LEED GA + ASSOCIATE AIA
2021-06-30
2021-06-15
2021-06-28
Apetures
designing the mold
designing the mold
designing the mold and eggcrate
plan
plan
section
section
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INNOVATIVE BUILT WORK
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK:
UHPC DESIGN + PROJECT MANAGEMENT+ CONSTRUCTION + INSTALLATION
SPRING 2019
The Carapace is a precast concrete pavilion designed for the Joshua Tree National Park that serves both as a shade structure and as a prototype for a double loaded restroom building. It is intended to be placed in a disturbed site that the National Park is looking to redevelop into a campsite. The pavilion is intended to remain in Joshua Tree for over a hundred years. It is a collaborative effort led by the Clipper Lab design-build studio of USC School of Architecture and supported by several consultants, manufacturers, and experts.
As the Project Manager, I was in charge of managing and coordinating the schedule, site visits, budget, material orders and shipments as well as consultant and team communications.
The design of the project originated from a parametric design tool developed by Ivan Monsreal. Taking into consideration factors such as site conditions, sun shading, structural loads, fabrication and manufacturing methods, and ADA compliance, the final design is a double curved anti-clastic geometry. It features a long cantilevered roof to provide increased shading for the desert climate and roof apertures to control the daylighting.
The Carapace consists of 5 panels utilizing different sections of a single mold. The mold, which is CNC milled out of high density foam, uses a series of foam attachments and blockouts to fabricate different panels out of the same mold. The single mold also prompts a design strategy that responds to the different loads acting upon each piece, whether it is a foundation, wall, or roof.
January 2020-
We are currently in the process of excavating the site, and we are beginning to cast the panels.
January 2021-
The mold is finished! Casting at Clark Pacific is underway.
June 2021-
The casting and sanding are finished, and the panels are being installed at the Construction Facility!
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK VISITOR CENTER:
SUSPENDING NATURE
SPRING 2019: 2 Week Charrette
For my visitor center I primarily focused on the dialogue between the ground plane and the roof line, drawing inspiration from the sails of sailboats. This driving principle is not only seen through the sectional changes and roof form, but also the suspension of all the walls above the floor plane to create an uninterrupted datum.
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Moving onto my secondary principles, the building plan, orientation and organization is heavily driven by the relationship to the site. This relationship can be seen in the interactive celebration of water that occurs along the center-line as well as through the decision to locate in close proximity to the rocks and to carve into the site.
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The structure contributes to my main focus; for example, the center triangulated truss support system allows for the roof to appear as wings that cantilever a far span. I chose to use the mast truss structural glass facade to allude to sails. The hanging walls then allow for an uninterrupted relationship between the roof line and the ground line by suspending the walls and further integrating the furniture.
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In addition, I considered the social occupancy. With the intention of having continuous and open circulation, I used the hanging walls to vary the program density by eliminating some of the walls to create semi-enclosed spaces. The promenade also connects the primary and ancillary building on a level plane which juxtaposes the roof and ground plane line.
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