architecture portfolio 2009

KEV IN D E N G

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO2009

rev 09.06.2009

_INCLUDED:

THESIS Hyper-Domest ic i ty 01

STUDIOS I l l inois Inst i tute of Technology : Campus Natator ium 23

Chrono-Hybrids 31

Res ident ia l High-Rise , Mexico City 37

LAX Refuge: Auditory Resonance F ie ld 43

DRAWINGS AND CONSTRUCTS Ear l V. Moore Bui ld ing Corner Drawing 59

Santa Mar ia del F iore Drawing 61

Spanning Volumes Construct 63 Parametr ic Construct I 65 Parametr ic Construct I I 67

Junk Sculpture 69

CHAPTER ONE

THE DOMESTIC THEATER

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I approached the f ront door w i th some uneas iness . We’d on ly met tw ice before I was f ina l l y inv i ted to one of h i s famous d inner par t ies . From the s idewalk o f the s t reet , the house gave me the impress ion of a for t ress . Narrow windows scat tered across the s tone f ront façade revea led on ly smal l bands o f orange-ye l low l i ght , and g iant wooden door s f rom the Old Wor ld s tood guard to the on ly access po int . They ’re te l l ing me I d idn ’ t be long here , and I bet ter move a long , or else. The lawn was qu ie t and s t i l l , not even the leaves dared to rus t le in the wind .

I s tepped up to the f ront door. I t was open . I cou ld hear the fami l ia r sounds o f a k i tchen , but ins ide the room was s t i l l dark . I hes i ta ted , but a coworker sudden ly emerged and happ i l y we lcomed me ins ide , wh isper ing someth ing indec ipherab le . I was led , confused , in the dark , a long the f ront wa l l toward the res t o f the par ty. The i r faces were i l luminated by the s tage , the arena in wh ich our host was de l i ver ing h i s per formance .

He spoke in ins t ruct ions , descr ip t ions , and ef fec ts . He never looked up at us , h i s aud ience , but mainta ined complete focus on h i s task . None of us , h i s aud ience , sa id a word throughout the ent i re show. As i f any d i s turbance wou ld po l lu te the pur i t y o f h i s c raf t . I t was in th i s moment that I sudden ly fe l t the we ight o f my meager bot t le o f w ine , now cheap and expendab le compared to the per formance g i ven . I turned and gent l y p laced i t on the she l f beh ind us , anonymous among a l l the other ob l igator y g i f t s .

Advisor : Jason Young

thes is | HYPER-DOMESTICITY2009

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CHAPTER TWO

MEDIATION

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- Pull into the garage, park the car, grab the kids out of the car.- Take off their shoes and jackets, take off your shoes and jacket.- Make sure they wash their hands, make sure you wash your hands.

This is my practice of arrival, and it will be yours as well. Whether you’re coming in through the garage or through the front door, you’ll know how I feel about the outside. It’s dirty out there, that’s why we have our temporary apparel to shield us from it, and that’s why it should never get too far inside. There’s a place for these things, and you’ll feel the need to shed them as soon as you walk through the door. My house is my sanctuary, and I won’t have your pollutants just lying around.

Make your way into the living room or courtyard if you’d like, dinner will be ready soon. A few people are drinking outside if you’d like to join them. If you do go out, though, make sure to leave the slippers in the courtyard and to wash your hands again.

THESIS : HYPER-DOMESTICITY, 2009

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[INTRODUCTION]1

WHAT IF WE IDENTIFIED AND ARTICULATED OUR DOMESTIC SPACES NOT BY THEIR UTILITY (i .e . the kitchen as a place to prepare food), BUT BY SOME ANTICIPATED PERFORMANCE?

Domest ic performances can take severa l forms, th is project intends to invest igate only a few. The contemporar y k i tchen has become the stage for performing cul inar y ar ts . No longer are we sat is f ied with the s imple preparat ion of food to consume and d igest . Food has become an ever yday source of p leasure and indulgence , from the sk i l l fu l preparat ion of ingredients , to presentat ion, to tast ing , and f ina l ly ref lect ion. The k i tchen is where th is journey beg ins , and is des igned to intens i fy th is sequence .

With increased access to in format ion and an increased degree of control in the domest ic , the contemporar y dwel ler i s wel l armed to mediate the dangerous , uncontrol lab le outs ide environment as i t perpetua l ly tr ies to in fect h is or her inter ior sanctuar y. Rules and proper behav ior are set for mainta in ing order and hyg iene to avoid d isease , and chaos .


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CHAPTER THREE

THE PLACE YOU SHOULD NOT BE

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Great, another one of these dumb dinners. Last time we were here until past 10PM! What am I supposed to do for three hours, by myself?! I’m not even allowed to bring my iPod. Grown-ups are so boring. They just talk talk, talk talk talk.

