Architectural PortfolioRensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Bachelor of Architecture 2014

Caitlin McCabe

Student WorkB.ARCH 2014

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Architectural Portfolio

(845)249-8983Caitlinmccabe12@gmail.com

10 Dwyer Lane Wappingers Falls, New York, 12590

Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteBachelor of Architecture 2014

Minor in Psychology

Caitlin McCabe

Adaptive Resiliency

Table of Contents

NUK II

Plein Air Tower

Center of Excellence

South Bund Redevelopment

Apartment Complex

Creating Space

Recycled Materials

Poughkeepsie, New YorkThesis

Spring 2014

Adaptive Resiliency

Architectural PortfolioTable of Contents

Lujbjana, SloveniaDesign Development

Spring 2013

NUK II

New York, New YorkCenter for Architecture Science and Ecology

Fall 2011

Plei Air Tower

RPI Campus, Troy, New YorkDesign Studio 6

Spring 2013

Center of Excellence

Shanghai, ChinaDesign Studio 5

Spring 2012

South Bund Redevelopment

Troy, New YorkDesign Studio 5

Spring 2011

Apartment Complex

Design Studio 2Fall 2009

Creating Space

Design Studio 1Fall 2009

Recycled Materials

This was a group project in collaboration with Michael Mancuso and Tatianna Hart. In this studio, we started with the schematic design of Kamvari Architects for the National and University Library in Ljubljana, Slovenia and brought the design through to the design development phase. Our main concept was to extend the horizontal plane by lifting it and wrapping it vertically to hover over and preserve the roman ruins excavated on the site. The circulation strategy is a continuous spiral through the entire build-ing by the use of sloped surfaces. Along these sloped surfaces are the books stacks so that you circulate through the books as you wind up the building. The sloped surfaces create a staggered flooring pattern in section which visually connects all the different spaces with in the library.

NUK II

Lujbjana, SloveniaDesign Development

Spring 2013

NUK II

building forms a continuous spiral building circulation is orthogonalthrough slabs and cores

micro/macro spiral circulationutiliizing ramping and slabs

public garden circulation public urban circulation garden as urban extension

sectional visual connectivity across courtyard sectional visual discontinuity within building interior integrated interior physical connectivity and exterior visual connectivity

continuous longitudinal form comprises three distinct, rotated bars unrolled longitudinal form is primarily flat and consistent unrolled longitudinal form is dynamic, expanding, and iconic

improved pedestrain flow through site and ruins optimum (time-saving) public circulation avoids contact with site and ruins improved pedestrian traffic engaged with site and ruins

TUBE BOTTOM

TUBE TOP

STRUCTURAL TEE

NEAR RAMPs

FAR RAMPS

FLOOR

BAR DIVISION

CORE

CLEARANCE

Lujbjana, SloveniaDesign Development

Spring 2013

NUK II

Plein Air Tower

FIXED CONNECTION

SOUTHERN SUMMER WINDS

NORTHERN WINTER WINDS

INTAKE (CLOSED)

INTAKE (OPEN)

105

1 20

1 35

1 50

1 651 95

21 0

225

240

255

1 5

30

45

60

75285

300

31 5

330

345

3 m/ s

5 m/ s

8 m/ s

11 m/ s

14 m/ s

PLEIN-AIR TOWER

130local exposure

250regional exposure

400district exposure

COMPUTATIONAL PROCESS

towers twist to access panoramic views, accountingfor differences in floorheight & size

etfe envelope shrinks tocover program, leaving air gapfor updraft air circulation

etfe mullions mapped to skin.they become more dense atresidential areas to simulateglazing

full system accomodates mixedprogram while creating a varietyof environments tailored to the type of user

This was a group project in callaboration with Jessica Bristo, Elizabeth Walsh, and Josh Gerber.

Our design solution looks to optimize In designing a tall build-ing for the site at 8 Spruce Street (New York, NY), We intended to capture the wind and solar energies offered by the sites relative exposure, in an effort to reduce the need for mechani-cal systems. Specifically, we will accelerate the already preva-lent N-W winter winds into the building envelope to generate power, using the buildings overall torqueing geometry, cou-pled with a textured faade which will aid in creating surface turbulence during the summer.Additionally, the site occupies a busy pedestrian zone com-ingling students, commerce, and residents, as well as relative proximity to City Hall. The site will serve as a confluence of program, with the objective of providing a variety of meeting spaces and means of access between the site and neighbor-ing streets.

