Jacob R. Wimmer B.S. Architecture + German Minor | University of Michigan

Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning | 2012231.758.4182

jwimmer@umich.edu

Mixed use Residential & Community Work SpaceDequindre Cut, Detroit, MIDecember 2011Third Semester StudioInstructor: Tsz NG

In Detroit, grassroots movements are altering the terrain of the city. An exodus away from Detroit, be-ginning in the 1950s has diminished the population from almost two million people to less than seven hundred thousand. What’s left is a feral landscape, overgrown and wild. There is no hope that the city can maintain and preserve this land for the remain-ing Detroiters, and any new development is but a pipe dream. Grassroots movements, however, have a chance. People in Detroit are taking things into their own hands, reclaiming land for commu-nities, often in ways that seem legally impossible. Inspired by community movements such as the Lower East Side Action Project or Roosevelt Park, the hackerspace at the Dequindre Cut is a resource center for creating outdoor spaces and greenways. Tool and equipment sets are deployable through mobile shipping containers. The project reflects the idea of adaptive systems and opportunistic reuse back onto the grid of the city. ¬The building itself is a machine – a hackable infrastructure. Residential shipping container modules move into, out of, and within the grid. The grid is opportunistic in its inher-ent real estate and outwardly communicates itself through the façade. The system is temporal and adapts to an immediate need for space. Perma-nent shared amenities spaces are distributed within the grid – allowing for a flexibility of living styles and short term visitors to have access to spaces they may not have in a typical hostel.

Hacking Detroit

8

1

1

2

13

1/2”

1/3” 1/8”

9 x 3 x 4

Volumes are modulated by three incisions, proportional horizontal and vertical translation and a single rota-tion

1. cut 2. expand 3. establish grid 4. move in grid 5. rotate

DETROIT

TORONTO

CHICAGO

COLUMBUSINDEANAPOLIS

PITTSBURGH

LANSINGGRAND RAPIDS

ANN ARBOR

LONDON

WATERLOO

HAMILTON

KALAMAZOO

SOUTH BEND

FORT WAYNE

DAYTON

MILWAUKEE

DES MOINES

MINNEAPOLIS

MADISON

DAVENPORT

CHAMPAIGN

IOWA CITY

APPLETON

BUFFALO

HACKERSPACES

DETROIT

belle Isle

Proposed/planned

Existing

highland parkhamtramck

corktown

HACKERSPACE.PUBLIC INTERACTION

HACKERSPACE

RESIDENTIAL.HACKERSPACE

RESIDENTIAL.HACKERSPACE

RESIDENTIAL.HACKERSPACE

RESIDENTIAL.HACKERSPACE

RESIDENTIAL.HACKERSPACE

RESIDENTIAL.HACKERSPACE

GRI

DVO

LUM

ESK

ELET

ON

MA

SSIN

G

INH

ABI

TATI

ON

BASE

MO

DU

LESH

IFT

REM

OVE

plan 00

portable bike workshop

Workshop Bike Shop

Resource Center

Reception

Utilities

Presentation/Meeting

Utilities

Presentation/Meetingdn

up

portable bike workshop

Workshop Bike Shop

Resource Center

Reception

Utilities

Presentation/Meeting

Utilities

Presentation/Meeting

dn

up

plan 01

up

up

dn

dn

Foyer

Lobby

Foyer

up

up

dn

dn

Foyer

Lobby

Foyer

plan 08

up

up

In Detroit, the incapacity of the government is actually an advantage in many cases. It’s possible to do things there. There’s not much chance a strong city government could really turn the place around, but it could stop the grass roots revival in its tracks.

-Aaron M. Renn

Grosse Pointe Public Library10 Kercheval Avenue

Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan

architect: Marcel Breuer

constructed: 1953

A.004

Plan - Floor 2Drawn by: Jacob Wimmer

Scale: 1’=1/8”

Storage Book Chute

O�ces Director’s O�ce

O�ces

Sta� Break RoomMeeting Room/O�cesFan Room

Sta�

Server Room

Book Elevator

Open to Reading Room Below

16’0’

25'-11 3/8" 20'-2" 20'-5" 20'-5" 20'-3 1/2" 21'-6" 21'-0 1/4" 6'-4 1/4"

23'-0 3/8" 43'-8 1/2" 5 1/2" 1'-1 1/2"38'-4" 4'-10 7/8" 5 1/2" 5'-5 1/8" 9" 8'-8 1/2" 1'-1 3/4" 18'-5 3/4" 7"5 1/2"3'-0 7/8"

5 1/2"

31'-2 7/8" 1'-6" 6'-8" 1'-6" 6'-8" 1'-6" 6'-8" 1'-6" 6'-8" 1'-6" 6'-8" 1'-6" 6'-8" 1'-6" 6'-8" 1'-6" 6'-8" 1'-6" 6'-8" 1'-6"

157'-3 3/8"

70'-0

"

1'-2

"15

'-11"

9'-9

1/2

"7"

16'-0

1/4

"7"

7"7'

-7 1

/2"

