Eroded Earthen Mass [E.E.M.]
Team: Christopher Romano, Nicholas Bruscia, Daniel Vrana, Michael Hoover
Affiliation: University at Buffalo | Candian Clay and Glass Gallery
This project explores the innovative use of a 5-axis waterjet to carve a solid mass tile for a clay facade prototype. A significant aspect from our end was the development of a custom glaze mix, along with precise monitoring of thermal conditions for optimal drying. Accommodating the 7% shrinkage of the clay was a key challenge, with the glazing technique notably enhancing the tile edges as it dripped. Additionally, the project involved designing a custom lighting rig to highlight the unique features of the prototype.
South America is well known for one of the most important rainforests of the world: the Amazon Rainforest. It is not only big and beautiful, it is also home to an ample biodiversity unique to its setting. However, it is currently being gravely affected by mining activities along its rivers. Zaruma is one of the cities that has seen and felt the outcomes of illegal mining. Even though it is a beautiful city, known as one of the UNESCO heritage sites, it is also known for its rigorous mining activities. Last year, several of its beautiful houses collapsed due to an underground tunnel created by this unsanctioned activity.
Another example is the province of Napo, which is well within the Amazon Rainforest. As you can see, there has been severe deforestation in this area, which is due to mining and population growth but it is also important to keep in mind that there are people who live near these areas and that most of the materials used in these procedures are mercury and harmful chemicals that affect the people.
The Twist Gallery is composed of several rotated, alternating volumes that align to Summer Street and Delaware Avenue. Additionally, with the goal to ‘bring out’ the art to downtown Buffalo there was a step of adding volumes on the first floor to create the 24/7 Gallery. With these two motions, these volumes allow terracing in the exterior and interior of the building. The 24/7 Gallery offers a double height space with a flexible area, in which curators can hang their art on the walls or from the ceiling. This space connects to the main building through a staircase in which people can look down and see this space’s activities and installments.
This lot is located in the city of Cuenca. The urbanization has 35 homes, recreational areas and resting areas. The houses are semi-detached, with front and rear distancing in a lot of 9 x 21 m; the architectural program is resolved on two floors. The architectural program utilized an initial module of 60 x 60 cm for dimensional and modular coordination between the different areas. This module is considered based on the dimensions of the different materials to be used. In addition, this module allows you to have comfortable spaces, with dimensions that allow the correct development of activities.
Three structural axes are proposed in one direction and four structural axes in the other direction. As part of the proposal the patio occupies a central bay in order to turn it into a nucleus; around which, the different spaces of the house are developed. The proposal complies with a 60% green area and 40% construction relationship requirement. The construction system is made of wood; 21 x 14 cm columns are proposed, 14 x 14 cm main beams, secondary beams 7 x 14 cm and 10 x 5 cm studs. In addition, fiber cement sheets are proposed as an exterior covering, 210 x 120 cm , and cardboard plasterboards for the interior; the patio’s wall covering is with wooden strips.
This project centers on providing students the opportunity to learn how to grow and cook their food. At the same time, it provides a space where community members can volunteer to take care of a food garden from which, in return, they can obtain fresh vegetables. Additionally, there is a community room that is open to the public that will help better understand the proper food growing processes.
The goal of this project is not only to educate the future generations of the adequate processes and how to successfully grow food, but also create a meeting point from which the community can also acquire this knowledge and strengthen neighborly bonds.
It incorporates a general school program, cooking spaces and food growing spaces. All the public spaces are placed on the first floor, while the more private/educational spaces are on the levels above. One of the key spaces is the double height cooking space from which teachers, visitors, as well as other students can observe what is being learned in this area. The orientation of this project was fundamental in order to maximize the available food growing area. For which, the roof serves as a dual function for this project. It is a green roof that will grow the more resilient vegetables, the ones that will survive for most of the winter, as well as serve as an exterior classroom for the students.
"D.6" is an interactive, audio-reactive light art installation that invites participation. Users can engage with the installation by using their voices, stomping their feet, or playing on fabricated pipes. This interaction activates the installation, creating a unique experience where the rhythm of the participants is mirrored in the piece. Designed to be site-specific, "D.6" aims to create a connection between the rhythm of the soul and the installation's responsive environment.
The Art Caboose project in Silo City, Buffalo, NY, showcases a creative transformation of an old red caboose car into a unique artist residency. This innovative space is designed for both work and living, blending historical charm with contemporary needs. The caboose is equipped with an extendable deck, a feature that enhances its functionality and appeal, especially during the warmer months, by providing an inviting space for gatherings and artistic collaboration. This project exemplifies a blend of adaptive reuse and artistic creativity.
