Architecture Portfolio

1. PORTFOLIO
SERGIO D. OCHOA
A R C H I T E C T U R E

2. CUBE
PROJECT
INHABITAL
WALL
SCHOOL OF
WOOD CRAFT
SOPA SECA SCIENCE
DISCOVERY
CENTER
FOURGAN INTERNSHIP
CONTENT
H i , I ’ m S e r g i o .
760.717.5366 1790 Tonini Dr. #47
San Luis Obispo,CA
sochoafa@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/sochoafa
Sergio Ochoa is a third year architecture major and architectural engineer minor at California Polytechnic
University, San Luis Obispo. Sergio grew up with a small, quaint family who emphasized that in order to
succeed; he must work hard, be humble, and to never forget his roots. Sergio grew up in Oceanside, California
where he taught himself as a young child to be the best version of himself and excel in anything he does. With
this mentality, he competitively played in sports such as football and wrestling, while also achieving academic
excellence. In high school, Sergio focused on finding his passions, while balancing his active, academic and
social life. Sergio found that he had an uncanny ability to grasp difficult concepts within the realm of technology
and mathematics, which lead him to gravitate towards a pursuit in architecture and design. With Sergio’s
aspiration to do well, he pushed himself to pursue a higher education, nurture his thirst for knowledge, and
fine tune his creative mind. With the acceptance and enrollment from California Polytechnic University, San
Luis Obispo; Sergio found his niche that not only matured him as an individual, but also as a professional.
Sergio has become enriched with diverse exposure to a variety of techniques molding him into a developed
designer, model maker and drafter. As Sergio approaches mid-way through his education, he continues to
push himself with the same work ethic and ambition that had been installed in him since childhood. With
his free time, Sergio tries to expand himself by exploring or engaging in new hobbies. Sergio is excited to
continue his growth as an individual, and enthusiastically waits for his future.

3. CUBE PROJECT
COMPOSITION EXERCISE FALL 2014
This project provided a better understanding of the basic
elements of design, as well as an exposure to rudimentary
structure, geometry, construction tectonics and the use of a
grid in a design. Preliminary principles were explored by use of
fundamental composition, transformation of form, designing
with rules. The entirety of the project had parameters of an
orthogonal grid and followed the 3 dimensions of the x, y,
and z spatial coordinate system.

5. INHABITAL WALL
Pismo Dunes, CA
COMPOSITION EXERCISE FALL 2014
This project’s purpose was to create a wall which housed
different modules that varied on program type. The wall
sits on the Pismo dunes in California, which hosts a climate
that is constantly changing from external forces. The project
design establishes a permanent serpentine structure
to complement the dynamic topography. The structure
establishes a juxtaposition of two social atmospheres. One
side is adventurous with its heavy human interactions like
the off terrain ATV riders. The other side is undisturbed from
civilization, a haven for Pismo’s endangered species. The
inhabitable wall acts as a buffer,protecting nature and instilling
harmony amongst otherwise opposing forces.

7. SCHOOL OF
WOOD OF CRAFT
San Luis Obispo, CA
TRADITIONAL AND EMERGENT WINTER 2015
This assignment prompted the studio to design a School of Wood
Craft, which embodied the use of hands on learning while training in
vocational and fine arts. The school’s purpose was to serve a diverse
student population ranging in mastery levels and age groups.
Located in downtown San Luis Obispo, the School of Woodcraft
insinuated a connection to the local community, created a center for
urban manufacturing, and promoted local craft. When considering
the design for the prompt, how the building functioned internally
for an enhanced learning environment was evaluated; therefore,
beautiful and functional spaces were created for learning craft
and common spaces were optimized to promote informal social
interaction between students and faculty. The aspect in which the
building functioned externally with the community was also taken
into consideration. Thus, the design offered public exposure to
the work of the school, created awareness of the value of craft to
society and generated opportunities for the public to get involved
within the school. The assignment also expressed the importance
of materiality by incorporating wood as a renewable carbon
sequestering material as the primary construction material for the
building and implementing research with traditional developments
in wood building technology.