When we got there I went from the center of attention to getting no attention at all in less than fi ve minutes. I was the only one less than 45, and the only one shorter than 4 feet. Huge smiling faces and pinching fingers, again, then suddenly a forest of tall legs and pleated khakis. I got out of there as quick as I could and started to look around.

The house was pretty big and everything was super clean. Nothing was out of place or messy, and I could smell something weird cooking on the stove. Why can’t we just have pizza? Everyone likes pizza, anyway. Hmph. Everything looked really expensive and no fun, so I started getting into the drawers and cabinets, checking things out for hidden treasure.

The grown-ups went to another room now. I found a roll of clear tape and began wrapping it around everything: pencils, cups, chairs, you name it; oh and also taping drawers shut. Hah! They didn’t notice, of course, but they will. They hadn’t stopped yapping ever since we got here, and I could still hear them as they disappeared around a hallway corner. Fine, I’ll disappear too. See how they like it to be totally ignored. I looked around for doors to open or closets to get into, and eventually found the stairs down to the basement.

The air was different. It was dark. I stepped onto the concrete fl oor but jumped back up to the stairs – the floor was… buzzing. I could feel it under my feet. Moving or... shaking. Nothing making any sounds, I could even hear myself breathing.

I held my breath, and it was quiet.


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CHAPTER FOUR

THE JOURNALIST’S NOTEBOOK

Saturday, June 20, 2009 – Dinner Party at 422 Livingston Avenue.

5:00PM – I arrive at the host’s house. No sign of dinner preparation, though everything is ultra clean and organized.

5:14PM – First guests arrives. Man and woman, couple. Gift: red wine.

5:42PM – Final guests arrive. 6 men, 6 women total; and me. The host begins cutting vegetables. 8 gifted bottles of wine now stand on the countertop.

6:30PM – Guests are socializing, groups of 2, 3, 4… talking and watching the host cook. Various locations.

6:42PM – Tame conversations: weather, politics, movies, etc. Caught a strange glance from across the kitchen, between man no. 3 and woman no. 6. They approach each other and without pausing, they exchange small stone figurines: one white, one blue. They are quickly pocketed.

6:55PM – More strange connections. They are exchanging chess pieces.

Dining room - man no. 2, woman no. 5: red bishop for white pawn Living room - man no. 5, man no. 1: white knight for blue rook Balcony - woman no. 1, man no. 3: red queen for black bishop

Many others, but lost track. Tried to make eye contact, but no takers. Have not spoken more than 5 words to any guest.

7:20PM – Dinner is served. Host describes the meal as everyone sits. I anticipated more confusion over seating, but everyone knows their place.

7:55PM – Excellent food. Citrus salmon was favorite. Chatted with woman no.4, to my right. I ask about the exchanges, the chess pieces. She acts confused. Laughs. Man no. 2 calls across the table to her.

8:32PM – Dinner and dessert are consumed, people scatter. More mysterious exchanges.

9:47PM – Wine is affecting people’s volume and clarity of speech. Conversations turn to gossip, philosophy, and poorly re-enacted internet videos. Exchanges continue. Have not yet noticed a pattern. 10:40PM – People getting tired. Exchanges have stopped some time ago.

11:12PM – Most guests have left. Man and woman no. 3 and I stay to help clean up. Work is quickly finished. The process is familiar to them.

11:32PM – I leave the host’s house. Many unanswered questions. Chess pieces. Chess game? Social hierarchy?

12:07AM – Can’t find car. All streets look similar. Went back to house, lights were out.

12:23AM – Found car. Inside, red pawn chess piece atop a note: “07-18, 6PM” The story continues another day.


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CHAPTER FIVE

HOME ALONE(the condition of no audience)

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“Hm, it’s Thursday. There’s a game on tonight.”

In his youth, friends would gather at his doorstep almost every night. He hosted poker nights, game nights, dinners, parties, after parties, and morning-after parties. At any decent hour there would be anywhere from three to fi fteen people around his house drinking and talking, watching a movie, football in the back yard, and so on.

A high paying job and flexible hours afforded him this degree of socialization, as well as the equipment to support it. The big house with big kitchen and big living room; long dining table with seats for ten; couch, loveseat, AND recliner; widescreen TV with surround sound; Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Wii, each with four controllers; and so on.

In recent years, though, friends came less and less. Responsibilities piled up, people moved across the city or across the country, new friendships were made. The internet and cell phones made it easy to keep up with old friends without actually having to see them. People were excited to hear about Daniel and Sara’s engagement, Samantha’s baby, Greg’s new job in London, and so on everything and anything through Facebook. Tom also commented on Jack’s note: “I got a new car!”

