Will Simon | Undergraduate Architectural Portfolio

WILL SIMON

Washington University in St. Louis

B.S. Architecture | Class of 2023 Undergraduate Architectural Portfolio May 2023

Concrete Connections is a two part project beginning with the study of eight different concrete cast units used as inspiration for the design of an Artist Residency. The primary goal of the first part of the studio is to create forms with deliberate connections in order to investigate the relationships between them as usable spaces for a building design. My team chose to design eight completely unique units, all consistent in their design to fit the natural curvatures of the hand. This applied concept generated ambiguous yet effective connections between the units that allowed them to be assembled in an

endless number of configurations. From here, the groups were disbanded and part two, the design of an Artist Residency, began. Using two of the concrete units, I organized them in multiple configurations and created paper study models to analyze the space between them. I intentionally removed certain faces to connect the two units as one and explore them as usable spaces rather than solid forms. These paper studies became the main inspiration for the final form of the Artist Residency which required housing for two practcing artists, a studio space, and a public gallery.

While every unit is unique, we focused on creating every form to resemble and fit the natural curvatures of the hand. While shaping each piece of foam, we continually checked the fit against our hands after each cut. This was meant to

ensure the pieces would all retain similar curves and appear cohesive. As pictured above, the ambiguous way of shaping the units lent abstract connections that could be interpreted in an endless number of ways.

Constructed Wall: Plan View

Constructed Wall: Elevation View

As mentioned, the ambiguity of the blocks allowed for an endless number of configurations, one of which is pictured on the left. The drawings above are configured in a completely different way and can be read interchangeablly.

The surface beneath the units was made by “washing” a cloth in concrete and treating it with remnants of red brick. It is intended to give the blocks a scaleless appearance.

After choosing two of the units for a study, I configured them in multiple ways and created three seperate paper studies of the spaces between them. My main goal was to evaluate what faces could be removed to allow the study to

read as a space rather than a solid form. These would eventually become the inspiration for the design of the form used for the Artist Residency shown in the physical model images on the next page.

Anagogic Illusion

Architectural Design IV | 2023 | Critic: Jim Williamson

What if the reality we constantly perceive was not the one we know and believe? What if the confounding experience of faith was mirrored in the design and experience of a space? Anagogic Illusion is a convent designed to inspire belief in a reality that transcends conventional reality, parallel with the experience of faith. The studio began with experiments on the concept of levitation, a phenomenon said to be experienced by nuns of the Carmelite Order during states of intense prayer. My interest lied in the illusion of levitation and the idea that perceived reality opposes believed reality. I found this notion to be present in both faith and levitation alike, in a manner juxtaposed to one another. In levitation, what is seen is not believed, whereas in faith, what is believed is not seen. This juxtaposition interested me and became the basis for my design.

My goal for the convent was to create an environment that produced a defamiliarizing and disorienting experience for its inhabitants, similar to the experience of faith. I aimed to achieve this through material choices (inspired by the reflections and transparencies of my levitation studies) and circulation design (inspired by the concept of the labyrinth). The labyrinthian circulation of the convent is designed around and determined by the eight structural walls at the core of the building. This rational organization of the project that produces a rather irrational experience is intended to parallel the rational structure of religion that perpetuates the irrational experience of faith.

Interested in the optics of levitation, I experimented with creating an illusion of my own. Despite the varying effects in the images below, every image was captured using the same core elements of a Kuerig coffee capsule and two stemless wineglasses, organized as shown above. Varying intensities and directions of light allowed for numerous different effects. A mirror was used at times to project the capsule in adjacent spaces and create the illusion of levitation.

Using the images below, I began to focus on specific elements as potential “moments” of architectural space. The study on the right depicts some of the spaces I began to envision as potential inspirations for similarly disorienting “moments” within my convent.

FLOOR 1

FLOOR 3

FLOOR

FLOOR

The convent is sited in the middle of a lake as a way to enhance privacy and amplify the refractions and transparencies present in my levitation studies. It connects to land by means of an underwater passageway unseen from above, intended to be a perplexing entry into the labyrinth.

