“Space in Space in Space”

The concept for the translucent “body” is derived from Hans Hollein’s case studies, Minimal Environment (1965) and Mobile Office (1969). Hollein suggests a space within a space where man can be connected to the networked city. This was years before mobile communication was developed. In both case studies, man is in a self contained space within the natural environment , within the city (space in space in space).

In Minimal Environment, Hollein proposes a telephone booth as an inhabitable living space. The booth is equipped with machines for physical needs and psychological needs such as sanitary facilities and media entertainment. Hollein saw its potential as a minimal living unit. In Hollein’s proposal for a Mobile Office, he suggests a future where man can travel with his workspace and allows for a constant connection between man and city. Hollein constructed a transparent bubble, suggesting a material-less architecture, creating a clear and direction connection between the body and the city.

The translucent mannequin is the next iteration based on the ideas of a personalized hyper-connectivity between the human body and its environment.

Church of San Martin

The Church of San Martin is a place for worship. It is a public building intended to promote self-reflection and also welcome the participation of the community. It was important however to first know the people of the town and the place they live. 

San Martin de las Canas is located in the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is home to approximately 800 inhabitants. This small town was originally a colonial hacienda before the Mexican Revolution. Over time, construction has erased the structure of the hacienda. The formation of the town is now strictly based on the land. 

The wood skin of the church is held by thin steel members that latch on to the building’s main structure.  The skin can minimize the heat that could otherwise be accumulated on the outer walls. A cavity between the skin and the main structure harnesses the heat and is vented out naturally. 

Materials feel, smell, look, and even sound differently from one another. “The aroma of material, the almost palpable presence of masonry as the body senses its own confinement; the momentum of an induced gait and relative inertia of the body as it traverses the floor; the echoing resonance of our own footfall” (Towards a critical regionalism p.29). Each material has a distinct presence from another, and it goes further than just touch or sight. For example, there are various kinds of woods that each give off a different aroma. The sounds of spaces also change due to the materials that make up the space. Sound in a room made of concrete will produce a different echo than in a room constructed of wood. These alternating sounds can also change the perception of the size of the room. Through the precise usage of material, the designer can ultimately make a room seem larger than it really is.

The church of San Martin is a porous building. The wood slots allow for light to filter through while the concrete planes block out the sun completely. Throughout the day, lighting conditions within the church change. The calligraphy of the building’s exterior is displayed on the floor of the chapel as the sun continues to change position in the sky. Light is also an integral aspect to the catholic faith. God is symbolized as the light. Seeing the light coming through the building symbolizes God’s presence.  

Hotel

New York City is a man-made life form. It is a living thing that has grown over time from a process of layering. The streets, subway system, buildings, and the infrastructure keep the city moving, much like the network of veins within the human body. Although the inner workings are complex, the city streets follow a simpler grid. New York is an ever changing life form, growing and contracting based on the city’s occupants. These occupants are held in heavy undertone of the grid, creating a formal field in which all structure spawns from. The grid acts as a skin for the city, protecting the nerves and veins below.

Soundscape Station

St. Louis is known for its live music scene and deep musical roots. Thousands of tickets are sold each week for shows at The Pageant, Peabody Opera House, and Fox Theatre. These formal music venues follow the standard archetype; audience and performer, stage and stands. Soundscape station proposes the idea that the city, the individual, and the performer switch roles throughout the performance.

The station uses parabolic curvature to amplify the sounds of the street musician, the principal player. The informal music venue is a space where one can listen to music in combination with the intermittent trains and the sounds of the city itself. Located on Delmar Boulevard, at the site of the original 1920’s Depot, the train station creates an end to the unfinished Delmar Loop.

Tectonic Pavilion

Lens

(1)Object or device that focuses or otherwise modifies the direction of movement of light.

(2)Light gathering device of a camera

(3)something that facilitates and influences perception, comprehension, or evaluation

Constructed pavilion-Layered systems working with each other. The steel beams create the primary system from which the rest of the construct relies on. The skin is held by the thin linear elements bolted to the steel beams. The skin is perforated metal sheets that shade the interior space. As the sun continues to move along the sky, the pattern of shadows change in the interior space. 

