architecture portfolio | 2016

RICE UNIVERSITY | RICE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO2015 | 2016

Yu Kono

01 | Micro-Urban Tower

2 | 01

Figure 01 Bird’s

Eye View Perspective

UNDERGRADUATE WORKS | 2014

01 | 3

Instructor Locat ion Program

Semester

Gerald LarsonChicago, ILMixed-Use High RiseFal l 2014

Micro-urban Tower 01

The s i te is unique in that i t is located on the west end of the East Water Street Ax is with Trump Tower terminat ing i t on the West end of the ax is . But the current state of the s i te is a d isappoint ing moment in that people do not fu l ly occupy or use the space despite the vastness of the s i te. Therefore I am proposing a new skyscraper that wi l l terminate the ax is f rom both ends in order to create th is formal language between the two towers. But by creat ing a skyscraper just as ta l l Trump Tower (1200 f t ) , i t is rather more int imidat ing than inv i t ing. So the idea of a micro-urban space is used in order to develop a human scale into the design. In th is case, the micro-urban space means extract ing the exper ience of being in the c i ty and converging i t a l l into th is s ingle s i te. With micro-urbanism being the dr iv ing force of the ground level bui ld ings of the s i te, th is compacted urbanism cont inues into and up through the tower to develop a “ver t ical street” that uni f ies the var ious programs of the tower (Of f ice, Resident ia l , Hotel , and Publ ic Amenit ies) . A lso, being an enclosed space that str ives to be the exper ience of st i l l being a par t of the surrounding urban context , the exper ience of the micro-urban space provokes a night l i fe exper ience with many enter taining programs f i l l ing the space, in contrast to the exper ience on the pathway that is completely exposed to the exter ior ; both exper iences though have i ts connect ions with the urban context in i ts own unique ways.


4 | 01

The s i te consists of several ax is that were used as guides in designing the skyscraper.The or ientat ion of the bui ld ing was based on pedestr ian t raf f ic coming f rom Michigan Avenue. But because of the strong emphasis of creat ing a dia logue with Trump Tower, the most impor tant par t of the tower was taken and rotated 30 degrees c lockwise relat ive to the angle towards Michigan Avenue. Several other

ax is were taken into account in order to der ive the main pedestr ian pathways of the design, thus organiz ing the var ious retai l pavi l ions.

On these new ser ies of pathways are greener y spaces that not only encourages c i rculat ion, but a lso provokes a more serene space for people to detach from the heavy foot t raf f ic of the urban l i fe .

site analysis

Figure 2 Site Plan


01 | 5

A

Programs Aerodynamic Hierarchy Rotate Towards Trump Tower

Functional Wind Element

B

DC

E a. AxisB. PathwaysC. ElevateD. Landscaping and Voidse. Retail Pavilions


6 | 01

As mentioned earlier, it is intimidating to just have a proposal with a 1200’ tall tower on the site. This would probably not encourage more visitors onto the site except for the people who occupy the tower. Therefore, it was important to keep in mind the human scale and this was achieved through the concept of the micro-urban space. With this idea in mind, several parts of the city were taken and expressed into the designs of the retail pavilions on the ground level. Although these retail pavilions stood 100’ feet tall at its max, a sense of scale was achieved by extracting horiztonals from the Navy Pier and John Hancock axis and using it as a proportioning system for the pavilions to give it the human scale that the design needed.

john hanCoCk

john hanCoCk axis

retail pavilions

the human sCale

pathway anD atrium seCtion


01 | 7

trump tower

navy pier

navy pier axisretail pavilions

miChigan avenue elevation


8 | 01

+30 Pathway Level

Hotel

Vertical Street

Enclosed Concourse

Retail Pavilions

Hotel Lobby

Residential Lobby

Roof Terrace

Retail Pavilions

Commercial Lobby

Office Lobby

Residential

Office

Public Amenities

Pathway View Concourse Level View

ground Level


01 | 9

Hotel

Residential

Office

Public Amenities

Atrium View


10 | 01

Figure 04

Figure 03

Figure 05

Figure 06

R e t a i lP a v i l i o n s

L a n d s c a p e

P a t h w a yR e l i e f s

1/32” SCALE MODELThe 1/32” scale skyscraper was made using the CNC milliing machine that allowed me to express the sleekness of the form and great emphasis on the programmatic and functional expres-sions that influenced the form of the tower.

