design build

housing

competitions

thesis

humanitarian

khumbu climbing school

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2 3High in the Himalayas, near the base camp of Mount Everest is Phortse, Nepal. Here the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation has been providing the khumbu Climbing School to the most skillful yet most poverished people in the world, the Sherpa. After nine years of holding full classes out of lodges, the ALCF sought a design for a sheltered location for the climbing school. This incredible design challenge was put in the hands of MSU professor, Mike Everts in January of 2008. In August Mike, 3 other students, and I traveled to Phortse for a design charette. 1 KCS open-ing ceremony 2 adam knoff photo cj carter 3 kcs patch photo cj carter

interacting with extreme environs

versioning

visual shadow parallax architectural heritageThe four graduate students who traveled to Phortse joined four undergraduate students to work as a stacked studio. Over the course of the semester we worked on versioning based on the concepts of architectural heritage, extreme environment conditions, and the creation of a base typology for innovation. We presented the project to numerous guest architects, climbing school instructors, and had meetings with Jenny Lowe-Anker and Conrad Anker. We also worked with a graduate team of engineering students.

architectural hand the creatpresented theclimbing schoJenny Lowe-Awith a gradua

architectural heritage

Another trip to Phortse was made, this time with 4 designs for the Sherpa to discuss and choose from. The design I was leading was chosen. For the spring semester of 2009, the original design team joined an additional 10 graduate students to perfect and prepare the design for construction. Utilizing Autodesk Ecotech to perfect the environmental qualities, we came up with a sustainable design that is structurally innovative, and reinforces the Sherpa heritage.

The breaking ground ceremony in January 2009 began the con-struction of the Khumbu Climb-ing School which is scheduled to continue through 2010 with the help of an MSU Architecture graduate team.

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urban housingThe architecture of the urban environment is vital to a sustainable lifestyle. This housing design for Portland’s Pearl District contains 112 units varying from live/work units to affordable units with communal kitchens to family housing encouraging urban development. The central focus of the housing is the outdoor space utiliz-ing communal and personal gardens that tap into the co-op farmer’s market at the street level. 1 wall section 2 8th fl oor plan 3 south facing perspective

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The communal gardens is a tiered system facing south that uses rainwater and fountain distribution that celebrates Portland’s plentiful rainfall and long growing season. Many units have a transformable outdoor space through a garden balcony space or an operable door that opens the unit to the exterior. Color is expressed sophisticatedly though highlights of stained concrete and wood.4 west elevation 5 south elevation

remediation

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While our society is deeply in with the use of steel, there is also no denying the environmental decay caused by the production of steel. The museum of steel competition is sited at a brown fi eld in Pittsburgh where toxins have soaked the soil for a century. Utilizing sunfl owers as a meth-od of phytoremediation naturally removes the toxins naturally through a symbiotic relationship while creating an iconic aesthetic. The 70,000 sq ft building is nestled in the sunfl owers emphasiz-ing the process of the production of steel as well as the process of healing. 1 competition boards 2 structure model 3 interior perspectives

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remediation

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6 The cellular design of the museum biomimics the stalk of a sunfl ow-er due to its strength. The arrangement of cells creates a dynamic fl ow of spaces. Each cell is comprised of a thick outer shell that houses the mechanical systems and a cellular poly-carbonate skin that diffuses light. The fabrication is mostly a 3-panel construction: steel plates for the outer skin, truss plates, and poly-carbonate skin plates. 4 section a 5 fabrication diagram 6 site model 7 concept model8 second fl oor plan 9 ground fl oor

The enormity of Hurricane Katrina was a direct result of environmental degradation par-tially caused from American’s obsoletion mass consumption economy. Increasing levels of carbon dioxide created higher ocean air-current temperatures that feed the monster storm that destroyed the lives and homes of many in New Orleans. This high ground construction consists of 160 affordable housing units and a commercial entity, the green project - an existing organization that resells deconstructed building parts to aid in affordable rebuilding and reduce waste. This responsible rebuild benefi ts sustainable community rebuilding through the reduction of waste and the reuse of building materi-als, recycled materials, and replenishes the environment with vegetation.1 obsoletion economy photo by chris jordan 2 85% of a deconstructed building can be reused or recycled 3 replenish natural vegetation 4 unit section 5 recycle 3-form recycled plastic

responsible rebuild

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Replenish: a green wall lines the street edge creating an identity for the commercial entity, the green project: a green screen drapes the building providing shade and health benefi ts of vegetation: each unit has an individual garden spaceReuse: fl uff- waste composite used for a growing medium in green wall: 3form- recycled plastic used for exterior shutters and interior partitions: soybeans used for insulation

