Architecture Portfolio 2011

communicatingArchitecture

the articulation of shared ideasprocess and work samples

nicholasVenezia

I seek work with others in the articulation and execution of shared ideas. Ideas that improve our participation and understanding of the built and unbuilt environment.

introduction

My interest in architecture is deeply rooted in our ability as human beings to communicate with each other. This portfolio is a showcase of my experience and opinions with regard to specifi c methods of communication in the architectural process.

one | two

table of contents

The Camas Pedal Bike ShelterThe Richard A. Campbell Traveling Scholarship Thesis: The Production of ArchitectureHand MediaPhysical ModelingDigital RenderingsPhotography

seven |seventeen |

twenty nine |forty three |

fifty nine |sixty nine |

eighty three |

five | six

The Camas Pedal Bike ShelterThe Richard A. Campbell Traveling Scholarship Thesis: The Production of ArchitectureHand MediaPhysical ModelingDigital RenderingsPhotography

previous spread:Hotel Therme Vals, Vals, Switzerland

architects: Atelier Zumthor

From pre-design through construction, this project was the foundation of my architectural education. The design-build organization through which this project was carried out, called designBridge, is student-run and operated with a unique organizational model grounded in curricular obligation, made limitless by extracurricular dedication. The Camas Ridge Community School Bike Shelter is estimated at $18,000 in materials, all donated during the design phase thanks to fund raising efforts of the team in collaboration with the client.

A revolving team of 30+ student/parent/professional volunteers supported a small core of leaders over a year and a half to finish this project.

seven | eight

The Camas Pedal Bike Shelter

Camas Ridge Community SchoolProject Manager$18,000.00Fall 20092010Spring 2010 - Summer 2011Steel, douglas fir, concrete, corrugated metal roofing, native plants

Community design/buildMultiple disciplinesBudget uncertainties Revolving TeamFlexible and enthusiastic clientCustom Fabrication

Nathan PoelCaitlin Gilman (Winter and Spring 2010)Sara Vernia (Fall 2009)

Juli Brode and John Rowell

Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Art, Education

Client:Role:

Estimated cost:Pre-design:

Design:Design/build:

Materials:

Keywords:

Build Lead:Co-Project Managers:

Faculty Advisors:

Disciplines:

CollaborationThe painted tiles in the foreground of this photograph were produced by students of Camas Ridge Community School. Under the guidance of the head custodian Larry Meyers, the team helped facilitate a ceramic art tile workshop during design development. The tiles were then adhered to the foundation of the shelters and planters, adding a touch of color and warmth to the structure. The enthusiasm and creativity present at the tile workshop and student/parent charrettes guided the design of the project’s individual components and gave students a sense of ownership over the shelters.

this pageArt tile workshop and student charrette

opposite pageCustom, plasma-cut fasteners with help from Eugene High School’s Model Shop Supervisor, Tom Coates

Permit SetBy the end of design development we submitted a nine-page permit set to the city of Eugene. Its contents included details, drainage, demolition, framing and footing plans, sections, and elevations. It was drawn by Amanda Asa, Caitlin Gilman and Alex Wilson.

The pages of this section are taken from a collection of illustrated essays produced during The Richard A. Campbell Traveling Scholarship awarded by The University of Oregon.

The purpose of this material is to advance the communication of notable works of architecture using an experiential narrative nonfiction, a combination of words and images arranged to evoke similar emotions in the reader as were evoked in the author during his occupation of such buildings.

twenty | twenty one

The pages of this section are taken from a collection of illustrated essays produced during The Richard A. Campbell Traveling Scholarship awarded by The University of Oregon.

The purpose of this material is to advance the communication of notable works of architecture using an experiential narrative nonfiction, a combination of words and images arranged to evoke similar emotions in the reader as were evoked in the author during his occupation of such buildings.

