albertescobar

work samples2012

design

These are the work samples of Albert Escobar during his studies at the California Polytechnic University of Pomona. The projects in this portfolio represent his methodology, ideas, and concepts that through exploration where accomplished in his design studios. Each one has a specific idea which explores and rethinks what architecture is and what it can accomplish. The belief that architecture is capable of changing the way people live, communicate, and interact with the built environment and each other is a major influence in his design methodology. His goals are to explore new relationships between social, environmental, and architectural issues and try to question current methodologies and principles.

He currently lives in Los Angeles, California and has obtained an associate of science in architecture from Fullerton Com-munity College in 2007. He currently graduated from the California Polytechnic University of Pomona in 2012, and he hopes to further his education and design methodology in architecture, urban design and in art.

The field of Science undergoes constant change, the basic idea of exploration have always been a part of all man’s greatest achievements. Early on science may have overlooked this idea; and science has created an image for itself as always being isolated from its surroundings. Currently science is changing this perception, and thus new design methods and principles should also follow this philosophy. The goals of the project are to promote curiosity in the sciences for the rest of the student body; and to foster a sense of community for faculty and students housed in the building.

The varying forms and material qualities of the new science quad aim to capture the attention of the public, directing them first into a series of courtyards and ultimately to the new science building. The courtyards are designed to create places of social engagement by varying their programs, landscape designs, and the scale of each space.

At the building scale, the design goals were accomplished by weaving together public and private programs. Public programs include the auditorium, informal gathering areas, and a science exhibition space, while the private programs include labo-ratories and offices. At each floor; navigating between private and public spaces, is a figure eight circulation “race-track” flanked by two atrium spaces and a community balcony. The public circulation weaves around and within the voids taking the public on an adventure from the ground floor (lobby, auditorium, and cafeteria) to the exhibition space and roof garden at the very top. The private areas are organized into smaller science communities. While the private lab communities are physically separated from the public circulation path, yet still provides visual connections to the activities that occur within the science spaces.

lmu science center

architecture

The design of the project essentially became an adventure for its users. The idea of curiosity plays a huge role in design and reflects back on how man understands the world he lives in. By capturing the awareness of students and introducing them into the project, students are then able to engage into the world of Science. With the ability to adapt and improve, the changes in science can not only promote a better science community but encourage a better world we live in.

Physical Model of Façade System.

In a heavily built urban environment, there exists a place that reconnects people with heaven and earth through the evolu-tionary expressions of nature. This urban experience places people at the center of an ever-changing landscape and a new typology for living in the communities of Beijing. The project envisioned for the General Xie Memorial site and its surrounding neighborhood areas involves a blending of the built and natural environment through the creation of an urban wetlands system to serve as a framework for defining the built spaces throughout the project site. This plan enables the project to simultane-ously increase the population density of the project area while creating a functioning wetlands system that will have the dual benefits of filtering grey water runoff, increasing the sites overall property values, and most importantly, reconnecting the Chinese people with nature.

Our project proposal consists of new architectural designs exemplified through different building typologies. These designs would focus on the current cultural housing values and the current need for a higher density in the City of Beijing. We designed three types of densities; low which has one to two stories, medium which has three to four stories, and high which has five to seven stories. Each one pushes the boundaries of flexibility and performance within each building by their structure, open spaces and program layout. These three typologies try to keep most of the values of the current community, but are represented in a more contemporary way. The typologies vary in the amount of units, amount of families, types of income, and types of program. We focused on a modular system for each of the individual typologies to construct and design these structures. Our goal was also to propose a more flexible way of designing, so that cost, use, structural systems, and sustain-able factors can all be high performing. The wetlands system created a unique opportunity for us, some would consider it a problem when dealing with buildings, but we embraced it. From this opportunity, the three typologies we developed each have different characteristics and attributes depending on how each type interfaces with land, water, or both.

jing han wei he

urban design

On-site Water + Runo�On-site Water

1

2 1

2

33

0m

20m

40m 80m

0m

20m

40m 80m

A constructed wetlands system will proliferate throughout the entire project area, collecting diverted street runoff, rainwater, and the site’s grey water. The wetlands incorporates multiple strategies, both mechanical and natural processes, to remedi-ate the water. Flows from these sources will move through a series of small ponds, connected by swales and channels, and finally terminating at a large pool at the South end of the site. Though a highly effective element of communal infrastructure, the wetlands will also provide a perennially ebullient and enigmatic landscape enveloping buildings and site-circulation.

