PORTFOLIOSUMMER 2011

DREW SUSZKO

DREW SUSZKOUNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI | DAAP

Master’s Candidate | 2014andrew.suszko@gmail.com

612.516.0083

STUDIOS4-15 16-23

DIGITAL DESIGN28-31

ARTWORKSTUDIES24-27

4

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CENTER

Site: Urban IntersectionProgram: K-4 School with Administration, Education, and SupportScale: 60,000 sfModel Scale: 1 inch / 8 feet

Materials: Basswood, Chipboard, Paper, and FoamResources: Adobe Illustrator, Revit Architecture

Embracing the dynamic zone in which it sits, the environmental learning center balances program with external forces. The school’s philosophy and curriculum stress external learning opportunities. But, the space available for open play is relatively limited. Bounded to the north by a heavily-trafficked commercial street and to the south

by a residential zone, the building responds in plan. As the school is central to civic institutions a large, public plaza is given back to the community and becomes an integral organizing element. Classrooms are situated in two bars framing a private, internal courtyard. Immediate access to the courtyard is gained off of

extended learning areas on the ground floor. On the first floor, external relief is provided in the form of roof-top gardens. An additional green roof is situated on the rooftops of the first floor. As such, the building invites the environment in and allows it to blossom on all available horizontal surfaces.

1 inch = 16 feet

0 16 32 64 128 FIRST FLOOR PLAN

1 inch = 16 feet

0 16 32 64 128 GROUND FLOOR PLAN

First Floor

A. ClassroomB. Auditorium / GatheringC. MediaD. Parent Drop-OffE. Extended Learning Area

Ground Floor

A. ClassroomE. Extended Learning AreaF. Arts and SciencesG. AdministrationH. CafeteriaI. GymJ. Bus Drop-Off

Outdoor Below

Civic Space

CB A

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A A A

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Outdoor Learning

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A AA

FG F F

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1 inch = 16 feet

0163264128

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

STUDIOS

publicspace

gym

admin

busesbuses

buses

lunch

joint

media 1stspecial

education kindergarten

drop o� drop o�

2nd3rd 4thsta� spaces

support spaces

NORTHERN LIGHTWIND EXIT TRAFFICCOMMERCECHURCH INSTITUTION

NOISY PUBLIC

SOUTHERN LIGHT

MORNING LIGHT

RESIDENTIAL

ALLEYS

HISTORIC

HIGH ELEVATION

TRAFFIC

SUMMER SHADE

SHELTERED

INTIMATE VIEWSHELTEREDSURFACEPARKING

AFTERNOON LIGHTWIND SOURCE

MODERN BLOCKSURFACEPARKINGLOW ELEVATIONBROAD VIEW

EXPOSED

INSTITUTION

play play play

outdoorlearning

outdoorspace

waste

SOUTHERN LIGHT

NORTHERN LIGHT

MORNING LIGHTAFTERNOON LIGHTWIND SOURCE

WIND EXIT

MODERN BLOCK

RESIDENTIAL

ALLEYS

TRAFFICCOMMERCECHURCH

HISTORIC

SURFACEPARKING

HIGH ELEVATION

LOW ELEVATION

TRAFFIC

BROAD VIEW

INSTITUTION

SUMMER SHADE

SHELTERED

EXPOSED

INSTITUTION

INTIMATE VIEW

NOISY PUBLIC

SHELTEREDSURFACEPARKING

Green roof

6

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CENTER

The interplay between external face and internal instruction is dramatized by a pair of tiered gathering spaces. Inside, the auditorium consists of a series of gradual elevation changes that serve as both seating platforms and a stair that addresses an elevation change on the site. Upon entering on the

first floor, students spill down the levels to the ground floor below. Beyond, the civic courtyard is a checker-boarded pocket park that provides a dedicated space for the community. Here, too, elevation change is addressed, but in a more playful manner, with platforms at irregular heights. This dynamism provides for a variety of spatial

and interpersonal interactions. Between the two, an undulating glass curtain wall allows northern light deep into the auditorium. This thin boundary allows the civic space to serve as a backdrop for student gatherings and vice versa.

