Undergraduate Architecture Portfolio

ALEXANDER DAVIS

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO 2009

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2 GAINESVILLE, FL code-generated city

16 CHARLESTON, SC

new public library

20 ROME, ITALY

lungo tevere commercial center

26 SAVANAH, GA

two homes in the historic district

32 ATACAMA, CHILE

desert research center

project location map

CONTENTStoc.ai 12/7/2009 5:16:08 PM

CODE-GENERATED CITY GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA CRITICS: GREGG PAQUARELLI/ JONATHAN MALLIE / NANCY CLARK DESIGN 8 SPRING09

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Traditional building codes, often viewed as restraints on architectual design, are one of the biggest influences on an urban landscape. Existing cities grapple with quality of living, infrastructural needs, sense of place and architectural style by creating detailed sets of rules for building.

By inventing a unique, calculus-based building code, a sort of DNA for the generation of a new urban environment and using it create growth instead of restrict it, a new form of urban development arises. Design the inputs ( the size, footprint, spatial generation, facade treatment, etc.) and the equation, and the product is the desired urban environment.

The University of Florida athletic program is in a period of national recognition. Excelling in almost everysport, and pulling in $ 60M+ in yearly revenue, UF teams have used their success on the field to grow anempire large enough to sustain itself completely detached from the actually University. UAA, University Athletic Association, actually accounts for one of the largest funding sources for the entire school.

The next step in the progression is a large physical entity, a mecca, that serves as the capitol of an empire within the University and the city of Gainesville. Designing a UF/city building code can create the ideal enviroment for athletes and spectators.

UF AUTONOMIZES

downtownGaiGaiGaiGaGaiGa nesnesnesnesnesnesvilvilvilvilvilvillelelelelele

sitecamcamcamcamcamampuspuspuspuspuspus/ c/ c/ c/ c/ ccityityityityityity

EXISTING CONDITION

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PROGRAM TRACKING/ CREATING THE RULES

DOWNTOWN GAINESVILLE PROGRAM ANALYSIS

J F M A M J J A S O N D

1 7 14 21 28

M T W R F S S

0 6 12 18 24

yearlyuse

monthlyuse

weeklyuse

dailyuse

government office, city transit, downtown bars and city entertainment use versus time

government office city transit downtown bars city entertainment downtown gainesville

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24181260

S M T W R F S

A DS O N

J F M A M J J A S O N D

seasonally

yearly

daily

program usecirculation, classroom, surface and seating vs time

weekly

STADIUM VOLUME ANALYSIS

circulation classroom/offices playing surface seating

ISOLATION BY FUNCTION


consistent declinein event space use

office -recreationminimal use

office - transitpeak use

city transit - stadium circulationminimum

city entertainment - fieldminimum

city entertainment-stadium seatingminimum

stadium circulation - city officepeak

stadium offices - city transitmoderate use

stadium circulation - city recreationpeak

circulation - seatingrunning stadiums

circulation - officeclass changes

NODE FINDING: incorporating city function into a sporting topography


transit - entertainmentmoderate use

office - entertainment5 o’clock transit - entertainment

peak use

all entertainmentpeak use

seating - field usespectating

office - seating - fieldcoincidental use

stadium circulation- city transitcongruent use

city recreation - stadium circulationminimal use

CRITICAL RELATIONSHIPS

governing - marketing - dining - commerce

tailgating - dining - public space - housing

community - public space - housing - athletes

DEFINING PRINCIPLE

sporting - governing


ZONE SPECIFIC RESTRICTIONS

FORM RESTRICTIONS

projection beyond planar facade (% of sqft. extended)

maximum continuous facade

Percentage of site able to support gameday programs

fenestration (% glazed)

Percentage of site able tosupport education programs

zone 1 zone 2 zone 3 zone 4 zone 5

10% 10% 30% 50% 80%

70% 80% 60% 40% 10%

2500 sqft1000 sqft500 sqft 2500 sqft 1000 sqft

FACADE WITH RESPECT TO PROGRAM

public private public private public private public private public private

90% 20%--90%70% 20%10%70%10%50%

30% -10%--30%30% -20%-20%30%-30%10%

private collaborative community public spectacle

CREATING THE RULES: GATOR CITY ZONING CODE

PROGRAMATIC RESTRICTIONS

TAR

ratio

min. % area exposed to sky

--

--

.5

100%

1

50%

1.5

50%

2

75%


DENSITY DESIGN GUIDELINES

Unobtrusive ground planes

Flexible allocation of space

Emphasis on circulation/linkages between structures/zones

Maintain continuity of itinerate programsacross the site, connections between zones

