Architecture Portfolio - Conner Thackara

CONNER THACKARAPORTFOLIO

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

HIGHLINE STAIRCASE

RAPTOR CENTER

HARRISON PATH STATION

NEWARK SCHOLARS RESIDENCE

NEWARK GRADUATE HOUSING

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3-5

6-8

9-10

11-13

TABLEOFCONTENTS

HIGHLINE STAIRCASE

RAPTOR CENTER




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4-7

8-11

12-15

16-19

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TILING

HIGHLINE STAIRCASE

GENERATIVE SHAPEDIAGRAM

PERSPECTIVE

The project was to be designed around the creation of a stair for the Highline in New York City, an old freight train railway. The railway was converted into a public park that is elevated above the streets of Manhattan. The challenge was to design a staircase that met the elevated park and connected to the sidewalk below.

My design intent was based on my observa-tions while walking along the Highline itself. The paths created left the user constantly changing directions and shifting perspec-tive along the pathways. I approached the project with the aim of creating those same perspective shifts as users are transferred from the ground to the 30’ high railway.

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HIGHLINE STAIRCASE

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PERSPECTIVE

TOP VIEW

To achieve the intended series of perspec-tive shifts I began to create a system of separate geometries that would come

together to create a single unit. A simple geometry was stacked and tiled, as well as

shifted and rotated to create a collection of stacked units.

The geometry used allowed the creation of hollowed out areas that could be occupied. This was done so that the stair could be used

not only as a medium for transportation but also as an occupiable structure. The path is created on the tops of these units and the

stairs are carved into them. The paths are bordered by green spaces creating more stopping spaces among the project. The

path constantly shifts directions as it directs to the next set of stairs.

As the users move along the path their views are not directed solely at their destination but rather the environment around them.

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RAPTOR CENTERThis project was to create a raptor center in Rifl e Camp Park located in Little Falls, New Jersey. This project would be a rehabilitation center birds of prey, as well as a visitor center. The structure is situated within a natural ravine allowing for inter-action between different height levels.

The design approach I used was to give the visitors the same experience moving through the space that the recovering birds would go through as they recover. The basic form was derived from the combination and booleaning of 3 separate shapes; the cube, the rect-angle and the torus. The cube is represented by the exterior shell of the building which is large sheets of connected frosted glass. The glass diffuses the natural daylight, obscuring the outside world for the recovering birds’ safety.

The torus is interlocked into the cube to create a glass halo within the inner space that gives

a 360° view of both the exterior and interior. The torus would be centered around a growing tree within the building. The rectan-gular box frames a quarter of the torus as a cornerstone of the building and allows for exterior viewing on both sides of the building.

The visitors would enter the building via a path that leads underneath the exterior skin of the building. As they move through the building they progress upwards just as the birds recover their fl ight abilities. Ultimately, the visitors exit on the roof, which is connected direct-ly to the ravine’s cliff edge. The roof features a large glass aper-ture on the fl oor which allows for maximum light as well as giving the visitors a chance to look back at how they progressed through the space. The open roof symbolizes the birds fi nal freedom as they are released back into the open skies.

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RAPTOR CENTER

PERSPECTIVE SECTION

PERSPECTIVE RENDERS

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RAPTOR CENTER

PERSPECTIVE RENDER

1ST FLOOR PLAN

2ND FLOOR PLAN

ROOF PLAN

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RAPTOR CENTER

PERSPECTIVE RENDER

EXPLODED ASSEMBLY

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HARRISON PATH STATIONThe focus of this project was the creation of a PATH station on a pre-existing NJ transit track in Harrison, New Jersey. The station was required to connect the sidewalk level with the tracks, 35’ above. There was also a requirement that this station be built with a strong emphasis on masonry as a building material.

To start designing this station I fi rst looked at the material as a general subject. Brick being a dense and solid object, I aimed to play on those characteristics. I took a very basic rectangular masonry box form that can be stacked almost infi nitely up-wards, and ‘fl oated’ it. I raised the entire masonry structure up from the ground on a steel sup-port grid, to create a sense of levity in juxaposition to the ma-terial’s physical charictaristics.

Once this form and approach was set, I started to look at the bricks as not just walls, but indi-vidual pieces within the build-ing’s context. I started experi-menting with turning certain sets of bricks to provide gaps within this solid form, creating screen walls on the exterior to let in light and air.

The ground fl oor of the struc-ture has few walls, this is for the creation of an open air market or performance space to draw in pedestrians and commut-ers alike. The stair leads up into the masonry structure, running along the outer edge. The path is supported from the room via more steel structuring and even-tually leads to the platform. The roof’s core is removed to create an open skylight, allowing for maximum solar coverage of the open-air space on both levels.

