Final Segment I Portfolio

7/28/2019 Final Segment I Portfolio

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BostonArchitecturalCollegeSummer 2013

Bachelorof DesignStudiesConcentration in History,Theory & Criticism

anastas i al y o n s

T h e P ortfo l i o

I s s u e


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Anastasia Lyons18 University Rd Apt 3Brookline, MA [email protected]@the-bac.edu(518) 221-7206

Summer 2013 PortfolioSubmission for Segment I Portfolio Review in July

Special Thanks to my professors and teachers who havefostered my learning, shaped and reshaped my paththrough their mentorship, especially Diana R. Jasso,Walter B. Denny, Len Charney, Herb Childress, JeremyBoyle and Tim Rohan.

Cover Photo was taken in Munich, Germany in Spring2010.

Photos taken by myself in 2012 at the Yale Campus:Left: Paul Rudolphs Yale Art & Architecture Schoolbuilding from 1959, which I love because of its uniquetectonic that uses masonry elements in a complexinterlocking frame-like fashion almost as one mightuse wood members. This corner detail shows thatinterlocking, as well as the famous cordory ribbingtexture of the concrete.Right: A skylight allows the sun to shed light across aconcrete beam in the ceiling of Louis Kahns Yale Centerfor British Art, which would be Kahns last buildingcompleted on the year of his death in 1974.


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E A Lyons / Design Student

After having been at the BAC 3 years, the assembly of this port-

folio marks an important point in my education and provides

an opportunity for reflection. It was at the end of the Fall 2012

semester that I transferred from the B. Arch program into BDS

with a concentration in History, Theory & Criticism. While I have

greatly enjoyed both my time as an architecture student and as

a theory student, it has been as the latter that I feel my work has

transformed into something I feel truly reflects myself and howI come to design.

In organizing this portfolio, I made the conscious decision to fo-

cus the organization of the portfolio around the text, because I

strongly believe that a students portfolio should be less about

showcasing the work he/she has done and more about showcas-

ing them, who they are, and how they are unique. I have learned

over the course of my studies that my unique talent and poten-

tial contribution is my critical voice. So, in order for this portfolio

to be a reflection of my strengths, and who I am as a designer,

my writing had to take center stage. I purposefully imitated the

format of the design magazines that I frequently devour, because

I find this format represents for me a hopeful trajectory for my

own work and a particular pathway into design criticism.

The making of this portfolio has become an opportunity for me to

reflect on past projects, and to finally, in a consolidated format,

write about my process and my ideas. This portfolio required meto exercise my critical faculty in filtering the projects I had done in

the past through more recently learned methods of articulation,

inclusive of new ideas and approaches.

I take great risk in organizing my portfolio in such a manner,

knowing that my portfolio will not resemble any other students.

However, perhaps that is appropriate, as I have little desire to try

to squeeze myself into a format ideal for some other design stu-

dent. Instead I have a great desire to make clear my voice, who I

am, how I think, and where my talent lies.

The goal of my education is to learn to channel my

unique voice and talent, practicing the skills necessary

to engage with the field of design on a critical level.

To providemeaningfularchitecture is not to

parody history but toarticulate it.

- Daniel Libeskind

Statement


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Historical,Theoretical &Critical work06

FoundationalDesign Studies:Academic Designwork14

Content

8 Final Paper for Contemporary Arch.

13 Blog Post: Why be a Critic?

16 A-1 Studio

20 Drawing Media Coursework

22 A-2 Studio

26 3-D Modeling Coursework

28 B-1 Studio

34 Rendering Coursework

38 Work at D-V Design

40 Gateway Project: Church of the Covenant

42 Gateway Project: MapLab

44 Gateway Project: CityLab


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Architecture is not about space

but about time.

- Vito Acconci

Practice-basedDesign Work36

ExtracurricularArtwork &Photography48

46 Work at Designer Cabinetry

48 Personal Photography

52 Personal Watercolor & Drawings


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Writing samples

Historical &Theorectical

Work


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Historical & Theoretical Work

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GRAFTING NEW ON TO THE OLD:

LORD FOSTERS NEW ART OF THE

AMERICAS WING & THE MFA BOSTON

Final Paper for

Contemporary Architecture

Contemporary architecture frequently has to deal with the jux-

taposition of old and new structures, especially today as many

cities attempt to grow within their existing urban fabric. It may

be observed that some projects approach this condition of jux-

taposition with more sensitivity or more subtlety than others.

It has become a requirement in many contemporary projects

to incorporate surrounding context into the design of new con-

struction. And for our analysis we can look specifically at the

places where old and new psychically touch each other, as in

the case of an addition, the locus of this important transfor-

mation from old to new. We have moved beyond a point in timewhen designs that are passively imitative of the surrounding

building stock, often incorporating referential elements only at

the surface level of faade, would be considered suitable incor-

poration of context. Similarly an addition to a historic building

that camouflages itself in historicist guise by incorporating

surface elements of the original building is considered a fun-

damentally conservative approach to the condition.

Perhaps there needs to be another way to measure the suc-

cess or failure of building projects where the new touches the

old, where new structures are built into or onto the old ones. Inorder to do this we might consider the building as a body, not a

human body, but indeed a body of nature, as an assemblage of

individual parts that act together to create a whole. Assuming

this premise, we can ask the questions, What does it mean

to make an addition to building? At what point does an addi-

tion remain disparate and distinct from the original structure

and is it possible for these disparate parts that are assembled

together to grow into each other? Perhaps seamlessness be-

tween parts of old and parts of new is not what ought to be

sought, but instead for the pieces to be able to act together as

a body of architecture.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston was originally founded in

1870 and remains one of Bostons most prominent institutions

and a world-class art museum visited by more the one mil-

lion people every year. The site that the MFA occupies cur-

rently bridges Huntington Avenue and the Fenway, a piece of

the Emerald Necklace parkland designed by famous landscape

designer Frederic Law Olmsted in the late 19th century. The

original building for this site was designed by Boston architect

Guy Lowell in 1909. Guy Lowells original plan was emblematic

of 19th century neo-classicism. Grand staircases take visitorsup to the piano nobile level where the main gallery spaces are,

and an array of columns of ionic order flank the entrances. The

faade features a classical tripartite division, with deep-relief

sculpted entablatures delineating each floor level. Architectur-

al details are exaggerated, and romantic, in scale. Everything

from the swirling capitals, to the clamshells at the corners of

the roof and pediment, to the lintels above the large windows,

is monumental. All together, the faade has characteristic fa-

miliarity; it shares the iconic language of many a civic, neo-clas-

sical, American building, but with some additional touches of

Spring 2013

Professor Diana R. Jasso


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beaux-arts flair. Lowells beaux-arts neo-classical columnated portico entrances face both the Fenway and Huntington Ave creating

an axis of orientation perpendicular to the street and to the winding parkland.

Lowells plan included a western and an eastern wing, but the museum had to be built in phases and his plan was never fully exe-

cuted. Decades later the MFA required more space to house its growing collection, and also needed to modernize by adding space for

things like a coat check, caf, museum shop and performance space. I.M. Pei was the architect chosen to design the 1981 addition ofthe west wing. His addition is a long laconic bar sheathed in gray granite whose axis of symmetry, reflected by a long arched vault of

glass skylight above, runs parallel to the axis of the original. The rectangle opens at its corners at points of connection to the original

building, pinching the path of circulation to those two corners. The design scheme moves the main entranceway to face west, into

the parking lot, and has been widely criticized for that move as well as for the fact that it made circulation difficult and confusing for

visitors. Most visitors entered through the Pei wing at the extreme end of the museum, writes architectural critic for the Boston

Globe Robert Campbell, and quickly got lost in what seemed to be disorder. Many visitors never found their way to the galleries on

the east end of the museum.

In 1999 the MFA began working with Foster + Partners Ltd, a London-based architectural firm headed by the famous Norman Foster.

