CARISSA LEA FRANKScarissa.franks@gmail.com(310) 409-9790

(310) 409-9790Carissa.Franks@gmail.com1126 16th Avenue EastSeattle | Washington | 98112

Autotopia to Heterotopia Subway Expansion and Emerging Topographies in Los Angelespresented December 2010

University of Washington | Seattle [September 07 -  December 10]Master of Architecture | College of the Built Environments

Mexico City Studio [Winter 10]Rome Program [Fall 10]Japan Studio [Spring 09]  Column 5, Home Economics Issue  [Fall 08]Editor of annual journal produced by the school of architecture

University of Southern California | Los Angeles [August 02 - May 06]BA Fine Arts | Design emphasis | Advertising minor

Between Necessity and Desire [Spring 06]two person show in the Helen Lindhurst Gallery, USC School of Fine Art

hand drawing | Autocad | Adobe Creative Suite  | Rhino | Sketch-up | Revit 

UW Exploration Seminars: Bodies in Space [Summer 09]Drawing InstructorInterdisciplinary workshop in dance and drawingSamos, Greece

Lenkin Design [March 07 - August 07]Assistant to Heather Lenkin, landscape architectClient communications, graphic design, administrative tasks, competition entryPasadena, California

OMD at Chiat Day [June 06 – March 07]Assistant media strategistdevelopment and management of media plansPrincipal Financial Group, Harman Kardon, Hoover, Vera Bradley DesignsLos Angeles, California

Marc Selwyn Fine Art [Spring 04 – Fall 05]Gallery AssistantLos Angeles, California

T H E S I S

E D U C A T I O N

W O R K

S K I L L S

C A R I S S A   L E A   F R A N K S

Autotopia to HeterotopiaSubway Expansion and Emerging Topographies in Los Angeles

A synthesis of architecture, landscape and planning that

signals and facilitates the cultural, socio-economic and

topographical potential of underground mass transit to

drastically transform a car dependent metropolis.

1.1 Concept Model: Simultaneity and the City

1.2 Concept sketch: emerging topographies.

1.5 Returning to the site: process sketch and model details

1.4 Scetchbook scans of midterm revelations

1.3 Concept Model: The Spine

1.6 Conceptual perspective: imagining an architecture that enables vertical movement in a horizontal city.

1.7 Conceptual sketch: Attaching planned subway expansion to public amenity and the cultural infrastructure of a world class city.

30/10MEASURE R SB 3750.5% SALES TAX INCREASE TO FUND EXPANSION OF 12 LINES IN 30 YEARS

PROPOSES FEDERAL LOAN TO COMPLETE 30 YEARS OF TRANSIT EXPANSION IN 10.

REDUCES GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS THROUGH LAND USE

NOT IN MY BACKYARD

19852005

WELL OKAY, SURE.

