MOMModus Operandi Magazine

Issue OneMay 9th, 2010

TENSEGRITYADAPTABLE SPACE

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A-2 Studio

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MUSEUM PARK FALL TERM - SITE ANALYSIS

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This is the third phase of the Design III course. The site, Museum Park, was analyzed from multiple ranges of overhead views. The research of aerial images provided opportuni-ties to understand the city’s gridded context as it currently exists. The diagrams shown here represent pedestrial forces, vehicular forces, the forces of the existing track and the forces of the city’s grid working in unison to create a rich context illuminated by architectural prin-ciples. A process model was built based on information derived from each diagram and utilized for the design of the train station.

CHAPEL CREMATORIUMMount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA

The emotional connection between visitors and their loved ones serves as the driving element in designing a space that can ease the pain of their loss. The new chapel and crematorium uses nature and views to create an uplifting experience for people during a sad time.

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Site & Ground Floor PlansThe positioning of the building draws attention to the natural treescape in the northern portion of the site, while an extended and glazed in entry helps guide people in who are passing by the front of the building.

D e v e l o p m e n t a l S k e t c h A canopy was added to the front of the build-ing as a gesture of reaching out to people passing by the building along Chapel Ave.

D e v e l o p m e n t a l S k e t c h The addition and continuation of the interior monumental stair along the exterior of the building allowed for a direct route into the up-per fl oor remembrance space as well Chapel Remembrance as an alternate form of egress.

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Revit Exterior Building Rendering Collaged onto site photo with Adobe Photoshop Exterior Glaz-ing reveals the interior and welcomes users into the building.

Interior Rendering Building Lobby Curtain wall is used to help guide people into and through the building. It invites people into the building on the ground fl oor, and re-veals views on the upper fl oor leading people around the space.

B u i l d i n g M o d e l

SAILING PAVILIONSeaport District - South Boston

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The site for the sailing pavilion is located between a steel pedestrian walking bridge and a vehicular bridge, and borders upon the city edge and Boston Harbor.Circula-tion circles the site rather than move through it.

Building Model The boat storage/workshop areas use wood framing and paneling while thefunction spaces use curtain wall and metalpaneling to distinguish the spaces from the exterior.

Site & Ground Floor Plans The building improves site circulation by cre-ating multiple site entry points and forming a procession from the building out to the water, and vice versa.

Wall Section The extended roof and angled glazing on the upper fl oor helps shield the artwork from direct sunlight.

Interior Rendering Top Floor Exhibit Space The exhibit space creates a link to the many art galleries in South Boston. This additional public space aids in drawing people into the building.

Wall Section The extended roof and angled glazing on the upper fl oor helps shield the artwork from direct sunlight.

FIRE STATIONProvidance, RI

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LIGHT STUDYSean Carey

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“A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned -- this is the sum of good government.” – Thomas Jefferson

A system like a government can be altered to allow for more or less for its people; more ability, freedom of thought, privacy, speech, education, earning, etc. A light study model of this idea uses a fi xed set of elements that work together to create a system. When the system is manipu-lated the ratio of light and shade changes at different stages. The goal is to allow for more light or liberty. When the system is rotated too far from the light source, it chokes out some of the

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The hotel fl oats eighty rooms made of one hundred eighty re-purposed shipping container above plinth of stepped landscape and public function areas. The rooms are arranged in two bars backing onto an open atrium. The front, urban bar develops a strong relationship with its Collins Avenue neighbors and frames Western views to Biscayne Bay and downtown. Unique features of the facility including elegant restaurant and retail areas, the projecting event room and seventh oor glass spa are dramatically expressed to the surrounding commu-nity. The rear ocean bar sweeps in a series of cascading levels from the eleventh fl oor to the pool area. Generous terraces with stunning ocean views dene a strong sense of connection to the pool and shoreline below.

