Recent Work

RECENT WORKALAN HOTCHKISSRECENT WORK

ALAN HOTCHKISS

Projects

CommercialXYZ Talent Agency (2010)

Cultural/CivicARTIC High-Speed Rail Station (2011)

Bosque del Apache Nature Center (2006)

MacArthur Park Community Center (2009)

ResidentialPrivate Residence/Observatory (2006)

UCSB Equestrian Student Dormitories (2007)

Urban Design/PlanningShanghai World Expo Redevelopment (2010)

Miscellaneous/CompetitionsSolar Pavilion (2010)

House of Red & White (2010)

XYZ Talent Agency

Fall 2010

This eight week project was to design a combina-tion Talent Agency, Health Club and Night Club on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip. My main interest in this project was the surface, and how one single, continuous building skin could become façade, floor, ceiling, and program.

Perforations in this skin varied depending on pro-grammatic use. For example, private areas such as talent agency offices, had smaller openings, while the night club had the largest. The skin was also broken into two halves. The northern, which faces Sunset Boulevard, was a high-def digital display, showcasing the latest productions involving talent hired by the agency. This pulsat-ing display weaved into the building on the 13th storey to become the floor and ceiling of the nightclub. On the other side, the southern skin was a space frame and green wall. Seen from the city, this caused the building to “disappear” into the landscape of Hollywood Hills... A type of urban camouflage. This green skin weaved in at the 18th floor, becoming the floor and ceiling for the spa/health club. The building was open to the east and west, allowing drivers and pedestri-ans on Sunset Boulevard to get an unobstructed glimpse of the inner workings of each of the programs.

Location:Los Angeles

California

Site Area: 20 000 ft² / 1860 m²

Building Area: 100 000 ft² / 9300 m²

Program:Offices, Screening Room, Health Club, Night Club,

Retail, Public Space

Unfolded SurfaceNorth Elevation

Unfolded SurfaceSouth Elevation

View from EastMorning

Visibility StudyFrom the Getty Center

Downtown LACentury City

XYZ Talent

DOWN

UP

UP

DOWN

UPUP

BUILDING LOBBY

RETAIL

OUTDOOR LOBBY/

PLAZA

TO UNDERGROUND

PARKING

Ground Floor/Lobby1/16“ = 1’ - 0”

DOWN

UP

UP

DOWN

UPUP

MEETING

ROOM

OFFICE FLOOR

LOBBY

Typical Office Floor1/16“ = 1’ - 0”

DOWN

UP

UP

DOWN

UPUP

MEETING FLOOR

LOBBY

EXECUTIVE

MEETING ROOM

Executive Floor1/16“ = 1’ - 0”

DOWN

UP

UP

DOWN

UPUP

MEN’S LOCKER

ROOM

WOMEN’S

LOCKER ROOM

POOL

POOL LOBBY

Health Club/Spa1/16“ = 1’ - 0”

North Elevation 1/32“ = 1’ - 0”

South Elevation1/32“ = 1’ - 0”

East-West Section1/32“ = 1’ - 0”

Wall Section1/4“ = 1’ - 0”

Green Wall/South Façade

Office/Lobby

Balcony

Western Elevation1/32“ = 1’ - 0”

North-South Section1/32“ = 1’ - 0”

Urban Concept DiagramBillboard Study

View from WestEvening

ARTIC High-Speed Rail Station

Spring 2011

Part of a new transit plan, the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) is planned to serve as the southern hub for a new high-speed train, connecting cities throughout California. This project was done in collaboration with Jihoon Kim and Hyunsoo Ha, and aimed to explore the concepts of emergent and non-linear design, along with our professors Roland Snooks and Greg Otto.

After studying several space-frame precedents, we started off designing a single component that could aggregate in different ways. This “agent” evolved through many different generations. At the same time, we used a scripting program called Processing as a digital counterpart, allow-ing us to quickly combine many generations of components, and test the results.

After developing a process for aggregating our components, we used it to develop a complete structure for our building. After our site and pro-gram analysis, we decided to raise the high-speed platform up above the rest of the station. This way we could place the concourse in between the Amtrak (below) and high-speed (above) platforms, to allow for easy transitions. We also included a monorail to connect the station to Angel Stadium, the Honda Center, and other at-tractions around Anaheim.

