C O L L E C T I O N

MARISSA VOLKUNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

SELECTED WORKS

C O N T E N T S

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URBAN SPACES FOR DEGREES OF POROSITY

COMPONENTS

CONSTRUCTED CAIRN

LIVING CANOPY

THE COMMON POINT BETWEEN

MACHINE AND GARDEN

SACRED GROWTH

COMMUNITY URBAN-SOFTSCAPE

MEDIA MUSEUM

SOFTLAB

EXTRACURRICULAR

ARCHITRAVE

the street is simply another transparent layer; just as many people move below street-level

YEAR 4, SPRING 2014 : PROFESSOR NANCY CLARK : WITH ELIZABETH MORALES04

: focusing on user groups as a method of organization

Working with sites 2 and 3 of the master plan for Essex Crossing, located in the Lower East Side of New York City, these towers appear to be separate entities on the surface. Below street-level is an entire new layer of activity, as is typical of NYC, that offers connectivity between not only the two towers, but also the subway, the Lowline (abandoned trolley turnaround that is proposed to be turned into an underground park) and the Market Line (underground passageway lined with shops that connects sites 2, 3, 4). With site 2 as the main subway link to Brooklyn, which is quickly emerging as almost an extension of Manhattan, many people first access the city from below the surface. Acknowledging and welcoming this, the towers propose to give the subterranean as much importance as the street, acting as a filter from the underground up, blending three user groups - residents, tourists, and commuters - by degrees of porosity.

perspectival analysis of site above and below grade

U R B A N S PA C E S F O R D E G R E E S O F P O R O S I T Y

site plan: site 2 (left) and site 3 (right)

Site 2 is a gateway to Brooklyn, as well as the rest of Manhattan, and the street can be seen as just another transparent layer within a multi-layered city. In response to this, this tower holds a selectively public program includ-ing the Warhol Museum and a theater, therefore having a greater degree of street-level porosity. With a grand entrance ramp via central public atrium, the street-level communicates with the subterranean spaces in a clear and visible way. The ramp descends to meet the subway, the Market Line, and the Lowline. The underground theater acts as an intermediary, transitioning the bustling economic Market Line environment with the leisure of the Lowline.

perspective map of privately owned public spaces within the city

Site 3 is more privatized, due to the residential nature of the site. Porosity allowing the public into this tower was kept to a mini-mum, to respect the inhabitants. Each tower is a unique balanc-ing act, finding the equilibrium to allow the user groups to blend comfortably while still allowing varying degrees of separation.

challenging the master plan’s podium approach by carving datums both vertically and horizontally

Cultural amenities infiltrate the base of site 2. The War-hol Museum can be entered from the interior atrium or the Market Line, and ex-tends vertically. The the-ater is placed between sites, inviting circulation to the Lowline, as well as provid-ing a subterranean atrium.

Retail serves the economic opportunities of site 2, cre-ating a facade of shops near street-level that threads down into the Market Line. The Market Line is naturally lit by light wells placed with-in street-level plazas on sites 2 and 3. At street-level, the light wells act as benches.

The residential connection is carefully placed; residents can access from the exterior of the building, or from with-in the atrium. A few floors up, an atrium promotes mix-ing of residents and War-hol guests. Farther up, an-other atrium caters to the needs of the residents only.

site 2

longitudinal section: Market Line (shown) and Lowline (be-hind cut) act as magnets, drawing life below street-level

site 3

ELEVATED ATRIUMS:specific for different user groups

STREET-LEVEL ATRIUMS:completely public

PEDESTRIAN ACCESS:entrances from all streets

BELOW STREET-LEVEL:public underground connections

COMPOSITE:with gateways

Market Line: serving the economic nature of the gateway that is Essex Crossing

cross section: the Lowline (left) and Market Line (right) coexist so closely, the theater transitions between the two

public atrium: grand entry tying together the layers of porosity

composite plan and section

C O M P O N E N T S: multiple forces that are together part of something larger

A door, a window, a stair. By focusing on just these three basic elements that comprise a space, many questions and configurations arise. Are doors necessary when corners ex-ist that separate spaces? When you turn a corner, is it not the same as closing a door? What does a window be-come when one can’t access, when it is at a distance, a removed beacon of light that grabs your attention from across the room? Is it a more powerful experience than a window that is able to be reached? How can a stair cre-ate space above and below? These questions were explored in this case study, which focused on creating snapshots of spaces, moments in time where other spaces can be glimpsed and an overall understanding can be gained.