16'-9

3/4

"16

'-6 3

/4"

18'-0

1/4

"17

'-5 1

/4"

A

5

4

3

2

1

B C D E F G H I

CA.014

BA.014

AA.014

Conference Room

2A.007

2A.007

3A.006

3A.006

4A.005

4A.005

1A.008

1A.008

Second Floor Plan & RenderingsNovember 2010First Semester Construction CourseInstructor: Lars Graebner

10 Kercheval Ave. Grosse Pointe Farms, MIArchitect: Marcel BreuerYear Built: 1953

This study is part of a construction project by first year students, the goal being to produce an extensive document set. Plans, sections, wall sections, elevations, structural axons, mechanical and electrical, and renderings were all produced in a highly collaborative fashion and were constructed from measurements and documentation made during a site visit. The two drawings on these pages are part of my contribution to the project. The fate of the library has been in question for some years; there has been talk of tearing it down or building an addition to complement the existing structure.

Grosse Pointe Public Library

left page from right, clockwise:portrait; mixed mediastill life, pencil on paperstill life, conte crayonblock carving; black ink

right page: self portrait, acrylic paint

Artwork

District LibraryDetroit, MIApril 2011Second Semester StudioInstructor: Sean Vance

A library on this site is caught between two districts that represent two important and conflicting aspects of Detroit – both its struggle and vibrancy; to the north lays a busy and vibrant commercial strip and to the south a distressed residential district undergo-ing redevelopment. To meet the demands of the site, the library must negotiate the energy and ten-sion of the site. The library seeks to create a place of rest at this high energy intersection. The form pulls up away from the corner and elevates itself just above street level so that library users are afforded elevat-ed panoramic vantage points of the streets while being cradled in the protective shell. Frosted glass on the east and north facades allows light to fill the space and acts as semi-barrier to the street. The library protects its contents in an almost introverted way, yet is social and inviting. Dividing the form into four breaks open the space, creating visual interac-tion between program as well as exterior access points for after hour functions. One section of the building contains public meeting spaces, a kitchen for staff and public use, and a large open area for yoga, tai-chi, other physical “wellness” activities, or larger public meetings. This park reclaims concrete rubble from the proposed parking lot site to serve as seating for performances on the rear porch as well as interactive landscaping.

Fractured Upheaval

from Martin Luther King Blvd

entry from Woodward Ave. outdoor stage & park

mass

orient to MLK Blvd.

cleave

shear

entry + stage

N1”=16’

3

1

Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd

Wo

od

wa

rd A

ve

Down

Down

Down

Down

Up

Down

Up

Up

Down

Down

Up

KeyVacantNonresidential Occupied

Residential Occupied

CommercialHospital Campus

11 Myrtle St

Parc

el

Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard

Woodw

ard Ave

ground plan

plan +01

plan +02

northwest stacks - model photograph southwest stacks - model photograph

view into lobby from northwest stacks

Call Main() Sub Main() Dim x, y, yshift, xmult, xshift, lum, invlum Dim dblA, dblB, dblStep ‘Dim j, w, arrJRW, arrJRW2 Dim base10 Dim patternjrw dblA = 0.0 dblB = 40.0 dblStep = 0.1 For Base10= 0 To 10 Step 1 yshift= Base10*2.5 xmult= 1+Base10/10 xshift= Base10*1.5 lum= Base10*50 invlum= 500/(Base10+0.001) Rhino.CurrentLayer(Rhino.AddLayer(Base10))

For x = dblA To dblB Step dblStep y = 0.35*Sin(2*x)+1.25

patternjrw= Rhino.AddCircle3Pt(Array(x,y+yshift,0), Array(x*xmult,-y+yshift,0), Array(x+y+xshift, 0+yshift, 0)) Next

Woven Gradients through Rhino Script

Call Main() Sub Main() Dim x, y, yshift, xmult, xshift, lum, invlum Dim dblA, dblB, dblStep ‘Dim j, w, arrJRW, arrJRW2 Dim base10 Dim patternjrw dblA = 0.0 dblB = 40.0 dblStep = 0.1 For Base10= 0 To 10 Step 1 yshift= Base10*2.5 xmult= 1+Base10/10 xshift= Base10*1.5 lum= Base10*50 invlum= 500/(Base10+0.001) Rhino.CurrentLayer(Rhino.AddLayer(Base10))

For x = dblA To dblB Step dblStep y = 0.35*Sin(2*x)+1.25

patternjrw= Rhino.AddCircle3Pt(Array(x,y+yshift,0), Array(x*xmult,-y+yshift,0), Array(x+y+xshift, 0+yshift, 0)) Next

The photos stitched together were taken less than a

mile from my home in northern Michigan. The com-

position depicts a westward lookout at a small nature

preserve where you can see the sunset over Lake Mich-

igan and Lake Charlevoix. The lakes are foregrounded

by the woods, valleys, and swamps that I grew up in,

my “stomping grounds” as my father would say, and

as a child this was my playground. Later on I would run

hunt, camp, fish, and hike these places. In many ways

I became who I am simply by walking these woods.

