BRIAN CRONIN DESIGN PORTFOLIO
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CONTENTS
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CONNECTIVE COLLISIONSHigh School in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCal Poly | Spring 2014 | Mark Cabrinha | Samantha Aisawa’s Project with Shaler Campbell
UCSF MISSION CENTERMixed-Use Building in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco Urban Program | Winter and Spring 2015 | R. Thomas Jones
ZONES FOR PRODUCTIVE INQUIRYHigh School in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCal Poly | Winter 2014 | Mark Cabrinha
DISEGNO IN ITALIA / DRAWING IN ITALYShort Projects in Central and Southern ItalyAIA Rome Center | Fall 2014 | Tom Rankin and Scott Schlimgen
EFFORTLESS FORMSBallet School in Santa Cruz, CaliforniaCal Poly | Fall 2013 | R. Thomas Jones
VARIATED LIGHTNESSElementary School in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCal Poly | Spring 2013 | Chandrika Jaggia
GROUNDED CHANNELSGallery Project in Santa Monica, CaliforniaCal Poly | Fall 2012 | Jeff Ponitz
CHASM TABLEFurniture Piece Built for Vellum Competition in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCal Poly | Fall 2015 | Sandra Stannard
PARASITEInstallation Project in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCal Poly | Winter 2012 | Keith Wiley | with Michelle Chen and Allison Costa
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CONTACT
Brian Cronin1045 San Adriano StreetSan Luis Obispo, CA 93405
[email protected](530) 558-5128
linkedin.com/in/brcronin24
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CONNECTIVE COLLISIONSHigh School in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCal Poly | Spring 2014 | Mark Cabrinha | Samantha Aisawa’s Project with Shaler Campbell
In high school, learning happens everywhere—not just in classrooms and labs, but also in the spaces between, which support rich interactions between students, teachers, and their surroundings. In Connective Collisions, corridors are broad and programmed to catalyze this type of learning, encouraging the student to spend time outside of the classroom and transforming it into a layered social and educational experience. These corridor-based spaces include areas for study, break-out activity zones, and stations for collaboration. Two monumental ramps connect the main learning floors, creating a passing period experience with visual and audial richness spanning between levels.
Entry Approach with Transparency Gradient Building Skin
Linear Atrium with Monumental Ramp
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Open Library Overlooking Atrium
Cafeteria with Expansive Views Beyond
Gathering Area Along Corridor
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This project is a team continuation of a one-quarter individual student project. With a developed starting point, a holistic and integrated building design was achieved in ten weeks. The wall section and elevation above details the cement board paneling system, hints at the developed mechanical system, and reveals the long-span structural system—all of which were comprehensively modeled across the 200,000 square-foot project. But while technical details were developed, the conceptual push behind the project—a concept of what learning in the twenty-first century could be—was always forefront, constantly morphing from real student and teacher feedback.
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UCSF MISSION CENTERMixed-Use Building in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco Urban Program | Winter and Spring 2015 | R. Thomas Jones
With thinking at an urban-level scale, this ten-week investigation prioritized the development of an integrated mixed-use program and public-benefit outdoor spaces. Located at the edge of San Francisco’s culturally vibrant Mission District, this project aims to become a new community center, transforming a surface parking lot into a new retail hub, with UC San Francisco office space and a combination of market-rate and public-benefit housing above. The building plays off of the palimpsest of the railroad track that cuts through the city grid, employing the angle to “break the block” and create a finer-grained scale at street level.
