ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

RICHARD WILLIAM OFF MS.AUD (COLUMBIA) & B.ARCH (RENSSELAER)

TECTONIC LANGUAGE & THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF LIGHT & MATERIAL

Masters - Architecture & Urban Design (MS.AUD 2012)Columbia University (GSAPP) - Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation

Concentrations - Ecological Urbanism, City Housing Fabrics & Typologies, Urban History/Theory

Bachelors - Architecture (B.ARCH 2010)Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) - School of Architecture & School of Engineering

Concentrations - Design of Long Span & High Rise Structures, History/Theory of Modernism

Education

ProfessionalExperience

AcademicExperience

Project Manager (August 2013 - Present)Architensions - Brooklyn, New York

Architectural Designer (March 2013 - Present)Architensions - Brooklyn, New York Responsibilities - Completed research, drawings & renderings for multiple projects & publications.

Urban Designer & Planner (August - December 2010)Architecture For Humanity - Brooklyn, New York

Responsibilities - Completed research & proposals, particpiated in community board meetings.

Responsibilities - Led design & execution, including concept, permit �ling & construction documents.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Architecture Research Fellow (May 2010 - February 2013)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) - Brown Fellowship Recipient Responsibilities - Traveled throughout East Asia to research hyper-dense cities & high-rise urbanism.

- Presnted analysis & photography in lecture & exhibition at Rensselaer.

Urban Researcher / Designer (January - May 2012)

Columbia University (GSAPP) & Sao Paulo Housing Authority - Kinne Grant Recipient Responsibilities - Traveled to Brazil to research relationship between favelas & urban watershed.

Architecture Teaching Assistant (December 2007 - January 2010)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) - School of Architecture

Invited Guest Critic - Architectural Design Studio

(Fall 2014)

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) - School of Architecture & Design

Invited Juror / Award Committee - Brown Fellowship Competition

(Fall 2012)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) - School of Architecture

Responsibilities - Led Seminars, graded papers & �nal exams, evaluated presentations.

Fluid Cube HouseLuxury Modern Dwelling For An Art Collector

Blurring BoxesLandmark Townhouse Addition & Renovation

Writing Retreat Lush Garden Escape For Creative Expression

Whirlwind WallRecycled Material Systemitized Into Space

In�nity ScapeAbandoned Factory Given New Urban Life

Centers Of GravityHungarian Architecture & Photo Museums

Bamiyan Valley Visitors Centre For UNESCO Heritage Site

Aesop WTCCosmetics Store In Port Authority Transit Hub

BOFFO Pop-Up Fashion Week Pavillion For Michael Bastian

PORTFOLIO CONTENT

ResidentialProjects

CommercialProjects

CulturalProjects

Malaga, Andalusia, Spain - Single Family Residence

Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY - Multi Family Residence

Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY - Private Garden Pavillion

World Trade Center, Manhattan, NY - Retail Storefront

Super Pier 57, Manhattan, NY - Temporary Retail Space

Quarto Inferiore, Bologna, Italy - Mixed-Use Arcade, Hotel

Varosliget Park, Budapest, Hungary - Gallery Complex

Bamiyan, Hazarijat, Afghanistan - Gallery, Research Facility

Governors Island, New York, NY - Temporary Event Space

FLUID CUBE HOUSE

Location: Girona, Catalonia, Spain

Program: Single Family / Residential

Size: 400 SqM / 2 Stories + Basement

Construction: Concrete, Glass, Cor-ten Steel

Client: Neil Radnall / Imaestri (Developer)

Consultants: Ramboll UK (Eng.)

Status: Design Development

Luxury Modern Dwelling For An Art Collector

Inspired by the cultural and artistic heritage of the Catalonia region, the design is a synthesis between the rhythm of the cubist period of Picasso and the more �uid shapes found in the works of Dali and Gaudi. In classical form, the highly sculpted mass is placed on a rectangular concrete plinth, containing a �nished basement. The ground �oor is dominated by carved curvilinear spaces, structurally supporting a cantilevered �rst �oor contained in a more rigid volume. This level is clad with expanded Cor-ten steel which serves as a sun �lter and protects the more private functions of the house. The screen is composed by a series of modular operable panels that can fold and slide, playfully concealing and revealing the outdoor landscape. Behind the mesh, �oor to ceiling sliding glass doors allow the house to use passive cooling and cross ventilation.

The site cast reinforced concrete shapes derive from the rugged topography of the Mediterranean coast, and also refer to the structural geometry of catenary arches. Contrasting as well as complementing this grey �uidity is the angular form of the exterior cor-ten staircase, which links the ground directly to the private master-suite and roof garden terrace.