YEAR 2, FALL 2012 : PROFESSOR JOHN MAZE12

composite plan and section

final model on pedestal

evolution/process

C O N S T R U C T E D C A I R N

cross section: the extreme variance in desert temperatures creates a need for a construction that buries into the dunes

YEAR 2, SPRING 2012 : PROFESSOR STEPHEN BENDER14

: a self-sufficient landmark on the horizon

Located in the Gobi Desert in Asia, the construction’s prima-ry purpose is to shelter the resident ceramic artists from the elements. The very enclosed, yet indirectly lit entrance is a space for cooling down. Drinking water is stored here, which drains from the roofing system into an underground channel. Around the corner, the water has another access point, where the earth is exposed and mixes with it to form a clay source.

Chimneys are placed to serve multiple purposes at once. One is located beneath the f loor of the sleeping rooms, keeping the rooms warm during extremely cold night temperatures. The main outdoor kilns is located in a courtyard next to the wall of beds, providing an additional heat source. The ally-like courtyard is shaded at almost all hours of the day be-cause it nestles between the shadows of two other spaces. This kiln is adjacent to the glaze lab/studios, for the ease of making. These spaces are offshoots from the central gallery.

aerial analysis of conditions in desert landscape

pull-apart study model

longitudinal section: underground chimney and rain collection enable self-sufficiency and comfort in harsh conditions

L I V I N G C A N O P Y

entry pointfrom stairwell

roof plan

trussed landing and balcony

boxes fit between cables

YEAR 3, SPRING 2014 : PROFESSOR LEE-SU HUANG18

: engaging variance

The installation in University of Florida’s architecture atrium will provide shade, greenery, and can be inhabited. This allows stu-dents to engage with upkeep, creating their own gardens that will hang down in the spaces between the grid of suspended cables that hold up the floating pattern of boxes. The space between the boxes lets in subtle sunlight to the atrium space. These ele-ments fluctuate in height and create a varying spatial experience.

The ceiling condition of the atrium doubles as a stepping stones for the studios on the upper floors. The boxes are solid, allow-ing them to be stepped on, used as seating, as well as for other purposes. A trussed landing along the exterior of the atrium cre-ates a new, programmatically flexible area for students and fac-ulty to utilize. Critiques could periodically happen here, and in between critiques it may be used as a lounge area for students.

entry from existing stair landing

flexible space for student and faculty use

atrium receives dappled light from garden canopy

1 2Next, the “floorboard” begins to shift, moving between two other structural el-ements, disappearing from view of the second floor occupant, and appearing in the bottom floor occupant’s view. As this piece finishes its transition, it pro-trudes beyond the original boundary of the floor.

The hinge acts as a skylight of sorts, fit-ting in two-story building construction as the ceiling of one space/floor of the space directly above it. It begins as closed, not allowing view or connection between the vertically placed spaces. The first part to move is the left plate, which slides past a support plate and down, hanging above the occupant that resides below.

YEAR 1, SPRING 2012 : PROFESSOR MARK MCGLOTHLIN20 YEAR 1, SPRING 2012 : PROFESSOR MARK MCGLOTHLIN20

3 4Showing the floor after it completes the shifts described in the previous step. This transitional piece protrudes past the old boundaries.

Finally, the protruding piece swings down, hanging above the occupant in-habiting the bottom floor. These hang-ing pieces serve to frame the view of the lower-level occupant. Additionally, there is now a visual connection be-tween the two floors and the occupants that inhabit them.