Location:AnaheimCalifornia

Site Area: 50 000 ft² / 4650 m²

Building Area: 80 000 ft² / 7430 m²

Program:High-Speed train platforms, Amtrak platforms, monorail platforms, ticketing, offices,

waiting areas

Interior Rendering,on the Concourse

Magnet Joint

Physical Component Evolution

Generation 01 Generation 02 Generation 03

Metal

Flexible Magnet


Screenshot of running script, in Processing

3D printed physical model of script-generated aggregation

Regional Connections

Long Distance Connections

Local Connections

Angel Stadium

Existing Station

Honda StadiumLong Distance

Local Distance

Short Distance

Pedestrian & BicycleApproach

Pedestrian Approach

Extend River andCreate Urban Park

Local Approach

Direct Local Distance

Direct Short Distance

Direct Short Distance

Local Approach

Formal Concept Structural Concept Urban Concept

Site Analysis Vehicular Circulation Pedestrian Circulation

Surface

Structure

4th Floor

2nd floor

1st Floor

3rd Floor

Layout Diagram

Structural ConceptA space frame-like aggregation of different-sized similar components, interlocking to create a skeleton for the concourse, platforms, and skin


PrimaryStructure

SecondaryStructure

Skin

Skin ConceptContrasting skins, including opaque (tensile membrane), filtered (dense aggregations of small components) and transparent (glass walls providing selective views)

Aggregated Skin

Smooth Membrane

Outline Curves Control Curves Aggregation

Site ModelLooking South1:3000 Scale

Site ModelPlan View

1:3000 Scale

Site ModelLooking West1:1000 Scale

VehicularDrop-Off

Parking

Amtrak/Local RailPlatforms

Ground Floor - Amtrak PlatformScale: 1:2000

Main WaitingArea

Main Concourse

HighwayDrop-Off

Monorail Platform

Second Floor - Main ConcourseScale: 1:2000

High SpeedPlatform

(Open toBelow)

Third Floor - High-Speed PlatformScale: 1:2000

(Open toBelow)

Offices

Fourth Floor - OfficesScale: 1:2000

Section Detail RenderingAggregation Side

Section Detail RenderingMembrane Side

3D Printed Detail Model

Component Light FixtureDetail Rendering

Slab EdgeDetail Rendering

Night RenderingLooking North

Bosque del Apache Nature CenterSpring 2007

A nature conservation area located in central New Mexico, Bosque del Apache is an important area for many species of migratory birds. This project focused on creating a visitor center for the area, which would include a small bookstore, ranger station, and viewing platforms.

A vertical orientation was chosen for the building, in order to give visitors multiple vantage points for viewing birds across the shallow lake, both up close and distant. Two concrete slabs provided the main vertical structure, with cables support-ing the entrance bridge and the viewing bridge. Recycled wood cladding was used for the façade to help it blend into the natural environment from the vantage point of the lake, while the concrete slabs gave it a more solid appearance from the road. With its footprint concentrated to the con-crete slabs, it seems to float over the lake.

Location:Socorro

New Mexico

Site Area: 22 000 ft² / 2050 m²

Building Area: 2000 ft² / 185 m²

Program:Ranger station, visitor center,

bookstore, viewing area

Southern View

Northeastern View

Eastern Elevation1/16” = 1’ - 0”

Southern Elevation1/16” = 1’ - 0”

MacArthur Park Community Center

Fall 2009

After an intensive study or Wilshire Boulevard and the various neighborhoods along it, MacAr-thur Park was chosen as the site for a community center and city councilor offices. The program also included a station incorporating Los Ange-les Metro’s BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) Line 720. The primary goal was to create a center for the com-munity to use to the fullest. With this in mind, a large community room was designed (including a kitchenette) that could be used for neighborhood meetings, as well as rented out for other func-tions such as wedding receptions, birthdays, and quiceañeras.

Following those design considerations, I choose a large bus station located below the assembly room, in order to accommodate the large number of people using line 720, the busiest line in Los Angeles. A large ramp takes visitors from the lob-by, past the offices, and up to the auditorium. This gives a sense of ritual and importance, as well as a view of the councilors’ office, creating a sense of responsibility and accountability to those work-ing there.


California

Site Area: 10 000 ft² / 930 m²


Program:Community Meeting/Multi-purpose Room,

Offices, Bus Shelter

Southwestern View

Parti Circulation

East/West Structure Ramp Structure

Upper Floor Plan1/16” = 1’-0”

Wilshire Blvd.

