Elizabeth Walsh Portfolio Vol 1

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute2009-2014

Bachelor of Architecture | Minor in Electronic Arts

elizabeth walshportfolio of selected work

design development

Beirut Art & Culture Center

undergraduate thesis

The New Urban Perimeter

technology-driven

En Plein Air Tower

conceptual models

Selected Physical Architectural Models

artwork

We’ve Got It Down To A Science

contents

photography

Selected Digital Photography

1

2

3

4

5

6

www.elizabethjwalsh.com

[email protected]

508 340 3066

BEIRUT ART & CULTURE CENTERArt Museum & Cultural Center

Beirut, Lebanon

The Beirut Art & Culture Center is a contemporary observatory that promotes a new way of expressing artistic and cultural freedom by giving witness to the merging of several cultures. The center’s presence is meant to be unobtrusive and respectful of the hardships felt in Beirut’s past, while at the same time highlighting the artistic and cultural diversity and freedom of the future. The architecture of the center invites people of all ages and backgrounds, uniting the cultural differences found in Beirut into a positive exchange of artistic expression. The building’s organic shape allows for unique commissioned art exhibits that will put Beirut on the map.

PROPOSAL STATEMENT

Site Plan

ANALYSIS, CRITIQUE + RESPONSE:

PROGRAM MORPHOLOGY

CUT + FILL: LANDSCAPE ALTERATIONS

HIERACHY OF CIRCULATION FACADE BREATHING STRUCTURAL

Form Diagram


PROGRAM MORPHOLOGY



ExteriorAerial View

Cut & Fill: Landscape Alteration

A1.02 FIRST FLOORA1.01 SITE PLAN A1.03 SECOND FLOOR A1.04 THIRD FLOOR

floor -2 floor 0

Interior ViewOn Ramp


PROGRAM MORPHOLOGY



A1.05 FOURTH FLOOR A1.06 FIFTH FLOOR A1.07 SIXTH FLOOR A1.08 SEVENTH FLOOR

floor +2 floor +3


PROGRAM MORPHOLOGY




PROGRAM MORPHOLOGY



UNDERSLAB MEMBRANE

REINFORCED CONCRETE PILES

REINFORCED CONCRETE PILE CAPCONTINUOUS REBAR

STEEL COLUMN BASE

TRIANGULATED PERFORATED ALUMINUM PANELS

STEEL DIAGRID MEMBER

INSULATED SANDWICH PANEL GLASS

TRIAGULATED ALUMINUM CEILING PANELS

CONCRETE FOUNDATION

TRIAGULATED ALUMINUM MESH

ROOFING MEMBRANE

THERMAL INSULATION

STEEL GRATING

FINISHED CONCRETE FLOORING

METAL DECKING

CONCRETE SLAB ON GRADE

A3.01

B.A.C.C

BEIRUT ARTS & CUL-TURE CENTER

BEIRUT, LEBANON

SCHEMATIC: MITSURU HAMADA

EMILY MASTROPIERO +

ELIZABETH WALSH

DRAWING:

DATE:

WALL SECTION

DEC 12, 2012

SCALE - 1:20 m

DETAIL WALL SECTION

steel diagrid nodes

steel diagrid

insulated glass

aluminum panels

triangulated aluminum mesh

roofing membranethermal insulation

metal deckingfinished concrete flooringsteel grating

triangulated aluminum ceiling panels

insulated sandwich panel glass

triangulated perforatedaluminum panels

steel diagrid member

steel column base

concrete foundation

concrete slab on grade

underslab membranereinforced concrete pile cap

reinforced concrete piles

continuous rebar

Exploded Facade Diagram

Full Wall Section

Physical Model[Plexiglass, Basswood, Task Board, Straws]

THE NEW URBAN PERIMETERUndergraduate Thesis

Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York

Protect Against Future Flooding

Capitalize on Local Resources

Remediate Contaminated Water

Strengthen Eroding Shoreline

Green Crab

Mussel

Oyster

Clam

Salt Hay

Geoduck

Flood Line

DESIGN PROPOSAL PART I

Designing holistically in this age means not only reducing our carbon footprint, but also cleaning and remediating the carbon footprints of our past. Gowanus Bay in Brooklyn, NY was chosen as the site for my project. The canal that runs from the bay into Brooklyn is one of the most polluted areas in the United States. Instead of simply displacing the problem, the site must be remediated. In order to move forward, we must take a few steps backward. Using systems such as salt water marshes, the site will be turned [grown] into a living, breathing area “Growing” a system that involves natural processes is a temporal process. The project is layed out in a series of four phases: softening, seeding, programming, and adapting.