Foster was commissioned to design a new Art of the Americas eastern wing making the MFA the first large museum to dedicate

an entire collection to art from the Americas. The new space would allow for some 5,000 works from the collection to be on permanent

display, also increasing the MFAs prestige and presence in the art market as work to build their collection with North, Central & South

American art from all periods. The MFA leadership purportedly did not give much direction on the project, but MFA director Malcolm

Rogers was quoted in Cambells Globe article as saying they wanted the faade to look like not a palace or a prison. That sentiment

was rewarded by a building whose restraint borders on excessive, but whose strength lies in its attention to some architectural fun-

damentals: daylight, circulation, and programmatic distribution.

For visitors to the interior, the new addition begins with a 63-foot-high glazed court, a multi-functional space that on most days

houses a caf, and serves as a place of respite from the rigors of viewing the artwork. It is also a good place to be seen. This court is

the site of the connection between the old building and the new. On one side of the court, the old buildings wall is left exposed, and

on the other side a lifting expanse of limestone wall carries a cantilevered stairwell up through the main exhibition spaces of the new

wing. Above the hall, a ceiling system of baffles and translucent panels modulate the sunlight and provide sound absorption.

On the exterior of the building, the faade makes some attempt at incorporating contextual classicism. A stringcourse runs along the

base of those corner pavilions, echoing the classical tripartite division of the originals faade only the lines of demarcation in this

case are created by black Miesian I-beams which suspend panels of glass and stone veneer. The stone is the same Deer Isle granite

from Maine that was used in the old construction. Despite the overwhelming approval of the interior, criticisms of the austere faade

have been rampant. Boston Globe critic Robert Campbell celebrates the permeability of the new wing by arguing that, In the past

the MFA felt locked up like a guarded jewel box. The new wing throws itself open to the world around it, and then in reference to the

buildings strict neo-modernist exterior he writes, its a look that fails the communicate much about the riches inside This part of

the museum looks too much like a stack of shipping containers on a wharf somewhere.

The original Guy Lowell plan was based on a classical idea of the body. As Campbell describes it, you entered at the head, and the

building wings spread out symmetrical to the left and right like arms. Its a kind of order we grasp intuitively. Peis west wing haddisturbed that order, moving the entrance to the western arm of the building and creating a perpendicular axis interrupted by court-

yards. Fosters east wing would build on the same perpendicular line, but more importantly would restore the main entrances, the

head, facing Huntington Ave and the Fenway, reinstituting the old order of the building based on the original axis of organization.

In Foster + Partners description of the project on their website they offer insight into this important aspect of the renovation, The

central axis has been reasserted with the reintroduction of the principal entrance to the south of Huntington Avenue and the reopen-

ing of that to the north. Thus, at the center, the heart, of the axis is the new information center, a locus point for exploration by the

visitor, a place to begin and return to that is clear and intuitive.

Foster + Partners describe the operation of building the addition as an insertion: a crystal spine the descriptive shorthand for

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Figure 1 Figure 2


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the freestanding glazed structure that

encloses the new wing was, in this log-

ic, inserted between the buildings main

two volumes to create the Art of Americas

wing.

Looking at the sketch diagrams from the

project page of the Foster + Partners web-

site, Fig 1, it appears that the crystal spine

is being superimposed, more than being

inserted, on to the building, as demon-

strated by the downward pointing arrows.

The sketch also includes an eastern ex-

tension of the crystal spine which would

in that case be imposed over the I.M. Pei

wing. This is the planned new eastern

wing which will house contemporary art,

but is not yet constructed. Nonetheless

the distinction in language may be im-

portant as insertion implies perhaps a

fitting into a space or an opening that al-

ready exists, whereas a superimposition

means imposing a new order which would

include destruction at the points of con-

flict or obstruction between old and new.

In plans it appears that the Foster addi-

tion is less violent in its insertion into the

Lowell building, and more destructive in

superimposition over the reviled I.M. Peiwest wing.

In Fig 2, the roof plan of the MFA, the in-

sertion is clearly visible; the addition ap-

pears as a loose fitting puzzle piece that

has been slid into the existing buildings

courtyard opening from the east. The ad-

dition does not overlap with the existing

building except to meet it at its central

axis so as to connect it with the main cir-

culation. On either of the north and south

sides of the addition, which face the arms

of the Lowell building, a 10 swath of court-

yard remains, creating clear separation

between old and new. A visitor movingthrough the crystal spine may perceive a

visual connection to the arms of the Low-

ell building through the courtyard by the

transparent walls of glass. Transparency

can create visual connections between

the old and new, but that does not negate

the space that sensitively separates them

from each other.

Norman Foster himself claims that these

parallel courtyards which separate the

addition from the original building on the

north and south sides do their part of

incorporating context by connecting to

the Fenway gardens (also known as the

Fens). The MFA is more than a great cul-

tural institution it is the catalyst for the

rejuvenation of an entire neighborhood in

Boston. Over time the Museum had lost

its connection to the Back Bay Fens and

the beautiful landscape of Frederick Law

Olmsteds Emerald Necklace. In restoring

Lowells original plan and in opening upand reasserting the grand Fenway en-

trance, we have rediscovered this link. At

the same time, we have drawn the land-

scape deep into the heart of the building

and along Huntington Avenue. The result

is a more legible museum that will create

new connections between the park, the

Museum, and the local community.

The claim that the Fens is incorporated

within the building via these courtyards

is tenuous, as the link is neither physical

nor orientational. No physical connection

is made with the Fenway gardens as the

courtyards are fully enclosed within thebuilding. And in plan the courtyards ori-

entation corresponds more to the orien-

tation of the building, and are parallel to

the street. Furthermore, the connection is

not obvious to the visitor. The unromantic

reason for these courtyards to exist is to

satisfy seismic codes which dictate a sep-

aration in old and new structures, making

the claim that it also incorporates context

seems a little wishful. However, this illus-

trates for us that incorporation of context

as a concept is important to Foster, and

invites us to look at other areas of the

building where this goal may have been

better accomplished.

In Fig 4 we can see the point of contact

between the old building and the new ad-

dition, the place where the frame of the

crystal spine intersects with the stone

wall of the historic building. If we are to

think of a building as a living, growing

thing, or at least as a body of nature, asI have previously suggested, and also as

the originals classical conception insists

(with its head, arms, and wings), then per-

haps the concept of grafting might be a

useful in conceptualizing the operation

that is performed by the insertion/addi-

tion of this new appendage to the build-

ing. Grafting, by the dictionary definition is

1. A a horticultural technique which is the


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Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 7portfolio 11

process of uniting a shoot or bud of a plant

with another growing plant by insertion or

by placing in close contact, the two sets

of vascular tissues then join to grow to-

gether (the joining is called inosculation),

or 2. The process of surgically attaching,implanting, and/or transplanting living

tissue into a bodily part to replace a dam-

aged part or compensate for a defect. In

both cases where the word graft applies, if

too much force is applied to whatever part

is being grafted onto, the graft will fail to

grow together the new parts never be-

come part of the whole body. In Fig 7 we

see a diagram of cleft grafting, where a

special tool pries open a cleft opening in

the surface of a cut branch, and inserted

in that opening are the scions or buds

of another plant. The original branch will

provide nutrients to the scions the two

plant tissues will be forced to grow to-

gether, creating an offshoot branch with

new DNA.

The process of grafting is similar in many

ways to what we can observe at the point

of connection between the old wall and

the new addition to the MFA. The new ad-

dition necessarily must deconstruct theold wall at the points where new framing

members attach to it, much like a cleft is

opened for the insertion of scions. The

new part becomes a part of the body as

a whole as it begins to grow, as the old

parts blood supply finds its way into the

newly grafted component.

Grafting is useful as a metaphor in the

conceptualizing an addition to a building

provided first that we understand a defi-

nition of a body that allows us to concep-tualize Architecture as a kind of body. So

to move forward in our analysis we need

to find a definition of a body that is ser-

viceable in thinking about architecture.

