2020 Portfolio

CHRISTINE DITARANTI
2020 Architecture Portfolio

Christine DiTaranti
Passionate about the intricate processes behind designing
space, I approach architecture with a detail-oriented mind. I
believe that rational, thoughtful designs have the greatest power
to impact people positively. I am particularly interested in civic
architecture and contextual design, focusing on community
integration and connecting buildings within the urban fabric.
christine.ditaranti@jefferson.edu
973.768.8807

CONTENTS
01
Interweaving Dwelling
Mixed-Use
Residential Building
academic work
02
Bridging Movement
Transit Institute of Archaeology
and Technology
03
Progressive Perception
Redwood Forest
Dwelling
04
Eco-Integration
Environmental Education
Center
05
Urban Revitalization
Transit Hub and
Public Space
06
Sharswood Eco-Office
Schematic Net Positive
Office Building
professional work
01 02
Dattner Architects
May-August 2017, 2018
New York, NY
WRT
May-December 2019
Philadelphia, PA

01
INTERWEAVING DWELLING +
URBAN EXPERIENCE
MIXED-USE
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
Center City, Philadelphia, PA | Spring 2019
Located in the Rittenhouse District of
Philadelphia, this project is a mixed-use
residential building focused on interweaving
the complexity of city life with the intimacy
of dwelling. The urban experience is typically
busy and has many points of interaction that
should not end once you go home. The
project scales down and curates these
experiences into an interactive dwelling
intended to bring residents together in a
connected community. Interwoven public
spaces throughout the building creates a
unique social landscape and will ultimately
be beneficial to the community inside as
well as in the surrounding neighborhood.
Collaboration with Reid Young, B.Arch 2020

BASE VOLUME
PROGRAM DIVISION
LIFT + CANTILEVER
STAGGER VOLUMES
APARTMENT LEVELS
ATRIUMS
FITNESS CENTER
DAY CARE
GREENHOUSE
RESIDENCES
LOUNGE
RESIDENCES
MECHANICAL
CAFE
MECHANICAL
LIBRARY
CO-WORKING SPACE
ADMIN MEZZANINE
MAIN LOBBY

VIEW FROM MAIN LOBBY LOOKING AT CAFE
adjacent apartment
building
freight train
lines
schuylkill river
trail
parking garage
entrance
24TH STREET
SANSOM STREET
main
entrance
SITE PLAN/FIRST FLOOR BUILDING PLAN
adjacent office
building

1 CAFE
2
DAY CARE
3
CO-WORKING SPACE
4
LOUNGE
5
FITNESS CENTER
6
LIBRARY

6
5
4
3
2
1
SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVE

N
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
studio (750 sq. ft.) 1 bed (1,000 sq. ft.) 2 bed (1,250 sq. ft.)
N
FOURTH FLOOR PLAN
studio (750 sq. ft.) 1 bed (1,000 sq. ft.) 2 bed (1,250 sq. ft.)

VIEW FROM 4TH FLOOR RAMP LOOKING AT LOUNGE
VIEW FROM WALNUT STREET BRIDGE LOOKING AT WEST SIDE OF BUILDING

MAIN MODEL ENTRANCE PHOTO
SECTIONAL MODEL OVERALL PHOTO
residence
transition
public space
THRESHOLD CONCEPT DIAGRAM
SECTION A-A
SECTION B-B

MAIN MODEL DETAIL PHOTO
MAIN MODEL OVERALL PHOTO
ENTRY SEQUENCE DIAGRAM
terra cotta battons
GFRC panels (6’x8’)
extended z-clip framing
fixed operable windows
transparent curtain wall
fritted glass curtain wall
extruded mullion profile
brushed metal panels (6’x8’)
EAST ELEVATION
WEST ELEVATION

metal cap
coping
EPDM roof membrane
sloped rigid insulation
concrete slab
drop ceiling
12”x18” concrete column
AT ROOF CONNECTION
terra cotta batton
fire stop
GFRC panel
7/8” hat channel
4” batt insulation
moisture barrier
5/8” gypsum board
operable window
AT TYPICAL APARTMENT LEVEL
finished floor
concrete slab
rigid insulation
6’x8’ metal panels
7/8” hat channel
batting
gypsum board
EXTERIOR TERRA COTTA SYSTEM
AT METAL PANEL TRANSITION

raised flooring
mounted glass railing
coping
metal cap
concrete deck
spandrel glass
3” mineral wool
AT ROOF CONNECTION
fritted glass CW
steel column
floor finish
fire stop
steel angle
batt insulation
gypsum board
profiled mullion
vision glass
AT TYPICAL PUBLIC SPACE
mullion connection
vision glass
steel column
bolt connection
ground mullion
connection
EXTERIOR CURTAIN WALL SYSTEM
AT GROUND CONNECTION

