Portfolio

RepresentationInterpreting Italo Calvino

ConstructionCutler-Anderson

ConstructionRobert Metcalfe

RepetitionTaubman College

CirculationTaubman College

WeavingAnn Arbor

TransformationAnn Arbor

ErosionChicago River

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ionI terpreting Italo Calvino

Six Memos for the Next Millenium - Quickness

Chip board, Spray Paint, Bass Wood, White Museum Board

Italo Calvino’s memo on Quickness, in his six Memos for the Next Millenium, discusses many different attributes of quickness. Two attributes of quickness discussed are the rhythm that speed creates, which is represented in the groundwork of this walkway, and the quickness of the mind, which has been represented in the walkway itself.

In Quickness, Italo Calvino says, “To lose the thread a hundred times and find it again after a hundred more twists and turns,” which is a metaphor for mental quickness and a strong guide for the de-sign of the walkway.

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“To lose the thread a hundred times and find it again after a hundred more twists and turns.”

The human experience was very important in representing the idea of the winding thread in the quote from Calvino. Rather than the pathway winding, the human walking the path must wind his body to the contours of the path. It plays with the rhythm of the human step because the visi-tor must watch their step along the path as well as the quickness of the human mind, since the participant must constanlty keep a keen mind on what lies ahead.

The manipulation of the pedestrian was accom-plished through alternating the height of the path. At any given point, one side of the path is eight feet high, while the other side is only four feet high. In the next section of the path, this height alternates sides, causing the pedestrian to pay close attention to the path.

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utler-AndersonBodega Residence

The Bodega Residence, located in Bodega Bay, Califor-nia, was built in 2010 and designed by Cutler Anderson Architects. In the Bodega Residence, the design focuses on the division of the site. Placed on a site with a dark forest on one side and an open field on the other, the residence is designed as a series of visual events, which contrasts the multiple natures of the land. The rammed earth wall of the home emphasizes the light wood roof, revealing the mass of the wall and the grace of the wood. The massive walls are intended to make the dark forest appear even darker through framing different views of the forest. Each component of the residence comes together in such a way that reveals different qualities of the mate-rials chosen in the construction of the home.

The home was studied as a construction model and different construction drawings were cre-ated fo further understand the function of certain materials of the home. The structural system of the home relies on the rammed earth, the wood columns, and the roof structure. Cutler Anderson Architects brought different materials together in such a way to create interest and variance, while maintaining a simple structural system.

scale: 1/4’’ = 1‘ 0’’

Rammed Earth

Wood

Wood

Glass

Rammed Earth

scale: 1/32” = 1

Rammed Earth

Wood

Wood

Glass

Rammed Earth

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Rammed Earth Foundation Wall

Aluminum Roofing

Concrete Footing

Concrete SlabPlywood SubfloorHardwood Finished Floor

Rammed Earth Wall

Anchor BoltGlazing Stop

Glazing

Glazing Stop2x8 Wood Beam

2x4 Wood Rafter

Interlocking Wood Decking

Aluminum Clad Wood Fascia

Plywood Sheathing

Rammed Earth Foundation Wall

Aluminum Roofing

Concrete Footing

Concrete SlabPlywood SubfloorHardwood Finished Floor

Rammed Earth Wall

Anchor BoltGlazing Stop

Glazing

Glazing Stop2x8 Wood Beam

2x4 Wood Rafter

Interlocking Wood Decking

Aluminum Clad Wood Fascia

Plywood Sheathing

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R bert Metcalfe830 Avon

Robert Metcalfe, an architect in the Ann Arbor area, designed many residences for local professors at the University of Michigan. 830 Avon St. is one such resi-dence. Built for Professor Crane and his family, the home is divided between floors according to the needed functions of the children of the house and the adults. On the first floor, there is much storage and the finishes are rough, allowing for storage of games, toys, etc. while also providing a space in which the children could utilize such equipment without causing damage to the home. The second floor of the home is designed for the adults of the home. With an open floor and nice finishes, the floor allows for the adults to entertain guests with pride. Although separate, the two floors of the home harmonize through the use of large windows that provide views to the outdoors.

Studying the Crane Residence resulted in a number of drawings that analyze the construction methods of Robert Metcalfe. My specific posi-tion in the project was in creating the different construction documents that would customarily be created within an office setting. I specifi-cally studied the first floor of the home, and con-structed the first floor plan, electrical plan, and mechanical plan. I had to analyze both the first and second floors in order to figure out where the most likely positions of the electrical and mechan-ical components would be.

