Courtyard BlockRome, Italy

NYC, NY

Deconstructed Vault House1

6

Hello, my name is Rolando Lopez. I’m an Architectural Designer & Graphics Enthusiast.

I’m an idea based, graphics loving, technology forward designer. I’m passionate about Architecture’s ability to solve problems, and specialize in communicating ideas effectively (and clearly) through design.

The following some of my works. Feel free to visit my website, www.lopez2.com for an extended, higher quality version of this document. Thanks for browsing!

Sedona, AZ

Desert Breathing Machine A Hearth for Kamppi Square3 5

p (239)-247-1370

w www.lopez2.com

e rolando@wustl.edu

rolando lopez2

Helsinki, Finland Unsited

Helsinki, Finland

Artek Design Center Two-Piece Chair2 3

2

DECONSTRUCTEDVAULT HOUSE

Architectural ideas are often inherently tied to the program, of function, of the building. What is an architectural idea when there is not strong programmatic requirements? The framework for this project consists of constructing a pre-fabricated modular loft-house, to be lifted atop a New York city building. The house is seen not as a series of programs, but as a vessel for life to happen.

The Vault House explores construction as a means of expression. The approach is concerned with the analysis and modulation of two-directional vaults as a primary means of structure and enclosure. Rib Vaults, two-directional vaults with a linear structure, evolved during the middle ages as a superior alternative to groin vaults. The interpretation of the vault as a domestic element provides a constructive architectural module. The house is formed by four modules, one of which is stretched to establish a center – a hearth – within the space. A layered roof spans the whole construction, visually joining the four modules and allowing for improved passive cooling during warm months.

Shell1. Thin Shell Concrete (Primary)2. Glazing System (Tertiary)3. Tensile Fabric on Metal Frame (Secondary)

Roof4.Concrete Column 5.Breathable Membrane

A single-space living vessel, exploring construction as a means of expression.

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5

4

3

1

2

4

3

5

2

1

The house is designed as a series of repeating vaults, which explore interactions between several construction systems.

Design 8, Spring 2013 New York, NY

13'-7

"

14'-1

0"

13'-7

"

14'-1

0"

13'-10"13'-9"20'-0"13'-10"

75'-7"

7'-2" 7'-2"

19'-2

"

15'-2"

10’

Section N/S Half Module Elevation

3

98

76

54

32

1

B

C

A

1A1

1 B

1A2

1A3

105C

106C

107B

104

A103

A

102A101

A

W.C. M10212 M²

W.C. F10212 M²

FIRE STAIRS

10212 M²

VESTIBULE10215 M²

VESTIBULE

10215 M²

CIRCULATION102

100 M²

LOBBY10212 M²

INFORMATION10290 M²

ELEVATOR102

10 M²

ARTEK STORE10290 M²

101A

VESTIBULE10215 M²

ELEVATOR EQUIPMENT

1029 M²

JANITOR/ STORAGE

102

10m

N ^

ARTEK DESIGN CENTER2.

Comprehensive Studio, Spring 2014

Helsinki, Finland

The Floating Community

ArchiveMake

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3 3

4 8

75

6

8

Collaborate

The building proposal involves a radical division of program through section. The program is divided into three main groups, which relate to the core values of Artek: collaborate, preserve, and make. The groups are expressed architecturally as independent “buildings within buildings” which float above the street level.

1. Sauna2.Patio3.Artist Studio4.Gallery

5. Archives6. Library

7. Artek Offices8. Classroom

Artek, a Finnish furniture company founded by Alvar Aalto, is looking for a new home. A site located in the Helsinki Design District, located between the Architecture and Design Museum, seems like an ideal candidate. There’s only one problem: if the builing were to be placed in the pre-zoned location, in the center of the block, no one would be able to get Sunlight.

The main decision is to squeeze the building footprint to the north edge of the site, allowing all buildings on the block to get along. As an added bonus, a plaza space is created to the South, providing a gathering space for the visitors and neighborhood.

