C E Z A R N I C O L E S C U

R H O D E I S L A N D S C H O O L O F D E S I G N 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 9B A C H E L O R O F A R C H I T E C T U R E B A C H E L O R O F F I N E A R T S

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Section of the Reconstructed Fondou ks Sbitr iy ine (lef t) and Chemmaine (R ig ht)

Demolition and Preser vation Plan of Chemmaine and Sbitr iy ine

Equirectang u lar Projection Sur vey Photog raph of Sbitr iy ine Court yard

P r o f e s s i o n a l . W o r k

Fè s Fo n d o u k s RehabilitationKilo Architectures . Paris / Casablanca

Section of the Reconstructed Fondou ks Sbitr iy ine (lef t) and Chemmaine (R ig ht)

Demolition and Preser vation Plan of Chemmaine and Sbitr iy ine

A fondou k is the Ma g rheb 's equivelent of the more common ly understood Ca rava nsera i : a n inn in which travelers ca n rest a nd recover f rom a long journey. Fabr ication rooms a nd adjacenet storef ronts a l so a l lowed ref inement a nd the sel l ing of goods . Fondou k s , ca rava nsera i , a nd their reg iona l equivelents suppor ted the f low of commerce , information, a nd people across the trade routes bet ween A sia , Nor th A f r ica a nd Europe .

Four Fondou k s whose in habitat ions spa nned the prev ious t welve centur ies in the a ncient med ina of Fès required urgent rehabi l itat ion a nd restoration. One of them wa s in habited a nd other three were in aba ndoned r uin .

Responsibi l ites included site sur vey ing , photog ra mmetr ic data capture , str uctura l a nd mater ia l eva luations , d ia log ue w ith eng ineers a nd a rchaeolog ists , the creation a nd publ ication of book s deta i l ing the minute cond it ions of each room a nd str uctura l a nd orna menta l e lement of the fondou k s , a nd the generaton of a deta i led set of d raw ing s for the ex ista nt cond it ion a nd reconstr uction of the fondou k s .

A l l three-d i mensiona l representation a nd photog raphy here i s sol e ly my ow n wo rk .

Equirectang u lar Projection Sur vey Photog raph of Sbitr iy ine Court yard

E x isting (as of 2010) Condition of Fondou k el Barka Detai led Renderings of Reconstruction of el Barka

E x isting (as of 2010) Condition of Fondou k el Barka Detai led Renderings of Reconstruction of el Barka

E x isting (2010) Condition of Fondou k Staouniyine

A nnotated Reconstruction Detai ls of Fondou k Sbitr iy ine

Detai led Perspective of Reconstruction of Staouniyine

Detai led Perspective of Reconstruction of el Barka

E x isting (2010) Condition of Fondou k Staouniyine

A nnotated Reconstruction Detai ls of Fondou k Sbitr iy ine

Detai led Perspective of Reconstruction of Staouniyine

Detai led Perspective of Reconstruction of el Barka

Board 2 of the competion entr y

P r o f e s s i o n a l . W o r k

Fès Place Lalla Y e d d o u n a C o m p e t i t i o nKilo Architectures . Paris / Casablanca

Board 2 of the competion entr y

Place L a l la Yeddouna i s a sma l l pla za that l ies at the center of the med ina of Fès in Morocco. W hi le it current ly f unctions a s a v ibra nt foca l point of the neig hbrohood , it fa i l s to ta ke adva nta ge of it s unique geog raphy a nd topog raphy. We proposed to v isua l ly a nd prog ra mmatica l ly reconnect the pla za a nd the v icinit y into a contig uous explorable place by en ha ncing v isua l connections a nd the interactiv it y of adjacent str uctures .

A l l three-d i mensiona l representation shown for this project i s d rawn a nd rendered solely by me .

Board 1 of the competion entr y

Board 1 of the competion entr y

D e g r e e . P r o j e c t

S u b wayQ ua r r yM arketAdvisor : Peter Tagiuri

Quarry, Subway, Market. I combined these three programs which correlate with three realms of urban identity: Geology, Geography, and Gastronomy. I treat them as both literal themes and infra-structural and experiential correlations. The Quarry cre-ates the space and the building material. The sta-tion brings in the city. The market is derived from their intersection. Subway cars are at first retooled to quarry, and then later to act as distributors of food for the marketplace.

The quarried stone is used to replace the temporar y market (whose structure a lso f unctions as formwork)

The abi l it y to quarr y stone is aug mented to the subway system. New subterranean spaces are created , as wel l a s new bui lding materia l .

The quarried stone is used to replace the temporar y market (whose structure a lso f unctions as formwork)

The abi l it y to quarr y stone is aug mented to the subway system. New subterranean spaces are created , as wel l a s new bui lding materia l .

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F o r d h a m G n e i s s

M a r k e t p l a c e( A b o v e - g r o u n d p o r t i o n )

Q u a r r y T u n n e l s

I n d w o o d L i m e s t o n e

M a n h a t t a n S c h i s t

E x i s t i n g S u bw ay L i ne +S t a t ion

West 191st Street + BroadwayWashington Heights / InwoodManhattan, New York City

Ga l ler y space intert wines throug h a block of 7 interdependent towers , winding throug h residentia l , reta i l , studio, and industria l prog rams

BabelBlockJo h n K een en

re t a i l e t c .

t he g a l ler y

t he g a l ler y

s t ud io s . ap a r t ment s

Ga l ler y space intert wines throug h a block of 7 interdependent towers , winding throug h residentia l , reta i l , studio, and industria l prog rams

t he g a l ler y

t he g a l ler y c a f é e t c .

s t ud io s . ap a r t ment s

From the exterior, the block appears a sing u lar composition. From the inner court yard/piazza , the block divides into blocks , and becomes a civ ic center of prog rammatic interchange (a .k .a . urbanit y) within the path of the hig h l ine .