8. STUDY MODELS

9. GROUND FLOOR 2ND FLOOR 3RD FLOOR
STUDY MODELS

10. SECTION
ELEVATION
CROSS SECTIONCROSS SECTION
EXPLODED AXON

11. FINAL MODEL

12. SOPA SECA
San Francisco, Ca
ADDRESSING THE HOMELESS SPRING 2015
The project assignment was to design an apartment complex
for a very specific demographic that used passive strategies
to be energy efficient. To prepare for the site analysis of the
project, my studio took a field trip to San Francisco to analyze
the culture and surroundings of the city. After thorough
research of demographics and analyzing that population that
resides in San Francisco, I determined that my site, located
in the Hayes District, had an abnormally large amount of the
homeless population. The Hayes District houses more than 50
percent of the total homeless population of San Francisco and
of thosehomeless,amajorityof themareclassifiedasout-aged
youth.Out-aged youth classifies as a young adult ranging in
age of 16-25 who was emancipated from foster care. Most of
the out-aged youth is either too poor, deficient in social skills,
have no confidence, are incapable of independence, and lack
the education required to compete for jobs. Since the project
warranted a low income housing requirement, I wanted to
make it very environmentally efficient while catering to San
Francisco’s outaged youth. I kept the form of my building very
simple and focused all the community space to the west side
of the building and kept the micro units concentrated in the
north and south

13. H o m e l e s s b re a k u p
i n S a n F r a n c i s c o
21%
79%
Youth
Adult
57%
43%
Hayes
Other 6
District
Districts
L o c a t i o n o f H o m e l e s s
3,349 3,035 3,181
3,016
3,401 3,505
6,455
8,000
2011 2013 2015 2013 2015
6,436 6,686
914 914 853 853
G E N E R A L C O U N T Y O U T H C O U N T
Spend at least one day
Min wage job
Got at least a high school
education
in a Correctional Facility
Drug or Alcohol Dependent
Get better paying jobs
homeless for at least a month
Went to college
Didn’t Graduate high school
30%
17%
9%
24%
20%
64%
11%
25%
S o u r c e : A p p l i e d S u r v e y R e s e a r c h . ( 2 0 1 5 ) .
S a n F r a n c i s c o H o m e l e s s C o u n t . W a t s o n v i l l e , C A .
HOMELESS IN
SAN FRANCISCO
CLIMATE ANAYLSIS
0
1
2
3
4
5
DecNovOctSeptAugJulyJuneMayAprMarFebJan
A v e r a g e m o n t h l y h i g h t e m p a t u r e
A v e r a g e m o n t h l y p e r c i p i t a t i o n M o n t h l y h o u r s o f s u n e s h i n e
A v e r a g e t e m p :
A n n u a l h i g h t e m p :
A n n u a l l o w t e m p :
D a y s p e r y e a r w i t h
p e r c i p i t a t i o n
A v e r a g e a n n u a l
p e r c i p i t a t i o n
A v e r a g e a n n u a l
h o u r s o f s u n s h i n e
5 7 F
6 3 . 8 F
5 0 F
6 8 D a y s
2 3 i n c h e s
2 9 5 0 h o u r s
A v e r a g e m o n t h l y l o w t e m p a t u r e
F
F
inches hours
50
60
70
80
DecNovOctSeptAugJulyJuneMayAprMarFebJan
40
50
60
DecNovOctSeptAugJulyJuneMayAprMarFebJan
150
200
250
300
350
DecNovOctSeptAugJulyJuneMayAprMarFebJan
B u s y A r e a
W i n d D i r e c t i o n
H o u s i n g
C o m m e r c i a l
Tr a f f i c D i r e c t i o n
S u n P a t h
Ve g i t a t i o n
Trash and Parking Congestion
Noise source
F o o d
N
S u m m e r
W i n t e r
W i n t e r
S u m m e r
S o l t i c e
S o l t i c e
S o l t i c e
S o l t i c e
s u n r i s e
s u n r i s e
s u n s e t
s u n s e t
5 : 5 2 a m
7 : 0 1 a m
5 : 5 2 a m
5 : 5 2 a m
L i n d e n S t .
H a y e s S t .
OctaviaSt.
GoughSt.
Public
Private
Private
[Resident housing]
[hall way]
Curtain Wall
[Uv protection]
Views
[transparency]
Community Spaces
[For the Residents]
Public
Private
Private
[Resident housing]
[hall way]
Curtain Wall
[Uv protection]
Views
[transparency]
Community Spaces
[For the Residents]
Public
Private
Private
[Resident housing]
[hall way]
Curtain Wall
[Uv protection]
Views
[transparency]
Community Spaces
[For the Residents]
Public
Private
Private
[Resident housing]
[hall way]
Curtain Wall
[Uv protection]
Views
[transparency]
Community Spaces
[For the Residents]Public
Private
Private
[Resident housing]
[hall way]
Curtain Wall
[Uv protection]
Views
[transparency]
Community Spaces
[For the Residents]
Public
Private
Private
[Resident housing]
[hall way]
Curtain Wall
[Uv protection]
Views
[transparency]
Community Spaces
[For the Residents]
Public
Private
Private
[Resident housing]
[hall way]
Curtain Wall
[Uv protection] community kitchen [floor 2-5]
The curve is used to accentuate the community spaces
[floor 2] Game room
[floor 3] lounge space + laundry room
[floor 3-4] Gym
Views
[transparency]
Community Spaces
[For the Residents]

