Graduate Portfolio - Tony Gonzalez

F O L I O

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2015-2017Tony Gonzalez

BODY OF WORKBecause architecture is either too big or too complex for architects to work on directly, architectural representation is needed to abstract buildings and sites into workable terms. The process by which this happens is the primary subject of my work. This process happens in three modes. In flatwork, architectural ideation works on the problem of flatness in three acts. The second mode of thought, objects, flatness as a subject of architectural thought flickers between flatness and object-ness, inverting the relationships between geometries and the objects that they describe. Finally, in institutions thought is executed in building form, once as an academic project, and once as a professional one. All projects, no matter their output, are joined by a shared interest in representation. Ultimately, it is the goal of this portfolio to archive and index the capacities of architectural representation.

t h e g o o d s

strathmásp. 22

monumentp . 30

horizonp. 54

partyp . 40

inverted moti fp . 6

cloud watchingp. 14objects

ins t i tu t ions

Recognizable shapes are often used as a means to convey symbolic meaning . They are usual ly deployed by means of geometr ic orders : we recognize the forms and the simplicity of their arrangements .

inverted motifANN ARBOR, MICrit ic : Thom Moranwith Courtney Krause , Kar in Neubauer , and Jon Yates spr ing 2016

OBJECT No.1

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to the recognizable form: it became the organizing principle for the construction of the large pineapple, rather than the extrinsic organizer of multiple forms.

The form was conceived of in two parts - the upper ‘crown’ and the lower ‘fruit’. The leaves of the crown were integrated into the structural patterning which negotiates the surface. The hex pattern which subdivides the surface also determines the placement of leaves and the polygons which make up the base.

The softness of the material created for randomly angled petals. The integration of the hex pattern into the design of the component parts are neither structural or ornamental, but both simultaneously. Rather than the

The Motif is a well known tactic in architecture. A recognizable shape is repeated in some geometric or organic pattern so as to create some sense of harmony or rhythm. In this way, a motif can do the work of symbology, by which an audience understands the meaning of a motif based on what that particular shape symbolizes.

The pineapple is a classic example of such a motif: the presence of a pineapple symbolizes the idea of welcoming guests. In the case of the wallpaper shown, a hex-pattern orders the pineapples and provides a sense of rhythm.

Inverted Motif seeks to disrupt the standard relationship between a graphical motif and the geometry which orders it. A 4’ 6” pineapple was constructed out of aluminum sheeting. The hex pattern was made intrinsic

STRUCTURE OF SYMBOLS^^a pineapple moti f , as used in a wal lpaper

<<a recognizable shape, constructed architectural ly

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^^the perfect ion of the designed form was not carr ied forward to the resultant object

<<the resultant object was quite large , and required mult ip le people to t ransport

triangles, as is achieved by digital mesh modeling.

The advantage of triangular mesh geometry is that it can be used to approximate almost any form.

On the next page, the component pieces are shown exploded in plan and elevation - the hex pattern, carried throughout, becomes a wedge system. In plan oblique, the connection between the crown and the fruit component can be understood as the negotiating of two different rhythms of patterning.

than seeking a geometrically perfect copy of the design, the resultant object embraces the imprecision of the material. Aluminum sheets are neither rigid nor fabric, but take on whatever shape they are given.

The crown was designed by constructing geometrically perfect ellipses and subdividing them into the hex pattern. The leaves meet the pattern at their base, thereby serving as the connection system between individual parts. The articulation of the leaves was achieved by breaking down their forms into

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^ ^exploded plan drawing

<<panel assembly system

>>exploded plan- isometr ic drawing

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The problem of the brick is a classic one: objects with geometrically self-similar faces can be stacked on top of one another, and in doing so, produce architectural surfaces. Contemporary digital fabrication techniques allow for new part-to-part relationships, bound not necessarily by the geometric similarity, but by compositional and formal relationships.

cloud watchingANN ARBOR, MIcr i t ic : Asa Pel lerwith Kar in Neubauer and Jonathan Yates spr ing 2016

OBJECT No.2

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steam and bent along some type of rigid form. When they are released, the fibers in the wood hold their new curvaceous shape. The depth of the resulting curve is limited by the fibrous tension in the wood: if the curve is too deep, the wood will snap.

