Combined Graduate and Undergraduate Portfolio

Carlson, Nicholas Architecture Portfolio 9896 Wethersfield Road | Perrysburg, OH, USA 419 902 1129 | carlson3@miamioh.edu

Contents 01 Architecture of a Smaller Scale

Frobel Gift Set 4 Mallet Studies Origami End table Primitive Desk

02 Voulkos Sculpture Cover Fallingwater Design Build Studio

03 Shipping Container Adaptive Reuse Architecture Design Build Studio

04 Westcott House Tea Pavilion Architecture Design Studio | Springfield, OH

05 Clifton Community Library Sophomore Design Studio | Cincinnati, OH

06 Thing Inside a Thing Inside a Thing G2 Studio Fall Semester Project Series | Cincinnati, OH

07 Pulse Cincinnati Urban Land Institute Competition Entry | Cincinnati, OH

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Architecture of a Smaller Scale Description: A series of projects that involved taking a step back and removing myself from the theoretical world of architecture and refocused myself on the tangible. Artifacts that are connected to me, pieces that are beautiful as well as functional in their aspects of use and structure.

Projects: Mallet Studies | Mallet 1 - Summer 2014 | Mallet 2 - Fall 2015 Frobel Box Studies | Fall 2015 The Origami End table - Fall 2016 The Primitive Desk - Fall 2016

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The Frobel gift set was a group project associated with the Westcott House design studio. We were tasked with crafting the Frobel gift set number four: a finger-lapped box and eight wooden blocks dimensioned as two inches by one inch by one-half inch.

Upon completion of the box, we were then given prompts of different emotions and adjectives that we were to re-present with our gift set. (Above: serenity, top right: syncopation, middle right: sorrow, and right: surface).

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Primitive Desk Description: Curly white oak top with black walnut legs and maple keys.

Solution: The desk is a statement of the essence of what a desk is: a flat plane supported by several legs. The legs protrude through the plane of the desk in a rough manner to juxtapose the surface of the plane with the mortise and tenon joint. The maple pins are used to prevent the legs from racking and also enable the piece to be dismantled. These stress points are reinforced by a 3/16� diameter steel rod across the highest stress points.

Fall 2016: 6 Week Project

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Origami End Table Description: 5 layer Walnut Veneered plywood, and 3/4� square aluminum tubing.

Solution: The table is constructed out of a single piece of veneered plywood. The mitered edges are book matched so that the grain flows continuously from the top to bottom of the piece. The corner areas that were unstable due to their cantilevers were supported by a shaft of aluminum tubing that pierces and pins the shelf with a set of dowels. The overall form was derived from a study in paper folding in which the size of the horizontal elements change in dimension.

Fall 2016: 8 Week Project

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Voulkos Sculpture Cover Location: Mill Run, PA, USA Challenge: Design and fabricate a cover to be placed over the Peter Voulkos sculpture that sits next to the guest house pool at Fallingwater. It had to protect the clay sculpture from the elemental forces such as rain, snow, debris, and wild animals, as well as be as visually appealing as the sculpture it protected.

Solution: To create a cover that meets the need to shelter the sculpture, the cover cannot rely on the sculpture itself to make a statement. The cover itself needed to take on a life of its own. Our group was divided into teams. I was a part of the team responsible for the re-entrant corners that are created by the rotation of the slice.

All parts of this project were designed and fabricated by a team of students, and it was installed in late November of 2014.

Summer: 2014 6 Week Design Project 10 Week Build

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The sculpture cover was fabricated out of old growth redwood sourced from California. It was cut and assembled into an inverted truncated pyramid that was then sliced into two parts and rotated four degrees. The openings that were created by this were resolved by bent copper sheets. These pieces of copper created a way to shed water off of the cover, down a water stair and out of a scupper feeding into the guest house pool.

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Westcott House Tea Pavilion Location: Springfield, OH, USA Challenge: Design a small, twelve foot square freestanding three-season classroom on the Westcott House property that compliments the current proposal by BohlinCywinski-Jackson for the new Westcott Visitor Center and aesthetically acknowledges the moves made by Frank Lloyd Wright in the design of the Westcott House.

