PORTFOLIO

EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN Giancarlo V Montano University of Texas at Arlington B.S. Arch, Minor in Architecture History 2004-2008 Pursuing Master of Architecture

CUBE

EXTRACTING MEANING FROM ORTHOGONAL CONSTRAINTS

The semester project was an evaluation of ideas based on simple cube configurations. This eventually led to exercises in composition via physical models, drawings and digital learning devices. By starting off with cubes of specific dimension and an open ended developmental interpretation within orthogonal constraints, the evolution of the model helped to develop an intuitive understanding of scales and composition.

SPRING 2005

The cubic composition for this particular model lent itself to a linear progression. As a method for demonstrating a rhythmic sequence, a series of frames were strategically placed to exhibit a progression of variations on a theme.
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This configuration implied a centrifugal or radiating composition, which was suited for a demonstration of solid to void. The central cube represents a solid mass with the frames representing ambiguous conditions of implied space and delicate structural members.

The five cubes that make up this configuration has strength in one direction, which enables a clear exhibition of the rhythm to repetition that occurs between the structural members. One side is evenly spaced and allows the rhythmic sequence of the other side to occur within it.

Cube Composition
GIANCARLO MONTANO

The base model was a device that provided contextual information for the cube configuration exercises. It was based on numbers consistent with the Fibonacci sequence, thereby allowing possibilities for proportional relationships across the base model.

1 Top down-model 2 Close up-model 3 Full model elevation 4 Longitudinal View-blue and green 5 Oblique front view-red, orange and green 6 Top down view-red, orange and silver 7 Oblique close up-green, orange and silver 1

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

SUSP
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MAPPING STRATEGEM+ SUSPENSION PROTOTYPES

The exercises in this studio originated in developing innovative techniques in displaying art and evolved into a variety of solutions for multiple projects. As a studio, we began investigating how to manipulate a sheet of paper as the basis for an outdoor art gallery. As we programmed mapping strategies and developed concepts, we began to distinguish and define our own projects.

SPRING 2008

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Gaming Structure
In the beginning, the objective of the project was to create a temporary outdoor gallery space for an art festival that takes place in Austin, Texas, every spring. The task was to construct a possible space for a 10x20x10 space from one sheet of paper and document the process through stop motion photography. The initial assembly is constructed through a gaming structure informed by simple arithmetic calculations. Having the documentation aided in the development of a temporal sensibility. One can look at the photography and see the finished piece and reverse engineer it to discover its inception.

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Prototype of Suspension Mechanism for the Effective Display of Artistic Work

Apartment Plan for First Suspension Prototype Based on Gaming Structure

Mapping Strategem
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Our next task was to integrate systems and map them into the object. It was here where I started to develop a suspension matrix where the movable parts are informed by a gameboard structure. This evolved from early experimentation with the concept behind algorithms and calculators.

1 Elevation One 2 Elevation Two 3 Sequence of Generation

Investigating Potential Arrangements of Gallery Based on Arithmetic Calculations

Iterations of Vertically Oriented Gallery from Which Art will be Suspended

GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

SUSP

MAPPING STRATEGEM+ SUSPENSION PROTOTYPES

The exercises in this studio originated in developing innovative techniques in displaying art and evolved into a variety of solutions for multiple projects. As a studio, we began investigating how to manipulate a sheet of paper as the basis for an outdoor art gallery. As we programmed mapping strategies and developed concepts, we began to distinguish and define our own projects.

SPRING 2008

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GIANCARLO MONTANO

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Suspend Film
As a tool for investigating how art could be observed as suspended objects, I

developed a prototype in my apartment. I used the medium of short film to understand how temporal changes came into play with the art. A gaming structure was set up on the perimeter of the apartment as a guide for plug and play suspension cables to hang the objects.

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

SUSP
TOGS Austin
In the beginning, the objective of the project was to create a temporary outdoor gallery space for an art festival that takes place in Austin, Texas, every spring. The task was to construct a possible space for a 10x20x10 space from one sheet of paper and document the process through stop motion photography. The initial assembly was constructed through a gaming structure informed by simple arithmetic calculations. This evolved into a study in suspending the art as a way of vertically experiencing the space and how it influences the art.

MAPPING STRATEGEM+ SUSPENSION PROTOTYPES

The exercises in this studio originated in developing innovative techniques in displaying art and evolved into a variety of solutions for multiple projects. As a studio, we began investigating how to manipulate a sheet of paper as the basis for an outdoor art gallery. As we programmed mapping strategies and developed concepts, we began to distinguish and define our own projects.

SPRING 2008

Magok S. Korea

The Magok Waterfront in South Korea was a group project that blended the ideas of our individual Austin projects into a central concept. As a group, we decided to touch upon the socio-political rift between North and South Korea as an impetus for a project based on biological healing processes. The site is has a natural inlet that can be seen as a chasm or scar that needs to be healed. The pod typologies that float in the water act as inhabitable bridges that go across. These are held in place by the connective tissue that physically and symbolically hold the project together.

GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

The studio was tasked to design a program for the undefined urban space that occurred at the exit to the Uffizi in Florence, Italy. I initated the project with several studies of the famous citys urban grain and rich history. Diagramming the city revealed that Santa Maria della Fiore, the psychological center of Florence and Santa Croce , the burial place of Galileo, create a cross-intersection at the project site. This initiated a rough organization of the building. Eventually I saw a possibility for two buildings to represent the past and the present linking the traffic of those exiting the Uffizi to the neighboring Piazza del Grano. The building immediately facing the Uffizi is a museum celebrating the life of Galileo. The major focus is an observatory that houses one of his telescopes. The building that defines the urban edge of the Piazza del Grano is a small art-house cinema that shows the most current and compelling films not found in major box office venues. This gives the setting an oppurtunity to be utilized at night when the museum is closed.

ITALY

ITALIAN EXPRESSION OF SPATIAL DEFINITION

The University of Texas at Arlington has a great tradition of taking a handful of students to Italy to rediscover one of the origins of defined public spaces and utilization of classical Western beauty in an urban context. Our travels took us to various urban centers of Italy in pursuit of piazzas, churches, and how the preservation of the old have influenced the modern. The experience was eventually tken back to studio to turn into a project.

SUMMER 2006/ SPRING 2007

Exiting Uffizi
Map of Florence indicating Santa Maria della Fiore, the Uffizi Exit Site, and Santa Croce 1 First Floor 2 Second Floor 3 Third Floor 4 Section cut through Uffizi, the Galileo museum, and arthouse theatre 5

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GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

ITALY

ITALIAN EXPRESSION OF SPATIAL DEFINITION

The University of Texas at Arlington has a great tradition of taking a handful of students to Italy to rediscover one of the origins of defined public spaces and utilization of classical Western beauty in an urban context. Our travels took us to various urban centers of Italy in pursuit of piazzas, churches, and how the preservation of the old have influenced the modern. The experience was eventually tken back to studio to turn into a project.

SUMMER 2006/ SPRING 2007

In the summer of 2006 I traveled to Italy for a study abroad in architecture. While there I sketched and took photographs to further examine how the countrys great cities were designed and how architecture was used to inform public space. Our travels took us to Rome, Florence, Verona, Venice, Vicenza, Lake Como and Milan

FotoItalia

GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

TEMP

TEMPORAL SURFACE+ SPATIAL+STRUCTURAL STUDIES

During this semester, the studio was asked to observe the temporal conditions and nuances that are potential in static structures but rarely explored. Via diagrams, stop motion photography, and motion picture, the exercise enabled us to consciously observe static surfaces and armatures as constantly changing forms.

FALL 2006

Descent, Decipher
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The main project objective was to reverse engineer Marcel Duchamps Nude Descending A Staircase to further understand the temporal conditions and movements of the work. The process was initiated through studies of how the artwork was organized as a stationery composition and also how it demonstrated movement beyond the canvas. The studio was then asked to interpolate between the diagrams and create an original composition that interpreted the extracted concepts. Through this process, I began to understand that nuances and technicalities, however intimidating or overwhelming, can be understood and developed into original systems.

Large Fields 1 Euclidean Geometries 2 Major Delineations 3 Fields of Time 4 Intermediate Fields 5 Small Fields 6 Vibrations 7 Nodes and Trajectories 8 Nude Descending A Staircase No. 2, Marcel Duchamp 9 Original Production Based on Studies 10

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GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

TEMP
Dynamic Diptych

TEMPORAL SURFACE+ SPATIAL+STRUCTURAL STUDIES

During this semester, the studio was asked to observe the temporal conditions and nuances that are potential in static structures but rarely explored. Via diagrams, stop motion photography, and motion picture, the exercise enabled us to consciously observe static surfaces and armatures as constantly changing forms.

FALL 2006

The studio was asked to choose a mechanism that possessed three dynamic components. The piano key is a complex machine that is used to produced sound. I extracted the three movable components as a genesis for the next step of the assignment, which was to generated a terrain, a spatial object and a connector piece. Finally, we were asked to convey this transition from a static object to a dynamic environment through a diptych. This was to demonstrate our understanding of ephemeral conditions in three dimensional objects through a two dimensional medium.

Static piano key section with multiple movable components

As piano key is struck a space develops between the hammer and the base. This is documented in orange across the dyptyph.

Section cut dematerializes into a boolean terrain

Terrain and void begin to amalgamate and take shape

Final image is a dynamic void created by the striking of the piano key, which is collided within the boolean terrain of the section cut

GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

TEMP
Temporal Surface
The objective was to develop a methodology of identifying movement in an object. Every fold was monitored as a move was captured and exhibited via stop motion photography. This enabled a closer examination of how dynamic surfaces can be accounted for, and is analogous to logically keeping track of an evolving studio design.