Bu

rlin

gto

n

Ground Floor Plan1/16” = 1’-0”

Photovoltaic Panels

Weather Membrane

Concrete Slab

Metal Deck

I-Beam

Ceiling Frame

HVAC Ductwork

Acoustic Panel

Cor-Ten Panel

C-Channel

Weather Membrane

Rigid Insulation

Backing Plate

Column

Gypsum Board/Interior Finish

Concrete Slab

Metal Deck

I-Beam

Flashing

Cor-Ten Panel

Column

Wall Section1/4“ = 1’ - 0”

South Elevation(from Wilshire Boulevard)

East Elevation(from Parking Entrance)

Longitudinal Section(through Kitchenette, Auditorium, Main Lobby)

Transverse Section(through Main Lobby)

Longitudinal Section(through Kitchenette, Auditorium Lobby, Ramp, Main Lobby)

Transverse Section(through Ramp, Courtyard, Balcony)

Longitudinal Section(through Auditorium, Courtyard, Offices, Main Lobby, Restrooms)

Transverse Section(through Auditorium Lobby, Auditorium)

Private Residence/ObservatoryFall 2006

Location:Jemez Mountains

New Mexico

Site Area: 11 000 ft² / 1020 m²


Program:Residence, observatory

This project from my first semester of Undergrad-uate study was to design a private residence for an eccentric astronomer. The site was set in the mountains of New Mexico, far from light pollu-tion, and was strictly constrained to a 30’ x 30’ x 60’ envelope, with two extensions of 5’ x 15’.

The program included a living area, dining area and kitchen, sleeping area, and observatory ar-eas. The main design strategy was to use the two extensions entirely for the stairs, and completely free up the rest of the space. This allowed maxi-mum use of the first floor for the living area, fol-lowed by the dining area, bedroom, and the open observatory on the roof.

The exterior was clad in lightweight concrete pan-els, blocking most light except for several small apertures, arrayed as constellations.

North Elevation1/16” = 1’ - 0”

Second & Third Floor Plans1/16” = 1’ - 0”

Entrance View with Topography

Southwest View Northeast View

Night Viewfrom Southeast

UCSB Equestrian Student Dormitories

Spring 2008

For the “Leading Edge“ competition, Daniel Gon-zales and I collaborated to design a dormitory complex to house the UCSB equestrian team. The building was to be completely off the grid, and use passive heating and cooling techniques.

The layout was based on two conceptual ideas. First, that of a earthquake, that could shape an otherwise orthagonal building. Secondly, the power of a horse, closely related to the unbridled power of a earthquake. Three curved mass walls based on these principles acted as wind scoops to provide passive cooling, as well as vertical louvers facing the west to provide shade. Each dormitory was also provided with a balcony overlooking the ocean, both to provide a view and take advantage of Santa Barbara’s excellent climate.

Location:Santa Barbara

California

Site Area: 1500 ft² / 140 m²


Program:Dormitories, Common areas,

Horse Tackrooms

Site

Site Plan - USCB Equestrian Grounds1/64” = 1’ - 0”

Ground Floor1/16” = 1’ - 0”

Second Floor1/16” = 1’ - 0”

Third Floor1/16” = 1’ - 0”

Fourth Floor1/16” = 1’ - 0”

Devereaux Lagoon

Plaza

Transverse Section1/16” = 1’ - 0”

Longitudinal Section1/16” = 1’ - 0”

Fragmented Urbanism - Shanghai World Expo

Summer 2010

Each summer, the University of Southern Cali-fornia and Tongji University host the American Academy in China (AAC), a six-week-long stu-dio aimed at providing students with first hand contact with China’s culture and history. The topic of the 2010 studio was to create a master plan for the site of the 2010 World Expo held in Shanghai. The studio included weekly site visits and daily workshops at MADA s.p.a.m. offices, with the purpose of creating an algorithmic tool for master planning the site.

The cross-university team for this project con-sisted of Jared Shier (USC), Shi Bingjie (Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing), Johnny Wang (University of Edinburgh), Song Xiaoyu (Tongji University), and myself. Over the course of four weeks, we created a set of algorithms used to determine parcel value, land use, and Floor-to-Area ratio (FAR). The non-linear process we de-veloped could instantly respond to changes and needs on both a local and global system level. This process was then applied to the entire 25 km² Expo site to develop a master plan proposal and presented to the Shanghai Urban Develop-ment Agency at the final review.

