Architecture Portfolio - Ryan Williamson

architecture

P OR TFO LIO RYAN WILLIAMSON 2024-2025

ARCHITECTURE

portfolio portfolio

RYAN COLE WILLIAMSON

table of contents Selected Works: 2024-2025

02

UT at San Antonio

01

Ground Driven Architecture TRIPLE H EQUINE THERAPY EXPANSION

03 - 10

Mitchell Montessori Elementary 02 W. HERTZBERGER MONTESSORI LEARNING CENTER

11 - 20

Invisibili 03 Connessioni AUGMENTED REALITY

21 - 28

Sirenos Brewery 04 Dos BREWERY REDESIGN

29 - 36

Public Music Venue 05 Texas URBAN INFILL CELEBRATION

37 - 45

03 01

GROUND DRIVEN ARCHITECTURE Location: 791 Backhaus Rd, Pipe Creek, Texas Programs: Rhino/ Twinmotion/ Illustrator/ Adobe Photoshop Use: Therapeutic Expansion Year: Fall 2025 Instructor: Garet Ammerman Group Members: Landon Cox, Ryan Williamson Commissioned by Triple H Equitherapy Center, this project explored a potential expansion onto their newly acquired 5.4-acre parcel west of their existing organization. Guided by a structured research strategy and informed by an on-site visit, we developed several design approaches that responded to programmatic needs, user experience, and long-term growth. This collaboration provided valuable experience working with a real client considering an actual future project.

The final design centers the landscape as the primary framework for equine therapy, allowing the terrain to organize movement, program, and the relationship between horse and human. The architecture grows from the ground through varying scales of rammed-earth walls that shape paths, spaces, and enclosure, maintaining visual and experiential continuity with the surrounding landscape. By treating the land as an active participant in the therapeutic process, the project creates a calm, immersive environment where healing unfolds through the integration of site and structure.

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04

05 Using various drawing types and forms of representation to best portray our thought and design process as an early stage tool, we focused on showcasing various diagrams for ciculation, user types, building typologies, relationships, and ground design to produce layered and information driven conceptual drawings.

figure study a

figure study b

topographic geometric extraction

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site section b-b

09

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11 01

W. MITCHELL MONTESSORI ELEMENTARY Location: 302 Tipton Ave, San Antonio, TX Programs: Sketchup/ Revit/ Twinmotion/ Illustrator/ Adobe Photoshop Use: Education Year: Fall 2024 Instructor: Mark Blizard Inspired by Montessori principles and Herman Hertzberger’s ideas, this project reimagines hallways as interactive streets, fostering student-led collaboration and connection beyond individual classrooms. Grounded in the study of "What makes a good street?" it promotes lively, shared spaces that encourage exploration and engagement, embodying the essence of a vibrant, interconnected learning environment.

The site functions like an island, with a tightly-knit community bordered

by I-10 and the confluence of two rivers, creating a sense of isolation.

The area is predominantly residential, with most commercial activity and noise pollution concentrated at the intersection of Probandt and West Mitchell. One of the area’s standout features is Confluence Park, designed

by Lake|Flato Architects. This park serves as a hub for learning, recreation, and conservation, which directly influenced my approach. I aimed to connect the natural learning environment of the Montessori school to this community resource, integrating outdoor and ecological learning opportunities into the design.

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2024

06

2024

15 LEVEL ONE

1

2

1. Classrooms 2. SGI 3. Offices 4. Lower Library 5. Cafegymatorium 6. Playground 7. Garden

3

4

6

7

1

Section EW 1/16” = 1’

0

12

60 FT

5

1

16 LEVEL TWO 1. Classrooms 2. Adult Learning 3. Culinary 4. Upper Library 1

2

3

NS 2 Section 1/16” = 1’

0

12

60 FT

4

17 CASE STUDY, INSPIRATION The Haarlemmer Houttuinen Housing in Amsterdam is squeezed between a busy main road and railway to the north and Haarlemmerstraat to the south.

Fine-tuning of scale is achieved by tiles in the centre of the lintels and the granite pads supporting them, and by the different sized square windows which syncopate rhythms and let in light along the ceilings where window heads have been kept closed to give intimacy within.

