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portfolio

architecture

design.detail.develop.discover

Nathaniel A. Hammitt
School of Architecture and Interior Design
College of Design, Architecture,Art, and Planning
University of Cincinnati
design
inspire.refine.synthesize
The Cincinnati Literar y Center
design project is an exercise in
site anaylsis, program preparation,
and creative user-based spatial
requirements. It is a prime
oppor tunity to reconceive the way
in which a scholastic center
functions as par t of a community,
as well as an oppor tunity to
reapply old media to new uses.

Cincinnati Literary Center

fall 2009
Community literary center
Cincinnati, Ohio
REVIT 2010, Adobe Illustrator, Pen & Ink, Cardboard & Magazine
inspire.refine.synthesize
In addition to drawing inspiration from the user
needs and programmatic requirements of the
building, the Cincinnati Literar y Center was bir thed
from the concept of ‘transparency.’ As the site is
located in the hear t of Cincinnati, there is a ver y
great need for community openness and an overall
sense of welcoming.

Cincinnati Literary Center

fall 2009
Community literary center
Cincinnati, Ohio
REVIT 2010, Adobe Illustrator, Pen & Ink, Cardboard & Magazine
design
inspire.refine.synthesize
Continuing the design process of
the Cincinnati Literar y center
i nvolved an intensive refinement
process. Taking the inspiration and
project generation derived from
user needs, programmatic
r e quirements, and site consider-
ations, the Literar y Center developed
its own per sonal language and, in
doing so, also advanced technically
to provide the necessar y area and
arrangement to accommodate its
future user s.

Cincinnati Literary Center


Community literary center
Cincinnati, Ohio
REVIT 2010, Cardboard,/chipboard/museumboard, Pen & Ink
Cincinnati Literary Center
Community literary center
Cincinnati, Ohio
REVIT 2010, Cardboard,/chipboard/museumboard, Pen & Ink
design
inspire.refine.synthesize
Shown to the right is a set of
synthesizing drawings transferred
from a previous analysis of
Cincinnati City hall. The synthesis
is done in response to the
tectonics of City Hall, and the
ar ticulated lines correspond to
programmatic needs as well as the
three core tectonic building blocks:
planes, frames, and masses.
The three images directly to the
right of the City hall analysis
coincide with the urban field study
on the next page

Tectonic analysis/synthesis of
Cincinnati’s City Hall
Cincinnati, Ohio
Technical Drawing
inspire.refine.synthesize
After proper ly divining all
per tinent information from the
synthetic tectonic analysis drawings,
additional studies were conducted
to ascer tain the spatial qualities
and future planning capabilities of
the site analysis shown on the
immediate left.
Students were advised to refer to
their ear lier synthetic drawing at all
times, as well as the linear
ar ticulation appropriated from the
site itself. Active and non-active
user s laid a path for development
plans which were mainly oriented
around the organizational scheme
of the building and the specific
needs of the building’s eventual
user s.

Tectonic analysis/synthesis of Cincinnati’s City Hall


Cincinnati, Ohio

Technical Drawing
detail
observe.investigate.respond

In any documentation process a


large emphasis should placed on
representation and visual
communication. Several f ir st-year
studies, shown to the right,
encompassed a full series of
lighting, texture, and processional
analysis studies.

Top left:Textural study

spring 2009
Top Right: Lighting Study
Below: Processional analysis
Pencil, Charcoal
observe.investigate.respond
Fur ther investigative analyses into
per spective and lighting were
developed in a series of interior
constr ucted drawings, one of which is
shown to the left.
Documentation in ever y circumstance
is cr ucial, and many explorative
studies of both interior and exterior
settings help to fully realize
obser vative documentation
potentials.
The sketches shown below were
made on one of many site visits; these
two in par ticular were recorded in
Columbus Indiana (Fir st Christian
Church and Nor th Christian Church)
en Route on an extended
architectural experiential learning
oppor tunity in Chicago, Illinois.

Above: Interior constructed perspective

spring/fall 2009
Below: Field Sketches of Churches in Columbus, Indiana

Pencil
detail
observe.investigate.respond

In the design process, proper tools


should be fully utilized. Digital Media,
such as Revit 2010, can be used for
much more than conceptual
modelling. As the images to the
right show, an entire precedent
analysis was under taking
recreating John Hejduk’s
One-Half House entirely in
Revit Architecture 2010.

Left:Axomometric, Plan, Section, and Elevation


Right: Basement Axon, Plan, and wall Section
Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010
observe.investigate.respond
Additional studies using Autocad and
Sketchup help to fully realize the
investigative design potentials of
digital media. Shown to the left are
two AutoCad studies of an 8 ft. x
8 ft. x 8ft. “light box,” represented in
Autocad 2010.
Additionally shown are two Sketchup
models, one of Sigma Sigma Stair at
the Univer sity of Cincinnati and the
other of Madeira High School’s
expanded entr y facility, each built up
from constr uction documents and fully
realized in Google Sketchup 7.