GROUND LEVEL 01

A Lower LobbyB Retail Store C Mechanical RoomD LaundryE Loading / StorageF JanitorialG Offi ceH Security I LuggageJ StorageK Utility

SECOND LEVEL 02

GROUND LEVEL 01

SECOND LEVEL 02

A Lower LobbyB Upper Lobby C Event / Restaurant D RestaurantE Sun deck / LoungeF PoolG Snack BarH RestroomsI Kitchen J Offi ce K Green Pergola

Moho is a new concept in the long-standing tradition of world-class Miami hotel design. Its dynamic form expresses the grand sense of luxury and theatrically that popularized Miamihotels in a kit-of-part assembly that effi ciently responds to contextual variables. In this way, the ablility to adapt and respond-to cater to each guest-is articulate as its primary funcation.

MOHOAIAS/MODULATE BUIDLING INSTITUTE: MIAMI BEACH HOTEL 2010

Team Members: Thomas M. Boessel, Nway Oo Robert R. Ortiz, Mikkel D. Strømstad Faculty Sponsors: Gabriel Bergeron, Eric Nelson

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SUSTAINABILITYThe ground fl oor area, largely devoted to parking and back-of-house functions, includes a small, convenient retail space and open atrium Lobby. Guests and public patrons are dramatically drawn into the facility entry below the large pro-jecting event room where they ascend an open atrium stair into the dramatic spaces of the upper Lobby. Restaurant, bar and a variety of public and private meeting areas are woven around this pivotal space and fi nally, access to the cascading landscape and ocean beyond is provided through a series of pivot-ing glass panels.

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MODULARITYCentral to the complex, the canted atrium dramatically features a braced tubular steel frame and series of asymmet-rical bridges linking the open corridors of theOcean and Urban guest bars. Guest and sta elevator towers dene the southern and northern edges of the glass roofed Lobby be-low. Moho intentionally blends an attitude of sheltered luxury and outreach to the commu-nity. The massing of the facil-ity presents a wall of private rooms punctured with public functions and open spaces. This architectonic element si-multaneously shelters guest rooms above Collins Avenue and reestablishes the urban street wall while the commu-nity is encouraged to view and participate in various functions below. Color tinted glass is expressed against the white painted shipping con-tainer (guest room) walls and limestone circulation towers to create drama at night and at-tract pedestrians.

FLOORPLAN 04

A Modular Unit (Shipping Container)B Modular ArrayC Modular Structure D Service Structure E Hot Water Supply F Green Roof Kitchen Garden G Offi ce

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Togore - C1 StodioPORTABLE PAVILION

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C.1 re(site)alCharles Garcia, Kyle Stur-geon- 3 weeks

“Make a pavilion for a high school graduation ceremony. You don’t know who these people are and you don’t know where or how this event will happen.”

InquiryPrefab is great, but can we really put everything we build on wheels? Even for just a short while?What’s deafness like? What if architecture could somehow talk to us?Can architecture weave liter-

ConceptIt’s not communicability- according to special educators, the greatest challenge for their hearing impaired students is integrating them back into society.I like to explore architecture through events in my personal life. Moving out, a deaf friend and a new rug, then topical events, infl uenced the approach of this project.We were charged with the task of modeling sketches of “connected modules” using paper without glue. I purchased a rug that day so I chose to explore the craft of weaving to examine warp and weft as a way of connecting things.Apparently, friction is one of the many interesting by-products of weaving. This is an architecturally useful qual-ity because enough friction allows woven forms to hold shape without external support.Initially, this was a site less project so I chose to focus my obsession with mo-bility towards wheel driven structure. I felt that a mobile structure might provide the most fl exibility for “plug-and-play” situations when a site was magically introduced. The drawing illustrates folded plates laced with bands that create a fl ex-ible and friction based membrane (actual models recycled). The plates are made suitable for mobility by be-ing proportioned to boat and truck beds. The jack-in-the-box like nature of this assembly also allows large fl ex-ible modules to be compressed and transported for various applications.

friction studies

typical procession

alternate processtion

ProcessAt larger scales, warp and weft mod-els developed into tensile based ac-cordion. The instructors introduced the object- a pavilion. The accordion was translated into linked modules that could serve as both seating and as canopy.My studio projects have gener-ally been developed via modeling, sketching, collage and occasional 3D rendering. Each project has been a chaotic process both diffi cult to fol-low and communicate- singular ideas with several outcomes. One of the in-structors sensed my interest in picto-graphs as a way of telling stories and encouraged me to use diagrams as a method for developing the project.