Figure 08 gives a good reference as to the scale of the tower compared to its surrounding build-ings. The Tribune building shown in Figure 08 stands at roughly 450 ft (14” at 1/32” Scale).

F igure 07


01 | 11

Equitable Bui ld ing

ChicagoRiverGleacher

Center

Tr ibune

Michigan Avenue

Figure 08Top View of Model

02 | NYC Aquarium Competition

12 | 02

COMPETITION WORKS | 2015-2016

02 | 13

TeamLocat ion Program

Semester

Yu Kono + JP Jackson + Evio IsaacNew York Ci ty, NYAquar ium Compet i t ionSpr ing 2016

Public Vector | Sculpted Threshold 02

The publ ic is an operat ive body with di rect ion and magnitude. As such, the ambit ion of Publ ic Vector | Sculpted Threshold is to instrumental ize the plast ic qual i t ies of landscape and program, animat ing the generous urban water front and forment ing par t ic ipat ion in a mult ip l ic i ty of c iv ic , inst i tut ional , and recreat ional amenit ies.

The pr imar y program of Publ ic Vector | Sculpted Threshold is an aquar ium with research and suppor ted spaces, however, by t reat ing the program as a distr ibuted f ie ld, and understanding the g iven s i te as pl iable sur face with an act ive sect ion, the s i te can be manipulated to accomodate mult ip le cont ingencies-dai ly users/ferr y commuters, and v is i tors/tour ists -and create mult ivalent re lat ionships between user groups and program. The threshold between the aquar ium and the publ ic park then becomes a programmatic datum that a l lows cer tain e lements such as the research and exhibi t tower to t ransgress between adjacent realms. This act of programmatic t ransgression cul t ivates a sense of dai ly d iscover y in the park and produces moments of convergence whereby v is i tors inside the aquar ium encounter images of the c i ty and of aquat ic exhibi t ion at once. Beneath the programmatic datum, l inked atomized and s inuous exhibi t ion poche propagate a sense of osmotic engagement.

02 | NYC Aquarium Competition

14 | 02

COMPETITION WORKS | 2015-2016

02 | 15

03 | The New Reciprocity

16 | 03

“The wall contributes primarily to the character of the room because of its figurative possibilities. The plan, however, because it seen perspectively, is less capable of expressing character and more involved

with our spatial understanding of the room.”

- Michael Graves

¹ Graves, Michael. “A Case for Figurative Architecture. ”In Michael Graves-Buildings and projects, 1966-1981, 11-13. New York: Rizzoli, 1983.

M.ARCH GRADUATE WORKS | 2015-2016

03 | 17

InstructorLocat ion Program

Semester

Ron Witte- - -ResearchSpr ing 2016

The New Reciprocity 03

Quoted from Michael Graves “A Case for F igurat ive Archi tecture,” i t is an obser vat ion made by Graves when the plan was the generator ; when the form fol lowed the funct ion as a result of the programming of the plan, the statement is in a l l ways ver y comprehensible. Graves raises two characters in th is scenar io: the wal l and the plan. The two are dist inct e lements. However, when the two become a reciproci ty meaning they are not independent but dependent on each others presence there ar ises the “f igurat ive possibi l i t ies.” There is now the possibi l i ty to understand the plan due to the contr ibut ion made by the wal l .Is that st i l l the case for many contemporar y archi tecture? Fol lowing the end of modernism and more into post -modernism, archi tects have made way to form-f inding as opposed to achieving an archi tecture f rom two-dimensions to three-dimensions. Form-f inding inevi tably begins with a volume, in which two-dimensional p lans are extracted. Simi lar ly to how there is a destabi l izat ion when a plan independent ly is being read in perspect ive, there is the same destabi l izat ion of the volume when the plan is being extracted. What i t means to be in the state of stabi l izat ion versus destabl izat ion wi l l fur ther be discussed later.Therefore, the argument is wi th the shi f t to form-f inding the reciproci ty is not made between the wal l and the plan to create a comprehensible duo, but i t is now a reciproci ty made between the plan and the volumetr ic residual . The argument wi l l in i t ia l ly formulate around Michael Graves’ pr incip le of the s ingle square versus the three-square composit ion in which i t wi l l show to what extent is h is theor y v iable and this wi l l be seen in a sense a control point in which archi tecture has been maintained up unt i l the end of modernism, approximately.


