE RANGE DISCONTINUITY WITHIN PRINT LAYERS

c b b

4

5 DFC Research | 85

Nada Abdel-Aziz aziznde@gmail.com