STUDIOS

8

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CENTER

The tectonic bay model explores the manner in which structural elements interact with more massive components across a section of the building proposal. Excavations into the thickened base address an elevation change over the course of the site. The auditorium is embedded into the earth, allowing access from the

everyday entrance on the first floor and providing a surface for lecture, individuaized instruction, or some other gathering. Structural supports stamp a rhythm along the extents of this zone and create an avenue for circulation through the building that splinters from this central node. This regular structure,

arrayed on two distinct grids, is the primary generator of form. In significant locales - such as in the administration office and on the public facade of the stairwell framing the plaza - the structure amasses to create organic surfaces that genuflect from one grid to another.STUDIOS

10

WELCOME CENTER

Site: Rural Field StationProgram: Administration, hospitality and educationScale: 11,000 sfModel Scale: 1 inch / 16 feet

Materials: Basswood, Chipboard, Paper, and FoamResources: Adobe Illustrator

Filling the void between two existing structures - the farmhouse and a machine shed - new elements of program establish a more immediate connection amongst the units on the farmstead. Passageways direct movement away from the neighboring road and sever the connection to the outside

world. Instead, the new structure celebrates the isolation that the field station may afford. This is not a lonely place, though. Added to the complex are places for gathering: classrooms, an auditorium, a cafeteria, and a courtyard. All are composed around a centralized core, which both provides service and

dampens potential interruptions. Internal and external views continue to connect the spaces, with overlooks in multiple places, and internal windows allowing for continued interaction amongst the parts.

STUDIOS

12

WELCOME CENTER

N

0 5 10 20 30 feet

The form of the American farm is the result of addition. The original farmhouse is extended, amended, and appended in response to the successive needs of each generation. Channeling this spirit, the administration and education arm of the UC Field Station expands from the existing farmhouse - a relic of earlier

occupation on the site. The newest iteration maintains the formal front of the old farm house, allowing the old exterior envelope to turn inward to pierce the interior. A centrally placed service core on two levels encourages circulation between the original farmhouse and the addition. The older portion contains welcome

spaces, administration offices and a gallery. The newer - an auditorium, two classrooms, a dining area, and a breakout space beneath the auditorium seats where the old exterior is presented as the new interior. On the exterior, a pocket space is the result of the new addition greeting an extent utility shed.

Second Floor

A. ClassroomB. OverlookC. GalleryD. AdministrationE. Restroom

First Floor

E. RestroomF. Utility ShedG. CourtyardH. AuditoriumI. Breakout SpaceJ. CafeteriaK. KitchenL. Welcome

A A

B

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EKJ

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IHGF

Existing Structures

STUDIOS

14

SCHOLAR’S RESIDENCE

Site: UC Field StationProgram: Small house for steward of field stationScale: 500 sfModel Scale: 1 inch / 8 feet

Materials: Basswood and Chipboard

Balancing stewardship and privacy, the scholar’s residence sits at the elbow between the welcome center and the research facility. This position allows the structure to serve as a hinge between the two zones of the greater complex. The residence hunkers against a large wall that runs north-south adjacent

to a major movement corridor on the site. To the south, the formal front entrance sits tucked behind this wall, in a comfortable nook that continues into the heart of the building. The northern and western portions embrace the woods beyond, and a complimentary courtyard is embedded behind the wall of this

private compound. Integrated into an interior bookshelf, a small staircase ascends from the lounge on the first floor to a sleeping and dressing area on the second. The residence is a quiet place for repose that is not too far removed from the other functions of the greater complex.STUDIOS

Southwest Corner Southeast Corner

Northwest Corner Northeast Corner

16

This architecural sculpture is intended for use in an urban park, as a playful break from the conformity of the city-scape. The scultpure provides shelter without exclusion. Using Rhino and Maya, our team created a skin that juxtaposes elements of both order and disorder against the regularity of

the waffle structure below. Some faces are randomly cut, while others are regularly tesselated. The resultant is emblamatic of the fabric of the city. Overlaying it and the regular structure yields an expression of the urban condition, where life plays out, often unbounded, in opposition to the decree of regular form.

We created the model using a Beam Dynamics Laser. The base was generated in Rhino and is made from laser-cut chip board, canted off the true vertical axis to generate additional interest. The skin was created in Maya and is composed of laser-cut bristol paper.

ITERATION 1TESSELATE POLY COUNT 200CHAMFER FACE 0.295CHAMFER FACE 0.357POKE FACE TRANS X 0.13POKE FACE TRANS Y -0.08POKE FACE 0.0

ITERATION 2TESSELATE POLY COUNT 100POKE FACEEXTRUDE FACE OFFSET 0.013EXTRUDE FACE OFFSET 0.0

ITERATION 3TESSELATE POLY COUNT 200RANDOM SELECT RATIO 0.4EXTRUDE FACE OFFSET 0.04RANDOM SELECT RATIO 0.4EXTRUDE FACE OFFSET 0.4RANDOM SELECT RATIO 0.15EXTRUDE FACE OFFSET 0.193

ITERATION 4TESSELATE POLY COUNT 300CUT FACE TOOL 16EXTRUDE FACE OFFSET 0.03

SHADE SCULPTURE

Site: Urban ParkProgram: Shaded space for relaxationScale: VariableModel Scale: 24 in x 24 in

Materials: Bristol Paper and ChipboardResources: Rhino, Maya, and Rapid Prototyping Laser

DIGITAL DESIGN

18

We used Maya to rapidly explore the material possibilities for our sculpture. The final structure is composed of three primary elements: a massive base that forms the connection to the ground, a thin layer of glazing, and a more skeletal framework

that operates as shading. After experimenting with a variety of materials, our team decided on the combination of concrete and steel - highly processed materials that at once contrast and complement the urban context of the site. The sculpture is both massive

and delicate, enveloping and open. As such, the sculpture serves as a singular expression and still invites individual exploration, capturing the playful freedom afforded by open parkspace.