For Cloud Watching, steam bent components were constructed, each with a mirrored duplicate. Slits cut along the length of the individual members relieve stress in the form, and in doing so provide a system of connection.

The resultant parts can ben configured and reconfigured in endless ways. Because each component is mirrored, the resultant compositions suggest a variety of zoological forms and postures. The project postulates on the capacity for the structure

The phenomenon of Pareidolia describes the brain’s tendency to see patterns in forms whether or not they were intentionally placed there. It is the phenomenon which makes Cloud Watching a creative endeavor. Of course, no cloud ever set out to take the form of a, say, an elephant, but nonetheless, we see it there. The spontaneity and flexibility of these readings is so often absent from digital-design techniques in architecture: parts designed digitally fit together in precisely one way, producing one possible formal conclusion.

The process of steam-bending wood was introduced to the discipline of architecture by means of Bauhaus furniture design. Wood components are soaked in water overnight, and in the morning, blasted with

RIGID CUMULONIMBUS^^ var ious components were created each with a mirrored copy

<< detai l of assembled c loud connect ion

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< <a s imple , var iable j ig y ie lds mult ip l ic i t ies of form

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of architectural form to take on new part-to-part relationships.

Only two jigs were needed to form the different components constructed. A ‘U’ shaped jig was used for the tightest components, and an ‘L’ shaped jig was used for the remainder. Clamps were simply moved along the jigs in order to generate different shapes and curve radii.

Unlike traditional bricks, interlocking components accept adjacencies based on approximate, not exact geometric similarity. In this way, formal complexity is generated by a minimal number of connections.

Individually, components can be read as proto-zoological forms. Recalling oceanic or aviary bone structures, the vagueness of their

^^ one possible conf igurat ion of a connect ion detai l

form allows and audience to map any number of referents.

On the next page, four possible configurations are shown. Different postures can convey different emotional communications. As with one’s own body, posturing can convey a wide spectrum of emotions, from relaxed, low postures to tall, aggressive postures, to contraposto, quizzical postures, it is possible to encode form with the subjective, rather than only objective relationships.

It is possible to project the project of subjective relationships onto the urban: rather than imaging architecture as primarily the seat of objective relationships, buildings may be able to relate to one another by means of subjectivities.

PILE ‘EM ON

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< <di f ferent assembl ies y ie ld varying musculatures and postures

>>symmetr ical assembl ies a l low for biophi l ic forms to emerge

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It seems like Architecture is hopelessly bound to representation. There may be a way to conflate aesthetic techniques with political values such that form can generate real change.

strathmásUS / MEXICO BORDER“Wal ls of Inclusion” Competit ion 1st Placewith Gidon Schwartzman fa l l 2015

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and fifty eight cents, and could cover one hundred and seventy thousand, four hundred and fifty four square feet of paper in a repeating concrete pattern. This wall, made of single-ply ink jet printed paper would cost approximately forty four billion, nine hundred and forty nine million, four hundred and four thousand, eight hundred and thirty two dollars and twenty one cents for paper, and an additional two hundred and eighty eight billion, eight hundred twenty four million, six hundred forty four thousand, five hundred twenty dollars and thirty seven cents for HP 02 Black printer ink.

In total, the wall would cost three hundred and thirty three billion, eight hundred and thirty one million, eight hundred and sixty

Submitted with model photos: A ten yard roll of Strathmore four hundred Drawing Series Paper can be ordered from blick.com for sixteen dollars and eighty eight cents (+shipping and delivery) and includes a total of one hundred and five square feet of paper. An eighty foot tall, two thousand mile long wall has five billion, two hundred and fifty four million, nine hundred and seventy six thousand, three hundred and three square feet of surface along its elevation.

The top of the wall would need to be capped with another one billion nine hundred and seventy million, six hundred and sixteen thousand, one hundred and thirteen square feet of surface. A gallon of HP 02 Black printer ink costs four thousand and two hundred ninety four dollars

BAD PERSPECTIVES^^a photo of a photo of a model of a large model

<<repet i t ion , d istort ion , p ix i lat ion , and the tools of the construct ion of an image

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in which we could take a stand against intolerance. Working with Gideon Schwartzman, we developed an approach to architecture which would provide a deadpan design of a wall which would reveal the absurdity of the problem.