The Richard A. CampbellTraveling Scholarship

seventeen | eighteen

The power of writing when expressed to a visual audienceis that it acts as a catalyst to our graphic imaginations. As arendering must choose a particular medium to evoke emotion, words trigger a palette of endless media options inside the viewer’s mind. Words, when chosen correctly, can express ideas and inspire interpretations impossible with our pencils, pens, paints and computers.

Most of the critics, reviewers, jurors, and professors who look at our work have the unique ability to graphically interpret ideas better than anyone else in the world. The misunderstanding on our part is that these people are opposed to reading text. For this reason we usually group it together, make it easy to skip over and easy to ignore. Most writing included on a final board does not actually add to the presentation of a building.

excerpt from the proposalJanuary 2010

The pages of this section are taken from a collection of illustrated essays produced during The Richard A. Campbell Traveling Scholarship awarded by The University of Oregon.

The purpose of this material is to advance the communication of notable works of architecture using an experiential narrative nonfiction, a combination of words and images arranged to evoke similar emotions in the reader as were evoked in the author during his occupation of such buildings.

twenty | twenty one

Inside the chapel time no longer passes in seconds and minutes. It passes in intervals of silence between the thick sound of wind from two directions and the clink-boom of a large metal door handle. Varying colors of earth soak the walls, dancing and bleeding under the supervision of a small burst of sky struggling to stay confined to the inner edges of the oculus above.

At this moment many things are visible; glass bulbs plugged into holes left behind by concrete formwork, a delicate and rugged statue of the peacemaker patron saint upon his strong and thin pedestal, prayer candles that flicker orange from the small, metal sandbox floating just off the wall. These details so familiar to us in photograph are all just tiny distractions muffled by the wind and the coming and going of other visitors. You wait for the silence to shut everything off.

Time passes until your gaze is redirected from the sky to the ground, where all you see is a puddle of water left over from last night’s rain resting peacefully in its designated groove. Small yellowed debris slowly swirl together, guided not by the powerful gusts of specific winds but by a silent whisper that gently leads the small pieces of grass and brush through the untroubled water. You are lost in the movement for only a moment, joined by the whisper to all other things around you. Suddenly the gusts pick up again and the door handle clangs to announce a new visitor. Time passes as you stay and wait for the next interval of silence.

“intervals of silence”The Bruder Klaus Chapelarchitects: Atelier Zumthor

“optimistic grey” (excerpt)The Kolumba Art Museum architects: Atelier Zumthor

If not for physical separation between wall and floor, a continuous black edge one quarter of an inch thick that casts a shadow twice its own width against the wall, I would be helpless to determine which grey belongs to what surface. Even with such guidance I am prone to thinking they all belong to some other dimension entirely, holding themselves together familiarly as floor, ceiling and wall so I am not frightened. The minute I turn around I suspect them to relax and return to their natural form in which the only separation between each shade of grey is the next one, no physical surfaces or shapes to help orient my visit through the gallery, distinguishable as thousands of different greys simultaneously experienced as one monochromatic being.

opposite page: scan from sketchbookink on watercolor paper

“Be flexible without losing site of what is important about the project. Learn to separate the essence and the ideas of a project from one of a thousand variations of how it could be. Because every project can be pushed and pulled in different ways without becoming something altogether different. There are certainly lines that if we had crossed them would have taken this project into altogether different territory. And you have to know where those lines are but you also need to not fall in love with one version of your project. Fall in love with the idea. Don’t fall in love with that material or that particular form. Fall in love with the intent of your project.”

Michael Arad, designer of the WTC Memorial in NYCInterview on Design Observer, 9/16/2011

“Four Seasons in Paris” (excerpt)La Bibliotheque Nationale Francois Mitterrand architects: Dominique Perrault Architecture

Summer lasts eternal inside this building. Summer days wrap buried evergreens along the corridors. You are guided by the warmth of red at your feet, blanketed by windows bursting white sun through their over-human proportions, accompanied by rows of neatly aligned concrete pillars standing tall and ordered, smooth with the craft of skilled human hands, their cool gray bodies positioned next to soft orange wood. The wood provides a datum against which the concrete becomes three dimensional. Periodic interruptions in these two materials signal the dusk of summer’s day - the start of summer’s evening - the endless parade of summer stars.

twenty nine | thirty

“This respect, this concern for permanence has, I believe, something to do with the essence of works of art - that they emerge from a specific time and also display the characteristics of that time, in form and style and use of material, but at the same time pass through it or bring that time along with them in still memory into an endless future.”

