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Artist Exchange Residence Resident Artist Scholarship Program. Atlanta, Georgia Three Urban Live/Work Courtyard Dwellings Instructor. Tim Frank. Fall ‘08.

Oxford Faculty Club Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford, Georgia Faculty Club Emerges Amidst Social Garden Space Instructor. Mark Cottle. Fall ‘09.

La Ala De Los Angeles Hostel at Angeles Plaza. Barcelona, Spain Hostel and Viewing Tower Advocating Public Space and City Scape Instructor. Frances Hsu. Spring ’10. Project Partners. Samuel Kim. Vanessa Lira.

DeZign Crit Pavillion Georgia Tech College of Architecture Wooden Installation For Addition Studio Review Space Instructor. Alice Vialard. Spring ‘09.

The Artist Exchange ReZ offers a scholarship living opportunity for artists and family members to reside during their one year stay at the nearby Atlanta Contempo-rary Art Center. This unique concept led to a design that seeks to promote the exchange of ideas to foster creativity and greater learning between each ‘type’ of inhabitant: Resident Artist, Elder or family member, and Artisans. In a simple yet dramatic move, half of the larger rectangular plot is subtracted to give way to a courtyard. The large exterior courtyard then becomes the central feature of the design. The interior of the home wraps the courtyard setting the space up as a stage.

The courtyard acts as a hub of activity, allowing for visibility to and from the glazed surrounding built form as well as encounter through the use of a dual ramp as the main form of ciculation between the living quarters above and the studio/workspace below. Zones of privacy are established and connected to the bedrooms of the living quarters to ensure more intimate space.

Set on a popular urban street, the front facade engages the public and passerbys to look into a gallery space, catch glimpses of activity in the courtyard, and peek into the studio of the artist through a floor level aperature. Daily the artist can be seen working in his studio finalizing works. Artisans move in and out of the courtyard and workshop preparing materials and and assembling parts. Family members pass time watching from above or descend the ramp to be amidst the action. The courtyard thrives on Encounter. Belonging to no one, but bringing together everyone as a center of Exchange. [playroom] [brainstorming zone] [formal entertaining area] [large scale project workshop] [break room] [meeting place].

[Right]. Project Inspiration Image. Venn Diagram takes courtyard as focal element for exchange between building users.

Artist Exchange Residence Resident Artist Scholarship Program. Atlanta, Georgia Three Urban Live/Work Courtyard Dwellings

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ArtisansArtist

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Formal Strategy Diagram [Below]. Rectangular plot is split in half. One side becomes the courtyard while the remaining half is split into two levels. Upper floor is designated for the home, while the lower becomes a studio/workspace environment. A ramp bridges each zone and wraps the courtyard, centralizing the space.

Upper Level Plan Cut [Below]. Social living quarters overlook the primary space below [courtyard]. Bedrooms are paired with private spaces for inhabitants. Public zones [gallery, perching room, and porch] enclose the short end of the courtyard enforcing formal strategy of donating half of the plot to public program.

Trio of courtyard homes are situated along an active urban streetfront [Marietta Street NW] in downtown Atlanta. The three homes are inhabited in conjucture with a scholarship program of the nearby Atlanta Contempo-rary Art Center.

Artist Exchange Rez

ATL Contemporary Art Center


Transverse Section [Above}. Cut depicts three identical homes between the neighboring Engineers Bookstore and Roxy Hotel. The Courtyard is cut at center. A view through the courtyard reveals the Garage space and family patio above. The enclosed spaces [living room and workshop] are designed to priveledge the courtyard.

Longitudinal Section 1 [Above}. Section is cut to reveal prominence of the courtyard as the place for social encounter and exchange. The upper floor reveals the Master Bedroom, Living Quarters, and Family Quarters. The Lower Level depicts a stair from the street, the Entry Hall, the Workshop, and Garage.

Longitudinal Section 2 [Above}. Section is cut through courtyard revealing a highly open public realm. The bottom floor reveals the artist’s Studio, Courtyard, and Garage, while the upper floor shows the Gallery, and Family Patio.

Promenade to Courtyard. The front facade [1] engages street traffic, inviting the passerbys on Marietta Street into the front yard of the unit to observe art in the making. A glass display box introduces the public to the artist’s work and a glass foot-level aperature reveals a glimpse into the studio space. A stair tucking beneath the master bedroom offers a quick route to the courtyard. [2] A dramatic dark hall is flooded with light from the courtyard ahead, creating a moment of suspense which signifies the courtyard as the most prized space within the unit.