Solution: A box in and of itself is a wholeheartedly plain object, but when detailed eloquently it can be elevated much higher through the resonance of the making of its individual elements and simple intervention to its construction.

Fall 2015: 10 Week Project

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The building, through the design of its connections and the forty-five degree rotation of its traditionally framed structure responds to the site location with views toward the Westcott House, Bohlin-Cywinski-Jackson’s visitor center, and the landscape surrounding in a hierarchy of architectural importance. The skin responds to the buildings shift in structure by emerging from the plane of the wall weaving through to reveal openings to the interior which provide natural light.

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Clifton Community Library Location: Cincinnati, OH, USA Challenge: Design a space for the residents of Clifton Cincinnati geared toward education, recreation and civics in a building that fosters community. The building needed to utilize modern design tactics while not alienating itself from the surrounding architecture.

Solution: The Library is a weathered stone. In order to associate itself with the building typology that exists along the main drive of Clifton, my strategy was to clad the library in steel panels that would patina to gradually resemble the color of time worn brick, allowing it to become more in tune with its surroundings, and serving as a proverbial bookend to the downtown core of the Gaslight District in Cincinnati.

Spring 2015: 3 Week Project

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The library sits at the crest of a hill at the corner of a side street terminating the Clifton neighborhood. This location presented the opportunity for the building design to be both open to the community and present two main facades one open presenting the interior to the people of Clifton, and the other to maintain the continuity of the architectural program of the urban fabric.

It sits into the hillside allowing for dual entry into the building from both the front and back. The flow of the entry and exit of the building combined with the striped facade and glass front opens the building to the community drawing them in. The bend in surface of the roof emphasizes the buildings purpose as the of the edge of the community and the splits in the facade allow for oblique views of the surrounding neighborhood and street.

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Thing Inside a Thing Inside a Thing Location: Cincinnati, OH, USA Challenge: Three projects in a series where the first, an object that explores an aspect of design relationships. Second a container for the first object which actively reacts and manipulates the aspects of the object. Finally, the object and container are scaled to architectural size where they inhabit the site in downtown Cincinnati and manipulate it to settle within the realm of realistic plausibility.

Solution: PLACEHOLDER Spring 2015: The Thing - 2 Week Project The Thing Inside a Thing - 4 Week Project The Thing Inside a Thing Inside a Thing - 8 Week Project

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In this stage of the project I was interested in the investigation of the intersection of objects and manipulation of the shear transformation in order to produce interesting geometry as objects were booleaned out the field of cubes. This being the first step, the outcome and method were largely arbitrary in order to open numerous possibilities to create a mode of generation that could be refined and replicated.

Out of a series of object which contained similar steps I chose to select this one object that I thought emulated the most diversity of conditions and results form the process.

The field of cubes were shifted and sheared to create this varied landscape. The cylinders were placed at points of transitions in the field of cubes and only oriented in line with the grid of the field.

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From the opportunity created by the first phase of the project I took out the field of cubes and shifted my focus not just on the intersections of geometries, but more importantly the super-position of easily identifiable primitive objects in this case: the cube and the disk. This set of super-imposed objects is then carved and, depending on the orientation of the cylinders cut through either the disk or cube, or both.

These carvings were placed so as to most effectively blur the legibility of the primitive objects as well as produce compelling geometry similar to that in phase one. The third set of figures vie for dominance over the now combined objects overtaking the legibility in the elevations, relegating the original primitives to the sections and plans.

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Through the investigation of super-imposed carved primitive objects and the relationships and geometry created the project became a boutique hotel, situated within a site in downtown Cincinnati. By taking this set of identifiable primitives, super-imposing them, and eroding them to the beginning of unintelligibility I was able to coordinate their erosions into a series of dynamic spaces. Manifesting strongly in the areas attributed to public gathering such as the main gallery space in the bulk of the gold cube, the lobby of the hotel (near the bottom left in the section on the next page), and the public urban courtyard under the building. The gallery takes on the majority of the most aggressive geometry, while the hotel plays a more reactive role. Within the gallery volume the gold interior signifies a series of moves separate to that of the white drum, to both create yet another layer of incomplete figures as to also programatically separate the gallery from the circulation space surrounding it.

