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ARCHITECTURE Portfolio of Works TOMMY TSO Academic and Professional

CONTACTS +1 (416) 277 1523 • tommy.tso.kf@gmail.com • 92 Holly Drive, Richmond Hill, ON, CA • www.tommytso.com

Now, with the mandate of sustainability, why are we more concerned with the inefficient light bulb than detriments of short-lived buildings? My intention for a M.Arch is to (re)discover feasible design strategies that transcend heir路loom architecture. 1. (n.) a family possession passed down from generation to generation. 2. (adj.) an old variety cultivated again

ARCHITECTURE Portfolio of Works 2015 TOMMY TSO Academic and Professional Heirloom Architecture Alpha

Lamp Trapeze

Collage Sketching

Aggregate Living

Regent Park Community Center

Installation: Agony

Aurora Community Service for Youths 18 Urban Canvas

Post-Carbon Mall

Toronto Yard

Heirloom Architecture Beta

HEIRLOOM ARCHITECTURE

1. FOURTH DIMENSION TYPOLOGIES: WITH TIME

[2011 Options Studio; 12 weeks]

Typologies: Root Conditions

Each Program has a defined Root Condition and Morphed Outcome

THESIS: THORNCLIFFE PARK, TO When an inner city suburb needs tower renewal, instead of a singular building solution, Heirloom offers an infrastructural resilience, detailed with public and private financial strategies. Heirloom is built to adapt and promote growth in the community over time. The result: renewed buildings that can self-supply, manage waste, and morph into other forms at nominal costs.

Typologies: Morphed Outcomes

THIS IS NOT A RENDERING.

Itâ€™s a designed time-lapse mapping 25 years of Morphing, with financial strategies. 1

2. TIME-PLAN

There is a time aspect to the traditional Architectural Plan. It tolerates growth, stagnation, and decay in finance.

Morphed @ Year 25

SECTIONS

ELEVATIONS

PLANS

Root Condition @ Year 5

Before: Southwest Elevation

After: Southwest Elevation

Before: Vacant roof, parking, and deteriorating facades

After: Pedestrian Overpass, Library, and Facade Renewal

Root Condition @ Year 5

Morphed @ Year 25

4A. FINANCIAL DESIGN PARALLEL TO ARCHITECTURAL

RESIDENTS BUSINESSES

TIME

DEVELOPER

Rental contract for 10 yrs; with options for 20 yrs.

Gov’t incentives for off-grid energy & waste management. Architect Developer

YR 0

MASTERPLAN COMMISSIONED!

Contract

YR 1

Owner’s Obligations: • Resilient energy network • All structures and parking Possible Benefits: • Drives up market value at Thorncliffe Park • Public-Private-Partnership

Rent Money: • 50% reserved Tower Facade Renewal future phases • Covers maintenance • Funds the Tower Facade Renewal

Developer’s Role: Phase 1 Cardo & Decumanus Max.

Enjoys below market rates

Investor

If Anchor renews Business as usual, Collects high rent Lease Renewed

YR 10

YR 5

Investors’ Obligations: • Involved design process • Occupy the Anchor Store Benefits: • Pays below market rent (A start-up incentive) • Energy Network Savings • Location: High Circulation • Parking facility by Developer

4 Investors

Contract Option

Contract: Developer continues commitments

Option: Rent raised to above market rates for next 5 yrs.

Lease Ended

(Renewal likely reflects current success)

Benefits: • Energy Exchange savings • Location: High circulation • Parking

Developer’s Role: Phase 2 Large Anchor Stores

Pays above market rates

If Anchor ends lease Benefits: Earlier Savings will be used to MORPH the vacant Anchor into community programs...

Developer’s Role: Phase 3 Local Businesses

4B. ARCHITECTURAL TIMELINE PARALLEL TO FINANCE

YR 0

SITE A

YR 1

YR 5

SITE B

Parking

Tower Facade Renewal

Year 0

Year 1

SECTION

PLAN

AXONOMETRIC

Business Anchor

Year 5

and Tower Renewal Parking Garage

Tower Renewal is: Renewal Energy Farm Organic Waste Manage

If Anchor renews Business as usual, Collects high rent

TOWER FACADE RENEWAL COMPLETES!