T H E C O M M O N P O I N T B E T W E E N

examples of two-story constructsin which the hinge may be placed

: an investigation of connecting linked objects

The joining of two spaces can be thought of as a subconscious experience, something that happens at the periphery. Challenging this notion, the hinge acts as a tangible experience. It is something the occupant must actively operate in order to join spaces vertically in a two-story construction. This detail study is meant to speculate a new type of linkage, the vertical linkage, instead of the typical horizontal room-to-room itinerary.

bridge entrance into main lab

satellite dormitories and cafeteria

M A C H I N E A N D G A R D E N

YEAR 3, FALL 2013 : PROFESSOR WILLIAM TILSON22

: intermingling of utility and leisure

The site at Fernandina Beach, FL is characterized by its unique past. Once an industrial site, now it functions as a research port and location for a few small businesses. However, many remnants of the industry remain scattered about the site, and the abandoned buildings left to decay tell a story all their own. The site is a part of a volatile atmosphere, one that is changing and uncertain. This idea of multiple conditions especially plays a role in the interior spaces of the buildings left on the site. Many are mid-decay: leaking light, vegetation, and the outside environment. Blurring the lines between interior and exterior, of old and new, these shifting conditions don’t compete, they coexist. This leakage characterizes the spaces of the marine research center as well.

section: tidal flow into lab

section: connection by bridge

rendering of above section

dry lab testing and classroom above

LIGHT AND ATMOSPHERE:natural light entering from suspended ceiling

CONNECTION TO THE PAST:working with the footprint of an existing structure

PRACTICAL INFLUENCE:meeting the needs of an industrial site

THRESHOLD AND PRIVACY:boundaries between researchers and visitors

preliminary materiality and sectional studies

Footprint of the original decaying structure that the new construction will utilize, with new pedestrian paths and dock additions.

observing testing learning

The private garden on entry is a dramatic change from the exposed industrialized spaces that characterize most of the site. The garden acts as a natural threshold, maybe even more pronounced than the built thresholds that surround it. Visitors disappear off of the main road into the green walls of a tree border along the north side of the building. They pass over the tidal channel that looks out to the preserved islands to the east, and enter into the courtyard of the research center.

The evolution of the marine research center came from three conditions. Built utilizing the footprint of the building that stood before it, these four plug in and support each other, both programmatically and structurally. Each serves a different purpose and provides a different experience of the main research lab. One is for learning, one is for observation, and one is for lab testing.

The marine research center is utilized by two user groups: researchers and visitors. The main laboratory building supports both groups, allowing the visitors to get a view of the operations from an indoor bridge overlooking the wet and dry labs. Visitors can also observe from a glass-enclosed hallway at ground level. The wet lab monitors the site’s dramatic tidal change. When it rises, it enters the lab from the east and fills a series of tanks where testing can take place.

The growth of old over new is apparent throughout the site. The intervention is built from brick, to remember the historic buildings that stood before it and still stand on other areas of the site.

panoramic gathering space floating above burial grounds beyond

YEAR 3, FALL 2013 : PROFESSOR WILLIAM TILSON28

: a sacred ground makes for careful steps

Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery in Gainesville, FL makes an effort to change the way modern burials take place by preserving the natural landscape and allowing peace of mind while at peace with the environment. However, a sacred ground inherently changes the way one interacts with it. Movement occurs in a specific, purposeful way, yet meanders in arcs around previous burials. The natural state of the site augments the effort and deliberation people must take when moving about; many of the burials have experienced growth and are hard to distin-guish from the untouched ground.

The built pavilion exploits these tendencies—of an unintentional arc in the midst of a deliber-ate program, of growth above and seepage below. There are two entrances. One accepts visitors from the road and introduces the inhabitant to the specific method of movement that the burial induces. The entry wraps up into the lobby. Immediately to the right, the walled entry drops away to reveal bright natural light and a view of the burial field.

