design works (summer portfolio v2) - john wieser

design worksJohn S Wieser

M.Arch 1 // University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Design exercise (2008)

Profile

My education:

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL

Master of Architecture, First Professional Degree, 2010 - 2012

Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies, 2006 - 2010

UIUC Study Abroad Program at Versailles, Versailles, France

Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Versailles 2008 - 2009

My experience:

Teaching Assistant, Design - UIUC School of Architecture 2010 - 2012

Champaign, IL

Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets, Inc. (PGAV) Summer 2011

Saint Louis, MO

Walt Disney Imagineering, SQS Office Summer 2010

Anaheim, CA

Aumiller Youngquist, P.C., Architects & Designers (AYPC) Summer 2008

Chicago, IL

7 facts about me that you will

not know just by reading my

resume:

1. I am trying to obtain dual-

citizenship in the United States and

Italy.

2. I like to travel and have visited 38

[major] cities in 14 countries.

3. I grew up near Chicago, but have

lived in Los Angeles, Saint Louis,

and France.

4. Je peux bien parler le français.

5. I drink iced coffee even during the

winter.

6. I am a classically trained pianist.

7. I am deuteranopic (red/green

colorblind).

I know how to use these computer programs very well:

AutoCAD 2013

Adobe® CS5

Photoshop®

Illustrator®

InDesign®

After Effects®

Premier Pro®

Acrobat X®

Rhinoceros 4.0®

Grasshopper™

Google SketchUp® 8 Pro

MS® Office

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Revit® Architecture 2013

I have experience with:

digital fabrication

3D printing

shop drawings

And I can, among other abilities

think critically about design challenges,

sketch and draw by hand,

build models,

develop and deliver presentations,

write well,

design with a narrative in mind,

communicate with excellent interpersonal skills

eagerly take on new challenges,

learn new skills quickly,

& respect and commit to deadlines.

My name is John Wieser and I have just earned my M.Arch 1 degree from the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The following are some examples of projects that I have worked on for my

studios, work, and competitions.

I would love to meet you to discuss my work, opportunities, architecture, and

anything else.

I hope you enjoy my work!

Contents

1 ITC_Intermodal Transit Center

2 eco[sublime]: The Grimsel Hydroelectric Dam Project

3 Théâtre Urbain

4 Low Resolution Chair

5 The Network: Chicago

6 Sketching / Drawing

ITC_Intermodal Transit CenterSchool of the Art Inst i tute of Chicago AIADO Faci l i t ies,

Student Recreat ion Center, Student Dormitory,& Rai l Transi t Stat ion

Chicago, I l l ino is

Professor T F Tierney11 Weeks

S2011

This project examines the idea of the “Network City” as originated in the discourse of “spatial practice” popularized in the 1960s. Looking at the city as a communication system, the project centers upon Chicago’s response to the incorporation of a high speed rail corridor in Illinois.

Students develop a proposal for an intermodal transit center (ITC) which operates as an access point to local, regional, commuter, light-rail, and the proposed high speed rail. The center performs as a launch point for travelers into Chicago. Students must propose a secondary program to occupy the above-grade portion of the site. I have selected a consolidated facility for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects programs (SAIC AIADO), as well as the Activities & Recreation Center (ARC).

Students must conduct extensiveresearch to shape the development of all programmatic elements, presented via info-graphics.

PROGRAMMATIC DISTRIBUTIONITC_Intermodal Transit CenterSAIC AIADOSAIC Rec Center

01_Ground Level: Public Plaza

ITC_Intermodal Transit Center Drop-Off/Pick-Up Zip Car

SAIC Rec Center Entry & Administration

SAIC AIADO Entry & Administration Security Welcome Center Public Gallery

LL1_Lower Level 1: Mixed Program

ITC_Intermodal Transit Center Main Concourse Retail Ticketing Waiting Areas

SAIC Rec Center: Aquatics Center Changing Rooms Racquetball Courts Basketball Courts Dance Studio

LL2_Lower Level 2: Local ITC & Freight

ITC_Intermodal Transit Center Dedicated Access Route (Bus & Truck) Bus Transfer Freight Transfer METRA Rail Electric District Transfer Underground Link to CTA Red Line

