michaelGEORGOPOULOScolumbia universityCUgraduate school of architecture planning and preservationGSAPPmaster of architecture candidateM.ARCH

EXPERIENCE

FABRICATION

BUILDING SYSTEMS

COMPETITION

DRAWING/ANALYSIS

STUDIO DESIGN

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dystopia: library of literacy

dwelling: different states of housing

savannah: re-thinking the square

venezia: excavating the ‘floating city’

hudson rail yards: a new social/cultural epicenter

panorama: re-configured beach house on the peruvian coast

urban gesticulations: 160 east bay street

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fpsp: visual permeability pavilion

designIT: the thinker’s folly

vicenza: palladio and under-standing the edge

arch-tech iv: the ‘magic box’

gsapp: terraincognita

qatar: education city

eoys: gsapp end of the year show

dystopia: the library of literacy

- a critical stance on the impacts of information overload -

core studio iispring 2011

critic: christoph kumpusch

site: 455 fifth avenuenew york, ny 10016

At first glance there is a certain ‘utopian-ness’ to the present state of information distribution. The internet serves as a medium of endless freedom/access to information that is seemingly unrestricted. There is a sense of equality seemingly inherent with this with this limitless exchange. However, upon further investiga-

tion, there are many flaws with this structure of informational exchange. The main flaw takes shape through the idea of information overload, which directly effects informational literacy.

Information overload serves as a serious consequence to the current state of informational exchange and literacy. Overload takes form through sensory and non-sensory means. Lack of responsiveness, cognitive malfunction, fast/irregular changing of situations, and novelty loaded content without discernment are

sensory characteristics of information overload; while high rates of new information, ease of duplication/transmission, contradictions/inaccuracies, and lack of adequate comparing and processing reflect non-sensory factors. As a result, a user seeking an answer to a specific query experiences a cognitive malfunction in

the brain, causing a lack of processing between raw information to usable thinking information. Thus, a susceptibility to whatever is present at the time (in terms of an informational solution to a query) is accepted as true and accurate according to the user, regardless of accuracy and relevancy of subject.

Essentially, the problem can be seen as a disassociation between content and object.

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street perspective of entry from fifth avenue

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In an age of innumerable amounts of information and limitless possibilities the road towards utopia seems digitally paved. At present, the seemingly utopian freedoms/access of the internet has produced information in a matter of seconds at the push of a button. More and more information is becoming available at a faster and faster pace. Where does the human being fit in this equation? This has taken a toll on the informational literacy of society due to the lack of the essential ability for the human mind to adapt and decipher raw information as users become complacent with the fastest/'good enough' informational result. A disassociation has emerged between the object [information] and content [accuracy/relevancy] which can be termed as information overload. In cases past, the librarian served as a mediator between this accuracy and overload of content. However, the present day librarian goes almost unnoticed as information has become vast and particular to the individual’s interest. Therefore the library and librarian must evolve to accommodate the present situation. The user/individual must become their own librarian and the library must manifest itself as the breeding ground for this transformation.

By utilizing the qualities of a dystopia and creating an organisational strategy based on defined elements of information literacy, the library will serve to strategi-cally infuse accurate and relevant understandings of specific user’s queries; effectively restoring the connection between content and object.

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process model investigating internal organization

process model investigating vertical circulation and building envelope

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first level plan1 - lecture hall2 - personal media rooms3 - entry ramp4 - emerging tech studios

third level plan1 - physical stack space2 - data visualization room3 - personal computer databasing

eighth level plan1 - critical discourse debate room

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DIVISIONS OF LITERACY:

1 - Urban Plaza - the public filter; divides users into which level of literacy to persue first and customized journey through structure2 - Emerging technology literacy - ability to continuously adapt to, understand, evaluate and make use of the continually emerging innovations in information technology so as not to be a prisoner of prior tools and resources, and to make intelligent decisions about the adoption of new ones.3 - Research literacy - understand and use the IT-based tools relevant to the work of today's researcher and scholar. 4 - Publishing literacy - ability to format and publish research and ideas electronically,in textual and multimedia forms … to introduce them into the electronic public realm and the electronic community of scholars. 5 - Tool literacy - understand and use the practical and conceptual tools of current information technology relevant to education and the areas of work and professional life that the individual expects to inhabit. 6 - Resource literacy - understand the form, format, location and access methods of information resources, especially daily expanding networked information resources. 8 - Social-structural literacy - understanding how information is socially situated and produced.