Thesis: The Productionof Architecture

Rudi Fuchs, The Ideal Museum, 1987

Fall 2010 - Spring 2011Portland, OregonArt Galleries and Live/Work Spaces30,000 sq. ft. new constructionSteel, Concrete, Glass, Polycarbonate Panels

NarrativePerceptionAdaptive ReusePermanence in the Built EnvironmentExclusion of 3-D Computer ModelingPhysical Modeling and Photography

A project of significance in the redevelopment of the Buckman neighborhood of Southeast Portland. An organization called The YU Contemporary Art Center recently purchased the half-block site, on which stands a building included on the National Historic Registry. They were in the process of renovating the interior for use as a live/work artists’ space and public gallery. My opinion and design intentions focused on our perception of the built environment, our preconceptions about contemporary materials, and our appreciation for the existing fabric of our cities.

Howard DavisWill KrzymowskiJoe SadoskiChristopher NielsonJon Hammett CheselyKrstin KelseyWill LopatrielloJesse CrupperHank WarneckAshley GibsonFlint Jamison (YU Contemporary Art Center)Stephen Duff (University of Oregon)Mark Donofrio (University of Oregon)Ian Gelbrich (Boora Architects, Inc.)

Date:Location:

Type:Size:

Materials:

Keywords:

Description:

Professor:Studio Collaborators:

Peers:

Professional Outreach:

New Building Supports Existing SpacesWindows and polycarbonate panels of varying opacities bounce sunlight into the courtyard.

thirty one | thirty two

New Building Supports Existing SpacesAngles of the new facade are generated to refl ect the old building from various positions inside and outside of the existing building.

Three SectionsThis project was designed to support an existing narrative provided by a building of great historical importance to the city of Portland. From left to right, each section is positioned to illustrate a visitor’s experience over time; from pre-concieved assumptions about contemporary building materials to an arrival at one end of the existing gallery, a grand space that motivated the client’s purchase of the property.

Perception Based ArtThe new galleries are objects that physically shape the experience of visitors while offering artists the opportunity to create art based on perception at a variety of scales.

Celebrate the ExistingThe ascension to the second floor gallery begins at the street and ends with a view down the length of the grand space. By this point the new building’s purpose is clear; to create an experience that supports the existing building.

The pages of this section are taken from a collection of illustrated essays produced during The Richard A. Campbell Traveling Scholarship awarded by The University of Oregon.

The purpose of this material is to advance the communication of notable works of architecture using an experiential narrative nonfiction, a combination of words and images arranged to evoke similar emotions in the reader as were evoked in the author during his occupation of such buildings.

twenty | twenty one

Communication by means of drawings, paintings, sketches and scribbles is an immensely satisfying endeavor; one that I will always work to cultivate.

Hand Media

forty three | forty four

Garden Pavilion at The Walt Disney Concert Hallarchitects: Frank O. Gehry and Partners

Pastel

The Standard Hotel from The High Linegraphite, ink and watercolorarchitects of hotel: Polshek Partnership Architectsarchitects of High Line: Diller, Scofidio + Renfrolandscape architects of High Line: James Corner Field Operations

previous spread: Kyoto Downtown Revitalizationwatercolorcollaborators: Peter Hanley, Michael Edward Bowles, Victor Elliottprofessors: Ron Lovinger, Satoko Motouji, Daisuke Yoshimura, Yumiko Nelson

opposite page: Sukkah City Sketchcompetition, charcoal

Museum for the Tiber River, sectioncharcoal, pencil, trace paperstudio professor: James Tice