So it goes.

But he doesn’t want things to change. He keeps the light on, buys the new TV, new games and movies, and keeps too much beer in the fridge. Not waiting, really, perhaps hoping, though. Hoping, that open curtains, bright kitchen lights, and the flicker of a widescreen at 11PM are still signs of action, of entertainment, of life.


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Mapping SurfacesRepresenting Routine

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[ORIENTATION]2

WE’RE ALWAYS WORKING. Even at home in supposedly relaxed conditions, away from the office or jobsite, productivity and management of progress continues. This industry makes itself known in the way we design spaces cognizant of cultural trends and derived expectations.

Within the framework of domestic events, spatial experiences are crafted as a series of scenes to articulate these trends and performances. At stake is a deeper understanding of our domestic relationship with emerging trends, and a new consciousness in the domestic frontier. This is architecture that creates hyper-consciousness: hyper-awareness of architecture in domesticity because it challenges conventional domestic design and traditional programming.


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CHAPTER SIX

THE MORNING AFTER

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Immediately I knew I had a rough day ahead of me, but I had no regrets. When you wake up in your own bed wearing the same clothes you did the previous night, with your shoes still on, it’s a sign. A sign that you’re still young, dammit, that you have the stamina to stay up until dawn and sleep in until noon and still get away with it. So kick off your shoes and pull the covers over your eyes; the sun isn’t even over the trees yet.

But I can’t. As dysfunctionally romantic as it would be, my brain doesn’t escape the immediate responsibilities of the day. What time is it? Ugh, what year even? My mind is floating, detached from my body, but my senses eventually land on the chaos that awaits me: dry leaves in the kitchen, plates and cups in the living room, forgotten sweaters, coats, and smudged footprints all narrate a past density of bodies in motion.

Twenty-three empty wine bottles. Nine wine glasses. I’m almost proud.I didn’t even know I had so many plates.

A set of keys and a jacket, standard party lost and founds. Dammit, did I leave the back door open? Of course it had to rain, too.

My house, my supposed sanctuary, now contaminated by the glut of hospitality.

Oh god, the bathroom. I’ll leave that for later.

Etcetera, Etcetera; the morning after: the archive of a domestic indulgence.


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[BEGINNING]3

In moments of intense public engagement, DOMESTIC SPACES ARE APPROPRIATED FOR A VARIETY OF FUNCTIONS FOR THE SAKE OF EVENT PERFORMANCE.Hosting such an event consumes enormous amounts of energy and attention, leaving room for unintended appropriations and the breakdown of traditional boundaries. Domestic spaces after such events become the archeological sites of adaptive and commutative program, under the pressure of the event. Artifacts, discovered and archived, articulate past actions and densities of bodies in an uncommonly public domestic environment.


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[EFFECT]4

DOMESTICITY IS NOT DESIGNED TO HOUSE OUR BODIES AND ITS NECESSITIES ANYMORE ; rather, they are composed to ant ic ipate cu l tura l ly der ived performances through the integrat ion of new trends and a manipulated del iver y of spat ia l sequences . The result of th is i s the e last ic i ty of domest ic programs for the integrat ion of more performat ive and project ive funct ions . Our fami l iar i ty with the products , rout ines , and funct ions of these new industr ies provide the potent ia l for transcendent exper iences of household events ; a hyper-awareness of the des igned rea l i ty.


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STUDIOS I l l inois Inst i tute of Technology : Campus Natator ium

Chrono-Hybrids

Res ident ia l High-Rise , Mexico City

LAX Refuge: Auditory Resonance F ie ld

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ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ( I IT) CAMPUS NATATORIUM2007

Teammate: James WitherspoonAdvisor : James Bassett

STRUCTURE ACTS AS A PHYSICAL REGISTRATION FOR THE VARIOUS MODES OF SPEED found in the s i te and program: the Chicago ‘L ’ tra in d irect ly ad jacent to the East , the swimmers and runners with in the natator ium, as wel l as the pedestr ians and vehic les travers ing immediate ly to the West . This reg istrat ion was appl ied to the requirements of aperture for each zone of program.

The apertures were created through the development of modules for the fabr icat ion of the bui ld ing , and appl ied to the structure sur faces . This appl icat ion a l lowed for sur faces to become mult i - funct iona l , serv ing as the span, f loor , wal l s , and programmat ic e lements .

The geometry of the structure was der ived from the react ion to loading of meshes . The mesh structure deforms as forces are appl ied . This deformat ion is a d irect reg istrat ion of these forces and can be observed throughout i ts system.