One of the immediate challenges was learning new software. In many ways, this project was as much an ex-ploration of the craft of creating dia-grams as it was in the craft of weav-ing.Since diagrams are commonly by-products of a thinking process, the big question for me was “how can diagrams be useful during the pro-cess as actual form generators?” Like several precedents I followed- Koolhaas, Eisenman, Prince-Ramus, Single Speed- the design that de-veloped was an abstracted form of the diagram itself. This “form follows diagram” approach was new and exciting because it allowed me to work without preconceived notions of form. I was learning to let go of

premature sentiments of shape and space.After a module was developed to suit a pavilion, we were given the pro-gram which was a graduation cere-mony for any high school. Below, the symbolic gesture of graduation is ex-amined with weaving to develop the idea of social integration for the hear-ing impaired. Students and teachers are integrated into the crowd by breaking from a hierarchical style procession. The diagrams provide a reading of what is happening and il-lustrate how modules can be adapt-ed to oblige a type of procession orvice versa.

SynthesisThe structure swells and envelopes as a way of communicating an idea about what’s going on. It opens fully to admit shuffl ing crowds, closes a bit to indicate the shift in moment as the ceremony begins, tightens even further to mark the intimacy of per-sonal testimonials, and reopens to mark the end of the ceremony.The instructors pressed further and encouraged me to develop a sys-tem that could fold in either direction thereby creating a closed shelter for receptions or an opened covered structure for precarious weather conditions. The structure’s ability to make adjustment in form also al-lows technicians to create optimal acoustics, particularly if they’re look-ing for lower vibration frequencies in order to heighten the acoustic expe-rience for otherwise deaf people.

the truck assembly arrical opening ceremony testimonials awards dispersal reception

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ProgramIn lieu of separation, the idea of integration is to pixilated the body of friend, parents, educators and students throughout the event. The diagrams on the left illustrate the process of how a panel transforms from “a bed” to a pixilated fi eld (of people), to a string of bays, then fi nally to a frayed accordion which becomes a kind of mutable architecture that adapts to many environments.

Each hinged fi nger is a se-ries of folded plates similar to earlier study models. On a larger scale, they would likely require more than friction to support large audiences. So I proposed a closed loop strap system that would be woven about the module perimeter acting in tension (see model on previous page).The mechanics of this assem-bly at 1:1 were never fully studied but paper models suggested that each string could take on unique form creating an undulating fi eld of seating with several height differences.

This discovery made the con-cept even more fl exible to site conditions than I had pre-viously imagined because it implied the ability to park this assembly on any slope.

Defi ne Procession

Defi neBase

Defi ne ProgramMatrix

Pixellate Program-Allow For Integration

Organizing PrincipleVia Circulation Bays

Toggle Bay HieghtsSpatial Wayfi nding

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Hierachy Removed New Layout Proposed Diversifi ed Intergation

conventio

nal hiera

rchy

proposed dive

rsity

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Typical Hierachy

While the site was in fact in Boston, the idea is that this modular “pavilion on wheels” can go anywhere roads exist. The fi nal rendering dem-onstrates how the pavilion takes advantage of Government Center’s stepped landscape. Above, a tongue in cheek rendering illustrates the user’s view from within the pavilion. It also shows how this project could be used for any-thing from public announcements to traveling circuses and, of course, a camel auction- why not?

Connect Crowd Back To Stage Visually

RE-CONNECT THE DIS-CONNECTEDPlace - Making in the Sky

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Re-Inventing the skyline of Boston with intent of unifying the dis-conneced cultural identity of downtown crossing by introducing a new typology of tower deign as a symbolic mix-used Bio-Climactic Eco-Tower, with hopes to reconnect it to the build environment by creating a vertical extension of the environments that fulfi ll the aspects of our daily lives on the ground, including a variety of transitional spaces and programmatic elements, including a training facilities for an urban farm, cultural museum, dwelling units, and a market.

