Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteSchool of Architecture

cardenasana

SELECT WORKS

2

The development of this project is appropriated and elaborated from its original schematic phase as designed by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro. The intent is to capture the energy and motion of Rio de Janeiro while bringing all social classes together in an exhibition of culture. Therefore, our personal design focus is

the series of ramps and stairs that extend the Copacabana promenade and filter pedestrians into the building. By incorporating a parametrically modeled, perforated metal skin, the building serves as an observation tool of not only its interior exhibitions, but the city landscape and its people as well.

MUSEUM OF IMAGE AND SOUND

Left Section Physical Model

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Team Member: Liz Saunier

Facade SectionPerforated Skin Diagram

Close up of Physical Model

3

This design developed four conceptually related residential units, based of a conceptual platform drawn from a case study analysis of Rodrigo Aguilar’s Casa en Tunquen. Aguilar’s design organizes the residential volume into private and public spaces through a folding pleat, and allows visual continuity with the surrounding landscape. Translating these concepts into a four-house complex, the folding aesthetic was maintained. The behavior of the pleats of each house is reciprocally defined with the folds of its adjacent houses, conserving visual continuity between the public areas, while having the private spaces closed off.

GENERATIVE ANALYSIS: FOUR HOUSE COMPLEX

Casa en Tunquen Basswood Model

Residential Block

Diagram - Visual Continuity and Discontinuity

4

For this reverse-engineering task, I collaboratively studied and redesigned the concept of the pedometer. While its core function is to enable the tracking of the user’s activity, my group extrapolated from its basic functions. We targeted a specific demographic and social context to naturally derive more

definitive, measurable design specs. In the development of the product, our iterative design process inquired different ways the product could be worn by the user, as well as different ways of displaying the information about the activity recorded.

PRODUCT DESIGN - PROJECT ITeam Member: Kristofer Holmquist

ORIGINAL PRODUCT:

PEDOMETER

WRISTBAND DAILY ACTIVITY LOG

TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC SOCIAL CONTEXTModern busy lifestyle

Focus on fitnessValue of convenience

Reset Button

LCD Screen

Microchip

Hairspring

Battery

Lever Arm

Back Casing/Clip

PROBLEM DEFINITIONPRIORITIZEDFUNCTIONSMotivation Tool

Activity Log

DESIGN SPECSWearableAccurate

CustomizableDurable

KEY COMPONENTSACCELOROMETER- Precise motion sensor- Efficient size- Withstands shock of

50,000 g

TOUCHSCREEN- Sleek and intuitive- Eliminates need for

buttons

DISPLAYINGINFORMATION- Displays data such as steps, distance, calories burned and heart rate

- Color spectrum diagrams the user’s activity through a condensing time scale

- Customizable color scheme

- Customizable spectrum patterns

5

This project targeted the risk of concussions in Football, regarding it a troubling part of the evolution of the sport’s protective equipment. The team considered woodpecker biomimicry and studied closely the current football helmet technology available. Our design process was also directed by analysis of the nature of a concussion injury, which encompasses accelaration and shearing forces that inflict a shift in momentum to the struck player’s head. We developed iterations for individual helmet features, and upon producing system prototypes, we conducted rudimentary tests to analyze our design’s performance.

PRODUCT DESIGN - PROJECT II Team Members: Jeric Bautista, James Cazzoli, Spencer Parker, Rebecca Radparvar, Brooke Ruggiero

Ra i l

Facemask

Inner BonnetOuter She l l

I nner Bonnet

Ge l

Ch incup S traps

Pin s tops a t cog due

to forces exerted on

outer she l l

A t tach to the inner bonnet

Ge l takes

impact

Force

App l ied

Facemask

Shock Absorber

AEGISREDUC ING R ISK OF CONCUSS IONS

6

This design developed through the exploration of pleating surfaces that derive from passive cooling strategies. Since summer conditions are less bearable than winters in Cordoba, there is a focus on producing a good comfort zone during the summer. Thus, passive cooling strategies involving orientation and distribution of openings are introduced. These strategies direct the behavior of the pleating roof, which creates a dynamic form, and the pulsating spaces

that result help to enhance the relationship between the users and the structure.

CORDOBA TRAIN STATION

Diffused Light Cool Air Hot Air

Site Plan

Cordoba, Argentina

Diagram - South facing vertical elements block off direct sun

North facing voids allow indirect, diffused sunlight in the interior

Northwest aerial view

7

This wall unit design is composed of a rotational symmetry that formulates a square boundary condition, and allows the longitudinal cross-section to vary. While the boundary of each unit remains consistent in all the variations of the module, the core remains unrestricted, apt for fluctuation in volume and amount of materiality. Hence, a relationship of opposing apertures is established. From complete closure to the widest opening structurally possible, five variations of porosity evolved. The pulsating core at unit level is simulated in the formation of a pulsating field as the units are arrayed.

PULSATING MODULAR WALL

Fore-ground

Back-ground

Void

Variations of porosity and line of sight

Pockets of Opacity

Pockets of Density

Single unit sectionPiece in Mold

Team Members: Cat Callaghan, Sheldon Pei

8

This project is preceded by the clay wall design, deriving the concept of a field of varying tubes that allows for a wide range of programmatic possibilities. The design process navigated the juxtaposition of the monumental and the personal occupiable space. As the redesign of the Rodoviaria in Brasilia, the project occupies a crucial position as the exact center point of the city. The original station is a low profile structure that houses a busy cramped space. This redesign seeks to function in a more cohesive manner. Vehicular circulation is funneled along the bottom of the structure, while pedestrian flow is elevated above it.

RODOVIARIA: TRANSPORTATION HUB

Interior Lighting Monumental and Residential Axes

Team Members: Cat Callaghan, Alyssa Johnson Brasilia, Brazil

Exterior Roof Space RenderExterior Roof Surface

9

Longitudinal Section

First Floor Plan

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