02
BRIDGING
MOVEMENT
TRANSIT INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY
AND TECHNOLOGY
Chelsea, Manhattan, New York, NY | Spring 2019
This project explores the movement encouraged
by rail transit and how it can be translated into
an architectural form. Using the main element
of a bridge, connections and relationships are
interwoven between programs that ultimately
reveal the inspiring qualities of moving between
volumes. The main bridge element spans over
a theoretical archaeological dig of the old rail
tracks left behind by the New York Central
Railroad before the highline was built. Found
on the sites of 17-19th Streets and 10th Avenue
in Chelsea, Manhattan, the dig becomes an
intriguing element that encourages learning and
respecting the past, while also making discoveries
and advances towards the future of rail transit.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG SITES
BRIDGE
PROGRAM EXPANSION
CROSSING TRACK INSPIRATION
PARTI
BUILDING TRANSLATION
VIEW OF MAIN SPACE LOOKING NORTHEAST

W 19TH STREET
W 19TH STREET
3
4
8
8
11
B-B
4
5
8
9
10
10
A-A
3
B-B
7
1
A-A
7
6
10
10
2
11
12
N
2’ 4’ 8’ 16’ 32’
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
THIRD FLOOR PLAN
1 Entrance Lobby
4 Cafe
7 Research Offices
10 Exhibits
2 Lecture Space
5 Kitchen
8 Classrooms
11 Observation Deck
3 Archives
6 Admin Offices
9 Collaboration Space
12 Roof Top Deck
10
BRIDGE
10
BRIDGE
HIGHLINE
7
HIGHLINE
3
1
SECTION A-A
SECTION B-B
2’ 4’ 8’ 16’ 32’

VIEW OF EXHIBITION SPACE
visual connection
to dig below
EXPERIENTIAL MOMENTS
circulation through
steel structure
interstitial gap between
program blocks and bridge
SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVE

double-pane glazing
wide flange
metal panel finish
clerestory glazing
blocking
cable
ROOF DETAIL
glass
silicone joint
wide flange
steel angle support
bolt connection
FLOOR DETAIL
BRIDGE PRATT TRUSS DIAGRAM

03
PROGRESSIVE
PERCEPTION
REDWOOD FOREST
DWELLING
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, CA |
Spring 2019
This small dwelling in Muir Woods National
Monument resulted from a study on
experiential moments among an intense site
condition and how they can be translated into
a responsive architectural form. Redwood
trees on this site grow up to 250 feet tall and
have the ability to make an observer perceive
scale in an entirely new way. This experience
observation rendered into a vision cone
parti, 3 distorted program blocks that point a
dweller’s perception to different views, and an
enclosure gradient system that accommodates
to 3 specific experiential moments that
were studied and highlighted during an
extensive analysis. Ultimately, the dwelling
becomes a place of peace and contemplation
while living among these immense trees.

VISION CONE & RESULTING FORM DISTORTED PROGRAM BLOCKS ENCLOSURE GRADIENT
SUNRISE
SUNSET
MIDDAY
N
0’ 10’ 30’ 80’
TEMPERATURE
ATMOSPHERE PRECIPITATION SHADING
40-70 degrees
year-round
dry, foggy
summers
rainy winters, 40
degrees average
naturally cool & shady
from canopies

DENSITY OF TREES FILTERED, AMBIENT LIGHT FEELING SMALL
PRIVATE, SECLUDED FORM
Pre-cast concrete panels
accomplish a contrast with the
surrounding landscape while
maintaining a structural and unique
form, and resists moisture from the
damp and foggy atmosphere.
TRANSIENT, AMBIGUOUS FORM
A channel glass curtain wall
facade system ties back to the
steel structure and softly filters
light into the kitchen and dining
space and works as an overall
interstitial form.
OPEN, VAST FORM
A clear curtain wall glazing
system wraps the living space
and is the tallest form, giving off
the ethereal floating effect of
feeing small yet surrounded by
the immense trees.
LIVE
DINE
REST
0’ 2’ 4’ 8’ 16’

