Portfolio \\ B.Arch 2012

Sean F Dempsey Rensse laer School o f Arch i tec tureB.Arch 2012

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projects list

earth + sky

deichmanske library | Design Development

urban hiatus | China Studies

chatham square

cordoba transit station

four corners

center for design and democracy

housing complex(ity)

p:320 | Installation

material exploration

tensile stadium | Bedford Seminar

pedestrian bridge

hitchcock posters

china studies exhibit

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design studios 3

section B-B

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2011

lyceum competition, utah salt flatsa local | global rest area

The American Desert plays a unique role in the psyche of the [American] road traveler. The irresistible sensation of isolation is precisely what draws people to this extreme landscape for the sense of meaning, purpose, and utter freedom; to be at once the center of attention yet a trivial presence; to be the object which breaks the sky.

This competition proposal for a rest stop on the Bonneville Salt Flats seeks to express and reinforce the unique experiences of the American Desert through the use of distance, layering, and the manipulation of perspective. Concrete sound- and visual-barriers establish a labyrinthine organization of spaces and paths, and cause the pedestrian to adjust quickly from the fast pace of the interstate. The tapering depths and heights of the barriers exaggerate perspective, and allow the user to experience the sensation of distance over a shorter length. As visitors continue through the maze, moving further from the interstate and their vehicles, they encounter a decreasingly orthogonal pattern. If their final destination is a lodge, they find their own intimate space, with an unhindered view to the horizon. A slow but sure progression, with both framed and happenstance views and vistas, succeeds in slowing both movement and experience down to an intimate level while maintaining the sensation of distance, perspective, and isolation in a [seemingly] infinite space.

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1 - cafe2 - food prep3 - restrooms4 - lodging5 - main office / check-in6 - drop-off / delivery access7 - truck parking8 - car parking

section A-A

east elevation

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[Academic use only]

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floor plan A201

floor plans A202 A203

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[Academic use only]

[Academic use only]

[Academic use only]

[Academic use only]

[Academic use only]

[Academic use only]

[Academic use only]

south elevation

north elevation

A204 A205 A206 A207

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deichmanske library, oslo [plasma studio]with Roslyn Dudas

The ongoing development of the Bjrvika precinct of Oslo calls for the construction of the Deichmanske Library a new, 27,000 sqm national library adjacent the new Opera House, rail station, and inter-national ferry terminal. As defined by the associated competition, the goal is to provide Oslo with a new library typology which works and flows within a 21st century city. Plasma Studio addresses this objective in their design, which acts as an extension of the landscape and the harbourfront, creating a fluid connection to its surroundings and acknowledging the social forces of the city commons. Their proposal emphasizes permeability and transparency in order to blur the distinction between program and between library and city.

But how and why must one re-imagine the library? Information is constantly being stored, imagined, and understood in innumerably expanding real- and ultra-realities. The library must now be conceived not as an information center, but as a cultural and technological node. It is no longer a destination within a city, but a physical and metaphysical extension of the city-social and the cityscape, as well as a direct connection to the extra-city. The new Deichmanske Library will become part of an extension of the existing city-wide axis of cultural, political, and recreational nodes. This new social node will serve as an important introduction for travelers arriving near the site. Fluid circulation through and between the city axis, library, and waterfront yield new and unexpected programmatic overlap and fusion. The artificial may become natural; the library may become city; the landscape may become building.

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old + new site condition

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Located adjacent a renovated factory complex, the site is strictly bound by part of Shanghais extensive canal system and is equally divided programmatically - between cultural, residential, and industrial zones. With the removal of the decaying industrial structures - which hold little historic significance - and by pushing vehicular circulation below ground, we focused our proposal on the repurposing of the canals, renovation of the historic Lilong housing, and creating an extension of the cultural node.