Top: Lightbox AutoCad drawings


Middle: Sketchup construction of Sigma Sigma Stairs

spring2009
Bottom: Sketchup rendering of Madeira School entry facility
AutoCad 2010 and Google Sketchup 7
detail
obser ve.investigate.respond

Documentation tools are


meaningless if they cannot be
usefully applied. The images shown
to the right are from the 2010
USGBC Natural Talent
Design Competition, which
involved designing a LEED-Platinum
home for a low-income family in
New Or leans, Louisiana.
In pur suit of designing the most en-
vironmentally and economically sus-
tainable house, our project team uti-
lized Revit Architecture 2010,
AutoCad 2010, and several Adobe
products (Including Illustrator,
InDesign, and Photoshop) to
proper ly communicate our design
intentions.

winter/spring 2009
Right: Presentation board from USGBC 2010
Natural Talent Design Competition
Revit 2010, AutoCad 2010, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign
obser ve .investigate .respond
Digital media must respond
appropriately to design
considerations. Utilizing Revit 2010
for both its generative design
potentials, accurate constr uction
simulation, and realistic rendering
capabilities makes it one of the best
tools for the Architectural design
process. If complemented with the
proper digital documentation and
representation tools, a student
knowledgeable in Revit is able to
communicate conceptual, technical,
and visual design goals to a high
degree of precition and accuracy.

winter/spring 20
Left: Presentation board from USGBC 2010 Natural Talent
Design Competition
Revit 2010, AutoCad 2010, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign
develop
analyze .represent.create
A significant por tion of student
wor k is inspired by precedents.
This project, conveyed through
several different media, analyzes
the Baths of Vals by Peter Zumthor.

Baths of Vals Analysis


Peter Zumthor, Switzerland

Photography, pen and ink, and cut paper


analyze .represent.create
By analyzing projects such as the
Baths of Vals, design concepts, formal
arrangement, and tectonic
assemblies can be thoroughly
critiqued and dissected, promoting a
greater under standing of significant
wor ks and a greater appreciation for
technical and formal design and
architectural fabrication,

Baths of Vals Analysis

spring 2009
Peter Zumthor, Switzerland

Photography, pen and ink, and cut paper


develop
analyze .represent.create
In the architectural design process,
significant time and effor t is
dedicated to learing a diver se array
of representational techniques.
Analysis occur s in all aspects of
design and representation.

Representation Skills

w&s 2009
Manual and Digital renderings

Autocad 2010, pen & ink, pencil, photography,


Representation Skills

fall 2009
Digital renderings
Cincinnati Literary Center - interior and exterior perspectives

REVIT 2010
develop
analyze .represent.create
Manual modeling is one critical
aspect of the design process.
Physical representation through built
analytical documentation ensures
that the design process remains
physiologically relevant and engaged

Physical Modelling

winter 2010
Analysis of Cincinnati city hall and
tectonic study of urban field
Wood and museum board
analyze .represent.create
The design process can be advanced
through physical as well as digital means,
Digital representation compliments
physical modeling, and in this project a
fully developed Revit model allows for
photorealistic rendering and graphic
presentation.
The program, which called for a redesign
of an abandoned golf cour se into a
winer y and par k for a small suburban
neighborhood, required a design that was
sensitive to the environmental and site-
specific requirements of the landscape

Design for a Vineyard,

spring 2010
site and land studio

Revit 2010, Photoshop CS3, Illustrator CS3, and Autocad 2010


discover
lead.dream.explore
Environmental considerations are
paramount to any modern design
process. Shown here is one of the
passive environmental control sys-
tems incorporated as a design
method in the Cincinnati Literar y
Center project.
Shown on the opposite page is a
daylight study of the Contemporar y
Ar ts Center, analyzed at different
times throughout the day to assess
its sunlight exposure.

Cincinnati Literary Center


Environmental considerations
Cincinnati, Ohio
Pen & ink, Adobe Illustrator, and Google Sketchup
7AM
9AM
11AM
1 PM
3 PM SUMMER EQUINOX WINTER

Leadership and teamwork is essential to any design pro-


cess.The Stair Project brings together eighty architecture
students to creatively assess and produce a 16 ft. x 16 ft.
model that captures the spatial essence of the University of
Cincinnati. Leadership and team management was crucial to
5 PM

accomplishing the task, and an integrated design process was


used throughout the project
Above: Stair Project

winter 2009
Collaborative learning assignment
7 PM

MDF, paint, and teamwork


discover
lead.dream.explore
Designer s should live with a healthy
disregard for the impossible.
Dreaming and pushing the
boundaries of digital and spatial
representation allow for more
creative and intrepid design
potentials.

fall 2009
Above: DAAP mantis
Below:Tectonic spatial analysisof urban field
Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, Pen, & Ink
lead.dream.explore
In addition to the physical and graphic
experimentation shown here, ar-
chitectural design process should
be generated and inspired from ex-
tant forms and means. Taking physi-
cal forms and concepts and applying
them in new ways to solve problems
creatively is essential to the education
of an architecture student.

Bumblebee: Chicago

Adobe Photoshop fall 2009


discover
lead.dream.explore
The wor ld is a diver se and
exciting place, and any student
wishing to learn and push the
boundaries of design should embrace
the diver sity and oppor tunities the
societies and cultures of the wor ld
have to offer.
I have had extensive
oppor tunities to travel abroad and
see many unique designs and spatial
systems. Through exploration and
exposure I have grown to recognize
and appreciate the diver sity manifest
in built forms and in Nature.

Left: Marupeng Cradle of Mankind, South Africa


photography
2006-2010
Above right: Skyscrapers, Chicago, Illinois
Below right: Florence, Italy, as seen from the Duomo
Cincinnati
Ohio

C a p e To w n
S o u t h A f ri c a

We s t m i n s t e r
United Kingdom

thank you
 Top: Gettler Satium, White-out at the University of Cincinnati
Middle: Cape Town, as seen from the crest of Table Mountain
Bottom: Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

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