THOMAS GUERRAARCHITECTURE + URBANISM

THOMAS GUERRA Address Contact

EDUCATIONThe University of Texas at Austin Bachelor of Architecture, May 2014

WORK EXPERIENCEOBRA ARCHITECTS - NEW YORK, NYArchitectural Intern | August 2013 - December 2013Worked within an intensive environment of rapid production on large-scale master planning, eduction and cultural buildings, and small-scale art installation projects. Responsible for the production and modification of architectural drawings, diagrams, models, research, RFPs/RFQs, award packages and marketing materials. Served as lead intern within the office and closely collaborated with team members in OBRA’s NY, Beijing, and Seoul offices.

UT DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY - AUSTIN, TXAdministrative Assistant | September 2010 - May 2013Managed the department’s front desk while providing administrative support to students, faculty, and staff. Duties included organizing, updating, and assembling information for the department website, databases, events, and recruitment process.

Photoshop / Illustrator / InDesignAutoCADRhinoceros 3D / SketchupV-Ray for Rhino Revit (working knowledge)

Ecotect AnalysisArchitectural Modeling / CastingLaser CuttingHTML / CSS / DreamweaverGIS (familiar)

SKILLS

AWARDSFall 2009 | Winner, Design Excellence, Design I Fall 2010 | Nominee, Design Excellence, Design IIISpring 2012 | Nominee, Architype Review Travel PrizeSpring 2013 | Mebane Travel Scholarship to SpainSpring 2014 | Mebane Travel Scholarship to Mexico

HONORS

ISSUESpring 2011 - Spring 2013Worked on the editing, graphics, and layout committees for ISSUE, an annual student-run publication featuring undergraduate and graduate work at the UT School of Architecture.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF MINORITY ARCHITECTURE STUDENTSSpring 2011 - Spring 2013 Member of an organization that strives to promote the work and exposure of minority architects within the School of Architecture through annual lectures and community outreach.

ACTIVITIES

thomas.guerra@utexas.edu254.624.2293

EXHIBITS + PRINTDecember 2009, 2009 Design Excellence Showcase November 2011, Design for Resilience ExhibitionISSUE 007, ISBN 978-0-9786228-6-2 | Design II Feature

153 Clinton AveBrooklyn, NY 11205

AUSTIN ROWING CENTERDesign VI (Sound Building) / Spring 2012

A point of change occurs along Austin’s popular hike and bike trail – from a vast open field to a dense and narrow thicket of trees. Upon crossing this threshold, you enter another world defined by one’s relation to the landscape. In the woods, you become unaware of anything beyond your immediate surroundings. In the field, your view extends beyond to Town Lake and the rest of the city.

It is at the edge between these two landscapes that the building inhabits – delineating the two as separate, but linked entities. The rowing center is anchored along a grove of existing trees, establishing a sense of place on a vast open field. Conventional bays of boat storage are rethought into an elongated form that funnels all boats out to a single exit point along the trail and towards the dock. A constructed berm, sitting above large water storage tanks, anchors the building to the field with integrated spectator seating to provide relief from the popular hike and bike trail - allowing for informal meeting and observation. Within the building, voids cut through the roof plane at regular intervals. It is through these voids that a framework for systems integration is achieved. Daylighting, electrical lighting, HVAC systems, and rainwater collection are all organized around the void and its cavity.

DENSE WOODS

OPEN FIELD

boathouse storage

west elevation along grove

east elevation along field

boathouse storage

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WALL SECTIONSCALE: 1/2’’ = 1’ 1. Roof Construction

1/2’’ Corten Panel Support Plenums Vapor Membrane 5’’ Rigid Insulation Steel Decking OWSJ Finish Roof Frame Gypsum Board2. Flashing3. Wall Construction 1/2’’ Corten Panel Z-Clip Attachment Plywood Form Backing Vapor barrier Rigid Insulation Gypsum Board4. Double Glazing5. Drainage Gutter6. Skylight7. Aluminum Louver8. Air Duct9. Ventilation Grill