For this we turn to Gilles Deleuze, the

influential French theorist, whom many

critical architects have drawn inspiration

from, and who in his lectures expands on

the Spinozas theory of physicality. Ba-

ruch Spinoza was an rationalist philoso-

pher whose work became important long

after his death in 1677. Well known for

his remarkable scientific aptitude, Spino-

za helped lay the groundwork for the 18th

century enlightenment. He famously op-

posed Decartes mind-body dualism, and

his theory of physicality refutes Cartesian

understanding of bodies and space, which

still dominate architectural thinking.

Deleuze references Spinozas theories

often in his writing, in his Capitalism and

Schizophrenia written in collaboration

with Felix Guattari, in his lectures at theCour Vicennes in Paris, and he even wrote

a short book, Spinoza: A Practical Philos-

ophy.

Deleuze mobilizes Spinozas concept of

affect in his own definition of the body.

To Spinoza, Deleuze argues, a body is an

assembly whose unity in itself and dis-

tinction from other bodies is defined by

its power-of-acting. Power of acting may

be a shorthand for Spinozas concept of

affect, which may be briefly defined as acapacity to act and to be acted upon. In

the appendix to the second volume of

Capitalism and Schizophrenia: A Thou-

sand Plateaus, the translator, Brian Mas-

sumi, offers the following definition: Laf-

fect (Spinozas affectus) is an ability to

affect and be affected. It is a prepersonal

intensity corresponding to the passage

from one experiential state of the body

to another and implying an augmentation

or diminution in that bodys capacity to

act. In the simplest terms and leav-

ing out pieces of the concept that are too

complex to detail in this paper taking

the human body as an example of a body,

the human being understands the body

as a totality, as a whole, because each

individual part can be called to motion in

congruence with each other. For example,

the hand and arm can be put to motion

together to perform a task such as lifting

an object. Another example is how all the

various parts of your eye can be groupedtogether as the body eye by their ability

to move separate from the eyelid and by

their ability to perform the task of vision

as a whole. In Deleuze Dictionary a vol-

ume which is essential in decoding these

concepts Adrian Parr crafts the follow-


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ing explanation:

The relations and interactions of the parts compound to form a

dominant relation, expressing the essence or a power of exist-

ing of that body, a degree of physical intensity that is identical

to its power of being affected. A body exists when, for whateverreason, a number of parts enter into the characteristic relation

that defines it, and which corresponds to its essence or power

of existing.

Taking this concept a little further, Spinoza conceptualizes the

duality of joy versus sadness as the result of those things that

either increase our power of affect or decrease our power of af-

fect. Again, from Parr:

A body being affected by another, such that the relations

of its parts are the effect of other bodies acting on it, is a pas-

sive determination of the body, or passion. If an external body

is combined or composed with a body in a way that increases

the affected bodys power of being affected, this transition to a

higher state of activity is experienced as joy; if the combination

decreases the affected bodys power of being affected, this is the

affect of sadness.

Bringing this observations about definitions of bodies back to

a discussion of architecture, architectural critic Micheal Speaks

writes in Architecture + Urbanism in 2002:

Following Spinoza, Deleuze defines a body as any corporal ar-rangement composed of an infinite number of parts or particles

held together when they move in unison at the same speed. He

says a body can be anything, an animal, a body of sounds, even

perhaps an architectural practice. He says a body has the capac-

ity to affect and be affected by other bodies. Bodies are more or

less powerful, more or less able, in other words, to effect change

in their environment, depending on the degree to which they are

capable of being affected by their environment.

After we have defined a body in this way, the question for ar-

chitecture is whether we can say that the assembled parts ofa building act as one body through their power of affect. And

taking a key from Micheal Speaks reading of Deleuze, we can

ask, Is a body of architecture more or less effective based on its

capacity to be changed by its environment, or by its sensitivity to

juxtapositions of other bodies in relation to it?

The concept of graft is an ideal metaphor for this discussion, be-

cause the idea that a new part of a building, while it may remain

a distinct body of architecture within itself, becomes part of a

building-whole because it grows out from the place of insertion.

Ideally the addition becomes a part of the larger architectural

body because all the parts share the same lifeblood. And even

though the structures dont set in motion together, we can say

they may affect their environment together, with mutual additive

capacity. And lastly that the composition on the additive body

within the external body increases the affected bodys power ofbeing affected, corresponding to a higher state of activity [that]

is experienced as joy.

I.M. Peis west wing may then be described as a failure because

it decreased the overall buildings power of affect. It disrupt-

ed its functioning and attempted to superimpose a new order

which shifted the axis of organization of the whole. As a result,

the experience of the building as a whole was largely altered for

the visitor, dominated by the singular vision of I.M. Pei. The sur-

rounding environment was effected as well because of the shift

in axis, which turned the building to face away from the street.

In contrast, Fosters east wing addition restored and reinforced

the original axis of orientation, turning the building back to face

the street. The addition is grafted from the central point of the

axis, by the insertion of delicate framing members. On the north

and south sides of the addition transparency preserves a visual

link to the original, but the addition leaves the original arms of

the Lowell building intact and relatively untouched. By helping

the building as a whole to regain a sense of order and symmetry,

and clearing the way for more intuitive paths of circulation, the

addition increases the buildings power of affect. While the sty-

listic contrast between the beaux-arts neo-classical original andFosters signature sophisticated technological neo-moderist ad-

dition might seem, particularly from the exterior, a jarring con-

trast on a more fundamental level Foster + Partners have been

successful at grafting the new addition onto the old in a way that

invites new growth. In way that transitions the MFA to a higher

state of activity. Although each architectural body, the new and

the old, remains distinct, because Fosters addition is successful

at grafting this connection between the old and new conditions

it may soon become the case that the Art of the Americas wing

will be considered just as integral a part of the MFA building as

does the original structure.

BIBLIOGRAPHY


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Studio Projects andother Coursework

Foundational

DesignStudies:

AcademicDesign Work


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Fall 2010

Instructor: Justin Lodge

01. Developing Space

For this first-ever studio project the goals were deceptively

simple: play with the idea of space-making using the conven-

tional materials of a design students early modeling exercises.

I began with abstract, orthogonal and strictly linear designs

drawn on 8.5x11 sheets of cardboard. Designs were compli-

cated through repetition and overlayment and eventually the

varying line weights in the drawings began to represent a code

of instructions for cutting, scoring, and folding the material.

Through these methods a simple sheet of cardboard could

transform into a space-encapsulating object. Initially I ap-

proached the project as an exercise in rule-based art, inspired

by artists such as Sol LeWitt whose art-method was often a

set of instructions left for others. I am interested in rule-basedart not only because of its communal nature and its inherent

criticism of the concept of authorship, but especially because it

is often, paradoxically, a precise methodology for creating con-

trolled randomness. I was delighted to discover that through

this exercise I began to really understand how spacial bound-

aries could be made implicit by parallel edges of material; I

became fascinated by the idea of partially-defined and implied

spaces. My instructor praised my final model for its success in

creating interesting spatial conditions within such narrow lim-

its of material, and my diagrams for successfully explaining the

process by which I transformed the 2-dimensional plane into a

3-dimensional object.

A-1 Studio

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02. Figure/Figure

In the second project for my first studio class I pushed further

this idea of implicit space. I began by using the nodes and lines

of tree branches to envision the boundaries of an implied space.Using methods of articulation that exercised my abilities to use

various media, the project unfolded from interpreting this envi-

sioned volume of space. After sketching the perceived volume

I created a paper model of my interpretation of the shape of

the space implied by the void in between the branches. I then

created a new frame, from lightweight basswood members

ter model out of expressive triangular planar wood pieces whichutilized a tectonic of notched joinery. This alternation between

making void into solid, and from a solid a new void, was a fasci-

nating exercise that solidified my conception of space as well as

the difference between explicit and implicit spatial boundaries. I

named this series of models the wave because of I perceived a

kinetic energy in the forms I had created; the forms seemed to

me as a series of prisms in rotation, rotating over one another

like a wave in motion.

carefully jointed together and glued, which responded to the

form of the paper model and created a newly implied spatial

condition when empty. Inverting the void into solid once more,

I created a plaster model representing the form of the space.