Conceptual DiagramingWhat is more aesthetically pleasing? Most towers today are nothing more then a series of plates skacked on top of each other, yet with this new typology of tower design, they could be designed as a series of vertical events with a variety of spatial sequences.

Conceptual ModelsWays to preceive horizontel movements into verticality

Sketch Problem Understanding the typical street as a literal vertical extenstion and comparing it to a con-tained solution, i.e. a cruise ship.

Our perception of city environments and the way we build up an image of quality in a particular place is closely related to our body and how our senses process signals received from our immediate environment. All our senses contribute to the image of quality but it is the visual stimulation processed through the eye that has the biggest impact on our perception of city environment.

Human Experience Is downtown crossing a current point of destination?

Proposed Sitehayward place-downtown BostonBird’s eye viewlooking north

Site Location AnalysisDisconnection of urban landscape in proposed site2008 The thesis Proposal Site (the “Hayward Place”), is within the city block bound by Wash-ington Street, Avenue de Lafayette, Harrison Avenue extension, and Hayward Place (The “Project Site”) and consists of approximately 43,185 Square Feet of ground area (see Project Locus above and Project Aerials, to the right). The Project Site has been occupied by a surface parking lot since the mid-1980’s, and by a publicly owned parking garage structure for many years before that.

Contextual Analysis Site Location wconnection of urban networks in proposed site

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conceptualizing the building on the proposed site

ways of experiencing the ground fl oor...

entering from belowfl ush a raised ground fl oor podium

using the full site as a vertical extension

stacking the program to take

advantage of the solar rays

taking advantage of the southern fa-cade to penetrate

solar rays

penetrating the ac-cess between site to create a pas-

sage and terraces

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fi nal systems

circulation system green lung system fl oor system structural core system

east elevationnorth elevation

section - a-asection - c-c

section - b-b

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SAN DIEGO, CA COMPETIONDavid Wilkins

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The designed was for a residential design competition located in San Diego, CA. The competitio was canceled just weeks be-fore the submission dea line due to fi nancial reasons. The scope of the competition was to design a building used for work/live units. The site was a predetermined vacant lot with street frontage and surrounded on three sides by existing buildings. Innovative use of fi nish materials and compliance with Center City Development Corporation (City government agency), zoning and building codes were required.

The design consisted of nine “townhouse” style units and exterior patios for each unit. Prode-ma rain screen panels were used for the exterior skin. Post tension concrete fl oors was used to minimize interior columns. An elevator style parking system was used to meet the parking requirements within the small garage area.

Leged1 Prarking2 Work/Loft Units3 Town Home Units4 Elevator 5 Exterior Deck

Chateau for Two LoversRilwan Kujenya Studio A-1

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This project was for me the single project that I would say I had the most amount of freedom. That, in par-ticular was feeling, that will last, for good reason. I can always look back to this as the fi rst project that I have done for a school that I was enrolled in full-time, and I can always look back at the amount of fun that I had do-ing the project for inspiration in the future.

In this project, I felt I was

able to say something. I was able to tell a story and turn that into a construction. I know that I will continue to search for that type of free-dom and artistic expression throughout my life.

As I tell stories now I cross-reference the many things that I know, as well as the things I don’t and make up. For example, I allowed the infl uence of my history with writing comics and short-stories, helping on fi lm sets

with my fi lm-making brother, and modern french fi ction works like that of Sartre and Camus.That’s how I approached this project, and that’s how I want to continue approach architure. I want to tell stro-ries of the world as I see it. I want do something that will allow my thoughts and re-fl ections of life, refl ections of cultures,and of the human condition, and so on, trans-form in to physical objects. In the end, I just want to tell

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I develeped a model and pro-duced a series of sketches that would convey the notion of overlap-ping motion.

A this point I im-aged the two lovers in the nar-rative which I cre-ated were on the run and ready to elope.