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Day vs Night. Courtyard Metamorphosis Diagram [Above]. During the day the courtyard can be seen as a mixing chamber of daily activity. Acting as the center of design work, the courtyard is alive with movement. The artist and artisans hustle to complete projects. The courtyard becomes the design hub, where all occupants are readily seen and gather to discuss design. At night, the hub transitions into a formal gallery. The movement is slow and scripted, as guests are drawn from the upper floor entry, past the gallery, and ultimately arrive at the courtyard below, which now serves as the largest gallery space, hosting refreshments and hors d'oeuvres.

During the day, the courtyard becomes the hub of work-related exchange. Environment in the day is informal. The sculptor observes the activity of the courtyard while reflecting in his private studio. Assistants gather around the central table and discuss the stuctural composition of a sculpture currently in process. The space is characterized by a friendly work oriented environment. At all times of the day, the public passing on the street are invited to experience the work and atmosphere of the interior public spaces through the open glass display. The art and the design process within then begins to cross the physical barrier of the unit and draw in the public as people gather around the display area, observe, and interact.


At night the space becomes a formal environment of exchange.It is here that the sculptor hosts colleagues, potential clients, and art critics in hopes of landing a deal. Guests promenade from the entry into a glowing display area and are greeted by the resi-dent Artist. An elegant ramp invites the guests to descend to the courtyard floor arriving amidst refreshments and desserts served alongside other featured works. Beams that serve as framing devices of the sky during the day produce a dramatic light-ing quality and create a depth of space accentuat-ing the form of the courtyard. The courtyard become a space of awe, supplementing the work of the residing sculptor.


The pavillion proposed for the College of Architecture at Georgia Tech provides for an additional environment for design critiques and pin-ups for the Architecture program while also provoking an interest in Architecture among college inhabitants and the greater Midtown-Atlanta population. The pavillion was to be constructed primarily in one material family and be designed as a solution to the “nine-square” problem.

A contemporary play on log cabin construction, the DeZign Crit Pavillion uses a system of stacking wooden Glu-lam beams, which are then locked in place by a rotated version of the same member in a vertical dimension acting as a column. The columns then support a unique canted roof which acts as a mechanism for natural ventilation, a unifying canopy that allows interior space to be realized as a whole, and provoke further interest in design.

Horizontal members create a porous wall condition through subtle and dramatic shifts allowing exterior and interior environments to playfully interact through sight and light. Slits offer visual connection between the site and interior allowing for faculty, passerbys, and enthusiasts to be invited into studio reviews. Interior circulation provides privacy for crits while allowing means of access for other inhabitants. A central court priveleges the importance of social space and the sharing of ideas as a means of learning.

Slit frequency and length varies according to sunlight exposure and visibility. On the southern facade, a double wall corridor [depicted to Right] with small openings allows for controlled lighting conditions {digital presentation, sculpture, installation art, etc}. The Northern elevation presents the opposite spectrum with a highly open facade which accentuates a new gallery space to display past and present works for the college.

Lifted from the ground plane, the pavillion is established as a temple of architectural thought and pedagogy, an intellectual and social environment for the college of architecture, campus, and community.

{Right]. Wall Axonometric Detailing Unique Glulam Beam System.

DeZign Crit Pavillion Georgia Tech College of Architecture Wooden Installation For Addition Studio Review Space

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Site Plan [Above]. Approached from the South, pavillion has object in field condition, anchoring along major route and centered with Arch West Bldg.

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Plan Cut [Below]. Perimeter wall defines the nine square typology. Interior walls arrange to provide for an open naturally lit gallery space to the North, central court with large review rooms to either side, and 4 smaller review spaces to the south in controlled lighting conditions.


Northern/Southern Exterior Wall Comparison

Module LightScreening Ruleset.

[L] Northern Facade Module Rule set. Max aperature of 7’ in width. Arranged in 20’ segments.

[M] East + West Facade Module Rule set. Max aperature of 6’ in width. Arranged in 16’ segments.

[R] South Facade Module Rule set. Max aperature of 4’ in width. Arranged in 12’ segments.

Module shifts vary per facade based on quality of light and intensity. North facade is highly porous, welcoming bright indirect light and views. East/West facades operate with moderate shifts. South facade is tight and features a double wall system to prevent harsh direct rays.