LEGEND

SECTIONSCALE: 1/8’’ = 1’

LEGEND1. Roof Construction ½’’ Corten Panel Support Plenums Vapor Membrane 5’’ Rigid Insulation Steel Decking OWSJ Finish Roof Frame Gypsum Board2. Flashing3. Wall Construction ½’’ Corten Panel Z-Clip Attachment Plywood Form Backing Vapor Barrier Rigid Insulation Gypsum Board4. Double Glazing5. Drainage Gutter6. Skylight7. Aluminium Louver8. Air Duct9. Ventilation Grill

longitudinal section

transverse section

entryway to boathouse

ARROYO EL ZACATALAdvanced Landscape Architecture / Spring 2014

The project embraces ecological systems as its foundation. A system of storm water management infrastructures of various scales and types is deployed in the Arroyo el Zacatal watershed. This system operates in a 2 tiered scheme – recharge in the mountains and infiltration in areas within the floodplain. The future development of the now vacant areas will be defined by water drainage. Waterways will be preserved and facilitate a diversity of movement, slow to rapid, and space, urban to natural. The greenways will be fitted with paths, infiltration and retention areas, and dense native vegetation. The system will enhance the quality of life of the population while raising awareness for the local ecology. The proposed ideas were devised to demonstrate an implementable strategy that can stand as a precedent for future projects in Los Cabos and similar areas of Mexico.

The twin cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo have a combined population of around 200,000 people. However, the most critical demographic factor is the population growth rate. Just in the last recorded census data, between 2005 and 2010, San Jose del Cabo grew 13.24% and Cabo San Lucas grew 9.47%. These rates are well above the average in Mexico and speak about the importance of Urban Planning for the future of the region. Water availability is a critical factor for development now and in the future. The local aquifers are already being exploited beyond a sustainable rate.

One of the most important ideas established by the local planning institute, IMPLAN, is the utilization of natural systems as the urban structure of Los Cabos. In the new urban plan, ecology comes to the foreground with a proposed open public space network that links together the arroyos running through the cities.

URBANIZATION OF SAN JOSE DEL CABO1995 URBANIZED AREA2000200520102040

CABO SAN LUCAS131,021 RESIDENTS

SAN JOSE DEL CABO90,383 RESIDENTS

LA PAZ

LA PAZ BUENA VISTA

PRESERVING

FILTERING

anticipated housing development

reclaimed vegetation preserved and utilized as playground equipment

ampitheater and water storage polyfunctional skate park and water retention

depressed areas allow for retention and infiltration

reclaimed vegatation utilized as playground equipment

botanical garden showcasing local flora

streetscape improvements allow for filtration and infiltration

CULTIVATING

INFILTRATING

COLLECTING

private cultivation gardens

water filtration and trash collection

infiltration along existing water flow

polyfunctional basketball court and water retention

EAST SIDE LIBRARYDesign III / Fall 2010

Nominated for Design Excellence - Fall 2010

As the east side of Austin undergoes rapidly increasing change, the community of the neighborhood is not always held in the best interest of the developments. The branch library is located on an empty block of land between two separate neighborhoods to the north and south. Rather than serving one neighborhood, the library seeks to expand its reach and bring both communities together.

In order for the library is to serve both neighborhoods equally, two entrances from two streets converge into a public courtyard space before the building is entered. Flanking the courtyard are two distinct wings of the library - one housing community spaces, including a community art gallery, and the other housing reading spaces and book stacks. Circulation and lobby spaces fill the middle portion. Openess between the reading spaces and stacks is given through the use of mezzanines and changes of levels- allowing for open views to be carried across the space. The top floor remains devoted as a reading space, perched above surrounding buildings, with views looking out to downtown. Copper plates cover the building, with openings following the same pattern of the panels. As the library ages, the copper will gain a patina - itself transforming as the community transforms.

