Comprehensive Graduate Portfolio

Jon Bucholtz m.arch candidate, pratt institute Design Log fa 11 - sp 13

Jon Bucholtz2nd Year M.Arch. Candidate

Pratt Institute I Brooklyn, NYjbucholt@pratt.edu

MEDIA FUNDAMENTALS

ADAPTIVE STRATAFundamentals Studio

COMPUTERMEDIA II

TEMPORALNEGOTIATIONSContext Studio

POST-INDUSTRIAL FACTORYMixed Use Studio

MEDIA FUNDAMENTALSCritics: Philip Parker, Chris Whitelaw, Chris Kroner

Beginning with an introduction to the phenomenon of architectural representation both in abstract analog and digital mediums, the emphasis of the course was on digi-tal modeling techniques as well as animation based approaches to form generation.

series 1:Exploring the effects that liquid in-teraction would generate over time.

trace of timeCreate a drawing that shows a trace of time without directly acting upon the medium.

left to right:shower, 3 daysdishwasher, 2 dayskitchen sink, 2 days

series 2:Using a single technique to “record” time with multiple traces, or “tracing traces”.

left to right:individual drops of coffeecoffee watercolor

series 3, 4, 5

top to bottom:diffusionvectorstratification

excerpt from series 4

left: hybrid light bulb drawingright: drawing/image overlay

edison light bulbModel an Edison light bulb as an intro-duction to Autodesk Maya, and then use the model to generate a hybrid section/elevation drawing.

hexagonal gridUsing a hexagonal grid and nesting system, create an agglomeration of manipulated hexagons and then deform them.

left: perspectival renderingsright: orthographic rendering

blend-shape unitEmploying the tools learned, create a new unit that can be manipulated in interesting ways.

This unit was loosely inspired by Erwin Hauer’s designs for infinite surfaces and was conceived as a “belt” and a “buckle” that weave together to become spatial.

above: original unit “belt and buckle”opposite: combined unit, unit in field

combined unit in field

above: variations of unit for blendingopposite: units blended across an active field

units for blend variation

3d printed physical model

activated field

animation sequence

interior: activated field

ADAPTIVE STRATAFundamentals StudioCritic: Karel Klein

This studio began with a formal investigation of a material tectonic, from which a public park pavilion space was designed. This project uses the tectonic of strata that are both intensively and extensively adaptive, allowing the form to react to many conditions including site, program and structure.

material studyThis study began by thoughtfully crafting a material into a unit, and then craft that unit into an assembly.

EVA foam is a planar foam material similar to rubber. As a planar material subtractive contouring suggested itself and this method was used to create an internal volume.

left: original unitsright: original assembly

assembly interior

The investigation then focused on the effect of standardizing the unit and finding unique conditions through “stacking and shingling” rather than sculpt-ing a monolithic interior void.

left: “shingle plan”right: “shingle and stack” model

By taking this new assembly and using it as the unit in a larger agglomeration, it was possible to have the individual cell begin to break the barrier of the grid, forming many different spaces sectionally when deployed at a large scale.

left: layers of strata modelright: vignette of strata model

final strata model

park shelterThe material study formed the basis for a park shelter in East River Park. The program of the space is a park shelter to house bike and boat rental, along with a cafe and auxiliary program spaces.

This site is located at the north end of East River Park, and forms a new end barrier as well as unit-ing the bike path and the river more directly.

above: site planopposite: exploded axonometric

Because the bike path and the river are closest at this point, connection between the two through the program of the bike and boat rental was key to this project.