Location:Shanghai

China

Site Area: ~10 miles² / 2600 hectares

Program:Housing, Commercial Zones, Green Space, Cultural Centers, Mixed -use neighborhoods, Infill Programming

1.1 Existing block structure

2.1 One Node at Intersection

1

1 1

0

1 00

0 11

1 1 1 11

9

2.4 Node Value in Larger Context

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

4

3.8

2.34.5

4

1.5

3.3

3.9

4.32.8 4.9

5.4

4.9

4.6

1.3

4.4

5.55.3

3.83.9

2.82.8

2.8

2.8

3.2 4.83.8

2.6

3.3

2.3

2.3

3

2.3

2.8 2.9

35.5

3.33.33.3 2.8

2.7

2.8 2.4 3.33.4 3.4

4.63.8

3.8

3.1

2.8

42.6

2.8

3.4

2.43.3

1.6

3.6

3.6

3.3

6.4

3.4

2.94

4.54

4.9

4.43.8

4.3

3.6

4.6

3.2

2.4

2.42.9

4.42.1 4

4.9

5

4.94

4.4

5.1

3.3

3.84.3

5.9 4.6

7.13.3

4.33.5

3.2

4.1

4.5

2.5

4.3

4.3

3

3.4

3

3

3.5

2.9

4.2

3.9

2.8

4.6

33.6

4.3

4.1

3.5

4.1

2.8

2.7

3.33.4

4.3

4.3

3.3

3

3.54.6

4

6.9 6.6

6.6 4.6 3.2

4.3

2.7 2.2

4.3

5.4

4.5

5.8

3.3

3 4.6 3.4 3.43.4

3.8 4.1

4.4

4.3

44.1

4.6 64

2

2.9

Commercial

Residential

Mixed-Use

FAR = Area / (8 x # Parcels)

3.3 FAR Calculation for Site

1.2 Major Lines 1.3 Minor Lines Offset 1.4 Line Mediation 1.5 Major and Minor Lines

1

1 1

0

2.2 Developed and Open Space Values

Nodes for Entire Site

3.1 Density Map for Site

0

0110001 24 022

39

NODE VALUE = 8

Parcel Value < (# Nodes) x (8) = ResidentialParcel Value ≥ (# Nodes) x (8) = Mixed-useParcel Next to Elevated Walkway = Commercial

# Parcels PercentageTotal

Residential 108 31%Commercial 53 15%Mixed-Use 74 21%Open Space/Monument 117 33%Total 353 100%

Commercial

Residential

Mixed-Use

3.2 Program Use, Based on Space Values FAR (Floor to Area) Equations

FAR =v

q ´ (# Parcels )

#Bldgs =(FAR min )( Asite)

(Abldg)

height=(H floor)(FAR min )( Asite)

(# Bldgs)( Afloor)

Node Value = (1 x 3) + (1 x 3) + (1 x 3) + (0 x 1) = 3 + 3 + 3 = 9

9

1

1 1

0

2.3 Node Value from Adjacent Spaces

Planning Algorithms

Resulting FAR Diagrams

1.6 Elevated Walkway 1.7 Walkway as Major Line 1.8 Final Lines Lines on the Entire Site Developed space, open space, and landmarks