Demolition of unusable buildings

Dredge shallowing

RED HOOK

CARROLL GARDENS

COBBLE HILL

GOWANUS

BOERUM HILL

PARK SLOPE

GREENWOOD

SUNSET PARKGreenwood Cemetery

Flood Zone A

Flood Zone B

+ Existing site is an industrial area with very little green or public spaces softening the edge

+ Unusable buildings are demolished

2014

PHASE I : SOFTENING PHASE II : SEEDINGTODAY PHASE III : PROGRAMMING

species

environments for species to inhabit

+ Biorock structures begin growing under water

PHASE IV : ADAPTING

2020 2035 2060 2075 -

+ Species continue to naturally inhabit the land and water after initial seeding

+ Public access is introduced

+ Structures are brought onto the land

+ Natural habitats on land and in water continue to grow

+ We continue to adapt to and program the land

+ Features such as retention ponds are added to adapt to

mudflats

low marsh

mid marsh

upper marsh

inland

BIOROCK

Anode Cathode

A/C to D/C Converter

BIOROCK STRUCTURE FORMATION

Manhattan

Brooklyn

QueensHud

son

Rive

r

limestone inwatershed

calcium carbonaterich water

Completed structures brought on land

DESIGN PROPOSAL PART II

After creating a landscaped perimeter, the question becomes how do we inhabit an environment like this? There are two parts to designing for this environ-ment. 1) Designing the form in a way that works with the environment, and 2) Designing with a material that works with the environment. When designing the form, I looked at images of eroding rocks. These giant eroding forms are protruding from the landscape, but they are inherently embedded in it. For the question of materiality, I thought about building materials that are used today and how they could be altered

FORM VARIATION

The structures vary from open sea to inland in program, shape, and size.

small, open, for mollusks and other

animals

larger, open, for people and animals

larger, closed, for people

PROGRAMMATIC DIVERSITY

This area used to be the industrial center of Brooklyn. During the post-industrial age, new eco-friendly, local industries need to be brought back to the area. Salt marshes are extremely diverse and bring with them several natural programs to go along with the different marsh zones. The entire area will be public, but there will also be different farming zones scattered throughout the area. All of this farming will produce abundant amounts of food, which can be sold at an open-air market on the edge of the urban zone. This area of Brooklyn is very familiar with markets like this. The entire area will flourish.

Low Tide High Tide Summer-Autumn Winter

Low Tide

Medium Tide

High Tide

Flood

+ Mollusk harvesting season begins in September

+ Salt hay harvesting is best during the �rst two weeks of AugustSummer

Winter

2 AM 9 AM 2 PM 9 PM

+ 4 ft

+ 1 ft

+ Oyster farmers must get boats out of water before the �rst frost to avoid getting them stuck in ice

Tide Pattern

+ Mollusks begin reproducing around June- through October

+ Salt grass that is not harvested grows old during Autumn, eventually falling o� at the base

+ Dead salt grass deposits cellulose into the sediment- food for invertebrates+ Not much visible vegetation during the winter, since most salt marsh plants are annuals

+ Colder water temperatures cause mollusks to store glycogen, which causes them to become more “meaty” - more desirable to harvest during these times

public space

open-air market space

detention ponds: swimming pools, skate park, etc.

salt hay harvest field

retention ponds: mollusk growing zone

mollusk farming zone

fishing zone

kelp harvesting zone

Sediment

Fresh Peat

Salt PeatSubsurface Flow

Groundwater

Mud Flats

+ Mature oyster habitats+ Oyster farming

+ Retention Pond

4 Adult Males & Females

Retention Ponds

+ Habitat for growing oysters

2 Free-Swimming Larvae (two weeks)

3 Spat Attached to Shell (2-3 years)

1 Fertilized Egg

Spat moved to mud �ats when mature

Larvae moved toponds

OYSTER LIFE CYCLE / OYSTER FARMING CYCLE RETENTION POND GROWTH

Today

Projected

Oyster reefs continue to grow vertically as sea level rises

Mud Flats

+ Mature oyster habitats+ Oyster farming

4 Adult Males & Females

Retention Ponds

+ Habitat for growing oysters

2 Free-Swimming Larvae (two weeks)

3 Spat Attached to Shell (2-3 years)

1 Fertilized Egg

Spat moved to mud �ats when mature

Larvae moved toponds

OYSTER LIFE CYCLE / OYSTER FARMING CYCLE

Today

Projected

Oysters and other mollusks will also be extremely abundant in this environment. They will be grown in retention ponds and mud flats to be harvested. The restaurants that they are brought to will bring the shells back for recycling. These shells will be added to the reefs to promote a healthy, closed-loop environment.

Fishing and kelp farming will also be very productive in this area.

Sediment

Fresh Peat

Salt PeatSubsurface Flow

Groundwater

Salt Hay Grass

1 Harvesting

3 Enzymes break cellulose down into sugars

4 Microbes ferment sugars into ethanol

Solar Energy+

Carbon Dioxide

BIOFUEL

Carbon Dioxide

Biofuel

2 Pre-Processing into Cellulose

Salt hay farming is extremely valuable and is actually historic for this area. Salt hay can be used for bio plastics, bio fuel, cattle feed, and several other uses. Salt hay grass will be extremely abundant in this area.