LL3_Lower Level 3: Long Distance ITC

ITC_Intermodal Transit Station High Speed Rail Terminal AMTRAK Terminal

02_Second Floor: SAIC Mixed Program

SAIC Rec Center Free Weights & Machine Room Cardio Machine Room & Light Weights

SAIC AIADO Classrooms, Seminar Rooms, Faculty Offices Informal Gallery/Lounge Fabrication Lab Lecture Hall (Lower Level) Designed Objects Studio (2) Graduate Architecture Studios (3)

03_Third Floor: SAIC Mixed Program

SAIC Rec Center 1/3 Mile Track

SAIC AIADO Interior Architecture Studios (3) Computer Lab Critique Space & Internal Gallery Lecture Hall (Upper Level)

01_Program Requirements

02_Consolidated ProgramProgram Requirements by Group

LL3

LL2

LL2

1

2

3

Local Transport ConnectionHigh Speed RailBus ConnectionCommuter Rail

Horizontal Circulation

Retail


Shopping & Waiting Space

Green Space / Public Space

Court Facilities

Facilities AdministrationWeights & Machines

Cardio Facilities (Track)

Educational Facilities

Vertical Circulation

Combined Program

ITC_Intermodal Transit Center approx. 200,000 ft²

SAIC Rec Center approx. 100,000 ft²

SAIC AIADO approx. 50,000 ft²

02_Arrangement of Program

03_Sectional Programmatic Relationship

05_Combined Layered Program Vs. Context

04_Site Development and Programmatic Strategy

ITC_Intermodal Transit Station

SAIC Rec Center

SAIC AIADO

Initial Plot

Planar Cuts

Shifting of the PlaneAccommodates existinginfrastructure & providessub/super-terrain access

The site is cordoned off based upon the immediately surrounding urban context as well as existing network below-grade network infrastructure.

The bifurcated scheme permits natural access to the mixed program based upon individual access requirements. The scheme also permits particular relationships between program and context, i.e. the relationship of AIADO to the street cityscape, the urban oasis of the ITC entrance, and the totally traversable Rec Center.

N

Layered program vs. immediate context

SAIC (Painting Studios)

Original Art Instituteof Chicago

Intervention:ITCSAIC AIADOSAIC ARC

The Modern Wing

Millennium ParkNichols Bridgeway

Grant Park





















LL3

LL2

LL2

1

2

3



Retail




Court Facilities





Combined Program









SAIC Rec Center

SAIC AIADO

Initial Plot

Planar Cuts




N

Blocking diagram

[Pedestrian Flow and Density]

Pedestrian density is apparently higher north of the site, owing to the popularity of Millenium Park as a tourist attraction. Further attractors are Michigan Avenue to the west and of course, the Art Institute. During winter the south and east conditions (Grant Park, Congress Parkway, and Buckingham Fountain) recieve relatively low pedestrian flow. However during the summer months and particularly during festivals (Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago) these areas are far more densely active than nearly any other open space in Chicago.

Summer Flow

All-Year Flow

Perimeter &Road FlowDenser dashesindicatemore frequentlytraveled routes

[Intellectual Community]

“A collection ofintellectual,technological,& informationalresources...”

What is an “Intellectual Community?”

Knowledge CenteredRelationship BasedThinking Through IdeasValues of TeachingFailureConnection to Applied FieldShared PurposeDiverseIntangibleFlexible & ForgivingRespectfulGenerous

Characteristics

What These Groups Do...

ThinkersScholarsResearchersStudents

Constituent Groups?

Re�ne Human KnowledgeFreely Exchange IdeasTheoretical DebateSolutionsInterpretations

TrustIntellectual Ownership

SecurityGenesis of Ideas

University/School

Research Group/Facility

Collection of Intellectual,Technological, &

Informative Resources

Examples

Based on “The Importance of Intellectual Community,” Baylor Institute, ppt& “Academic Integrity at Princeton,” Princeton University (2008)

[Local Striation: Rail, Access Route, and Apparent Striation]

The research for this proposal centers around the existing climate of the AIADO, and examines pre-existing conditions near the site. Striations from existing rail lines, urban chasms, and secluded oasises are revealed in the analysis.

Understanding the relationships on which the communities utilizing the proposed facilities permits thoughtful programmatic deployment.