The swooping lines gesture sketch emphasize the lovers’ need for escape from their current situation.

Beginning with the gesture sketch I crafted a model with ruffl ed tex-tures and cascad-ing surfaces that created twisting shelter spaces that swerveing in an out of itself.

The texture of this twisting form sup-ports the narrative of the tale. I was actively through-out the entire de-sign considering the materiality of the house.Under shade, the lovers are

provide a place to hide.

1. Gesture Sketch con-veying ovelapping motion

2. The model’s faceted exeterior refl ects a subtle curving motion

3. A sketch depicting the two lovers as they elope in a hideaway space

4. The exterior texture of the model was pro-duced by a process of wetting and blow drying stripped card-board

5. The model features

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Our fi rst task as a class was to build a series of house build of business cards that would convey an idea about space.

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I built a set of models that would convey my idea overlap by featur-ing meshing and intertwining planes and volumes. Ref-erence my per-sonal passion for story writing, I syn-thesized to inhab-itant for this con-ceptual dwelling.

We were then assigned to fur-ther develop our spatial concepts by develop-ing a new set of models created with cardboard.

My model not only displayed and in-tertwined central space but also a meshing, interlock-ing tectonic.

The two models that I pro-duced told the story of two lovers. The form references two grasping hands and the external forces in opposition of the lovers affair.

The two clasping hands cre-ate a multi-faceted interior space with meshing, over-lapping levels.

My cardboard iteration attempts to work out the spatial fl aws in the previous model.

The driving idea created a single space comprised of several zones. Thing energy created resembles the lov-ers passion.

I will create a few more iterations exploring several themes as meth-ods to convey spatial and formal overlap.

1. Business card model conveying the clasp-ing form of two hands

2. Conceptual sketches abstracting the notion of two clasping hands

3. Cardboard model convey further con-ceptual development

4. Diamgram illustrating the intertwinging of the spaces.

5. Gesture sketch con-veying overlap

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I explored the overlapping of space, creating spaces that merge into one another. I want an intimate kind of overlap.

I want to create a model that por-trays a physical an visual sense of overlap in plan, section, and virtu-ally every eleva-tion.

However I must stay true to my original fi ction. This house must address that ro-mance.

I created that hu-man aspect for myself to help my understand my own goals with-in the projects. There are issues that I feel pas-sionately about that I brought to a architectertural conversation. I bring to the table preconcieved no-tions about about the overlapping element of famil-ial and society structures. There’s drama there, I thought my house should be dramat-ic as well.

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1. Sketch of overlap inter-twining lines

2. Cardboard model fea-ture clashing interlock surfaces and overlap-ping spaces

3. Diagram of the inter-connection of merged spaces

4. Planes cantilevering over one another dis-play a visual overlap

After, the way that I though about the project, my pro-cess, sort of runs on tangents contem-plating literal defi -nitions of the world overlap and soci-etal implication of de3sign. However I bring those con-cepts to life with the energy found in my sketch and models. Every-thing clashes, but in a pleseant way.

1. Gesture sketch for the fi nal iteration

2. Cardmmodel displays the meshing and overlaping of space and form

3. Final model contains all of the previously

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EXCURSION TO BEIRUTArlen Stawasz

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Lebanon was the historic home of the Phoenicians, a maritime culture that fl orished for more than 3000 years (3700-450 BC). After the collapse Ottoman Empire (after WWI), the fi ve provinces that comprise present day Lebanon (North, Mount Lebanon, Beqaa, Nabatieh, and South) were mandated to France. Lebanon established a unique political system in 1942 based on a community power sharing mechanism called Confessionalism. The French created it as a mandatory power to expand the borders of the former autonomous Ottoman Mount Lebanon District. The country gained its independence in 1943, and the French Troops withdrew in 1946. Before the Lebanese Civil War, the country enjoyed a period of relative calm and prosperity, driven by tourism, agriculture, and banking. It was considered one of the banking capitals of Western Asia, and during the economic incline, it was considered the Switzerland of the Middle East. The French Beaux Arts style was very apparent as grandiose elaboration on the more refi ned neoclassical style of architecture in Lebanon. Because of its fi nancial power, the country also attracted a large number of tourists. The combination of architecture and tourism appointed Beirut to be considered the Paris of the Middle East.