The project is made up of three characters: the floating community, the spine, and the deck.

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The south-facing deck becomes a central gathering point for the three museums, as well as the Helsinki Design District. The deck is designed as a clean slab to allow for gallery openings, art installations, and temporary pavilions

The Deck

In order for the volumes to communicate, a thin “spine” is introduced. The spine uses a series of ramps to connect the three boxes with elevators and the necessary means of egress. It is a thin bar located in the south, which links the building with the newly created public space. While the group-boxes are heavy and opaque, the circulation spine is light and translucent. This allows a connection between building and plaza

The Spine

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

The south-facing deck becomes a central gathering point for the three museums, as well as the Helsinki Design District. The deck is designed as a clean slab to allow for gallery openings, art installations, and temporary pavilions. The south-facing deck becomes a central gathering point for the three museums, as well as the Helsinki Design District. The deck is designed as a

Tectonics

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TWO-PIECE CHAIR

Can a chair be efficient and expressive?

3.

Elective, Spring 2014Prof. Julie Tolvanien

Helsinki, Finland

The Two-Piece Chair is a prototype for a bent plywood arm chair. The parti comes from the possibility of “folding” a .5m x 1m sheet - the standard size for plywood veneer. The back and seat pieces are made using two identical pieces, made from the same mold. A simple plywood piece is introduced as a seat, which

appears floating above the frame. The result is a chair which is both efficient (using material limitation as design driver) and expressive (creating a chair that envelops the body). The design and prototype were constructed in a period of four months, where several digital and physical iterations were explored.

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DESERT BREATHING MACHINE

A proposed interfaith chapel lies somewhere within both the definition of monument and monster.Unusual, it takes its main cone-like forms from the hyper concentration of churches, spires, and bell towers. It’s typology likewise mirrors the red rock spires reaching endlessly towards the heavens. As an iconographically charged project, both secular and spiritual, it draws from the memories and dreams of Sedona and manifests itself to serve as an interfaith chapel, way-finder and monument.

Sedona, Arizona is classified as a dry continental climate. The area experiences high dirunal swings during 24 hour periods and long sun exposure even during winter months. The area also experiences moderate breezes from the northest.

In order to maintain a more constant temperature, and to relate to a feeling of refuge, the building is entirely underground. In our pursuit of optimizing architectural form and passive climate control, we devised a comprehensive environmental control strategy for the Sedona landscape in Arizona. Our project employs a combination of Solar Chimneys and Evaporative Cooling Waterfalls.

During the day, the glass towers act as solar chimneys, heating up and creating a large difference in temperature between the underground space and the tower, encouraging upward flow. To further encourage solar gain, a black surface which is also a photovoltaic panel, tracks the sun in order to quickly encourage heat gain, but also to recover solar energy. At night, these towers are opened at the top and as the space within it heats up, the chimney encourages and creates a strong convection cycle by means of the stack effect.

A sunken waterfall assembly is employed in four strategic areas of building. Warm air is drawn through a waterfall and surface pond by means of a fan, cooling the air and increasing moisture in a dry area. Moreover, the warm air is drawn up by means of the solar chimney, allowing for comfortable temperatures year- round, even with an increased occupant load.

4.

Advanced Building SystemsProf. Paul Donnely

Sedona, AZIn Collaboration with Joshua Chen, Jing Bao, Garett House, Adolfo Maalindog

Air Intake Assembly(Fan+ Grill) Water Pump

Water Intake

Evaporative Cooling Pool

Site Cast Concrete Slab

Insulation

Hardwood Flooring

Liner + Underlayment

LED Light Fixture

Site Cast Concrete Retaining Wall

Stainless Steel Grill W/Lid

Waterfall

Concrete Cladding

Water Supply PipeMoisture Break, Thermal Break, Insulation

Site Cast Concrete (Structural)

Site Cast Concrete

Insulation

Moisture/Thermal Break

Rotating Photovoltaic Panel on Tracks

Single Glazing

Operable Glazing for Night Flush

Environmental Systems Assembly

5'0' 10'