Accentuate multi-use, high density, diverse program distribution

at zone scaleat site scaleat building scale

CODE B.3: DENSITY

OVERLAY HEXAGON GRID - Manipulate to visualize results of equations and delineate zones:

density(x) = {x-1 + zone (x) } lim density(x) = “D” x field

density vs proximity to field

3D representation of limit equation

asymptote at field boundary

Code B.2density map derivation - analytical equations

where

Site occupation (%)

FAR

75

50

50

35

.5

.75

1

1.5

n1 + n2 + n3 + n4 + n5 = nsite


DENSITY MAP DERIVATION: APPLICATION TO THE SITE �

lim density(x) where density (x) = { � [1/xn + zone(n)] } x field n=0

n(site) = 5

wave addition - waves in phase produce greater amplitudes

field density addition - fields in proximity yield greater densities = density is maximaxed adjacent and between sporting centers

red wave + blue wave = purple wave

n1 + n2 + n3 + n4 + n5 = nsite


and n = number of proximate fieldsGator City Zoning Code D.1

TAR: TAILGATING - AREA RATIO

FAR - 1 TAR - 1

conventional tailgating

25% allocated to roof



site

25% site occupation

50% site occupation

100% site occupation

EXAMPLE PERMUTATIONS

TAR -- 1.5 -- 66% open TAR -- 1.5 -- 50% open

TAR -- 1.5 -- 50% open TAR -- 1.5 -- 66% open

FAR -- .5 FAR -- 1.5

FAR -- 1 FAR -- .75


INJECTING CITY PROGRAM INTO THE ATHLETICS SITE

OFFICIALS

INFRASTRUCTURE

MARKETING

COMMUNITY

UF

GAINESVILLE

COACHING

ATHLETES

TRAINING

COMMERCETAILGATE AREA

PUBLIC/ OPEN SPACE

LEARNING/ TEACHING

ATHLETE HOUSING

STUDENT HOUSING

FACULTY/STAFF HOUSING

DINING

POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS

EXPLOIT

housing - dininghousing - housingpublic space - housingpublic space - tailgatingtailgating - marketingcommunity - tailgatingUF - tailgatingdining - tailgatingdining - commercecommerce - tailgatingcommerce - marketingcommerce - communitycommunity - public space

Hexagonal node populated with program

PROGRAM LIST/ COLOR SCHEME

Program linkages developed from program tracking inform the clusters with theirrogrammatic possibilites. Selected nodes expand to clusters of program based on logicalsite placement. Large massings of clusters start to become “zones” (shown by predominanceof a certain color), which stay loosely defined through urban development and expand andcontract with age.

Clusters now become the basis for sites and for building footprints.


Because the clusters are linkages in program, the towercomes embedded with the information needed to insert program in it. The programmatic implications of the cluster twist upward and populate the available space.

The structural skin pulls its form from the same hexagon grid,but shifts size and scale to suggest different scales of inhabitationwithin.

The tower is an expression of the zone it is located in.

POPULATING THE GRID WITH TOWER VERSIONS

POPULATING TOWERS


VERSIONING TOWERS: PULLING FORM FROM THE BUILDING CODE

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

= = = =


GAME DAY, GATOR CITY


NEW CHARLESTON LIBRARYCHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA CRITIC: ALFONSO PEREZ- MENDEZ DESIGN 6 SPRING08

A new cultural center in the heart of Charleston has the task of preserving significant artistic and historic resources as well as providing much-needed passive and active public space.Libraries are one of the last “free” indoor places in 21st century society and have the ability to satisfy a need for cultural gathering space.

The project consists of two main elements. A large urban beach slopes from above the street level, complimented by a overlooking meandering platform. Central to the focus of the open space and the entire site is a 4 leveldigital and printed media library housing book storage, computer stations, furnished gathering spaces anda cafe. The project’s varied program aims to encompass the many possible activities of a potential user.

The building skin, comprised of two interlocking gestures, services the programatic and environmental needs of the building. A perforated grid of white metal panels shields the printed media storage from the sun, preservingthe integrity of physical media. A large steel glass structure is wrapped across the rest the building providing structural support, ventilation louvres and ample daylighting. The glass skin pulls up from the ground and bends over front facade providing a lense for observing the activity inside.