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Taubman CollegeShipping Container

Model: Bass wood, chip board, and foam board

Located on a small plot of land outside of the University of Michigan’s Taubman Collage of Architecture and Urban Planning, this building, designed through the arrange-ment of shipping containers, has the intention of disturbing the surrounding land as little as possible. Taubman Col-lege, located at the north end of campus, is surrounded by trees, wildlife, and the Huron River. Often, deer and turkey can be seen traveling across the area, which is why disturbing the space as little as possible was so important. By bringing in shipping containers to create the spaces, the surrounding area did not need to be filled with con-struction equipmen.

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Despite its small size, the building boasts an auditorium, computer lab, café, classroom, and an apartment for visiting lecturers. These programs were designed to make the most out of the space that the shipping containers pro-vide. For example, the portions of the seating available for the auditorium double as the stairs to the upper level. The form of the building was designed to create certain views of the surrounding nature as well. Beginning parallel with the adjacent building, the form begins to turn away from this parallel state to align itself with the trees in the distance.

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Model: Bass wood, acrylic, foam board, and corrugated plastic sheet

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Taubman Col egeParking Lot

Model: Chip board, museum board, spray paint, and miniature trees

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In re-designing the parking lot outside of the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Ur-ban Planning, it was pivotal to allow for as much green space as possible. Located at the north end of campus, the parking lot gets a lot of deer, turkey, and other wildlife traffic. In keeping with the idea of nature, the circulation paths for pedestrian and vehicular traffic were created us-ing a leaf motif. Trees have also been strategically placed around the lot to provide cars with the maximum amount of shade in order to keep vehicles cool during the summer. Furthermore, by paving the the lot with perferated con-crete tiles, grass is able to grow through and rainwater is able to seep into the ground, minimizing the school’s car-bon footprint, while providing a peaceful place for students and wildlife to gather.

Wea

vingA n Arbor

Recruiter Tutor

Model: Bass wood, white and grey museum board

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Ground

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Second

Third

Fourth

Programmatically, the Recruiter Tutor is a mixed space that provides a swimming pool, auditorium, study spaces, classrooms, and hotel rooms for students travelling for recruitment through the Uni-versity of Michigan’s swim team. The recruitment center displays the importance of balancing both academics and athletics. The form of the building weaves the academic programs of the building with the athletic programs, so that both are con-stantly on the mind of the student.

This follows a similar layout to the surrounding area as well. This downtown area of Ann Arbor in which the building is located has many different building types, from retail to academic, from res-taurant to office. The urban layout of this portion of Ann Arbor also displays the importance of a balanced life.

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Tran

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ionA n Arbor

Funeral Home

Begninning with a 6”x8”x4” block, a form was created by examining the ability for the exterior of an object to hide the interior. From one side, the object appears to be the untouched block, but as the object is turned and examined, the exterior falls away to show a completely different form inside. There is a transformation from one geom-etry to another, which is not obvious from certain views.

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Following the idea of the block, the funeral home was designed to have a transformative experience. As the visitor walks in, the entryway is prolonged, allowing for a period of contemplation as well as a meeting place for guests, including benches and tables. As the guests walk into the building, there is a large sky light above them as well as a glass floor below them.

Not until the visitor has descended into the ground floor, where the ceremony is held, is it evident that the glass floor is also a skylight. The multiple skylights shoot light all the way down onto the ground floor. And the tables and benches in the prolonged entry are disguised sky-lights as well. The casket sits under the skylight, which appears as a sacred object as the light shines down upon it.

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Ground Second

ThirdRoof

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Chicago RiveWaterwall

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Model: Bass wood, and transparency

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Historically, the Chicago River was used for removing waste from the city. Recently, however, Chicagoans have found a love for the recre-ational activities available to them through the water. Thus, a cleanup has begun.

Located on the river, this mixed-use building is a symbol of the water’s possibilities. First of all, the build-ing is designed in such a way that breaks the typical grid system of Chicago. Generally when a building butts up next to the river, the grid system is followed instead of the shape of the river. With new trans-portation options, by means of the river, available, this building aligns itself with the edge of the river, al-lowing for two sides of the building to be visible from any street view.

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Due to the nature of the building’s façade, the visibility is especially important. The façade has been designed as a rain catchment system in order to better utilize the water that naturally falls in the area. This Waterwall displays the nature of the building from the exterior and appears to have been eroded from the building itself. Portions of the façade have been clad in metal in order to provide a sense of time to the building. As the building ages, the metal turns more orange, giving it a prominent color in the background of the city as well as displaying the effects of water on certain materials.

This building is meant to break the mold of the typical Chi-cago style of urban design. It’s meant to make a prominent mark on the backdrop of the city, while displaying and sym-bolizing the importance of the river to the city.

Scale: 1/32” = 1’

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