First Floor Plan - Master Suite, Bedrooms & Gallery

Ground Floor Plan - Foyer, Living, Kitchen & Dining Areas

East-West Longitudinal Section

North Elevation / Facade

South Elevation / Facade

North-South Cross Section

West Elevation / Facade

East Elevation / Facade

Proportioned Solid Mass

Catenary Curve Subtraction

Resulting Sculpted Volume

Porous Fluid Cube

BLURRING BOXES

Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY

Program: Multi Family / Residential

Size: 1700 SqF / Basement & 1st Floor/Extension

Construction: Brick Masonry, Concrete, Wood Clad

Client: Townhouse Owners / Residents

Consultants: ADG (Eng.), Alex Garcia (Contr.)

Status: Construction Administration

Landmark Townhouse Addition & Renovation

Built in 1870, this landmarked townhouse is of wood frame and masonry construction in the the Italianate Style. To respect the vernacular, and adapt to the unique requirements of landmark wood buildings in New York, a combination of brick walls and light wood cladding was used to construct two new additions on the rear yard facade, interpreted in a contemporary fashion. Conceived as more of an extension of space, rather than a tacking on of extra rooms, two cubic and proportional volumes push outward and upward from the basement level into the rear yard, blurring the interior with garden.

To contrast the existing lighter colored masonry and wood siding, a blackened and burnt looking set of textures was chosen, so the additions might be the signature spatial composition of the new rear facade. Mangenese ironspot brick is clad in a series of vertical slats, forming a porous screen which partially overlaps large operable windows, and extends upward to form the guard rail of a new terrace off the �rst �oor master suite. The wood is literally burnt, utilizing the Japenese shou sugi ban technique of charring wood to protect it from the elements, and accentuating its natural texture.

BLURRING BOXES

Basement Plan - Living Room & Kitchen Additions

Longitudinal Section - Living Room & Kitchen Additions

WRITING RETREAT

Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY

Program: Private Garden Pavillion / Residential

Size: 80 SqF / 1 Story

Construction: Wood, Brick, Concrete

Client: Townhouse Owners / Residents

Consultants: Alex Garcia (Fabr. / Contr.)

Status: Design Devlopment

Lush Garden Escape For Creative Expression

Writing involves the creation of parallel imaginative worlds, and to produce those in�nite options which exist outside our everday realities, a condition of isolation and sometimes solitude within nature is required. This small hut is located in the lush and protected garden of a couple which dedicates their free time to producing original novels. The sectional shape is a device to bring natural light inside while viewing the landscape as if through the apertures of a camera. The room is furnished with a chair, writing table, and a sofa with storage. The roof is designed as a large sloped lightwell which is open towards the trees and the sky, while the south facade is consumed by an opening overlooking the garden.

The structure is elevated on a concrete cantilivered plinth to generate a more expansive view of the garden and to create an area for garden equipment storage underneath. The hut itself is a traditional wood frame construction, conceived of as a more seamless and contemporary interpretation of the country barn typology. The exterior is clad in dark wood vertical siding which is continous with a new wooden garden fence also composed of vertical slats which act as a semi-porous screen or �lter.

Ground Floor Plan

Cross Section - Facing West

North Elevation / Facade

Roof Plan

Cross Section - Facing East

South Elevation / Facade

AESOP WTC

Location: World Trade Center, Manhattan, NY

Program: Retail Storefront / Commercial

Size: 300 SqF / 1 Story Storefront

Construction: Birchwood, Cor-ten Steel, Leather

Client: Aesop USA (Tenant) / West�eld (Landlord)

Consultants: ET (Eng.), DigiFab (Fabri.)

Status: Construction Administration

Cosmetics Store In Port Authority Transit Hub

Inspired by its Manhattan location, the design of Aesop WTC embraces a contemporary interpretation of the modern Art Deco style. A series of streamlined horizontal curving bands wrap around a small linear space, contouring the walls and ceiling to mitigate the irregularities of an awkwardly shaped existing plan. Sinuous contours dive in and out of the walls to create varied size niches for storage and display of bottles and boxes. A more substanbtial bump out is created where the store is widest to create a natural point of sale, and a semi-private area for the cashier, and for employees to place and retrieve items from a back of house closet, hidden by a pocket door.

The topography of grey birch continue upwards, and also moves inward to make a tall ceiling more intimate, and to conceal mechanical ducts. This stepping generates a pattern of recessed coves which illuminate the overall space, and supplement shelf lighting which more directly showcases the products. As a brand which emphasizes natural material, a combination of warm tactile surfaces has been selected, including leather tile �oors, cor-ten shelves and burlap display backing, all to feature and frame the signature amber glass bottles.