Paper, in particular Strathmore brand drawing paper, is the tool of the architect. It is a primary tool for producing models and drawings of architecture, but nonetheless cannot be relied upon to produce actual architecture. Obviously, it cannot support weight or shed water in any meaningful way. At the same time, paper remains a relatively cheap material and one that is

The images included with the written document that you are now holding do not refer to a representation of a concrete wall. They refer to the representation of a paper wall. The wall appears to stretch into infinity. The wall is literally constructed in perspective. The back of the model is smaller than the front of the model. People in the background can easily cross over the wall. -

Donald Trump’s wall, obviously, should not ever be built. Soon after he announced that he was proposing to build a wall along the US / Mexico border, design students and the University of Michigan began to propose ways

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the model, they are dwarfed by their surroundings. Cacti, rocks, and indeed the Wall tower over them. As they move back into space, however, their surroundings shrink. The Wall is very tall when viewed from one, privileged perspective. Viewed from any other point, however, it is clear that he Wall is not capable of dividing space entirely, as it is easily overcome. The plastic people are generic - their race and gender is unspecified. Moreover, the model itself makes no implication as to what side is the United States and what side is Mexico.

For us, the project was about staging.

incredibly easy to work with. We found that, nonetheless, it would be absurdly expensive to building Trump’s wall out of paper. The wall would cost several times more than he has publicly quoted, and would not fulfill the function that he desires it to, at all.

The model constructed to illustrate this point was done so in a dead-pan way. The model was detailed in such a way as to confess its materiality. The scale of the environment presented is annotated by rocks and cacti, but they admit to their paper construction immediately.

Small plastic people populate the model. At the front of

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Ultimately, this technique serves as an essay on the potential for architecture to serve as a vehicle for political action.

Indeed, the question of autonomous practices in architecture traditionally produce a-political novel form. It may be possible, however, to posture a project in such a way as to provoke new relationships between traditional materials, such that novel effects are produced. Rather than a purely formal or aesthetic result, Strathmás mines architecture’s own disciplinary practices for tactics which can generate tremendous affects outside of the discipline.

A formal reading of the project might reveal close allegiances with Teatro Olimpico or Scala Regia. In either of those examples, the perceived distance between two points is manipulated by means of artificial diminution. When the space has tremendous political charge, and the distance between two figures has diplomatic, political, and moral implications, optical effects mingle with political argument.

On the left, the cutsheet used to produce the model is shown. When the base of the model is unfolded on a flat surface, it seems to project back in space.

^^here , the effect col lapses , and the Wal l is easi ly overcome

>>cut-out pieces for the model , some assembly required

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It seems like Architecture is hopelessly bound to representation. Buildings are too big and too complicated for architects to work on directly, and it is so easy to forget the biases and pressures that our tools exert on us. It may be possible to conceive of an architecture in which components relate to each other based on techniques proper to their methods of representation.

monument.skpWASHINGTON, DCCrit ic : J . M . Tate fa l l 2015

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ever denied representation, and everyone has exactly the same amount of voice.

It would, of course, be absurd to try to download these models: the Washington Monument is almost childishly easy to model digitally: a pyramid with an extruded base requires only two commands in most modeling software, three if you wish to flare the base out at the bottom.

Conceptually, the idea of a digital monument is a strange idea: it would certainly not be permanent, as it would easily be replaced with a new design.

If you search the phrase “Washington Monument” in the google 3D warehouse, you’ll find that different people have highly differing ideas about what the monument actually looks like. While almost all of the models found there are at least reminiscent of the obelisk-form, they vary greatly in proportion, height, and girth. It is important to remember that the google 3D warehouse does not have any editing process in place - anyone who has signed up for a free account with google is able to upload a model of anything and call it whatever they like. In this way, the warehouse is purely democratic - no one is

MONUMENT VALLEY^^i t would seem that di f ferent people have di f ferent ideas about the form of the monument

<<how could a l l of these readings be col lected into some kind of democrat ic whole?

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^^models from the 3d warehouse, drawn at there actual scale, and again at the same heights

near the top of the monument, generating small spaces to tuck stairs, bathrooms, and other utilities.