The building consists of seven floors, organized by a hierarchy of sacredness. From the middle floor out, the spaces become increasingly more sacred. The top and bottom floors include the most sacred programs (private chapels), whereas the middle floor includes the most communal space (cloister).

The spaces were primarily designed in plan, centered around and focused on the paths of circulation. As seen in the plans, the eight structural walls are the guiding elements of the circulation.

Ceramic Aggregation

Ceramic Aggregation examines new possibilities for masonry and ceramics in architecture through the development of an experimental façade system as an overlay on Bertrand Goldberg’s modernist icon, Marina City. The main objective of the partnered-studio was to conceptualize a new future for this historic building. The majority of our time was spent designing and producing an aggregated enclosure assembly made of non-standard ceramic components. This was done using a non-linear 3d

ceramic printer. Throughout the course of the studio, the development of our ceramic units and the design of the enclosure system they attach to changed dramatically.

Having developed an initial building proposal found on the next page, we constantly altered our building form and unit design to most effectively catch and distribute rainwater, as described in our four-step solution to cleaning the Chicago River.

Proposed Building Concept

What was once the most sought-after residence and iconic building in all of Chicago, Marina City offered fleeing Chicagoans a new take on life in the city: a city within a city. It strove to offer its residents everything they needed in one central location. While its iconic appearance is still among Chicago’s most recognizable, its residences are no longer among the city’s most desirable. Outdated, narrow, and no longer practical, Marina City needs a new purpose to suit today’s modern city. Our design proposal has two aims: to contribute to the ongoing sanitation of the Chicago River and to protect species native to Chicago.

The biggest threat to the river’s sanitation is the dumping of raw sewage after heavy rains. As a result, all three branches of the river become polluted beyond the point of being considered safe to swim or fish. While no building can entirely reverse the processes by which the river is polluted, our sanitation proposal for Marina City can serve as a precedent for beginning to clean it.

The proposal has two phases: dilute the river with fresh water and delay flooding through water storage. While sewage is bound to enter the river at any time or place, our enclosure will employ a vertical system for collecting, purifying, storing, and releasing fresh water into the river to help dilute the pollution caused by raw sewage. Additionally, our building will store collected water during heavy rains and release it into the lake in controlled intervals to minimize the chances of flooding and thus the need for dumping.

In the end, our main goal is to create a sustainable building that enhances its local environment. As is evident, these two aims work hand in hand. Our purpose in cleaning the river is to protect and facilitate the life of native species, and the process of doing so results in a more environmentally conscious and sustainable building for people and fish alike.

615’

Osprey gravitate towards man made structures to build their nests. Proximity to the river will allow them to hunt as birds of prey native to the water

500’

Collect – 01

e building facade and roof use mechanisms to catch rainwater. is water is then transported to the core of the building for storage

Store – 02

Collected rainwater is stored in the core of the building where it awaits ltering, also serving as an insulating entity for heat and cooling purposes

Goldenrod is a native plant to Chicago that attracts bees, butter y, and moths. It can grow in more shaded areas (might get less sun exposure in urban setting). It will be planted in the facade to help collect and lter rainwater

200’

Bees will be attracted to the goldenrod plant along the facade where they will be needed to pollinate the owering plant which is a useful plant for medical purposes

-21’

Dozens of sh species native to the Chicago River have begun to reemerge as the river gets cleaner. Continuing to dilute the river with fresh water will allow even more species to return to their natural habitat

Filter – 03

Stored rainwater released at controlled intervals down the core of the building into the lake is ltered to fresh water as it descends

Release – 04

Filtered rainwater makes its way down the building core where it is released into the lake as fresh water at controlled intervals, helping to dilute the sewage

Our initial unit was designed to transport water into the interior of the building, while the building’s form would be the main mechanism for catching rainwater. On the left are the six different units we designed which could be assembled together in numerous ways. The twisting of tubes as well as the contracting diamaters were intended to allow water to be intentionally slowed or sped in specific areas of the enclosure.