Rather than act as a barrier system, then canals become the main unifying element. A new pedestrian circulation system weaves between the canal and various programs in a manner which references the

density of the surrounding neighborhoods and emphasizes the importance of the River in Shanghai. As an extension of the cultural node, this proposal alters the specific and often singular nature of the site

into one which offers the visitor options and opportunities to explore, interact, and understand Shanghai in new and unexpected ways.

urban hiatus, shanghaiwith Liu Ying

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new water relationship / time chin

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Library Community Hostel Shared/Open Circulation

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1 - Library2 - Small Meeting Room3 - Gym4 - Shared/Community Space

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09chatham square proposal, manhattan

In the redesign of Chatham Square in New York, this proposal calls for a combination Community cen-ter, youth Hostel, and branch Library. Reflecting the collision of cultures at the site, the structure acts

as a sort of urban molecule. The separate fuctions exist in their own certain defined volumes, but when joined, they become an entirely new entity. The seemingly unpredictable organization of spaces allows

for unexpected interactions - both visual and physical - between people and activities. Concurrently, there is the one component - the library - which binds the entire proposal by creating a recognizable

element, winding its way up and through the structure, yielding a solid, stable overall entity.

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~~~Fry-King~~~~~~Fry-King~~~

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crossing the urban threshold, cordoba A plan to revive Argentinas nationwide rail system would call for a new transit hub in Cordoba. Located on the site of a disused station, it would bring together no fewer than five transit systems, and would connect the city to the rest of the coun-try and beyond. As the ultimate threshold of the city for many types of travelers, the station acts as an open introduction to Cordoba, expanding on the urban void[s] which allows for the citys culture and existing systems to flow into the site. The shape of the structure allows for northern winds traveling down the adjacent river to naturally cool the station. A bright, lightweight film over a hon-eycomb long-span roof structure serves to reflect direct solar radiation, but allows for significant natural, diffuse lighting, and provides an airy feel dispite its massive span.

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1 - Exhibition2 - Picnic/Dining3 - Market Stalls4 - Parking5 - Offices6 - Food Prep7 - Restrooms8 - Four Corners9 - Solar Panels

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Geometric Traditions Infinitely Expandable

Site Plan + Main Circulation

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09studio design competition, four corners

Located within the Navajo Nation, the Four Corners border phenomenon exists at a collision of cultures and ideologies. The site is inarguably located on Navajo land, and thus deserves to be treated as such.

The Navajos spiritual beliefs contend that everything is infinitely and invariably connected to everything else, and that all things have their place and meaning in driving the Universe. Most traditional Navajo

structures were set slightly into the ground, and their floor plans were derived from patterns of equilater-al triangles. Applying and combining these traditional beliefs and techniques, an abstracted triangular grid system was developed. This system is infinitely variable in size, infinitely expandable in any direc-

tion, and thus infinitely connects everything within its bounds. Structures are based off of triangular geometries and, along with main circulation paths, are set slightly into the ground, acting on traditional

construction as well as environmental concerns. The Four Corners monument has been reduced to a subtle crosshair across the main plaza. The overarching systems and specific programs force the visitor

to feel completely surrounded by nature and the Navajo culture.

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2008

1 - Exhibition/Circulation2 - Public Meeting Room3 - Small Meeting/Workshop space4 - Offices5 - Open Office6 - Conference Room7 - Storage8 - Elevator9 - Restrooms

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Ground Floor Below Grade

center for design and democracy, union squareLocated in one of the most politically active sites in America, the Center for Design and Democracy is designed to blend with the existing conditions and to act as a non-discriminate, open public space. The roof and lower enclosed park space created by the Center were designed as flowing extensions to the existing raised portion of Union Square. Views between persons on the street and those circulating within the Center continually change as one moves through down into the building, thus altering the relationship between those inside and those outside depending on your immediate location. This visual relationship is constantly established, creating a unification of the interior and exterior worlds, and allows persons in either space to understand and accept what is taking place outside their immediate realm.

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case study, tuath na mara [MacGabhann Architects]An analysis of a single-family home was conducted through the use of analytical drawings, computing,

and physical models. Spatial differentiations, lighting, circulation, programmatic adjacencies, and partis were examined through an assemblage of 2D and 3D computer-generated drawings.

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generative analysisAfter performing a case study on a single-family home, a generative analysis of the unit was conducted and developed into a four-house scheme. The four generated designs were to be a sort of genetic variation of the original house grandchildren, if you will. Located on a single city block, the houses are related to each other and the landscape through vectors and a tapered geometry, derived from the torqued roof of the original case study (which, in the original house, acted as the main element of spatial and programmatic differentiation). Original design elements and relationships were reworked, expanded, exaggerated, and sometimes completely altered or reversed to create the four similar, but individually unique designs.

