Alex Jackson's Digital Portfolio

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Updated March 2012

Transcript of Alex Jackson's Digital Portfolio

Viewing/Viewed Gallery 1st Year Undergrad Project Advisor: Jen Maigret

Rural Herbarium 1st Year Undergrad Project Advisor: Melissa Harris

CNC Chair 2nd Year Elective Project Advisor: Jonas Hauptman

The Stacked City 2nd Year Undergrad Project Advisor: Mick Kennedy

(re)materialization 2nd Year Thesis Project Advisor: Kathy Velikov

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Chinese Cultural Center 1st Year Graduate Project Advisor: Gast/Ho

Urban Cohousing 1st Year Graduate Project Advisor: Will Ullman

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Nature in the Skyline 1st Year Graduate Project Advisor: Steven Tobler

文化中心

44 Kimberly Ave Single Family Renovation SAI Design/Siegman Assoc.

73 N. Market St. Sales Office Renovation SAI Design/Siegman Assoc.

51 Robinhood Rd. New Single Family Home SAI Design/Siegman Assoc.

Other Buildings Misc Projects SAI Design/Siegman Assoc.

Gardening Seeds, Dirt, Water Alex Jackson

Stencil Art Exacto, Spraypaint Alex Jackson

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OCAC Pavilion2nd Year Graduate ProjectAdvisor: Nathan Corser

Located in a small !"#$%&'%()) site in the heart of Ann Arbor’s commercial district, this ("*+ year studio project - a gallery space for cinema - invites engagement from patrons and potential patrons alike. Through all scales of the building - the space seeks to seduce users into a performance of sneaking peaks and striking poses in relationship to the buildings, its contents, and its occupants.

The performance begins at the street level, where small openings, dimensioned for a single eye, invite users to peek into the screening room and see what is playing. The viewing device also allows those on the interior to look out to the street without letting in distracting levels of light, negotiating a playful game with not only the building but also its occupants.

As you enter the gallery you move up from the ground level on a ramp reinforcing the notion of performance and theatre past the screening room and 1st ,--" of the exhibit space. From here you can choose to explore the collection of props and manuscripts or move up the main stair. The slow-raising stair provides a grand entrance to the remaining gallery and announces ones arrival in the fashion of early industrial department stores. However, the stair is not only a place for movement and theatrics as it also provides a place for viewing naturally backlit objects. The thick display wall diffuses light and takes advantage of the site’s irregular geometry.

Viewing + Viewed Gallery

The upper level contains additional exhibit space, a curator’s -.(/e, a restroom, and space for viewing the screen room or peeking out over the city. Natural sky lit ‘spotlights’ move across the space during the day providing indirect light for viewing the artwork and framing people as objects in the theatre. A central elevator provides handicap access to all the exhibits. Rather than retaining a distance from its occupants - the viewing + viewed gallery invites patrons to take part in the theatrics of cinema through a seductive performance.

A mile from U of M’s north campus, the rural herbariums site is located on a steep hill. Early investigation drew from the urban herbarium & focused on the dichotomy between two primary volumes. As studies progressed, however, the steep slope and abundance of views, particularly of the Huron River began to suggest a more integrated approach to the site. Choreographing movement around views became the primary objective of the project. You approach the site from a winding side road which gives you a sense of the surrounding woods.

As you arrive by car you can not yet see the building as a small berm separates the view. However as you approach the entrance you realize that you are actually standing on the building’s roof. By digging into the hillside, the building acts as a natural extension of the hill’s crest framing the horizon and acting as ground. Two primary circulation paths interweave within the interior. The central stair connects all four levels in unison delivering you from the light glass hung construction above to the thick protective retaining walls below.

Rural Herbarium

The interlocking arms of the ramps provide a secondary circulation system which is lit by slits cut through the ground above. At all points you understand your position relative to the sky and ground. Large windows within the building frame key views to the landscape, while all -.(/0* and labs are provided with generous operable windows. Exterior courts provide areas for maintaining live plants & helping to further integrate the building with the landscape. Extensive green roofs, the use of geothermal temperature regulation, and natural ventilation all add to the building’s relationship to the landscape & its occupants.