[Project Developing]
Experiment in networking the urban fabric of a city model. Generating new forms of visualization suggestive of a temporal environment.
"Light Membrane" is an innovative prototype combining technology and interactive art. Utilizing a Kinect depth sensor, this project captures the dynamic movements of a fabric activated by human interaction. The sensor gathers data as the fabric's form changes, driving the control of RGB LED strips behind the fabric skin. This integration allows users to manipulate the color output, creating a vivid, ever-changing façade design. The project stands as a testament to the fusion of technology, design, and user engagement in creating responsive environments.
This project at Griffis Sculpture Park features three large concrete rings, each with openings ranging from 6 to 8 feet wide, allowing people to inhabit them. The rings are arranged in a linear sequence, creating a tunnel-like effect. Ingeniously aligned with the winter setting sun, this installation offers a mesmerizing visual experience. Crafted using burlap fabric formwork, the concrete is aerated for a lighter composition. The interior surfaces are coated with photoluminescent powder, absorbing sunlight to emit a captivating glow at night.
Project Team: Randy Fernando, Evan Glickman, Cody Wilson
This project introduces an eco-friendly lighting solution through the creation of a concrete bulb infused with photoluminescent pigment. This innovative design harnesses solar energy, charging during the day to emit a soft glow in the dark. It exemplifies a passive lighting strategy, reducing electricity usage and providing a sustainable, ambient light source. This concept combines material experimentation with environmental consciousness, offering a unique approach to lighting in both public and private spaces.
Adaptable pavilion structure interfacing geometric distortions through performative actions of occupants. The project explores the dynamic interaction between architecture and its occupants. It features an adaptable pavilion structure, where the main attraction is a fabric canopy controlled by stepper motors. These motors adjust the tension across various points, altering the fabric's geometry in response to the movements and actions of people in the space below. This innovative design not only changes the pavilion's aesthetic but also creates a lively, responsive environment that reflects the activity within it.
This project delves into the realm of "smart materials," focusing on the potential of Nitinol, a material known for its unique response to temperature changes. The experimentation involves studying how Nitinol and similar materials can be applied innovatively, particularly in their ability to alter shape or properties with heating or cooling. This exploration aims to uncover new possibilities in design and functionality, potentially leading to breakthroughs in dynamic, responsive structures and objects.
“Networking Relationships of Temporal Dance Environments”
The Cypher is a spatial condition in hip-hop culture that is generated from a series of relationships between body, space, and time. This condition is inherently architectural as it utilizes bodies as a means of constructing a temporal environment. Breakdancing or b-boying/b-girling is a genre of dance that stems from the four pillars of hip-hop. The other three include emceeing, deejaying, and graffiti. The fourth pillar, breakdancing, utilizes the Cypher to host performances in an adaptable field. As a means to understand this construct, multimedia technology was used to document and capture data from performances at Verve Dance Studio. Through film and motion capture, performances in a time interval of minutes were processed into drawing sets to identify the unique relationships building up this threshold of architectural bodies.
The documentation of the Cypher serves to challenge architectural representation, in order to generate new methods of interrogation that are capable of analyzing social, cultural, and political environments. The drawings produced are transcriptions, meant to be expressive, that allow those perceiving the set to draw out their own interpretations. Gestures of the body are networked into a series of relationships with each other and the ephemeral qualities of space. These relationships are superimposed and assessed throughout ranges of time to visualize the constantly shifting spatial environment. The visuals will provide a correlation to understanding architecture through elements including ground, sequence, tension, boundaries, occupancy, and speed.
Cuenca is the third most important city in Ecuador, it is located in a high seismic hazard zone; although the Ecuadorian Construction Standard, known as the Norma Ecuatoriana de la Construcción (NEC-SE-DS, 2015), establishes requirements for a correct earthquake resistant design, compliance with these is not strictly regulated. There is limited information on the constructive and architectural quality of existing buildings, which is why the introduction of seismic studies in different city sectors is necessary.
This research analyzes architectural and seismic characteristics of three buildings in the area of El Ejido. The selected buildings meet several criteria, in particular: isolated implantation, brick walls and a height of up to two floors. For the analysis of the architectural configuration the following variables were considered: inside corners, continuity of openings, long-wide relationship, slab openings and geometric regularity in facades. In the seismic analysis, mathematical models are developed. These were later subjected to a modal and spectral analysis obtaining results such as: periods, vibration modes, mass displacements and design spectra. Once the previously described analysis had been carried out, it was fundamental to verify that the floor drifts of the analyzed buildings did not exceed the maximum value established in the Ecuadorian Construction Standard in the Seismic Danger chapter: earthquake resistant design (NEC-SE-DS). Finally, the results from the architectonic and seismic analysis are compared.
