Thursday, February 18, 2010

Special Project :: The Greening of the Roca Community Center

(Click on the images to enlarge them.)

Roca Liaison: Christian Calvo
Advisor: Gabriel Bergeron
Collaborating Firm: Loheed Design Partnership
Team Members: Adam Batterbee, Michael Velentzas, Martinas Andriushkiavichus, Jamie Emerson

The Opportunity:
Located in Chelsea, MA, the Roca Community Center’s mission is to make a difference in the lives of very high-risk people and parents between the ages of 14 and 24. By seeking out those that have been ignored, refused, or given up on within Chelsea, Revere, East Boston, and Charlestown, Roca offers them a real alternative to lives of violence and poverty, off the streets, out of gangs, and out of prison. It strives to reengage its youth with intense, positive relationships through which they can learn life skills, gain an education, and find employment. In short, Roca is a leader in doing the right thing.

In that same spirit the organization is now looking to positively improve their facilities. Since their main building, built in 1917, has become outdated, the opportunity to simultaneously make the building more energy efficient while educating a wide range of people has arrived. Introducing environmental building standards such as alternative energy sources, a green roof, day lighting, more efficient HVAC systems, water harvesting, a tighter building envelope, and a permeable parking lot will not only make the center less impactful on the environment, but also will make it an example of intelligent design that the center’s youth can take with them as they move on into the world.


The Process:
Working under the guidance of Phil Loheed, the direction of Gabriel Bergeron, and the aid of Sarah Howard-McHugh, we began to assess the needs of the building. Christian Calvo, Roca’s Director of Sustainable Development and our liaison within the community center, introduced us to the building and communicated Roca’s desire for the building to become more sustainable and energy efficient. To that end, we investigated the existing conditions of the building and researched modern ideas and methods of green construction. We then compiled the information we had gathered and presented it to the Roca community in the form of a video; including them in the process is an important aspect of working with the group.

Furthermore, having shared our information with them allows us to include them in the design phase. In the immediate future we will be running a design charette that will allow the young members of Roca to voice their opinions and have a say in the development of the center. Sharing this responsibility empowers them and furthers Roca’s mission by imparting trust to the participants.

The Returns:
Working on the Roca Community Center has been a significant experience on many levels, from operating within the dynamics of a team, to working directly with the client, to learning about sustainable design. A major aspect of working within the framework of a team of four is the delegation of responsibility. Not only must each team member be accountable, but it also demands clear communication and cooperation; everyone must agree on a direction before proceeding. Similarly, working directly with the client has further connected us to the community, while giving us firsthand experience of how to translate loose ideas into a coherent plan of action. It has given us a greater sense of ownership and control over the project. Finally, the project is demanding that we learn a great deal about green building techniques. In order to bring our ideas to fruition in a real world setting, we must know all the pros and cons of our options.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Contemplation Space for a Poet


Student: Alison McHenry
Studio: A-1
Project: Contemplation Space
Semester: Fall 2009
Instructor: Brittany Larrabee

For the final project of their first semester, A-1 Studio design students were challenged with designing a series of spaces that thoughtfully responded to issues of program, site, and scale. The primary issues in assignments that preceded the final project were two dimensional composition and abstract representation. These issues were explored through a series of collages and models. An understanding of these fundamentals was required to be evident in the student’s final presentations.



The final project, “Contemplation Space”, was created to be an investigation of the relationship between a social space (300 sq.ft.) and a private space (50 sq.ft.) and how inhabitants moved through and between these spaces. The relationship between the private space and the social space was to be a direct result of the investigation into how the client would utilize these spaces. The student’s were also challenged with meaningfully placing their designs on the site that is currently an empty lot across from 320 Newbury Street. Students were asked to develop a thoughtful approach to the program elements from Newbury Street and an insightful relationship between the spaces in their designs to the space of Newbury Street.



Alison was assigned Shel Silverstein, the poet, as the client that she was designing around. She worked with idea of divergence and utilized the strategy of overlapping planes to develop an interesting and insightful final design.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Contemplation Space for a Contractor


Student: Martinas Andriushkiavichus
Studio: A-1
Project: Contemplation Space
Semester: Fall 2009
Instructor: Paul Herbert

For the final project of their first semester, A-1 Studio design students were challenged with designing a series of spaces that thoughtfully responded to issues of program, site, and scale. The primary issues in assignments that preceded the final project were two dimensional composition and abstract representation. These issues were explored through a series of collages and models. An understanding of these fundamentals was required to be evident in the student’s final presentations.


The final project, “Contemplation Space”, was created to be an investigation of the relationship between a social space (300 sq.ft.) and a private space (50 sq.ft.), and how inhabitants moved through and between these spaces. The relationship between the private space and the social space was to be a direct result of the investigation into how the client would utilize these spaces. The student’s were also challenged with meaningfully placing their designs on the site that is currently an empty lot across from 320 Newbury Street. Students were asked to develop a thoughtful approach to the program elements from Newbury Street and an insightful relationship between the spaces in their designs to the space of Newbury Street.


Martinas was assigned a building contractor as the client that he was designing around. He chose to utilize the social space as a place for demonstration, to put the contractor's skills and talents on display to the visiting public. The private space was designed as a space that could be essentially completely separate from the rest of the design. This surfaced during his investigation into the different aspects of the general contractor's profession. The interstitial spaces that happen along the main path of circulation became displays that could put the contractor's work into contact with the public.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Architecture, Amebas & Taxidermy

Student Portfolio

Student: Alex Diaz, M.Arch. candidate
Level in School: Segment II
Date Completed: January 2010

Check it out at: http://issuu.com/domingoonie/docs/merger
Feel free to provide feedback as well.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Suburban Landforming

Check out the latest from the C-Level Studios

Student: Tagore Hernandez
Class: Locavore's Dilemma
Date: Fall 2009
Instructor: Claudette L'Huillier
Work: Click Here for Suburban Landforming by Tagore

More student work from Studios A-C to come. Visit regularly.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Ubé's Paths

(Click on the image to enlarge it.)

Student: David Kurachi Ubé
Studio: A1
Project: Paths
Date: Fall 2009

The name of the project is called Paths. Each individual student had to sketch a special path from one's home to the BAC. Once that was done, other process work was presented. The final model came from the middle of the project - we were suppose to create either a solitude or congregating structure. I choose solitude. This model has a sphere suspended in midair by suspending calbes and it is protected by two curving walls and one giant curving roof/wall. - David Kurachi Ubé