It is important to note that the original monument is organized into a nine square grid system.

This project proposes a new monument: one which displays representations of George Washington that were made after his death. The form of the building is in rigorous reference to the original, in plan an section.

Above, the democratic models from the google 3d warehouse are drawn once at their original heights, and once again at the same height, showing the drastic difference in height and width between each individual instantiation.

Below, the original plans of the Washington Monument are shown. The structure is heavy, and relies on a cast-in-place concrete core in order to support the ashlar stacked around it. The concrete takes the form of fins

LINE THEM UP

^^the project is located within walking distance of the original Washington Monument

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^^reference plans showing the f i rst , f i f th , and ninth f loors

>>the main gal lery f loor plan , showing intersect ing gr id logics

The project allies itself with the figurative assemblages of Mike Kelley, the graphic compositions of James Rosenquist and Manfred Mohr.

Ultimately, the project proposes a pop-architecture, one in which the autonomous formal manipulation and the politics of democratic symbologies are made to mingle.

In plan, intersecting obelisks form reference to the original Washington Monument. Fins which provide structural support to the original become spatial dividers and display surfaces.

The original Washington Monument has a 9-square plan with round columns. Each booleaned obelisk, as shown in the plan to the right, projects a grid system onto the floor it encloses, and the grid is at times accepted or denied based on its adjacent forms.

FIGURES WITH A PLAN

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^^reference sect ions

>>in sect ion , graphic patterns manipulate percept ions of scale

large spaces are formed by one large obelisk.

The walls are treated with an ashlar-graphic pattern which changes in scale to group obelisks together to form rooms as well as obscure the reading of scale of other obelisks.

Stairs are formed by the slow and repetitious dragging of obelisks through spaces, such that their intersections create treads and risers.

In section, the project harkens back to the original in a couple of key ways. The original, being constructed of stacked stone ashlar, offers only tight space for circulation and inhabitance. Sketchup models are hollow, and in being so, offer ample room for circulation and the display of artifacts.

Rooms are formed by the inclusion of small, 1 dimensionally scaled obelisks. Sometimes obelisks team-up to form large spaces, sometimes

DEMOCRACY IN SECTION

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Before the digital turn, architects deployed discrete artifacts of representation in order to circumnavigate the design of an object they would never touch directly. After the digital turn, architects seem to have a far more complex relationship with representation.

house partyA PROPOSITION FOR HOUSING IN DETROITAdvisor : Lars Graebner + Chr ist ina Hansen fa l l 2017

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that thin pre-cast panels with exposed rebar are lowered into place, utilities like hvac ductwork and radiant heating coils are laid in place, and a topping slab is poured on top.

The top two floors of the bar-buildings feature a switchback system which converts the building from a centrally-located circulation cores to a single-loaded corridore. This system also allows for these upper units to be cross-ventilated, drastically lowering their mechanical cooling load.

Located in the vibrant Eastern Market neighborhood of Detroit, MI, House Party is a mixed-use apartment complex that integrates affordable multi-family housing into a set of three bar-buildings. Single-family villas are sprinkled throughout the site, offering more private, quieter lifestyles for new families.

The campus is located on the historic Dequindre Cut, a greenway created by a derelict rail line running through the city of Detroit. The Cut is fast becoming a locus of development in the neighborhood.

House Party utilizes a typical concrete frame, with a custom green-brick facade. The floor slabs are constrcuted using a lost-formwork technique, meaning

COLORFUL EASTERN MARKET

^^Eastern Market is known for i ts colorful murals

> >the ‘broken-bar ’ massing generates smal l semi-pr ivate gardens for residents .

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upper units convert to a double-loaded corridor, with double-height units modeled after Unité d’Habitation. This scheme affords a number of advantages, especially the wide variety of unit types that are produced. The extra level affords each double-height unit an extra bedroom, which makes them especially attractive to expanding families.

Michigan building code stipulates that any residential structure more than three stories tall will offer two means of egress to all units. That being the case, the code restricts a housing scheme to a double-loaded corridor. In response, the building exists as two schemes packages into one.

