frances g gain portfolio

First there was the site. The landscape model developed from both my real and suspected interpretations of the site on the steep cliff s of San Francisco. I was intrigued by the patchwork of materials, an aggregation of rigid, fragmented rock pieces and pockets of giant trees. I built my landscape piece by piece, following the rule set I created. The block sizes corresponded to the stability of rock and length depended on the vegetation. The model refl ects the fractured land and it’s instability. The model soon grew to resemble San Francisco itself.

The program is an archive and the accompanying facilities for the Alfred Hitchcock Foundation. The landscape model prescribed a specifi c type of building. I used a system of walls to extend the programs off the cliff edge as if they grew from the land. Each program became a unit in itself, a distinctive space, with a unique column structure and facade. The wall system is a collaboration of column panels, opaque and transparent surfaces. Column densities vary depending on viewing and lighting requirements. The height of the units correspond to the privacy needs.

There are two main circulation routes, each designed for its user group. I separated the guests and the visitors so that as they walk through the labyrinth of the building they never meet, until the climax of the building at the external cinema. I created a system of stairs and ramps that mediate the speed of the journey. There are various strategic places along their path where they can view the other group.

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birds’ eye view of hand crafted landscape model, block sized determine by site’s surface stabilities

close up of landscape model close up of modelSan Francisco model & landscape

pencil: sketch perspective

building model & landscape with program diagram

pencil: sketch perspective

pencil & photoshop: section interpretation

possible conditions:

conditions of each program:

We explored how single bubbles accumulate to become foam, a complex clustered aggregation. The plan shows clusters of space which form a central gallery, and then disperse and reconnect to form an educational annex. The spaces were designed to infl uence people’s movements, clustering together or dispersing apart.

We mimicked how bubbles join and merge to create our own spaces. Spheres were connected according to the Delauney theorem and partitioned via a Voronoi mechanism of dividing space. A 2D plan prototype was developed and inserted into the landscape. The plan was mapped tho the physical 3D grid of the site so that the clusters become part of the land and grow organically down the slope.

Many physical qualities of foam infl uenced our design, namely varying levels of transparency, temporality, fl exibility and changing form. The skin of the spaces are combination of techniques to create changing level of illumination.

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*team project: I focused on concept, design development and 3D modelling. All renderings are by my very talented partner, Angela Alandi.We both worked on research, drawings and diagrams.

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rendering: interior of reading room & cafe extension

3D printed model: lower half without shell to show voronoi fl oor plates rendering: bird’s eye view of museum and education extension

rendering: interior with dividers rendering: double screens rendering: double screensrendering: public space

furniture design developed from clusters & voronoi

system a: sphere formations are repeated according to a two part logic system on various grid layouts

architecture: prototypical plan is partitioned by voronoi logic into interior space

nature: bubbles emerge to form shared interior walls and new complex spaces

system b: spheres accumulate and then are divided, to create intimate and unusual spaces

plan & interior spaces development

pathway between musuem & extention

grade view of tower & musem on slope

plan

interior: voronoi fl oor plate topography

The last project of fi rst year was a lake side site. I investigated the movements of the water through a system of diagrams, I developed a tripart system of repetitive lapping, diagonal movements and absent spaces. These were reinterpreting into the design, via the wall system, pathways and the opening.

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pencil: perspective sketch

paper concept model:wave repetition & pier absences chip board mock up: sketch model fi nal model

pencil: concept sketch to show dynamism of the layered walls

A dinner party was held. I recorded and then re-order the break down of traditional social sequences. Through drawing, the views of the social collective and collapsed dinning sequences were merged to form new spaces. The model unfolds these hinged spaces. Viewers interact with it to create infi nite complex and dynamic spaces.

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re-interpreted event: freehand pencil drawing represents adaptable time lines, situations and spaces.

dynamic model: elevated, movable fl oor plates & hinged walls to redifi ne spaces & an infi nite combinations

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For a semester our class was immersed into New York City where we were to design a new building for Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP) adjacent to the High Line of New York.

I wanted to capture the rhythms of the site, a slow, peaceful pace and that of the city, a fast and accelerated speed, and combine them with the natural energy and creativity of Cornell AAP. The pace of the High Line calms the hyperactivity of the creative studios while the vibrant core injects energy into the High Line. This both a physical and visual exchange between the two.

The design creates a reciprocity of motion and energy: the monumental “block” of the institution is eroded away by the fl owing High Line, exposing an inner core of activity and excitement. This creates two towers, one for living (dorms) and one for working (studios, labs and class rooms). The two wall systems of screen stoic and folding glass emphasize this idea. The are exhibit boxes nestled in the glass wall, to exhibit student work and reinforce the creativity and talent of the school, and additional to pull attention away from studios if they are empty (or dirty).