Intended as a vehicle for cultural and potentially economic exchange, the CNC chair was designed & manufactured by myself with guidance from mentor Jonas Hauptman within the Interweave program. Manufactured through the marriage of CAD/CAM technologies and hands on metalworking the chair represents a small step towards a developing a design-build program which links University of Michigan designers with the Chorti craftsman of rural Guatemala. Though not yet fully realized the project seeks to mobilize a diverse range of skill sets in order to provide new markets for the Chorti people, as well as new opportunities for design students and faculty.

The CNC chair embodies a diverse set of skills which were developed throughout the semester including metal fabrication, advanced NURBS modeling, and ergonomic design. Though this design will not be advanced for further production it represents an important step in gaining the skills necessary for such collaboration.

CNC Chair

A 2.5 acre riverside lot in downtown Toledo, Ohio serves as the building’s site in this second year studio project. While the design had to include at least sixty housing units, our instructors also encouraged us to investigate a variety of possible programs & unit types. The building’s context is high-density mixed-use in an area, like many Mid-American cities, which is (12+'%1 to maintain its infrastructure in the face of a struggling economy. Dominated by tr$.(/ jams, long commutes, and a failing downtown; Toledo serves as case study of the problems plaguing rust-belt cities where access to resources has become both 3'.(/!)+ and elitist. The diagram below serves as one example of an early series of studies which catalogues the distances between resources within the city fabric such schools, hospitals, and parks. The goal was to collapse these programmatic resources into a single site exploring various ways to bring them together within a single proposal.

As a unique interweaving of tourist destinations, downtown cafes, loft apartments, public parks, & even suburban homes equipped with their own carports & private lawns. The proposal attempts to embrace the complexities of modern urban life providing space for an incredible diverse range of activities. By catering to a wide demographic the hope is to create a truly democratic space which would enrich the whole of Toledo. At almost 200,000 sq ft the Stacked City proposal is by far the most complex of the works in this portfolio. The Stacked City also represents the most detailed investigation of my education into building systems & construction details. Throughout the investigation an emphasis on ,exibility & mobility remained prominent. Though not fully resolved all building connections retain the possibility of being rearranged, deconstructed, or added on to with minimal effort. The goal was to create a precast system with bolted connections which could be easily deconstructed - allowing the building to adjust to changes in technology, ideology, or other functional requirements. Upon request an addition booklet of approximately twenty 11x17 drawings can be provided on this project.

The City Within the City

60,000 - that is the number of plastic bags used in the U.S. every (ve seconds. In addition 99% of these bags will end up in )$%3())s, incinerators, or your backyard. In addition, what few recycling efforts do exist for this ‘urban tumbleweed’ are often misguided as the economics simply do not support such efforts. In this, my (%$) undergraduate studio project, I investigated various methods for working with ephemeral disposable products, particularly plastic bags. The goal was not to recycle or ‘down cycle’ the products but to bring out their essential mysterious, seductive, & down right attractive qualities through non-technical hands-on craftsmanship. The work began by looking at cigarette butts - the most commonly littered item in the world. Early studies focused on dying and sowing the individual butts together into a loose fabric. The effect is a simultaneous attraction and repulsion - a condition that begins to open up the debate about such materials. Given the fact that it takes over 1,000 years for most plastic to break down - to what extent can we learn to accept & reuse them?

In addition the project questions to what extent we CAN use them given the fact that many of these materials contain harmful toxins such as VOCs. The project also runs a parallel thread of research comparing disposable products with increasing trend of disposability in our built environment. Currently the lifespan of a plastic bag is nearly 20 times that of a typical U.S. building forcing us to rethink the built environment as a symbol of permanence. However, rather than refuting permanence in architecture the project supports a new concept of ‘dynamic material permanence’ put forth by Katrina Touw.

(Re)Materialization

The work explores a variety of possibilities for ‘dynamic permanence’ within ‘disposed of’ products - from becoming a enigmatic light source which highlights the bags attractive (& toxic) pigments to becoming a simple custom (+ slipper for wearing around the house. In most cases the material is reworked to become a breed of fabric which highlights some inherent quality of the material. A variety of methods are explored from knitting and sowing to ironing and weaving. The combination of sources i.e. NY times & Washington Post Jackets or Meijer superstore shopping bags also adds variety and interest to the products. The goal of this project is not to propose a solution to world-view problems of waste but rather to step back & see these materials for what they essentially are; patterns of color, degrees of ,exibility, and resistance to water & light. In so doing the hope is to encourage a new paradigm in thinking about our waste not as a problem but as a range of possibilities. These materials are emblematic of our current cultural condition & hold the key to reinventing ourselves for the health of our community and the world.