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PROGRAMMATIC GUIDELINES -Information Literacy: One who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively. The one who is information literateevaluates information critically and competently. One who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively. Independent Learning: One who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests. One who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.

Social Responsibility: The one who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society. The one who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology. The library manifests conceptual ideas into a series of spatial zones that are further articulated into a classification of programmatic volumes linked through a larger circulation and speaks to ideas of structure and site.

interior perspective toward physical stack display

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night street perspective of entry from fifth avenue

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urban gesticulations: 160 east bay street

- a new cultural identity for the city -

design vispring 2008

critic: levent kara

site: 160 east bay streetcharleston, sc 29401

CONTEXT & CIVIC SCALE

Charleston has a deep seeded history dating back to the early stages of the United States. It is one of the more notable cities in the country and one of the most populated in the state. Charleston retains a rich culture and respect for the arts.

The goal of this project is to compliment the civic scale of the site by creating a new cultural center that will stand as a symbol of appreciation for the arts and culture of Charleston. The site reacts to the highly active East Bay Street edge, while presenting an open, quiescent outdoor space towards the west of the site.

This contrast between activity and pause is reflective of how the site holds characteristics of both the congestion and motion from the major streetscape to the east and the nearby expanse of coastline two blocks to the west.

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ground plan1 - cultural exhibition2 - theater3 - restrooms

first level plan1 - cultural exhibition2 - void3 - library4 - theater balcony5 - cafe

second level plan1 - cultural exhibition2 - void3 - offices4 - meeting hall

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cross section through exhibition and theater spaces

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PERSONAL SCALE

The building consists of three levels of exhibition space with alternate programs for a library, cafe, theater, meeting hall, and office spaces. However the guiding force is exhibition, specifically local art. This programmatic piece acts as a datum to which the secondary and tertiary spaces attach.

The floor plates are cut through by undulating walls that help feed natural light into all exhibition areas, also offering additional surfaces to display local art, and provide a sense of continuity between the levels.

longitudinal section through cultural exhibition spaces

perspective toward second level exhibition perspective toward library

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librarycafemeeting hallofficetheaterexhibition

perspective from east bay street - [speed-rhythm]

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STREET SCALE

The project’s overall scale respects the prominent low-rise cityscape of Charleston. The east facade pushes itself toward the street, further complimenting the dense, quick paced quality of East Bay. The fenestrations of this facade undulate in order to mimic the speed and rhythm of the street. However, the western part of the site is open to the pedestrian, permitting the sense of pause and reflection. This facade is more sculptural and contains a water element which sharply contrasts the activity of the opposite street facade.

library

perspective from east bay street - [speed-rhythm]

perspective of western facade - open to pedestrian [pause_reflect]

dwelling: different states of housing

- food production + housing -

core studio iiifall 2011

critic: LOT-EK and thomas de monchaux

site: 227 Cherry StreetNew York, NY 10002

FOOD (grain) PRODUCTION + HOUSING

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exploded axonometric1 - below grade market/corn processing plant2 - activated groundscape3 - public pathways/thearapeutic zones4 - mixed volumes5 - LED corn agriculture volumes6 - housing/vertical circulation volumes7 - activated roofscape

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cross section through corn processing/production volume

cross section through housing volume

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LED Artificial Light: For Plants + People

Red and near-infrared light are a "window" of wavelengths that are able to pass through tissue up to 1 inch deep (not 6 inches like some web sites claim). Red and near-infrared have beneficial effects on cells by "kick-starting" them into immediately creating more ATP (cellular energy) and increasing DNA and RNA activity. This effect has been carefully studied in many published reports since 1987. The positive effects occur only in injured cells. There is no benefit to healthy cells. In the past, lasers were thought to be needed to provide the light, but it's been known since 1989 that LEDs are just as good.

longitudinal section

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This large scale project forgoes the individual units and their aggregation to the examination of the surrounding urban context of the Pathmark site. If the problems of housing have so far focused on building up, this exploration reverses that working methodology and asks to begin at the large scale of the city. In the same way that the repetitive use of the tenement, row house, and Brownstone typologies defined the entire spatial reading of neighbourhoods and their socioeconomic structures, consider how your housing typology would rewrite the identity of East Harlem.

