Connar S Walik - BArch (PSU 05)
cwalik@gmail.com

resume


ARCHITECTURE ||| GRAPHIC ||| BOUNDRE ||| WAR & MOON


9. Coney Island Pavilion

Spring 2005 : Van Alen Competition :
: w/ Jacklynn Arndt & David Neimeic

The Parachute Jump stands as a readymade icon, used in the branding of Coney Water. The Jump is easily noted from anywhere in Coney Island drawing visitors to the pavilion. The pavilion design incorporates fresh materials, natural textures, and playful curves tempting visitors to engage in the product and environment -light sorbets are the favorite among the regulars.

Each water bottle, once purchased and consumed, becomes a currency unit. Responsively, the pavilion is positioned to redeem Coney Water on site for souvenirs, activities, etc. and successively recycle each bottle to the nearby Brooklyn recycling station.
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8. BK Warehouse Addition

Spring 2005 : Studio / Fifth Year Thesis :
: advisor: Darla Lindberg

This thesis examines the relationship between artist and upper class in each's role in the process of New York City gentrification. From the low budget adaptation of vacant space to ground-up condominiums, the future site for full circle gentrification, Red Hook, Brooklyn, is site for projections, assumptions, experiments and design searching for a common ground or median where all could live, cheaply or richly.
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7. Hadrian's Villa Competition

Fall 2003 : Group Competition :
: Primo Seminario Internazionale di Progettazione Museale

Sited within the ancient Villa of Hadrian, the project was for a museum of sculptures and other artifacts from the area as well as a new entrance to the Piranesi collection. The week long group charrette in Tivoli, Italy combined Italian and American architecture students and challenged our language as well as design differences.

Our project attempted to create a temporary and non-impacting structure that projected the appearance of the artifacts in their original place. The structure was to be composed of corten steel and was expected to age and deteriorate over time so to require maintenance and reconstruction as with the rest of the Villa. The presentation was an animated hand-drawn photo-collage using as little of our language dificiency as possible.
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6. Roger Katz & Associates

Summers 2001 to 2004 : Intern :
: Bainbridge Island, WA

As an intern for RKA, a residential firm in my home town, for 4 summers I had the opportunity to witness many changes. Notibly, my first two years were spent hand drafting and my second two drafting on the computer, I also built their website, and watched projects I had built sketch models of during my first summer (and plans I drafted during my second and details I drew in my third) transform into built form by the time of my departure.
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5. Civil War Research Inst.

Spring 2002 : Studio / Second Year :
: instructor: Patrick J. Hyland

The site of the climactic finish of the civil war, the famous address, and Richard Neutra's Cyclorama Building, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania provided the convincing location for an institute for Civil War research. Following years of neglect and poor maintenance the threat of demolishing the Cyclorama was one of the many historical factors perpetuating this project.

It became apparent that what was sacred, especially on this site, was only relative to the timeline of focus (Civil War, National Parks, Neutra, etc.) and therefore the history of the site, in its entirety, was what was to be celebrated. A visual concept of history as layers led to the addition being a stacked element on top of the Cyclorama, and other design elements such as a retaining wall where concreted was to be poured on top of the rubble Civil War wall -the presentation carried this theme over as well. There was a memorial designed built into the ground that would allow for the realization of this concept including an exposed portion into the earth showing stratified layers of earth and history.
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4. Campus Stair Installation

Spring 2002 : Elective Class / Second Year :
: instructor: Michael Mussotter

A commentary on the practice of architecture and the lack of interface to the public within the old Department of Architecture building, this temporary campus installation created the only public connection, or 'signage', from the university campus to the second-floor main office for the department.
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3. Mobile Home Design

Fall 2001 : Studio / Second Year :
: professor: Darla Lindberg

The initial exercise for this project was to interpret a space that was absent of both site and a program and instead focus on its portability and multi-use. After discovering a transforming method that could create three dimensional spaces and objects out of 2 dimensional (wall) planes a program developed for a tow-able / float-able cube to mechanically house a single individual.

Clean geometry conceals and exposes the provisions of typical home (storage, identity and furnishings) through the process of folding through living. A dissection of the wall by unfolding seats, windows or tables first presents a stowable poché for canned-goods or bed linnens, secondly, home objects for use, and thirdly, the transformation of solid walls into open windows -an extension beyond the cubic space.
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2. Projection Tower

Spring 2001 : Studio / First Year Group Project :
: professor: James Kalsbeek

The idea for this project came from the programmatic need to accommodate old projection media systems such as 16mm film and slide. Using those as a starting block, the design was derived from their shared use of light-thru-media and, among other things, the result was two lantern-like towers that allowed for projection through or on 24 hours a day.
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1. Puzzle Box

Spring 2001 : Studio / First Year Studio :
: instructor: Steve Schaffer

Building a box within specific dimensions, the design came from that of a classic puzzle. The front and back wood squares slide to reveal other cubbies with other puzzle-like mechanisms such as false doors, sliding walls and drawers only operable when certain pieces are aligned. The front and back faces can be arranged so the wood grain is aligned, like the picture puzzles the design was meant to mimic.
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Connar S Walik 2006