This large gathering space arcs around and envelops the secondary spaces. The trees, in com-bination with the cantilevered roof, assist in shading the interior space that is faced west to receive the gold evening glow. The roof is angled upward and segmented according to the geom-etry of the circle that the arc lies within. Wind and light may enter from these segmentations. A small ramp at the back of the gathering space leads into a hallway that connects an intimate room of remembrance located at the center and pivotal point of the circle. The downward roof slope allows for water to trickle down the wall of this intimate space and collect underneath the gathering space, contributing to watering the garden of flowers that grow around and beneath the floating gathering space.

S A C R E D G R O W T H

the burial grounds onsite make for careful steps on the landscape

C O M M U N I T Y U R B A N - S O F T S C A P E

: a multi-scale dialogue

Given the freedom to pick a site and program in New York City, this location in the Lower East Side was chosen because of its proximity to main roads and avenues such as Broadway and Av-enue of the Americas, as well as its connection to Brooklyn. Just a block away from Essex Crossing, an enormous development which is soon to be under construction, this small intervention seeks to be the antithesis. It focuses on the scale of the Lower East side, which is mainly comprised of low-rise historic buildings.

The program focuses on the immediate community and is an at-tempt to make New York City feel small and personal. With an open-air farmer’s market at the base (supplied by the main culti-vation roof directly above) and the organization of housing above it, the site is an invitation to all who pass by to not only buy lo-cally grown food, but also to visit the community center one floor up and learn about how to start their own edible rooftop garden.

cross section: residential circulation

YEAR 4, FALL 2014 : PROFESSOR NANCY CLARK : WITH ELIZABETH MORALES32

Vertical Scale Developments

Manhattan Cityscape

Low-Rise Developments

Main Access to Site

Mixed-Use

Residences

Hubs: Transport, Development

Main Access to Site

Family Housing

Micro Housing

Community Market and Education

Existing Buildings

Terrace Access Points

Main Access to Site

main access to site

vertical scale developments

Manhattan cityscape

low-rise developments

micro-units

family apartments with private terraces

main community cultivation

farmer’s market selling from roof gardens

Vertical Scale Developments

Manhattan Cityscape

Low-Rise Developments

Main Access to Site

Mixed-Use

Residences

Hubs: Transport, Development

Main Access to Site

Family Housing

Micro Housing

Community Market and Education

Existing Buildings

Terrace Access Points

Main Access to Site

longitudinal section: market and community

mixed-use

hubs of transport and development

residences

main access to site

existing farmer’s markets

residents cultivate rooftop garden, which

provides products for farmer’s market

The emphasis of the housing organiza-tion is on how family units and micro-units can coexist in a format conducive to both groups. Each unit, whether family or micro, is modular and nestles into place within the other apartments. This maximizes space while allowing an exterior hall and stairway to weave around the apartments. Because of this method of circulation, even the micro-units have a open-air terrace of sorts.

The family units are situated to have access to the main community cultiva-tion area. Each family that resides here is partially responsible for upkeep of the community garden. This respon-sibility allows their rent to be lower, because they are contributing labor to the farmer’s market below. The re-duced rent helps lower-income fami-lies that are being pushed out of gen-trifying areas, such as the Lower East Side, to afford continue living there.

Each family unit has a private terrace, which can also be used for cultivation for individual use. Perhaps the most sim-ple solution to the city seeming imper-sonal is allowing residents to have their own outdoor space and independence.

YEAR 3, SPRING 2014 : PROFESSOR STEPHEN BELTON38 YEAR 3, SPRING 2014 : PROFESSOR STEPHEN BELTON38

mapping of alley interruption by streets

M E D I A M U S E U M: selective disorientation

The museum, located in Charleston, SC features video and interactive media exhibits, as well as a film school, library, and cafe. Natural light in the gallery spaces is kept to a minimum to allow the video to be seen throughout the space. The installations are meant to create an atmosphere of their own that is discon-nected from the exterior, yet still uses a strategic play of natural light. Some of the spaces are meant to be disorienting, whether through form or by the content of the media showcased within. Projection is the commonality of the exhibits.