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From the exterior, the block appears a sing u lar composition. From the inner court yard/piazza , the block divides into blocks , and becomes a civ ic center of prog rammatic interchange (a .k .a . urbanit y) within the path of the hig h l ine .

grand exhibitiion hall

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Excessive ValuesA n d y T o w e r + Y u M o r i s h i t a

This studio served as a testing gound of several key interests of mine:

. analysis of historically evolving values which architects builders and clients em-body into their structures

. coercion of structures to allow for new programs

. intersection of historically disperate construction strategies in structures

. monuments consumed by the vernacu-lar, the vernacular ennobled to the status of monumenality.

. the failure of architectural and urban codes in allowing urban diversity, both physically and programatically

We began with a case study:

118 North Main Street, Providence.

During the long life of the house (1772 - present), the structure went through a rich accumulation of alterations, most notably a 1905 addition that resulted in the house be-ing raised an entire story at the ground level in order to insert a storefront. Several years later, its original interior furnishings were spliced into the Brooklyn Museum. My study tracked the societal and economic values behind these modifications

118 N. Main St.

1772 1905 20 08

The premise of planning an 18th Cen-tury dwelling in New England lies in the ef-ficiencies of creating, distributing, and con-taining heat during the cold windy winters.

177220 08

Va lue : Structura l + Infrastructura l Ma l leabi l it y

Va lue : Heat Distr ibution from FireplacesVa lue : Prog rammatic Flex ibi l it y (Marketabi l it y)

In my mind, cities (societies) fail when they cut themselves

from ground.

The American Metropolis (generally without city) is long

gone as a fabric of densities/accumulations/resources/capil-

laries/opportunity, but exists mostly as a matrix of numbered

tax lots designations, highway exits, spaceless “nodes”. It

doesn’t matter from where your eggplant, chicken, or brick

comes from as long as the supplier’s excel chart stays numeri-

cally stable.

So as the requirement to have ground and to belong to

ground dissipate behind the f lat panel display and the ta-

chometer, so does our sacred right to ground.

In this studio we were given a site, and empty lot, in the

“historic center” of Providence. The previous occupier of the

site was an old church that recently had burnt to the ground.

The accidental subtraction created an opportunity for the rec-

lamation of a type of ground (the dirty type that escapes des-

ignation/ordination) that the city had long since forsaken:

The space that could be a market (I’m not talking about the

market itself yet). This is a site without a back or front, with-

out dichotomy of interface and mechanism. It thus would not

be conducive to the model of the consumer and the consum-

ables. It’s only a trading ground for Providence.

Changing economies and infrastructures are out of the

sphere of inf luence of the architecture student, but I could

at least make an offering: Expand and share the ground by

exploiting a f lotsam of urbanistic, structural, and historical

opportunities. (a side-lot wall becomes a face to a basilica/

bazaar) (a grid of suspension cables supporting two removed

f loor slabs become providers of utility) (previous historical

interventions are exposed and their dialogue reanimated to

generate buildings within buildings, and thus urban ground

within interiors and interior walls through urban spaces)

True urbanism (old urbanism) happens in the corpse, not

anatomically but sculpturally. Old urbanism is the worship

of ground.

The Evolution of Corpses

Perspective .15 : E xcavated Shel l of 159 Weybosset Street

Long itudiona l Section . 01 : Commercia l A nchor + Market Grounds

Long itudiona l Section . 02 : Access Core + Market Ha l l

Long itudiona l Section . 01 : Commercia l A nchor + Market Grounds

Long itudiona l Section . 02 : Access Core + Market Ha l l

Plan .05 : Market Ha l l (Yel low) + Market Grounds

E x isting Site Condition ( 151 Weybosset Street . Providence . R I )

A lterations .01+.02 : Structura l (red) + Ser vicing /mechanica l (blue)

E x isting Site Condition ( 151 Weybosset Street . Providence . R I )

Structura l and spatia l possibi l ities for the transformation of a vestig ia l a l ley into a porous baazar

Structura l and spatia l possibi l ities for the transformation of a vestig ia l a l ley into a porous baazar

I n t e g r a t e d . B u i l d i n g . S y s t e m s

D iss ec t i o n and RetrofitLynnette Widder + Andy Tower

During my time at risd, I lived in an 18th Century bay window. I wanted to turn it into a stage that could face both outward and inward. In this project, I replaced the double-hung windows with casement windows, and in-serted collapsable benches into the floor which could unfold into a series of stages protruding outwards.

Detroit StudioThomas Gardner + Matthew Miller

This is an architectural fantasia in which the collapse of a national economy

is transcribed into a regenerative urbanity: Compare Detroit and

Rome after the collapse of their respective empires. Spoilt temples

are junkyards. The visigoths probably look like Mad Max,

and the Chrylser emblem is the new corinthian capital.

Detroit : a s A rmature for Hyper-Urban g row th : Infrastructure and Grandeur included.

Oppurtunit y for urban fabric rec ycl ing (ex isting transport infrastructure + vast bui lding materia l stock (spol ia)

Unit to Unit g row th = new (old) urban sca le : usurption of the “getting there” culture in favor of the “being here” culture of urbanity

Photog raph ta ken a nd processed by aut hor.

Of fering : Gif t of Densit y

Opportunit y : It’s three ha lves Fu l l

Perspectiva l Interpolations

Section .0 4

Perspectiva l Interpolations

P H O T O L O G U E S

v e d i n a p o l i e p o i m u o r i