04
ECO-
INTEGRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION CENTER
Blue Bell Park, Philadelphia, PA | Spring 2017
This project is derived from the concept that it
easy for people that live in a city to become blind
to their proximity to nature and the biodiversity
that surrounds them. Located in Blue Bell Park,
East Falls, the center aims to provide a place
close to the city that educates the people of
Philadelphia about local flora and ecosystems
through a fusion of nature and architecture. Green
infiltration and air filtration strategies throughout
the building along with an interactive class space
and an outdoor theater attempts to accomplish
this goal of immersing people with nature. Other
important systems that accomplish this goal
are vertical louvers that wrap the west curtain
wall facade, a green wall and skylight along the
interior east wall, and a green roof that blends
seamlessly with the landscape above the building.

VIEW AT ENTRANCE LOOKING AT EXHIBIT
VIEW ON RAMP LOOKING AT CLASSROOMS

GREEN ROOF SYSTEM
UPPER LEVEL
FLEX CLASSROOMS
INTERACTIVE CLASS SPACE
ENTRY LEVEL
PRIVATE OFFICES
MULTIPURPOSE SPACE
EXHIBIT RAMP
CAFE
ENTRY LOBBY
FACADE SYSTEM
CURTAIN WALL GLAZING
VERTICAL LOUVERS
OUTDOOR THEATER

05
URBAN
REVITALIZATION
TRANSIT HUB AND
PUBLIC SPACE
Largo di Torre Argentina, Rome, Italy | Fall 2018
Working with the urban void of the ruins of 4
ancient temples and a dense traffic area in the
city, this transit hub and public space works in
Largo di Torre Argentina, Rome to accommodate
the site’s dynamic needs. An initial analysis
identified the two unique zones and the
architectural support they required. The transit
hub, with two sidewalk entrance points that lead
below street level, assists commuters with shelter
and a place to track routes as they wait for the bus.
The space also serves as an information gallery
about the history of the ancient temples, which
leads out to an open air public space for locals
and tourists to get an eye-level view of the ruins.

traffic zone transit hub bus shelter
pedestrian zone
mini piazzas
piazza shelter
IDENTIFIABLE ZONES
RESULTING INTERVENTIONS
UNIFYING STRUCTURE
B-B
A-A
C-C
A-A
C-C
LOWER LEVEL PLAN
B-B
STREET LEVEL PLAN
0m2m4m 8m 16m
SECTION C-C

SECTION PERSPECTIVE A-A
SECTION PERSPECTIVE B-B

06
SHARSWOOD
ECO-OFFICE
SCHEMATIC NET POSITIVE
OFFICE BUILDING
Sharswood, Philadelphia, PA | Fall 2019
Located in the distressed and under-resourced
neighborhood of Sharswood, this project intends
to reconcile the community contributors and
commercial investors of the area into an office
building that will create opportunities for interaction
and education through environmentally-conscious
design. The project provides a co-working space
for these stakeholders and many shared spaces
for employees and community members in the
neighborhood. With the goal of creating a netpositive
energy building and a socially-driven
work environment, the Sharswood Eco-Office
will initiate Sharswood’s evolution into a selfsustaining
community that can act as a model of
the potential other under-resourced neighborhoods.
Collaboration with Olivia DeAgro, B.Arch 2020
and Dillan Hobby, B.Arch 2020

ENERGY FORMAL MOVES
N
S
angle for southern exposure
angle for optimal PV performance
sink down for energy savings
excavate earth for
subterannean daylighting
implement “box within a box”
passive strategy
attach solar chimney
at high point
CONTEXTUAL RELATIONSHIP IN NEIGHBORHOOD

LOCATION IN SHARSWOOD
SHARSWOOD STREET
N 22ND STREET
HARLAN STREET
N 21ST STREET
N LAMBERT STREET
MASTER STREET
N
SITE PLAN
Work Zone Community Zone Health Zone Entry/Lobby Zone Cafe Zone
PROGRAM BREAKDOWN & SEFAIRA ANALYSIS

pv panel green roof cooling
summer
winter
interior wall panel system
ridge vent roof system
ENERGY & PASSIVE SOLAR SYSTEMS
Roof System
PV Array
N
Bike Storage
Interior Work Space
S
Entry Lobby/Lounge
SECTION A-A
Interior Work Space
conditioned
unconditioned
Eco-Hub Lab Space
Thermal Chimney
Earth Tubes