SAN FRANCISCO STREET GRID MEMORY OF RAILROAD TRACKS BREAKING THE BLOCK
Formal Concept Diagram
Early Experiential Studies
OFFICES AND RESEARCH LABS NEIGHBORHOOD RETAILUCSF STUDENT HOUSING PARKING GARAGECOMMUNITY SPACES
UCSF
LOBBY
RETAIL
RESTAURANT
PARKING GARAGE
HOUSING
LOBBY
MISSION CENTER
DELIVERIES
UCSF
CAFETERIA
RETAIL
RETAIL
RETAIL
RETAIL
RETAIL
RETAIL
RETAIL
RETAIL
CURBSIDE SHUTTLE STOP
DELIVERY ACCESS
TOWNHOUSE
UCSF ENTRANCE
HOUSING
ENTRANCE
HOUSING
EXIT
EXISTING UCSF
MISSION CENTER
MISSION CENTER
ENTRANCE
HOUSING
ACCESS
RETAIL
RETAILCAFE
RETAIL
FIFTEENTH STREET
FOLS
OM
STR
EET
HA
RRIS
ON
STR
EET
0' 10' 20' 50' 100'
TOWNHOUSE
TOWNHOUSE
TOWNHOUSE
TOWN-
HOUSE
Massing and Program Diagram
Site and First Level Plan
View from Intersection of Fifteenth and Harrison Streets
View of Central Plaza from Midblock Fifteenth Street
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0' 10' 20' 50' 100'
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C CONFERENCE ROOM
FOCUS ROOM [2-4 PPL]
HUDDLE ROOM [4-8 PPL]
JANITORIAL ROOM
OPEN OFFICE AREA
RESTROOMS
STORAGE
SOCIAL HUB [KITCHEN]
OUTDOOR TERRACE
COPY & WORK ROOM
Typical Office Level Plan (Phase 1 Project Development)
0' 10' 20' 50' 100'
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J J S S J
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EVENT
ROOM
GYMLAUN-
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STUDY
Terrace Level Residential Plan (Phase 2 Project Development)
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Office and Housing Shared Terrace
North Quiet Garden Terrace
ZONES FOR PRODUCTIVE INQUIRYHigh School in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCal Poly | Winter 2014 | Mark Cabrinha
Today’s average high school student spends a majority of his or her time in a uniform setting: the basic classroom. This proposal for a new San Luis Obispo High School expands the venue of learning, integrating labs, studios, shops, and collaboration zones tightly into the daily life of a student. This environment is more open—to both the interior and exterior—than a typical high school, encouraging productive collaboration and inquiry. At the same time, not all learning can happen in a noisy, hands-on matter: the need for focus and quiet is addressed through a maximization of perimeter. With three fingers reaching into the hillside, an appropriate level of isolation can be found for activities that require it. Lastly, this high school is also a community center: with transparency through the entry and quad, the community is welcomed into the school. Once inside, overlooking framed views of the city below and lanscape beyond, one experiences a defined sense of orientation and place.
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integrated learning wingscollaborative cores
auditorium (converted historic gym)administration
library
gym
cafeteria
historic classroom building
pool
open flex space
open flex space
outdoor flex space
enclosed flex room
classroom classroom
science lab
enclosed flex room
Massing and Program Strategy
Collaborative Core Concept
Single-Loaded Corridor and Floating Stairs
Looking Down Circulation Spine After Entry
Collaborative Core Looking Over Outdoor Space
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DISEGNO IN ITALIA / DRAWING IN ITALYShort Projects in Central and Southern ItalyAIA Rome Center | Fall 2014 | Tom Rankin and Scott Schlimgen
3-Day Design Charrettewith Shaler Campbell and Eric Longoria
Castelvecchio Calvisio is a nearly-abandoned hill town in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Damaged by an earthquake in 2009, the historic settlement is in wait of an economic revival. This lightweight insertion of metal and wood is designed to act as a kick-starter for eco-tourism in the area. The second-level sack-lunch café provides shelter and human fuel, the third-level information hub provides information and guidance, and the top-level platform provides views and orientation to the surrounding landscape. (The first level is an existing ruin that will be used for back-of-house purposes.)As a temporary pavilion, the structure slides over the existing ruin to respect its historical integrity, and after a few years of use, might be removed and replaced with a more permanent structure.
View to Information and Lookout Platforms
Site Location within Castelvecchio Calvisio
Protected Bar and Seating Space
Site Plan by S. Campbell
Digital Model and All Base Renderings by Me, Processed by S. Campbell
PARKING
GARAGE
VIRTUAL MUSEUM
ARTIFACT
MUSEUM
ARCHAEOLOGICAL TUNNEL
STREET
GRAND
STAIR
2-Week Master Plan Project with Alina Chen, Eric Longoria, Maggie Pratt, Megan Jones, and Stephanie Carl
Herculaneum is a Pompeii-esque ruined city underneath Ercolano, a depressed suburb of Naples at the foot of Mount Vesuvio. My focus in this group project was to develop a connection between the ancient and contemporary cities. This connection takes the form of a series of archaeological tunnels. As a visitor, one proceeds through a museum before descending to the ancient streets, emerging eventually at one of many points relevant to the city today.