Further studying the area between 115th and 125th along Park Avenue turning at the corner at 125th Street and meeting the Pathmark site. Creating a new zoning/massing diagram along this area. The MetroNorth train tracks remain, and service La Marqueta Mile, a street market located underneath this structure proposed by the Harlem CDC. Additional transportation infrastructure to be included in the study is the 2nd avenue subway and potential for a transfer station. Along the 115th‐125th Street corridor. This project tests urban ideas, theories, and, most importantly, specu-lates on the development of the city.

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understory zoning1 - perimeter oriented housing2 - food production volumes

LED landscape

‘grain alley’1 - corn cultivation2 - amaranth cultivation3 - wheat cultivation4 - oat cultivation5 - barley cultivation

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speculative perspective of urban strategy

There are two forms of cultivation with this strategy: the grain field roof condition utilizes traditional agricultural techniques. As a result, the understory is left with a dark seemingly unhabitable zone. However, the integration of artificial LED growing methods allows for a new type of atmosphere to emerge from this understory. Thus, these artificial grain factories serve as the structure for the tradition roofscape, while emitting artificial light to the ground level La Marqueta Mile.

understory zoning1 - perimeter oriented housing2 - food production volumes

LED landscape

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panorama: re-configured beach house on the peruvian coast

- a house between the sea and the country -

ARQUITECTUM competitionsummer 2010

collaboration:luis alarcon, mitchell bush, christina dreibholz, aaron mark

site: the lot is located in the district of Asia, in the province of Cañete to the south of Lima, Peru

PARAMETERS:The project is a country-beach house which can be developed in stages, beginning with a constructed area of 50 m2 and ending as a multipurpose project of approximately 350 m2 of constructed area.

Each stage will add complementary uses to the previous phase, beginning with a minimum space for a couple, and finishing with a house with all the complete services capable of receiving as many as 12 guests.

The main rooms of the house (lounge, dining room and main bedroom) should look out towards the longest extension of the lot, thereby prolonging the view for as long as is visually possible. The views of the other rooms will depend on the form of distribution selected by the project designer. The viewing platform located on the upper level must (obligatorily) face towards the west so that residents will be

able to enjoy the sunset, but also have a 360º view.

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ground perspective of landscaping facing complete beach house configuration

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2 + 3The next stage places the lounge, dining and kitchen areas adjacent to stage 1. This provides additional space for gathering. It also adds an elevated exterior space with panoramic views to the ocean.

5The final stage places guest bedrooms into the landscape below the previous stages. This gesture embeds visitors into the landscape providing ocean views and roof landscapes.

The first stage elevates the main bedroom, closet and bathroom to establish dominant southern and western views towards the coastline and sunset. Gardens are located adjacent to the bedroom to encourage landscape engagement.

STAGE STAGE STAGE STAGE 1 4This stage introduces more amenities for visitors, consisting of a 360 degree viewing platform and pool to provide a relaxed space for outdoor interaction between guests.

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5STAGE ground perspective toward pool facing the coast

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hudson rail yards: a new social epicenter

design viifall 2009

critic: donna cohen

collaboration:luis alarcon

site: 33rd StreetNew York, NY

The task for this project aims to transform the Hudson Yards, 26 acres of undeveloped land currently home to rail yards, into a sprawling, mixed-use/living site anchored by cultural nodes that bridge the programmatic variances.

commercial

cultural

residential

mixed_use

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commercial

cultural

residential

mixed_use

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CONTEXT/SITE

The Hudson Rail Yards Proposal offers a ground breaking opportunity in the redefining and reinventing of the urban condition. The objective consists of creating a new central hub between the Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen district.