Haarlemmer Houttuinen Housing in Amsterdam by Herman Hertzberger

In the Apollo School, Herman Hertzberger transforms stairs into interactive social spaces rather than just functional elements.

The wide, stepped areas act as informal gathering spots, doubling as seating for group activities, discussions, or performances.

By integrating these multi-use staircases into central spaces, Hertzberger encourages spontaneous interaction and makes circulation areas vital hubs of learning and community engagement.

Apollo Schools in Amsterdam by Herman Hertzberger

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18 Protect from Summer sun •

•

Avoid building on east and west slopes; south slope is best for solar heating since it desirable in the winter.

Avoid light-colored ground covers around the building to minimize reflected light entering windows.

Keep hot temperatures out during Summer •

Use light colored roofs and walls to reflect sun's heat.

Allow natural ventilation to both cool and remove excess moisture in the Summer •

•

Provide cross ventilation by large windows on both the windward and leeward sides of the building.

Use fin walls to direct air through the windows.

Avoid creating additional humidity during the Summer •

Shade plants both indoors and out because the heat of the sun greatly increases the rate of transpiration and evaporation.

+35’ Angled Library Roof Cafegymatorium Roof

+14’ Classrooms Adult Learning Culinary Upper Library

+0 Classrooms SGI Offices Lower Library Cafegymatorium Playground Garden

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2024

21 02

CONNESSIONI INVISIBILI Location: 50 Via Aurelio Saffi, Urbino, Italy Programs: Rhino/ Grasshopper/ Twinmotion/ Illustrator/ Adobe Photoshop Zapworks Use: Cultural Augmented Reality Year: Spring 2025 Instructors: Michael Guarino, Darryl Ohlenbusch Group Members: Landon Cox, Garrett Walters, Ryan Williamson Rachel Wilson The city of Urbino is reinterpreted through the lens of Ersilia, a city in Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, defined not by its architecture but by the invisible threads of relationships connecting its inhabitants. Drawing from architect Giancarlo De Carlo’s belief that architecture should emerge from social context and human experience, a network of string-like forms was designed to extend from doors and windows-threshholds between public and private life. In augmented reality, these strings are animated and multiplied, growing denser over time and casting shifting shadows and light. An emotional experience is created, one that reveals the weight of these unseen connections. By exposing the city’s hidden structure of relationships, Urbino is presented not merely as stone and street, but as a living organism shaped by the people who pass through it.

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SITE SECTION A-A

SITE PLAN

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0m

12.5m

25m

SITE SECTION B-B

SITE SECTION C-C

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SITE AXONOMETRIC

STRING DENSITY DEVELOPMENT

25 OUR PROJECT Calvino gave form to cities through language; De Carlo gave language to cities through form. Both challenged rigid thinking, both embracing complexity, participation, and storytelling.

This project continues that dialogue. Through augmented and virtual reality, our team reimagines the relationship between Urbino’s historic center and the Collegi. Each intervention begins with a city from Invisible Cities, using strategies like grafting, collage, and layering to propose virtual additions.

These are not physical structures, but speculative gestures— inviting new narratives and presence in the urban landscape.

Visitors will experience them by scanning QR codes at specific sites, entering a virtual conversation between architecture, literature, and time.

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29 DOS SIRENOS 03 BREWERY Location: 231 E Cevallos St, San Antonio, TX 78204 Programs: Sketchup/ Revit/ Twinmotion/ Illustrator/ Adobe Photoshop Use: Adaptive Redesign - Commercial Year: Fall 2024 Instructor: Vincent Canizaro This project reimagines Dos Sirenos Brewery as an open and inviting space that immerses guests in the brewing process. Nestled in the heart of downtown San Antonio and located 5 minutes away from the downtown UTSA campus, Dos Sirenos Brewery is a local community hub for the locals as it was voted the #1 Brewery in San Antonio through Readers Choice Awards.