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Pulse Cincinnati First Place | ULI, Columbus, Ohio Chapter Competition Location: Cincinnati, OH, USA Challenge: Student teams comprising at least three disciplines will have two weeks to devise a comprehensive design and development program for a real, large-scale site full of challenges and opportunities. The full 2019 ULI Competition brief can be found on the ULI website.

Solution: Pulse is a mixed-use development that connects Downtown Cincinnati and The Banks. The project is a dynamic hub that accommodates different lifestyles, from the avid sports fan to the wellness-focused young professional to the empty nester who wants to live in the heart of the city. This place is not just alive during football or baseball season; there is something going on around the clock and throughout the year.

Spring 2019: 2 Week Project

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Pulse is about drawing urban life towards the Ohio River while infusing the city with the natural landscapes surrounding it. The Nexus serves as an important gathering space for outdoor movies, lunchtime concert series, and other events. The Queen City Skyway, a raised pedestrian walkway, expands outward from The Nexus.

With exceptional views and overlooks, it is a popular place for residents and tourists alike. It also serves as a connection to other destinations, like Smale Riverfront Park, Cincinnati Sports Club Central, and Riverview Park.

Just north of the Freedom Center, Freedom Square is a hub for activity, whether it’s a seasonal festival, weekly farmers market, or shopping. The Cincy Gallery is a bright, open marketplace filled with local retailers and food stalls.

Visitors and people from across the region come here to shop local and experience the best of what Cincinnati has to offer. The transit hub is an organic sculpture that serves as an art piece, a ride-share drop-off area on game days, and an important local transit junction. Two new glass office buildings featuring ground-floor retail at 3rd & Vine and 3rd & Walnut complete the square. Near Paul Brown Stadium, the Stadium View Block includes a hotel, event and meeting space, and an office tower. The views

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into the stadium are in high demand amongst tenants and hotel guests. Just east of the stadium, Riverview Village is a mixed-income housing development attracting a variety of people to live here with micro units, affordable units, market rate rentals, and condos. Cincinnati Sports Club Central is an exciting expansion of a longtime east-side Cincinnati institution. The campus combines a wellness and fitness center with medical and rehabilitation facilities through a partnership with Cincinnati Christ Hospital, as well as a health food cafe and pharmacy. An outdoor basketball court and tennis courts add some more active recreation into the site. The sports club overlooks Riverview Park, which was created through the capping of the existing surface parking lot. An indoor/ outdoor music venue will open on the park in 2020. An office tower at 190 Marian Spencer Way will house coworking offices and creative meeting space for company retreats and start-ups.

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ACTIVATION

SEASONAL EVENTS

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Summerfair Ci nci nn at Free Fitness Clas i se s

9 pm

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PROGRAM SITE PLAN

W 3rd

pulse is about drawing urban life towards the Ohio River while infusing the city with the landscapes shaped by the river. Feel the pulse of the city and nature in this mixed-use development where community, entertainment, and wellness are in rhythm.

EXISTING CONDITIONS

Ohio

River

P P

Secon

Community

Entertainment

Wellness

NEARBY PROGRAM

B

- PARKING GARAGE - SURFACE PARKING LOT - UNDERGROUND PARKING EXTENT

Stadium V

PULSE OF ACTIVATION

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

EXISTING PARKING

N

PULSE OF FORM

N

Ohio

River

- REDBIKE STATION - SORTA ROUTE 1 - TANK SOUTHBANK SHUTTLE - CINCINNATI BELL CONNECTOR

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Ohio

River

- HOTELS - ATTRACTIONS - OPEN SPACES

A HUB OF ACTIVITY | FREEDOM SQUARE

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SITE SECTION

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100’

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ACTIVATION

A FUSION OF PEOPLE AND LANDSCAPE |

SEASONAL EVENTS

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SUMMER

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PROGRAM SITE PLAN

The Hive E 3rd St

Freedom Square

190 Marian Spencer Way Second St

W 3rd St

ACTIVATION

E

GAME DAY/TAILGATE CENTRAL

Riverview Village

W

s St

Race St

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Rosa Park

Second St

Community

Marian Spe

Stadium View Block

F ACTIVATION

Way

Joe Nuxhall

Entertainment Way

Way

W Freedom

E Freedom

The Nexus

Wellness Riverview Condominiums

Ohio River Scenic Byway

Queen City Skyway

Cincinnati Sports Club Central

WINTER FESTIVAL & HOLIDAY MARKET Riverview Park

- HOTELS - ATTRACTIONS - OPEN SPACES

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ACTIVATION GAME DAY/TAILGATE CENTRAL

