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Braxton Satterfield Architecture Portfolio

t: (919)724-3326e: [email protected]

Braxton Satterfield

project index

03 14 22

30 36

44

38

carnegie Mellon School of Architecture

Are online social networks redefining public space?

Are online social networks redefining public space?

“in our own time, new technologies of information and communications are transforming the home into a micro-city, a genuinely multi-functional environment from which to inhabit the global village. Within a few years, the passive physical world defined by purely functional structures which give people shelter, which we consume products and interact with the world by way of screens, will be rendered obsolete by intelligent environments in which everyone and everything will both generate and consume information and transform it into knowledge.”

- jurgen Mayer “corridor”

| 05 thesis Studio

Architecture portfolio 06 |

digital technology is rapidly transforming society’s system of communication, ultimately dissolving the necessity for proxim-ity. the computer has become the preferred medium for performing a plethora of activities involving: work, shopping, communication, education, and leisure. Architecture, the spa-tial organizer of human activity, has the capability to interface with digital information to cultivate a hybrid situation for social interaction and education.

the introduction of student housing re-imagines traditional architecture of the University of pittsburgh by creating unique living experiences that work under identical patterns ushered by online social networks. these frameworks have received unprecedented success for their abilities to provide users with control of self promotion, without disrupting self-promotion and social connectivity. the integration of programmatic elements into student housing exploits specific spatial conditions of the campus environment to introduce the university culture into the student inhabitable condition.

the voyeuristic relationship of the dormitory creates a dynamic experience where the memory of the dorm room is a constantly evolving recollection, dependent upon the activity of its inhabitants. this context allows students to communicate comfortably within the network of dorm rooms, while also broadcasting small vignettes of the architecture’s overall activity. By removing anonymity, students are able to find commonalties amongst their neighbors.. BS

theSiS StUdio: Blog - inpittSBUrgh, pA | Spring 2009

| 07 thesis Studio

| 09 thesis Studio

Architecture portfoilo 10 |

Solid diAgonAltriAngUlArStripe

pixel geoMetry StUdieS

| 11 thesis Studio


Fitness level laundry level

located near cleveland’s theatre district, the cleveland institute of Art is a professional college for graphic art and industrial design, looking to expand their academic facilities for its 125th anniversary. the proposed site is situated against an original Ford Model t factory, which once housed a student run-gallery, coffeehouse, and an auditorium. the design of the new addition calls for 78,000 square feet of flexible studios, digital media classrooms, faculty offices, a storefront gallery, a library, and lecture hall.

the conceptual vision aims to engage the surrounding community of case Western reserve, encouraging the public to become active participants in student-faciliated exhibitions. the master plan of the site is to establish an artistic district, in conjunction with Frank gehry’s cleveland Museum of Art.

the form of the building was inspired by the opportunity of creating a temporal experience for both students and faculty, as result of the mechanized shutters. this provides the institution with a unique identity within the community and takes advantage of sustainable practices, including passive solar heating, indoor air quality, and shading against solar glare. providing user operability creates flexible studio arrangements for all forms of design, and the open floor plan encourages students of all disciplines to take interest in each other’s work.

the large atrium on the ground floor adjoins the existing structure with the new addition and becomes the first introduction to the institution. this space is the embodiment of the forum-like environment the school is seeking. BS

clevelAndinStitUte oF ArtpittSBUrgh, pA | Spring 2008

| 15 cleveland institute of Art

the structural components selected for the construction of this building were intended to achieve the highest performance of visual, thermal, acoustic, and spatial requirements. together, they compose the building’s integrity and manage to reduce building and energy loads to create a comfortable, as well as proficient, working environment for faculty and students. Surpassing minimum requirements, the building also provides amenities, such as unobtrusive views outward and an expansive roof terrace. this supports the building’s conceptual idea of dissolving from a massive “block” to open to the surrounding cleveland community.