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The Martyr’s are the people who were injured and sacrafi ced for their beliefs, aspirations, and convictions. They are all of those who honored patriotic, noble and holy objecteives. For all those who fought bravery to defend their existence, dignity, the rights of their people, their love of the land, and the free, independent, sovereign, and democratic Lebanon. All those who abondoned their land, houses, properties, and stayed in Lebanon courageously

during the war, inspite of all the hardships. The Martyr’s are those of Lebanese citizens and leaders who were forced to immigrate and leave their country. They are experiencing martydom in their life everyday while struggling to survive all over the world and secure the future of their children. These Lebanese immigrants, inspite of all the diffi culties, pain, suffering, and hardship they’ve encountered, still remain loyal to Lebanon and its just cause.

Long Live Free Lebanon

Urban Planning of Beirut

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Baalbeck

Baalbeck is considered the most charming beautiful city of Phoenicia. It is the major important archeological site in Lebanon dating back to the Roman era. Its most fascinating histroical site is its majestic roman temples of gigantic size, the tallest columns ever erected and the largest stones ever cut which are still standing in perfect balance and harmony.

The ruins of Baalbeck are often questioned of the construction. Lebanese Architects and engineers state:

“Not having any pre-concieved ideas about the ancient history to uphold, there are no known lifting technologies even in current times that could raise and positon the Baalbeck stones given the amount of working space. The massive stones of the grand terrace of Baalbeck are simply beyond the engineering abilities of any recognized ancient of contemporary builders. There are no records of Roman history that describe the construction of Baalbeck. Dated gaffi ti proves that the Romans could not have fi nanced Baalbeck.”

How is it that the stones are so carefully joined that it is impossible to insert a needle between them? Baalbeck stands as one of the most fascinating archeological sites on earth, it truly is a great ancient wonder.

Profylaea

Great Court

HexagonalForecourt

Temple of

Jupiter

Temple of

Bacchus

Temple of Bacchus

City Plan of Baalbeck

Temple of BacchusSacrafi cal Altar of Jupiter

The Baalbeck international festival is the oldest and most prestigious celebrations in the Middle East. Since 1955 hundreds and thosands of people fl ock from around the world to attend the annual festival full of classical music, dance, opera jazz and contemporary world music performed in the ancient Roman acropolis.

Baalbeck Festival

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The sketchbook display is recessed into an alcove that shields it from di-rect sunlight. A light shelf above the alcove allows diffuse light to enter just above the viewing area. Ambient light refl ects off of the chair display wall and fi lls out the remainder of the lighting requirements for the space.

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The challenge of this one-day charette was to create a space to display a signifi cant piece of furniture and a place to dis-play the sketchbook of the furniture designer. The goal was to fi nd solutions using natural lighting for the display of the pieces.

The Classical shape of the Klismos chair was the inspi-ration for the form of the walls. Its proportions provided the basis for diagrammatic layout of the fi nal structure.

LIGHT & DARK, BOOK & CHAIR John Navarro, Sketch Problem 3 - A Room in a Furniture Museum , 2008

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BASS HOUSEAndre Vasconcelos

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Location The small Cape Style house located two blocks west of Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester, MA. The house sits on a gener-ous lot west of Cape Ann Coffees, the local coffee shop. To the North lies a small shopping complex that includes a CVS Pharmacy as well as a Super Stop & Shop. To the west there is residential dwelling and to the south is Bass Avenue itself which consists of residences and small local businesses.