On top of such a vast site, the proposal encompasses the preservation of the rail yards. Therefore, a plinth is used as the new ground condition hovering above the rail yards. This entitles a variety of design complications with respect to entry and circulation due to topographical variations that directly influences how a pedestrian approaches the site. With the idea of porosity in mind, the plinth can become a spatial condition that embraces the opportunity for distinct, engaging spatial conditions that reinforce the notion of ‘thinking anew’.

In addition, the rail yards project promises the idea of a new social epicenter that focuses on the concepts of sensory image, as well as providing a new green space for the city of Manhattan that serves as an anchor for the historic highline.

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ground plan1 - residential tower entrances2 - below grade railway viewing node3 - mixed use exhibition hall4 - commercial units5 - below grade cultural node6 - school entry7 - highline integration

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detail series from final physical model

detail series from final physical model

The plinth (new ground) becomes a very porous spatial condition as it is cut away in order to bring pedestrian access to the site. The 30th street access points are periodic and at a smaller scale to allow commercial markets to nestle underneath the plinth. In contrast, the 33rd street accesses are at a much larger scale linking the future Hudson Boulevard project with the Hudson River.

The proposal requires programs that consist of commercial/exhibition facilities, a cultural center, housing, and mixed usage. Due to the vast scale of the site, the cultural center serves as the means of continuity throughout the entire site. Instead of a single building housing the cultural center, a series of ‘cultural nodes’ are placed at various interstitial spaces (ranging in scale) unifying the site. These nodes are embedded within the plinth, as well as functioning as moments of pause within the buildings.

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speculative street perspective toward 33rd street entrance

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savannah: re-thinking the square

- speculations on the ‘trustee lot’ -

design vispring 2008

critic: levent kara

site: 428 bull st # 101savannah, ga 31401

CONTEXT:The city of Savannah, Georgia, United States, was laid out in 1733 around four open squares. The plan anticipated growth of the city and thus expansion of the

grid; additional squares were added during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and by 1851 there were twenty-four squares in the city. Most of Savannah's squares are named in honor or in memory of a person, persons or historical event, and many contain monuments, markers, memorials, statues, plaques, and other

tributes. Each square sits at the center of a ward, which often shares its name with its square. The lots to the east and west of the squares, flanking the major east-west axis, were considered "trust lots" in the original city plan and intended for large public buildings such as churches, schools, or markets. The remainder of

the ward was divided into four areas, called tythings, each of which was further divided into ten residential lots.

This project takes the place of one of the ‘trust lots’ and creates an outdoor urban canopy that is a reflection of the square and strengthens the trust lot’s function as a large public generator.

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street perspective from bull street

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___________________________public square

_____________________________________________trust lots

___________________________________residential lots

perspective towards historical libraryextension of square

e-w elevation - extension of the [square]

URBAN CANOPY

The original trust lots were intended for large public buildings such as churches, schools, or markets; this project intends to build on that intention. However, this project reacts to the outdoor qualities of the square that is the main focus of each ward. The creation of an urban canopy allows space for a public market to attract locals on the ground level. The canopy undulates and is structured based on the natural qualities of the nearby square as well as the ranging scales and materiality present within the city.

The upper level of the facility encompasses a historical library that attracts both inhabitants and visitors alike to the site while enforcing life and identity to the ward and city itself.

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street perspective from bull street

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venezia: excavating the ‘floating city’

- uncovering/understanding the foundations of venice -

design viiispring 2009

critic: martin gundersen

site: 3749 fondamenta di san felicevenice, it

THE FLOATING CITY:From a cursory glance, Venice appears to be a city floating amongst a multitude of waterways…

the foundations of Venice rest on closely spaced wooden pylons imported from the mainland…wood in the form of vertical stakes penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a much harder layer of compressed clay...

as a result of the constant flow of mineral enriched water around and through, the wood becomes petrified (stone-like in structure)… the immense usage of wood now has Venice dealing with various conservation issues regarding the high potential of wood decay in areas of variable water levels...

in the event of decaying wood, remove problemed area if possible, otherwise the effects must be dealt with. This includes the restoration and conservation aspects of replacement, reinforcement, and consolidation...CONCLUSION:

The concept of a floating city offers a range of unique experiences to an occupant. However, Venice only perceivably appears to be a floating entity. A dense system of structure organizes and supports the city in its seemingly ‘floating’ place. The exposure of this hidden structural order break initial conceptions and pave the way for interesting architectural experiences…

Therefore, the goal of the project is to respond to the hidden structure of Venice by offering a space that encompasses the restoration and conservation of the wooden stakes to the inhabitants of the city, while also proposing a didactic presentation of this structure for the wandering traveler...