Module Dimensions. Glulam beam dimensions are sized to allow for an aperature that affords views while also filtering sunlight.

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Model Photographs [Below]. [1] South Hall Entry. [2] Courtyard. [3] Interior Wall. [4} Northern Gallery.

[L] North Facade. Module optimize 20’ spans combined with up to 7 foot openings in width, providing a highly lit, visible gallery space.[R] South Facade. Module shifts are limited to 12’spans of no greater than 4 foot openings in width filtering harsh Southern light.


Rendered Perpesctive Section. Foregrounds overall pavillion experience. Students in a Southern review space partake in a peer’s design critique. A passerby peeks through a slit in the courtyard wall and views the Northern gallery. Lighting quality, activity, and surrounding environment are each depicted. Pavillion is lifted from the earth as a “temple” for those pursuing knowledge in architectural design.

Environmental Roof Response Diagram [Above Left}. Cool air is brought into the pavillion through a clerestory. The sloped roof brings cool air to the floor, circulating heat back to the ceiling, and back through the clerestory to the outdoors. Heat rising from the sunlit floor leaves the space as a result of the canted roof aswell.Wall Screening Diagram {Above Right]. Wall modulation depends on sun exposure and orientation. Screen-ing is minimal in the North and intensifies when moving towards the South.


Cities are notorious in the way that places of attraction, for citizen and tourist alike, often become restricted to the relatively privileged few. In Barcelona, the placement of a hostel for “bohemians” on the plaza most closely associated with MACBA and other celebrated urban festivals presents an opportunity to address how recent influx of tourism and capitalistic interests affect “public” spaces of the city.

The proposal augments the public nature of the Plaza. It creates a viewing platform 40 meters in length hovering above the site. This iconic gesture towards the focal point of activity establishes a public eye which functions as a viewing tower towards the city and the plaza in the day, and in the night, when it may be transformed into an analogous rave space. The tower core holds vertical circulation elements as well as program pertaining to the hostel. A secondary horizontal plane meets the tower base to provide a lifted extension of the MACBA plaza. This creates the opportunity for a reciprocal stage and audience relationship between the two public zones. Thus the cityscape and its cultural activity is returned to citizens, tourists, and hostel visitors.

The tower core program includes a number of bedroom arrange-ments intended to allow the hostel a great deal of variety for its guests. Visitors may choose a less expensive room with other guests, single bed rooms, or a great deal inbe-tween. The core also is designed to hold a welcome center and hotel lobby, armary, and laundry area. The horiz-tonal extensions of the base and the platform hold desig-nated public program. The ‘wing’ offers a lifted public gathering space and a viewing chamber to the city and plaza below. The lower extension at the base holds a public gymnasium equipped with a basketball court and also acts as a cultural meeting place between tourists and locals alike.

[Right]. Preliminary Concept Sketch. Viewing Wing and Plaza relationship highlighted.

La Ala De Los Angeles Hostel at Angeles Plaza. Barcelona, Spain Hostel and Viewing Tower Advocating Public Space and City Scape

Sub-level540 m2

Ground floor180 m2

1st - 5th floors180 m2 per floor

8th - 10th floors180 m2 per floor

6th - 7th floors930 m2 total

Total area 3,090 m2

Plan [Above]. Platform base and wing levels contain designated public space. Core tower incorporates circula-tion and hostel program.

Hostel Room Variations. Interior of core can be arranged to provide 6 individual luxury suites or larger rooms designed to be cheaper and hold multiple occupants. Each room has large open glazing to provide views to the Mediter-ranean and mountains as well as a shared terrace per floor.

Structural Axonometric Exploded [Above]. Heavy structural core with solid front wall supports plaza platform. ‘Wing’ consists of steel truss members reinforced at the rear with steel cables.

Spring Equinox 2pm. Fall Equinox 2pm. Summer Solstice 2pm. Winter Solstice 2pm.

Shading Diagrams [Below]. During the hottest time of the year [summer equinox] shade is introduced to the base platform providing necessary shielding from the harsh heat. Contrasted with bright sunlight filling the platform during the cooler months [winter equinox].


Section [Above]. Section depicts cut through the hostel and its relationship to the Plaza de Los Angeles which contains the famous MACBA museum of Barcelona. Two public horizontal platforms are shown: One at the base of the hostel, and another suspended in the air by means of a concrete core. The core holds program pertaining to the hostel as well as vertical circulation elements, while the platforms act as public spaces with dramatic views of the plaza and city below.