Land

ContemporarySiheyuan

VerticalCourtyard

VerticalHutong

Land/WaterWater

If “home” represents one’s own values, ideals, and beliefs,

then for protestors “home” is what they are fighting for.

The idea of an occupation speaks louder that any graphic or piece of propaganda. The 99% movement is restricted to a limited occupation of space. The movement has also become overly complicated with other movements being superficially imposed on to what once was a simple and strong demand. We are now proposing a framework for further spatial occupation, one that has the ability to bridge the physical gap between the elite and the rest of the world. “Occupy the sky” is a push to simplify the 99% movement with a singular notion, piece, or idea that embodies the true values of the movement. “Occupy the sky” will become the singular symbol/ icon of an aggravated community that seeks change in the world. This symbol is simple enough to promote the participation of any person that believes in the movement

“Occupy the Sky” is a simplified installation that is designed to convey the message of the Occupy Wall St movement. Its mobility and convenience of getting materials enables the advocates to have the installation up in various cities. After one display in one city, they could simply take the framework to another city and install it for a few days and so on. Another pos-sible way is to have other cities make their own framework and install it on their own. Just as the Occupy Wall St. is taking place in hundreds of cities, “Occupy the Sky” could become a symbol of the movement as it spreads out from local scale, to regional, then national.

occupy the sky

installation

We are the 99%, reflects the opinion of a vast majority of Americans that every-one except the wealthiest 1% fails to benefit from the government’s current economic policies, which are influenced to a large degree by corporate lobbyists.

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1/8” Nylon Rope

Metal Wire

3ft-2ft White Balloons

PVC Pipe

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1/8” Nylon Rope

Metal Wire

3ft-2ft White Balloons

PVC Pipe

The city of Sebastopol, once well know for its apple growing, must replant the apple as its symbol of commerce, nature, and culture. The aim of the project is to revitalize the city of Sebastopol by reinvigorating its rich history in agriculture, and gas-tronomy as well as supporting its progressive community and distinctive culture with new infrastructure and connections. The historic main street will remain intact and simply expanded with a commercial promenade loop to promote and foster Sebastopol’s small businesses and local flavor. A “green belt” connecting to Sebastopol’s Skategarden Park, Ive’s Park, Joe Rodota Trail, and Laguna Wetlands Preserve keeps the city connected to its agricultural, recreational, and natural settings. The Sebastopol Gastronomy and Transportation Center will sit at the intersection of commercial and natural as a flagship building to inform and spur the development of a new city center.

The Sebastopol Gastronomy and Transportation Center is the convergence of the community’s passion for art, food, culture, sustainability, education, and recreation. The main space is the open plan on the ground floor which will serve as the new location of the farmer’s market as well as an open public domain for the community to gather for events, swap meets, meet-ings, performances and more. One of the main focuses of the SGTC is the city’s involvement with gastronomy, the slow food movement, and Cittaslow all of which promote quality, local food. To promote these ideas the SGTC will include a farmer’s market/stage, restaurants, a winery, art gallery, a viewing terrace and a culinary school. In hopes of rebranding Sebastopol as the Gastronomy and Cultural destination of Sonoma County and even Northern California attracting more business, tourism, and employment.

the apple core

urban design

In an effort to escape the homogeneity and monotony typically generated by conventional planning practices, we seek to create visual and actual variety. It is our belief that diversity and redundancy encourage a healthier, more robust ecology, less susceptible to disease; more capable of withstanding shock.

Many of the site’s existing buildings are adapted to serve as new cultural and civic institutions (library, museum, and el-ementary school). Existing site trees determine the pooling and mounding system for managing water runoff. A road network arises from an impulse to weave the Nelles development in to the surrounding community while simultaneously preserving the integrity of existing buildings and trees. There is a desire to maintain East/West directionality to the road system in order to maximize solar access. Infrastructural systems superimpose themselves one upon another. Landscapes dip below and rise abovestreets and buildings, providing a variety of site conditions to which both buildings and landscapes can respond. Underutilized front yards merge to form connective bands of public open space, joining the streets as spheres of civic activity.