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material+structure 17

p:32

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p:320 material dynamicsA spcefic material was completely de-contextualized, reconstituted, and used to define space and

movement in a large-scale installation (8L x 4W x 12H). Mattress springs were disassembled then reconstructed into dense, strip modules, then stacked into larger sheets. Both natural and intentional

variations in the structure shifted light, movement, and spatial awareness within the constructed space. As part of a larger public installation of the studios work, eight projects were divided into four pairs of

complementary projects - in this case based on light and spatial dynamics.

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material exploration [corrugated cardboard]The material qualities of corrugated cardboard were examined through various transformations in construction and form. The construction is created by slotting together zigzagged strips of cardboard at intersecting points. Through a system of variations in the width and length of strips, and in the sizes and locations of the slots themselves, a structure in created which shifts and expands in varying directions and densities, creating incredible spatial and lighting conditions. These properties are expressed both in a situation which allows for infinite expansion, as well as one in which the construction is constrained to a specified frame. Each required different approaches to overall planning and assemblage, but proved the malleability and effectiveness of the original module.

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Sal Dmico | Sean Dempsey | Mike Kehoe | E l l iot Mistur

L I G H T W E I G H T S I M P L I C I T Y

E X I S T I N G C O N D I T I O N

P R O P O S E D S T A D I U M

TENSEGRITY & UNSETTLEMENT OF PERCEPTION

In acheiving a tensile structure for a stadium proposal, our goal was not only to provide a tensile enclosure, but to at least translate the semblance of tension throughout the structure. Not only is the fabric roof held entirely in tension, but cables also support the perimeter towers. Bleachers lean against the pin-connected towers, both providing greater stability for the towers and counteracting moment forces within the bleacher structure.

In acheiving our goal of an apparently entirely tensile structure, a very transparent nal proposal has been acheived. The entire structure both literally and guratively supports intself through opposing angles. The occupant can actually see that one side of the stadium supports the other. The tension - as well as the unity - of the crowd is re ected in the overall structural scheme.

S T A D I U M S T R A T

S O U T H E L E V A T I O NTENSILE METAL EXPANDED MESH FACADE FOR WIND PROTECTION AND SHADING

E A S T E L E V A T I O NOPEN ELEVATION FOR CLEAR CONNECTION THROUGH TO RIVER RE-ANIMATING THE WATERFRONT

U N D E R T H E C A N O P Y

P L A N

107 FootTower

35 FootCable Sag

40 FootCable Sag

E X P L O D E D A X OASSEMBLAGE OF STRUCTURAL LAYERS

Sa l D mi co | Sean Dempsey | Mike Kehoe | E l l iot Mistur

LOAD DETERMINATION ASCE 7-10 Speci cations Snow and Wind Loads Control Design Snow Load=33 psf Wind Load 30 psf either up or down Based on Load Combinations: 78 psf downward and 47 psf upward

GIVEN GEOMETRIES 125 ft long tower 60o from horizontal tower lean Cables span 410 ft 9 towers spaced @ 60 ft for 480 total ft 35 ft sag for gravity cable, 40 ft sag for uplift cable 5 square tower cross section

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS To determine forces in cables and towers: H=wl2/8h, V=wl/2 Forces decomposed to axial and normal directions Back stay cables tensioned to reduce moment in towers

GRAVITY CABLES Speci ed from Pfeifer Catalog PV 1450 (4.75 diameter, 1976 kips nominal tensile strength) 0.54 ft axial deformation

UPLIFT CABLES Speci ed from Pfeifer Catalog PV 1110 (4 diameter, 1512 kips nominal tensile strength) 0.19 ft axial deformation

TOWERS 12 in OD steel pipe members 0.465 inch wall thickness 7.24 inch axial de ection (less than 0.5%)

S T R U C T U R A L A N A LY S I S

C O N C E P T U A L R E A L I Z A T I O N

COMPRESSIONTENSION

A E R I A L S T R U C T U R A L R E A L I Z A T I O N

S T R U C T U R A L C O N C E P TLoads are carried from the fabric roof to tensile cables which span the eld and stadium seating. Towers suspend the cables above the stadium. an appropriate height above the occupants while allowing for proper cable sag.

The cable geometry is similar to that of a suspension bridge. Sag is introduced in the main cables to reduce the tension in the cables and the compression force in the towers.