“The Intellectual Community” Pedestrian fl ow & density

Local condition: existing railroads, access route, and apparent striation

Computer labs &digital fabrication labs

Iterative Evaluation

Discussion

A

cademic

Journ

als

L

ectures

eP

ublicat

ions

Jo

urna

ls

Tex

tboo

ks

aphics

Fax

Telephone

Analysis

Academic Modes of Transmission

Methods f or Understanding

Traditional

Transmittive MeansProcess OrderAssociated Analytical MediumExpressive Medium

Flexible & ForgivingRespectfulGenerous

What These Groups Do...

ThinkersScholarsResearchersStudents

Constituent Groups?

Freely Exchange IdeasTheoretical DebateSolutionsInterpretations

TrustIntellectual Ownership

SecurityGenesis of Ideas

ool

acility

ectual,, &

esources

Based on “The Importance of Intellectual Community,” Baylor Institute, ppt& “Academic Integrity at Princeton,” Princeton University (2008)

[Pedestrian Flow and Density]

Pedestrian density is apparently higher north of the site, owing to the popularity of Millennium Park as a tourist attraction. Further attractors are Michigan Avenue to the west and of course, the Art Institute. During winter the south and east conditions (Grant Park, Congress Parkway, and Buckingham Fountain) receive relatively low pedestrian flow. However during the summer months and particularly during festivals (Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago) these areas are far more densely active than nearly any other open space in Chicago.

Street LevelSeparation

12th FloorAIADO

36 N Wabash

7th FloorFashion Design Dept.Gallery 2

Architecture &Interior DesignDepartments

Leasing Agent:John Harkins

Pop Art Loop (A

rt Galle

ry)

Ada’s Chicken & Deli

14 Karat (J

ewelry)

Flat Top Gril

l

TCF Bank

John B & Alice B Sharp Bldg (SAIC)

Mon

roe

Mad

ison

N

Utrecht Art Supply

Ivan Ries (Jewlery)

Chicago Jewelry Mall

Windy City Diamond Exchange

[Local Striation: Rail, Access Route, and Appare

[Interior Streets: Progression of Sectional Voids]

MADISON

MONROEE

Pedestrian Flow and DensityPedestrian density is higher north of the site, owing to the popularity of Millennium Park and shopping. Further attractors are Michigan Avenue to the west and the Art Institute. During winter the south and east conditions (Grant Park, Congress Parkway, and Buckingham Fountain) receive relatively low pedestrian flow. However during the summer months and particularly during festivals (Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago) these areas are far more densely active than nearly any other open space in Chicago.

Longitudinal Striation in the Vicinity Surrounding the Site, Progression of Sectional VoidsThis analysis investigates a particular thru-way beneath the current SAIC facilities. The interior spaces provide an escape from the intensity of the city, and are defined largely by the dramatic scale of the heights of buildings in comparison to humans.

SAIC AIADO Current ConditionStreet access is limited by the elevation of the AIADO facilities. Furthermore proximity to food and supplies is relatively poorly accommodated.

Local Striation: Rail, Access Route,and Apparent StriationUnderstanding what is on the site can inspire exciting formal resolutions. Here the existing pathways through the site can be later applied as a mass segmenting tool, providing a relationship between the new structuand the existing site condition.[Facilities Organization]

The Modern Wing - Education Department

Street Access (Visual)

Childrens’ Activity Library

Workshops

Classrooms

Visual

Continui

Programmsegreg

Layering of Spa

Circula

Administcontrol

Dayligstrateg

Exhibition

Secu

rity

Facilities Organization: The Modern WingThe diagramming of facilities adjacent to the site reveals some designed responses to key site-specific principles, namely the organization of program in relation to the street, natural lighting, and security requirements.

Computer Labs &Digital Fabrication LabsLounge Visual Access Gallery & Reception Wood Shop &

Classrooms

John B & Alice B Sharp Bldg (SAIC)

Mon

ro

Mad

ison

N [Local Striation:

[Interior Streets: Progression of Sectional Voids]Longitudinal Striation in the Vicinity Surrounding the Site, Progression of Sectional VoidsThis analysis investigates a particular thru-way beneath the current SAIC facilities. The interior spaces provide an escape from the intensity of the city, and are defined largely by the dramatic scale of the heights of buildings in comparison to humans.