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Floor Plan & Store Layout

Re�ected Ceiling Plan & Lighting

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Cross Section A-A’ Cross Section B-B’

Longitudinal Section E-E’

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Re�ected Ceiling Plan & Lighting

Cross Section B-B’ Cross Section C-C’

Cross Section D-D’

BOFFO POP-UP

Location: Super Pier 57, Manhattan, NY

Program: Temporary Retail Space / Commercial

Size: 160 SqF / 8’x20’ Std. Shipping Container

Construction: Homasote Boards, Acrylic Rods

Client: Boffo (Sponsor), M.Bastian (Designer)

Consultants: SFDS (Fabr.), L’Observatoire (Light.)

Status: Design Devlopment

Fashion Week Pavillion For Michael Bastian

The space generating mechanism of this store is a prefabricated modular system of panels, where differentiation is created through varied dimensions and directionality. The modules aggregate to de�ne two different conditions which alternate in plan and section. The Show module occurs when the boards are parallel to the perimeter walls and will be used to feature a complete look-book out�t from the collection. The Hide module occurs when the boards are perpendicular to the perimeter walls and will be used for storing and hanging the clothing without compromising its visibility.

The design utilizes Homasote boards as the main construction material, which acts as a canvas to feature the collection and will provide a contrast of textures. Homasote is composed of 98% recycled material, helping to reduce solid waste in land�lls and conserving natural resources. The homasote boards would use digital CNC technology to create the sections that will de�ne the space, and held in place through a series of clear acrylic rods, locked into position with a substructure of wooden cleats. The rods also serve as the means of diffusing linear arti�cal light between the boards.

Fashion Week Pavillion For Michael Bastian

STRUCTURAL ROD

STRUCTURAL ROD

HANGING ROD

COMPACTED CNC HOMASOTE BASE

CNC HOMASOTE BOARDS

FLUORESCENT FIXTURE FLUORESCENT FIXTURE

HANGING ROD

STRUCTURAL ROD

STRUCTURAL ROD

COMPACTED CNC HOMASOTE BASE

CNC HOMASOTE BOARDS

Axon Diagram - Store/Hide & Lookbook/Show Modules

Axon Diagram - Container Layout(Homasote Board Aggregation & Direction)

Longitudinal Section / Interior Elevation

WHIRLWIND WALL

Location: Governors Island, New York, NY

Program: Temporary Event Space / Cultural

Size: 800 SqF / 1 Story

Construction: Wood Pallets, Tyvec Wrap

Client: Figment NY (Sponsor / Judge)

Consultants: SFDS Brooklyn (Fabr.)

Status: Design Development

Recycled Material Systemitized Into Space

The Figment NY City of Dreams pavilion takes inspiration from combining natural materials with simple assembly and transportation. Wood pallets, a �at transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted, can be recycled back into the transportation industry after the pavilion will be dismantled. The enclosure has a rectangular plan that de�nes a porous boundary between the performance/exhibition areas and the �elds of grass, with the entrances pivoting around two existing trees. The pallets are stacked, revolving around central points, generating dynamic spirals or whirls which aggregate into walls.

The Whirlwind Wall does not divide, but helps to connect and frame the different events at �gment. Unconventional stacking allows for an emerging, transparent wall allowing wind, sound, and light to penetrate the pavilion, creating unique visual and spatial possibilities. The wall allows for the growth of vegetation both on top and through the wall, for further landscape integration. The same pallets made to import and export material goods, have become the building blocks to import and export ideas, creativity and experiences.

WHIRLWIND WALL

Roof / Ground Plan

West Elevation / Facade East Elevation / Facade

North Elevation / Facade

INFINITY SCAPE

Location: Quarto Inferiore, Bologna, Italy

Program: Mix-Use Arcade, Hotel / Cultural

Size: 11180 SqM / 7 Stories

Construction: Concrete, Glass Curtain Wall

Client: Nute Partecipazioni (Sponsor / Judge)

Consultants: Giorgia Girardi (Italian Reg. Arch.)

Status: Schematic Design

Abandoned Factory Given New Urban Life

The adaptation of an existing industrial factory into an international cultural centre is achieved through the implementation of a modular grid that evolves over time and space, expanding and contracting the usable area, and consequently enriching the range of spatial possibilities within the complex. It is a structural framework that acts as a canopy which drapes over the existing building, creating a grand covered urban arcade between existing volumes, transforming a once dead area into a lively public space that act as a social condenser for all the functions hosted by the cultural center. The modular grid is a parametric distribution of a topography that wraps and dictates all programs.