Painted Steel

Frosted Glass

Brushed Metal

Concrete

Cor-Ten

Cor-Ten Panels

SHADE SCULPTURE

DIGITAL DESIGN

20

An aerial view of Mount Lookout Square illustrates that the space is largely awash in pavement, with little linking the businesses that wring the square. In order to punctuate the bracketed northern end, our team proposes the insertion of a green shade sculpture. The sculpture creates a visual boundary at

the terminus of the square, accentuates the complexity of the vehicular system, provides a passageway for pedestrian traffic, and adds a much-needed element of vegetation to the current urban streetscape. For our design, we took the footprint of the triangular island at the north-eastern end of the square. Then, we extruded it

upward, to a height just below the traffic lights. Finally, we carved into the resultant triangular block using a module created by the crosswalk that sits just adjacent. Trimming the block using this module acknowledges the citizens of Mount Lookout as they pass through and shape the Square.

TRAFFIC ISLAND SCULPTURE

Site: Suburban Business DistrictProgram: Scultpure to delineate movementScale: 50 ft x 30 ft x 15 ft

Materials: DigitalResources: Rhino, Maya, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop

DIGITAL DESIGN

Top ViewNorth ElevationEast Elevation

South ElevationWest Elevation

Shade Analysis

Solar Analysis

22

The dynamism of the site is captured in scultpural form. From the south, the end nearest the Square, the planes of grass-covered concrete occlude one’s view of the north, serving as a backdrop to the going’s-on of the Square. But, side elevations reveal that the sculpture is largely transparent, allowing for a visual

linkage across the median. The northern tail directs vehicuar traffic around the sculpture and into the center of the Square. Pedestrian traffic will be afforded partial enclosure with a brief period of remove from their surroundings. This brief sensory lapse allows for a contemplative space in an otherwise busy

district. Enclosing many, but not all of the form’s fragmented faces, the cast iron skin system interacts with the grassy planes beyond. The complexity of this design promotes closer exploration and will attract visitors to the business district and serve as a beneficial addition to Mount Lookout Square.

TRAFFIC ISLAND SCULPTURE

DIGITAL DESIGN

Tem

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Concr

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24

Cutting, Folding, and Excavating a drawing of the existing force-lines on the site encouraged a multi-valent approach to laying out proposals for the property. The resulting design relic is bound by a series of joining methods that extrapolate the extant site conditions. Some of these joints articulate current

conditions, while others are completely invented. Close analysis allows for a better understanding of the elaborations at play. The arrangement strives for continuity amongst a variety of executions. This methodology would later inform not only the organization of the site, but also the tectonic forms of the

new buildings. The two are intertwined, much like the model, with building and landscape engaging in a holistic dialogue.

UC FIELD STATION LANDSCAPE INTERVENTION

Model Scale: 15 in x 30 in x 3 in

Materials: Paper and Basswood

STUDIES

26

These three works play with the concept of mass, space, and volume. All three have the same exterior dimensions (8 cm x 8 cm x 8 cm), and all three are built on a cubic module measuring 1.6 cm a side. Using Google SketchUp, I designed the models that follow. From there, using Exacto blades, I carved each sculpture, removing

an identical mass of plaster. What remains are three variations on a common theme. Each of the cubes shares an identical amount of positive and negative space, though all three exhibit distinct, structural variations, an effect that is compounded by the variety of viewing angles afforded by such cubic masses. From Cube #1 to

Cube #3, the sculptures become progressively more complex in their arrangements. The brutality of the plaster compliments the cold geometry of the figures. That character is softened by the remnants of the carving process, which show as scoring and striations on the surfaces.

VOLUMETRIC COMPOSITIONS

Model Scale: 8cm x 8cm x 8cm

Materials: PlasterResources: Google Sketchup

STUDIES

28

ASSORTED ARTWORK

Loring Alley, Watercolor

Weisman Study, Pencil

Weisman in Winter, Watercolor

ARTWORK

30

ASSORTED ARTWORK

Wells-Fargo Alight, Colored Pencil

The Guthrie and The Mills, Pencil

ARTWORK

PORTFOLIOSUMMER 2011

DREW SUSZKO