SAIC AIADO Current ConditionStreet access is limited by the elevation of the AIADO facilities. Furthermore proximity to food and supplies is relatively poorly accommodated.

Local StandUnderstanding what is on the site can inspiHemass segmenting tool, pand the existing site condition.[Facilities O

The Modern Wing -

Secu

rity

Facilities OThe diagramming of facilities adjacent to the site responses to key site-speciof prequi

Longitudinal striation in the vicinity surrounding the site, progression of sectional voidsThis analysis investigates a particular thru-way beneath the current SAIC facilities. Interior spaces provide an escape from the intensity of the city, and are defined largely by the dramatic scale of the building heights in comparison to pedestrians.

Wood shop & fabrication Studio facilities

Classrooms

Gallery & receptionVisual access12th floor loungeStreet levelStarting at streetlevel we can beginto investigateordered spaces

36 S Wabash

public semi-public semi-private private

Experience and procession: SAIC AIADO architecture facilities

MONROE

MADISON

stat

e

wab

ash

mic

higa

nSAIC SITE





















LL3

LL2

LL2

1

2

3



Retail




Court Facilities





Combined Program









SAIC Rec Center

SAIC AIADO

Initial Plot

Planar Cuts




N





















LL3

LL2

LL2

1

2

3



Retail




Court Facilities





Combined Program









SAIC Rec Center

SAIC AIADO

Initial Plot

Planar Cuts




N





















LL3

LL2

LL2

1

2

3



Retail




Court Facilities





Combined Program









SAIC Rec Center

SAIC AIADO

Initial Plot

Planar Cuts




N

Program by Level





















LL3

LL2

LL2

1

2

3



Retail




Court Facilities





Combined Program









SAIC Rec Center

SAIC AIADO

Initial Plot

Planar Cuts




N





















LL3

LL2

LL2

1

2

3



Retail




Court Facilities





Combined Program









SAIC Rec Center

SAIC AIADO

Initial Plot

Planar Cuts




N





















LL3

LL2

LL2

1

2

3



Retail




Court Facilities





Combined Program









SAIC Rec Center

SAIC AIADO

Initial Plot

Planar Cuts




N

• SAICAIADOStudentHousing

• RunningTrack(BodyStudio)

• LinkGallery(ExistingCondition

• AquaticsCenter(BodyStudio)

• Ticketing/Retail(ITC)

• TheInclinedPlane

• FreightRail

• CTABus

• METRARail

• Amtrak

• HighSpeedRail

SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVE





















LL3

LL2

LL2

1

2

3



Retail




Court Facilities





Combined Program









SAIC Rec Center

SAIC AIADO

Initial Plot

Planar Cuts




N

Sectional deployment of program

Programmatic model

01 Plaza 1 Entry plaza2 to ITC

7

3 SAIC AIADO reception4 Faculty offi ces & admin.

5 Student gallery6 Lecture hall

7 SAIC Body Studio entrance8 Member services & admin.

1

2

3

4

5

02 SAIC AIADO & Body Studio

5’

1 Designed Objects Studio2 Lecture/Seminar Rooms

3 Computing/fabrication lab4 Interior architecture studio

5 Free weights, light weights, Cardio equipment, & machines

5’

2

109

8

Selected plans

9 Multipurpose room10 Aquatics center

Programmatic assembly

View from studio

3

4 56

1

LL3 High speed rail + Amtrak 1 Access ramp2 Vertical circulation

3 Amtrak platform4 High-speed rail platform5’

LL2 METRA Rail, CTA bus, & freight 1 Access ramp2 Vertical circulation

3 Metra Rail platform4 Metra - CTA transfer

5 Freight transfer5’

Selected plans

1

2

3

4

12

3

4

5

Longitudinal section - looking west

LL1 SAIC Body Studio + ITC 1 Access ramp2 Vertical circulation

3 ITC entrance4 Retail + ticketing5’

5 Changing rooms6 Basketball courts

7 Racquetball courts

03 SAIC Body Studio 1 Architecture studio I2 Architecture studio II

3 1/3-mile indoor running track5’

12

34

5

6

7

1

2

3

top left: 1” = 50’- 0” (1:600)right: form developmentbottom: studio view

Michigan/Monroe

eco[sublime]time-based

animation

(scan here!)