1 unit plan 2 south elevation 3 10th fl oor plan 4 4th fl oor plan 5 3rd fl oor plan 6 2nd fl oor plan 7 ground fl oor plan 8 the green project interior commercial space

The ground fl oor encompasses a 65,000 sq ft commercial space for The Green Project, residential storage, and the fi rst fl oor of parking. The second fl oor consists of 15,000 sq ft of additional commercial space, the second fl oor of parking, and 12,000 sq ft of leasable offi ce space that opens up onto a green roof. Floors 3-8 house the 160 residential units tiering back to emphasize the dynamic shape created by the green screen.

9 unit exterior space with private garden, green screen, and seamless connection to indoors through 3-form shuttered fl oor length widows 10 exterior urban street edge iconic through curving green wall 11 south western exposure reconnecting to the mississippi river

We work in the spirit of grass-roots and community-specifi c projects. Our ambitious long-term goal is to provide the community of Khwisero, located in Western Kenya, with potable water and improved sanitation. We will accomplish this by supplying clean, reliable water sources and effective sanitation facilities to each of the 58 primary schools in the Khwisero Division.EWB at MSU aims to provide sustainable solutions to address each school’s unique set of challenges. We make sure that the community is involved, so that upon comple-tion, the project is owned and maintained by the community.

engineers without borders

In November of 2008 I joined a premier chapter of the national organization, Engineers Without Borders- USA. I contributed to fund-raising, design, and functions throughout graduate school. In July of 2009 I traveled to Kenya as part of Phase IV of EWB@MSU’s work in Kenya. I contributed to the design of EWB’s fi rst biogas latrine, composting latrines, water-use surveys, and was lucky enough to work with Kenyan Architect Ronald Omyonga -the inspiration for our work in his hometown of Khwisero.

biogas latrine composting latrines handwashing stations montana community projects deep water wells health surveys sponsor kenya team

environmental decayenvironmental decay

site strategy

nourishing renaissance

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Bozeman, MT is a high amenity area whose high tech jobs, university atmosphere, and close proximity to the environment draws an enormous new population. The infl ux since has caused a disjunct in the population and a decline in sense of community while the growth is deteriorating the environment. Sprawl has eaten away at the surrounding recreational areas while industrialism’s consequences are already apparent. The Bozeman Renaissance Center is located at a superfund site near the heart of the city. It plugs into a disconnection in the Gallatin Valley Land Trust’s Main Street to the Mountains Trail System infusing community and environmental remediation.

social cohesion site

bozeman, mt gallatin valley land trust

trail system

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environmental gallery

environ machineremediation becomes environmental gallery

: recreational space for central hub of gvlt

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gvlt climbing boulders

stabilization ponds

aspens

sunfl owers

rye grass

environmental gallery man as medium

trenches to attract groundwater and remedi-ate using aquatic plants

remove herbicides aromatics chlorinated aliphates throughphytotransformation

phytoextraction of metals like pb, cd, zn, ni, cu

utilizing fi brous roots removes metals and hydrophobic organics through phytostablization

1 rye grass removes metals and hydrophobic organics through phytostablization

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Bozeman Renaissance Center facilitates community interaction through an exterior gallery that plugs into and reinforces the infrastructure of the exist-ing trail system. It creates environmental stewardship through exposing the process of remediating destructive development. 3 site plan 4 ground fl oor 5 second fl oor

The BRC is comprised of 15,000 sq ft of gallery space in the fl oating tube that faces north, a 550 seat theater, classrooms, studios, and community offi ces. Embedded within the phytoremediation system are nomadic galleries that per-form rhizofi ltration, an outdoor theater, a covered market, and parking.

studio

gallery street entrance

phytoremediation system

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1 west perspective 2 programmatic section 3 street perspective 4 interior gallery perspective 5 structural section 6 conceptual section model 7 exterior walkway perspective