SHARSWOOD STREET
A-A
4
4
3
1
1
2
5 6
7
9
8
10
7
5
7
A-A
HARLAN STREET
STREET LEVEL PLAN - AT GRADE
N
1 Entrance Lobby
5 Lounge
9 Community Room
13 Collab Nook
2 Gym
6 Informal Meeting
10 Media Library
14 Conference Room
3 Locker Room
7 Perch
11 Kitchen
15 Office
4 Bike Storage
8 Cafe
12 Workstations
16 Hot Seat Stations
Work Zone Community Zone Health Zone Entry/Lobby Zone Cafe Zone
SHARSWOOD STREET
13
11
12
16
14
13
7
13
15
15
7
15
7
15
15
LOWER LEVEL PLAN - 1 BELOW GRADE
N
HARLAN STREET

01
Dattner
Architects
ARCHITECTURAL
DESIGN FIRM
New York, New York | Summer 2017, 2018
I worked at Dattner Architects during the
summers of 2017 and 2018. Specifically, I worked
in the transportation and infrastructure studio
at Dattner and had the opportunity to work
on multiple projects in New York City. This
experience was incredibly formative to my early
career in the professional world as I was able to
help develop projects in a dense urban fabric.
During my first summer at the firm, I assisted
with a scope development study on an existing
NYPD Station House in Brooklyn, selected and
presented materials for a GSA Federal Office
in Manhattan, and created renderings and
drawings for a presentation on a PATH train
station in Harrison, New Jersey. My second
summer at Dattner consisted of working full
time on drawings for a Design Development
submission for an NYPD Station House in
Queens. I detailed, edited, and annotated
drawings in Revit, as well as helped develop
material selection for the interior of the building.

PATH HARRISON STATION - RENDERINGS
PATH HARRISON STATION - PLAZA LEVEL PLAN
NE STATION
WESTBOUND
PLATFORM
AMTRAK NE
CORRIDOR
EASTBOUND
PLATFORM
SE STATION
PATH HARRISON STATION - FULL SECTION

CIRCULATION ANALYSIS - CURRENT 70 TH PRECINCT
CIRCULATION EXAMPLE - EXISTING 33 RD PRECINCT
COMMUNITY PUBLIC POLICE PRISONERS VEHICLES
NYPD 70 TH PRECINCT - IDENTIFICATION OF VARIOUS USER GROUPS
NYPD 70 TH PRECINCT - USER GROUP FLOW ANALYSIS

02
WRT
Design
ARCHITECTURAL, LANDSCAPE,
PLANNING, & URBAN DESIGN FIRM
Philadelphia, PA | May-December 2019
I worked at WRT full time during the summer
of 2019 and part time during the fall semester
of my 5th year of architecture school. Most of
my time with the firm consisted of advancing
drawings in a construction document set for
a 6-story mixed-use residential building. This
experience expanded my knowledge of the
programmatic demands of a residential project.
This was also my first professional experience
working through the details and intricacies
of the building construction process. This
construction knowledge was paired with having
the opportunity to visit the sites of other projects
within the firm that were nearing completion. I
interacted with contractors, developed punchlists,
and was able to see drawings and details come
to life. My final task at WRT consisted of working
with a team on the schematic planning and
unit layouts of the second phase of a residential
project that had been on-going at the firm.

PHASE III
PHASE II
PHASE I
PHASE IIA
PHASE IA
Residences Community Spaces Tenant Space
PHASE IV
KINDER PARK PHASE IV AERIAL VIEW
KINDER PARK PHASING PLAN
PLAN DETAIL AT DEMISING WALL
PLAN DETAIL AT SHAFT WALL
WINDOW JAMB DETAIL
FIRST FLOOR RCP
SECOND & THIRD FLOOR LOUNGE PLANS

New Construction
Renovated Building
Management &
Maintenance Building
Trash Corrals
YATES VILLAGE PHASE II AERIAL
UNITS %
EXISTING 173
1 BR 71
2 BR
106
3 BR
4 BR
29
5
TOTAL
NEW
ACCESSIBLE
221
46 22%
26 12%
DE BOGART
VAN
VISITABLE
RENOVATION
CONVERSION
137 65%
YATES VILLAGE PHASE II - PROPOSED UNIT ARRANGEMENT

CHRISTINE DITARANTI
christine.ditaranti@jefferson.edu
973.768.8807