Community Garden Tower Facade Renewal

Tower Facade Renewal

(Performance enhancing envelope system)

YR 15

COMMUNITY CENTER COMPLETES! MORPH Vacated Anchor into:

Lease Renewed Lease Ended

Continue to pay above market rates

Swimming Pool Community Kitchen

YR 20 If... on Year 15, Anchor decides to terminate; the vacated Anchor will be adapted as other community amenities

Activity Center

Lease Renewed Lease Ended

Continue to pay above market rates

Tower Facade Renewal

YR 25

If... on Year 20, Anchor decides to terminate; the vacated Anchor will be adapted as other community amenities

Continue to pay above market rates

TO BE CONTINUED...

MORPH Funding: • 80% from Rent • 20% Parking fee

New Post-Year-20 contract enforces even higher rent Benefits: • Funds other New Contract MORPH projects

If Anchor renews Business as usual, Collects high rent

Other MORPH projects:

Learning Center

Burgess Park Expansion Central Stage Piazza Carnival Facility Developer’s Role: Phase 4 Peripheral Catalysts

Organic Waste Management

Tower Facade Renewal

YR 20

YR 25 Community Garden Facade Renewal

Bike Lane

AXONOMETRIC Year 15

Year 25

SECTION

Year 10

SECTION

PLAN

Develop Future P

Facade Renewal

AXONOMETRIC

Parking Garage

Ped. Walk

CENTRAL BURGESS PARK COMPLETES!

PLAN

YR 15

Developer’s Role: Phase 5 Tower Renewal

Root Condition @ Year 5 Parking Structure

Root Condition @ Year 5 Anchor Tenant: IKEA

Root Condition @ Year 1

Morphed @ Year 25

Library (Filler walls, lights, furniture)

Morphed @ Year 25

Retrofitting the Vacated Anchor: Community Pool

Transformed @ Year 15

LAMP TRAPEZE INTER-DEPENDENT PARTS [2011 Fab Lab; 3 weeks; Group of 2] Roles: shared. A lamp is designed for flat-packing and assembly within an hour. The exoskeleton is acrylic, with exposed connectors. Then, a shell of vellum diffuses the light. The lamp is made of 40 unique parts, inter-trapezed to create subtle warps in the form.

PRIMARY CONNECTION METHOD

4, 5, 6 or 7

COMPONENTS

TWIST

LOCK

ASSEMBLIES

1 (X40, A1-G5) A

4 5

3 4

6 2 (X40, A1-H3)) A

A1 A2

1 (A-H5 )

3 (X1)

4 (X64) 5 (X32)

7 Ex. A5

A1 B1 A2

6 (X16) 7 (X16)

H1 H2

H3 G4

COLLAGE SKETCHING

DISSECTIONS

TEXTURES, SHADES, MASSING & PROGRAMS

[2011 Independent Studies; 14 weeks]

Using sketch from start to finish, the project explores this quick form of visualization in various approaches, styles, attitudes, and techniques. The end product consolidates over 250 sketches into 2 renderings. (Left) Site Study: from past to present

Site: Yonge Street & Gould Street

(Bottom) Just one medium: the Black Felt-tip

Study in Textures

Study in Shades

Study in Massing

(Above & Right) Current site analysis: by shades, programs, textures, and materials.

Study in Program

EXPERIMENTS IN SKETCH OVERLAY + SUBTRACT + COLLAGE

CONSOLIDATION

THE COMBINED ESSENCE OF 250 SKETCHES IN 2 FACADE DESIGNS

The North Facade: A Sum

THE RENDERING

The West Facade: A Sum

A MANUAL PRODUCE FROM START TO FINISH

+ + + + 10

RATIONALE

AGGREGATE LIVING AN URBAN CATALYST

Site

9-storey Medical Building

[2010 Integrated Studio; 6 weeks]

Future Condo 100m tall

Aggregate is a mixed-use development. The site has many presences: due Southeast is the beloved ROM (museum) by Libeskind, due Southwest is the beautiful RCM (music) by KPMB, but due East will be an undesirable condo, standing 100m tall and sitting 5.5m away. To attract and avoid these presences, the surprisingly rational resolve is a corrugating and shifting facade.