Section through site

Today 2100 : +5 feet 2300 : +12 feet 2500 : +25 feet

Today+5 feet

+12 feet+25 feet

RISING SEA LEVEL

Marsh Accretion

1940 1960 19801920 2000

5

5.5

6

6.5

7

Sea Level Rise = 0.1 inch/year

Year

Sea

Leve

l (in

)

MARSH HEALTH + THE FUTURE

Bringing this type of ecosystem to the city’s edge will greatly improve the quality of life for not only humans, but every species of plant and animal who lives there. It is a rather simple statement: life creates conditions conducive to life. Wetlands and salt marshes are some of the most diverse and important ecosystems in the world. They are home to thousands of organisms that thrive in very harsh conditions. Speaking of contamination, salt marshes naturally remediate water in really amazing ways. There are several types of mollusks that live in marshes that filter the water. An oyster, for example, can filter up to 50 gallons of water in just one day. And for flooding, marshes accrete vertically to keep pace with rising sea levels. This is done through the accumulation of different sediments that wash up and also the accummulation of organic matter, such as dead plants and animals in the marsh. It only makes sense that we use a system like this to deal with these issues.

+ Mummichog

+ Flat Fish / Flounder

+ Turtle

+ Fiddler Crab

+ Silverside

+ Sting Ray

+ Striped Bass

+ Black Necked Stilt

+ Stork

+ Oyster

+ Hermit Crab

+ Atlantic Croaker

+ Saltwater Cordgrass

+ Salt Hay Grass

1 On the marsh surface, dead plant matter is colonized by bacteria, fungi, and protozoans, making a rich food called detritus

2 Small invertebrates living in the marsh consume detritus and other invertebrates. These may include crabs, amphipods, shrimp, and worms

3 At high tide, mummichogs, silversides, and other small �sh swim from the creeks onto the �ooded marsh to feed on detritus and invertebrates

4 Fish species such as Atlantic croakers and �ouders eat small �sh and invertebrates in the marsh, bringing nutrients to o�shore food webs

5 Birds eat the larger �sh, bringing the nutrients even farther to food webs on land

SALT MARSH AQUATIC FOOD WEB


Today+5 feet

+12 feet+25 feet

RISING SEA LEVEL

Marsh Accretion

1940 1960 19801920 2000

5

5.5

6

6.5

7


Year

Sea

Leve

l (in

)


Today+5 feet

+12 feet+25 feet

RISING SEA LEVEL

Marsh Accretion

1940 1960 19801920 2000

5

5.5

6

6.5

7


Year

Sea

Leve

l (in

)


Today+5 feet

+12 feet+25 feet

RISING SEA LEVEL

Marsh Accretion

1940 1960 19801920 2000

5

5.5

6

6.5

7


Year

Sea

Leve

l (in

)

Detail Model[3D Printed Model with Landscaping Details]

EN PLEIN AIR TOWERMulti-Purpose Tower

Manhattan, New York

The Plein-Air Tower, is located in Downtown Manhattan near the Brooklyn Bridge. It utilizes an operable ETFE skin to redirect existing wind flows and create an interstitial boundary layer for year-round thermal comfort through natural ventilation and self-shading. This interstitial boundary layer is in between the program cores and the ETFE skin. This layer not only creates thermal comfort, but also interesting spaces in which you feel as though you are outside but are not. This unique level of comfort makes this tower different than other towers in Manhattan where outdoor spaces at higher levels are impossible.

CLOSEDCONDITION

OPENCONDITION

PLAN

PLAN

SECTION

SECTION

15’

10’

12’

6’

20’

3’

RESIDENTIAL

HOTEL

SCHOOL

TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL FLOOR TYPICAL HOTEL FLOOR TYPICAL SCHOOL FLOOR

Apartment Detail Model[Acetate & Basswood]

Tower Model[Plexiglass & Basswood]

CONCEPTUAL MODELSSelected Built Projects

[Basswood & Acetate]

[Basswood]

WE’VE GOT IT DOWN TO A SCIENCECollage Installation

Digital Photographs & Transparent Film

001.1a incarnatus 002.3a aurantiacus 003.4a porphyreus

005.1b flavus006.4b atropureus 009.5a dichrous

How many times have you picked apart something until it was literally just tiny pieces in your hands? “We’ve Got It Down to A Science” investigates issues of human nature and questions when the research process becomes too much. The exhibit included ten 36” x 36” art pieces that consisted of one macro photograph of a flower and four transparent layers on top of that photograph. These are investigations that have gotten so extravagant that the viewer can no longer tell what the original specimen was.

The assembly is one macro photograph of one of the investigated flowers, with four transparencies in front of the photograph. The four transparencies have different layers of color and textures on them that were drawn out from the flower photographs in photoshop. The final product of all these layers together is a somewhat blurred, ambiguous image. Each piece measures 36” x 36”.

INDEPENDENT PHOTOGRAPHYSelected Digital Photography

PEOPLE

PLACES

ANIMALS

EXPERIMENTAL

www.elizabethjwalsh.com

[email protected]

508 340 3066

Thank you

Elizabeth Walsh Portfolio Vol 1

Documents

Transcript of Elizabeth Walsh Portfolio Vol 1