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NEW CHARLESTON LIBRARY

level 11 entry lobby2 group function3 general media

4 staff only5 lounge/ cafe6 tilted plaza

level 11 printed media2 digital media stations3 study boxes

1

2 3

4

5

6

1

2

3


1

2

3

1

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1

2

3

3

The observation of human activity is a critical idea tothe project. Libraries are social places, and the buildingaims to embed the idea of social interaction. The insideand outside of the building become both stage and audience, an obersvation of work and relaxation, movement and rest.

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LUNGOTEVERECOMMERCIAL CENTERROME, ITALY CRITIC: ALFONSO PEREZ-MENDEZ DESIGN 7 FALL08

A walk through a Roman piazza tells volumes about the nature of Italian culture. The pedestrian street is the criticalplace for social interaction and commerce just as it is for movement. Important to the vibrant Roman streetscape are large amounts of open free space and plenty of connection through the dense urban makeup.

Lungo-Tevere Commercial Center is a largley transparent complex of buildings bisected by a wide, meandering promenade that connects a busy intersection and pedestrian bridge to open piazza. The project cradles the open space inside and provides a social environment not unlike many public places around the city.

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PONTE SISTO, FACING CITY CENTER

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The occurrence of green glass, appearing as bridges for movement throughout the site, emphasizes the intersection of paths through the complex. The green tubes imply direction and efficiency, while the urban plaza underneath is wide open for repose and exploratory wandering.

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GlASS BRIDGES

GROUND

SITE PLAN

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RECREATING THE PIAZZA

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TWO HOMES IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT SAVANNAH, GEORGIA CRITIC: ALFONSO PEREZ-MENDEZ DESIGN 6 SPR08

Savannah’s city plan is distinguished from those of previous colonial towns by its repeated pattern of connected neighborhoods. Multiple squares, streets, are designed in a expand into lands held by the city (the common). The city’s design is unique in the history of urban planning in a number of respects, not the least of which is that the squares concept allowed for more open space in Savannah than in most previous city layouts.

Each square contained two different types of lots: trustee lots or large estate lots with street frontage on three sides, and tything lots with narrow porportions just wide enough for a home. The homes which sit on these lots speak of suppositions of antiquated southern wealth and social status. Rebuilding on one of these sites will speak less of the cultural political formation and more on how a modern building can contribute to a richly historic city fabric.

This project concentrates on the idea of building skin as the negotiator of context and intervention. Establishing a basic formal outline of an appropriate scale sets the groundwork for a series of investigations on how the designof the facade can convey contextual relationship, intrinsic musicality.

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TYTHING HOMETRUSTEE HOME

CALHOUN SQUARE

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Musicality refers to fitting a dance to the music being played, with the goal of relating the danceto the music’s rythym, melody and mood. Dancers usually step on the beats of the music, and vary the size of their movements with the volume of the music. This is especially true in choreography, where dancers plan a routine of dance moves with a specific musical pattern in mind.

Musicality is the response, functional or stylized, to the prevailing rythym in an environment.

VISUAL INVESTIGATION: MUSICALITY IN HISTORIC SAVANNAH

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TRUSTEE LOT

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An architectural formplaced in a sensitive urban environment must not just reflect a set of

spatial constraints but respond to a preestablished dialouge in form and facade. In a dense urban setting, appropriate contextual

response can be more important than design for interior logistics.

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TYTHING LOT

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The ability to inject life into a barren desert relies on the process of archaeology,not only as a precedent for building on a particular site, but as an architectural tool for endurance. Astrological research has revealed an unusually large amount of eclipses that occurred in the Atacama desert region within a 300 year period of the ancient Nazca culture. Cross-study of ancient Nazca culture with modern astrology, especially focused on the viewing of an upcoming solar eclipse, allows for a unique perspective on a mysterious people, known for their desert drawings (the Nazca lines). The aim of this desert project is two blend the strengths of the fields of science, archaeology and architecture for the creation of a viable desert research center.

DESERT RESEARCHFACILITYATACAMA DESERT, CHILE CRITIC: CHARLEY HAILEY DESIGN 4 SPRING07

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While the desert can provde an excellent environment for viewing solar events and nighttime star gazing, inhabiting an

area of land there lends itself to harsh climatic conditions.

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The research center is situated in a large dune near the location of thefamed Nazca lines. The approach pierces through the valley of a dune,preserving it’s natural formation, and into the subterranean region formed by archeological excavation of the site. The slope of the dune suggests the continuity of the landscape while the hypodermal quality of the site maintains elemental protection.

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Alexander Davis252 Saint George Street

Saint Augustine, FL [email protected]

(904) 377-4205

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Documents

Undergraduate Architecture Portfolio