1.8 Henry Waxman was responsible for both the 1985 Federal ban on Westside drilling and its 2005 repeal.

WESTLAKEKOREATOWN

BEVERLY GROVE

MID-WILSHIRE

BEVERLY HILLS

WESTWOOD

SANTA MONICA

71.3% WHITE13.5% LATINO

7.1% ASIAN4.6% OTHER3.5% BLACK

81.8% WHITE7.6% ASIAN

4.8% LATINO4.5% OTHER1.4% BLACK

82% WHITE6% LATINO5.1% ASIAN4.9% OTHER

2% BLACK

33.6% WHITE22.7% BLACK19.9% LATINO19.8% ASIAN3.9% OTHER

62.9% WHITE23.1% ASIAN

7% LATINO4.9% OTHER

2% BLACK

53.5% LATINO32.2% ASIAN7.4% WHITE4.8% BLACK2% OTHER

73.4% LATINO16.5% ASIAN4.5% WHITE3.9% BLACK1.7% OTHER

EXISTING TERMINUSSITE

UCLA CAMPUS

PROPOSED TERMINUS

1.9 Accessibility diagram: Proposed subway line extension and existing diversity.

1.10 Recent developments endorsed heavily by Mayor Villaraigosa are moving Los Angeles forward.

1868- 1875 1949 DRAFT 2010

1990 2010 2018

2010

2018

1955 2010

2010 2010

1.11 An abridged (graphic) history of transportation in Los Angeles.

disneyconcert hall

broadcentercontemporaryart

nortonsimonmuseum

gettycenter

118

405

110

91

710

105

5

10

110

134

170

405

405

5

5

5

210

210

2

10

90

60

36

912

hammermuseumucla

1.12 LA with 12 minute bike radius, proposed paths and linkage potential

CITYWIDE

NEIGHBORHOOD

SUBWAY

1/4 MILE, 5 min walk

5

10

15

1.13 A 15 minute walk with proposed bike lanes.

1.14 A 5 minute walk.

1.15 Concept sketch: connectivity and necessity

1.16 Diagram: site circulation by transportation mode.

1.17 Conceptual Section: ARRIVE

1.18 Conceptual Section: COMMUTE

1.19 Conceptual Section: EXCHANGE

1.21 Axonometric view: aligning public transit with public amenity.

1.20 Planned stop at the intersection of Wilshire and Fairfax with proposed station intervention.

WILSHIRE BLVD.COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL

WILSHIRE BLVD

DN

DN

DN

DN

DN

DN

CONDOS

LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART

RESIDENTIAL

SUBWAY ENTRANCE FROM LACMA

WILSHIRE BLVD

FAIR

FAX

BUS STOP

LOAD

FLEA MARKET

ORGANIC PRODUCE

BIKE REPAIR

1.22 Plan and Section: market level (-5ft.) 1.23 Bike ramp allows riders to connect easily to the train and commute safely.

1.24 Section perspective of thru-block scheme: creating new patterns of pedestrian linkage and greater connectivity of the station to the neighborhood.

1.25 The Public Marketplace: this unprecedented democratization of mobility in Los Angeles necessitates new places for meeting and mixing.

SITE

STOP

6100 BLOCKGALLERIES

LACMA

TAR PITS

WILSHIRE

FAIR

FAX

SITE

STOP

WILSHIRE

FAIR

FAX

PARK LA BREA

1.26 Pedestrian paths and cultural infrastructure 1.27 Pedestrian paths and residential fabric

SITE

STOP

WILSHIRE

FAIRFA

X

SITE

STOP

WILSHIRE

FAIR

FAX

HANCOCK PARK

1.28 Pedestrian paths and Commercial front. 1.29 Pedestrian paths and green space.

1.30 Primary entrance utilized by first time users.

1.31 Interior of the bike ramp and its relation to the park space.

GREENSPACESUBWAY STATIONBIKE HUBFARMERS MARKETRETAILAFFORDABLE HOUSINGLIVE/ WORK STUDIOKAREOKE BARDRIVING RANGEUNIVERSITYURBAN GREENHOUSERECREATIONAL CENTERCHURCHOPERA HOUSE

GREENSPACESUBWAY STATIONBIKE HUBFARMERS MARKETRETAILAFFORDABLE HOUSINGLIVE/ WORK STUDIOKAREOKE BARDRIVING RANGEUNIVERSITYURBAN GREENHOUSERECREATIONAL CENTERCHURCHOPERA HOUSE

GREENSPACESUBWAY STATIONBIKE HUBFARMERS MARKETRETAILAFFORDABLE HOUSINGLIVE/ WORK STUDIOKAREOKE BARDRIVING RANGEUNIVERSITYURBAN GREENHOUSERECREATIONAL CENTERCHURCHOPERA HOUSE

GREENSPACESUBWAY STATIONBIKE HUBFARMERS MARKETRETAILAFFORDABLE HOUSINGLIVE/ WORK STUDIOKAREOKE BARDRIVING RANGEUNIVERSITYURBAN GREENHOUSERECREATIONAL CENTERCHURCHOPERA HOUSE

PRESENT2010

INTERVENTION2015 2050 2100

1.32 Diagram: evolution of the site, 2100.

1.33 The space of the subway platform at Wilshire and Fairfax.

Japanese Cultural Center Cultural Crossroads: Constructing a Japanese Cultural Center of Washington

The heavy traffic and explicitly car oriented edge of the site

was instrumental in the conceptualization of this project.

