The OFFICE BUILDING >>
Master Thesis Project
Mar 23, 2016
Hello! This was my thesis project while stuyding at the University of Houston. The project is a unorthodox mixed used tower located in the urban core of Houston, Texas. The form and design was made possible by incorporating advanced computer modeling techniques with the following design platforms:Rhino, Maya, and Qhull. Many thanks to Stylianos Dritsas with his post on integrating Qhull and Rhino on his website Jeneratiff. Without such a post this project would have been extensively more complicated.
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The
OFFICEBUILDING
>>
the notions of regularity and objectivity inherent in the existing office towers a new prototype was born. The new office prototype yielded to spontaneity, variable usage of space, and the complexity inherenent in the overlapping relationships contained within. The goal for the office prototype would to functionally perform without expense to the metaphysical act of occupying space.
The office tower has previously been architecturally restricted by designs that solely favor function. As a result, the intangible of architecture has been neglected. By taking an oppositional stand toward
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1| Contained Random Point Cloud
An initial bounding volume was constructed to contain the future generation of a random point cloud process. The specific volume of the bounding area (200’ x 200’ x 400’) was selected to fit the context of the site and surrounding heights of neighboring high-rise structures (e.g., Exxon Building, > 600’;Houston House Apartments, approximately 300’). Within the predetermined bounding volume, an unbiased random point cloud was generated with subsequent points translated into a text file (ptsfromrhino.txt).
2| Voronoi Diagram from Random Points
The text file produced earlier was translated into Qhull, a program that specializes in complex mathematical equations such as convex hull, Delaunay triangulation, and Voronoi pattern calculations. Once uploaded into Qhull, the initial set of random points was subsequently calculated into a Voronoi pattern with yet another set of points translated into another text file (outputfromqhull.txt). A Rhinoscript was used to process and connect the many points forming surface planes.
type ptsfromrhino.txt | qvoronoi o Fv > outputfromqhull.txt1
3| Adjusted Voronoi Structural Resultant
After the Voronoi diagram had been created, the outlying surfaces that exceeded the original bounding volume were removed. What remained was a three-dimensional crystalline structure that became the office building prototype.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
1 DOS command written in Qhull generating the Voronoi calculation
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OFFICE SPACE
ATYPICAL ATRIUM
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Atrium(Open to Above and Below)
Lobby
Offices
Offices
Elevators(Serves Floors B1-7)
Elevators(Serve Floors 7-12)
PublicRestroom
PublicRestroom
FireStairs
FireStairs
MechanicalRoom
Elevators(Serves Floors B1-7)
PublicRestroom
PublicRestroom
FireStairs
FireStairs
MechanicalRoom
MechanicalRoom
7TH FLOORPLAN
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
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** Marks the only point in which
an occuppant can stand on the
ground floor, look above through
the atrium, and see the sky.
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The irregular façade of the project was organized based on the incident solar day particular to the downtown Houston site. Through computer processing, a custom facade was generated by calculating the direct solar radiation that would accumulate on the surface of the exterior throughout a single day. In an effort towards conserving energy with limiting the amound of harsh sun exposure, the longest day of the year – the summer solstice – was chosen. The program organized the information via a color coding system displayed as a color gradient: from red, accumulating the most direct radiation, to blue, receiving the least amount of sun exposure. The values calculated by the system did not consider the scattering and absorption effects of water vapor, ozone, and aerosol, but were used in the context of this project as a starting point towards the organization of an irregular façade.
FAÇADE DEVELOPMENT
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1 Zero Transparency - Façade Undivided
2 Minimal Transparency - Façade Divided from Center Exponentially Three Times3 Average Transparency - Façade Divided from Center Exponentially Two Times
4 Optimal Transparency - Façade Divided from Center One Time
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EXPERIENCESenior Project Manager, Construction ManagerSupervisor: Allen Bianchi, AIA
Architectural AssistantSupervisor: Charles Tapley, FAIA
Teaching Assistant – Architectural History Survey I & II Supervisors: Michelangelo Sabitino, Ph.D., Nora Loas, Ph.D.
Project: MECA Theater, 1900 Kane St. Houston, Texas 77007Design Build Director: Patrick Peters, AIA
EDUCATION
Graduate School Projects:Thesis Project: A Theoretical Office Tower in Downtown Houston Integrating Advanced Computer Modeling TechniquesIndependent Study Abroad: Taiwanese RegionalismA Shakespearean Theater and CampusAn Addition to the Roy E. Cullen Building on the UH Main CampusA North American Headquarters for Fila Corporation
Focus: Adults and Children with Disabilities and ADA Compliance* Attended the University of North Texas from 08/2001 - 12/2002 before transfering to the University of Texas at Austin
Honors & Awards: University of Texas at Austin Liberal Arts College Scholar
University of Texas at Austin Dean’s List University of North Texas Dean’s List
PROFICIENCIES
Allen Bianchi Architects&
Bianchi Design/Build
10/2009 - 07/2011
Tapley & Associates05/2008 - 08/2009
University of Houston08/2007 - 05/2009
Master of Architecture
08/2006 - 05/2009
Bachelor of Social Work with Honors
01/2003* - 12/2005
University of HoustonGraduate Design/Build Studio
05/2007 - 05/2008
Responsibilities: Active participant and collaborator in all phases of the architectural design process including: programming, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, bidding and contract awarding, and construction administration. Review engineering drawings for accuracy and design compatibility. Prepare architectural proposals and AIA contracts for new clients, in addition to manage company accounts and finances. Lead client meetings, create three dimensional computer models, develop photographic renderings for presentations, and guide virtual tours of projects.
Develop and estimate construction costs and budget for design/build projects. Manage multiple construction projects simultaneously, including scheduling, project accounting, and appropriate city inspections. Examine the quality and accuracy of work performed by all trades
Responsibilities: Develop accurate field measurements, as-built measurements, and construction drawings for residential remodels. Generate hand sketches of landscape projects. Assist principal in client meetings.
Responsibilities: Facilitate and lead discussion groups with undergraduate students focusing on the relevance of past architectural designs and theory for implications in today’s practice situations. Graded essay exams and term papers.
Responsibilities: Develop construction and structural steel fabrication cut sheets. Lead and execute the steel fabrication team process.
University of Houston
University of Texas at Austin
Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, In-Design, & Photoshop), AutoCAD, Autodesk 3DS Max. Autodesk Maya, Generative Components, Google Sketch-Up, McNeel Grasshopper, McNeel Rhinoceros, Modela (CNC Interface Program), Processing, Rhinoscripting, Vectorworks, & V-Ray Rendering Software
IAN DURIS 1100 Olive Street Denver, CO 80220 / Tel. 713.751.9513 / [email protected] 1
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