The towers and cables are meant to interact similarly to the operation of a crane boom. Both systems employ equal forces perpendicular to the axis of the tower such that only compression forces are present in the structure. While a crane boom has vertical payload and diagonal supporting cables, the directions are reversed for this stadium. The back stay cables are tensioned such that minimal moment is introduced into the towers.

ZERO MOMENT OF CRANE BOOM

H1=3772 kV1=1114 kH2=1485 kV2=580k

H1: Gravity Cable Horizontal LoadV1: Gravity Cable Vertical LoadH2: Uplift Cable HorizontalV2: Uplift Cable HorizontalT1: Tension in Backstay Cable 1T2: Tension in Backstay Cable 2Rx, Ry: Reactions

H1

V1 T1

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60Rx

Ry

FREE BODY DIAGRAM OF TOWERS

For Zero Moments:T1v = 2785 kT1c = 4824 kT2v = 1035 kT2c= 1793 k

FREE BODY DIAGRAM OF STRUCTURAL SYSTEM

Rv

Rv V2vH2v

1286 -251

1035

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6030

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502

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643

643 + T2c

H1c

1633 +

2598 + T1c

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3267k

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T2v

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965 +T1c

V1vT1v

482 +T1v

482 +T1v

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3267

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502

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CABLE FORCE DIAGRAM

RISA MODEL

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tensile stadium, troyThe joint seminar between architecture and civil engineering students examines the collaboration

between the disciplines through the design of a stadium. Tasked with a given tensile structural typology, our team developed a large-span fabric roof structure, supported by large towers. Though

certain elements - towers and spacing rods - are required to exist in compression, the entire structure acheives an appearance of being entire tensile. Pin-connected towers literally lean away from each

other, supported through the opposites static- and dynamic-loads and the vertical tension cable.

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A Cable Bridge For the People Structures 1 Final ProjectGroup 750-100 units

Sean Dempsey, Paula Rand, Justin Ware, Jessica Van Handel

Process

Millennium Bridge London

Inspiration: Moments and Load Transfer

The design is inspired by modern cable bridge designs - specifically the Millennium Bridge in London. The bridge consists of a cable system which transfers load from the deck to the piers through solid, transverse members. The members are scaled to follow a parabolic curve in both plan and section in order to force cables closer together at the center of the bridge, thus increas-ing the amount of support per unit area at the most vulnerable point. This was derived from the analysis of moment diagrams, indicating the center would be the most likely point of failure in a solid member. Due to materiality and program specifications/restrictions, the bridge deforms greatly in the cen-ter (but does not necessarily fail). Possible improvements could have been: more solid decking, compression beams, more dramatic parabolic curvature in section (especially above the deck-ing), and a stronger anchoring system at the piers.

Testing results:

Bridge Weight: 1 lb 7.2 oz Weight Supported: .022 kN Deformation (at center): 50 mm Number of Components: 59 (35 plates, 24 cables)

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modular pedestrian bridgeTasked with designing a bridge with a fixed number of repeated structural units, our team developed a tensile proposal which derived its form from its moment diagram. The ridged structural ribs follow an inverted parabolic arc to the center of the span. Tension cables both above and below the deck plane counteract oscillations due to live loads. Much was learned from the construction and load-testing of the structural model, yet the design dramatically succeeds as a schematic proposal.

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print / misc 23

Alfred

hitchcock's

psycho

anthony perkins vera miles john gavin

An entirely newstyle fromthe masterof horror!

james stewart

kim novak

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from the master of shock and suspense...

alfred hitchcock's

frenzy

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james stewartgraCe kelly

wendell corey

thelma ritter

and raymond burr in...

rear windowa film by alfred hitchcock

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posters: hitchcockian stairsAfter a semester-long examination and

critique of landmark films by Alfred Hitchcock, these posters are offered

as a contemporary re-imagining of movie propaganda utilizing one of the

most striking architectural elements of Hitchcocks films. The staircase

acts almost universally as a foreboding construct, yet succeeds in being manifest

in many different circumstances and at varying degrees of intensity. Expressed

here, the stairs from four movies are decontextualized to emphasize the

psycological impact and distortion of each scenario.

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SHANGHiatus

Etymology: Latin, from hiare to yawn. Date: 15631 a: a break in or as if in a material object : gap b: a gap or passage in an anatomical pa

2 a: an interruption in time or continuity : break; especially: a perprogram or activity) is suspended or interrupted