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SITE RENDER

PERSPECTIVE SECTION

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EVERY O

THER CO

URSE

90° 90°

SCREEN WALL SECTION

SOLID ON FRAMEDIAGRAM

20’ x 20’ GRID LAYOUT

BRICK ROTATION

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PERSPECTIVE RENDERS

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NEWARK SCHOLARS RESIDENCEThis project was my fi rst venture into designing for public hous-ing. The project was to create an infi ll housing building that holds 6 private rooms, as well as a coffee shop and an event hall. The infi ll space has a large existing rear park area that would be open to residents of the building.

My design strategy was based on on-site observations. There was a very busy street on one side and an enclosed private park on the other, with the proposed building between the two. I attempted to create a connection of the two areas using my building. The building is a conduit between the man-made movement space (the street) and the organic stopping space (the park).

The design incorporated 2 dif-ferent types of connections; physical and visual. The physical connection was accomplished through compacting the build-ing and programming to one side of the site. This created a large hall-like space on one side

that invites the public from the street into the space and back to the organic area. This space is enclosed on the side by an interlocking wall that covers the blank side of the neighbor-ing building. This wall system blossoms into a screen wall of vertical wooden slats. These slats work to fi lter out the south-ern light while creating a visual aspect through shadows on the building itself. The interlocking screen wall creates overhead cover on an occupiable green roof.

Each of the six private rooms has a balcony that extends into this space so that the residents can share the experience of the open space. The visual connec-tions were created through the use of glass. From street level, there are multiple instances on the facade where passersby can catch glimpses all the way through to the organic space, without actually entering the building or physical connection space. The interlocking screen wall creates overhead cover on an occupiable green roof.

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STREET RENDER

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ORG

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TOPP

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CONNECTION MEDIUM

CONNECTION MEDIUM

SOLI

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NVISUAL

CONNECTION

VISUAL AND PHYSICAL

CONNECTION

CONCEPT DIAGRAM

2ND FLOOR PLAN

FACADE CONNECTION DIAGRAM

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

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3RD FLOOR PLAN

4TH FLOOR PLAN

PHYSICAL MODEL

PERSPECTIVE SECTION

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NEWARK GRADUATE HOUSINGThis project was a single public housing building that was part of a larger city block redesign. The redesigned block was created by interlocking 2 sets of connected buildings with a large inner courtyard. The build-ing to be designed was located on the corner of the main en-trance to the inner courtyard.

I used the interlocking site strategy that was developed to determine the building’s form. I took a basic perimeter block building and interlocked a second cube geometry into the corner of the building. This cor-ner is the entrance to the larger site, making it very important for drawing visitors into to the site. I then carved space out of the top of the cube to create an occupiable open roof over the corner point.

The ground fl oor of the building is primarily commercial, includ-ing a cafe, bar and retail space. The residents have a private lobby in the rear of the build-

ing for easy access. The build-ing’s residential rooms consist of quad-unit, double-unit and single-unit typologies. The rooms are situated along a double-loaded corridor, where they meet the corner space, which is a double height common area. This common area starts at the second fl oor and continues through to the roof of the cube. A large piece is cut out of the roof and 3rd fl oor slab to create a light well that fl oods the large space with diffused light.

The envelope of the building includes extrusions at intervals that contain common areas for the rooms. The common rooms within the quad units and single units are extruded out and fully glazed to allow sight down both sides of the street. In contrast, the bedrooms within the quad units are recessed to give more privacy. This strategy yielded a system of extruded channels up the facade, broken up horizon-tally by the private spaces.

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STREET RENDER

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NEWARK GRADUATE HOUSINGDWDWWO WO

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FORM 1 FORM 2

INTERLOCK

SPACE CARVING

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

3RD FLOOR PLAN

4TH FLOOR PLAN

2ND FLOOR PLAN

FORM GENERATION

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QUAD PLANTYP.

SINGLE PLANTYP.

DOUBLE PLANTYP.

LIG

HT C

HAN

NEL

DOUBLE LOADED CORRIDOR

DOUBLE LOADED CORRIDOR LIG

HT C

HAN

NEL

EXTRUSION

SPACE CARVING

DIAGRAMTIC LAYOUT

ENVELOPE FORMATION

BACKGROUNDNEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY5-Year Bachelor of Architecture2011 - Present

DIGITAL MEDIAAdobe Creative Suite, Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit,Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Inventor, Rhinoceros,Grasshopper, V-Ray, Microsoft Offi ce

MODEL MEDIAChipboard, Plexi, Foam, Wood, Laser Cutter

Two works (Newark Scholars Residence, Graduate Housing) selected by NJIT faculty for NAAB reaccreditation showcaseFall 2013

EDUCATION

AWARDS + HONORS

SKILLS

CONNER [email protected]

(908) 239-5764

Documents

Architecture Portfolio - Conner Thackara