As socioeconomic conditions continue to change at increasingly rapid rates we need to redesign the current planning and zoning issues which have been prevalent through urban developments. Rather than impose a specific set of programmatic requirements, we propose a performance based use pattern designed to meet today’s spatial requirements yet remain flexible enough to accommodate the unpredictable demands of tomorrow. The formal expression of this performance based approach to land use yields a variety of beautifully compelling configurations.

whittier os

urban design

Typology Variation

Medium Density

Medium Density

High / Medium Density

High / Medium Density

High / Medium Density

60 x 100

60 x 100

200 x 100

30 x 100

30 x 100

Tessellation has been around for centuries and the possibility to create ornamentation with function is the main goal for this three-dimensional tile system. The hexagon tile has the ability to be rotated for multiple possible configurations. The Pattern based design, when multiplied, creates an ambiguous ornamentation that can be changed or altered. The project is still in a proto-type state, but the overall goal is to create a new form of “brick” that has functionality in terms of bringing fluid or energy through its ornamental pattern. Ornament with Function.

project viral

installation

Project Viral was on display during LA artwalk at the MIA Gallery in 2012

This project is a preliminary investigation between the inversion of the solid-void / figure-ground relationship and the shuffling of the perceived solid-void / figure-ground. The focus of the diagram is on the articulation between the section and the spatial diversity. The architecture enables for the roles of the “performers” and the “audience” to be reversed and reconsiders the programs to exist simultaneously in one space and experience. These investigations are explored and catalogue through three distinct strategies the “void”, the “shuffle”, and the “inverse”. The first is influenced by Rem Koolhaas strategy “of the void” (fig. 1); the technique of subtracting forms from a mass to create public spaces for the collective use. The second is the strategy of the “shuffle” (fig. 2); by slicing the voided out mass in distinct datum lines and subsequently shuffling them, the superposition of these layers will create diverse sectional qualities within the spaces. The last is the strategy of the “inverse” (fig. 3); what was once void becomes solid, what was once solid becomes void; this enhances the architecture and obscures the voyeuristic nature of “audience” and “performer”.

Imposed by the Otis School of Fashion Design and the ideology of displaying the process of fashion design to the public and the city, the program is subtracted from a proposed expansion of the California Market Center. The program is then voided, shuffled, and inverted to bring social interaction, programmatic conflict, and mood in a visual and spatial manner. The spatial articulation becomes ambiguous and diverse and at-tempts to blur the lines between student, model, and public; thus bringing dialogue between the voyeuristic nature of fashion, people, and the city.

void/shuffle/inverse

architecture

VOID SHUFFLE INVERSE(fig. 1) (fig. 2) (fig. 3)

200 feet

Olympic Blvd

Los Angeles S

t

Main St

Maple

Ave

San P

edro

St

Hill St

Olive S

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Grand

Ave

Flower

St

Figue

roa S

t

Hope S

t

Broa

dway

9th St

Wall S

t

Los A

ngele

s St

Main S

t

Maple

Ave

San

Pedr

o St

Wall

St

Hill St

Olive S

t

Grand

Ave

Flower

St

Figue

roa S

t

Hope S

t

Broa

dway

Sprin

g St

11th St

8th St

7th St

6th St

5th St

4th St

3rd St

2nd St

Olympic Blvd

9th St

11th St

8th St

7th St

6th St

5th St

4th St

12th St

Pico Blvd

110 FWY

N

Main St

8th St

Los Angeles S

t

11th St

Maple

Ave

Maple

Ave

Maple

Ave

Maple

Ave

Maple

Ave

Wall S

t

Wall S

t

San P

edro

St

San P

edro

St

San P

edro

St

San P

edro

St

11th St

11th St

San P

edro

St

San P

edro

St

Maple

Ave

Maple

Ave

Maple

Ave

11th St

11th St

11th St

Los Angeles S

t

Los Angeles S

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Los Angeles S

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Los Angeles S

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8th St

200 feet

N

California Market Center

FIDM

FIDM

FIDM

OTIS

5 Min Walk

Fashion Distrcit

void / shuffle / inverse

Typical Mid Rise

ver. 2.1

increments - multiples of 5ft

study model

increments - multiples of 10ft

increments - 25ft

ver. 2.2

ver. 2.3

ver. 1.1

ver. 3.1

ver. 3.2

ver. 4.1

Technique

Base Template

longitudinal section cross section A cross section B

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ions

incr

emen

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orig

in

sect

iona

l stu

dies

ver.