Grand Stair Descent to Archaeological Tunnels View Back to Stair and Elevator from Ancient Street
Digital Model and Renderings by Me
Linework by Me, Processed by A. Chen
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HISTORICAL EXTRUSIONS
ARCHAEOLOGICAL GRID
[MAJOR PROGRAM SPACES]
[SERVICES AND CIRCULATION]
4-Week Individual Design Project
As a continuation of a 2-week master planning project for Rome’s famous Via dei Fori Imperiali (shown bottom), this visitors’ center for the Colosseum and Forum is built up through a referencing of the palimpsests of the site. Traces from historical maps and an imposed archaeological grid combine to create the basic planning principles for the structure, which hovers over a new public piazza. This project is also a gateway for tours to the ancient Ludus Magnus site immediately beneath, and tunnels below that to the Colosseum.
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Layers of Historical Reference
Self-Service Café and Restaurant from Street
New Floating Piazza over Archaeological Zone
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EXCAVATIONS OF LUDUS MAGNUS
PUBLIC TUNNEL TO COLOSSEUM
0 1 2 5 10 20 40LEVEL A1 − 3.0 M
PREP
AREA
SELF-
SERVICE
CAFE
LEVEL 0 + 0.0 M0 1 2 5 10 20 40
KITCHEN
STAFF AREA
LOCKERS
DVD THEATRE
LOBBY
RESTAURANT
TERRACE
WAITING
AREA
BOOKSHOP
TICKET
WINDOWS
OFFICE
OFFICE
OFFICE
SEC.
F. A.
EXHIBITION
INFO. DESK
BALCONY
0 1 2 5 10 20 40LEVEL 1 + 4.0 / 5.0 M
EXHIBITION MEZZANINE
BALCONY
MEMBERS' LOUNGEEDUCATION
CENTER
STOR.
RECEPTIONREADING
NOOK
BALCONY
0 1 2 5 10 20 40LEVEL 2 + 8.0 / 9.8 M
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EFFORTLESS FORMSBallet School in Santa Cruz, CaliforniaCal Poly | Fall 2013 | R. Thomas Jones
A simple sectional curve representing the apparently effortless nature of dance is extruded down a long site to reinforce the rigidity of dance training, creating the elemental volume of this project. Like the dancers within, the school—a small structure of less than ten-thousand square feet—stands nimbly upon a solid base, made of lightweight steel and timber. High, open interior spaces create an environment that is well-lit and thermally suitable for the rigors of dance training. As a potentially real project with a real client at the Tannery Arts Center, the building is designed with efficiency and the surrounding industrial aesthetic in mind.
Aerial View of Project Within Tannery Arts Center Development
Building Approach from Parking Lot
STUDIO 1 STUDIO 2STUDIO 3
SOCIAL CORRIDOR RECEPTION
BOYS’RESTROOM
GIRLS’RESTROOM
GIRLS’ LOCKERS
JAN.
UP
CONFERENCEROOM
DANCERENTRANCE
[MIRRORED WALL] [MIRRORED WALL] [MIRRORED WALL]
[FO
LDAB
LE P
ARTI
TIO
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BOYS’ LOCKERS
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This project was created in collaboration with an interdisciplinary class of construction management students, who provided feedback and pricing information over its course of development. This feedback was primarily focused on the developing structure’s area and materials, along with one of its greatest technical challenges: being located in a designated flood plain. Because of this, either a raised structure or a perimeter concrete stem wall became a requirement for protection of the ground floor; the latter was chosen for this project.
South Elevation
East Wall Section and Elevation Detail
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Structure Circulation and Egress
Mechanical System Program
Reception and Social Corridor Looking into Dance Studios
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VARIATED LIGHTNESSElementary School in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCal Poly | Spring 2013 | Chandrika Jaggia
This new Teach Elementary School is a place of open learning and discovery. Departing from the traditional plan of uniform, rectangular classrooms, this design is instead grounded in the underlying geometry of a divided golden rectangle. With these forms, a variety of unique indoor and outdoor spaces are created amidst a lightweight structure of wood, glass, and water. The goal is to create a physical environment where children will be excited about learning, advancing to the next grade level, and even growing food right outside of their classrooms.