Finally, in what would be my first attempt to create a model

that had structure in so much as it was capable of supporting

the weight of my plaster model I created a frame for my plas-

I named this series of models

the wave because of I per-

ceived a kinetic energy in the

forms I had created...


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Academic Work: A-1 Studio

In the final project for A1 studio we were given our first site: an

empty lot across from the main BAC building. We were tasked

first with designing a way to transverse the elevation. It was

a one-story drop from the sidewalk level to the ground of the

site, and in creating a passage over this elevation I wanted tocontinue experimenting with creating alternating spatial con-

ditions. I decided to create a ramp and along its passage alter-

nate between spatial impressions of enclosure versus open-

ness. I envisioned creating this ramp out of folded planes of

metal akin to the large-scale installation sculptures made of

sheet metal by Richard Serra, given the singular function of fa-

cilitating passage across an elevation. In my design, the metal

planes are visibly notched together and create the experience

of enclosure, appearing to have been unfolded in the places

where they create an experience of openness.

Continuing on this theme of alternating spaces, and carrying

the form of folded planes, I moved into the final phase of the

project where we were tasked with creating both solitary and

gathering spaces for BAC students in the same given site. The

program left relatively undefined, we were given great freedomto define what a solitary versus gathering space might mean.

I responded to the prompt for creating solitary spaces by de-

signing volumes that held studio spaces, 4 student desks each.

The studios could then function as solitary work spaces, or

spaces for small groups to work together.These studio cubes

were similar to the form of the ramp in that folded planes cre-

ated the broken roof lines of each, as if part of the roof had

shifted apart from the other creating a large slit opening that

would flood light on the inner walls of the studio space. The

volumes overlapped, deconstructed at the point of connec-

3. Spaces for BAC Students


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portfolio 19

tion, creating a tightly controlled circulation pattern. The stu-

dio spaces are kept private from circulation space by the use

of partitions, which create long expanses of pin-up surface.

All the studio spaces are on the level of the sidewalk and the

floor below extends the lines of the volumes, bounded by glasscurtain wall, to the level of the parking lot, creating crystalline

gallery spaces for student work. Two courtyards are enclosed

by the juxtaposed volumes, creating another gradient of gath-

ering space for students. By stacking the enclosed volumes of

the studio cubes on top of the clear gallery spaces I was able to

create a striking juxtaposition expressive of the solitary ver-

sus gathering conditions, as well as the spatial experiences of

enclosure versus openness.


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Academic Work: Drawing Media Coursework


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Top Row: Examples from Perspective

Drawing Class

Left Center and Bottom Rows: Examples

from Freehand Drawing Class, clockwise

from top left: Portrait, Nude, Van Gogh

copy, Self-Portrait

Right Center: Cloth study from Freehand

Class

Right Bottom row, from left: Medieval

House Axonemetric from Orthogonal Dra-

fting class, Sketch of building at Mass Ave

from Freehand Drawing

Drawing

MediaCoursework


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Spring 2011

Instructor Kerri Frick

01. Chair

The chair project began with drafting exercises of precedents.

Next, we were paired with another student and worked to-

gether to design a chair which could be multiplied and linked

together in form, such as the chairs in lecture halls or airports.

My partner, Jason Weldon, and I were interested in the challen-

ge of designing a rocking type chair, a chair that would have

kinetic energy and an interactive component. Inspired by a de-

sign of booths in a bar which featured seats whose back had

been cut out to force interaction between parties, we designed

rocking chairs made of wood slates that slot into each othersback as the chair rocks. As one person rocks back, the other

is slightly pushed, or the two can rock together. Instead of a

tte--tte it is a back-to-back, an experiment in design that

encourages interruption and interaction.

02. Passage

Continuing on the theme of designing for the human body in

motion, in the passage project students were assigned to de-

sign a way to transverse the slope that would engage the hu-

man body. For this project I was inspired by the concrete archi-

tecture of Carlo Scarpa, particularly at his Tomba Brion (Brion

Cemetery), which recalls an ancient monumentality with pa-

radoxically ethereal forms in concrete, and also by the ancient

Egyptian architecture I was studying concurrently in another

A-2 Studio

22 portfolio22 portfolio22 portfolio


23/54

course. I designed a modular system embedded into slope that

allows users to traverse at different levels and provides pla-

ces of rest along the path. The idea was to invite a sense of

rhythm and ceremonious procession using massive forms in

repetition. The entrance to the path is flanked by walls that

grow higher the closer they come to each other, playing withthe effect of perspective in our vision. Beyond those walls, a

series of massive frames ascend up a slope, like chain link with

their open sides perpendicular to each other; each element acts

as a step up or down to facilitate the crossing of the slope. The

larger, more vertical outer frames intersect the inner volumes.

The bottom faces of the outer frames are elevated a few feet

up from the floor of the inner volumes, so that this surface can

function as low benches allowing for a place of rest, or as steps

leading out of the structure up toward the level of the ground,

or as obstacle, necessitating conscious engagement of the

body to move through the design. It became very important

to be precise with scale to realize these affects in the model.

focusing my intentions on

the corporeal dimension of

my design, I used Interruption

and obstacle to manipulate

the movement of the body.

portfolio 23portfolio 23portfolio 23


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Academic Work: A-2 Studio

Before we moved fully into the final project for A2 studio, our

instructor guided us through an artistic exercise in order to get

us working more freely and imaginatively. We chose stories of

cities from Italo Calvinos fantasy-travelogue Invisible Cities and

created illustrations for the cities using collage in a restricted

window of time. This illustration exercise introduced me to the

contemporary art concept of palimpsest: artwork that is similar

to collage in that it shows the history of its making, parts arescraped away or erased, layers that were hidden underneath re-

surrected through this interference. I chose to illustrate Calvinos

city Isaura, city of the thousand wells. He describes a fantastic

city which builds itself over a massive subterranean lake, where

the residents believe their gods live in the water. The lines of the

wells move upwards from the lake into aqueducts and vertical pi-

pes, reservoirs built on stilts. It is a city made of airy scaffolding, a

city that moves entirely upwards. I discovered a new way of wor-

king by drawing on literary sources to create visual art, a method

that freed my hand to work more imaginatively.

For the final project for A2 Studio, we first had to select a ritual

which our final designs would represent and/or facilitate in some

manner. I selected a ritual that I felt familiar with, the sun salu-

tation sequence from yoga practice. In traditional yoga practice,

the sun salutation (surya namaskara in Sanskrit) is a common

sequence of asanas (body positions or poses) that are perfor-

med first thing in the morning facing the rising sun in order to

awaken and enliven the body. The series of poses are performedin repetition, each movement aligned with one breath. The body

comes very close to the ground in chaturanga pose and even-

tually comes all the way back up to pranamana (standing) pose.

Through the repeated sequence the body is always rising and fa-

lling, bending and folding, moving each time in the rhythm of the

breath. I began to respond to the prompt by playing with forms

that echoed this rising-and-falling, bending-and-folding in or-

der to represent sun salutation. I found metal objects and bent

them and tried to imagine them as inhabitable sculptures. Ulti-

mately I decided however that rather than designing representa-

3. Ritual

24 portfolio


25/54

tively it would be a more interesting challenge to try to design a

structure that engaged the human body in a way that simulated

these yogic movements, similar to the way that my design forthe previous passage project had engaged the human body in

movement. I created an elliptical stairway, bisymmetrical in plan,

that looped around two points and was squeezed into a very na-

rrow passage in the center. The allusion in form to the symbol for

infinity was intentional, just as the yoga sequence is meant to be

repeated any number of times, so the user here is encouraged to

repeat the journey through the loop. The stairway passage mo-

ves up in elevation and down, digging into the site and replacing

the removed earth reciprocally across the long axis of symmetry.

