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PROJECT CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND

Unique projects with structurally efficient solutions

DESERT GATEWAY TRANSIT CENTER   11 /06/ 2019

  This project was in response to a proposal for a park and ride in Victorville Ca. The site has a rich history and its location offers an opportunity to reestablish downtown Victorville as a destination. The  transit center was proposed in downtown Victorville, at the end of D street, along Hwy 18 and historic Route 66. The site is also located near the Mojave River, along the historically traveled Mormon and Indian trails. In the sixties, the Amtrak train station was a popular destination for Hollywood celebrities visiting local ranches and golf courses. With the creation on Interstate 15, businesses have migrated to the highly traveled highway, preferring the more visible locations along the freeway.

  The structure stitches the landscape together, providing a connection for the neighborhood and elementary school, to downtown and the rest of the city without the need to cross the railroad tracks. The pedestrian bridge above the railroad tracks offers a variety of opportunities, it also provides an uninterrupted passage for public transit and emergency vehicles beneath the tracks. The structure and project, becomes a vital community passage and place, where people can eat, shop and gather together while they crosstown, visit historic downtown or wait for the next train.  The project also has views of the Mojave River, it's rock formations, and the Mojave River scenery. The projects platform is oriented to witness the beautiful desert sunsets. The station creates a true destination in downtown Victorville with influences far beyond it site. 

HANGER,BURBANK   11 /06/ 2019

  These structures have an outward thrust due to its low profile and large spans. I used a combination of buttresses and ties rods to counter those reactions. The structure is made of many small members fastened together at the joints. The repetitive members and the large space give the interior space a majestic feel. This structural method was developed by Italian engineer and architect Pier Luigi Nervi in the early 1900s. During world war II, hangers designed using this method, survived the German's attempts to destroy them, by blasting the buttress supports in hopes of collapsing the entire structure as they fell to the ground. The roof structures fell to the ground intact, to be reused within hours. These structures are efficient, light, strong and capable of large spans. This particular hanger can accommodate, three 747 jumbo jets without interior columns. 

The challenge on this structure is to calculate the hips and slopes so they all come together correctly. The rolling doors are also super structures in themselves. 

BIRD HOUSE, SANTA CRUZ   06 /06/ 2000

  This concept-driven project started with the idea of a bird house as inspiration for an artist retreat. The design encourages the inhabitants of the space to manicure the vegetation growing on the exterior of the structure during spring and summer by climbing on the structure to position, and secure plants and Ivy, protecting the interior from the hot sun. During the fall and winter, the protective layer of plants and Ivy can be manicured or removed, letting in the suns warming rays. This routine keeps the artist literally "in touch" with his surroundings developing a daily intimate relationship with nature.

  The image showing screen over frame are the beginnings of introducing structure, this is the first transformation from natural nest to human shelter. Look closely and you can still see the idea of the birch in that study model. The final model shows the interior enclosed by suspending the glazing off the superstructure. You can see the black colored mullions in the background. The top of the stairs are positioned to act as the perch.

EXPLORING SOLUTIONS TO CREATE YOUR REALITY

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