Mauricio OchoaUndergraduate Portfolio

Contents

GatheringCeramic Showroom & Factory

MillingMississippi River Park

ConnectionsTextile Center of Minnesota

StructureSan Francisco International Airport

MovementLake of the Isles Pavilion

Ceramic Showroom & Factory Mississippi River Park Textile Center of Minnesota

Structure Lake of the Isles Pavilion

Mauricio Ochoa

ocho0032@umn.edu

91 Court St. SouthMiddlebury, VT 05753

(612) 242-6282

ObjectiveWe were given a site in downtown Minneapolis and tasked with designing a factory and exhibiton space for ceramics made on site. The focus of this project was using various materials to express space and mass.

ProcessI was interested in exploring how vertical and horizontal surfaces could be used to create spaces that would attract people and how planes affect how people perceive their environment. I started by observing the movement of people in a public park. In fields with no defined planes, people tend to wander around. As you incorporate more walls and roofs, people gravitate towards corners where they feel more protected. Overhead planes, like gazebos and pergolas, achieve similar results. I used this knowlege to create the two spaces.

In the exhibition hall, I used two lines to create various corners where people could come together and where ceramics would be showcased. This made natural gathering spaces. In the factory, where large open space is required, I brought the trusses and the roofs down to a human scale, where the working spaces are located, to achieve similar results.

I also explored how various materials affected these spaces. In the exhibition hall, where walls were the main form of organization, I used heavy materials that guided the visitors through all the gathering spaces. In the factory, where the trusses were the main form of organization, I used light materials that allowed the roof to move freely overhead.

GatheringCeramics FactoryInstructors: Martha McQuade, Dan Clark, Andrew Dull

using walls to gather people in exhibition hall

Relationship between Factory (left) and Exhibition Hall (right)

Factory

Exhibit

Steel vs load-bearing wall construction to create varied interior spaces

Moving horizontal planes to create openings

Steel vs load-bearing wall construction to create varied interior spaces

Cutting vertical planes to create openings

Exploring vertical and horizontal enclosure

Interior of Factory SpaceFront Facade

ObjectiveThis project is a public park located on a site stretching from the Minneapolis Mill District, into the Mississippi River. The goal was to make a landscaped space where office workers could go for lunch or after work.

ProcessI used the historic surroundings to draw inspiration for this park. The city of Minneapolis grew in the nineteenth century in large part because of lumber and flour milling. The mills were powered by a complex grid of mechanical systems that transfered the energy from the St. Anthony Falls, into the mills. Gears like the ones pictured below were used in this process.

The idea for the form of the park come from these gears. Two objects varied in size, but working together as one. The larger gear is elevated over the rest of the site and provides larger gathering spaces and scenic overviews of both the mills and the falls. The smaller gear has more intimate spaces for smaller groups of people. Located in the green areas surrounding the two gears, there are also many gathering spaces of different sizes. At the heart of the park is a pool of water that, like the Mississippi, cuts through the landscape connecting different spaces.

MillingSite DesignInstructor: Brad Agee

Drawing inspiration from Minneapolis flour millsDeveloping the form based on the two gears

Combination of large public spaces and small intimate areas

Developing the form based on the two gears

ConnectionsMinnesota Textile CenterInstructor: Nina Ebbighausen

ObjectiveWe started with a site at Prospect Park in Minneapolis and were asked to completely redesign an existing Textile Center that serves as a hub for various textile artists. While redesigning this center we were asked to think about how different programmatic spaces related with each other, and how this internal logic reflected exterior forces.

ProcessThe condition that grabbed my attention initially was how this building was located right in the intersection of a residential neighborhood and a busy industrial park. Therefore, I split my program between those areas that related to the busyness of the North Industrial side , and those that were geared more towards the quiet residential area. This led to two blocks, one private and one public, that were oriented in opposite directions and connected only by a winding path that led the visitor through these two distinct blocks. The path was a different material that remained unchanging as it jumped from block to block and eventually lead to a third story overlook of both the residential and the industrial context.

Various configurations of two blocks

Prospect ParkNeighborhood

Industrial Park

Site Light Rail

University Avenue

Station

Industrial Prospect Park

Residential Prospect Park

UniversityAvenue

The path snakes betweens the two blocks connecting different programs

N

GiftShopEntry Atrium

Classrooms

Admin

Admin

Weaver’sGuild

Exhibit

WorkSpaces

Library

Exhibit

Side Elevation showing difference in materiality between the two blocks

Increase of public space as one ascends

Relationship with neighboring buildings and front facade

Transitioning between the two blocks

Relationship with neighboring buildings and front facade

ObjectiveThe goal of this project was to construct a model of an existing building that showed innovative construction methods and through this understand how architects have dealt with structural challenges.

ProcessWe chose to model the San Francisco International Airport by SOM because it was a successful blend of concrete, steel and glass to create large volumes of space that people could inhabit. Using various modeling materials we replicated the environment while learning how SOM had dealt with a natural disaster prone site in the Bay Area. We gained skills in understanding complex structures as well as the importance of precision and craft to portray ideas.

StructuresSFO International (SOM)Instructor: Jim Lutz

Collaboration: Kyle Palzer

Front facade of International Terminal

Structure of Canopy

ObjectiveThis project is a Parks and Recreation building located on the Lake of the Isles neighborhood in Minneapolis, MN. The goal of the project was to create a pavillion that was inspired by the scenic lake, as well as the surrounding park space.

ProcessWhat initially grabbed my attention was the multiple methods of transportation that exist on the site. I was interested in making a building that was able to serve people that were driving, biking, walking, or canoeing around the lake, as well as letting these activities influence the form of the building.

Another important aspect in the development of this building was to create an interior rest place that is seperate from the surrounding physical activities. Two large masses on either end create a shelter were people can rest and appreciate the natural beauty. The concrete blocks house the services spaces, while the glass and wood section of the building are large open spaces for people to move freely.

MovementLake of the Isles PavillionInstructor: Bob Ganser

Lake ofthe Isles

Site

Lake ofthe IslesParkway

Lake ofthe IslesParkway

25th St

26th St

Lake

Pl

Oliver Pl

New

ton

Ave

SeasonalIce Rink &Warming House

Lake of the Isles and its main access points

Existing movement forming the building

Existing movement forming the building

Structure is guided by programmatic use

Public & Private Space as a result of circulation

Structure helps guide movement through space

Concrete blocks used to create a defined interior public space

N

Lobby

Office

Storage

KitchenConcessions

Food Area

Gathering

Warming Rental

Bathrooms

Biking

Walking

Driving

Floor Plan

Concrete blocks used to create a defined interior public space

Mauricio Ochoa

Education

University of MinnesotaBS Architecture

Relevant Experience

Architectural Designer Breadloaf ArchitectsMiddlebury, VT

Design InternAllina HealthMinneapolis, MN

Construction InternYojoa ConstructionTegucigalpa, Honduras