The key element of the design which forces the movement of the

body are the curvilinear, undulating ribbons (which I imaginedwere of bent laminated wood pieces). As the user moves toward

the zenith of the stairway, the ribbons alternate in height, some

becoming low enough to force the user to bend down to pass

underneath them, the others high enough to allow the body to

rise again. At the bottom-most point of the stairway the user is

forced to step over or onto the ribbons lying low to the earth and

then duck under the ribbons curling above.

This project became an architectural exercise in engaging the

human body, and it required thinking carefully about the appro-

priate scale of elements in relation to the body in motion. Des-

pite the fact that the end result was a design that may appear

purposeless or fantastical, I believe the exercise nonethelessgave me valuable experience in thinking about scale in modeling

and in the real world. If I had more time to devote to this project

I would have liked to build another model at a larger scale which

could better illustrate my ideas and would portray more precise

thinking about feasible materiality.

The project brought into question purposefulness versus purpo-

seless in foundational student projects, or practice vs theory,

as there appeared to be a conflict between those students who

thought our education should be more practical and focused

(more material, more concrete), and those who thought conceptssuch as space and scale needed to be exercised primarily. In de-

fense of the BACs method, I often think of the education model

of the Bauhaus school, which began with the mastery of one ma-

terial before moving into design, and how the BAC faculty seems

to have chosen space and scale as the material that needs to be

mastered before all else. From my perspective, there are benefits

to studying architecture with projects that have no practical use,

but help students to develop their own creative theories.

The allusion in form to the symbol for

infinity was intentional, just as the yoga

sequence is meant to be repeated any

number of times, so the user here is en-

couraged to repeat their journey

portfolio 25


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Academic Work: 3-D Modeling Coursework

SketchupModeling I

For Sketchup I class nal I chose to mo-

del the Doma Art Gallery by W Architects,

which is in Baltimore County, Maryland.

The architects inserted a clean, Miesian

box into an old barn. Without sentimen-

tality, the architects are able to preserve

the key elements o the shaggy old arm

structure while juxtaposing it with the

crisp lines o a pure Modernist orm. I

knew the insertion o orms within orms

would make this project interesting and

challenging to model.


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RevitModeling

For my BIM Modeling class nal I chose

to model MVRDVs Double House rom

1997. The double house was designed to

give two amilies equal space and views

out, while interlocking the spaces in such

a way that each eels like it is getting

more space. The design was an excellent

challenge to model because o the many

complex spatial conditions, including the

partition wall which zig-zags through the

whole, and the multiple levels o foorpla-

te within each foor.


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Fall 2011

Instructor Andrew Steingiser

01. Analysis of Historic Precendent

B1 Studio began with learning how to do analysis using con-

ventional design media: drafting, diagramming, and modeling,

as a method of inquiry to serve in analyzing a historic prece-

dent. Our instructor assigned each student a historic building

to engage in analysis with, and I was assigned Palladios Villa

Foscari (more romantically known as Villa La Malcontenta).

The Palladian Villa is an example pure classical form as it was

interpreted through the Italian renaissance. My first point of

entry in understanding the design was to grasp how the lines

of the building were governed by ratios and pure symmetry for example the footprint of the building is the beloved classical

golden ratio 5:8; then the plan is further broken up by an A-

B-A-B-A pattern, a common pattern in music, where B+B=A.

I observed that a hierarchy of volumes reveals the separation

of private and public spaces organized along the axis of sym-

metry. In the process of diagramming aspects of this organiza-

tion, I drew lines orthogonally connecting each threshold, these

regulating lines which I then termed paths of opening revea-

led that there were two overlaying grids the first governing

the enclosure of spaces, the second governing the opening of

spaces into each other. The paths of openings are always cen-

tered within the first regulating lines (those that make A-B-

A-B-A), the crossing of paths happening in the center of each

space, and this means almost every wall in the Piano Nobilefloor opens at its center into the next space, so spaces beco-

me woven, each space opening up to every surrounding space.

It may be important to note that in this building thresholds

would have substantial spatial consequences since the ma-

sonry walls of the building were everywhere a minimum of 1.5

thick to support massively high barrel vaults. The building may

have been at risk of feeling massive and close and dark, but

Palladios simple system for opening up the rooms allows for

the rooms to breath into each other light and air continuously.

B-1 Studio

28 portfolio


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One could argue that the building borrows little from classi-

cal architecture, beyond importing a temple-front portico, the

spatial experience of the building and its organization is pu-

rely renaissance the way spaces are governed by mathema-

tical ideas, and the way that certain elements of the building

(thresholds) when isolated begin to resemble musical notation

is no coincidence. One of my models in particular was obser-ved to look a lot like some kind of musical notation; it showed

the thresholds in black mat board aligned on a basswood grid.

So I plugged the model into a digital audio tone matrix (http://

tonematrix.audiotool.com/), a kind of online music synthesizer,

and played the model for my class. All of a sudden this renais-

sance building had come to life through music; music which

was perfectly expressive of the building itself in its simplicity

and symmetrical structure.

As part of this project we read an excerpt from Architecture

Between Spectacle and UseBy Anthony Vidler, Architectures

Expanded Field, which concerned itself with the emerging pre-

sence of diagramming in architectural practice. Vidler argued

that diagramming is a method by which we can move past the

dualities that previously dominated discussions of architectu-

ral theory vs. the essence of architecture. While I sometimes

think that diagramming can become a new kind of formalism

in disguise, there is something worthwhile in Vidlers argument

that appears evident in my project if we can use diagramming

to isolate those which are the most important pieces/gestu-

res/elements of the building, in this way it may be possible to

move beyond form and type and other surface conditions (for

example: this is a classical villa), and think more about what

the building is actually doing.

I had long been familiar with text-based research as a method

of inquiry, but this was the first time I felt I understood the

value in an analysis that used visual diagramming to develop

a deeper and more complicated understanding of a historic

building. It remains one of my favorite projects for that reason,

and I continue to look for opportunities to engage with design

using this methodology.

portfolio 29


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30 portfolio

For the second project for B2 Studio I

took my newly learned analysis-via-dia-

gram methodology and applied it to an

analysis of the urban fabric surrounding

a site on the Boston waterfront, betweenthe Charlestown and the Zakim Bridges.

We began by using the diagrammatic

language of Kevin Lynchs Image of a

City, and then built off of that our own

pattern language to represent what we

observed. Immediately I observed three

separate and distinct urban conditions

in that area: first, the tight and dense

fabric of the North End, second, the or-

dered regularity of the Bullfinch Triangle,

and third, the deconstructed fabric of the

West End. I knew I was looking at some

kind of gradient of urban conditions,

but I needed a diagrammatic method

to synthesize a representation of thischanging condition. Taking a note from

my previous project, I looked for ele-

ments of the urban environments that

I could isolate in diagrams. The most

successful of these was my isolation of

what I termed residual space. I concei-

ved of residual space in a way similar

to Rem Koolhaas concept of junkspa-

ce (but perhaps without as much open

conceit). Residual space is the space

leftover from buildings, the spaces bet-

ween the building and the street, the

sidewalk, the alley, the courtyard, the

corporate plaza space for sculpture, the

empty lot, the abandoned area under abridge or overpass, etc. It is the inverted

map, highlighting everything excepting

building and street, every pedestrian

zone. By isolating these elements it

became exceptionally clear that these

three neighborhoods had very different

relationships with or organizations of

residual space. To show this clearly in

drawing I made what I called an urban

biopsy diagram, where I pulled one block

2. Urban Analysis

Academic Work: B-1 Studio


31/54

(or block-sized area) out of the map and

zoomed in on it, drawing the block in sec-

tion and in plan. The oldest neighborhood,

the North End, with its traditional urban

fabric, has these fascinating complex

courtyard spaces within each block, tight

spaces punctuated only by narrow alle-

yways and near-hidden passages. People

huddle to gather in doorways and under

alcoves. The North Ends residual spaces

are tightly contained within the spaces of

buildings. The buildings in the Bullfinch

triangle however, stretch from one side of

the block to another, permitting residual

spaces only where there is a purposeful

change in setback, making a mini-plaza,

but never between or enclosed by the buil-

dings. And finally, in absolute contrast to

the North End condition, the condo high-

rises of the West End rise out of a sea ofopen grass and pedestrian pathways, the

buildings are totally disconnected from

the street; all the residual space is com-

pletely externalized and encompassing.