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longitudinal section revealing structure of the ‘floating city’

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perspective toward lift for broken/repairable pylons perspective toward fondamenta di san felice entry

REINFORCEMENT & CONSOLIDATIONPart of the program of the site offers the restoration and consolidation of damaged/decaying wood stakes that make up the structure of Venice. The stakes are gathered throughout the various waterways and transported via gondola (specifically the batèla buranela and the caorlìna - both Venetian transport boats with large shipping capacities that still retain their elegance). The wood is then lifted from the boat and placed on site where the problemed areas of the wood are cut and replaced by new timbers mechanically reinforced with wooden, metal, or glass fiber dowels or the wood can also be strengthened by consolidation through impreg-nation.

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process model series understanding programmatic elements and integration into context

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PRESENTATION & EXPERIENCE

In addition, the program includes an element of presentation to which the ground (water) is carved out and suppressed in order to allow occupants to freely explore the foundations of Venice.

The ground level offers a glimpse of the revealed structure through a grouping of extruded stakes extending from the foundation. Cuts in the floor plate allow visitors to peer into the ‘would be’ submerged structure that supports the city. Beyond that, the visitor may descend to the lower ‘chamber’ level and experience the ‘submerged’ structure first hand. The upper levels expose occupants to the restoration process as well as providing panoramic views of ‘the floating city’ and allowing for the reflection of this notion of floating contrasted with the rigid, ordered structure hidden within the Venetian waterways.

water level perspectiveaerial view of fondementa entry and waterway

waterway entry

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interior perspective below water revealing pylons

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eoys: gsapp end of the year show

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core studio iispring 2011

collaboration:christoph kumpusch’s core ii studio

site: avery hall columbia university

Fabricated display installation for the GSAPP end of the year show.

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The END OF YEAR SHOW exhibits the most innovative research and design work produced by students of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in one of the largest annual exhibits devoted to the built environment.

Our studio never believed in the library as a viable contemporary project. In the absence of requiring a building for books to rot in, we turned to the remaining programmatic elements—café, community meeting space, wi-fi hub and spaces to look smart in—and expanded on those with some serious research on remotely accessing unscanned volumes held at a central off-site facility. This allowed the students and their architecture to breathe a little. All our proposals admitted that urban voids (space and absences in an overbuilt context) were the real civic luxury.

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vicenza: understanding the edge

- an analysis of palladio’s historic structures -

design viiispring 2009

critic: bradley walters

Edges are important concerns for architecture. They can be both conjunctions and disjunctions, places where things rub and tear or places where things touch and slip. They are places where densities change, where membranes negotiate the dual conditions of retaining and repelling. And they are often occupiable zones with

variable thicknesses, conditions of overlap or in between, both/and or neither/nor.

The architecture of northern Italy is marked by the layered edges and in between spaces of the arcade and portico, of the balcony and shutters, of rusticated bases, engaged columns, pilasters balustrades, steps and texture. There is a richness in the edge, where the enclosed space of the street and square meet the open space within the building. It is a place where public and private, singular and plural, interior and exterior meet. In the countryside of Italy and in important civic buildings, edges become open and porous. Villas open to extend out into the landscape and invite the land in. The city and country present very different

architectural problems but share a concern about the edge. In architecture of this region, there are numerous traces of historic reverberations, mapping the particular stylistic and political pressures arriving from east and west, from Venezia (and Istanbul/Constantinople) and Roma. There are records of culture and periods of economic vitality, where larger scale building projects mark particular historic moments. Time is recorded in the layered edges of every building and

open space.

