undergraduate architectural portfolio
DESCRIPTION
These selected projects contain studio work as well as other outside endeavors during my schooling at UNC Charlotte.TRANSCRIPT
Contents
Shadow Box ProjectDeveloping an understanding of the nature, behavior and strength of structural materials is an important aspect of the architecture studio. As architects, we explore these materials because it is important to study the elements we use in our projects. This project explores the complexities of combining several materials in architecture: wood, concrete, and metal.
The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation advocates and secures protection and enhancement of the Catawba River so that the river can sustain the human and wildlife populations that depend on it for life. This project proposes a building for a visitors/ conference center for one of the numerous “river keeper” foundations located along the Catawba-Wateree-Santee River Basin.
Pages 2 - 5
Pages 10 - 15
Pages 16 - 17
Light, fast, transportable, and beautiful kayaks have a history going back at least 2,000 years. Cloth kayaks which use to be made out of animal skin and bone, now are constructed with a wood frame and dacron: an airplane fabric. The 11’ sea kayak has a wide bade for added stability during use as well as a shallow depth for skimming on top of the water surface.
Over 2 weeks, 13 students came together to design and build two structures in the Black Hills of South Dakota while we lived off of solar power and learned about the local resources. It was a workshop in which the power of the place generated ideas, the environment directly impacted the design, the gaps between design and building were filled, and teamwork was essential.
Pages 6 - 9 R.A.W. Design/Build
Sea Kayak
Community Visitor Center
1
The purpose of this project is to discover ways of combining a sense of composition with an understanding of the properties
of the materials used: wood, concrete, and metal. Construction method, assemblage and appropriate detailing are very critical to
architectural composition.
Shadow Box
April 2013
2
Inspired from Korean artist Jaehyo Lee’s Suspended Stones collected works, this composition recognizes the material
differences between wood and concrete and how they respond to each other in a single, cohesive design.
The 1” concrete cubes are punched out of the wood frame and are suspended at different lengths using thin trolling wire and fishing
weights. Each cube is a small part of the entire form that they create together.
3
Shadow Box - Process
4
Each rockite cube was casted in custom-cut
lattice acrylic trays. The supporting detail in the each cube consists of a slip sinker as well as an inch of 1/16” brass
tubing that steel trolling wire can slip through.
The cubes hang by sitting on a split-shot
sinker that clamps onto one end of the trolling
wire. The split-shot sinker fits seamlessly in the slip sinker’s carved
out bottom.
5
The trolling wire attaches at the top (to
the wooden frame) with another split-shot
sinker. Of the four layers of 1/4” pine
that make up the cap piece, the middle two
sheets are drilled out to house the sinker, which clamps to the top end of the trolling wire. The bottom sheet holds the
sinker while the top sheet hides all of the drill marks as well as
the sinkers.
Located in the heart of the black hills, the Circle-Z ranch serves a variety of groups from family and friends to the scouts. We
developed the hearth for the ranch, a collection of three structures serving as a base camp to the 1000+ acres.
R.A.W.Custer, South Dakota
July 2011
6
The entry pathway leads through the forest and approaches the site from
behind and then opens to the meadow below and a view of the Abode, an
existing look out structure on the property. The Hearth consists of a kitchen,
gathering space and a woodpile. The buildings use wood and minerals from the site and focuses on providing open
spaces that allows users to connect with the surrounding land while providing
shelter from the elements.
Organization: RAW: Real Architecture Workshop
Client: Oswald Family FoundationProject Collaborators: Paul Neseth AIA and 13 StudentsMaterials: Concrete, schist, quartz, ponderosa pine, corrugated steelDimensions: 14’ x 16’ (kitchen) and 18’ x 20’ (gathering space)
7
The foundation walls feature embedded minerals and rocks from mines on the property, and offer seating adjacent
the kitchen and for the campfire. Sustainability was a focus from the start, in using the foundation concrete molds
as interior wall panels, construction waste was minimized. Collaboration with the site
owner and their mining company along with the Custer community enriched the
understanding of the site and the hearth’s design.
8
9
Although the Dams spread throughout the Great Falls area are an excellent source of cheap, green energy, they also have left large scars in the landscape. In order to capitalize on a fast paced river, the Great Falls Hydro-Electric companies build dams to diverge as much water
towards their turbine as possible. The diverging of the river causes some paths to carry much more water than normal while others are left completely dry and barren resulting in
these scars in the landscape.
This semester was focused on the role of the river and how a building might respond to it. With both projects located in rural areas of their respected cities, I chose to deeply embed my structures within the landscape. All design including orientation, materiality, structure,
and concept are all in response to what is happening in the area. Since the river is the driving idea behind both projects, I treated it as a golden street. All design is based upon
what the river asks for. In the case of Great Falls, the river is contained and regulated by a series of dams. The program elements in the project are also contained pathway datums. By
studying the surrounding landscape, the concepts of my projects can be found
CommunityVisitor Center
Great Falls, South Carolina
November 2012
10
Site Plan
11
Light Map - East Section
Model FragmentInterior Lighting1/4” = 1’
12
Light Map - West Section
Model FragmentExterior View1/4” = 1’
13
Site Model1/64” = 1’
East FacadeDecember 21st3pm
Site Model1/64” = 1’
14
Sketch Model1/16” = 1’
East FacadeJune 23rd3pm
15
Sea Kayak
At 11’, this kayak slices through the water with a deep V-shape design. The structure of the boat is thin pine to keep for the lightest possible
weight. The bumpers on port and starboard as well as the cockpit were crafted from a dark walnut. The dacron which cloaks the frame was
sealed with a spray epoxy to make it water tight.