...the North End, with its traditional ur-

ban fabric, has these fascinating com-

plex courtyard spaces within each

block, tight spaces punctuated only

by narrow alleyways and near-hidden

passages.


32/54

32 portfolio

In the final project for B1 Studio we tas-

ked with building a boathouse, and I cho-

se the site just northeast of the Zakim

bridge, on the banks of the Charles River.

Building on what we learned in our urbananalysis, we were assigned to carry some

important elements from the surrounding

urban fabric into our boathouse design. I

did not want to design in a way that was

imitative, but rather in a way that repre-

sented a synthetic interpretation of my

observations. For my boathouse complex,

I wanted to carry over those elements

which I thought were responsible for ma-

king the North End a pedestrian-friendly

environment: 1. Small scale units. 2. Unityof Materials. 3. Mixed-uses. 4. Clear de-

finition of center. 5. Permeable organi-

zation (alleyways and passageways). 6.

Exploitation of different levels. I began

by creating a building block a small-scale

modular element wrapped in storefront-

faade on the lower level and topped with

mixed-use flexible space. I then sought to

combine these modular elements in an

organization that met the requirements

I had laid out. I dug into the riverbank to

lay the boathouse module just above the

water line. I then created a courtyard su-

rrounded by steps, steep steps on 2 sides,

and wide steps on one side I imagine acoach addressing his rowing team in this

gathering space. Above the boathouse

module, I extend the volumes of the up-

permost floor, cantilevering them over

the water, ensuring they exploited the

best possible views out to the water. The

structures were punctuated with alle-

yways and pedestrian paths, and were or-

ganized with near-symmetry around the

central courtyard. I envisioned the facades

having a unified materiality, exposed I-beams framing panels of reclaimed wood

and transparent glass. I created the final

model in SketchUp and then in my digital

media courses I was able to create artistic

renderings of the finished model.

I have to be critical in reflection of my

own work, and while I do believe that this

project both met the requirements for

the assignment and those requirements

Academic Work: B-1 Studio

3. Boathouse


33/54

portfolio 33

which I laid out for myself I fear that working off of a set of rules as I had done was a too-strict, too-formalist approach. It was a

modernist approach and it resulted in a very formulaic modernist design, too Miesian and too unvaried. However, I do believe you

learn just as much, if not more, from those experiments whose results are not what you desired, so in that way I feel very happy

with this project. It helped me move past the desire to design with facile modernist methodology, and pushed me to trace the

origins of my design ideas and inspirations more carefully.


34/54


35/54

portfolio 35

In my rst Rendering class we learned how

to use Piranesi to create artistic renderings

rom a Sketchup Model (see page 33), and

Artlantis to create more photo-realistic

renderings, as seen let.

For the class we needed to have both inte-

rior and exterior views o our design, and

since the B1 nal did not require a design o

the interior, I had the opportunity to ll the-se interior volumes with whatever I wished.

I designed a studio apartment, eaturing

European kitchn cabinetry and a marble

island, and modular built-in urniture made

out o plywood panel and white painted

metal. The built-ins were designed in such a

way as to make possible the occupation o

multiple levels within the plain cube shell.

Boathouse

Renderings


36/54


37/54

Gateway Projects &Professional Experience

Practice-based

DesignWork


38/54

Room Name Plumbing Prod

Bathroom

Toilets: Caroma Sidney S

Sinks: Tierra y Fuego -- M

Mech. Room

Unfinished area

Garage

Powder Room

Kitchen

Sinks:

Elkay ELU2421L 'Lustert

w/Ribbed Area (ELU2421

Elkay 'Lustertone' Single

(ELUHR2014) #16851

Kohler Undertone - High/

Sink - K-3099-L

(similar to Kohler Underto

Undermount Sink

Laundery

Bath

Tub & Sink Faucets:

Hudson Reed Jade lavat

Hudson Reed Jade Tub a

Hudson Reed Traditiona

Master Bath

Bathtubs:

American Standard - Sav

Construction w/

d-vdesign GREEN HOME Case S

The answer to the question of howpractice has informed or enhancedmy education in design is multifold. Itwas practice in the field that led me toseriously pursue an education in designin the first place. In the summers duringthe years I was studying art history atUMass Amherst, I began working as anintern directly under the supervision ofthe architect-principal in D-V Design,Dragana Vlatkovic. Dragana was a family

she offered to try me offered tointroduce me to the field as an internin her office to see how I liked it. I lovedevery minute aspect of the work I didin her office; to me it felt glamorousand exciting and Dragana in turn foundmy help invaluable. Dragana wasimpressed by my organizational abilities(and the resulting transformation ofher admittedly disordered office) andwas also fond of telling me that I had agreat eye and would often ask for mycritical input on her designs. Because

I am both personable and articulate, Iwas excellent when it came to helpingthe clients with smaller design tasks,such as selecting furniture or artworkfor their new homes; I interpretedand negotiated the clients aestheticdesires in consideration of the largerdesign schema.

I will never forget the first day thatDragana took me on a site visit to seea concrete passive solar house, whichI had helped with the summer before,

just as it was in the final stages of

construction. The house was likenothing Id ever seen before, withan interior greenhouse space thatran the length of the southern wall,and its massive gray concrete wallswhich contrasted with warm woodand terracotta floor tiles. There wasso much texture, light and life in thathouse, and I remember the clientsbeaming as they showed us aroundtheir rapidly culminating home. In thatmoment I became very conscious of thetransformative power of good design inpeoples lives and I knew that I needed

to pursue a career in design.

Through my work in her office I wasexposed to many different aspectsof the daily work of an architect and Igained skills rapidly. I learned aboutresearching and specifying materials,coordinating with suppliers, assemblingconstruction documents, and most allinteracting with clients.

friend who had a small design firm inmy hometown of Niskayuna, NY, herwork focused on small-scale residentialprojects with a heavy bent towards lower-budget sustainable solutions.

While studying art history I wasalso discovering my love of the builtenvironment through my coursework inarchitectural history. When I told Draganaabout my budding interest in architecture,

Practice work

Junoir designerat d-v Design

38 portfolio


39/54

s & Manufacturers Plumbing Products - Providers Pricing

First Floor

a Royale 270

Toilets:

Sidney:

http://www.thenaturalabode.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&St

ore_Code=TNA&Product_Code=SydSmart305Stand&Category_Code=

Royale:

http://www.thenaturalabode.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&St

ore_Code=TNA&Product_Code=Roy270Stand&Category_Code=

Sinks:

http://www.tierrayfuego.com/MexicanTile/Sinks/index_ceramic_bathroom

_sink_oval.htm

Toilets:

Sidney: $299.00

Royale: $327.00

Sinks:

Tierra y Fuego: $145-$170

Second Floor

wl Undermount Sink

ount Sink w/Ribbed Area

nter Stainless Steel Kitchen

ve Plus, 1 & 1/2 Bowl

Sinks:

Elkay 'Lustertone' #16850:

http://www.fausink.com/product.php?productid=16850&cat=0&page=2


http://www.fausink.com/product.php?productid=16851&cat=513&page

Kohler Undertone:

http://www.homeclick.com//web/catalog/product_detail.aspx?pid=291184

Blancowave:

http://www.homeclick.com/web/catalog/product_detail.aspx?pid=271588(

Bigger size)

http://www.homeclick.com/web/catalog/product_detail.aspx?pid=65838(

Smaller size)

Sinks:


$475.00


$410.00

Kohler Undertone: $886.26

Blancowave: $396.90-

$480.60

oblock

aucet

controls

Tub & Sink Faucets:

Hudson Reed Jade lavatory faucet monoblock:http://usa.hudsonreed.com/product/Hudson_Reed_Jade_lavatory_faucet

_monoblock_/342/40221.html

Hudson Reed Jade Tub and Shower Faucet:

http://usa.hudsonreed.com/product/Hudson_Reed_Jade_Tub_and_Sho

wer_Faucet_Tub_Mounted_/342/40223.html

Hudson Reed Traditional shower valve controls:

http://usa.hudsonreed.com/catalog/Traditional_shower_valve_controls/2

88.html

Tub & Sink Faucets:

Jade lavatory faucet:

$155.00

Jade Tub and Shower

Faucet: $199.00

Hudson Reed shower valve

controls: $124.99-$699.00

tub

Bathtubs:

Savona:

http://www.fixtureuniverse.com/products/view.aspx?sku=439936&linkLoc

=catalo

Bathtubs:

Savona: 669.00

Window/Door Schedule

Flint-Budde Project

Drawing Model # Rough Opening (w xGlass Size Quantit Egress Clear Opg Sq.Vent Sq. Ft.