Anodized Aluminum Mullion

Primary Steel Structure

Standoff

Metal Rail for PV Assembly

Roof Cap/ Tower Base

Assembly

Soil

Landscaping

Electric Cavity

Thermal Break

A highly efficient underground environmental control system

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The goal for the pavilion is to create a space for warmth. The pavilion provides literal warmth for travelers; both through its architecture and actual physical heat. A bed of conditioned rocks are arrayed underneath the pavilion and project heat upwards into the interior pavilion space. As the heat rises up, it helps warm travelers. As an additional conveyance of “warmth, ” the pavilion relates to the human scale, and is meant to be warm in terms of its materiality; bent wood cladding at two different scales are fastened to a primary structural wooden frame, creating a textured facade.

Narinkkatori is a highly trafficked square in downtown Helsinki. The square is multi-faceted and serves a variety of roles in numerous capacities. Narinkkatori flanks the main bus station (Kamppi) and serves as a hinge between shopping, living, and recreational Helsinki. In essence Narinkkatori is the eclectic center of Helsinki. However, due to the scale and materiality of the buildings around it, the square can feel cold and detached. Glass and metal are not the most welcoming materials, a problem compounded by the fact that Helsinki is a cold and frigid place in and of itself.

The form of the pavilion is derived from the three primary circulation arteries, ensuring that pedestrians can follow their pre-existing routes of travel unhindered while experiencing “the hearth.”

Arched entryways become bent walls, enveloping and welcoming visitors – inviting an everyday passersby to enter and help conserve heat in the space.

The pavilion warps between the entrances in order to become a staircase which allows visitors to cross above the pavilion.

A set of heated landscape pads flank the corners of the pavilion, allowing for occupants to rest in an external space and observe the busy plaza.

Can Architecture bring warmth into a cold place?

1. 2. 3. 4.

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in Collaboration with Jonathan Bryer2 Week Study, Spring 2014

Helsinki, FinlandXX s.f.

A HEARTH FOR KAMPPI SqUARE

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There seems to be a lack of Modern Buildings in the historic roman core. In fact, nothing modern had been built inside the old roman walls until Richard Meier’s Ara Pacis museum in 2006. This project poses the following challenge: can we seamlessly insert a large-scale project into the fabric of an old city? The process began by studying the Roman city, and finding relationships and common threads. The courtyard, which can be seen throughout the city, became a clear common thread.

in Collaboration with Jenny ParkFall 2012, Prof. Alfonso Perez Mendez

Rome, Italy500,000 s.f.

COURTYARD BLOCK6.

Enclosed Permeable Open Implied

After studying different types of courtyards, we chose to apply the “Implied Courtyard” typology to the site: a series of streets and pathways which lead to a “hidden” courtyard, acting as a public space. The courtyard becomes the hearth of the large-scale block, creating a frame of reference and active public space in an under-used part of the city.

Can the DNA of a city help generate fitting new Architecture?

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Translucent Diaphragm System

Corrugated Glass

Steel Mullion

Concrete Column

Opaque Curtain Wall System

Glazing + MullionPre-cast Concrete Cladding

Concrete Column

Wood Balcony System

glazing

concrete slab

Programatically, the block contains a cultural center, retail spaces, residential towers, and resident ammenities. The program is tightly linked with a construction system, which allows for wayfinding and clear understanding of a complex whole. The residential towers are expressed as spaces under a folded plane, which shields from the sun and orients the towers.