[eco]sublimeA Strategy for Ecologica l Urbanism

The Grimsel Hydroelectric Dam Project

Grimselsee, Canton of Bern, Switzer land

Professor R Hubel i

w/ Max-Emanuel Mante l

14 Weeks

Graduate Design Award Nominee - UIUC SoA

Ryerson Travel ing Award (Honorable Ment ion) - UIUC SoA

Featured in exhib i t ion, “Manufactur ing Landscapes,” Chicago, IL (May 2012)

S2012

The Swiss Government is interested in raising

the height of the hydroelectric dams in Grimsel,

Switzerland by 23m (75.46ft) in order to impound

a greater mass of water and increase the power-

generating capacity of the facility. The effort meets

resistance from the Swiss Green Party who argues

that raising the water level will destroy hundreds of

thousands of square meters of vegetative ecologies

bordering the artifi cial lake.

This proposal leverages the idea of integrating

architectural infrastructure with existing ecologies

of the Grimsel Region. The building acts both

as a container for program (a hotel and research

center), as well as an artifi cial substrate to support

ecologies displaced by risen lake water. The

circular module intentionally exaggerates interstitial

void spaces which are harnessed as spaces for

ecological incorporation (through the impregnation

of ecological substrates), areas of increased mass

to resist the lake impounded behind, and building

system chases. Over time the reorganization of

ecologies on the site will interact unpredictably with

the building structure, changing its appearance

and altering the architectural expression and

experience for visitors and residents. The unusual

formal arrangement offers people a new way to

experience the ecologies of the Grimsel Pass while

offering opportunities for architectural and natural

phenomena to blend in new ways, refl ecting the

profound sublime qualities of massive infrastructure

and indeed the Swiss landscape itself.

Grimselsee

Canton

of Bern

Switzerland

Arch Dam (Site)

Gravity Dam

lake area (current)

lake area (post-expansion)

Grimselsee

Site: Grimselsee / Canton of Bern / Switzerland - 1:1500

00 / Entry Level

B’

B

A’

A

1 Entrance hall

2 Administration

3 Restaurant

4 Kitchen

5 Kitchen storage

6 Kitchen offi ce

7 Breakfast/café

8 Elevator

9 Hotel room

10 Laundry

11 Spa (upper level)

1

2

654

3

7

8

9

10

11

Open Cylinder1:1000

-01 / Hotel

B’

B

A’

A

1 Hotel room

2 Floor lobby

3 Service room

4 Spa (lower level)

Spa

Concrete solid-fi ll

Ecological substrate fi ll

1

2

4

3

1:1000

-05 / Research

B’

B

A’

A

1 Laboratory

2 Lab support

3 Offi ce

4 Lounge / kitchen

5 Small conference room

6 Large conference room

7 Conference lounge

1

2

34

5

6

7

Model

CNC-milled styrofoam

Concrete

Acrylic

3d-printed starch insert model

Print time: 11h57m45s

To v

alle

y

Con

stru

ctio

n Sec

tion

(B-B

')

Orig

inal

Size

- 36

" x 9

6"Or

igin

al S

cale

- 1:

50

01_ construction

01_construction

1

2 3

4

5

6

78

Cylinder Cap Detailscale 1:20

4 Ecology

5 Substrate

6 Gravel

7 Bituminous foil

8 Insulation

Façade Detailscale 1:40

1 Concrete (smooth)

2 Rigid foam insulation

3 Masonry tie

4 Concrete (porous)

5 Interior fi nish

6 Extruded aluminum block

7 Neoprene gasket

8 Window (glass)

9 Floor fi nish

10 Acoustic insulation

11 Reinforced slab

1234

5

6 7 8

abcde

1 Interior fi nish

2 In-situ concrete fi ll

3 Rigid foam insulation

4 Precast concrete formwork

5 Precast joint (bolts)

6 Floor fi nish

7 Acoustic insulation

8 Floor slab

a Fresh air

b Air exaust

c Electricity

d Drainage

e Radiant fl oor heating

1234

5678

91011

1 Wall / fasteners

2 Precast concrete cap

3 Skylight

Floor / Wall Joint Detailscale 1:40

Details

1Placing the

Outer Ring

After part of the original dam is removed

and the footing placed, the tower crane

lifts the first levels of precast concrete

formwork into place.