1 ICA2163 1-9 x 5-3 5/8 15 13/16" x 58 15/16" 4 4.74 6.59

2 ICA2563 2-1 x 5-3 5/8 19 13/16" x 58 15/16" 1 6.37 8.22

3 IAWN2523 2-1 x 1-11 5/8 19 13/16" x 18 15/16" 5 2.63

4 IAWN2523 2W4-1 x 1-11 5/8 2(19 13/16") x 18 15/162 2(2.63)

5 ICA2539 2-1 x 3-3 5/8 19 13/16" x 34 15/16" 4 3.77 3.87

6 ICA3763 2W 6-1 x 5-3 5/8 2(31 13/16") x 58 15/161 2(11.28) 2(13.12)

7 ICA2563 2W 4-1 x 5-3 5/8 2(19 13/16") x 58 15/161 2(6.37) 2(8.22)

8 ICA3763 3-1 x 5-3 5/8 31 13/16" x 58 15/16" 1 11.28 13.12

9 ITGL7236 6-0 1/2 x 3-0 1/4 2(32 3/4") x 30 3/4" 2 7.07 7.07

10

11 1

12 113 1

Total G

zed System

1stDay

4th Day

New Construction

SonnemanSolaris1LightPendant

http://www.csnlighting.com/Sonneman

1674SEN1019.html

$90.00

ProgressLightingIllumaFlexMini

PendantinBrushedNickel

http://www.csnlighting.com/Progress

LightingP613809PG3977.html

$58.20

ProgressLighting

IllumaFlexMiniPendantDomeinBrushedNickelwithWhiteGlass

http://www.csnlighting.com/Progress

LightingP613509WPG3968.html

$74.20

LiteSourceBurstOneLightMiniPendantLampinFrost

http://www.csnlighting.com/LiteSourceLS

17491PSFROIT1209.html

$90.00

From top left and moving clockwise: 1. A presentation for a

course my employer was co-teaching at a community college

outlining principles of sustainable residential construction

2. Background: A plumbing fixtures schedule. 2. A window

and door schedule. 3. A table of proposed efficient pendant

lighting options for presentation to a client. 4. A logo design

for a Green Material Expo in Troy, NY we volunteered to help

organize. 5. Sketches from various projects.


40/54

Practice Work

40 portfolio

As soon as I came to the BAC I immedi-

ately became involved in the then-new

gateway projects. These were projects

intended to group students together

to work on projects which benefitted

our community, and help the students

have the opportunity to earn practice

credit in an economy where architectur-al work was scarce. I did three gateway

projects in total, and all of them added

enormously to my education experience,

both in terms of the skills I learned and

in beneficial collaborative experiences

with other students and faculty at the

BAC.

The first gateway project I participated

in was Greening the Church of the Cove-

nant. The task in this project was to re-

search and design economical solutions

to increase building efficiency while also

working to preserve priceless architec-

tural history. The building was one of the

first churches to be constructed in Bos-

tons Back Bay and held within its Rox-

bury puddingstone walls is the largestand most intact Tiffany Studios interior

in the world, while somehow unfortu-

nately remaining relatively unknown. I

teamed up with a couple Historic Preser-

vation students to help members of the

church board assemble an application

to be considered a National Landmark,

which they ultimately were awarded.

One other student and I also began giv-

ing historic building tours of the church

to the public two days a week in order to

raise awareness about the building and

to help raise money for its preservation.

During these tours I continually enjoyed

seeing the visitors surprise and delight

as they walked into the sanctuary, a hid-

den treasure in the Back Bay.

The biggest asset that the church has

is its precious Tiffany stained glass win-

dows, 32 in all. Unfortunately these were

in rapidly worsening condition due to a

common 1970s intervention the in-

stallation of Lexan (a kind of acrylic) pan-

els on the exterior of the windows, which

were intended to protect the windows

from vandalism. The unventilated air

between the stained glass and the Lex-

GATEWAY PROJECT:

GREENING THE CHURCH OFTHE COVENANT

40 portfolio


41/54

an panels would become so overheated that it wasdeteriorating the lead holding the stained glass,

causing warping so severe that pieces of glass

were falling out of place the situation was dire. So

we designed a new glazing system to protect the

windows that featured adequate ventilation. For

this project I did the drawings in AutoCad (my first

time ever using the software) and presented our

proposed intervention to the church board and ar-

chitect Lynne Spencer of Menders, Torrey & Spen-

cer. The church went ahead with the proposal and

so far the church has been able to afford to protect

many of the windows on the west wall that were

at greatest risk. Looking back I still find it remark-

able that I was able to participate with this level of

engagement with a multi-faceted and fascinating

project within my first semester at the BAC.


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42 portfolio

The next gateway project consisted of working with a team

of students at the project management firm MapLab, under

the principal David Silverman. Initially David had us assistingon a variety of projects. First was a design for a church on an

unusual plot in Dorchester, for which I made massing models

in SketchUp to show how the church might fit on the site. Next

we submitted an entry in a competition for a pavilion design for

a trade expo. MapLab was located in Bostons Design Center,

their offices neighbored a unique tile manufacturer Artaic. Ar-

tiac was founded by an MIT grad who designed a tile-laying

robot that could create mosaics from image files, and more

interestingly was capable of laying mosaic on complex-curved

surfaces. Our team was tasked with designing a 3,000 sq ft

pavilion featuring Artaic tile work on complex surfaces to sub-

mit to the Ceramics of Italy Exhibit Design Challenge. I used

SketchUp to create construction diagrams for our proposal,and I also helped with writing the text that accompanied our

submission board.

Ultimately it was Davids desire to turn our team into a mini-

think-tank in a project we affectionately named UPIT (Urban

Planning Information Technology). We were to envision pos-

sible ways technology could be used to bring more data into

the process of urban planning using the model of Watson, the

MIT computer that was famous for winning the TV game show

Jeopardy a record number of times. While the project was frus-

Practice Work

GATEWAY PROJECT:MapLab


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portfolio 43

trating at times because a few fellow students found it too diffi-

cult to work in these abstract terms, I found I really thrived when

asked to think about these larger-scale design problems such

as the problems of urban planning and the design professions

relationship with technology. I led our team in creating a pres-

entation booklet that summarized our researched and explained

the process by which the urban design planning computer sys-

tem we envisioned would operate. One major aspect of the gate-

way projects that has been enormously beneficial to me in the

course of my education is that through collaboration with otherstudents I learned how to use many new design softwares. In

the MapLab project I learned how to use InDesign, some Rhino,

as well as several brainstorming/visual-mapping softwares.

Excerpt from the introduction to the final UPIT presentation:

... UPIT is an experiment aimed at empowering the designer and

decision maker by providing evidence-based support for posi-

tive urban design. Inspired by intuitive computer question-an-

swering systems, such as the famous Watson computer built by

IBM, we wanted to explore the possible ways this sophisticated

technology could help with the urban design process. Computer

systems like Watson are optimized for complex analytics; they

are capable of processing natural language, generating hypoth-

esises, gathering massive amounts of evidence, analyzing and

synthesizing that evidence.

