v3.0

implicity is the ultimate sophistication.S

—Leonardo da Vinci

❝ ❞

reggioemilia urbanfarm

06–13 14–25

SPRING 2012 FALL 2012

As urban cities continue to sprawl—the necessity for alternative farming is ever more present— especially in LA

A design proposal to reinvigorate a community via an elementary school

ciccentertwoway

26–31 32–43

SPRING 2013 FALL 2013

A center for information and collaboration that seeks to bring together students by way of visual see-through connections

Stretching structural limitations through an investigation of materials and methods

reggioemilia S P R I N G 2 0 1 2 | T U C S O N , A Z | A R C 2 0 1

A design proposal to reinvigorate a community and promote a holistic way of learning via an elementary school full of playful architectural features

The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy that encourages preschool and elementary children to explore the world through sensory experiences. Not only does the school focus on academics it aspires for each student to develop relationships with their peers as well as the surrounding community.

OCCUPIED

VACANT

The site located just south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, is full of desolate buildings and empty lots. It is called the Barrio Histórico because of its rich history in Tucsionian culture—now it is a mere memory of what it once was. Through this proposed project the Reggio Emilia school will revitalize and bring together the community.

desolatesite

SITE

9

The program called for three specific areas to be developed—administration housing, an outdoor green space, and classrooms. The green space was used as a transition space between the administration building and the classrooms. To inform the relative positioning of spaces and adjacencies the diagram below was developed to define the placement of different spaces.

C L A S S R O O M S

G R E E N S PA C E

A D M I N A D M I N

C L A S S R O O M SG R E E N S PA C EA D M I N I S T R AT I O N

ADMINISTRATION GREEN SPACE

programanalysis

GREEN SPACE CLASSROOMS

CLASSROOMBATHROOM

EATING

RESTINGGARDEN

RECEPTIONOFFICE

STORAGE

KITCHEN

PUBLICPRIVATE

ADULT SPACESCHILD SPACES

Adjacent To

Close By

TO CONNECT

TO SIT

TO ENJOY NATURE

PARENTS + COMMUNITY

Parents and the community are both important aspects of the Reggio philosophy. They

help kids gain knowledge through collaboration.

EDUCATORS

Educators help children expand their abilities by providing any tools the

children seek. They are an observer, documentarian,

and partner in the learning process.

TO DOCUMENT

TO REST

TO COOK

CHILDREN

The students are proactive in their education and have a

voice in what they learn based on their own interests.

TO PLAY

TO REST

TO READ

TO CREATE

1 1

BB

AA

sectionAA

sectionBB

To elevate the sense of play within the Reggio Emilia school a series of large truss elements were used. These curvilinear arcs extend from the base structure and out into the green space giving the children an element to play with.

playfulstructure

PLANscale: 1/64” = 1’

10 11

explodedaxon physicalmodel

1 3

urbanfarm FA L L 2 0 1 2 | LO S A N G E L E S , C A | A R C 3 0 1

As more and more cities begin to spread and push farming communities out to distant lands there is an ever-increasing need to create farmland within an urban context

conceptsketches

The beginning of this project started with an extensive amount of sketching that helped me create and iterate solutions much faster than I could ever hope to do in a 3d modeling program. The ideas were allowed to flow from my mind. . . to my hand. . . to my paper.

1 7

SECTION AAscale: 1/32” = 1’

farmsections

This program revolves around two main ideas—the lofting of the vertical factory above ground level, and connecting the farm to the market through the processing tower as a means to feed the urban community.

UP

DN

UP

BB

AA

SECTION BBscale: 1/32” = 1’

PLANscale: 1/64” = 1’

1 9

dynamicfacade

In a climate that has average year ‘round temperatures of 66° it was imperative to properly ventilate the building. Instead of having a large number of windows—opening and closing— the skin system operates as a whole and opens up at three specified points to maximize ventilation.

30’

30’

30’

30’

openings

1 2 3

2 1

openingpoints

facadeassembly

To operate the facade it was important to understand mechanics. At the base of the facade the individual parts needed to be made so that the steel frame could rotate freely around a pin connection. At the middle a tension system was put in place to retract the facade once deployed. At the top the track and motor was necessary to release the facade into place.