TEMPORAL SURFACE+ SPATIAL+STRUCTURAL STUDIES

During this semester, the studio was asked to observe the temporal conditions and nuances that are potential in static structures but rarely explored. Via diagrams, stop motion photography, and motion picture, the exercise enabled us to consciously observe static surfaces and armatures as constantly changing forms.

FALL 2006

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Surface Studies in Film

Our world has become increasingly fast-paced. Most of the time, the environment that lay before us is experienced in passing. The blurring of static objects causes us to perceive them as something entirely different. Through these digital exercises, I was able to further investigate these nuances in temporal armatures and surfaces and began to see how they inform our current environment. It was the ultimate object of the studio to communicate these perceptions through movies and digital media so that they may be more clearly understood.

1 Surface Model 2 Surface Studies 3 Nurb Model with Cartesian Armature 4 Temporal Studies

GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

PEEP

SOANE HOUSE EXPANSION AND RENOVATION

The study of the organization and methodology of the Soane House led to an understanding of designing for narrower infill spaces and the importance of natural lighting. The program called for a series of spaces that would facilitate a school for drawing. This particular studio deliberately coincided with an art and architecture history course. The students were encouraged to study other masters of light and space to enrich the process.

SPRING 2006

CAMERA OBSCURA As part of the program, a room for a camera oscura was included as a learning device for drawing.

ORGANIZATION Studying the Soane House revealed techniques for maximizing narrow spaces by utilizing a strategy of thresholds and a tri-partite scheme.

TEA ROOM Utilizing John Soanes technique of bringing in natural light as a basis of design for the tea room

LIGHT WELL Looking to Borromini and Carravaggio as a method of bringing natural light to the stage of the salon

PERSPECTIVE ROOM Looking to Borromini and Carravaggio for optical illusions and changing perceptions of space.

LIVE DRAWING SALON A large, naturally lit room is optimal for life drawing. The stage is set for observation.

GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

SCAPE
Ground Scraper

DESIGN HIGH SCHOOL LOS ANGELES

The studio was an examination of post-modernist concepts and discovering ways of expressing architecture as landscape. The process began with a simple idea of bringing up the ground and pulling down the sky. It eventually evolved into a theoretical high school for the creative arts to be situated in Los Angeles, California. The mission of the charter school was to not merely teach curriculum but to understand hoe they are designed.

FALL 2007

Conceptually, I was tasked to develop the floors as a series of landscapes stacked on top of one another. This initiated how the spaces were organized and how light was to get into the building. I was asked to create to options for the roof of the bulding, which was to act as an outdoor plaza for the public. One is composed of a red, recycled rubber material. The other is essentially a conceptual The studio was an examination of post-modernist concepts and discovering ways of expressing architecture as landscape. The process began with a simple idea of bringing up the ground and pulling down the sky. It eventually evolved into a theoretical high school for the creative arts to be situated in Los Angeles, California. The mission of the charter school was to not merely teach curriculum but to foster an understanding of how these typical school subjects are designed The pocket-pivot walls are designed to be configured into classrooms or to open up completely for optimum interaction between the classes.

The floorplans of the building are organized have classrooms are the perimeter, open to natural light. The movable partition walls allow the classrooms to be open during an assembly on the middle platform. This middle platform not only acts as the major form of circulation, but also as seating for a performance.

The face of the building is composed of glass and operable louvers to ventilate the building with fresh outdoor air. The arrangement of the materials implied letters

GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

MINE

PERSONAL STUDIES IN GRAPHICS

Post graduate life in the workforce and out of a structured pedagogy allowed for a rediscovery of daydreamy sketches while using the logical systems of architectural graphics to post rationalize them. I found this time in my life made me more self aware of how I can see objects or environments and take them out of scale or context in order to further examine them.

POST COLLEGE

Personal Excercises
GIANCARLO MONTANO

These studies were based on a dream about an unidentifiable layered construct that housed spatial settings for several reoccurring dreams that I have had throughout my life. It is never the same structure twice, however, for the purpose of this exercise, one iteration of the construct was examined.

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

MINE

PERSONAL STUDIES IN GRAPHICS

Post graduate life in the workforce and out of a structured pedagogy allowed for a rediscovery of daydreamy sketches while using the logical systems of architectural graphics to post rationalize them. I found this time in my life made me more self aware of how I can see objects or environments and take them out of scale or context in order to further examine them.

POST COLLEGE

Personal Exercises
These studies involved examinations of the forms and spaces that occur in the human body. By observing the sinous texture of muscles, the structure of the skeleton in various positions, and dissecting inner organs, many ideas were formed on how to communicate complex systems and generate interesting forms and spaces.

GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

WORK

JONATHAN BAILEY ASSOCIATES + US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

Since May of 2007, the architecture and construction industry have given me great insight and a wealth of knowledge. I am humbled by the fact that I have been gainfully employed despite the economic meltdown and our current circumstances. It has not been without struggle, but it has helped mr immensely in defining my interest and finding what I want out of life.

2007PRESENT

West Kauai Medical Center

I had full responsibility over graphical representation of the building envelope. As the design documentation process went on, it was my responsibility to ensure that the proper adjustment were reflected in the elevations.

GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

WORK

JONATHAN BAILEY ASSOCIATES + US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

Since May of 2007, the architecture and construction industry have given me great insight and a wealth of knowledge. I am humbled by the fact that I have been gainfully employed despite the economic meltdown and our current circumstances. It has not been without struggle, but it has helped mr immensely in defining my interest and finding what I want out of life.

2007PRESENT

West Kauai Medical Center

My involvement with the project varied from development of the envelope to cost estimation. Within the plans, it was part of my responsibility to ensure that the patient rooms complied with ADA, that the rooms were per the requirements of the clinical planning, and that the graphics properly referenced the correct sheets.

GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

WORK

JONATHAN BAILEY ASSOCIATES + US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

Since May of 2007, the architecture and construction industry have given me great insight and a wealth of knowledge. I am humbled by the fact that I have been gainfully employed despite the economic meltdown and our current circumstances. It has not been without struggle, but it has helped mr14 immensely in defining my interest and finding what I want out of life.
SHOCK/ TRAUMA

2007PRESENT

2' - 0"

6' - 9"
TC-128B 307C

101A

G3 G3 TC-134 101A

145 - 10 NCOIC

8' - 0"

TC-128A 307C

CORRIDOR
TC-128 FEC

3' - 6 3/4" 8' - 4 1/4"

CLR.

1' - 9 3/4"

1' - 0"

TC-109 101A G3 F8 G3

EQUIPMENT STORAGE
G3

M TLT M LOCKER
TC-109 TC-110

T5
M SHOWER
TC-111

G3

G3

S4
G3

Insulated duct through existing masonry wall is improperly sealed

2' - 0"
TC-108A 307C

FEC 9' - 3 1/2" 5 7/8"

TC-108B 307C

G3

7 CORRIDOR

3' - 1 7/8" CORRIDOR 4' - 11 1/4" TC-108

2 hour fire rated gypsum does not extend all the way to the deck

Army Corps of Engineers BAMC Consolidated Tower

As a team member of the technical branch, I provided technical architectural support on site. A large part of this task was to inspect construction and ensure that they were in compliance with the project and shop drawings and specifications.

Large conduits penetrating fire rated deck. Floor assembly does not exhibit proper fire rating technique as submittal prescribes.
3' - 10 1/2"
DO

1' - 8 5/8"

26' - 10 3/8"

6
F8

6' - 2 5/8"

1' - 5"
D4

18' - 0" 8' - 0"

TN-102 101A

MECHANICAL RM
TN-101 7/8" 8' - 4 3/8" 7/8" 2 A-503 CONC. UTILITY PAD 8' - 6"
F8

FE

FE 8' - 9" 7' - 4 1/4"

B3 UP B3 B3 TL-128 101A

2 A-320 3 7/8" 1

M.O.

F8

6 26' - 10 3/8" 17' - 3 1/4"

B3

9' - 9 1/2"

2' - 11 1/4"
F8

1' - 10"

6 7' - 0"

TL-128

11' - 2 1/4"

ELECTRICAL RM

3' - 6 1/4" 12' - 7"

11' - 8 5/8"
F8

3' - 10 1/2" 6 25' - 8 7/8"

1' - 0"

FE 4' - 8 3/8" 6' - 11 3/4"

ALIGN

H2

TN-101 262A

STAIR #08
TL-129 141A

Large conduits penetrating fire rated deck. Floor assembly is not fire rated at all

36 1' - 11" 10' - 3"

PB VESTIBULE
TL-122
TL-122B 411D TL-122A 411D

PB
2' - 0 3/4" 10' - 3"

1' - 11" 1' - 4 3/4"

G3 B3

1 A-320

1 A-416

CORR
TL-123

91

TLT PUB F ROLLING COUNTER TL-117 SHUTTERS 18' - 0"

OFFICE

12' - 1 1/2"

G3

14' - 1 1/8"

As a team member of the technical branch, I provided technical architectural support on site. I used this time as an oppurtunity to understand the relationship between physical construction and contract drawings vis-a-vis themedium of sketches.

Unprotected hole in a two hour fire rated wall, incorrect wall label

GIANCARLO MONTANO

PORTFOLIO: EXPLORING LOCAL RESOURCES IN PURSUIT OF GLOBAL DESIGN

PURSUING MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE