Tyler Mikolajczak

FreeiThought Vs. MassiIdentity

Architecture Athenaeum

LINKS Across Dorr Street

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House For a Magician

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Owens Corning

Le Corbusier Grid Study

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Paper Folding Study

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FREE THOUGHT Vs. MASSiIDENTITY

Design Studio 5:Spring 2010 In this project I explored the ideas of people falling mindlessly into to the machine of life and comparing this to the ability to break from the mold and thinking for ones self. The form comprises two major elements the glass box, with its elaborate steel structure expressing the rigidness and monotony of massed produced popular culture, and the metamorphic thought bubble expressing the freedom of individual thought.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

The program called for exhibition space, which is enclosed in the metamorphic thought bubble as to occupy it with examples of free thought. It also called for a theater, which occupies the main floor, this informal theater becomes a catalyst for human interaction and dialogue.
Section A-A Section B-B

Sun Screen

Enclosure

Structure

Enclosure

Structure

Floor Plates

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Wall Detail

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Architecture Athenaeum

Design Studio 3:Spring 2009

A conflict exists between the park and the city. The city slowly encroaches on the park imposing its order, distorting the parks natural beauty. This building explores that idea by first replacing the trees in the footprint of the building with columns that are off plumb which gives the illusion of the organic forms of the trees. The columns are enclosed in glass creating the majority of the program of the building, which blurs the interior and exterior boundary. This glass enclosure, which is off the grid of the city, represents the park. Then the wooden box is introduced representing the city and its buildings. This box, which is on the grid of the city, distorts the glass enclosure representing the citys imposition on the park. The floating glass roof connects both the glass enclosure and the box unifying them.

Canopy

Envelope

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From Left to right: East Elevation, South Elevation, (Showing the low profile as to not take away from the openness of the park, allowing the building to disappear into the trees) the Rain Wall System, Solar Cells on Roof, Green Roof Layer Diagram ( all assimilate the building into its environment)

From Left to right: South East Exterior Corner, Interior view of South Main Lobby

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LINKS Across Dorr Street

Design Studio 4:Fall 2009 Dorr Street is a major connection between Downtown Toledo, OH and the surrounding suburbs. Over the past years Dorr Street lost its radiance and importance as a connection between urban and suburban living. The goal of this project was to revitalize this corridor to the hart of the community. This was a group project where each group worked on a specific section of Dorr Street. This specific section encompassed a university and its surrounding community. Creating important public realms within the community, connections across Dorr Street are made. Inherently, identifiable associations between the two districts are created. Specific and distinct spatial zones developed from following analysis of focal spaces, important nodes, and the created sensible connections. These newly created zones function as strategic bridging links across the datum that is Dorr Street to improve mutually both the community and the university region.

Community Mixed-use Retail

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In this group project I was responsible for analyzing the area, designing a major node along Dorr Street and composing the rendering of the node, which is on the adjacent page.

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House of a Magician
Design Studio 1: Spring 2008

This project asked to design a home for an accomplished magician. This home was designed for David Copperfield and captures essence and accomplishments of his profession as a magician. The house was designed to conceal its character as one approaches the front entrance. Once one enters it begins expose the true character of the open and glassy public area of the home. This area represents the audience of the magician being open to the possibilities of magic giving themselves to the performer. The adjacent wing of the home, which is the private quarters looks as if it were levitating above the ground.

First Floor

Second Floor

Sections

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Owens Corning
Fall 2009 Owens Corning approached The Bowling State University Architecture Program and asked if students could design elements of their booth for the 2009 United States Green Building Conference. I was among the group of five students chosen for the project. These are some pieces I designed. As a team we were asked to design and build elements of their booth using two of their premier green productsEnergy Complete spray insulation and rigid foam insulation board. Rigid foam was the primary product used being that it could withstand 40 pounds per square inch. Our charge was to use these materials in a new and unconventional way to capture the attention of conference attendees. Our goal as a group was to design a cohesive set of furniture and partition walls that had an organic shape that would contrast the practical application of the products. We also layered the product to give life and depth to the static objects.

Table

Stool

Wall

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Le Corbusier Grid Study

Design Representation 2: Fall 2007 This project required an investigation into the juxtaposition of a Cubist painting and a grid. By using a still life by Le Corbusier. The project asked for an abstraction of the elements of the painting overlaid onto a grid. Using the fundamentals of composition and design this layering of elements displayed a contrast of organic shapes and a rigid self-governing grid. My project focused on the fundamentals of integration of the two elements (painting,grid),hierarchy, and positive/negative space in two and three dimensional representation. The grid breaks down where large elements of the painting are represented and the elements of the painting become present through negative space of the grid where the grid is strong.

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Paper Folding Study

Design Studio 1: Spring 2008 This project required the study of the elements of design through the art of folding paper. By using one sheet of 8.5 x 11 and cutting and folding it I explored the idea of asymmetry and hierarchy. My design was to asymmetrically balance the two sides of this work by creating a system of squares on each side. The squares create a hierarchy in size and also depth. Also by framing different views new squares are created for example if it were viewed from the longer sides squares overlap to create the new squares. buildings. This box, which is on the grid of the city, distorts the glass enclosure representing the citys imposition on the park. The floating glass roof connects both the glass enclosure and the box unifying them.

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