Chinese Cultural Center

The Neighboorhood Stoop:

Expanding Public Space in Portland’s Historic Chinatown

The Historic Chinatown neighborhood of Portland has a rich history of diversity and activity. Unfortunately in recent decades, despite its

prominent location, the area has been slowly losing its cultural population and character. Recent efforts have been made to encourage

development in the district and reenergize its important cultural heritage. The challenge of this project was to design a cultural center near

the gateway to the neighborhood which would act as a catalyst for further development.

Based around the experience of an urban stoop, the building acts as an

informal gathering place for both neighborhood residents and the broader

Portland community. From the generous setback entry, to the reading stairs,

and bamboo roof garden the building provides space for informal meeting.

A folding panel bamboo rainscreen regulates the southern and western sun,

tying the building to Chinese cultural and providing a dynamic operable

facade.

Mississippi Street CoHousing

An Alternative Community Development

Urban Cohousing

Cohousing, a well established European typology, has only recent gained popularity within the United States. Cohousing offers a greater sense

of community and shared resources than traditional American housing options while still allowing for individual unit ownership and privacy.

Located within a successful medium density Portland neighborhood, this project embodies many of the fundamental cohousing concepts. However,

the projects inverts the established ‘interior street’ cohousing parti common to rural developments to one of an interior forest. This inversion offers

a more layers set of experiences, shaping not only dynamic social spaces between units but also semi private patios and gardens. The result is a

community with a strong connection to the outdoors and a rich gradient from public to private.

Entry/Mail

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Pantry W.C. W.C.

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Storage

Kid’s Playroom

Portland’s Tallest Building:A Tower Inspired by Structures Found in Nature

Nature in the Skyline

Portland’s culture is largely driven by its proximity to pristine natural areas. Given the opportunity to design the tallest building in Portland, the goal became to create an organic addition to the skyline which would highlight sustainability as a cultural priority within the city while also maintaining the building’s capacity to meet high performance goals.

Many structures found in nature, such as shells and stony corals, follow clear geometric patterns of growth which then change in reaction to dynamic forces. To simulate these conditions of development, the form of my tower was derived through parametric modeling. A series of cantenary curves served as the basic geometric pattern, these curves were then adjusted in relation to the building’s mixed program and orientation. A double skin enclosure system provides both shading and natural ventilation for the building’s residents in keeping with the goals of the design.

 

OCAC Pavilion

As collaboration between the University of Oregon (PDX) architecture

program, the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, and Anderson

Anderson Architecture from San Francisco, our team constructed a new

pavilion for the OCAC campus. Working with the OCAC facilities

committee we sought to improve the legibility of the existing campus

entry, while representing the handcraft culture of the school. The

structure is bound by threaded rods with concrete footings. We

charred the 4x4s using a technique similar to traditional Japanese

methods.

Project Description*This project demonstrates a strongly contextual yet contemporary addition to a 1920’s brick residence on an architectural showcase street in North Asheville. Careful attention to composition and detailing resulted in an addition that is one genetically related to it’s ancestor, but clearly conceived in the 21st century. The addition connects and opens up the house to the expansive yard below. Green building features include radiant ,--" heat and domestic hot water systems fed by new solar panels, and brick reclaimed from the original structure. Non-toxic green (%'*20*4'%/)!3045$rmoleum and low voc paints.

6'1%'(/$%+)7 44 Kimberly served as the ("*+ project I worked on while at Siegman Associates as the assistant construction manager. While I joined Siegman Associates after the bulk of construction on this project was complete, I played in important role in its (%'*2'%1 details. I served as the project coordinator for approximately 2 months managing the renovation of the front entrance, completing the project punchlist, and closing out all outstanding issues with the subcontractors and clients.