Parking

4 Influential Site Presences

(Top) The Parti: the essence diagram

Lobby

Retail

100m tower (5.5m away)

(Bottom) 25 unique floor plates

RCM (Royal Conservatory of Music) University of Toronto

Libeskindâ€™s ROM (Royal Ontario Museum)

Retail

Office

Living

100m tower (5.5m away)

Traditional grid doesnâ€™t address site

For views, the structural grid rotates.

In typical towers, residents are like prisoners.

Living

Now, residents are like neighbours.

Trapped amid towers, the form agitates

The tapestry of windows and walls

Across from Libeskindâ€™s ROM, red marks the entrance. Facade: Insulated Panel Construction

The landscape of balconies

Ground Floor

Office Units

The lobby has a generous double height space.

Entry at ground, shops on the second, offices on third.

A corrugated facade rationally avoids facing the future 100m tall condo. Structure: a core w/ elevators and shafts. Perimeter walls are also load bearing. Core

Hello, Libeskind

Half Floor Units

Exterior Structural Wall System

Welcome home to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum)

Walls Cable Support

Concept: thin edge

Full Floor Units

Penthouse Amenities

Foundation

COMMUNITY CENTER ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER, $17 MILLION NEW CONSTRUCTION

[2012-Present; CS&P Architects Inc; 18 months; Team of 2] Roles: coordinate contract administration, construction management, and all shop drawings. The new amenity is part of the revitalization of Regent Park, TO. Studying lights

COLOURED-PANELS DETAILS

Construction site, Dec 2013

Inspecting caisson constructions

Inspecting grade beams and frost porches

Coloured-Panels Construction Coloured-Panels Concept

COLOURED-PANELS DETAILS

INSTALLATION: AGONY

SHORT LISTED NUIT BLANCHE PROPOSAL [2011 Fab Lab; 7 week; Group of 6] Roles: Sketches, digi fab structure, pneumatics, and construction Trapped within a vulnerable space, users are given a responsive pneumatic interface to interact with. As participants move through the pavilion, they can augment the agonizing surrounding to find comfort, or simply a way through. The development of the project was divided into three areas: structure, pneumatics and lighting, and motion mechanisms.

Walk-thru The space stirs agony

A 1-meter installation sample

15 Pavilion circulation

Interface

Pneumatics: Manual routering

Pneumatics Design The intrusiveness and vulnerability of space

Prototype

Product

Material Tectonics

Pneumatic Rings Experimenting with materials

COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR YOUTHS

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER, $6 MILLION RENOVATION AND REDEVELOPMENT [2013-Present; CS&P Architects Inc; 6 months on going; Team of 3] Roles: Consultant and Document Coordinator: SPA, Tender, and Addendums; expected Assistant Project Manager in Jan 2014

South Elevation

The entry tower is a climbing wall Tower facade mock-up

Week 1

Week 2

CLIMBING WALL TOWER AND FACADE

Week 3: Completed

2ND PLACE

URBAN CANVAS

OPEN SPACE DESIGN COMPETITION [2009 Urban Planning; 3 weeks; Group of 6]

Roles: design lead, graphics, and model.

The open forum is a ground for academic and social exchange between urban and student communities. The distinctive lines in the square can act as dividers when hosting expositions. Key features: a multipurpose Podium, Benches, and a Water Feature that reduces city noise.

Summer: Convocation

Concept sketch

Winter: Ice Festival

(Above) Various Podium use.

The Podium will be a choice meeting place

Competition Model.