18 | 03

Graves develops of a simple concept of the single square compostion and the three square composition in order to illustrate how a plan goes from the state of being stable to a state of being destablized. As of now, the current state of the single square concept is stable because a true center can be realized in which an occupant can realize where one stands within the plan. Thus a wall is not needed in order to stabalize, since the square space is already in the state of being stable. A further establishedment can be made of the center through the recognition of the occupiable corners (Figure B and Figure B.1). And a much further emphasis of the center can be made with the placement of furnitures (Figure C and Figure C.1). In all cases in Figures A, B, and C, it can be perceived to be the ideal plan in which the plan can be realized in perspective.

single sQuare Composition

miChael graves’ ConCept

staBiliZation versus DestaBiliZation

a | single programmatiC spaCe

a.1 | planometriC

B | oCCupiaBle Corners

B.1 | planometriC

C | super-emphasis oF Center

C.1 | planometriC


03 | 19

It is in the moment in which programmatic squares are added to the single square compostion that will begin to disrupt the stabalization of the plan. With increasing programmatic spaces attached to the original square (Figure D and Figure D.1), the original center is thus lost and the occupiable corners are becoming faint to the occupant in the space (Figure E and Figure E.1). This is the moment in which the plan begins to be destablized. This is where the reciprocity between the plan and the wall then comes into play; where mutual interaction between the two demonstrates a behavior in which the character of the room is developed thus allowing for the opprotunity to read the plan in perspective (Figure F and Figure F.1)

miChael graves’ ConCept

ColleCtion Composition oF sQuares

D | three programmatiC spaCes

D.1 | planometriC

e | unaware oCCupiaBle Corners

e.1 | planometriC

F | reCiproCity Between wall anD plan

F.1 | planometriC


20 | 03

It is clear as to how Graves’ concept works in terms of stabalization and destablization when the plan is the generator of space and the three-dimensional realm. However, as mentioned earlier, the times have shifted towards form-finding where it is no longer the traditional view of form follows function. However, it has in someway mirrored to function follows form (to an extent). This shift in the status quo places volumes on top over the plan, thus leading to the questions of what happened to the plan and does this shift towards volumes resolve the problem of the plan not not being able to be interpreted in perspective?

Two forms of volumes can be identified: one that is an envelope that encases the volumetric parts, and the booleaned that makes up the whole or overall form (Figure G and Figure G.1). The plan is still there. However, it is no longer the primary generator thus the plan is secondary and should rather be considered a “clipping plane” for a lack of better words. If Rhino 3D is taken for example, designers now utilize the clipping plane to extract the plan at any z-increments. Plans have in a have become a standard or necessity. By becoming a necessity means the plan is now a standard of procedure similar to how bathrooms and storage are necessities to a program in the architectural office. The plan is no longer the synergy that drives the form. However, through this means of extraction from a volume may have led to the possibility of reading the plan in perspective without the wall being its reciprocity. (Figure H and Figure H.1)

FunCtion now Follows Form; not Form Follows FunCtion

g | enCaseD volumes

g.1 | BooleaneD Forms

h | enCaseD volumes vlippeD

h.1 | BooleaneD Forms ClippeD

staBiliZation & DestaBiliZation volumetriCally interpreteD


03 | 21

By becoming a necessity means the plan is now a standard of procedure similar to how bathrooms and storage are necessities to a program in the architectural office. The plan is no longer the synergy that drives the form. However, through this means of extraction from a volume may have led to the possibility of reading the plan in perspective without the wall being its reciprocity. (Figure H and Figure H.1)

The volumetric residual is the moment in which the volumes intersect to create an amorphous space. The residual parts are shown in plan in Figure H.2 and Figure H.3. but how does this phenomena express the plan perspectively? The residual, as suggested in the name, does not only relate to the residual leftover in the plan, but it is also suggested of a three-dimensional residual as shown in Figure I and Figure I.1. These volumetric residuals thus become a space that then becomes the new center in a way. An occupier tends to gravitate towards the center of the room as Graves has claimed in A Case for Figurative Architecture. So similarly the residual spaces become the “center” in which occupants will gravitate towards. This becomes that moment where the occupant will be able to make the correlation of how the residual space is a part of the larger volume. Therefore, the new reciprocity is the plan and the volumetric residual that allows for the volume or the form to be realized while seeing the plan in perspective.