The in-situ concrete placing rig is nested

inside of the precast ring, and suspends

a flexible inner ring mold which will retain

the cast-in-place inner layer of the wall as

the concrete hardens.

2Placing the

Inner Ring

The precast outer ring physically bonds

the cylinders to one another. One level

below this construction an inner ring of in-

situ concrete construction is rising. This

second layer bonds the precast pieces

together and gives the wall the mass and

water-tightness necessary to behave as a

massive structural stronghold against the

immense force of the impounded artificial

lake.

The wall thickens in its descent to combat

greater lateral forces (from water) and to

satisfy the slenderness ratio requirement

of the structure.

3Capping the Wall

A precast dome is set upon the

finished wall by the tower crane. When

construction is complete the tower crane

is removed with a special jack that lifts

the pieces down the tower, where they

are transported out of the building.

The tower portion of the crane remains

part of the building and becomes

structure for vertical transportation

systems (elevators). The tower must also

be braced at every other level to resist

lateral forces imposed by the elevator

cabs.

Construction sequence

Unit assembly Outer ring precast units

Outer ring precast units

Cylinder pack ceiling

(different infi lls)

Cylinder

(habitable space)

Foam cap

(temporary form)

Negative form

of ceiling

Solid fill concrete

HVAC/plumbing chase

Guest room (TYP)6.0m dia.

Guest bath (TYP)3.0m dia.

Elevator (TYP)5.0m dia.

Tower crane/elevator track

Ecologicalsubstrate + plants(potential futureguest roomexpansion zone)

Removableconcrete plug

Ecologicalsubstrate + plants(potential futureguest roomexpansion zone)

HVAC/plumbing chase

Guest room (TYP)6.0m dia.

Ecologicalsubstrate(potential futureguest roomexpansion zone)

Removableconcrete plug

+4 yrs

+2 yrs

STRUCTURE

ECO 1

ECO 2

UTILITIESINTERIOR

EXTERIOR

INTERIOR

EXTERIOR

INTERIOR

EXTERIOR

ECO 1

ECO 2

UTILITIES

DEN

SIT

YD

ENS

ITY

DEN

SIT

Y

INNERTKIRCHEN

MEIRINGEN

GRIMSELPASS

GADMEN

5

CD

THUNBERN

TESSINGOTTHARD

B

6

7

4

32

1 6

TESSINGOTTHARD

i

GUTTANNEN

ab

12

35

4

cd

e

h

g

f

Aare

Kraftwerke Oberhasli (KWO) System

LAKES1 Oberaarsee

2 Grimselsee

3 Raeterichbodensee

4 Totensee

5 Gelmersee

6 Steingletscher

MOUNTAINS1 Titlis

2 Fuenffi ngerstoecke

3 Sustenhorn

4 Diechterhorn

5 Ritzlihorn

6 Hangendgletscherhorn

7 Sidelhorn

POWER PLANTSA Grimsel 1

B Grimsel 2

C Handeck 2

D Handeck 3

E Handeck 1

F Fuhren

G Hopfl auenen

H Innertkirchen 1

HOTELS & ATTRACTIONSA Restaurant Mountain House Oberaar

B Oberaar Lodge

C Moutain & Adventure-Hotel Hospice

D Kids & Family Hotel Handeck

KEY

Initial Ecological Argument

02_ecology

Vegetation targeted for architectural incorporation native to the

Grimsel Region.

(from left to right) - Drosera Rotunidolia, Purple Rock Cress,

Loiseleuria Procumbens, Vaccinium Oxycoccus, Carex Curvula,

Polytrichum Sexangulare, Crocus, Rock Pinks, Rhynchospora Alba,

Salix Herbacea

eco[sublime]

Théâtre Urbain250 Seat Community Theater & Publ ic Space

15e Arrondissement

Par is, France

Professor J-B Viaud

w/ Chr is Quin lan

8 Weeks

F2008

Longitudinal section - looking northwest

The project was to design a 250-person theater in the

15e arrondissement of Paris, France. Students working in pairs were

required to complete a full analysis of the site and surrounding quarter,

research and adhere to Parisian building codes, and develop the facility

and adjacent outdoor space.

A particular challenge was the reconciliation of the tall pinion walls

neighboring the site.

21 Rue Paul Barruel, Paris, France 75015

Immediate context

Selected Plans

M - Mezzanine & Backstage

02 - Administration

03 - Performers’ Facilities

04 - Practice Stage

Low Resolution ChairDesigning the Object

steel, brass, acrylic, automotive paint, neoprene rubber

Professor JS Poss7 Weeks

Graduate Design Award Nominee - UIUC SoAFeatured as 1st Honorable Mention, Anonymous.d:

“The Next Anonymous Designer” Competition, January 2011www.anonymousd.com

F2010

Drawing inspiration from pixilation, Low Resolution

Chair employs a modular system which at fi rst glance

appears simple. Closer investigation reveals complex

layers of detail which challenge the chair’s name-in-

concept, and demonstrate its departure from “low

resolution” representation.

The frame of the chair is fabricated from heli-arc

welded, cold-rolled steel, fi nished with two coats of

powder. The chair’s support structure derives its shape

from a fragmented approximation of a quarter sphere.

The frame’s simple cross confi guration minimizes

material use and reduces the frame’s physical presence

in the overall piece. The austerity and thinness of the

welded steel frame communicates fragility, while its

materiality ensures structural integrity.

Heat-formed transparent acrylic modules interwoven

with galvanized steel cable form the seat and backrest

of the chair, which are slung between the ends of the

cross brace at four pin connections. These connector

units are structurally reinforced with a 3/8” acrylic

backer plate, connected to the 1/8” unit by four 3/16”

diameter, 1/2” long brass binding posts. A 3/8” barrel

diameter, 1 9/16” long brass architectural sex bolt

secures the unit to the frame, and four distributed 1/16”

neoprene washers distribute the compressive force of

the bolt across the unit.

A single transparent red module disrupts the otherwise

calculated order of the piece, and introduces and

element of tension.

Concept sketches

Formal development and experimentation

(pg. 62, left to right)

Row 1: “Campfire Chair” frame studies, Textile samples

(felt, cotton binding)

Row 2: “Low Resolution Chair” frame studies, connection

studies

Row 3: “Low Resolution Chair” alternate concept

(pg. 63, clockwise)

Cushion studies (acrylic, brass, vinyl)

Design development

Sketch resolution (left)

Connection + scale exploration (above)

Shop drawings for steel fabricator (across)

Construction

“Low Resolution Chair”

The Network: ChicagoInteract ive Bout ique Hote l & Publ ic Oasis

Capstone Thesis Pro ject

Chicago, I l l ino is

Ear l Pr ize Design Award Recip ient , UIUC SoA

Professor MW Niermann

15 Weeks

F2009

Reception + café

My concept uses the existing social context of the historic

neighborhood of Edgewater located in Uptown Chicago as

the foundation for a fully interactive, technologically integrated

boutique hotel experience. The building establishes a centralized

node of social activity within the neighborhood, drawing

the community together with an interactive media facade.

Technological design considerations encourage guests to

communicate with one another, and with patrons in the underlying

plaza.

The plaza acts as a public gathering spot with the building as

a mechanism of triangulation, itself an ever-changing artistic

gesture.

The Capstone Thesis is the culmination of the design studio

sequence at the undergraduate level. The capstone studio is the

student’s opportunity to integrate knowledge and skills attained

in areas of design, technology, structures, and history into the

development of a comprehensive design process.

5948 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60660

Typical Unit

Concept Sketches

(underlay)

1/8” = 1’-0”

3/4” = 1’-0”

HVAC schematic (guest fl oor) Schematic structural plan

Axonometric structural diagram

Facade detail - balcony & spandrel marquee

Facade detail - balcony & spandrel marquee

Axonometric structural detail

Slab, sprinkler, and duct confi guration, typical unit

1/25” = 1’-0”

Plaza from Sheridan Rd

Sketching / Drawing

John S Wieser419 Kensington CourtPalatine, IL 60067847 404 [email protected]

http://www.johnwieser.com

design works (summer portfolio v2) - john wieser

Documents

i t ies

university of illinois

design challenges

intermodal transit center

sqs office summer

pgav summer

saint louis

high speed rail corridor