The facade material, alabaster, was chosen to allow controlled, subtle light into the interior. The alabaster acts as a shell, which at times is reinforced by an interior mass that creates lit corridors along the interior edge of the facade. This light leaks inward at strategic points where the corridors lead into the galleries, and the alabaster structure turns and starts to move into the interior. The transition is critical, as too much light will overpower and weaken the dramatics of projection. The lightness that the facade facilitates is contrasted by the heaviness of the central projection gallery, which hangs suspended in the atrium space, creating a double-layered overhead condition of varying heights.

grand space of entry with suspended gallery

The program is mixed-use. The public pro-gram, illustrated in red, infiltrates the entire first floor and part of the second floor. This area is comprised of an indoor/outdoor cafe and multiple galleries. The private program, shown in blue, envelops the uppermost part of the building. These spaces are the studios for the film stu-dents. The purple areas on the second and third floors illustrate the mixing of pub-lic and private, via the library and offices.

site plan: Marion Square as public space that drives views and facade design

elevation in context

facade view through public’s eyes from Marion Square

elevation: looking from Marion Square

The public circulation works its way from the third floor back down to the first floor. Upon entry, a double-height space holds a projection on the upper portion of the back wall, creating drama from the beginning. The lobby holds temporary rotating exhibits, and a grand staircase allows students to congregate and relax in between classes. The stair winds its way up past the second floor and goes directly to the third floor, where the hanging central pro-jection is situated. The projection space acts as a mass, contrasting the lightness of the atrium.

The central projection acts as the main means of circula-tion. It hangs down from the beam structure that spans the atrium. Being an urban site, there are limited options for natural light as one moves away from the street and toward the interior party walls. The atrium allows light in via skylight, and the hanging projection space appears as heavy, contrasting the lightness and openness of the space. facade wall section

EXTERIOR:

translucent alabaster

STRUCTURE:

tensioned spider cable

FLOOR:

concrete slab

entering the suspended gallery, immersive projection on walls

central projection as main circulation into galleries

within the suspended gallery, visual connections to spaces adjacent and below

studio

studio

existinggardens

loungerecreation

library

entrancelobby

cafe

galleriesfacade

lecture hallfilm screening

floor 1

floor 2

facade

Marion Square, being such an influential public space, also affects the facade. The shadows of projection appear through the alabaster, creating interest even from across the square. It is in the this way that the projection links the interiority of the building with the rest of the urban fabric. At night, the facade remains lit, acting as a bea-con and reflecting the concentration of study within.

site analysis of existing conditions

floor 4

floor 3

YEAR 4, SUMMER 2014 : FOUNDER MICHAEL SZIVOS : INTERNSHIP WITH A TEAM OF DESIGNERS50

S O F T L A B205/30/14Exploded Axonometriccb

905/30/14Assemblyb

example of detail assembly: funnel A

: transformative sensation

Installation done for Galeria Melissa, located in New York City, for their “We Are Flowers” shoe collection. Over 20,000 translucent flowers were lasercut from colored plastic sheets and attached to 4,000 unique mylar panels that comprised multiple funnels. These individual funnels, labeled in the exploded axonometric above, were fully constructed and decorated with flowers, rolled up, and attached to one another in-store overnight. The immersive installation was attached a few feet below the ceiling by a tensioned frame that anchored into the existing walls. Flowers hang off of the panels, seeming to reach down and engage customers and workers alike.

*note: all Melissa photographs taken by Alan Tansey

smaller-scale experimental project: modeled in Rhino, printed on photo paper, cut into indi-vidual, unique panels, and assembled by attaching panel tabs - then screwed inside plexi box

S O F T L A B

overall view from storefront

tallest funnel descends from ceiling into a 12’ pit at the back of the store

close-up of mylar net with flowers attached

view above installation frame: lasercut mylar panels attach to one an-other with grommets and flowers attach via fashion snaps

2305/30/14Frame Details

2405/30/14Clamp + Spring + Hanger 2505/30/14Clamp + Hanger

2605/30/14Clamp (No Attachment at Wall)

3005/30/141st Funnel (With Scaffolding) b 3105/30/142nd Funnel Groupbcb 3205/30/14Third Funnel Groupbcb

frame details:

clamp + hanger + springclamp + hangerclamppipe cap

A R C H I T R AV E

YEAR 3 : WITH BRE ROUSE 54

: student-run annual publication of UF design work

Last year’s edition of Architrave (volume 21) was an endless scroll of student work, celebrating the details of a project and exploring how one image can speak for an en-tire project. Working under the Creative Editor, we developed a folding pamphlet that supplemented the book, allowing it to expand across mediums into an online/app form. These loose pages give instructions on installing and using the app, Aurasma, to view entire bodies of work online, so that an understanding of the project can be gained.