BIRDING CENTERDesign II / Spring 2010

A path stretches between two bodies of water as well as two land typologies at Hornsby Bend. To the north is a meadow of grass and a lake, popular for bird watching. Travelling south leads you to into a dense woodland environment and eventually a cliff that overlooks the Colorado river. The birding center takes root along this path, mediating between the two conditions of the site.

The path runs through the northern part of the building, creating an informal gathering space, a place to rest and access to bathrooms. As the building diverges away from the path, a central spine is carried down the structure. One side houses offices, storage rooms and mechanical space. On the other side, the building is opened up to allow for transitional spaces of meeting in the form of an informal meeting spot, a lobby, and a gallery space. A series of stairs are employed to develop separation between these spaces, as well as negotiate the elevation changes in the topography. At the southern termination of the building, the user is reunited with the path. They emerge into a forest of trees - contrasting the meadow at the entrance.

bathrooms

storage

offices

shop

exhibit space

exhibit space

exhibit space

rest space along trail

existing trail

PROFESSIONAL RESIDENCYOBRA Architects - New York, NY / Summer + Fall 2013

OBRA Architects operates as a small team working collaboratively across offices in NY, Beijing, and Seoul. The firm takes on a wide spectrum of global projects with an experimental approach.

My internship with OBRA was primarily spent working on the schematic design phase of a long-term master plan development outside of Seoul, Korea. The master plan was envisioned as a global culture center that would later incorporate housing, resorts, and other attractions through gradual phases. I assisted our urban planner and an outside team of engineers in developing conceptual transportation schemes, site diagrams, analysis, research, sustainable technologies, and design guidelines. As the project progressed, conceptual schemes for individual buildings within the masterplan were devised. Working closely with the project manager and other interns in the office, we rapidly translated many varied scheme explorations into 2D drawings, renderings, 3D models, and physical models.

Additionally, I assisted OBRA Beijing with a number of projects in China. I picked up redline alterations to the schematic drawing set of a Kindergarten project and assisted in the production of renderings. Other responsibilities included the sourcing of materials for a small scale installation project by a prominent Chinese artist and contributing research and layout work of RFP/RFQs for future projects.

My time at OBRA was both a tremendous and intensive learning process that involved me in many of the inner-workings of an architectural firm. The collaborative atmosphere and ability to work through a wide spectrum of projects was an incredible experience to be a part of.

DisclaimerAll projects I assisted with during my time with OBRA are confidential. All images shown here are promotional preview materials and do not represent the full extent of my contributions.

CONCEALED DENSITYAdvanced Urban Design / Spring 2013

The Brackenridge Tract, owned by the University of Texas, is a 355 acre site that has been largely undeveloped. This is especially unusual for it’s proximity to downtown Austin. Surrounding single family home neighborhoods, with strong political influence in the city, largely hinder the viability for a high density neighborhood to be developed. This presents the challenge of creating an urban design scheme that is highly sensitive to it’s context while facilitating the need for density in a rapidly growing city.

The proposed scheme seeks to merge the landscape model of a city that Austin has developed around with the compact model of the city. A public golf course on site is treated as the structure for superblock development in which a balance of scales between historic low density residential and the demand for high density development

can be negotiated. Large canopied areas within the golf course are treated as miniature woodlands that are to be preserved as a base from which development can grow around.

Buildings and road infrastructure are carefully weaved into the space of the former fairways of the golf course. Height restrictions keep much of the buildings at, or below, the canopy line as too “conceal” them and preserve the low rise scale of development in the surrounding neighborhoods. A number of slender towers will be allowed to break this height restriction to allow for an increased amount of density and living arrangements. Trails connect the canopied areas together, facilitating active lifestyles as well as providing a link into the greater town lake trail network. The phasing scheme for the development will gradually phase the golf course fairways out for new development - allowing for a gradual introduction of density.

EXISTING TREE STOCK BUILDING ARRANGEMENT ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE TRAIL SYSTEM

building typology in context

a network of pedestrian paths interconnect woodland areas with building blocks

example section of new road and trail infrastructures