14. H a y e s S t .
N
C o m m e r c i a l
A
B
C o m m e r c i a l C o m m u n i t y r o o m
L o b b y
S o c i a l S e r v i c e
L i n d e n S t .
OctaviaSt. C
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
3RD FLOOR
2ND FLOOR
5TH FLOOR
4RTH FLOOR
SECTION B
SECTION A

15. Sun’s heat transfers to
vent that can be opened or
vent that can be opened or
closed, trapping the air inside
closed, trapping the air inside
exterior curtain wall
air particle heat up
air vacume is created The sun’s heat is absorbed
The curtain wall’s heat transfer
hot air rises
The opened vents on top of the
curtain wall, allows the hot air
to dissipate into the enviroment
[minimual heat transfer to the building]
by the curtain wall
to the air particle
heat transfers from air pocket
to building’s facade
WINTER DETAIL SUMMER DETAIL
SECTION C
NORTH ELEVATION
EAST ELEVATION

16. SCIENCE
DISCOVERY
CENTER
Santa Margarita, Ca
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAN & NATURE FALL 2016
Through out the course of history, man has had a rather hostile
relationship with nature. Historically, man has destroyed,
polluted, and pushed some elements of nature to extinction.
The town of Santa Margarita was a production of man’s need
to exploit nature. Santa Margarita was lake created by man
and used for man’s selfish needs. Its almost poetic how the
destruction caused by man created such a beautiful and
soothing place
Inspiration for my building derived from my fascination with
how people experience the site differently, ranging from
how a kid plays on the playground to the adult’s who share
a love for hiking. There are so many ways to experience the
site’s environment and the way you interpret your experience
affects how you feel about it. I sought out to provide a variety
of dynamic experiences, while leading you to the lake. My
building has been designed in a way that will allow any visitor
to understand the history and the importance of nature
preservation. LOBBY RENDER

17. W
I N T E R
S U N
W I N T E R
S U N
S
U
M
M
E
R
S
U
N
SUMMER
SUN
IC
EXHIBIT
PUBLICSERVICE
EXHIBIT
PUBLICSERVICE
EXHIBIT
BLIC
E
EXHIBIT
PUBLICSERVICE
EXHIBIT
AROMA OF
SURROUNDING
VEGITATION
MARGARITA LAKE
SOUND
GREY PINE TRAIL
SUN RISE
7:09
SUN SET
8:18
SUN SET
4:52
AROMA FROM
THE LAKE
BOAT
RAMP
SUN RISE
5:45
UP
UP
DN
Views
to
the
lake
Views
to
the
hillsides
&
playground
UP
UP
DN
Parking Lot
From Trails
Playground
FORM FINDING
SUSTAINABLE WIND CIRCULATIONVIEWS DIAGRAMCIRCULATION DIAGRAM
SUN PATH
SITE ANAYLSIS & DIAGRAMS

18. DN UP
UP
DN
PROJECTOR
ROOM
KITCHENEXHIBITMPR
MPR
LOBBY
STORAGE/SUPPORT
WORKSPACE
ROLL UP
GLASS DOOR
ROLL UP
GLASS DOOR
ROLL UP
GLASS DOOR
ROLL UP
GLASS DOOR
LABMAIN LAB
+12’
+12’
4’
0’
-7’
GROUND
FLOOR
BASEMENT
CROSS SECTION
CROSS SECTION
LONGITUDINAL SECTION
2ND FLOOR
3RD FLOOR

