Nathan Geller Selected Work

NATHAN GELLERSelected Work 2012—2015Syracuse University, School of Architecture, M.Arch 2015

E: [email protected]: (317) 437-4963A: 207 W 80th St., Apt 4CA: New York, NY 10024

CONTENTSProjects

Th esisResume

Drunken PhilosophersTwo Parallel WallsLive / Work SyracuseSpeculations on the RealSeasonal RetreatBig Urban Th ings

Nathan Geller3

Drunken Philosophers 4

DRUNKEN PHILOSOPHERSSpring 2014

Drunken Philosophers is an exploration in drawing that presents a loose narrative all too familiar to that of the architect. Presenting a conversation through a series of carefully composed convoluted plans and sections, this series of drawings chronicle the perplexing late night conversations had by architects and those in-the-know. References, whether

apparent, latent, or ulterior, allude to possible subject matter in each scene, and are implemented primarily to draw in the viewer; not dissimilar to how one might be drawn into a conversation.

Scope:Hand drawn plans, sections, comics and a corresponding physical objectCourse:Visiting Critic StudioInstructor:Jimenez Lai(Bureau Spectacular)

Project featured on architecture blog: cloudzwatching.tumblr.com

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Two Parallel Walls 10

TWO PARALLEL WALLSFall 2014Commissioned by the Maxwell School of Business as part of the “Fall of the Wall” event commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.Design and Construction Team:Jonathan Louie, John Bryant, Ray Sova, Nathan Geller, Nathan Russell, Anthony Principe, Ana Morris, Nicolas Carmona, Daniel Asoli, Pattaraporn Kittisapkajon, Tisya Roviliyani, and Joshua Smead.

Designed and constructed as part of Syracuse University’s commemoration of the fall of the Berlin Wall, this design presents two opposing forms, the Solid and Frame Wall, in which each segment mirrors another creating an odd tandem of thickened lines and solid fi lls. Each of the eighteen wall volumes interprets Sol Lewitt’s ‘Six Geometric Figures,

Scope:Constructed walls with ability to be drawn upon and deconstructed by unskilled laborLocation:Syracuse University CampusPhotography By: Francesca LingDrawings By: Jonathan Louie

Superimposed in Pairs’ spatially. Th e serial system, unlike the continuous diff erentiation found in the digital project, off ers a form fi nding device that plays out through a methodical system but results in many but limited set of spatial arrangements that are intuitively organized in a line. Th e process is simultaneously of extrusion, subtraction, and union.

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(E) 2x(D) 1x(B) 4x(C) 8x(A) 4x

5'-3

"

2'-7

1 2"2'

-71 2"

3'-9

"

1'-0

"1'

-101 2"

0'-1

01 2"

9'-0

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-101 2"

3'-4 12 "

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Square-Trapezoid Frame Wall Construction Drawings

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Trapezoid-Square Solid Wall Construction Drawings

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Triangle Rectangle Parallelogram Triangle Square Triangle

Square Rectangle Square Parallelogram Parallelogram Trapezoid

Trapezoid Square Triangle Square Trapezoid Parallelogram

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Live/Work Syracuse 16

LIVE/WORK SYRACUSESpring 2013King + King Competition: First Place

Live/Work Syracuse reimagines current live-work models by creating collaborative environments in which residents have space to work together. By designing for moments of congestion, this design incorporates diff erent types of program, both public and private. While the overall building is separated into two discrete elements (one primarily for living, the other for

Scope:60,000 ft2 live-work complex Course:Comprehensive StudioInstructor:Art McDonaldLocation:Syracuse, NYIn Collaboration with: Nate Russell

working), the journey between the two elements is emphasized, encouraging chance encounters between residents as they travel to and from programmed spaces. Multiple apartment types are designed to accommodate diff erent living conditions, and are interwoven within one another in an eff ort to stimulate interaction between inhabitants with diff ering living situations.

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Image selected as the cover of: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2015: No Experience RequiredAutodesk Offi cial Press, By Eric Wing

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Public AccessPrivate Access

Fire StairElevatorUtility Core

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UP DN

DN UP

UP

UP

DNDN

Typical Floor Plan 1 Duplex Unit A2 Duplex Unit B3 Typical Flat Unit4 Effi ciencty Flat5 Resident Recreation6 Laundry

Duplex Upper Floor Plan 1 Duplex Unit A2 Duplex Unit B

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UPDN

DNUP

UP

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UP

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Ground Floor Plan 1 Convenience Store2 Resident Lobby3 Storage4 Cafe5 Retail

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6 Juice Bar7 Community Gym8 Locker Rooms9 Workout Studio

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Speculations on the Real 22

SPECULATIONS ON THE REALFall 2014Curated exhibition presenting work from workshops led by Jason Payne, Michael Young, David Freeland and Brennan Buck, and Anna Niemark, along with a studio led by David Ruy, exploring Object Oriented Ontology’s implications on Architecture. Corresponding Symposium presented in partnership with PennDesign.Exhibition Curators:Nathan Geller, Hamza Hasan, Sean Morgan, Anthony Principe, Nate Russell, Ray Sova.