By incorporating transparent brewing areas and interactive experiences, visitors can engage with the art and science behind their beer. The redesign honors the original spirit of Dos Sirenos while integrating sustainable practices, such as a carbon dioxide recapture system and reusable spent grain. Emphasizing community connection, the brewery features versatile spaces for events and local collaborations, all while ensuring a harmonious blend of aesthetics and functionality. This design not only celebrates a mixed use of craftsmanship but also fosters a deep appreciation for sustainability and local culture.

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32 85’ 4 2’ 8

8’ 2

8’

8’

8’

8’

10’ 7 1/2

23’ 1/2

8’ 10

17’ 8 Music Stage

Outdoor Dining

DRY MALT SILO

25’ 3

7’ 7

8’ 10

10 BBL FERMENTATION TANK

10 BBL FERMENTATION TANK

10 BBL FERMENTATION TANK

10 BBL FERMENTATION TANK

10 BBL MLT

Grain Room

10 BBL HLT

9’ 7 1/2

10 BBL BK

10 BBL FERMENTATION TANK

10 BBL FERMENTATION TANK

3’ 75’ 3

75’ 3

9’

Load Area

WORT COOLER

Production

8’ 4”

KEG STORAGE

Boiler

Tasting Room 10 BBL BRITE TANK

8’

50’

Office Office Freezer Walk-In

10 BBL BRITE TANK

Serving Counter

31’ 4 1/2

10 BBL BRITE TANK

8’ 10 BBL BRITE TANK

Restroom

Restroom Lab Room

Kitchen

9’ Tasting Room

9’

8’

8’

8’

8’ 79’

8’

8’

8’

8’

6’

33

4’ 1 3/4

Roof Pitch = 8° 7’ 3

31’ 5 1/2 27’ 3 3/4

19’ 7 12’ 4

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37 TEXAS PUBLIC 04 MUSIC VENUE Location: 333 W. Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX 78204 Programs: Sketchup/ Revit/ Twinmotion/ Illustrator/ Adobe Photoshop Use: Adaptive Redesign - Commercial Year: Spring 2024 Instructor: Steven Cordero The conceptual vision for the East Commerce site is rooted in the creation of a shared experience—one that brings people together through music, the thoughtful use of natural light, and a refined touch of modernism. This vision unfolds with sensitivity to the site's urban fabric and deep respect for its historical significance in downtown San Antonio.

Central to the design is the celebration of three powerful spatial moments: the sky, as a symbol of openness and aspiration; the eastern overlook, offering a contemplative pause and a framed connection to the broader cityscape; and compression, a deliberate narrowing of space that heightens sensory awareness and leads to moments of release. These elements are not treated as separate gestures but as interwoven parts of a cohesive architectural language.

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TRANSFORMATION OF MASS

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0

LEVEL ONE

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10

20

50

LEVEL TWO

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SECTION ONE A STEP TOWARDS CONNECTION

By embracing the existing architectural context and layering in new spatial experiences, the project aspires to be more than a built environment, but instead a stage for connection, dialogue, and discovery, inviting the community to engage, reflect, and celebrate together.

SECTION TWO

SECTION THREE

SECTION FOUR

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2 3

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44 EASTERN OVERLOOK/ EVENING DINING

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Located just beyond the cafe is a set of stairs and elevator that allows the viewer to elevate themselves to get a grander view of the scene, whilst simultanously experiencing sun through the walkway that grants enough sunlight during evening/dusk to create a visual pattern on the bridge. The eastern overlook sanctions people to acknowledge the San Pedro river in addition to the live music being played at the venue towards the west, all while being shaded through the surrounding architecture.

CELEBRATION OF SKY, MUSIC VENUE

2

The music venue is accoustically designed to be open to the entire site, permitting and diffusing sound into all areas, while still leaving views from every angle of the performance. It contains and ADA complient ramp along with a large enough area in front to experience live music directly in front of the venue.

COMPRESSION/ CAFE

3

The cafe would serve as the main compression point, being found immediately once you emerge through the main entrance, and on the same level as the side entrance. The area of compression allows the partaker to feel not only a sense of enclosure, but serves as a transition point to where one can easily experience sky by walking in the main courtyard and interacting with people and the environment.

POR TFO LIO ryan.c.williamson@outlook.com