Convergence

CONVERGENCE

This body of work was the result of my time spent in YArch, a month long intensive architecture program out of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Each week, the work built upon the work from the previous week; we began by measuring and analyzing an already existing staircase, with the work eventually culminating in the design of our own building. In my case, I began by studying the Chicago Riverwalk Stair, a massive 3.5 acre stair built into a portion of the bank of the Chicago River. As the weeks progressed, we used our assigned stair as a departing point for other architectural inquiry, considering program, aesthetics, and space, to name a few. Below are a few images highlighting the process and results from each week. The attached PDF is the complete portfolio, including a comprehensive body of descriptions and images that walk the reader through each week's process and results, and expands upon the themes I grappled with throughout the production of Convergence.

YArch Portfolio PDF

Model #1

A model produced during the third week of YArch; the design of this stair had already undergone three separate modifications by this point.

Model #2

Another model produced during the third week of YArch; like the previous picture, the design of this stair had already undergone three separate modifications by this point.

Chicago Riverwalk Stair

Elevation and axonometric drawings of the stair originally assigned. The analysis of this stair served as a departing point for the design of our own stair.

New Stair #1

The design of this stair was based off of certain qualities of the Chicago Riverwalk Stair. We began by focusing on a certain aspect of the original stair - in this case, the converging planes of the Chicago Riverwalk Stair - and told to design a new stair based on that attribute.

New Stair #2

The design of this stair was based off of the assignment from week 2; we had to introduce an assigned inanimate object and find a way to incorporate the object into the design of our stair from the previous week, taking into consideration program and narrative. In this case, a kiddie pool was introduced, transforming the stair into a place of leisure and play, where people could go to enjoy a clean source of water instead of the rather dirty Chicago River.

Field

For week three, we were asked to create a field of randomly placed stairs. The result was intended to generate unexpected and new ways to think about the arrangement of objects within a space, as well as how they are represented within a plan.

Section

Also part of week three's assignment, this section was based off of the field plan; each individual square represented a floor in the plan. These floors were stacked, and the framework for a building started to emerge.

Plan with Envelope

For the final week's assignment, we were asked to create an envelope for the frame of the building that had been generated from the week before. A plan drawing of each floor, including the envelope, is included here.

Building Section

This section represents the building created in the fourth week, after the addition of the "envelope." We were asked to choose a purpose for our building, and begin to represent that. This building is a multi-story botanical garden; the stairs host both plants and water features, functioning as much as part of the garden itself as a means to get from floor to floor.

Botanical Garden Isometric

This isometric drawing represents both the shape and the facade of the botanical garden, taking into special consideration the pattern and materials used on the exterior.