Finally, the urban plan of Vicenza records latent and historic social, cultural, and political tensions. Most significantly are the spaces between church and state, and the overlaps that occur between these and other (commercial/recreational/social) uses. The markets, formerly relegated to precise contained areas, today spill

across regions and blur edges.

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the facade as edge

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FACADE:“Our contention is that Palladio not only [turning away consciously from the perspective] interpretation of architec-tural form but is also deliberately [disconnecting] and [disintegrating] it, to product, out of the destruction of all a priori relationships, the quality of unrelatedness or [absoluteness] in the individual forms. And this indeed is confirmed by his frequent placing of pure solids and voids in the same plane with no transition.”

-Giulio Carlo Argan, The Importance of Sammicheli in the Formation of Palladio

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THE CORNER EDGEDATUM:managing to [i s o l a t e the elements] as pure and finite forms and then putting them back together, with a [s_y_n_t_a_x] that does suggest the rhythm of classical antiquity

The corner, acts in a similar way to the facade except on an even finer scale. Acting as the intersection of converging spaces, the corner offers circumstances of movement and maneuver based on Palladio’s workings of column details (integration and disintegration of the wall and arcade details).

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arch-tech iv: the ‘magic box’

- understanding the three main building systems: structural/mechanical/enclosure -

architectural technology ivfall 2011

critic: jay hibbs

collaboration: luis alarcon, shih-ning chou, yurika sugimoto

site: san jose repertory theater101 paseo de san antonio

san jose, ca

THE BUILDING ANALYSIS PROBLEMThe semester was devoted to analyzing a prominent post WWII building. Using the building's construction drawings as the primary source of information, the

investigation will focus on the interrelationship between the structural, mechanical and enclosure systems, construction methods and materials and the architec-tural form. The examination of the building systems will emphasize the way in which each informs and impacts the others as well as their ultimate affect on the

creation of the architecture.

An objective of this part of the course will be to understand the architect's attitude regarding the building systems and how the architectural idea/intention of the specific building is realized, reflected and/or amplified by the choice, manipulation, interaction and execution of the building systems. The process of the investiga-

tion will be documented with plan, section and detail drawings and diagrams, 3-D detail models and a technical report

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exploded axonometric revealing building systems

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main structural framing1 - gravity load distribution2 - lateral load distribution

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main structural framing1 - gravity load distribution2 - lateral load distribution

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STRUCTUREThe structural system of the theater reflects the challenge of fulfilling the architect’s formal desire in the context of an earthquake zone. One may be able to read the general massing of the building as a cluster of distinct boxes. However, all boxes are in fact closely knitted together to form an integral whole.

The overall structural grid is consisted of three parts: two rectilinear grids with 15 degree angle to each other, one guiding the theater boxes, the other one for the lower retail space in the east. The radial grid origins from within the theater grid and organizes the orchestra.

All three grids are tied together with concrete grad beams below ground, which then distribute the gravity loads of the building to the concrete foundation.¬¬ One can point to a strategy for tying the entire horizontal structural from the same level into an integral frame is repeated at higher levels as well in countering the lateral forces from wind loads as well as earthquakes.

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AC_1 AC_3 AC_4

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AC_4

chilled water supplychilled water returnhwshot water returncdscdr

boiler

AC_1

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cooling towerchiller

exhaust fans

emergency fire vents

MECHANICALFive air handling units were originally planned for the entire building. As certain parts of the design were never finished, air handling units #2 and #5 were designated as “not used” at the time when the construction drawings were produced, although spaces were left for them within the building in case of later expansion or completion of the whole design.

All air handling units are located on top of the volume between the retail and the stage/auditorium boxes where the geometry of the blue skin is most complex. This is also where the false façade occurs. Boiler and chiller rooms are located below the HVAC units in a room towards the north of this volume. One may understand this cluster where the building geometry, envelope geometry as well as mechanical system is most concentrated to be the knot that ties all building volumes together. This is the moment where the formal logic, structural logic and logic behind the distribution of mechanical systems can be tied together.