April 2008
16
17
Contents
Shadow Box ProjectDeveloping an understanding of the nature, behavior and strength of structural materials is an important aspect of the architecture studio. As architects, we explore these materials because it is important to study the elements we use in our projects. This project explores the complexities of combining several materials in architecture: wood, concrete, and metal.
The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation advocates and secures protection and enhancement of the Catawba River so that the river can sustain the human and wildlife populations that depend on it for life. This project proposes a building for a visitors/ conference center for one of the numerous “river keeper” foundations located along the Catawba-Wateree-Santee River Basin.
Pages 2 - 5
Pages 10 - 15
Pages 16 - 17
Light, fast, transportable, and beautiful kayaks have a history going back at least 2,000 years. Cloth kayaks which use to be made out of animal skin and bone, now are constructed with a wood frame and dacron: an airplane fabric. The 11’ sea kayak has a wide bade for added stability during use as well as a shallow depth for skimming on top of the water surface.
Over 2 weeks, 13 students came together to design and build two structures in the Black Hills of South Dakota while we lived off of solar power and learned about the local resources. It was a workshop in which the power of the place generated ideas, the environment directly impacted the design, the gaps between design and building were filled, and teamwork was essential.
Pages 6 - 9 R.A.W. Design/Build
Sea Kayak
Community Visitor Center
1
The purpose of this project is to discover ways of combining a sense of composition with an understanding of the properties
of the materials used: wood, concrete, and metal. Construction method, assemblage and appropriate detailing are very critical to
architectural composition.
Shadow Box
April 2013
2
Inspired from Korean artist Jaehyo Lee’s Suspended Stones collected works, this composition recognizes the material
differences between wood and concrete and how they respond to each other in a single, cohesive design.
The 1” concrete cubes are punched out of the wood frame and are suspended at different lengths using thin trolling wire and fishing
weights. Each cube is a small part of the entire form that they create together.
3
Shadow Box - Process
4
Each rockite cube was casted in custom-cut
lattice acrylic trays. The supporting detail in the each cube consists of a slip sinker as well as an inch of 1/16” brass
tubing that steel trolling wire can slip through.
The cubes hang by sitting on a split-shot
sinker that clamps onto one end of the trolling
wire. The split-shot sinker fits seamlessly in the slip sinker’s carved
out bottom.
5
The trolling wire attaches at the top (to
the wooden frame) with another split-shot
sinker. Of the four layers of 1/4” pine
that make up the cap piece, the middle two
sheets are drilled out to house the sinker, which clamps to the top end of the trolling wire. The bottom sheet holds the
sinker while the top sheet hides all of the drill marks as well as
the sinkers.
Located in the heart of the black hills, the Circle-Z ranch serves a variety of groups from family and friends to the scouts. We
developed the hearth for the ranch, a collection of three structures serving as a base camp to the 1000+ acres.
R.A.W.Custer, South Dakota
July 2011
6
The entry pathway leads through the forest and approaches the site from
behind and then opens to the meadow below and a view of the Abode, an
existing look out structure on the property. The Hearth consists of a kitchen,
gathering space and a woodpile. The buildings use wood and minerals from the site and focuses on providing open
spaces that allows users to connect with the surrounding land while providing
shelter from the elements.
Organization: RAW: Real Architecture Workshop
Client: Oswald Family FoundationProject Collaborators: Paul Neseth AIA and 13 StudentsMaterials: Concrete, schist, quartz, ponderosa pine, corrugated steelDimensions: 14’ x 16’ (kitchen) and 18’ x 20’ (gathering space)
7
The foundation walls feature embedded minerals and rocks from mines on the property, and offer seating adjacent
the kitchen and for the campfire. Sustainability was a focus from the start, in using the foundation concrete molds
as interior wall panels, construction waste was minimized. Collaboration with the site
owner and their mining company along with the Custer community enriched the
understanding of the site and the hearth’s design.
8
9
Although the Dams spread throughout the Great Falls area are an excellent source of cheap, green energy, they also have left large scars in the landscape. In order to capitalize on a fast paced river, the Great Falls Hydro-Electric companies build dams to diverge as much water
towards their turbine as possible. The diverging of the river causes some paths to carry much more water than normal while others are left completely dry and barren resulting in
these scars in the landscape.
This semester was focused on the role of the river and how a building might respond to it. With both projects located in rural areas of their respected cities, I chose to deeply embed my structures within the landscape. All design including orientation, materiality, structure,
and concept are all in response to what is happening in the area. Since the river is the driving idea behind both projects, I treated it as a golden street. All design is based upon
what the river asks for. In the case of Great Falls, the river is contained and regulated by a series of dams. The program elements in the project are also contained pathway datums. By
studying the surrounding landscape, the concepts of my projects can be found
CommunityVisitor Center
Great Falls, South Carolina
November 2012
10
Site Plan
11
Light Map - East Section
Model FragmentInterior Lighting1/4” = 1’
12
Light Map - West Section
Model FragmentExterior View1/4” = 1’
13
Site Model1/64” = 1’
East FacadeDecember 21st3pm
Site Model1/64” = 1’
14
Sketch Model1/16” = 1’
East FacadeJune 23rd3pm
15
Sea Kayak
At 11’, this kayak slices through the water with a deep V-shape design. The structure of the boat is thin pine to keep for the lightest possible
weight. The bumpers on port and starboard as well as the cockpit were crafted from a dark walnut. The dacron which cloaks the frame was
sealed with a spray epoxy to make it water tight.
April 2008
16
17