Maraganore-Adam_portfolio

ADAM MARAGANOREB.S. ARCHITECTUREPORTFOLIO

Revisioning of Public Space

This project was carried out in Oaxaca, Mexico. We took a failed public space and redesigned it based on observations of the previous faults. We worked in groups of three, being challenged to create a uniform architectural language. No computers were used in the design process; all work was done through modeling and drawings of ink and mylar.

After testing possibilities, we settled on loading our program around the 300 year old wall. The program added includes a historian’s house, the historian’s library, a cafe, the priest’s house, Sunday school and meeting rooms, and an interior garden. The strip of public space was also reprogramed.

At the bottom of the public space are shaded benches for the parents to sit at while waiting for school to finish before the siesta. Right next to the school entrance is a strip of shallow water for kids to splash around in to stay cool during the hot summers. Water is provided in the dry season by cisterns under the space. Next to the water is the entrance to the library with the church courtyard and cafe above.

On the other side, the indoor garden sits for those who wish to relax and reflect in a quiter space. All of the openings were carefully selected to create a dialogue with the church.

The slits on all of the rooves correlate with site lines in relation to the old wall, metaphorically extending the wall’s boundaries and influence on all of our spaces.

Digital Representation and Fabrication

This project explored creating site-specific huts on the Superior Hiking Trail in northern Minnesota to help boost the winter visitations. The huts were designed through section rather than through plan.

Rhino was used to digitally fabricate the huts. The intial weeks were spent learning the software and slowly adding complexities to address functionality of the huts.

Wind

SHELTERED LOOK-OUT

DROP-OFF/ VIEW

Carlton Peak is exposed to the wind due no treeline. The hut is designed to give the people a sheltered sleeping space while also deflecting the northernly winds. This gives the occupants and all hikers a sheltered view of the lake, also framed by the main window.

STORAGE

BENCH/DINING AREA

SLEEPING BUNK

CONNECTION DETAIL

STRINGERSSKIN PANELIZATION

FORMERS

The huts are monocoque structures, so the skin provides the structure for the hut. Formers, section cuts placed at four foot intervals, are connected by stringers, normally two feet apart. The skin is then wrapped around the stringers.

As the huts are placed in the wilderness, easy transport is a necessity. All of the pieces are created to break down and able to fit within a 75”x100” pickup truck bed.

Parts are all pre-fabricated and are designed for easy assembly and disassembly.

FLOOR/WALL/ROOF

This exercise looked at each element of design--floors, walls and rooves. Each element was looked at individually to better understand how it influences space and the experiential qualities of those spaces. Examples of concepts discussed include how stones affect the way a person moves compared to concrete or how columns and windows can create different ways of framing views.

Once each element had been tested, a final space was created combining all the knowledge gathered. There had to be a bedroom, a kitchen, a solitary space, and three, foot tall statues.

The bed is placed on a glass floor over the pond creating a contrast between the human desire for a contained sleeping spot versus a plastic space.

The statues are framed between two sheets of glass in the dining room making them only visually accessible.

The solitary chair hides behind the large, anchoring wall of the dining room and looks away from the site, extending the site’s boundary.

Responding to Site

This project examined how architecture responds to site. A section of Lake Calhoun, one of Minneapolis’ large recreational parks, was chosen for the installation of a runner’s club and gathering area. I was initially interested with the pockets of trees throughout the park, so my program related to the site’s trees.

GatheringOffice

Kitchen Bar

ChangingRooms

Rental

I developed the organic shapes of the floors by sketching the negative space between the existing trees on the site. I then planted a strip of trees on the lake side of the program to contain the buildings and sever their connection with the lake. The rooves were designed to be an extension of the canopy, covering the spaces open to the sky. I placed a rubber-matting ground plane to create both a visual and textural boundary for the program’s domain. This allows users to make their own choice to wander through the trees or move directly to the buildings--often related to the harsh seasonal differences. The southern buildings are connected by one roof to suggest a path from building to building.

This project required us to pick a space in Rapson Hall and make an argument with two final drawings. The lighting qualities of the exit staircase immediately caught my attention as did the twists and turns of the guard rail.

The first week I spent simply diagramming and creating quick line drawings as I formulated my argument.

Drawing Space and Light

I spent three days examining how the light hit the space, creates shadows and affects the space. To better understand this, I drew day and night studies of lighting qualities.

The final argument is that the guard rail and the undersides of the staircase influence the way light penetrates through the space, creating an effect that pulls the user down towards the exit. This is due to the exit being immersed in light while the routes away from the exit are darker and more dreary.

Ceramics Factory & Show Room

For this project, we focused on materials and how they influence a building. We intitially had to build a ceramics showroom out of concrete. Starting with a box, I split the box in half and then pushed one of the halves over to create two different functions connected by a glass wall overlooking a grassy, outdoor courtyard. The back half included bathrooms and storage, while the front half was the showroom. The model was cast out of multiple planes to better understand concrete being assembled from multiple slabs.

Kiln

Showroom

Restrooms/Storage

LoadingDock

WorkerStorage

The second part required a ceramics factory to be made from a truss structural system. I put glass around the upper half which creates a nice affect of light streaming into the factory. An upper level, centered by the kiln, allowed tours to view the artists working without impeding on their work space. The worker’s entrance is framed by both storage space and restrooms. Trees are planted on the street side of the factory which dialog with the high windows.

1” Steel Fascia

Base Flashing

Roof Membrane

Loose Aggregate roughly 1” Diameter

Wide-Flange column (W8x8)

Window Detail-See Wall Plane Detail

Shelf Angle

Bolt

Z-Hook

Insulation sloped inward at 1:48

Wood Curb from 2x4

Wood 2x4

Metal Roof Edge in 10’ lengths

Cover plate

High-Range Sealant

Backer Rod

BUILDING MEETING THE SKY WITH WALL SECTION

1’0’

6” 3” 9”

1 1/2” Corrugated Steel Roof Decking

Single-Glazed Window 1/8” Wide-Flange

Column (W8x8)

Face Putty

Weatherstripping

Snap-in glazing beads

Steel window frame and sash section

Anodized steel nonload-bearing external curtain-wall - 1/16” thick, 10’ long sheets

WALL PLANE CONNECTION OF

WINDOW AND STEEL CLADDING

Structural Tee Bracket welded onto Column and Steel Cladding

1/2”

1”

3/4” Foam

Insulation

Shelf Angle bolted into

I-beam

Steel Sub-Girt

Metal Capping

Steel I-Beam (W8x8)