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Lower Level Main Level Upper Level

I IT CAMPUS NATATORIUM, 2007

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CHRONO-HYBRIDS2007

Advisor : Perry Kulper

ABANDONED BUILDINGS AND VACANT LOTS POPULATE THE DECAYING ENVIRONMENT OF BORDERLANDS , Detroit , Michigan, and often assume a dua l ex istence. For some, they are s igns of a rott ing economy and an oncoming recess ion. For others they are icons of a forgotten culture , with the potent ia l to adapt to new condit ions and once aga in become act ive part ic ipants in the urban fabr ic .

The Ambassador Br idge del ivers a stream of in format ion to choreograph th is trans format ion, without regard to prev ious programmat ic or structura l condit ions . I t ’ s only concern is the speed and ef f ic iency of i ts own del ivery . These abandoned vesse ls generate new program housed in appropr iated structures as a response to the condit ions brought by th is stream.

The abandoned Michigan Centra l Stat ion, once the symbol of a bust l ing industr ia l metropol is , escapes i ts condit ion through exposure in a new vesse l ; a structure tr ibutary to the Stat ion, s i ted on a nearby vacant lot , s imultaneous ly caus ing the Stat ion i tse l f to be forgotten. The once stagnant urban condit ion is now act ivated by the Stat ion’s re lease , de l iver ing new forms of urbanism.

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CHRONO-HYBRIDS, 2007

RESIDENTIAL HIGH-RISE, MEXICO CITY2008

Advisor : Coy Howard

SITED IN MEXICO CITY NEAR CHAPULTAPEC PARK, three images descr ibe the key exper iences of the h igh-r ise : a d istanced v iew from the park , v iew from inter ior , and the v iew as one approaches the entrance from the street .

As des igners we must develop our sens ib i l i ty to the nature of observat ion and human exper ience, through the invest igat ion of creat iv i ty and art to transcend pass ive forms of ident i f icat ion toward a more act ive awareness and d iscovery of structure and meaning . The term ‘ interest ing ’ takes on a new understanding with regard to composit ion and form. These pr inc ip les appl ied to architecture wi l l u l t imate ly enhance the exper ience and in f luence of bui l t works in our ef forts to achieve a transcendence of stas is , knowabi l i ty , and funct iona l f ixedness .

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MEXICO CITY HIGH-RISE, 2008

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MEXICO CITY HIGH-RISE, 2008

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LAX REFUGE - AUDITORY RESONANCE FIELD2008

Teammate: Patr ick LynchAdvisor : Jason Johnson

THE EXPERIENCE MOVING THROUGH LOS ANGELES, IS ONE OF OVERSATURATION THROUGH DIVERSE AUDIO AND VISUAL STIMULI. In an LAX termina l , th is exper ience is compressed through intens ive networks . This compress ion creates an unsett l ing exper ience. A nomadic traveler caught in the system, due to delay or layover , current ly i s unable to detach from these networks . A typica l remedy for th is condit ion is a voluntary numbing of the senses , a mechanica l repet i t ion of act ions , unt i l f ina l ly re leased from the streaml ined, cacophonous machine that i s LAX. This project seeks an a l ternat ive engagement through a new spat ia l exper ience.

Delayed travelers from the internat iona l termina l seek e i ther h igh ly publ ic soc ia l out lets , or more pr ivate sec lus ion to temporar i ly a l lev iate the turbulent pressures of the a irport . This project redef ines the landscape to a l low travelers to better manage their exper ience of these pressures . Appropriat ing sound energy , our new landscape provides a ref ined environment for respite .

The project creates spaces for ref ined engagement through the guidance of externa l sounds . Users are ab le to nav igate through the landscape based upon exper ient ia l des ires (publ ic congregat ion or pr ivate sol i tude) . By us ing the s i te ’s sound parameters we created areas of occupat ion—loud zones for more socia l program, quiet zones for pr ivate program.

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LAX REFUGE - ACOUSTIC PARK, 2008

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DRAWINGS AND CONSTRUCTS Ear l V. Moore Bui ld ing Corner Drawing

Santa Mar ia del F iore Drawing

Spanning Volumes Construct Parametr ic Construct I

Parametr ic Construct I I

Junk Sculpture

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EARL V. MOORE BUILDING CORNER DRAWING

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SANTA MARIA del F IORE DRAWING

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SPANNING VOLUMES CONSTRUCT

Teammate: Michael L indstrom 64

PARAMETRIC CONSTRUCT I

PARAMETRIC CONSTRUCT I I

Teammate: Kat ie Drotar Tucker 68

JUNK SCULPTURE

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CONTACT Kevin Jeouchi Deng

[email protected]

248 563 5054 (USA)

Al l projects presented in th is port fo l io were conceived and completed in the Master of Architecture 3G program at the Univers i ty of Michigan - Taubman Col lege of Architecture and Urban P lanning .

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