the building envelope was created to provide students with complete visual control of views outward, while still retaining privacy. the acoustical performance of the double facade diffuses the amount of reverberation that actually reaches the inner glazing. the aluminum shutters not only regulate visual clarity of the space, but also serve as shading devices against solar glare and summer heat gain when fully raised. Additionally, they also function as an insulating barrier given the airspace between the glazing system. the glazing system maximizes the amount of thermal gain during winter months with the layering of insulated glass, thus increasing its r-value.


the open floor plan was designed to create outward views of cleveland and foster collaboration between different departments. Based upon glare Metric readings, the illuminance measurement of this typical office space meets in the required level for critical work, especially during the summer months. one considerable measure that would improve the performance of the space would be the integration of operable blinds that could reflect light into the innermost corners of the space. luminance levels indicate that the most centralized region of the space is does not share the same luxury of light that the perimeter receives. Although it is not rendered, lighting fixtures, suspended in the structure, would begin to illuminate the space.

the rendered images indicate that the perimeter spaces around the office level have the ample amounts of lighting, in both seasons. however, there are also a few “hot spots” located along the ceiling and floor. if you were to imagine that office desks and furniture were included in the rendering, there is some potential for discomfort glare to become an issue. in that case, partitions could be integrated to maximize the productivity of faculty and staff. polished rubber tiling was selected as the floor material for its acoustical performance in an open floor plan, but another material might be considered just to reduce luminance levels.


| 21 larimer Masterplan

the larimer community is an existing neighborhood within pittsburgh that is plagued by continual growth of vacancy, lack of economic stimulus, and poor environmental qualities. the Kingsley center, the community organization, has reached out to the Urban redevelopment Association and carnegie Mellon’s School of Architecture to create a redevelopment strategy that projects into the next 40 years.

the vision for the urban design studio involves a transformation of larimer into a sustainable community with the generation of jobs and the education of green technologies. the proposed framework exploits the locality of massive, housing vacancies by constructing 100 acres of urban farm land. this concept proposes the growth and distribution of agriculture for the larimer community in a farmer’s market, generating job training and labor opportunities for neighbors.

existing housing located within the urban farmland is reintegrated back into the surrounding community, thus densifying the desolate area. three existing housing typologies were intensely documented, charting proximity, occupancy, and orientation in an effort to design sustainable housing that will improve poor living conditions. the largest considerations include air quality, storm water remediation, and incorporating natural daylight. Although environmental improvements influenced the design of each housing typology, fostering social connections between neighbors and neighborhood blocks became the most vital introduction. the integration of residential, mixed use, and commercial zoning attributed to the success of achieving this goal. BS

lAriMer UrBAn plAnningpittSBUrgh, pA | FAll 2008


existing housing located within the urban farmland is reintegrated back into the surrounding community, thus densifying the desolate area. three existing housing typologies were intensely documented, charting proximity, occupancy, and orientation in an effort to design sustainable housing that will improve poor living conditions. the largest considerations include air quality, storm water remediation, and incorporating natural daylight. Although environmental improvements influenced the design of each housing typology, fostering social connections between neighbors and neighborhood blocks became the most vital introduction. the integration of residential, mixed use, and commercial zoning attributed to the success of achieving this goal.


| 31 Fabrication lab

the carnegie Mellon School of Architecture’s Fabrication lab provides a venue through which students and faculty can gain experience with this new reality of the profession. it will be a vehicle for the use of advanced digitally driven design, prototyping and manufacturing equipment, fostering a context through which students and faculty are better equipped to probe the potential of pervasive digital design and manufacturing processes.

Fundamental to this is the understanding that architecture exists in the physical world and the belief that the physical realm of design investigation is a

necessary complement to virtual simulation. As such, the Fabrication lab is a bridge between the digital and the physical and is intended to be utilized throughout the design process at multiple scales.

Fundamental to this is the understanding that architecture exists in the physical world and the belief that the physical realm of design investigation is a necessary complement to virtual simulation. As such, the Fabrication lab is a bridge between the digital and the physical and is intended to be utilized throughout the design process at multiple scales. BS

digitAl FABricAtionlABorAtorypittSBUrgh, pA | FAll 2007

| 33 Fabrication lab

| 35 Wrinkles


“Wrinkles, at 820 liberty Ave., downtown (open thursday and Saturday afternoons through May 19, with support from the pittsburgh cultural trust), is an architectural installation by architecture students in david Burns’ seminar called patterning.