DEVELOPMENT BREAKDOWN INVESTMENT BREAKDOWN

OVERALL DEVELOPMENT

Freedom Square (Block A + 3rd Ave)

9.87%

12.4%

13.53%

Unleveraged IRR

Total Affordable Units

Leveraged IRR

$36,301,087

$762,488,444

Net Present Value

2029 Site Value

Acquisition Cost: $9,705,580 Program Highway Cap Transit

SF 54,233 27,410

Development Cost $44,176,594 $17,238,242

Retail

63,498

$48,493,297

Office

261,766

$51,042,226

Total

406,907 $160,950,359

Subsidies Equity 5%

Road and Sidewalks (2%)

The Hive

75%

34%

13%

10%

The Nexus

Funding Sources

Loans

Parking Structures 24%

Highway Cap

25%

Residential

15%

Ped. Bridge

Infrastructure Investment 18%

17%

Stadium View (Block B)

Hotel

10%

Site Program

12%

Green Space/ Landscaping

30%

Retail

Office/Wellness

PHASE 1: REVIVE THE PULSE | 2020-2023 3rd & Walnut

The Hive

3rd & Vine

Scenic Byway

Acquisition Cost: $1,732,250 Program Hotel Conference Center

SF 246,621 58,248

Development Cost

Office

180,736

$55,323,051

Retail

15,787

$3,275,050

Underground Parking 169,152 Total

WINTER FESTIVAL & HOLIDAY MARKET

Freedom Square The Nexus

$129,535,189

Riverview Village

$19,575,353

Cincinnati Sports Club Central

670,544 $207,708,642

Riverview Park

Riverview Village (Block C)

Phase I

Housing Type

Total Development Cost Total Net Income

Acquisition Cost: $3,313,154 Program

SF

Market Rate Residential 299,882

0’

im b

200’

400’

700’

$271,867,877 $30,404,607

Units

Market-rate Rental Affordable Rental

121 44

Market-rate For Sale Affordable For Sale

0 0

Total

165

Housing Type

Units

PHASE 2: AMPLIFY THE PULSE | 2023-2026

Development Cost $57,982,815

Affordable Residential

66,250

$13,803,335

Underground Parking

202,220

$28,505,055

Total

568,352 $100,291,205

Riverview Condos (Block D)

Riverview Village Stadium View Block

Riverview Condos

Acquisition Cost: $6,930,329 Program

SF

Development Cost

Market Rate Residential 242,236 $46,878,109 Affordable Residential

Ga

ing Wal

ll e r y S p a c

FREE FITNESS CLASSES

e

26,916

$6,245,441

Underground Parking

148,968 $14,393,642

Total

418,920 $67,517,192

Phase II Total Development Cost Total Net Income

$228,701,251 $143,142,338

Cincinnati Sports Club Central (Block E)

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Market-rate Rental Affordable Rental

368 59

Market-rate For Sale Affordable For Sale

85 0

Total

512

PHASE 3: SURGE THE PULSE | 2026-2029 ayg

round S

190 Marian Spencer Way

li d e

Pl

Acquisition Cost: $4,999,491 Program Office - Health Office - Fitness

SF 89,480 96,000

Development Cost

Retail

14,080

$3,025,639 $30,251,789

Total

$72,293,784

445,248

Cincy Gallery

$39,016,356

Underground Parking 231,608

Queen City Skyway

Stadium View Block

Riverview Condos

190 Marian Spencer Way (Block G)

Acquisition Cost: $2,497,755 Program Office Retail

SF 323,000 23,122

Underground Parking 26,216 Total

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Development Cost $49,790,746 $7,231,839 $5,297,248

373,046 $62,319,832

Housing Type

Phase III Total Development Cost Total Net Income

$212,604,596 $218,633,856

Units

Market-rate Rental Affordable Rental

368 59

Market-rate For Sale Affordable For Sale

177 18

Total

622

Team 190475

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