The bottom three floors are organized with two units served by one circulation core. The

SWITCHBACK-HYBRID PARTI

^^physical model

>>render ing of digi ta l model , after Thomas Demand

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1-1/2” hex nut

2x4 mtl. studbatt insulation3/4” gwb interior finish

triple pane windowcmu lintel

1 1/2” polystyrene foam board

gray face-brick

steel reinforcing barcast-in-place concrete fillconcrete masonry unit

air cavity

gray face-bricksheathing steel guttergray face-bricflashing

structural tie

pre-cast concrete balcony

steel reinforcing barpermanent formwork semi-precast slab

Schock Isokorb structural thermal barrier

LEVEL 0427’ - 6”

LEVEL 0760’ - 6”

LEVEL 0649’ - 6”

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1 1/2” polystyrene foam boardair cavity

aluminum flashingsteel angleconcrete foundation wall

LEVEL 025’ - 6”

LEVEL 010’ - 0”

LEVEL P1-11’ - 0”

LEVEL 0427’ - 6”

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Before the digital turn, architects deployed discrete artifacts of representation in order to circumnavigate the design of an object they would never touch directly. After the digital turn, architects seem to have a far more complex relationship with representation.

thesis: anxious horizonA PROPOSITION FOR A POST DIGITAL ARCHTIECTUREAdvisor : Cyrus Penarroyo spr ing 2017

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flattened. categorical notions of

Notes on the Arrested Image: Robin Evans’ diagram describes the relationship between representation, architecture, and the subject. In this way, it constructs avenues by which subject-object relations can be understood.

This project investigates this collapse as it occurs in three different modes of representation, Model, Drawing, Rendering, by using each to reveal the construction of the other. In this way, the project seeks to manipulate the space between different modes of representation, such that the space becomes the site of the architectural act.

DRAWING: SCALE is

The differentiation between the model, render, and drawing collapses when they are subjected to digital regimes of practice. Bruno Latour argues that the digital as ‘digits’ (discrete sets of 1s and 0s) is so not as a domain but as a set of practices best understood as an inscription device for capturing, or re-mediating, practice. That being said, the digital resembles the structure of an iceberg, with only a very small component actually visible, through the use of the GUI. As the digital is brought to bear on architectural representation, I want to argue that it begins to erode the categories of representation (reduced broadly to Render, Model, Orthographic Drawing)

On erosion: when architecture is subsumed by the digital, it is

FORMATS AND CONTENTS

^^physical model

>>render ing of digi ta l model , after Thomas Demand

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^^elements turn and s l ide in plan

<<mirrored surfaces smear the elevat ion

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are strewn throughout, in a loose reference to Burolandschaft notions of the late 20th century. Later plan-oblique drawings show how the system of affitinies can scale, and how the relatent objects in plan take on bilogical form. Furniture and architectural components are arranged as a neo-campo-marzio plan, in which negative space is carefully considered and composed into independently operating programmatic zones. Or, rather, representations of them. In this way, the project suggest oppurtunities for misreading to generate possability.

In plan, we can see a number of elements, their organization resists understanding by adjacency: rather giving order to architectural objects by orienting them along the same grid, order comes from affinity. Material choice, shape, and scale provide the layers of organizational logic that disciplines the project. Moreover, the use of reflective surfaces and scaled graphics imbues the plan with a complex notion of depth. The project approximates the funcitonal necessities of an office. Desks, tables, and chairs of various kinds

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^^the hands of the architect move elements of the model

<<the model approximates a di f ferent model , i ronical ly possessing more real i ty than i ts referent .

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Paper, itself having material qualities, cannot be said to have any more or less reality than any other element of the physical model, yet it provides a logic of scale which suggests the model has a particular size. In the rendering, the ambition was to show the project as having two precise scalar logics, that of the model and that of the architecture to which the model points. It was important to show multiple elements that construct the image, such as scene lighting and powertools, as a way to further reinforce this scale.

As the digital subsumes different forms of representation, their unique qualities collapse. Here, we see how printed paper is used to approximate texture-wrapping protocols. Interestingly, paper fails when its dimension doesn’t’ meet that of its support material. In these cases, it wrinkles, and in doing so, confesses its existence. In the digital model, when an images dimension does not match that of the form it is mapped to, the image is automatically stretched and torqued, and this differentiation often cannot be distinguished as readily.

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