“Beauty is a tough word,” says Burns. he is more interested in exploring randomness and entropy, harnessing them as realities of architectural experience. Burns encourages students to explore patterns that “don’t lose their interest or their relevance as they degrade.” Maybe that’s why much of the installation appears as an engagingly impossible thicket of monofilament, also known by its household name, fishing line.

Strung meticulously through ceiling-mounted grids to hang in long, hair-like curls, it becomes a thicket of entanglement with each passing observer, particularly during its debut in the busy gallery crawl earlier this month. it becomes more and more of a beautiful mess with each observer. the shortcoming is that the mess is not a clear indicator of the high concept, meticulous study or intense labor that preceded it. the installation has two different screens of surveyor’s tape, which are articulated as parallel slats, like vertical venetian blinds. A single-layer screen in the storefront window seems semi-transparent to passing vehicles and pedestrians. More remarkably, a double-layer arrangement of two offset screens inside the space creates a startlingly lively swirling moiré pattern as viewers walk past. A very simple pattern creates infinitely dynamic experiential possibilities that depend on the motion of the individual viewer. it seems to follow you.” BS

WrinKleSpittSBUrgh, pA | Spring 2007

FricK pArK nAtAtoriUMpittSBUrgh, pA | FAll 2006

Frick park is an intimate park located near the east liberty corridor of pittsburgh. in accordance with the Site Studio, the student-selected program calls for the creation of a community spa and recreational center to primarily serve the adjacent residential zone. existing conditions include an assortment of bicycle trails, covered patios, and a bowling green. the most challenging element of siting the project is the park’s sloping topography and grading.

the form of the Frick park Aquatic center is derived from the progression of the site’s contours, in an effort to create an inviting public plaza. the land excavated out of the earth is recycled to create the entry and used as backfill. the two wings of the building separate the primary programmatic spaces: the pools and office area. the spatial arrangement addresses the issue of publicity and privacy. local plant species frame the vehicular entrance down to the drop off entrance.

one of the main features of the aquatic area is the outdoor balcony, enclosed by the vegetation wall. Using trellis wall technology, annual planting grow up the vertical wall to create an increased sense of privacy, while providing a scenic backdrop from within the pool area. the trellis wall also mitigates storm water runoff and reduces solar heat gain. the vegetation also creates a seasonal experience to all pedestrians, thus making the aquatic center a favorable destination. BS


| 41 Frick park Aquatics center

eMiSSive + coMpreSSivepittSBUrgh, pA | Spring 2008

“Wrinkles, at 820 liberty Ave., downtown (open thursday and Saturday afternoons through May 19, with support from the pittsburgh cultural trust), is an architectural installation by architecture students in david Burns’ seminar called patterning.

“Beauty is a tough word,” says Burns. he is more interested in exploring randomness and entropy, harnessing them as realities of architectural experience. Burns encourages students to explore patterns that “don’t lose their interest or their relevance as they degrade.” Maybe that’s why much of the installation appears as an engagingly impossible thicket of monofilament, also known by its household name, fishing line.

Strung meticulously through ceiling-mounted grids to hang in long, hair-like curls, it becomes a thicket of entanglement with each passing observer, particularly during its debut in the busy gallery crawl earlier this month. it becomes more and more of a beautiful mess with each observer. the shortcoming is that the mess is not a clear indicator of the high concept, meticulous study or intense labor that preceded it. the installation has two different screens of surveyor’s tape, which are articulated as parallel slats, like vertical venetian blinds. A single-layer screen in the storefront window seems semi-transparent to passing vehicles and pedestrians. More remarkably, a double-layer arrangement of two offset screens inside the space creates a startlingly lively swirling moiré pattern as viewers walk past. A very simple pattern creates infinitely dynamic experiential possibilities that depend on the motion of the individual viewer. it seems to follow you.” BS

| 45 emissive + compressive

| 47 emissive + compressive

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