New York, New YorkCenter for Architecture Science and Ecology

Fall 2011

Plei Air Tower

15

10

12

6

20

3

CLOSEDCONDITION

OPENCONDITION

PLAN

PLAN

SECTION

SECTION

New York, New YorkCenter for Architecture Science and Ecology

Fall 2011

Plei Air Tower

Center of Excellence

This project was a Center of Excellence located on RPI Campus in Troy, New York. The building massing is one curve that is generating from the slope of the site it is on, connecting RPI Campus to the City of Troy. There is one grand curving staircase the leads all the way up the terracing floors of the building. The program switches from the North side of the building, allowing for maxium views looking back on RPI Campus, to the south side of the building, allowing for maximum views overlooking the City of Troy. The facade pattern was designed in Grasshopper, and it responded directly to the program with in the building. The more public the space was, the more open the facade was,and vice versa; the more private the spaces, the more closed the facade was.

Facade Iterations

Section 2 Scale 1:1/16

Plan 3 Scale 1:1/32

Plan 4 Scale 1:1/32

Section 3 Scale 1:1/16

Plan 5Scale 1:1/32

Plan 6 Scale 1:1/32

Facade

Unrolled Facade Elevations

SECTION

Facade Iterations

RPI Campus, Troy, New YorkDesign Studio 6

Spring 2013

Center of Excellence

South Bund Redevelopment

This project was in collaboration with Xie Jie. This was a redevelopment of the South Bund to create a more public accesible uraban strategy. It was located on the Huangpu River front in Shanghai, China.The concept for this project was creating an urban stratagey that allowed people from all different backrounds to come and interact with each other.One thing that interested us the most was the changing of small to large scale program along Old Shanghai Street, from Yu Yuan leading towards our site. This urban stratagey took on the task of interconnecting these two types of spaces tosee them as one instead of as drastically different entities. From this idea, emerged a wave-like project: a mix of landscape and architecture, where you can be on the ground floor of one building and walk a few steps and be ont the top of another. There is a blurring of what is exterior and what is interior.

nodeA

nodeB

nodeC

nodeD

nodeE

nodeF

PUBLIC -----------more open to the citizens and tourists

PRIVATE----------less easy to get into

Culture Event

Yuyuan Shopping Mall

City TempleYu Garden(HuXin Pavilion)

Shopping Square

Old Town Art World

Low-income Residents Area

Tourists Bus Parking

Riverview Apartments

JiuShi Tower(Oce)

Riveerview Hotel

Tourists Bus Parking

Golden Bund(Resicents)

Shanghai Old Street

Tunnel Museum

Yuyuan small theater

Ferry terminal

Hotel Indigo

nodeAPrologue nodeBLINKING nodeCCONFLICT nodeDCROSSING nodeEWEAVING nodeEEpilog

parkin

g plot

large scale landscapes]+ programs under the ground

small scale of shops+programs above the ground

plaza2

plaza3

waterfront park

ferry terminal

tourist ship terminal

tower1

tower2

tower3

tower4

TERMINALL FOR TOURISTS FERRY TERMINALWATERFRONT PARK

x

x

s

s

0 2322212019181716151413121110987654321

1from old town 2from cross road 3from main road4from plaza 5from waterfront park 6from ferry

Large Scale vs Small Scale DiagramUrban Circulation Diagram Massing Diagram

PLANS AND SECTIONS

4from plaza 5from waterfront park 6from ferry

Shanghai, ChinaDesign Studio 5

Spring 2012

South Bund Redevelopment

Apartment Complex

ANALYSIS DIAGRAMS

Summer Solstice

Winter Solstice

Spring Equinox

Autumn Equinox

Natural Light Inltrating the Crevasse

N

Expanding from Conned to Free

Extending the River view from the Street

Moving From the Open to the More Conned back to the Open

N

N

N

This project was based off a case study house, the Maison Aho by Alvar Alto. The program of this project was a 24 unit apartment complex for visiting and permanent scholars. The location was on the Hudson River in downtown Tory, New York. I took the idea of the confined breaking away to the open from the prilimanary study on Alvar Aaltos Maison Aho. It started out as one full massing and then started to break away