architecture — ryan karczewski

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architecture portfolio

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2024

theater as a well

The city of Venice is extremely permeable, allowing for an easy exploration of the occupant and extensive moments of interaction. Exploring the ideas of view, occupation, and the “layered edge”.

Through the development of a mapping of the Venetian Canals and Campi, this project began to speak primarily on borders and edge conditions between traditionally public spaces that exist on different horizontal planes. Through further research, the Venetian Well became prevalent as a historically significant focal point within the majority of the city’s campi, acting as a communal tool that celebrated moments of interaction and allowed for residents to access water even if not adjacent to the city’s canal.

Furthermore, the idea of the layered edge became increasingly prevalent, blurring boundaries between traditionally separated spaces. If pedestrians could occupy both the canal and campo, interaction between these spaces could be celebrated through light and shadow, view, and rising tides. The canal became a stage for pedestrians to witness and interact with primarily as an audience member.

Choosing to shift the Venetian Well to occupy the center of the theater space, allows for that focal point to shift to the canal and to emphasize view as the main source of interaction between the campo and the canal. The well, naturally, also provides a vertical connection between the stage and the water below. As the tides rise, the stage and the campo become swallowed, allowing for the water to create a horizontal, and physical, connection between the two otherwise separated spaces.

concrete sequence

Interaction can exist between materials, structural elements, and between individuals and the designed project. This project explores the manipulation of concrete as a material and how these changes may affect experiential and acoustic conditions for the visitor.

Concrete inherently provides strong structural conditions and can exist as monolithic and heavy, or can develop a heavily layered structure out of thinner columns and beams. How might these different structural properties influence how the user may interact with the material and the designed spaces at large?

With a cinema space as the focus program and material as its main design driver, this project began with sketches and drawings to better understand how the user can interact with the material, and how material can influence the overall atmosphere of the project.

As an overall, the project investigates the dichotomy between the act of carving space out of a monolithic and large concrete element, and the act of forming a larger structure out of thinner assembled elements. Further, this project explores how these structural conditions might aid in the manipulation of light and create specific spatial conditions that are inherent of a traditional cinema and theater space.

In addition to the overall structure, this project also explores the articulation of the concrete material itself - at a much smaller scale - in order to inform program and aid in the experiential and acoustic qualities of specific spaces; the cinema space, concessions and ticketing, and circulation. This is explored through material tests and articulating concrete through bush hammering, chiseling, and the use of acid.

Exploring concrete at both a large and small scales makes space for different scales of interaction; view, touch, acoustics, and more.

as above, so below

Through a heavy analysis of Parisian architecture, artistic expression, and countercultural practices, this project sought to redesign Place de la Republique to support countercultural expression and protest, and simplify its busy metro station.

This project was heavily inspired by the works of Jean Dubuffet and his study of the metro and its ability to desegregate Parisian society while support “underground” countercultural pracitces.

It began by understanding Place de le Republique as a center for counterculture and protest, and analyzing the plaza’s recent redesign. Through this research it was clear that there exists a disconnect between the underground - both in a literal and figurative sense - and the above ground plaza.

To resolve this, the design maintains the overall integrity of the plaza while adding physical elements - columns, level changes, and glass viewports - that break down the space into more of a human scale and protest visitors from oncoming traffic. Further, it extended the monument below ground to act as the center of the resdesigned underground space, and allow for graffiti and countercultural expression to exist full time. It lastly, simplified the entrances to the metro stations by moving the ticket centers to just above each of the lines, and adjusts the grade to support further ease of travel for buses and bikes around the plaza.

the fourth corner

The Fourth Corner was created as a natural expansion to the largest community land trust and housing co-op in the country: the Beverly Laurel Community Land Trust, in Los Angeles, California. Upon visiting the BVCLT in early February, the studio was given a tour of their properties and were able to interview residents on what they envision as a beneficial expansion to the property within its undeveloped southeast corner.

Working within a group, with Makenna Karst and Caelin Johnson, we were inspired by the BVCLT’s heavy use of found objects as a form of design, construction, and renovation. Our project, the Fourth Corner, sought to create a set of prefabricated studio and two bedroom units surrounded by a light steel structure acting as the circulation; keeping overall costs low and maximizing sunlight and their relationship with nature.

Along with the units, the north corner of the project acts as a flexibile community space with a row of market and workshop booths that allow residents, many of which already make and sell goods fron their own apartments, to have a designated workshop and vending space.

processional confessional

In large cities like Venice, interaction can occur among strangers or among friends, and is oftentimes influenced by the designed spaces that these interactions may occur in, and the personal background of the individual. The City of Venice maintains a specific duality between its heavy Catholic influence and the presence of its legendary Carnivale - a yearly festival that allows residents to “sin” under the disguise of masks and artificial characters. To emphasize this duality, this project uses a confessional booth as the basis of a modular structure and sought to make a physical connection between two churches bordering the Santa Maria Nova Campo.