The plan of the structure consists of a direct axis of movement along the bike path for commuters as well as a transverse connection to allow for a transition to the slow space of the courtyard and beach area.

left: plan sketchright: site location

Section B

Section A

floor plan

The language of the section of the building is a soft “draped” form that defines the program, contrasted with a more intense “pinched” form that articulates the structure.

top: section sketchbottom: sectionopposite: 3d printed sectional model

The challenge and opportunity in this project is born of the way in which the planes are articulated and punctured in order to meet different programmatic, structural and experi-ential demands. These include but are not lim-ited to: landform, landscaping, path, structure, shade, dock, beach and tide pool.

top: integration of courtyard with beach and tide poolsbottom: section through rental space and beach

integration of promenade and beach

courtyard and beach

COMPUTER MEDIA IICritics: Robert Cervellione, Jason Vigneri-Beane

Building on the introductory media class, this class sought to further investigate generative software techniques including kinematic and inverse-kinematic relationships and parameter based geometry.

pedestrian bridgeThis bridge was primarily designed through an exploration of parametric modeling techniques

plan view with cut-plane vignette

southeast perspective

southwest perspective

marineris bridgeThis bridge was to be designed with motion in mind. Using kinematic and inverse-kinematic relationships, the bridge became transformable from a deactivated/hidden state to an active state.

TEMPORALNEGOTIATIONSCritic: Philip ParkerContext Studio This studio investigated how the organizational, pictorial,

screening, inscribing, capturing, enframing, receiving, mediating, delimiting, inflected surface fully participates in knowledge formation and the pedagogical apparatus at its core.

many very, varied linestemporal negotiations

The city is a mode of existence. The city is a condition. A condition of figures in a constant, shifting dialogue. This dialogue consists of negotiations both temporal and spatial. These are pressures, from ephemeral and fleeting to constant through time, which can be subtle to the point of instinct or grandiose enough to cause spectacle. These negotiations influ-ence movement of the figures in relation to others in the field of the city. Everything in the city is a direct result of them. Only through these negotiations is urban exis-tence achievable.

diagram of the negotiations in time of an intersection

social negotiations on the Peck Slip site

historic concretion of manhattan

Education may also be understood as a series of negotiations equal in complexity to the city. In spatial-temporal negotiations social/societal learning is affected. Through surface, knowledge is negotiated in a continuum between embedding and recep-tion. This causes a delay between the addition of knowledge and its re-radiation and thus, the formation of a dialogue.

left: spatio-temporal negotiations in learning

right: negotiation between a learning surface and a learner, showing the imprinting and receiving of knowledge

top: transformations in timebottom: sections of surfaces in transformation

The city as a condition is negotiated through pressures both diffuse and direct. Combined with figures of the dialogue, rep-resented by many very varied lines, the surface is embedded with the pressure representing their temporal negotiations, both subtle and constant, or direct and transitory.surface effects

The gradient of social pressure on the site is reflected in the aggregation of the surface. Direct pressure causes more variation and striation in the vertical surface. Diffuse pres-sure causes less striation and more inflection. The grain of the surface is aggregated to al-low circulation on the periphery and stillness in the interior.

This aggregation is thus firmly situated in the context education, and also in the site at multiple scales.

perspectivecirculation and connection diagram

The surface of the school varies from inflection and reflection, to striated and separated. The in-flections and their echoes allow for spaces which contain and focus attention on one surface, allowing for sustained embedding of knowledge. Striation and tearing forms disjointed, non-continuous spaces that connect only visually and through sound. This allows education to take place between fewer students and a smaller sur-face while still connecting them to others, form-ing a structure that promotes parallel learning.

longitudinal sectionfirst floor plan

second floor plan

section 1 section 2

section 3

The progression from reflected and inflected to striated and separated is most apparent in the changing section of the surfaces on the site.

inflected surface for sustained dialogue of knowledge

striated surfaces engendering parallel learning

Classroom is a subjective idea. Education in this school takes place on surfaces which vary in size, separation, connection, latency, apparency and duration. The surface allows learning to extend and be focused, to mediate and project knowledge amongst users both active and passive, and isolate and striate learners in variable groups, which are connected to each other through vertical spaces enabling parallel or cooperative learning.

POST-INDUSTRIALFACTORYCritic: Maria SieiraMixed Use Studio This urban mixed use studio site in Gowanus was cheifly con-

cerned with what role mixed use program plays in an urban environment, and if it can be enhanced architecturally to take an active part in the life of a community.