Stage Reversal Diagrams {Below}. [1] Plaza as stage. festivals/art exhibits/protests and public demonstrations. [2] Hostel Base Platform as Stage. Concerts/Theatre/Performances

Frontal Core Wall Diagrams [Below]. A solid wall composes the plaza facing side of the core. This physical impedement of view is a significant gesture allowing for a distinct relationship between the viewing platform and the plaza below. This also yields privacy and views of the city, mountainscape, and Meditteranean to the hostel inhabitants. The wall encourages hostel residents wanting to engage in social activity to gravitate towards the viewing platform or even into the plaza below.


Killer Reps. [Left Above] View from hostel’s viewing platform onto public plaza below. [Left Below] View from plaza highlighting MACBA and relation of viewing platform to public space.

Design Snapshots. [Above Column Left]. View from back end of viewing platform. Hostel room and view to Meditteranean. Art exhibit viewed from elevated plaza space. [Above Column Right]. Social lawn atop elevated plaza. Public gymnasium beneath hostel base platform. Movie projected onto hostel glass allows for screenings of films for public entertainment.


The Oxford College Faculty Club design recognizes that learning is far too often reserved to the textbook and the relationships between student and professor recur-rently held hostage to the classroom. Seeking aberra-tion, The Faculty Club establishes a number of informal garden rooms designed to promote encounter between professor in an activity-oriented campus facing setting. As movement progresses beyond the garden wall [interior programatic elements] the casual environ-ment becomes more formal ultimately requiring invita-tion within to views over-looking the forest.

The design first acknowledges and strengthens two existing paths, one connecting the library to gymnasium, and the other , a main drive from campus quad to the forest preserve. The faculty club building is then established as a kind of garden wall that allows these connections to be maintained while pairing them with a series of 9 garden rooms. While edges are formed as a result of extend-ing current building foot-prints and accomodating paths, they are blurred by their combination of concrete and natural forms.

The garden rooms rise and fall to accomadate a shift in grade allowing the interior more private functions to be tucked below. While the rooms to the front of the building footprint rely on activity and encounter, progression towards the forest results in spaces of serenity and ultimately require invitia-tion within.

Once invited inside, the faculty club is designed to focus not within, but towards experience of nature, primar-ily the forest. What may have been considered buried and heavy is actually open and light. A reflecting pool pulls the trees into the salon, while the elevated dining room situates guests and residents amongst the treetops. The bar extends, terminating behind the gymnasium in a private faculty quarters with 5 residences and pool.

[Right]. Site plan diagram depicting garden rooms, priveledged paths, building footprint, and vegetation.

Oxford Faculty Club Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford, Georgia Faculty Club Emerges Amidst Social Garden Space

Existing Site Condition [Above]. The Faculty Club at Oxford College takes the place of a parking lot on the north-western corner of the campus quad. Nestled between the gymnasium, chapel, and library, the site is a frequent path between critical campus destinations.

Site Intervention/Plan [Below]. Main Paths between existing elements are accentuated and accompanied with a labrynth of garden rooms designed to encourage faculty and students to share space together. The interior program is revealed last, as a buried garden wall which priveledges views to the forest.

Process Sketches [Below]. Plan explorations of building alignments and zones to situate garden rooms.

1. Gymnasium2. Chapel3. Library4. Parking Garden5. Lily Pond6. Lawn7. Herb Garden8. Reflecting Pool9. Forest Room10. Sundeck [Faculty Club Below]11. Secret Willow12. Faculty Quarters

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Garden Derivation Diagrams [Above]. 1. Existing Building Footprint. 2. Building Orientations. 3.Edge Extension Grid 4. Major Paths 5. Faculty Club Footprint Proposal. 6. 3 Zones Established [active garden space, serene semi-private space, and private quarters for faculty]. 7. Main Access Points. 8. Meandering Path Transforms into Ordered Faculty Club Entry.

Axonometric Sketch [Below]. Sketch depicts faculty club in its final form. The buried interior program of the faculty club is revealed, surrounded by garden room elements, and prioritizing view to the forrest.

Process Section [Below]. Faculty club takes form as garden wall element separating serene viewing spaces from active campus-oriented space.