Most of the existing building structure is preserved, demolishing only the envelope and interior walls, leaving a maison domino typology with concrete �oor slabs and columns. To provide space for a hotel, a three story volume is added on the north east corner of the roof, recuperating the space lost from partial demolition. The structure of the grid is composed of steel elements from the ground to the roof, transitioning into a delicate wooden framework that forms the canopy over the arcade.

First Floor Plan - Ampitheatre, Studios, Library, Day Care

Ground Floor Plan - Arcade, Auditorium, Of�ces, Restaurants

Ground Floor Plan - Arcade, Auditorium, Of�ces, Restaurants

Maison Domino - Existing Concrete Structure & Removed Cladding

Added Volumes - Hotel, Arcade & Roof Gardens

Generative Parametric Topography

Modular Framework / 3D Grid

Topography + Framework

Resulting Structural Landscape

CENTERS OF GRAVITY

Location: Varosliget Park, Budapest, Hungary

Program: Gallery Complex / Cultural

Size: 72000 SqM / 5 Stories / 2 buildings

Construction: Concrete, Glass Curtain Wall

Client: Liget Budapest (Sponsor / Judge)

Consultants: Ramboll UK (Eng.), Transolar (Envir.)

Status: Schematic Design

Hungarian Architecture & Photo Museums

The urban strategy for the museum complex is a continuous but porous boundary that rede�nes the site with a prominent gateway to one of the city’s greatest green spaces, which activates the context, both day and night, as these crystaline prisms act as park lanterns. Each museum is inscribed in a pure rectangular geometry suspended over the ground �oor by a �uid concrete structure. At park level the museum lobbies face one other and open to the monument plaza, providing an inviting transparency that draws visitors to events and activities.

The façades are composed of modular cast glass panels with a saw tooth section, which respond to different sun angles, diffusing natural light into the public areas of the museums, but not interfering with the galleries which have controlled arti�cial lighting. The architectural narrative addresses the speci�city of each collection. The experience of the photo museum is cinematic, composed by framed perspectives, much like the medium of photography, while the experience of the architecture museum is de�ned as a series of volumes where time and space collapse, compressing vast areas and eras of architectural knowledge into articulated boxes.

Ground Floor Plan - Architecture Museum

Typical Upper Level Floor Plan - Architecture Museum

Ground Floor Plan - Photography Museum

Typical Upper Level Floor Plan - Photography Museum

Longitudinal Section - Architecture Museum

Longitudinal Section - Photography Museum

Cross Section - Architecture Museum

Cross Section - Photography Museum

Street Elevation - Photography Museum, Plaza & Architecture Museum

Park Elevation - Architecture Museum, Plaza & Photography Museum

West Elevation - Photography Museum Plaza Elevation - Photography Museum Plaza Elevation - Architecture Museum East Elevation - Architecture Museum

BAMIYAN VALLEY

Location: Bamiyan, Hazarijat, Afghanistan

Program: Gallery, Research Facility / Cultural

Size: 4200 SqM / 3 Stories, Split Level - Terrace

Construction: Masonry, Stone Concrete, Terrazzo

Client: UNESCO, Ministry of Information (Judges)

Consultants: Ramboll UK (Eng.), Transolar (Envri.)

Status: Schematic Design

Visitors Centre For UNESCO Heritage Site

Inspired by the tectonic language of the vernacular architecture of the region, this project views the building site as a place of extraordinary history and culture, as it was a signi�cant center of artistic and religious development from the 1st to the 13th century. Strategically nested on the slope of the site’s cliff, there are three terraced levels, each one with open views towards the Buddha cliff. The building is composed of a series of semi-arches, separated from each other by operable clerestory windows that create an indirect diffusion of natural light. This tectonic element has been repeated and rotated along a cartesian grid, allowing �exibility for future additions. The arch module changes in height to correspond to different functions: private, public, and circulation, and topographic variation.

Architecturally expressed as a carved space, it is a hybrid of reinforced concrete, with structural bricks facing the interior, and locally quarried sandstone cladding the exterior. This construction strategy takes advantage of local materials and techniques to embrace a more economical and sustainable approach, which is furthered through the use of thermal mass and passive heating and cooling.

North Elevation / Facade - Entrance Plaza

West Elevation / Facade - Exterior Staircase

North-South Longitudinal Section

East-West Cross Section

Typical Upper Level Floor Plan

Main Entrance Level Floor Plan

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIORICHARD WILLIAM OFF

(MS.AUD) MASTERS - ARCHITECTURE & URBAN DESIGN (COLUMBIA)

(B.ARCH) BACHELORS - ARCHITECTURE (RENSSELAER POLYTECHIC)