At first glance the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn ap-pears to be a typical gentrifying neighborhood, but upon closer inspection it becomes apparent that Gowanus is alto-gether different.

industrial, post-industrialgowanus canal

Supported by the polluted spine of its namesake canal, the Gowanus neighborhood is occupied by many heavy indus-tries which rely on the canal for industrial purposes. Prior to its declaration as a Superfund site, the area had been slowly gentrifying, with several large developers vying to construct large scale residential developments. After the designation the push for rapid development halted, and the community began to push for slow, balanced development.

Since the industry in the area has stated that they have no intention of moving, the future of Gowanus appears to be a dynamic mix of young people and artists who favor the location and industry both small and large anchored by the canal. This environment is the perfect place in which to site an architectural intervention that can take an active role in shaping the community.

water/industrial conditions current artistic/housing development

industrial built environment

A diagraming of the physical, developmental, and political forces in the site produced a particle based system. This system was the basis for the form, envelope, and the constructions on the site.

top: Houdini FX Systemmiddle: visualization over timebottom: particles, proximity, network, perimeter/void, surface, surface/void

The industrial makeup of the Gowanus neigh-borhood suggested a mixed use program which embraced,rather than shunned this vernacular. Indus-try by its nature is built on a scale larger than that of residential. By embracing the scale of the industrial, this project seeks to co-opt the under-utilized and leftover spaces that are inevitable in industrial space.

When combined, these two programs form a sym-biotoc relationship: the housing utilizes the extra heat generated by the factory, artists living in the space can take advantage of the factory resources during off hours, and factory workers can enjoy the building’s amenities.

unit plan

static vs. deformable space utility core storage

Given the increasing density and housing conditions in the city, this project was focused around the development of micro-unit housing of around 390 square feet per unit. The unit was stan-dardized, but allowed for individual formal deformations.

factory and housing spaces arrangment of housing units

Circulation and light courts

housing units and structure

housing and factory

lobbyloading dock

site/first floor plan

cargo barge

The large site allows the facotry to comfortably co-exist with the housing, as well as provide an outdoor space that combines a bio-functional wetland with a sculpture park and outdoor work space for artists. The proximity to the canal allows both recreational canoe-ing, as well as industrial barges to utilize the site.

longitudinal section

east elevation

Concrete Columns on Concrete PilesConcrete Slab on GradeLight Gauge Steel Floor JoistsLight Gauge Steel Stud Wall

Envelope:

Steel Tube FrameSteel Support MullionsZinc Cassette PanelsDouble Glazing

Steel Tube FrameSteel W-Flange BeamsSteel Decking

5/8” Plywood SheatingVapor Barrier

2” Rigid Insulation

Z BracketsWeather Barrier

Zinc Inverted Seam Panel System

The envelope is a lattice with infill panels alternat-ing between glass and zinc. The changing scale and opactiy signal the shift from housing to industrial.

Concrete Columns on Concrete PilesConcrete Slab on GradeLight Gauge Steel Floor JoistsLight Gauge Steel Stud Wall

Envelope:

Steel Tube FrameSteel Support MullionsZinc Cassette PanelsDouble Glazing

Steel Tube FrameSteel W-Flange BeamsSteel Decking

5/8” Plywood SheatingVapor Barrier

2” Rigid Insulation

Z BracketsWeather Barrier

Zinc Inverted Seam Panel System

1 1 NTS

Skylight/Batten Detail

Zinc BattenSteel Backing

Zinc PanelDrainage Channel

8 1/2”

10 1/2”

InsulationZ Bracket

5/8/” SheatingDecking

Skylight/Coping Detail

Main Girder

Dead Load Anchor

Steel Box Beam

Zinc Flashing

Zinc Casette Panelw/ insulation core

canal approach

wetland park

Jon Bucholtz2nd Year M.Arch. CandidatePratt Institute I Brooklyn, NYjbucholt@pratt.edu

Comprehensive Graduate Portfolio

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