1. Herb Garden2. Reflecting Pool3. Forest Room4. Perching Hall5. Foyer6. Salon7. Lavatory8. Hall to the Secret Willow9. Kitchen10. Secondary Entry11. Sitting Room12. Dining Room13. Parlor14. Library15. Pool16. Sleeping Quarters

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The first of four rendered section axono-metrics cut immediately west and away from the library. The main path between library porch and entrance to the gym is accentuated just behind the chapel. The lawn provides a large space to draw traffic from the busy corridor into the garden rooms. Students are given a maintained green field to accomodate sports and fun. A series of ramps descend into the herb garden, around which reveals the primary built form. A seconday entrance within and stairs to the sun deck are concealed behind a large hedge wall.

The second rendered section axonometric is cut further west, extend-ing from the prior drawing. The main path is intact and signified between two rows of trees. A lily pond presents an area for students to gather, relax, and observe. The secret willow is revealed and accessed only through the interior of the faculty club. A clere-story window from this secluded space brings added light into the salon which overlooks a reflecting pool as one of the design’s most prized moments. A perching hall, just outside, allows for a quiet contemplative place of reflection. Above, the sun deck privileges both campus and forest views, and establishes a setting for campus gatherings and banquets.


The third rendered section axonometric extends from the end of the second, cut just beyond the lily garden. The parking garden is a natural and pleasant parking environment where trees mark designated spaces between vehicles and parking tiles mark the ground. A ramp and platform wind uptowards the sun deck. And a direct large stair leads down to the forest trails. Adjacent is the forest room being looked upon by the raised sitting room and dining space. A large wall separates the public functions from the more private faculty quarters beyond.

The final rendered section axonometic reveals the private faculty quarters. Nestled behind the gymnasium, A garden and lap pool line the last remaining interior portion of the faculty club. The parlor room holds a billiards table and other games. A fireplace separates this room from the library wrapped in wooden book shelves. Five private sleeping residences are positioned along the forest. Each cozy space features a build in desk, reading bench, and bed with full open view of nature beyond. A fire-place brings warmth into the bedroom. A second fireplace pairs with the first but lights and brings further warmth into the large standing shower.


encounter‘activity’

invitation ‘serenity’

Collaged Section Perspective. The Salon and Perching Hall [featured] are at the heart of this proposal. .It is in these spaces that students are invited to meet with faculty in a formal setting and build lasting relation-ships beyond their time at Oxford. The reflecting pool signifies the connection to nature, pulling the outdoors within. Boundaries between internal and external, man-made and natural, physical and spiritual, begin to dissolve away as a serene contemplative environment takes life.

Garden Wall Diagram [Below]. Built interior footprint establishes threshold between an environment of encounter and activity versus a serene space which calls for invitation.


Architectural Philosophy.

I believe that architecture is a cultural tool. A process forged from human need. It is a means of understanding relationships between one another and also between ourselves and the world. It is not limited to shelter, it does not answer a single problem. But it is malleable and has numerous applica-tions. Architecture is a journey with many ends, each destination, a possible solution to a wide array of socially defined obstacles.

I believe in architecture that is fun. I believe that design should seek to make the most of the people who engage it, encouraging people to come together, inspiring people to live life to the fullest degree. I believe that architecture has a voice. It has the power to make a statement. I believe in an architecture that is unique and exciting, an architecture that is not normative or predictable. It is not standardized, but specific to a people and problem posed. I believe in an architecture that has a conscience. It can strengthen and reveal the good, and seek to shade or transform that which is not. I believe that architecture is an experi-ence. It should impact people. It should have people notice things they may not have noticed otherwise: the smile of a passerby, the vastness of a canyon, or the beauty of a single ray of light. I believe that architecture is a reflection of the way we see the world. People often view the world from within their built forms. And it is here that, lastly, I see architecture as a responsibility. A responsi-bility to frame that which has been created to the best of my ability in a way that pleases the creator of it all, my Lord Jesus Christ.

Ramblin’.

My name is Zak Stanton. These works are selected works from my undergraduate study of architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. This portfolio was a great source of reflection on my studies. I have found my time at Tech to be one of the most enlightening times of my life. In this time I have seen true darkness, but I have grown stronger and continue to lead a life full of light. I know who I am, and courageously look forward to the future. I hope to use architecture to inspire people to live better lives, notice what may have gone unseen, make an impact on culture, and bring smiles to those who inhabit it.

Documents

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