Inspired by Japanese craft, specifically the precision and

flexibility of folding, an undulating landscape inlaid with

retail spaces engages the pedestrian at the street

level while buffering the more protected functions of the

community center. At the base of the site the retail facade is

broken, offering the pedestrian a public plaza and an entry

point to a performance hall. The project utilizes the natu-

ral topography of the site in order to manage two scales:

that of the residential fabric and the urban scale of Rainer

boulevard. The flexibility of spaces and the orchestra-

tion of a dynamic range of activities assert a concep-

tion of culture that is not finite but constantly redefined.

RETAIL

SCHOOL

LIBRARY

CAFE

WORKSPACE

UPPER LIBRARY

TAIKO STUDIO

VISITOR’S LOFT

2.3 Public plaza and retail front on Rainier Avenue South.

2.4 Project plans

2.5 Folding: Concept model in site

2.1 Approaching the main entrance, looking to Mt. Rainier.

2.2 Classroom interior with view to park space.

2.6 Folding: Concept sketch.

Between the Mountain and the Slaughterhouse An ancient city wall, a past and a future for the Testaccio neighborhood

The project was designed in response to the increasing

need to house immigrant populations in the city of Rome.

Situated between the reinvented slaughterhouse compound

and the man made Monte Testaccio, the project opens the

city wall in order to welcome and house new citizens and

better connect them to the essential systems of the city.

The modern city is developed far beyond the borders of the

ancient city wall. Embracing this reality, the project

creates a gateway and enlists auxiliary programming (market

space, farming plots and a public piazza) to ease transition

and generate commerce. The modulation of the façade was

selected for reasons of economy and interchangeability

while engaging conceptually in a tradition of accretion on the

site. The built form enables a public face where the building

connects to pedestrian points of entry and greater protection

where it relates to the more private functions of dwelling.

3.1 Sketch Study: Private space and public amenity, The Ara Pacis

3.3 Sketch Study: The space of the spectator, Estadio Olimpico, Roma

3.2 Sketch Study: The space of the Piazza

3.5 Project Model from above

3.4 Project concept model: imagining new city gateways.

3.6 Project Model from south end of the site.

3.7 Plan with project situated between Mt. Testaccio and the Slaughterhouse yard, flanking the ancient city wall.

Il Mattatoio

1 .

2 .

3 .

4 . 5 .

6 .

7 .8 .

9 .

9 .

U P P E R L E V E L P L A N

1 0 .

1 1 .

1 1 .

1 . C H I L D C A R E2 . D I N N I N G3 . K I T C H E N4 . L O U N G E5 . F O O D B A N K6 . F A R M I N G P L O T S7 . B A R8 . T R A I N S TAT I O N9 . M A R K E T1 0 . F A M I LY U N I T11 . D O R M I T O R Y

Mont Testaccio

La Mura

N O R D

Il Mattatoio

1 .

2 .

3 .

4 . 5 .

6 .

7 .8 .

9 .

9 .

U P P E R L E V E L P L A N

1 0 .

1 1 .

1 1 .

1 . C H I L D C A R E2 . D I N N I N G3 . K I T C H E N4 . L O U N G E5 . F O O D B A N K6 . F A R M I N G P L O T S7 . B A R8 . T R A I N S TAT I O N9 . M A R K E T1 0 . F A M I LY U N I T11 . D O R M I T O R Y

Mont Testaccio

La Mura

N O R D

3.8 West elevation: family units foregrounding the mountain.

3.9 East elevation: dormitories, the slaughterhouse entrance and market insertion.

the slaughterhouse

the moutain

the city

the yard

3.10 Concept development: modulation

3.11 Modulation and the forces of the site

3.12 A place to pass and a place to linger: the space of the outdoor plaza.

3.13 Entering the Market: approaching the site from the north.

3.13 Public front: approaching the site from main bus terminal. A new gate to the city.

“White Elephant Art vs. Termite Art”A Filmmaker’s collective in Ballard

The project was inspired by the film critic Manny Faber’s

essay in which he championed the B movie or “Termite Art”.