There are three twisting tubes and three straight tubes which can be combined as shown below as long as their diamaters align. The two combinations below are examples of possible configurations of the six units. The assembly on the left intends to slow water at its center while the assembly on the right intends to speed it up.

After designing the six units, we took multiple arrangements and studied them in a larger field. We varied their vertical position within the field to study the spaces between the tubes.

The fields shown are just three of numerous studies and combinations of tubes. Our vision when creating the fields was to intentionally remove and combine tubes within it to create openings through the enclosure into the building.

This concept although intentional was meant to appear sort of random and organic. After developing our form, we wanted the field enclosure around it to appear like a root system of a plant finding its way to the earth, or in our case, the building’s core where the water would be treated and stored. The next page shows the study model we created to try and achieve this randomness.

Pictured above is a single shingled unit in section and perspective. The pieces were fitted onto the wall as shown in the images above to the right. This attachment allowed the wall to be easily assembled. The full wall assembly of all 30 units can be seen in the image below to the right.

The printing process for each unit took anywhere between 25-40 minutes. With three rows of ten, the wall assemly consisted of 30 pieces, three per individual unit. Each unit was unique due to the differing heights and patterns on the inside of the shingles.

Pictured above are three consecutive units within the wall assembly. They rest directly agaisnt eachother and taper from end to end to allow water to flow off one unit and onto the next. The structure of the wall assembly was made from wood and can also be easily assmbled and diassembled.

As a proposal that defines the future of Marina City, my partner and I chose to transform the building into office space. Given the tapered and twisting form, each floor is entirely unique and each business that inhabits it is free to design their own efficient space layout.

While the form of the original building is changed, the building’s core remains the same. The elevator shafts across the stairwell and central entrance on each floor was left in tact. The iconic Marina City balconies are still visible on the very top and bottom floors before the building begins to taper.

As seen in the floor plan and detailed views, the space where the building recesses was designed for the units of the enclosure system to enter the interior of the building for treatment of their collected rainwater. The details also show the structure behind the enclosure and its connection to the facade.

Two Cubes

Intro to Design IV | 2021 | Critic: Ryan Abendroth

Located in the heart of the Midtown neighborhood in St. Louis, MO, The Kranzberg Courthouse is a three courtroom, 25,000 sf courthouse design sited throughout an existing historical building. The studio begins with the design of two cubes, a careful study of how a set of components come together to create an overall composition. My aim is to give both cubes a different perception of weight, lightness, solidity, and delicateness, depending on the perspectives from which they are viewed. When designing the courthouse, my primary objective was to seamlessly interweave three separate paths of circulation (public, private, and secure) throughout the various programs of the building. I planned around the courtrooms, the juntion of circulations, strategically siting them in the middle of the space. The remaining programs were arranged about the courtrooms according to their respective circulation path. Within the program itself, I incorporated elements of both traditional and contemporary courthouse practices. By purposefully dividing the conventional programs from the more contemporary spaces, the courthouse introduces modern adaptations to a traditional program that provide a more efficient and comfortable experience in the modern–day.

The Planar Cube is made from a series of interlocking planes. My intentions were to make it appear completely different from both sides. Viewed head on, the components begin to resemble the shape of a cube as they ascend or descend badckwards.

The pieces on the left are the flat planar components that make up the cube. They are comprised of vertical and horizontal planes with slits corresponding to their location within the cube. Because of this, every piece has a unique build and location within the space. The components are also made to be easily disassembled to fully represent the cube as a construction of organized planes.

The Linear Cube is made up of two structures of linear elements. Viewed from one side, the cube’s identity as two seperate structures is revealed, but viewed from another side and it appears as one.

The linear components on the left make up one half of the linear cube. Although just sticks, they stack in front of one another to create a tapered space that extends forward towards the other structure. The two placed next to eachother create a hatch.

When beginning to design the floor plan of my courthouse, I paid close attention to the circulation paths and keeping them seperated from one another for safety. Knowing they all had to intersect in the courtroom, the challenge was organizing them in a way that separated them but didn’t waste too much of the floor space.