In order to create learning spaces with the elements of visual and thermal delight, a number of sustainable strategies are pursued. The school is made up of three “bars” that are oriented along the east-west axis, maximizing southern solar exposure. Water walls on the south side act as both thermal mass and light-diffusing devices; they regulate the internal temperature of the classrooms against the high diurnal swings of San Luis Obispo. In addition, each “bar” is only one room deep (with few exceptions), allowing a mix of northern and southern light into each classroom. This reduces glare and improves the overall quality of light, in addition to allowing for effective natural ventilation in each room.
Gardens and Seating Between Classroom Buildings
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Geometry Parti
Typical Classroom Interior with South-Facing Water Walls for Thermal Mass
GROUNDED CHANNELSGallery Project in Santa Monica, CaliforniaCal Poly | Fall 2012 | Jeff Ponitz
The Annenberg Community Beach House lies on a richly layered site—a palimpsest of architecture, culture, and geography. This gallery project developed from intense study of the site through the acts of drawing and making. Emerging from the gentle topography of the beach, the walls of the structure are essentially extensions of the ground. They act as channeling devices to guide visitors in their trek from the parking lot and pool area to the open beach. The channels do not exist as isolated entities, however, and a lighter cross-grain is established between the otherwise linear spaces. The most prominent element of this cross-grain is a repurposed concrete-block box: the shell of this existing building serves as an anchor for the interior space of the structure and a point for vertical movement. The channels, cross-grain elements, and permeable roof structure intersect in various ways, creating an experiential variety of microclimatic spaces.
Reasearch Drawing
This project started with a process of investigation through drawing—site history, current buildings, landscape, location, and spatial relationships were examined. In a process that involved intense (often measured) drawing, interrupted by the layering of gesso, and the occasional insertion of textural extracts, deeper site patterns were found and explored. The final drawing provides a summary of approximately two weeks of focused research.
37Transverse Section Through Gallery Passage, Repurposed Concrete-Block Box, and Upper Level
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Constructs as Research
As a related step in developing this project, mass and frame were investigated through a series of 7.5” x 7.5” x 1.5” constructs. Each investigation took place over a week. The mass construct provided inspiration for the thick walls of the gallery project, which are briefly occupiable as one enters the upper floor. Though ideas from the frame construct were not carried into the final product, the object itself acts as an extension of site research: each layer of the frame is an abstraction of a site pattern.
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Chasm symbolizes the gap between nature and most contemporary development: a missing interface between the found and the built.
Materials: scrap redwood, lightweight concrete, and reinforcing steel; concrete is a custom mix of Portland cement, sand, and an aggregate of waste Styrofoam.
CHASM TABLEFurniture Piece Built for Vellum Competition in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCal Poly | Fall 2015 | Sandra Stannard
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Crumbled expanded polystyrene—commonly known as Styrofoam. A waste piece was sourced from a construction site and broken down.
Molds for the EPScrete, made out of particle board shelving with a smooth white surface. The inside edges were caulked with silicon.
Though test pours were successful, the final strength of the EPScrete was unknown, so ample steel reinforcing was embedded.
Concrete pieces before removal from formwork. The texture from the Styrofoam was intentionally left on the interior leg surfaces.
Scrap redwood piece sourced from Pacific Coast Lumber in San Luis Obispo. The piece was a waste scrap with no monetary value.
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PARASITEInstallation Project in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCal Poly | Winter 2012 | Keith Wiley | with Michelle Chen and Allison Costa
Each spring at California Polytechnic State University, the Architecture Building becomes a host to dozens of tectonic constructions: paraSITEs. These serve as explorations of site, material, and spatial experience, both challenging and supplementing the existing conditions of the brutalist concrete structure.
I worked in a group of three. Our site was a column on the second floor overlooking the large stair court; it sits in a highly trafficked area. Analysis led to the conclusion that the site was an ideal place to sit and experience the vast nature of the stair court, observing the transient nature of the spaces all around the column.
Our paraSITE evolved from a static bench into a configurable installation. When folded down, the pine and aluminum structure forms three levels of seating. When put up, it wraps around and extends the influence of the column, forming unexpected frames and suggesting brief shelter in an otherwise unbounded space.
© 2016 by Brian Cronin
Dolores Street, San Francisco, CA (January 2015)