Above: Three-panel series posters done as Graphics Executive for Design, Construc-tion, and Planning Ambassadors (DCPA). Posters were hung up on three consecu-tive building columns so that subject ap-proaching the posters would see them in

sequence as a ball coming at them.

Right: Infographic created DCPA to generate interest in the organization. De-signed for parents, faculty, and incoming

students to the college of Design, Con-struction, and Planning.

D C PA

YEARS 2-4, THROUGHOUT 56 YEARS 2-4, THROUGHOUT 56

D C PA

F U R T H E RW O R KLeft: Cover art for UF’s 2013 holi-day album. Sold in the official UF Bookstore as well as other locations on campus. All proceeds went to VH1 Save the Music foundation. The album was a collaborative effort between Audio Engineering Society and Swamp Records, UF’s record la-bel.

Bottom Left: Branding done for lo-cal non-profit organization, Forage Farm, for their fundraiser, The Most Ridiculous Talent Show Ever.

Bottom Right: Promotional poster done for the college of Design, Con-struction, and Planning for the an-nual Fall Premiere event. This event brings awareness to clubs within the college and kicks off every school year.

Marissa Volkm0693volk@gmail.com (772) 418-2747 979 NE Juniper Pl Jensen Beach, FL, 34957

Adobe Creative Suite Rhino+Grasshopper/Sketchup/AutoCAD Laser Cutter/Woodshop

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www.careersushi.com/marissavolk

Marissa VolkMarissa Volk

Employment

Involvement

SOFTlab 05/14-08/14

UF Architrave Creative Director

UF Swamp Records AES Director

UF DCP Ambassadors Graphics

UF Audio Engineering Society (AES)

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EmploymentEmployment

Design Firm InternMike Szivos: (212) 481-5759Design, fabrication, production, specified materials, created presentations, installed built projects

Appointed; 12/2013-present : Member since 2012Student-run annual architecture publicationCreate book design, coordinate with other editors

Elected; 01/2014-05/2014Founding executive board memberManage live sound for the student-run record label

MDInTouch 03/14-Present.Medical Billing and Payment Posting EmployeeCarolyn Husband: (786) 268-1161 Use software to submit claims and post payments/statements from insurance companies and patients

Orange Snowman 05/13-07/13.Web Design, Organic SEO, Internet Marketing InternFederico Sandoval: (772) 497-6696 Redesigned logos, strategically updated content to improve Google ranking of websites in development

Elected; 01/2013-01/2014Founding executive board memberDesign graphics to represent the college as a whole

Member; 01/2013-05/2014Designed cover art for the first UF student holiday album sold in the official UF bookstore

InvolvementInvolvement

OriginArc 08/13-10/13Creative Marketing/Design InternPaul L.R. Dubois: (646) 732-0051 Created renderings of the proposed exhibit at Miami Art Basel 2013

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HonorsHonorsHonorsDean’s List Unversity of Florida Awarded: 2011-2015. Maintained a 3.70 GPA in

the College of Design, Construction, and Planning.

Top Ten University of Florida

Scholarships University of Florida

Awarded: 2013. Selected from 100+ students dur-ing application to Upper Division Architecture

Awarded: 2011-2015. Bright Futures Scholarship Awarded: 2014. Study Abroad Scholarship

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EducationEducation .University of Florida Gainesville, FL

EducationBachelor’s of Design in ArchitectureMinor in EntrepreneurshipGPA: 3.79/4.00Graduation Year: 2015