Generic grid lines are receptive to a diversity of expositions

The Podium and Water Fountain

Urban Serenity: soothed by the sounds of the Water Fountain

1ST PLACE

POST-CARBON MALL

CITIESALIVE INTERNATIONAL COMP. [2009 Personal; 3 weeks; Group of 4] Roles: housing design, facade renewal, theatre, graphics Although the intent of American strip malls was to centralize suburban commerce, the result has been the creation of alienating buildings in large asphalt parking, with little to no greens. This renewal adds diversity, encourages urban activities, and enhances existing envelope performances.

Facade Renewal

Water Retentions

Housing Gardens

Walkable

Before: Surface Parking

After: Allotment Gardens and Sub-level Parking

Market

From asphalt to lush, importsAfter: to local, and cars tohousing pedestrians New rooftop above the mall Before: Strip Mall only

Diversity: housing, gardens, market, commerce, outdoor theatre, playground, water retentions, and urban farming.

TORONTO YARD

REPURPOSING THE DEAD (END)

By 1976, a segment of the unfinished Spadina Expressway, later called Allen Road, has decimated a midtown community. The Allen is the antithesis of public space: it’s loud, hasty, pungent, and ugly.

[2014 Studio; 4 weeks] So, the Yard will be 6 new districts: characterized by services indigenous to Toronto’s culture: arts, food, market, sports, water, and retail. The objective is to build a pedestrian public yard for Toronto. By 1976, a segment of the unfinished Spadina Expressway, later called Allen Road, has decimated a midtown community. The Allen is the antithesis of public space: it’s loud, hasty, pungent, and ugly.

2050 Masterplan

Retail District

Sensitive Development

Pedestrian Ground Plane

Market District

Water District

Food District

Sports District

Arts District

2050 Masterplan

HEIRLOOM ARCHITECTURE THESIS: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL [2010 Studio Abroad; 12 weeks] Only when we’ve realized that design is collaging will we be liberated from the fear to create. Heirloom Architecture audaciously collage local typologies and cultural heritage, in order to relevantly address urban needs. With an added element of time, the proposal hopes to become a long-term planning and architectural solution. This is an option studio abroad, studying the southern region of Tel Aviv. The UNESCO heritage city has the largest collection of modern architecture in the world. However at its center, the city is divided by a large man-made ‘fissure’ - a scar left behind by a demolished railway, which once gave life to the city.

Principle of Design:

One of many potential outcomes

1. PROGRAMS 2. GENOTYPES Derived from local needs & conditions

Growth tolerable typologies: defining embryos (plan & section types), genes, and sizes

BASKETBALL COURT EXPANDS TO SOCCER FIELD

PLAN

SECTION

AREA

3. BREEDING

Mating compatible programs: based on the need for sun, public or private use, and unimpeded growth types

GENES

PLAN

SECTION

GENES

East Elevation

West Elevation

4. DISTRICT BUILDINGS From 2D Typologies to 3D Form

5. GROWTH OVER TIME Paths of Development

Arts

Cultural

Business Recreation Industrial

Recreation

Power

Stage 1 Population 300

Industrial

Business Recreation Industrial

Stage 4 Population 1000

Arts

Arts Cultural

Cultural Business Recreation Business

Power

Industrial

Power

Stage 2 Population 400

Business Recreation Industrial

Power

Stage 5 Population 1300

Power Arts

Arts Cultural

Cultural

Arts

Business

Power

Recreation Stage 3 Population 600

Industrial

6. MASTERPLAN

Industrial

Arts

Recreation

Site and Street Specific Industrial

Recreation

Power

Cultural

Business

Power

Stage 6 Population 1500

7. ECOSYSTEM Energy Exchange

WEST

RECREATION Sports Hall, Housing, Market

Amphitheatre

WEST

Allotment Gardens

The Final Tower AMALGAMATION Growth Constraint Mechanism

BUSINESS Offices Hotel

CULTURAL Farmer’s Market Wellness Center Activity Center

INDUSTRIAL Synagogue, Amphitheatre

Florentine Live-work Units

CENTRAL

Hotels

Spiral House (Private)