19. DESCENDING TO ENTRANCE
SKIN
VIEW FROM PARKING LOT
CLOSED
OPEN

20. FOURGAN
New York City, NY
BIOMIMICRY FALL 2017-PROJECT IN PROGRESS
This project focuses on designing a module that will act as a
self-sustaining organism that only uses passive strategies to
be as efficient as possible and “stay alive.” This module is not a
building, but rather an expression of form derived from these
passive strategies. The organism uses biomimetic models in
nature as the bases for these sustainable techniques. Nature has
already efficiently solved many problems that we search for the
solutions to. Located in New York City, which has a predominantly
cold climate yearly, with the exception of a couple hot and humid
months.The Fourganism fo-cuses on responding to four climactic
conditions: rain, wind, solar, and earth (interpreted as structure).
Our organism is designed to act as a facade, with a complex skin
that collects rainwater and filters wind at the same time. After
being collected into the systems,the heavy air particles get filtered
through gravity, as well as the water heads toward a general filter
in the base of the organism. The cleaner air that makes it into the
organism will be used for cross ventilation, creating a constant
and healthy airflow inside. The rainwater collected will be filtered
and pumped back into the interior, becoming useable. The
structure itself is a series of webs that are strong and light-weight
with all of the varying patterns. The structure also acts as a thermal
insulator by using the gaps in between the material as air pockets.
Moments when the skin doesn’t cover the structure, these air
pockets can be passively heated by the sun, and create an even
better insulation for the interior. collected particles
filtered air
water towards
filtration

21. The Hellbender Salamander’s Skin
Legume’s Water Collection
Biomimetic Models
A Bird’s Respiratory System
The Woodpecker’s Skull
Our initial study began with the hilum valve of a legume seed, and how the valve mediates
water allowed into the seed. This mediation process was modeled, which led to how the
bean plan itself transported water in the bean pods. The spine of the pod is the direct line
into how the bean gets water inside the pod, conveniently through a scar that is left from the
hilum valve earlier in its life. The Fourganism mimics the water collection that the legume
seeds and pods embody. The pores are designed to collecting the water in a similar way,
and then the organism creates a passage and way of mediation for the water to continue on
its way toward filtration.
Hellbender salamanders perform cutaneous respiration, which means they
breath and collect water through their skin. One of the factors that makes this
possible is the ripples and waves on their skin, creating more surface area for the
cutaneous respiration to occur. Emulating this, the Fourganism utilizes a similar
curvature and rippled skin pattern, intended to create more pores and areas for
The efficiency of the avian respiratory system is owed in part to its unidi-rectional
nature and the structure of its parabronchial system (the small-er passages within
the lungs). The smaller passages constrict directing the oxygen through the
different air sacs. The air sac function as cham-ber, which regulates the pressure
through out the system directing oxy-gen through the different chambers. In our
organism we will use this strategy of regulating pressure to direct the wind through
the pipe and filtration system. The pipes would have air pockets, which would
regu-late the air pressure through out the system. This would create a stiffen-ing
effect where air enters through the pores, allowing our organism to “breathe.”
The Wood Pecker drums their beak at high speeds and deals with very high stress
forces. The unique structure of its cranial bone prevents forces from reaching its
brain and cranial cavity. This cranial bone is a mixture of tightly packed, dense
compact bone surrounding a deeper bone that is layered in a sponge like
structures that create a strong and shock absorbent system. The sponge like
structure also traps air in the open spaces in between the webs. This gives their
bones thermal insu-lation qualities protecting their brain from harsh conditions.
Our organism will also have sponge like structure that is the spine of the organism
holding everything together, but also functions as a thermal barrier trap-ping
air in its air pockets protecting the organism from New York’s harsh weather.
Lower Pressure
Lower Pressure
Higher Pressure
Higher Pressure
Main Chamber
Air Sac
Air Sac
Chamber can be closed off to
increase pressure in the main
chamber and create higher
pressure in the discharge
tube.

22. pores designated for wind
pores designated for water
rain
wind
The Fourganism is separated into skin and structure. The skin is porous, with geometry based on the water and wind collection discussed
above. Rain falls into the pores relatively vertically, and wind will go through the horizontal pores. The porous facade will follow the curves to
maintain this system. The structure will be built from a strong and flexible material, with ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) panels on the
exterior for insulation. This material weighs just 1% of what an equivalent sized glass panel weighs, and the proposed bubble-like cladding lets
in more light and is a better insulator than glass as well. Images of this are referenced from the National Aquatic Center (Watercube) in Beijing.
SYSTEM NARRATIVE EVOLUTION
SECTION
FLOOR PLAN SOUTH ELEVATION WEST ELEVATION NORTH ELEVATION WEST SECTION

23. INTERNSHIP
Irvine, Ca
Summer 2016
Over the summer I interned at Aguilar and Associates, where I
gottoworkhandsonwithavarietyof projecttypesrangingfrom
banks to the los angles union station. As an intern, I assisted
on schematic designs, material selection, construction set of
drawings, space analysis, renders and any needed graphics.
Only a small potion of the graphics I produced are shown.

26. OS E R G I O