NCMA: A Spacial Experiment

Concept Model

Concept Diagram

Fourth story plan

Cross section 

Custom block

Walls comprised of custom masonry units

This building was designed for the National Concrete Masonry Association Competition. We were asked to showcase the possibilities of concrete masonry, and design custom blocks for our project. The program was a small live/work facility for students of The New School in New York City. Sandwiched between Frank Gehry's IAC building and the High Line, our site demanded an unique approach to space. When I started thinking about this design, I wanted to play a sort of visual trick on the building user. My goal was to create the illusion of rooms within this space - without physically enclosing them with walls. The idea was to use repeating, thin masonry walls and punch spaces out of them, creating an implied rooms within the "pages" of the building.

 The walls would be supported by steel columns, which would be clad in panels of custom masonry bricks. Doing this would allow the walls to be much thinner than would be possible if all of the walls were shear walls. The rooms within would be supported by beams embedded in the walls. Since each wall is only a few feet away from the next, it would enable the joists to span between the walls easily. 

This project was highly theoretical - an exploration of how space is perceived, not a reflection of economic realities.  

Artist's Residence

Concept Diagram

Site

Section

Superimposed floor plans

This project was a very small house connected to a large warehouse that was converted into a studio. The residence was to be designed for the late artist Lebbeus Woods.

Mr. Woods in his house

Much of Woods' work was provocative and edgy. A common theme in this work is the contrast between the established and wild sci-fi inventions. Woods spoke a language of sharp angles in his art, but the photo of him in his home suggested that he didn't want to live in an environment as harsh as his art. My goal was to create a design that would reconcile the angles of Woods' work, and the light, clean environment that was his home. 

The Bellefonte Library

The Stacks

First floor plan

Longitudinal Section

This project was a design for a little community library in the town of Bellefonte, PA. The site was a challenge - a very thin, long site that had once been a medical supplies store. Meanwhile, in my architectural theory class, we were studying the greatest architects of the 20th century, including Louis Khan.  

Exeter Library, Louis Khan

I was inspired by the monumentality of the work of Louis Kahn, which led me to investigate other works with a similar spirit. I discovered the work of Peter Zumthor, and was impressed by two of his works in particular:

...The Bruder Klaus Chapel...

...and the Vals Spa in Switzerland.

All of these projects have a sense of monumentality, and I set out to figure out how they managed to create this feeling. When one of my professors gave a lecture on stereotomy and tectonics, it finally clicked. The spaces I loved so much were ones that seemed almost carved out somehow. The feeling I was trying to accomplish was that of stereotomy. 

My goal with this project was to create a heavy, monumental space for the keeping of the books, and to contrast it, a light, airy space at the top of the building for reading. 

concept diagram

  

cross section

Digital Fabrication

Jewels on College Ave

Here's my little scheme for a tiny jewelry store on College Ave.

In a way, this was my first real architecture project at school.
The program called for a jewelry store at a specific existing site on College Ave. The current occupant of this site is a small clothing store. It's footprint is about 20' x 50' x 16'.

We were first instructed to choose jewelry that would inspire the design for our space.

Here were a few pieces that interested me:

Alexis Bittar

"On Gossamer Wings" Culoyon

"Undulate" Tataborello

One thing that I like about all three of the above pieces is that they have a certain elegance and movement to them, without seeming too posh or stuck up. Each of them has a somewhat organic appeal, and that quality reminded me of Zion National Park. The rugged elegance of the canyon walls there was ideal for my design vision.

Canyon Walls at ZNP

Here is an image of my proposed facade in the context of its neighbors on College Ave, which was inspired by the movement of my chosen pieces of jewelry and the canyon walls of Zion:

Elevation

My biggest struggle in this project was a tie between overcoming my fear of adding architectural features to such a tiny space, and using a computer to model my design. I initially felt that adding a lot of walls or floor features would be overwhelming, so I erred on the side of blandness - all I had in the space was a bathroom, the curved display counter, the seating area and the "floating wall". After my professor urged me to add more architectural interest, I devised this ceiling feature:

Reflected Ceiling Plan

Floor Plan

Section Looking Left

Section Looking Right

Perspective View from rear seating area.

Detail of built-in jewelry display.