Th is exhibition and symposium was designed and presented as the culmination of a series of studios, seminars and workshops focused on “Speculative Realism,” an emergent movement in contemporary philosophy that rejects the “linguistic turn” and representational determinism of postmodern philosophy and seeks instead a new, speculative

Scope:Creation and curation of semester long research and work culminating into an exhibition and symposiumLocation:136 Madison Ave., Floor 2New York, NYPhotography By: Sean Morgan

accommodation of “the real.” Work presented in the exhibition is organized into a series of fi ve episodes, each of which narrates the story of strange objects. Th e exhibition is concerned with narrating the ambivalent and rather casual way strange objects appear to us and to each other by employing techniques such as de-familiarization and hyperrealism.

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Image of myself providing welcoming remarks and introductory statements at the Speculations on the Real exhibition opening and corresponding symposium. Symposium included lectures from Andrew Atwood, Mark Foster Gage, Ferda Kolatan, Anna Niemark, David Ruy, and Tom Wiscombe.

North End Corridor Elevation

Image created, in collaboration with Uzoma Idah, during workshop entitled, “Th e Estranged Object” led by Michael Young of Young & Ayata

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Speculations on the Real 24

Initial Entry Elevation South End Corridor Elevation

Image created, in collaboration with Nate Russell and Jeff Nedelka, during workshop entitled, “Th e Inner Life of Objects” led by David Freeland and Brennan Buck of FreelandBuck. Image expresses the inner qualities of a pair of binoculars.

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Images created, in collaboration with Sean Morgan and Nate Russell, during workshop entitled, “Th e Object is Not Important” led by Anna Niemark of First Offi ce.

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Seasonal Retreat 26

SEASONAL RETREATFall 2013

Th is seasonal vacation home situates itself delicately on a plot of land along Skaneateles Lake. Positioned along the perimeter of the clearing in the site, the built form helps to frame the initial view towards the lake upon approaching the site. In the warmer months, the building opens itself up towards the clearing, allowing for a greater

utilization of natural light. In the winter months the vacation home reverts to its simplifi ed form. Th is return to a modest extruded rectangle evokes a sense of security and warmth. Taking advantage of the sites slope, entry to the home is on the second level. Always oriented toward the lake views, movement progresses downward to the lower level where the bedrooms are located.

Scope:2,500 ft2 lakefront residenceCourse:Visiting Critic StudioInstructor:Brad Lynch (Brininstool+Lynch)Location:Skaneateles, New York

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LIVE

SLEEP

views tolake

entry

Seasonal Retreat 28

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Upper Level Plan 1 Entry2 Restroom3 Kitchen/Dining4 Living5 Outdoor Patio

Lower Level Plan 1 Master Bedroom2 Bedroom3 Bathroom4 Utility

0’ 4’ 8’ 16’

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Primary living space shown as closed in the Winter months^

Primary living space shown as open in the Summer months^

Seasonal Retreat 30

0’ 2’ 4’ 8’

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Big Urban Th ings 32

THESIS:BIG URBAN THINGSCurrent WorkContextualizing Bigness through the writings of Graham HarmanTh esis Advisors:Kyle Miller (Primary), Molly Hunker, and Anne Munly

Building upon Rem Koolhaas’ essay entitled, “Bigness and the Problem of Large,” this thesis redefi nes the way in which architecture of a large scale can relate to the urban context within which it is situated. It does this by reframing the classifi cation of urban context as a composite of apparent and latent characteristics and emphasizing, in the design process, the resultant

Scope:Redesign of the 6.5 million ft2

Pentagon along the East River in ManhattanLocation:New York City, NY

experiential qualities of architecture over its collection of contingencies. Th e architectural manifestation of this exploration, a redesign of Th e Pentagon in Manhattan, is the culmination of a desired set of qualities that are derived from many sources, one of which happens to be the urban context of Manhattan.

Awarded a Citation for Excellence in Th esis Design

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CityHow does a Big Urban Thing relate to the city in which it exists contextually?

How does a city absorb something that does not fi t within its inherent logic?

“...many of the relations of containment–one object in another–that you might think are real might not be. It might be that, maybe the house isn’t part of the city. Maybe the house is part of the block and the block is part of the city. The fact that you can state that there is a relation between one object and a larger object doesn’t necessarily mean that it is there.”1

A Big Urban Thing is something that is too large to be contained by anything except for the city. By introducting a Big Urban Thing into the city, the relation of containment is exploited in a way that allows the relationship between building and city to become present.

Graham Harman. “What Objects Mean for Architecture + Debate.” Lecture, The Architecture Exchange, London, UK June 22, 2013

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House Block District City

BigUrbanThing

(Neighborhood)(Building)

BigUrbanThing


Graham HarmanObject Oriented Ontology

Rem KoolhaasBigness

Architecture can only be related to the city through a level of Bigness

Bigness as a theory negates the relationship between architectureand the city.

HOWEVER

It is within this paradox where Big Urban Things fi nd themselves situated. By revisiting Koolhaas’ explanation of Bigness through the writings of Graham Harman, architecture can only be related directly to the city through a level of Bigness.

Koolhaas’ assertion2 that once architecture expands to a certain scale that the relationship between building and context becomes internalized creates an interesting paradox when read through the writing of Graham Harman.

Koolhaas, Rem. “Bigness, or the Problem of Large.” In SMLXL: Offi ce for Metropolitan Architecture, Rem Koolhaas, and Bruce Mau, 499-502. 2d ed. New York, N.Y.: Monacelli Press, 1998.

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Nathan Geller Selected Work

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