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ENVELOPEHolt Hinshaw’s San Jose Repertory Theatre, located on 101 Paseo De San Antonio Walk in San Jose, California was designed in 1992 and opened in 1997. In terms of climate, because it is located in the Bay Area, but sheltered by mountains, it has a semiarid feel. It is sunny most days of the year, with relatively little rain of about 14 inches per year. The average high temperature for the course of the year is 71.9 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average low is 49.6 degrees Fahrenheit. In terms of seismic activity, the site is located in between the San Andreas Fault, and the Calavaras Fault, and goes through about two earthquakes that are above 4 in the Richter scale, per year.

The most striking feature of the San Jose Repertory, initially, is its blue corrugated metal envelope that wraps around the entire structure. Conceptually, the architects felt that the blue steel panels “could merge the building with the clear California sky during the day”, while at night, the blue tint makes the building disappear. Thus, the clear resin coat and the blue metallic pigment beneath suggests the phenomenon of merging light and dark.

The corrugated panels range from the larger 3” width corrugated panels that span the larger volumes of the structure, while the 1.5” width panels accentuate the widowed portions of the façade while also further articulating the buildings formal moves. Structurally speaking, the envelope acts as a separate system grafted onto the theaters primary steel structure. A series of 6” metal studs placed at 16” on center provide the general framing for the corrugated panels, while additional aluminium cross beams were added to the primary structure in order to support the façade in order to accommodate the more complex geometry. This is especially evident on the eastern façade as a substantial amount of additional structure was erected in order to screen the exposed HVAC equipment, while aesthetically the envelope extends the geometric lines from the programmatic volumes below.

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detail a1 - stl ts member2 - 5/8” gypsum board3 - 40 mil waterproofing membrane4 - batt insulation5 - polyethelene comb foam filler

detail b1 - cap flashing2 - fire treated wood plate3 - stl ts member4 - bracket fasteners

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designIT: the thinker’s folly

- guggenheim and google sketchup -

summer 2009

site: central park, ny

On the occasion of the exhibitions ‘Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward’ and ‘Learning By Doing’, the Guggenheim and Google SketchUp invited amateur and professional designers from around the world to submit a 3-D shelter for any location in the world using Google SketchUp and Google Earth. The required

submittal consisted of four images and 75 words describing the shelter.

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THE THINKER’S FOLLYThe goal of this project is to reinterpret the conventional view of a ‘shelter.’ The overall concept of this structure juxtaposes mind and body. Whether it is an artist looking for inspiration or simply a free thinker seeking a place to ruminate, this structure offers salvation. In addition, the structure is highly mobile and suitable for multiple sites, integrating the distinguishing characteristics of light and view that pertain to each.

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fpss: visual permeability pavilion

- fast pace/slow space -

digital fabricationspring 2011

critic: mark bearak, brigette borders

collaboration: luis alarcon, aaron berman, eun ki kang, dayeon kim, nicole kotsis, jeeun grace lee, aaron mark, hylee oh, steven sanchez

site: avery hall courtyard

Parametric and computational software offer designers a high degree of specificity which can be used to create complex forms, intricate details, and material efficiency, yet high-level results become insignificant if construction methods are too complicated to be timely. Fast Pace/Slow Space will focus on the marriage of

complex form and logical assembly, with detailing, hardware and construction methods informing design decisions from the onset. Students in groups of 4-6 will design an installation or environment with slow pace sensibilities, while utilizing details that allow for high-speed assembly and disassembly. The class will explore

the nature of the digital process, material techniques and fabrication process in the human environment; students will generate unique solutions that satisfy architectural requirements, building standards, cost ceilings and aesthetic aspirations, and efficiency of time.

In today’s cities people work not only at their place of business but often while mobile, utilizing the digital tools and infrastructure that allow us to stay constantly interconnected. While moving between fast-paced environments, many people have no chance to experience respite. This occurrence is even more amplified in Manhattan where space is premium and the pace of life rarely slows down. We propose high speed construction of a space for meditation, relaxation and atmos-pheric therapy; a cohesive environment built upon the relationship between man and his built environment. The space could be a room, a tunnel, a free-standing

structure, an implied enclosure that still allows light and air through but creates a sense of privacy; the program is completely open to any installation that would create an environment.