¹ Graves, Michael. “A Case for Figurative Architecture. ”In Michael Graves-Buildings and projects, 1966-1981, 11-13. New York: Rizzoli, 1983.

volumetriC resiDual

h.2 | planometriC i | volumetriC resiDual

h.3 | planometriC i.1 | volumetriC resiDual

04 | #Project Neistat

22 | 04

PERSONAL WORKS | 2015-2016

04 | 23

TeamLocat ion Program

Semester

Yu Kono + JP JacksonNew York Ci ty, NYWal l ProposalSpr ing 2016

#Project Neistat 04

As an avid fo l lower of Casey Neistat for h is ver y mot ivat ional and inspir ing dai ly v logs, the team set for th a wal l proposal for a smal l por t ion of h is studio that he is looking to renovate in New York Ci ty.

Stemming inspirat ion f rom the movie Kingsman ( In which Casey Neistat envis ioned i t to be) , th is proposal seeks to take the extremely sophist icated aesthet ic of the Kingsman suite c loset and transformed i t into a handyman aesthet ic through the use of p lywood sheets and bungee cords whi le maintaining the regular propor t ions of the or ig inal envis ion.

The yel low rubber bands shown in the fo l lowing models represents indiv idual bungee cords that a l lows for not only acts as a guard for h is expensive camera gear but a lso promotes the idea of stretching the cords to pul l i tems out as a bungee cord should.

04 | #Project Neistat

24 | 04

PERSONAL WORKS | 2015-2016

04 | 25

05 | UNIFICATION OF THE DISJUNCTION

26 | 05

05 | 27


Instructor Locat ion Program

Semester

Daisy AmesHouston, TXUrban DevelopmentSpr ing 2016

Unification of the Disjunction 05

Houston has become a patchwork of several autonomous par ts that has created an unident i f iable and un-embraceable whole. Highways and other vehicular infrastructure are leading causes for the div is ion of the c i ty, however, a condit ion in which there are no zoning codes leaves Houston vulnerable to sole ly sel f -sat isfy ing needs. Therefore, th is logic of d is junct ion is p laced within the s i te of the Cont i development in order to invest igate the need to uni fy these dist inct par ts .

Within the Cont i s i te rests several d ist inct infrastructural networks ex ist ing s imultaneously amongst each other. These var ious networks ranges f rom rai lway, pedestr ian, b icyc le, and drainage networks that ex ists s imultaneously a l though being dist inct ly d i f ferent . This s imple obser vat ion of s imultaneity leads to the proposal of how infrastructure can be seen not as a div ider, but a way of unify ing the par ts into an ident i f iable whole.


28 | 05

insertion oF houston logiC

site strategy

autonomous BuilDing Complexes

suBtraCting or BeComing

BuilDing Complexes

reCogniZing Central spine

uniFying through amenities

05 | 29


Central spine

programmatiC elements

amenities within Central spine

living spaCe shell oF CirCulation

two-story parking garages aCCessaBle rooF tops


30 | 05

masterplan | grounD plan

masterplan | type plan

masterplan | site plan

05 | 31



32 | 05

spine - BuilDing relationship | view 1

Cross seCtion

05 | 33


spine - BuilDing relationship | view 2

longituDinal seCtion


34 | 05

05 | 35


1 Bedroom | 1 Bath560 sq. ft. 30’-0” Unit Depth


TYPE B

TYPE A

TYPE D

TYPE C

TYPE A.1

TYPE D.1






36 | 05

05 | 37



38 | 05

05 | 39


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ContactYu Kono

architecture portfolio | 2016

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