BASE

Steel frameSteel rodSteel plate

TOP

TrackMotorHSS

MIDDLE

MotorSteel connectors

2 3

Farmers Market

UP

DN

UP

Farm Entrance

UP

DN

UP

Urban Farm

UP

DN

UP

urbanfarmperspectiveviews

farmersmarket

2 5

farmentrance

twoway S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 | T U C S O N , A Z | A R C 3 0 2

Stretching the structural limitations through an investigation of materials and methodsCollaboration with brad mcfarlane and ben gallegos

creatingstructure

The design of our teams two-way spanning structure revealed itself through rigorous testing and modulation in the fabrication lab. Ultimately our group decided to use lathed pieces of wood to transfer structural forces into welded metal sockets. with both pieces of wood coming into the metal socket at equal angles all forces canceled out.

2 9

structuraltesting

The two-way structural system was put under pressure from a load applicator. This point load was effectively picked up by tension cables which then transferred forces to the compression ring at the top. This then brought the load down through the lathed dowels into the metal connectors. These forces were ultimately resolved with tension cables at the bottom which kept the pieces from flexing out.

3 13 1

ciccenter FA L L 2 0 1 3 | T U C S O N , A Z | A R C 4 0 1

A center for information and collaboration that seeks to bring together students by way of visual see-through connections

CONCEPT ASee-through (North/South)

STRUCTURAL CONCEPTSDuring the design process I integrated the structure with environmental factors. Using a series of concrete planes I lofted the interior spaces while also shading them on the East and West (see B). This allowed for a “see-through” concept to emerge on the North/South (see A).

conceptualdesign

The UofA Center for Information and Collaboration is uniquely positioned at the intersection of people, programs, and buildings. This site is showered with vast amounts of solar penetration throughout the year—making it the perfect site to serve as a collaboration center and sunny beacon for simple and complex problems alike. The proposed CIC building will be a destination where students, faculty, and the community as a whole can come together, collaborate and create true information exchange. An ideal solution to creating community spaces where everyone can contribute something in order to get something of even higher value, effectively becoming a local think-tank for a better experience for all.

CONCEPT BScreen the East and West INTERNAL VOIDS CREATE VIEWING OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN

BRIDGING THE SITE TOGETHER WITH A SEE-THROUGH BUILDING

DISCONNECTION BETWEEN LOCAL BUILDINGS

3 5

NORTH SIDE TERRACE

ENTRANCE

SOUTH SIDE GARDENAA43

sitedesign

The ground floor of the CIC has a minimal footprint and copious amounts of open air space to allow for heavy foot traffic to flow through the building. On the North and South side of the building, gardens tie both ends of the site together to create shady areas for students to study outside.

VEHICULAR CIRCULATION

PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION

sitecirculation

3 7

OPEN STUDY AREA

COLLABORATION ROOMS

PUBLIC STAIRS

LIGHT WELL

OPEN TO BELOW

OPEN TO BELOW

PUBLIC STAIRS

OPEN STUDY AREA

FLOOR PLAN LEVEL 3 FLOOR PLAN LEVEL 4

ELEVATORS

RAMPS

STAIRS

programscheme

atriumcollaboration

3 9

5

7

6

6

7

2

2

5

8

8

4

4

3

328

’9’

2’12

’

A

8911

DB

E

10

12

5

78 6

18’

20’

PANEL FACADEIn Tucson, AZ daylight is a double-edged sword. If you bring too much into the space the HVAC system is overloaded, while on the other hand if you bring in too little sunlight the occupants get a sense of being unwelcomed. To combat this issue I chose to skin the East and West facade with a series of metal panels. As each panel is offset to the next it races up the side of the building to emphasize the verticality of the concrete planes. Every other panel is solid to ensure that the building is not overexposed to the sun. The system breaks in key areas to allow views to and from the CIC.

1. 12” Concrete Structural Wall2. 12” pre-tensioned concrete slab3. HVAC system ductwork4. Metal screen drop ceiling system5. Handrails6. Curtain wall system7. Perforated metal panel screen8. 1” steel tube framing member

facadesystem

libraryramps

4 1

DERIVEEXTRACTION SIMPLIFICATION

CREATE EX TRACTIONProfiles of the ramps are taken to begin to understand the rhythm

SIMPLIFICATIONThe slopes are over simplified to give distinct profiles to the ramps

DERIVEOld ramp lines are joined through a series of intersecting lines and points

CREATEThrough the intersection of critical points a form is created that reflects internally the nature of the ramp externally

See-through Model

lightwell

SECTION AAscale: 1/32” = 1’ 4 3

cell: 1.630.453.9096 | email: Mekaelw@email.arizona.edu | website: mekaelwesleyrosa.com