Park SOCIAL VOID

Synagogue

Wellness Center

EAST

POWER Greenhouse, Night Club, Energy Plant

Offices

ARTS Opera Hall

Activity Trail Education Facility

Farmer’s Market

Neve Tzedek Rental Units

Activity Center

Higher Education

Bike Route

Supermarket

Clubs

Energy Plant

Opera House

Cafes & eateries

8. PLAN 3-Tiers

CULTURAL

Middle

RECREATION Sports Hall, Housing, Market

Higher Education The Final Tower AMALGAMATION Growth Constraint Mechanism Park SOCIAL VOID

INDUSTRIAL Synagogue, Amphitheatre

Florentine Live-work Units Spiral House (Private)

Top

Allotment Gardens

Neve Tzedek Rental Units

Activity Trail

Supermarket

Clubs

Bottom Hotels

Offices

Energy Plant

Farmer’s Market Wellness Center

Middle

Cafes & Eateries

Bike Route

Education Facility Activity Center

Amphitheatre Synagogue

Top Opera House

Farmer’s Market Wellness Center Activity Center

WEST

ARTS Opera Hall

POWER Greenhouse, Night Club, Energy Plant

BUSINESS Offices, Hotel

CENTRAL

EAST

CENTRAL

Bottom

9. SPIRAL HOUSE

10. THE FINAL TOWER

An Infinite Expansion Typology

Growth Constraint Mechanism, via Congestion

Allotment Gardens

WESTERN DISTRICTS Industrial & Recreation

WEST

RECREATION Sports Hall, Housing, Market

Spiral House (Private)

WEST

INDUSTRIAL Synagogue, Amphitheatre

Allotment Gardens

Amphitheatre PARK SOCIAL VOID

Florentine Live-work Units

Synagogue

CENTRAL DISTRICTS Cultural & Business

CENTRAL CULTURAL Farmer’s Market Wellness Center Activity Center

CENTRAL BUSINESS Offices, Hotel

Activity Center

Florentine Live-work Units Education Facility

Farmer’s Market

Wellness Center

Offices Hotels

Neve Tzedek Rental Units

Spiral House (Private)

The Final Tower AMALGAMATION Growth Constraint Mechanism

Offices Bike Route

CENTRAL BUSINESS Offices, Hotel

Hotels

Neve Tzedek Rental Units

Activity Trail Clubs Energy Plant

Supermarket

EAST

POWER Greenhouse, Night Club, Energy Plant

ARTS Opera House

Higher Education

Cafes & Eateries

EASTERN DISTRICTS Power & Arts

Opera House

Industrial District: Amphitheatre and Synagogue

Cultural District: Farmerâ€™s Market, Recreation Center, Private Housing

Art District: Opera House, Cafe and Higher Education

Power District: Kinetic energy from the Club is harnessed by a Power Plant

Therefore, when we build, let us think that we build for ever. Let it not be for present delight, nor for present use aloneâ€Ś

and that men will say as they look upon the labour and wrought substance of them, “See! This our fathers did for us.” John Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture, 1907

is inherent to architecture; consequently, the threats of revival and demolition is always on the brink. Yet, our concern shouldn’t be in flawed ideals or materials, but rather, it should be in the lack of awareness and intents architects have for longevous designs. Now, with a mandate of sustainability, why are we more concerned with the inefficient light bulbs than detriments of short-lived buildings? My intention for a Master of Architecture hopes to (re)discover feasible design strategies that transcend heirloom architecture possessions that can be passed from one generation to one generation. Being heirloom is not a critique on mainstream sustainability, nor is this a narrowed study on conservation or adaptive reuse. Heirloom ideas are both progressive and future-oriented. It’s intended to reinstate buildings to their responsibility of centennial service, by design and not fortuitously.

CONTACTS +1 (416) 277 1523 • tommy.tso.kf@gmail.com • 92 Holly Drive, Richmond Hill, ON, CA • www.tommytso.com