4.1

com

pila

tion

(Fig. A) (Fig. B)

longitudinal section cross section A cross section B

longitudinal section cross section A cross section B

longitudinal section cross section A cross section B

longitudinal section cross section A cross section B

void / shuffle / inverse

SOLID

VOID

SHUFFLE

INVERSE

study model

S M L XL

Flex

ible

Rig

id

SMLXL

TOTAL +/- 196,220 sq ft

5,000-10,000 sq ft 10,000-70,000 sq ft500-5,000 sq ft100-500 sq ft 5,000-10,000 sq ft10,000-70,000 sq ft 500-5,000 sq ft 100-500 sq ft

OTIS School of Fashion Design CMC

Stu

dio

22,2

00 s

q ft

Aud

itor

ium

/Le

ctur

e

Cla

ssro

om

Loun

ge

Run

way

/C

ircu

lati

on

Libr

ary

Adm

Res

troo

m

Mec

hani

cal

Sto

rage

6,00

0 sq

ft

10,9

60 s

q ft

11,5

20 s

q ft

4,21

0 sq

ft

2,83

0 sq

ft

2,30

0 sq

ft

5,00

0 sq

ft

15,9

00 s

q ft

20,0

00 s

q ft

10,0

00 s

q ft

10,0

00 s

q ft

3,00

0 sq

ft

5,00

0 sq

ft

67,3

00 s

q ft

Off

ice

Ret

ail

Res

taur

ant

Pen

thou

seR

estr

oom

Mec

hani

cal

Par

king

Promenade Parking

14% 6% 8% 5% 4%10% 5% 6% 8% 34%

Private Public Private Public Private Public Private Public Private Public Private Public Private Public Private PublicL A V

L Natural LightA Natural Air VentilationV View of L.A.

L A V L A V L A V L A V L A V L A V L A V L A V L A VL A V L A VL A V L A VL A V L A V

+ 85’ - 0”

+ 70’ - 0”

+ 55’ - 0”

+ 40’ - 0”

15’ - 0”3’ - 0”

12’ - 0”3’ - 0”

7’ - 0”12’ - 0”

8’ - 0”3’ - 0”

22’ - 0”11’ - 0”

45’ - 0”

24” Dia. Concrete Column

Movable Glass Louvers

PerforationRange of6” - 24” Dia.Openings

24” Concrete Slab

1” Typ. Steel Base Plate

1” Typ. Anchor Bolt

6’ x 10’ CustomeGlass Panel

Custome SteelConnectorFor Facade

2 x 6 Wood Frame18” Spacing o.c.

4’ x 8’ White PerforatedAluminum Panel2” Thickness

Typ. GlassPanel Connector

Drop Ceiling

Plaster Finish

1” Typ. Anchor Bolt

Wood Flooring

Floor FinishSupport 12” o.c.

Carpet Flooring

4” StructuralTubing Frame

4’ x 8’ PerforatedAluminum Sheet1/ 16” Thickness

2’ to 3’ Concrete Slab

6’ x 10’ Custome Glass Panel

Custome Steel Connector

4” Structural Tubing Frame

Glass Panel Connector

4’ x 8’ Perforated Aluminum Sheet 1/8” Thickness

4’ x 8’ White Perforated Aluminum Panel 1” Thickness

© 2012. All RIghts Reserved. No part of this portfolio may be reproduced or used in any means without the permission of the creator. Group Projects: 1-5Printing by Blurb.

420 Dover DrLa Habra, CA 90631ph: 562.217.9268email: esco1984@sbcglobal.nethttp://www.esco1984.daportfolio.comhttp://www.tec-en.com

albertescobar