This image has come to represent my own personal

narrative as youth and also that of northern Michigan’s

relaxed culture, one engrained with qualities of its land-

cape. The narrative and relationship between a person

and place is important, and I believe wholeheartedly

that the opportunity to create and frame these rela-

tionships exists within architecture; an architecture that

considers its context and inhabitants as integral to its

own nature. I hope to study these architectural pos-

sibilities in the coming years and throughout my life. This

place is my point of departure and my hope is that it

influence stays with me for any project I may work on.

“Torches Mauve”, above, by Franz Kline serrved as the precedent for a series of iterations concluding in the final project of this portfolio

books are protected from direct sunlightdiffuse light enters space through central corelight enters two reading spaces through light wells

Underground Reading Space

daylight study in bookshelves from 9AM to 4PM october light

lighting effects

lighting effects

architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light- Le Corbusier

The painting Torches Mauve, by Franz Kline, relates foreground to background by cutting a silhouette to view a negative space behind. By mapping cuts and wrapping them around volumes, new spaces can be projected into 3 dimensions. A continuous cut wrapped around a volume creates dynamic interactive space.

Cast Rockite Model

December 2010Construction 1Instructor: Lars Graebner

Invisible Cities, by Ital Calvino, describes one city by breaking it down into single experiences. Each experience shows an aspect of the greater city, Venice, which may be indiscernible when viewing the city as a whole.

The lectern supporting Invisible Cities is comprised of eleven parts, each one different then its brothers. These individuals slide together at glueless joints to form a single more complex figure. It can be taken apart and reassembled.

Lectern

Part 1

Part 2

Part 5

Part 8

Part 9

Part 11

Part 10

Part 4

Part 6

Part 7

Part 3

Part 1

Part 2

Part 5

Part 8

Part 9

Part 11

Part 10

Part 4

Part 6

Part 7

Part 3

1 1/

2"

1 1/2"

1/4"

11"1 1/2"1 3/4"

16 1/2"

3/8"

3/4"

1"

1/2" 1/

2"

1/2"

1/2"

3/4"

15 1/4"

3/8"

1/2"

2"

1 3/4"15 1/4"

17 1/2"

3/4"

1"

17 1/4"

3/4"

1"

1 1/2"3/4"

1/2"

1 1/2"11"2 1/4"

1 1/2"2 3/4"

13 1/4" 1 1/2"

1/2"

1/2"

3/4" 1 1/2"

1/2"

1/2"

1 1/2"10 1/2"1 1/2"1/2"

1 1/2"10 1/2"1 1/2"2"

1/2"

1/2"

1/2"

1 1/2"

5"

5/16

"3/

8"

17 1/2"

5 1/2" 1"

1"2"

2 1/4" 1" 4 1/4"

1 1/

2"

1 1/2"15"

2 1/2" 6 1/2" 1/2"

5"

4"

3/4"

1 1/2"

17"

5"

3" 1 1/4"

1/2"

9"

1/2"

1 1/2"

9 3/4"

19"

5" 9"

1"

1 1/

2"

1/2"1

/2"

1/2" 6 1/2" 13/16"

5"

3/4"

1"3/

4"

1/2"

1/2"

1 1/2"19"

5" 9"

1/2"

1/4"

6 1/2" 1/2"

1"3"

11"

5/16

"3/

4"

5"

1 1/2"

6" 1 3/8"

1/2"

*Glue Together

Part 1

Radial Arm SawBand Saw

Part 5

Band Saw

Part 8

Radial Arm Saw

Part 2

Radial Arm SawBand Saw

Part 6

Band Saw

Part 9

Radial Arm Saw Glue

Part 3

Radial Arm SawBand Saw

Part 7

Band Saw

Part 10

Radial Arm Saw

Part 4

Radial Arm SawBand Saw

Part 11

Band Saw

Ypsilanti, MIDecember 2010First Semester StudioInstructor: Tony Patterson

The landscape that surrounds Depot Town is brought through the alleyway and up onto the Cross Street façade. The project interlaces built form and natural form, solid and void, interior and exterior. Large openings on the north and south act as lanterns at night allowing the internal life of the building to be communicated to the exterior. The ground level contains a large social space open to the street and the alleyway, as well as a small café to continue the vitality found along Cross Street. All of the primary program spaces are combined on the sloping/tiered second level. Typical function of this space is reading room with integrated book storage and study spaces organized along a mezzanine, while occasionally shifting in function to a theater space.

Library + Theater

Though there are a number of ways to travel between landscape/streetscape, there are two thresholds that stand out as main avenues. One site is where the Tridge and Cross Street meet, a rather abrupt transition from river scenery to concrete.

The other is the alleyway from Cross Street to the Freight House. Lined with trees, benches, and a poetic drinking fountain, the alleyway is a pleasant transitional space, with a view of the freight house afforded from Cross Street.

form and light study models

Transitional Space

I N F I L LPROJECT

site

Landscape streetscape

Library + Theater Space

Library & Theater Space

Lobby Space

every man’s work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself-Samuel Butler