The Bruder Klaus Chapelwatercolorarchitects: Atelier Zumthor

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011 watercolorarchitects: Atelier Zumthor

Zen Garden, Kyoto, Japanwatercolor

Daishen-In, Zen Buddhist Monestary, Kyoto, Japanink, watercolor

Physical Modeling

Physical models are the most effective method of communication in architecture.

fifty nine | sixty

sixty one | sixty two

Museum for The Tiber Riverchipboard, plastic, spray paintstudio professor: James Tice

Various Studio Modelschipboard, acrylic, bass wood, glass, metals, plastics, foam corestudio professors: Howard Davis, Otto Poticha

Thesis Study Modelschipboard, acrylic, bass wood, aluminum, plastics, foam core, spray paintstudio professor: Howard Davis

Previous Spread, OppositeThesis Final Modelsacrylic, bass wood, spray paintstudio professor: Howard Davis

Digital Media

sixty nine | seventy

Section Through Kirosan Observation TowerAdobe Illustrator, Vector Works, Photoshoparchitects: Kengo Kuma and Associatesstudio professor: Erin Moore

Lyceum Competition, ground floor planPhotoshop, Illustrator, Google Sketchupstudio professor: Erin Moore

Lyceum Competition, roof planPhotoshop, Illustrator, Google Sketchupstudio professor: Erin Moore

Lyceum Competition, SectionPhotoshop, Illustrator, Google Sketchupstudio professor: Erin Moore

Various RenderingsPhotoshop, Illustrator, Google Sketchup

3. Projections inform commuters about seasonal vegetables.

1. Existing behavior used to generate power.

2. Power lights educational activities in

the underpass.

A Billboard for Urban AgricultureReconditioning the Urban FabricA studio led by David Cook, Behnisch Architekten

This project is about educating the urban population about food - the local availability of it and the process of growing it. An intervention of this nature serves to increase the density of urban agricultural practice by drawing attention its existence, instructing its feasibility and encouraging its growth through experiential participation.

RGB LED

Generator

Sustainable Dance Floor by the Sustainable Dance Club

activate.

educate.

advertise.

A Museum for The Tiber RiverRhinoceros, Photoshop, Illustrator, Google Sketchupstudio professor: James Tice

Photography

eighty three | eighty four

Photography is increasingly changing the way we learn about architectural design. Exposure and reliance on the internet, a relatively new forum of self-education, is inflating the influence of architectural photography. This fact, in addition to our ability to produce photorealistic imagery during the design process, is having a dramatic effect on our production of the built environment.

The following photographs are misleading.

They do not communicate the experience of being present as the photographer inside and around the architecture represented. As photographs, however, they are impressive works of art.

previous spread and opposite pageThe Bruder Klaus Chapel, Mechernich, Germanyarchitects: Atelier Zumthor

previous spreadsShelters for Roman Archaeological Site, Chur, Switzerlandarchitects: Atelier Zumthor

opposite pageHotel Therme Vals, Vals, Switzerlandarchitects: Atelier Zumthor

The Quai Branly Museum, Paris, Francearchitects: Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Church San Benedetg, Sumvitg, Switzerlandarchitects: Atelier Zumthor

GYRE Shopping Center, Tokyo, Japanarchitects: MVRDVaward: chosen for the 2010 AIA West Jersey Calendar

Masanari Murai Art Museum, Tokyo, Japanarchitects: Kengo Kuma & Associates

creditsAll work in this portfolio was produced by the author in collaboration with peers, professors and mentors. The most influential participants have been noted throughout the text, though there are many more who contributed. I am constantly influenced and inspired by those around me and hope to work with a firm who encourages an atmosphere of creative collaboration.

layoutInspired by Stone and Water Bells, a publication of Hotel Therme Vals.

typefacefunction

dateDecember, 2011

contact informatione: [email protected]: 1.732.599.6369w: http://nickvenezia.blogspot.com