Using a computer system like Watson, the designer and decision

maker can take every single factor at work in the problem of

urban planning into account. The computer system, with a ca-pacity far beyond that of human mind, can synthesize a multi-

tude of data related to the problems of urban design as well as

contextual information based on site. The computer is capable

of understanding each and every factor of what makes a suc-

cessful urban space as a measurable data point, and in so doing

encourage a holistic approach to planning. Although a computer

might never be able to do the work of a designer, it can provide

data-based evidence in intricate detail to support positive design

and empower decisions.


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Practice Work

The next gateway project I participated

in shared similar themes to MapLab. Ci-

tyLab was a project headed by director

of the practice department, Len Charney,

and director of sustainable design, Shaun

ORourke. We were tasked with helping to

develop and pilot a new curriculum com-ponent that would orient incoming stu-

dents to the neighborhoods surrounding

the BAC campus and teach these stu-

dents how to use analytical study of the

urban environment as a tool for design

inspiration. As of Fall 2013 Citylab will be-

come a mandatory week-long orientation

experience for all incoming students.

In order to begin brainstorming ideas for

possible content of the CityLab course, ourteam began a series of exercises exploring

and mapping the environs immediately

surrounding the BAC neighborhood. We

referred to Kevin Lynchs Image of a City

in developing a diagrammatic language to

describe boundaries and distinctions bet-

ween and within these neighborhoods.

Our team walked the city and discussed

at length how studying the urban envi-

ronment had informed our work in stu-

dios and our attitudes about design. I

maintain that in my first semesters at

the BAC, when I had just moved to the city

and suffered from feeling disconnected,

my walks to explore the city refreshed my

mind and filled me with new ideas Bos-

ton has been my greatest teacher, I feltstrongly that I wanted to pass along this

experience to younger students.

After these initiating exercises we be-

gan a project to research the history of

the Southwest Corridor. The Southwest

Corridors history is a fascinating narrati-

ve of community activism taking on the

larger forces of urban reconstruction

that was en-vogue in city planning in

the 1960s. Protestors who set up campat Tent City in 1968 forever changed the

shape of the city of Boston by preventing

an elevated highway from barreling its

way through South Boston and Jamaica

Plain the highway was in fact planned

to ring around the whole of Boston, even

through Cambridge, but the massive pro-

tests effectively changed public opinion

and the Mayer of Boston called it off. Ins-

tead a team of forward thinking designers,

GATEWAY PROJECT:Citylab

JACKSON SQ T

CENTREST


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in the spaces that had already suffered demolition, created the orange line of the MBTA and a system of parks collectively referred

to as the Southwest Corridor. After exploring the area our team was able to split the Corridor project into segments so each of us

could focus on a particular neighborhood affected by this history I was assigned a neighborhood right in the heart of Jamaica Plain,

centered around the Green St T-stop. Here I found a lively community that frequently uses these public spaces for events and re-creation, including an annual celebration that commemorates the defeat of the planned highway called Wake up the Earth Festival.

We interviewed the locals who were using their parks to see how many of them knew the history of the area, and along the way we

met many residents who remember and took part in the 1968 protests. We were able to meet several community organizers and

designers who were part of the Southwest Corridors history, this opportunity to do research first-hand through in-person inter-

views was invaluable.

Through this project I learned what it is that most interests me in design: the larger-scale design problems that face the urban

environment and our communities. I relished the fascinating conversations I had the opportunity to take part in with faculty and

community members about these issues as part of the CityLab project and I think those experiences will inevitably shape my career

moving forward.

GREEN ST T STONYBROOK T JACKSON SQ T

I LOVE GOING TO THE WAKE

UP THE EARTH FESTIVAL EVERY

YEAR ON THE CORRIDOR!

BIKES NOT BOMBS HAS A GREAT

FESTIVAL TOO

PEOPLE IN THE PARK ARE REALLY

FRIENDLY, THEY SAY HELLO OR HOLA

... ITS NICE, IT FEELS SAFE

THE NEIGHBORHOOD AROUND HERE

IS REAL ARTSY... IT REMINDS ME OF SAN

FRANSISCO. ITS REALLY GREEN TOO.


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Practice work

At Designer Cabinetry I held the position of Showroom Manager, which meant thatmy primary responsibility was too assist the sales staff with whatever they needed. Ihad to be flexible and also able to self-regulate between multiple tasks. Tasks includedscheduling appointments and coordinating between contractors and suppliers, takingmessages by phone and email, and maintaining the sample library.

Showroom ManagerAt Designer Cabinetry

46 portfolio


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Photography

When a project was finished I wouldarrange with the client to visit their homeand photograph the finished project forthe purpose of creating new content forour website and promotional literature

Construction Documentation,

For each project their needed to be atminimum 3 sets of drawings: the firstset was created for and by the salesstaff only, as seen in the large drawingto the left, it was the drawing thatwould facilitate generating pricing forthe cabinets specifically. Another set ofdrawing would be sent to fabricators ofcounter-tops and other materials forpricing purposes. After the customerwas sent a quote and signed on to theproject, another set of drawings werecreated for the contractors and installers,that detailed dimensions and criticalconstruction details. Often when thework load was heavy in the office I wouldassist the sales staff in creating thesedrawings, and also in the case of theexamples shown I helped to convert themeasurements from the metric unitsof the European cabinetry lines intostandard units for the contractors to referto more easily.

Customer Interaction

I was also responsible for greeting newcustomers and showing them aroundthe showroom, providing them withliterature and guiding them throughthe initial stages of the design process.I discovered that I had a distinct talentfor articulating design questions in a

way that was accessible to the non-design-professional client. Interactionswith clients in the decision makingprocess quickly became my favoriteaspect of the work. Clients enjoyed mypersonality, ability to communicate, andknowledge of design principles.


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Flying Buttresses of Notre Dame, Paris, 2009.

Extracurricular

Artwork &Photography


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ArchitecturalPhotography

Photography is an exercise in seeing, not in

recording. I really strive to take photogra-

phs o architecture that convey more than

just memory. I think good photographs

should have an aesthetic quality comple-

tely seperable rom their sentimentality.

Let page, clockwise rom top let:

Snohettas Olso Opera House, Interior and

Exterior, 2010. Building in Munich, 2009.

Arched Passageway in Leuven, Belguim,

2007. Gare du Nord, Paris, 2009. Building inCopenhagen, 2010.

This page, clockwise rom top let: Fine

Arts Center at UMass Amherst, 2010. Louis

Kahns Yale Center or British Art, 2012.

Tower in Leuven, Belguim, 2007. Bust o

Statue in Copenhagen, 2010. Ferris Wheel

in le Jardin de Tulleries, Paris, 2009. Notre

Dame, 2009. Colonial House in Conneticut

(Part o White Triangles Series) 2011.


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Personal Artwork

These are from my Disaster series. A group of artworks which for me attemptto express the sense of wonder and fear I feel when faced with the increasingoccurence of disasters related to climate change. The works often depictthreatening or impassable environs.


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portfolipo 53

Above: Ghost of CindySherman, chalk pastel,2010. I wanted to seehow much was possible

to convey gesturallywith just a silhouette,so I chose a to createthe silhouette fromone of Cindy Shermanscinematographic photos.

Left: Untitled watercolor,2013. Working in theabstract allows meto experiment withdifferent kinds of mark-

making.

Right: Watercolor fromWhite Triangles Series,2012. From a series ofpaintings, sketches andphotographs exploringthe symbolic nature ofthe pitched roof againstthe skyline, signifyinga common concept ofhome.

Luptatum,

amet zzril consetetur ea mea? Similiquesadipscing comprehensam cum ea, piscisententiae vix id! Vel ocurreret.

Above: Watercolor of winter trees, 2012.Painted to serve as a background on a posterfor a winter evening fund-raising concert.


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Final Segment I Portfolio

Documents

Transcript of Final Segment I Portfolio