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My initial inspirations for this project were the bass fi sh and my cli-ent’s love for boats. I did not envision this renovation to be a remake of the surrounding architecture at all. The reason being I have a problem with some architecture precedents. The problem is, I learned in architecture his-tory that architecture is not only meant to pro-vide functional shelter, but more deeply, it is a response to a way of living. The way we live today is different than the way previous gen-erations lived. What I see is that some people, particularly in this part of the country are liv-ing with what others had prepared for previ-ous generations, as opposed to responding to their own needs today. or even more deeply as opposed to writing their history. In my view people could do better for themselves. People in general, not just homeowners, but especially trained architects often try to almost precisely imitate vernacular architecture in the time we live today. I think that does not justify anything for our own good.Once during a studio presentation I heard “If one could lead others will follow.” That touched me deeply and that is what I believe in now. Many people, educated or not, have the false impression that everything that came before them in regards to architecture is the formalistic absolute truth, no matter how dys-functional a place may be. In my opinion it is revolting to fi nd some very unique properties with completely “modern” interiors, and ex-teriors based on architecture from one and a half centuries ago. It is as if they are saying that we respect our historical precedents of our sur-roundings. This is unfortunate from my point of view. Good natural ventilation and light do not have to come with a colonial facade for example.

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Narrative Since beginning work on this house in Novem-ber of 2008, I have been developing new skills as well as improving old ones. These skills relate to both carpentry and architecture. I obtained and improved carpentry skills during a series of activities that took place in this house, some of which are the restoration of hard wood fl ooring in the kitchen, installation of a casement win-dow, tiling, as well as the demolition and con-struction of walls. As an architect I planned the layout for the renovation in both the kitchen and bathroom. Later I planned a complete redesign of the residence including a second fl oor addition. This house is the summer home of Mr. & Mrs. Read. They share a passion for Vic-torian style homes. However, for their summer house they wanted something functional and exciting. In their second home they wanted to expand the functionality and improve their vantage points. While the Cape style home is common in the immediate neighborhood, just several blocks away on Bass Rocks, there are extraordinary houses with exponential archi-tectural value. The budget for this project was extremely limited and I had to come up with creative ideas in order to overcome monetary constraints. Operating with a limited budget, I developed house plans working closely under the tutelage of BAC practice faculty member, Ken Savoie. I also developed a close working relationship with Sean Costello, a local builder. Together, Ken and Sean teamed to guide and mentor me through the entire design, budget-ing, approvals and permitting process. Recon-struction got underway in early January with occupancy expected in mid-spring of 2010.

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For this renovation, I let interior functions, functions such as energy conservation, determine the exte-rior. For example, I placed the window openings in such a way that they receive the breeze off the ocean. My intention was also to make the locals uncomfortable so that perhaps they will rethink the typical cookie-cutter homes. During the process of drawing this house I asked a few instructors from the Boston Architectural College for direction and opinion. The fi rst design attempt was very lofty and lacked purpose. The second design was a reality check; I had to eliminate the use of the roof for leisure. Kenneth Savoie helped and directed me with the third design, which is a basic marriage of functionality and progressive space relationships consciously immersed in budgetary constraints. The design stage is over and all construction docu-ments are complete. Now I am working with Sean Costello, a local contractor. We have achieved an advanced stage of construction in a very short period of time. I would personally like to thank Ken Savoie for all the support and bravery! I would like to thank the support of the BAC community in general; a few faculty names that comes to mind are Lewis Wadsworth, Dave Harrison, Len Charney and Matt Morong. I would also like to thank Scott Brown, Ronald Roberts, Mark Rogers and Kevin Young for inspiration and progressive thinking.

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Notable Learning OutcomesEstablishing credibility with the client through research and analysis of the local real estate market to establish budget guidelines that are in line with market conditions and property val-ues.

Applying knowledge and understanding of site considerations affecting building orienta-tion and envelope design.

Engaging with client to develop clear design guidelines and renovation objectives.

Generating close working relationship with mu-nicipal building offi cials, contractor and sub-contractors.

Increasing effective communication skills with all project stakeholders

Managing construction, project budget and requisition process.

This project is taking me to a new understand-ing of architecture. I have had the incredible opportunity to have open minded clients that respected my design decisions and helped me achieve success without external interference.

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east-west frontal perspective

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