I studied different floor configurations and arrived at the idea of a central courtroom which could be approached from at least three directions. This led to my further organizing of the private program on one side, the public on the opposite, and the secure in the middle via secure pathways.

The diagram above shows the space allotment on each floor. The first floor is mainly public, serving as the entrance and waiting space for jurors and visitors. The second and third floor exemplify the organization of the circulations on either side of the floor plate. This layout proved very effective for creating a safe and efficient courthouse.

WILL SIMON

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Collaborative- likable, trusted, and responsive

Systematic- driven by purpose, intent, and order

Altruistic- interested in protecting the welfare of others

Coachable- careful listener who values instruction

Ambitious- eager to work and constantly improve

Confident- assured in my ability and potential

Competitive Leader- motivating others by example

TECHNICAL SKILLS

3D Modeling / Drawing

Revit - complete drawing sets, 3D modeling, renderings, etc

Rhinoceros - 3D modeling building elements, furniture, etc.

AutoCAD - plan editing, transfer of consultant work to Revit

Physical Modeling - effective + meticulous model builder

Adobe Suite

Illustrator - edit vector drawings, graphic design

Photoshop - image editing, graphic design

InDesign - presentation + layout design

Rendering

Enscape / Twinmotion - photo-realistic renderings

Midjourney / Dall•E - AI Imaging Software

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

3.74 Undergraduate GPA (cumulative)

Widmann Prize Award Nominee- awarded to exceptional architecture students who have shown high levels of academic achievement and design ability in the school of architecture (2023)

Archinect Feature- featured on the cover page of an Archinect News article promoting selected student work (2023)

Featured in Undergraduate Approach- school publication showcasing select student work (2022)

Dean’s List- Sam Fox School of Design (2019 - 2023)

CIF Division 1 Football Champion, San Diego Sectionlead my school as team captain and inside linebacker to a last second, overtime championship victory (2018)

H.O.B.Y Leadership Conference School

Representative- chosen as an exceptional leader to represent my school at a national leadership conference (2017)

Washington University in St. Louis | B.S. in Architecture | 2019 - 2023 instagram: willsimon_architecture

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Workshop/APD (2023 - 2024)

Junior Designer

Documented, modeled, and assisted in the design of multiple ground-up single family homes from early concept through schematic design and design development in Revit

Drafted and assembled detail drawings for built-in furniture and custom millwork throughout residential projects in construction documentation and admin

Modeled and rendered prospective design elements / selected furniture items in Revit for upcoming client meetings impending client approval

Coordinated lead times and product availability with vendors for schedule items and corresponded with different consultants throughout the design process

Created client presentations for different project phases which included rendered floor plans, material studies, detail drawings, and renderings

Studio Z Development (2022 - 2023)

Junior Designer

Drafted schematic drawings for a 10,000 sf private residence in Fallbrook, California and a modular vacation unit sited throughout Joshua Tree, California

Created photo-realistic renderings of multiple projects for use in design presentation packages shown to prospective clients

Visited and documented the site of a mountain residence project to familiarize myself with the siting conditions and materials + climate local to the area

Tucker Sadler Architects (2021 - 2022)

Architectural Intern

Collaborated on schematic design, drafted working drawings, and created renderings for a 120–unit resort and a 20-story waterfront residential tower

Met with officials from the Port of San Diego to discuss the remodel of the San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal and drafted initial plans for their review

Created site and transportation analysis diagrams for the Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Development proposal presentation

Took post-construction site visits to the $100 million San Diego Symphony Building, Port of San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal, and Southwestern College Performing Arts Center

REFERENCES

Thomas Zoli, AIA NCARB Workshop/APD Principal Architect

Andrew Kline, NCIDQ Workshop/APD Associate Principal

Michael Luft Weissburg, AIA Workshop/APD Managing Director / Senior Associate

Greg Mueller

Tucker Sadler Architects CEO / Principal Designer