1

1 1

00

1 00

0 11

1 1 1 11

4 9 12 9

6 9 12 10

2.4 Node Values from Surrounding Spaces

28

4 9

6 9Parcel Value = 1 x ( 4 + 6 + 9 + 9 ) = 1 x 28 = 28

2.5 Node Values are Added to Produce Space Values

128 8 128

12 88 12 8 12 8 8 9

0

12

8

12

8

128

6

5

44

55

55

91212

1212

012 8

48

8

88

000

8

4866

86

164

8666

6 8 6 6 25

8

46

6

8

69

49

126

466

44664

66

8 86

69

4 4

4

4 4

5

6

4 14 8

7

16

44

8

8

16

66 6 6

6 6

12

8

8

88

8

88

8

8

8

8

8

6

6

6

6

6

6 6

6

6

10

6

6

4

4

8

8

8 8

8

812

12

12

12 12

12 9

99

9

8

0

0

124

96

6

84

6128

87

00

00

7

84

6

46

6

88

846

46

9

84

88

6

6

6 6

6

8

6

6

0

0

0

0

9 812

812

8

6

68

812

8

9

89

800

0

8

9

6

4

6 8

4 6 6 4 6

46 38

12106

0912

8 4 9

8 8 12 12 6

6 66

8810

4

12 9

8

12 8 8 9

68

88 12 12 1212

128 0 0 0

120 6 6 6

6

11

111

11

1

0

Node Values for Entire Site

444466666666

66666666

44444444

44444444444444444444444444444

4444444444

6666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666

6666666666666666666666666 666666666666666666666666

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

030

300

3037

0

0 029

0

00

340

30 34360

3939

032

3632

02026

0

26

28

051

32024

200

220

260

332324

029 18

18

25

25

25

270

0

0

29

026

13

19200

0

037

28 2310 0

0

00

0

0 0

0

0

1836 32 0 40 48 0

463050

34

034 36

0

14

36 34 0

3726 0 242024 0

12

0 26 26 055

10 0

4440

300

10 24 0 22 39

01919

019

1734 36 023 24 0

0000

00

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0

0 0 0

4731

00

30

3630

38

1414

0

031

181818

0

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2416 2034

0

2428

2044

00222014

22 24026260 26202218

2403632

0280 3830

026

57

32042

037450

26

360

27

27

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032

36

42

040

400

384032

034

360

303400

220303802624260 3922 18

2032

0280043

22 16

36

0

0

31

18

16

0

300

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0 0

0

0

250

00

00

000

0000

0

000

00

2225 18 21

2622

24

2421 24

33

33

3434

3131

3439

3734 35

48

17 28

2734

36

37

28 32 32

300

27 19

0

143636

0

1420 30 28

262634

3343

24

2926

3230

26

450 46

260 36

25

31 37 53

0

2236 38

14

55

21

22 24 20 2212

1627 32

2424 30

30 33

34

22 18

1822

6243

0 52 3326 2624

272839 27 26

340

34 40 48

0 0

30

46

0 0 0 0

21

16

3532330 0 0

0

0

00

0 00

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 00

000

00

0

27

036 36

32

Parcel Values for Entire Site

Site Density Diagram

RenderingOverall Expo Site

Proposal for Post-Expo Use

Site During the World Expo

Solar Pavilion

2010


California

Site Area: 800 ft² / 75 m²


Program:Pavilion

The intent of this short, two-week study was to design a pavilion, for an undefined purpose, which would be reactive to the sun, either statically or dynamically. Thinking that a static structure could be more challenging, I chose to do this.

After researching the sun patterns and climate of Los Angeles, I first varied the perforations in the sides and top of the pavilion to give maximum shade during the summer and maximum sunlight during the winter. Rather than changing the number of holes to increase or decrease density, I changed the size of the perforations. This al-lowed some of them to run into each other, creat-ing an interesting space frame out of the wall. I then put lenses into each aperture, which would simultaneously filter the sunlight and create dif-ferent refracted light patterns inside the pavilion depending on the time of year.

Southwestern View

South Elevation

Vernal Equinox

Fall Equinox

Summer Solstice

Winter Solstice

Shadow Studies

House of Red & White Competition (Finalist)

2010

Location:Katyn Forest

Poland

Site Area: Undefined


Program:Memorial

The House of Red and White was a competition done in conjunction with Fenty Muliadi and Lance Hirai. The program was a memorial in Poland to commemorate a massacre in the Katyn Forest during World War II. Our team was a finalist in the competition.

With a sloping site terrain, the memorial becomes partially concealed within the landscape. This al-lows the structure to be slowly uncovered, just as the victims of the massacre.

The undulating wooden surfaces symbolically express the chaos of the massacre. However, order is established through the introduction of the viewing platforms, which provides stability within interior. Confining this balance between chaos and order is the pure geometry of the cube.

The materials chosen for the monument repre-sent the element of time. The exterior steel shell will rust over time, and the wood pieces will eventually rot away, but the plastic pieces with the names of the victims will remain forever, as a monument to their memory.

Interior Viewwith Name Stones

B

B

A A

Plan

Longitudinal Section

Latitudinal Section

Recent Work

Documents

Transcript of Recent Work