*Project Description written by Elihu Siegman and Erin Ervin and taken from company website with permission. Photos taken by Erin Ervin.44 Kimberly Ave

Viewing + Viewed Gallery CNC Chair

Project Description*This 6,500 sf custom home takes advantage of a passed-over lot to contribute an attractive new home to a developing neighborhood in a wooded setting. The building is sited as a direct response to the shape and contours of the property, curving with the road to enclose an intimate entry court, presenting a carefully composed facade to the street, and extending out into landscape beyond to 30(%0 the property’s various zones into terraced yards and wooded enclaves. Natural materials including red cedar shingles, timbers, and regional stone marry the house to it’s mountain setting. Green technologies include radiant ,--" slabs, domestic hot water aided by solar radiant panels, and Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). Custom cabinets, doors and trim make use of over 5,000 board feet of lumber reclaimed from the site.

I served as the primary construction site manager on this single family home for approximately 14 months. I began working on the project shortly after the roof trusses were set and saw it through until its completion. During the ("*+ month or so, I played a largely supporting role producing material schedules and assisting in the site management. After that time I became the primary site manager overseeing the details of the construction, scheduling, billing, ordering, and client management. I worked closely with all necessary subcontractors as well as the president of the company, the company architect, and the clients on this $1.6 million construction project.

*Project Description written by Elihu Siegman and Erin Ervin and taken from company website with permission. Photos taken by Alex Jackson and Erin Ervin

51 Robinhood Rd

Project DescriptionLocated in the heart of downtown Asheville this small -.(/0 building was renovated to serve as a sales gallery for an upscale environmentally sensitive mixed use development project. Custom designed glazing creates a sense of clean modern styling and exclusiveness while also framing key moments on the interior. The well excuted interior details, bright bamboo ,--"'%g, and laminated front door further hint at the quality and style that potentially clients can expect in the completed development. Inside the space is treated as a pure white gallery space exhibiting drawings, models, videos, and information on the development.

I served as the primary construction project manager for this renovation. In charge of scheduling, site management, material orders, and billing I worked from start to completion helping to (%'*2 the project in a narrow time frame of two months. During this time I worked closely with all subcontractors, the company architect, the president of the company, and the clients.

73 Market St

During my time at Siegman Associates I played a supporting role in several additional construction projects. These projects include the renovation of the company -.(/e, the design and construction of a 2000 SF modular daycare building, and work on two additional single family homes. In each of these projects I developed material schedules, assisted in billing and scheduling, and assisted in site management. I worked on the Jewish Community Center modular daycare building primarily before the unit arrived - helping develop scopes of work, acquiring necessary permits, creating the construction line item budget, and gathering bids from all involved subcontractors.

Other Projects

Antonio Gaudi, observing the way in which a tree stands, created the 5$1%'(/0%+ structural system behind La Sangrada Familia and other works. I believe tomatoes and beans can teach designers and architects just as much. While perhaps not typically thought of as an outlet for creative expression, and I have found a great deal of inspir$+'-%4$%34.!))())50%+4+2rough gardening.

Gardening helps connect my mind and body, much like drawing, and provides me a valuable perspective on issues as diverse as consumer culture and creating functional designs. There is a directness to gardening that I (%3 invaluable. Growning food and ,owers creates a bond between yourself your plants, your environment, your fellow gardeners. As a consequent I believe these bonds have exerted a strong '%,!0%/04on my design process and philosophy.

In addition to growing my own gardens, I have participate in both neighborhood and community gardens in the Asheville area, and spent two months during the summer of 2006 volunteering full time at Long Branch Environmental Education Center near Asheville North Carolina.

Gardening

On Martin Lurther King day in 2003 myself and a group of friends began making protest signs for an upcoming peace march in Washington D.C. to protest the war in Iraq. In honor of Dr. King I decided to make my ("*+ stencil. Based on an old photograph I drew, cut out, and spraypainted the stencil onto a sign and carried it throughout the protest. Since that time I have continued to make stencils. To date the majority of the stencils continue to be based on photographs from the internet, books, and my own camera. However, I have also created completely unique stencils and continue to experiment with different techniques, surfaces, and paints.

I appreciate the thought process behind creating a stencil - the way it makes you think about (1!"0 and ground, patterning, and craftsmanship. In addition I am drawn to the notion of public and street art which has the ability to surprise and inspire without any commericial implications or connections. I do not advocate damaging or defacing private property but I am inspired by the work of a number of street artists such as banksy, blu, and Shepard Ferry. Whether conveying a *80/'(/ message or just having a bit of fun I believe that street art and stencilling are valid and creative forms of expression when done appropriately.

Stencil Art