On the contrary “White Elephant Art” is representative of

the slicker effluent of the studio machine, which embodies

a “top down” approach with little room for investigation and

discovery. In his own words, ”Termite-tapeworm-fungus-

moss art goes always forward eating its own boundaries,

and, like as not, leaves nothing in its path other than the

signs of eager, industrious, unkempt activity.” The architec-

tural manifestation is an attempt at non-hierarchical space:

work zones opposed to offices; an almost incidental form that

prefers process to product; and a winding circulation path that

evades the distinction between hallway and room. There is

also room for congregation, discourse, and sharing. It marks

my very first quarter of academic architectural exploration and

the beginning of an obsession with the tacit politics of space.

4.1 “Termite-tapeworm-fungus-moss art goes always forward eating its own boundaries, and, like as not, leaves nothing in its path other than the signs of eager, industrious, unkempt activity.” - Manny Faber, film critic

4.1 “Termite-tapeworm-fungus-moss art goes always forward eating its own boundaries, and, like as not, leaves nothing in its path other than the signs of eager, industrious, unkempt activity.” - Manny Faber, film critic

EDITING

SOUND STAGE

SCREENING

APARTMENT

SCREENING

WORKSPACE

FOYER

OUTDOOR RECEPTION

CONFERENCE

WORKSPACE

WORKSPACE

4.2 Project model: anti-hierarchical space.

4.3 Project plans with work zones.

4.4 Film Maker’s collective from Market Street.

4.5 Transverse sections.

4.6 Projection and Screens: Planning for light.

La Biblioteca del MercadoEvolutionary space making: reinvisioning the Mercado San Benito

The Biblioteca del Mercado is an insertion into the existing

Mercado Benito building. Designed by Javier Muñoz and

completed in 2004, the Mercado San Benito was erected

to alleviate the congestion of the original Mercado located

directly to the north. For a multitude of reasons the upper

two levels of the new market structure remain vacant. The

primary reason is volume: the older market was slated

for a demolition that (for various political reasons) never

came to fruition. The library insertion was conceptualized

to activate the upper levels of the market. It occupies the

northern 1/3 of the second level of the existing structure

and is composed of three highly transparent boxes that al-

low a strong visual connection between the space of the

library and that of the first level market. A grand stair off

the existing market’s western plaza asserts the library as

a kind of destination-worthy place and provides a proper

entrance to a previously uni-directional building. Hybridized

programming envisions a new and dynamic use for this al-

ready compelling space. The energy of the market acts as

a catalyst for the library’s community building agenda, while

fully utilizing the spatial quality of this urban sanctuary.

PUBLIC

COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL

CON

NEC

TIVE

G

REEN

SPAC

E

LIBRARY ENTRANCE

OLD MARKET

PLAZA LOADING

FOOD COURT

MERCADO SAN BENITO

5.1 Urban proposal with primary paths.

5.2 Urban analysis: the space of the plaza.

5.3 The spacial quality of San Benito.

5.4 Perspective view: entrance from plaza.

5.5 Concept sketch: Three boxes

5.6 The upper levels of the Mercado inhabited 5.7 Concept sketch: Urban Sanctuary

5.8 The site of the Library.

1. 2. 3. 4.

5.

6.

7.

8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

13.

14.

NORTE

EL SEGUNDO PISO

1. TERRACE2. GALLERY3. STACKS4. YOUNG ADULTS5. READING ROOM

6. GARDEN7. PLAZA STAIR8. CAFE9. COMPUTER LAB10. READING ROOM11. PLAY PLACE12. CHILDREN’S

13. READING CARRELS14. ‘THE FRUIT BOWL’

5.9 Project plan.

5.11 Concept model: Library intervention.

5.12 Aerial view: Library intervention.

5.10 Longitudinal Section: the space of the Library.

5.13 Perspective view: Looking up at the library from inside the market.

5.10 Longitudinal Section: the space of the Library.

5.14 Transverse sections.

5.15 Perspective view: inside the children’s reading room.

5.16 Concept sketch: The three library rooms.