Creating a raised and veiled walkway, this project further investigates interaction at a much more personal level, allowing visitors to confess their deepest secrets to passers by and strangers while under the protection of an architectural facade. Creating a much needed space for anonymous interactions to occur within a densely populated city.

three sisters tower

Harkening back to the development of layers and the presence of interconnecting horizontal planes, this project began with the study of New York City - specifically Park Avenue. Through further exploration of the city’s vertical layering techniques, we better understood how these techniques can cause social and economic changes between neighborhoods. As Park Avenue journeys north, the change of level of the rail line - from under to above ground - creates a physical barrier between the Upper East Side and East Harlem.

Following this initial research - the class was challenged in creating a multi-use tower just south of the Hudson Yards development. On the border of one of the most expensive housing developments in the nation’s history, and in the center of one of the city's most intense food deserts, my partner and I sought to address a need for more affordable housing as well as access to more affordable food and community resources.

The project, the “Three Sisters Tower”, aims to be a self-sufficient urban farm, market, residential, and research facility. It derives its name from the farming technique developed by the Native Americans of the region, which utilizes the nutrients and low growth height of beans and squash to support the vertical height of the cornstalk. Programmatically, this concept translates to the horizontal ground floor marketplace and horizontal research facility supporting the growth and sale of produce developed within the vertical farms located within each residential module. Each of these programs are centered around two specific cores, both of which are used to funnel, collect, and disperse rainwater.

The tower itself rises vertically through the development and addition of each residential and farming module. Each module contains four floors of apartment spaces that implement constructed shades, allowing for residents to adjust the amount of interaction they want with the outside world. Each module also contains a scientific research station and a “rooftop” glass greenhouse. The module allows water to enter the core itself - as well as the greenhouse - by requiring an open air cavity to be present between itself and the next module and a constructed drainage system to allow rainwater to collect and fall within the walls of the elevator core.

separation of scale

To further investigate various forms of interaction, this next project focuses on threshold, the overall juxtaposition between barrier and access, and how architecture and structural elements may play a role in emphasizing these ideas.

By developing two parallel paths, this barrier becomes realized by the void that separates these two paths. The void is physically unsurpassable but can be crossed through view, light and shadow, and potentially smell and sound. Allowing for four out of the five senses to cross this threshold.

Scale is then further developed through the presence of both the elephant and human, allowing for the two parallel paths to develop varied structural qualities.

florida landscape

Returning again to how the natural environment, specifically the rise and fall of tidal waters, contributes to barrier, access, and interaction across horizontal planes, this project centers itself within Florida, particularly Cedar Key and its barrier islands.

Water seemingly weaves in and out of the mangroves - both horizontally and vertically - as the tides rise and fall. However, despite the heavy presence and interactions with the tidal waters, the region lacks spaces for recreation and public bathing. To address this while using water as a focal point, the project became a public bathhouse that allows water - as tides rise and fall - to fill each room creating different levels of interaction that change throughout the day.

Horizontally, weaving became the main inspiration behind the project’s structural organization; creating a knit pattern of stacked horizontal beams - supporting both the roof and floor - interconnected with the vertical columns that influence the boundaries of each of the occupiable bathing rooms.

Vertically, as the water rises and enters the spaces through the floor, each room begins to fill up one level at a time. The pedestrian bridge at the north and the boat dock at the south are at a high enough level that they will not fill with water, allowing for two dry spaces to be separated along a further and further distance as more water fills the pools in between the two spaces.

A lthough these rooms are created specifically for bathing, the ideas of barrier and access are played with as individuals will have to swim in order to cross the now wet threshold.

horror house

Further studying barriers and access, this project is based on traditional horror movie tropes and set design techniques, focusing on how spatial barriers can be created for “intruders” while remaining accessible to the owner.

Split into three distinct sections, the entry cabin exists upon a level plain within the mountains of Lake Garda. The cabin shines like a relic of safety within a densely forested area. Natural light enters the cabin through its structured edge shade - similar to the horizontal slats of a closet door, a common place of refuge for the victim within a horror movie.

The entry cabin also holds the entrance to a network of underground tunnels connecting the shower space and sleeping quarters. These hallways disorient visitors through constant changing of scales and lighting conditions brought on by the project's structural design.

The tunnel then connects to the secluded overlook cabin, housing the main living spaces, toilet, kitchen, and projector space. It also receives natural light through the constructed horizontal shade, however unlike the entry cabin, these shades are now movemable, allowing the space to open up like a closet once the resident is comfortable to do so.

insulation jacket

In order to further understand raw materials and textile making, myself and partners created a jacket using raw wool roving sleeves, and a weaved vest using cotton and wool.

The jacket explores how materials used in insulation processes can further be used to warm the body itself and explores textile and fabrication techniques; sewing and digital weaving.