*individual project selected for next step of comprehensive design,after which Pak Kiu Wong, Paul Schelechow and myself worked together on architectural drawings

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concept rendering

Dorms

M Arch StudiosAuditoriumPlanning

Student Walk Way

B Arch & Art StudiosModel Shop

Gallery

Lounges&Kitchens

PlazaCafe

Retail Lobby

Urban Studies Lab

rendering: walk through view

program design steps

north facing

south facing

early concept model multiple sketch models

rendering: galleries boxes; connection of glass cores

NORTH END

plans

“white wall” section, detail & facade diagram

“white wall” section, detail & facade diagram

wall section sketch fl oors steel skeleton structure

NORTH EN

rendering: view from ground

“yellow wall” section, detail & rendering

sketch model sketch model

The 2 prototypical designs expand the function of the new rapid transport bus stop into an adaptor, plugging in program to compliment the context. Plug ‘n Play. A robust concrete module functions as an effi cient bus station, into which one can “plug in” any possible programmatic element, in phasing. Various plug-in confi gurations are accommodated, making diff erent fi nancial models possible - a station that pays for itself.

An image of longevity and robustness, eschews the perception of “temporariness”. Green roofs provide favorable insulation, also functioning as a public garden to sustain permaculture. Built-in benches and baggage shelves humanize the space and improves the various notions of “waiting”.

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rendering of Bus rapid Transport station in Pretoria

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GENSLER SAN FRANCISCO | SUMMER 2010

MAKEKA DESIGN LAB | SUMMER 2009

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materials

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Bank of America asked our team, including Tom Owen and Jeff Henry, to redevelop their standard plans, including their interior design and furniture selection. The new design works to fi t with their new marketing direction and strategy.pencil: perspective sketch

material board rendering: central host station rendering: interior of Calling Cube

phase 2 phase 3

expansion plan

plan

model

material options: steel & lights

material options: grass roof

phase 1

Bank of America, together with Gensler, were developing new Speciality Stores to tap into a new market, the Mass Elite. I worked with an architect, designer, project manager, graphic designer and Principle Architect as a team to develop a new fl agship store in Beverly Hills.

Acrylic - Bronzed Metal

16. Floor Tile - Suede

3. Upholstery - Mushroom

7. Laminate - Asian Sun

6. Paint - Shutter’s Gold

2. Upholstery - Mica 12. Boden - Gloss White & Red

15. Laminate - Bamboo

11. Paint - Cotton Ball White

4. Upholstery - Oxblood

11. Paint - Cotton Ball White

10. Acrylite - Gloss Red

9. Laminated Glass - Red

8. Interlam - White

5. Acrylite - Sandblasted Gloss Red 17. Floor Tile - Sand

1. Cladding - Metallic

14. Brown Mirrored Glass

18. Floor Tile - Gravel

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rendering: looking into the bank, visually meeting with the host station

material palette rendering: glass core of intimate offi ce spaces

plan Google Sketchup model: cut way to cental meeting area

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“WHATS BUBBLING.COM” FURNITURE COMPETITION: “REDEFINING DINING” | INDEPENDENT STUDY

STRUCTURAL MODEL OF “THE NATURAL ELLIPSE HOUSE” | STRUCTURES ELECTIVE 2009

GLASS BOX | MATERIAL STUDIES ELECTIVE 2009

We designed a multi-purpose art museum for the center of Warsaw, Poland. The museum was to be built over a major highway and required a signifi cant amount of urban planning to create a central, pedestrian friendly zone that compliments the proposed monument. the aim behind the design was “urban surgery” with the structure becoming a metaphorical social thread to stitch the divided society together.

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urban plan

roof plan

second fl oor

ground fl oor

initial concept sketch model: back lit to emphasize paths

rendering of path moments

rendering: model on site

situation 1: Skype meal date

situation 2: laptop removed & tables connected to create intimate space for personal connection

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casual on-the-couch dinning for informal individual dining

laptrays connected to create a table-for-2 for intimate dinning

This table allows for two modes of eating as found in our young professionals target market, one a solitary, causal experience and the other as an intimate experience for two people. In the fi rst, the daily habit of impromptu, informal dinning on the couch while multi-tasking with various digital media is elevated to a distinguished aff air, with a hand crafted “lap table” which turn one’s meal into the event it should be. The table also provides a secure resting place for a laptop, so that one can balance a digital interaction with a meal. This accommodates the new trend of “skype dating” with distant loved ones. When the opportunity for real interaction arises, the two tray tables can be fi xed together with a collapsible frame to create a cosy tablescape. The two tables connect where the lap tops were, so human company replaces the digital.

Structural model of “The Natural Ellipse House” by Endoh Design House & MIAS, Tokyo, Japan. We laser cut the steel frame work and welded it together.

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After the frustration of trying to drink wine at an outdoor picnic on sloped hill, I found the subject of my material investigation. A rubber mold was made from a 3D printed prototype. This was secured by Rockite and wooden frame, the mold was fi lled with liquid plastic and coloring. Once dry I added metal feet which can pierce the ground and stabilize the beverage. The void can be fi led with ice to keep the liquid cold.

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��ART COURSE NYC WITH DOUGLAS ROSS | “I” & “ME II” , INK AND PAPER

MY OWN PAINTINGS & DRAWINGS, ART WORK FROM LORENZO MEDICI ART INSTITUTE & FRANK JOUBERT EVENING CLASSES

oil painting

chalk drawing

pencil pencil

charcoal

oiloil

frances g gain portfolio

Documents

landscape model close

landscape piece

angela alfani studio

precarious cliff studio

clusters of space

program diagram pencil

d plan prototype

dinner party undone