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As part of a digital fabrication course (Fast Pace/Slow Space) at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, the Visual Permeability Pavilion was designed and built as part of their end of the year show and graduation ceremonies. The purpose of the pavilion is to provide multiple spaces for relaxation, contempla-tion, and social interaction.

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PROJECT STATEMENT:

The purpose of this pavilion is to provide multiple spaces for relaxation, contemplation, and social interaction. The two spaces within the project are broken apart, providing one space for two people to relax in a more private setting, and one space for four people to have a conversation or drink. The angling of the wooden slats was designed to maximize this separation for the private zone, and minimize it for the public zone; thus creating a gradient of visual permeability. The form was derived from one continuous strip that wraps around itself, while touching the ground in minimal locations. The density of the slats is based on three density types: The densest zones are designated for walking and sitting, the medium zones are designated as backrest locations, and the lightest zones are meant for shading. This pavilion will act as a beacon to entice a passerby to come over, sit, and relax.

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gsapp: terraincognita

- GLOBAL NETWORKING: eco-tales for thessaloniki’s sealine -

gsapp workshopsummer 2011

coordinator: lydia kallopiti

collaboration: aristole university of thessaloniki

site: axios river deltathessaloniki, gr

This summer workshop was structured as a speculative research and design project that explored the convergence of technology and nature in the outskirts of cities, seeking to define new ways of life and culture that might emerge from this convergence. The exploration was carried out by researching the natural

resources, proliferation of wild life and organic growth, as well as the existing minimum impact vernacular structures in the seashore of Axios’ river delta adjacent to Thessaloniki’s harbor.

By designing habitats for wild life, sustainable infrastructure for the optimum redistribution and cleansing of water, substructures that harness wind and sunlight producing electricity, it is possible to create a natural park for the study and observation of ecological life, as well as for the engagement of the citizens with nature and by extension with farming, food and energy production possibilities in the urban sphere. This ecological hub is envisioned as a new pole of cultural, economic

and sustainable growth for the city of Thessaloniki, as an ecological territory that might revitalize the city itself by offering a center of culture, food and energy production.

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1:1 fabrication detail of water structure

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This new approach to the Thermaikos Gulf allows for the connection of four mussel islands through the creation and bridging of two aquatic paths, thus extending the lively environment of Thessaloniki to the delta of the River Axios. The urban route of the Eastern coast provides access to the islands located along the eco-tourist path of the Western shore, which act as four poles of diversity and productivity. Each island functions as mussel cultivation, providing opportunities for culture, education and industry as well as a new public space for leisure activities. The annual calendar of events follows the life cycle of the mussels and culminates with Mussel Fest, the harvesting and feasting of the mussels in November. Furthermore, the islands are agents of de-pollution and environmental clean up, aimed at increasing the awareness of the battered conditions of the Axios River. Small �filtration pods migrate to di�fferent aggregations to act as �filters, break walls, or for event awareness.

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longitudinal section

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series of detail images of 1:1 scale fabrication

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qatar: education city

- rising urbanism in the middle east -

summer 2008

KEO international consultants

The city of Doha, the capital of Qatar, is rapidly emerging as a viable competitor with Dubai, UAE as the fastest growing modern middle eastern city. Downtown Doha establishes itself as a beacon of western influence due to the fact that the overall layout reflects a cluster of competing western sky scrapers that each

attempt to outshine the surrounding context. Although the structures are individually strong architectural statements, the overall respect to design and appreciation of context seems lost.

During the summer of 2008 I had the privilege of interning for KEO International Consultants who were appointed as the program and construction managers of a 1,400 hectare, multibillion dollar "Education City" project in which numerous internationally recognized signature architects are participating. The plan is to create an international ‘knowledge hub’ by incorporating branches of various universities and companies including: Weill Cornell Medical College, Texas A&M University,

College of Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth, Rand Corp, Carnegie Mellon IT & Business University, with a Science and Technology Park including Shell and Microsoft Corporation.

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education city master plan

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Rem Koolhaas

Arata Isozaki

Ricardo Legoretta

Cesar Pelli and Others

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