Cultural Center

Horizontal Housing

Public Plaza

Shopping

Amenities

Vertical Housing

100100100 29+I11+I 60+I11+29+60

32+68 21+7+19+11+7+35 15+35+5011%

58,000 f2

58,000 f2

4 (museum, theater, supermarket, department store)

88 dwellings per acre

5 (where 10 is Fontana di Trevi, 0 is private garden)

114,400 f2

165,100 f2

Intensity 6

Intensity 2

Supermarket Cafe/Restaurant Department Store Retail Stores

20% 11% 7% 35%

20% 6%

Museum Theater

58,000 f2

43,000 f2

51,100 f2

116,600 f2

Plaza

Number of Attractors

Intensity of Public

Housing Density

Shopping

StreetsCultural Center

Amenities

Horizontal Housing

Vertical Housing

548,100 f2 157,400 f2 332,700 f2

29% 60%

Public Shared PrivateTotal

2-layer wood louver

10

p (239)-247-1370

w www.lopez2.com

e rolando@wustl.edu

Education

Technical Skills

Professional Experience

Teaching

ModelingMcNeil Rhinoceros • • • Grasshopper+Plugins • •Google Sketchup 2014 • • •Autodesk Revit 2015 • •Autodesk Autocad • • •

CodingHTML 5 • • • CSS 3 • • •Wordpress CMS • • • PHP • Javascript •Arduino •

GraphicsAdobe Photoshop • • •Adobe InDesign • • •Adobe Illustrator • • •Adobe Premiere Pro •Corel Draw Suite • •

Windows and Mac friendly.

• Basic •• Proficient ••• Expert

Recognition

Intern Designernbbj, Seattle, WA Summer 2014

Intern DesignerHunton Brady Architects, Orlando, FL Summer 2012 + Summer 2013 WebmasterUF School of Architecture, Gainesville, FLDecember 2011-2013

Freelance Web DesignerElliptical Studios, Ft. Myers, FL2006-2011

Student Involvement

Editorial TeamApproach Magazine, 2014-2015

Lecture Series DesignerSam Fox School, Spring 2015

Student RepresentativeSam Fox National Council, Spring 2015

MemberWUSTL NOMA, 2014-2015

Editor in ChiefArchitrave Magazine #20, 2012-2013 Creative Director Architrave Magazine #19, 2011-2012

Vice PresidentUF Architecture College Council, 2011-2012

Senior RepresentativeUF Student Advisory Council, 2013 Public Relations DirectorUF Cuban American Student Association, 2011

Masters of Architecture (Projected)Washington University, St. Louis MO2013-2015 (Current GPA 3.9)

Aalto UniversityHelsinki, Finland (Study Abroad)Spring 2014 Bachelors of Design in Architecture (Summa Cum Laude) University of Florida, Gainesville FL2009-2013 (GPA: 3.83) Vicenza Institute of Architecture Vicenza, Italy (Study Abroad) Fall 2012

McNeil Digital Fabrication WorkshopMarch 2011

WUSTL 311 Teaching Assistant (Third Year)Fall 2013, Professor Jonathan Stitelman

Rendering WorkshopSpring 2013

UF Design I Teaching Assistant (First Year)Summer 2011, Professor Alfonzo Perez-MendezFall 2011, Professor Mark McGlothlin

UF Design IV Teaching Assistant (Second Year) Spring 2011, Professor Rebecca Walker

Heartland Prize 2014-2015AIACS Competition, 1st Place

NOMA Design Competition 20142nd Place

MESH CompetitionHonorable Mention

Dean’s ScholarWUSTL, 2013-2015

Architecture Design AwardUF SoA, Spring 2013President’s Honor RollFall 2012

Top 10 UF SoA Selective Admissions

Top 20 UFarm Competition

Vitra Museum Aalto MonographPlans+Sections, 2014

Approach 2014-2015The Heliophile, Helsinki Infill

Architrave Magazine #20Courtyard Block

Re-Configured AssemblageArchdaily,Suckerpunch,B1 Magazine (Print)

eVolo Skyscaper Poster, Silvarium http://www.evolo.us/magazine/evo-lo-2012-skyscraper-competition-post-er-limited-edition/

Architrave Magazine #19 Junction, UFarm, Silvarium, Sinkhole Pavilion

Published Work

rolando lopez2

Architrave #20, Editor in ChiefFly The Mall, Design Thinking BookSAM FOX lecture series posters, Designer Architrave #19. Creative Director

check out my website for more

works!