The Pavilion itself becomes a museum of light. There is a relationship between the making of the sun shading system and the shadows they create. The concrete planes serve as canvases. The tectonics involved in the making mark the ground with a similar calligraphy.

Charleston Museum of Art

The second project of the Charleston studio explores an urban setting very different from the first. 

Charleston, South Carolina is filled with churches across its urban landscape. In fact, it is known as the Holy City due to the church bell towers that make up most of its sky-line.

St. Phillips Church is the site’s signature icon. This site also includes Charleston’s oldest building, the powder magazine museum.  Directly south of the intervention, is the church’s graveyard that extends a quarter mile. All these elements make this particular site contextually sensitive. 

The Charleston museum of art is meant to attract visitors to observe art exhibitions and also accomodate pedestrians walking along the historic area. An outdoor plaza at museum’s center filters visitors coming from the north and south.  Like many of Charleston’s cultural centers, the museum’s identity is held by its outdoor community area;  which can be shared by those visting the powder magazine, church, or those simply walking along chirch street. 

De-witt Clinton Towers

The experience of New York City is a well choreographed, yet spontaneous performance. Its inhabitants, sometimes unaware, are actors and actresses that become a spectacle for the rest of the city. Scattered throughout the city are public spaces that offer unique places for people to engage with one another, whether it be playing sports or simply people watching. These spaces become the stage in which the city dweller performs. 

Manis Cementum explores the possibilities of concrete materials and post-tensioned, compression arch structures.  The goal of the studio was to use digital and analog fabrication techniques to create a self-supported sculptural element.  Precedents for the project included medieval chain mail, reptilian scales, and various bone structures.  

The final form takes on an animalistic shape and is therefore given the scientific classification of Manis Cementum.  The word "manis" comes from a genus of animals that are covered with large, triangular scales that overlap each other like tiles on a roof.  "Cementum" is a play on the Roman word "caementum," which means rough cut stone, and in the case of the Manis Cementum, reflects the nature of the materials being used in the project.

The first step in the design process focused on the development of various surfaces and module shapes to find the best technique to use for the full-scale model.  By testing different joining strategies and surface manipulations, a working taxonomy of forms and strategies was established.

The module itself was carefully designed in order to allow for the greatest range of motion with the fewest number of unique pieces.  The final form is comprised of 600 total units with only 3 variations of the unit, making the fabrication of the pieces much simpler.  This was important because it allowed for a more standardized and streamlined mold making and concrete casting process, which allowed the studio to stay within its budget and schedule.

In addition to the technical and logistical aspects of the module and form, extensive research was done to find the best concrete mixture to use for the final model.  Structural testing helped get the concrete with the best strength-to-weight ratio, and a black concrete pigment was added to achieve the desired aesthetic quality.

The assembly of the final model used 14 1/4" steel cables in order to accommodate all of the pieces required to create the overall surface design.  These main lines were connected together with another set of cross cables, creating a cable-net structure that would hold the surface together.  Stainless steel, marine-grade hardware was used to permanently anchor the cables and modules in place.

Because of the size and weight of the final model, a construction phasing system had to be designed.  The project was broken up into separate elements, allowing for a more organized and sequential construction process.

The final model is sited on the western side of the architecture school at Washington University in St. Louis.  It is specifically oriented to provide the best views to visitors approaching the building from all angles.

This digital fabrication studio was a collaborative effort with the following individuals: Michael Chung, Guru Liu, Ruogu Liu, Lu Bai, Christopher Quinlan, Chris Moy, Shuang Jiang, David Turner, Matthew White, and Zhe Sun.

Luminaire

Objective: design and construct a luminaire for a setting of your choice.

The interior dining area in the Nazca restaurant has a rich material pallete. Wooden floors, concrete steps, and suede chairs warm the interior space. The goal for lighting this area was to keep the dining atmosphere intimate between the occupant and his/her party.

The materials chosen for the luminaire were taken from the wooden floors in the restaurant and the glass windows that offer a view to the outside. The glass within the wooden members lights up to designate seating area but keeps the table visble. This in turn personalizes the dining experience by only allowing enough light for the table users.