This portfolio is a compilation of recent academic practices and experiences, encompassing group and individual projects that took place over the past four years while attending Kent State University’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design. These experiences have led to a plethora of skills including abroad academic knowledge, urban planning and architectural design. In addition to these skills, gained the confidence and knowledge to handle complex projects and challenges one may experience with the advancement into a graduate level of study into architecture and environmental design.

A sustainable community that exhibits revolutionary ideas of community and net-zero living.

A passive home that inspires on to live light and strive for a sustainable

A study of urban relationships in European cities that reinterprets public conditions with underlying cultural traditions.

A project that combines urban art with outdoor activities and exersize to promote community activity and local art.

A food bank that exhibits healthy living through pedestrian connections and education of food.

A bird rehabilitation center that exemplifies bio-mimicry and the revitilization of Vermilion Ohio’s

The objective of the IDEA project, is to initiate an environmentally responsible development practice that enhances natural environments, while also supporting valued communities. The project seeks to demonstrate sustainable intentions and educate the community as a whole about a sustainable way of life. This then establishes a self-sustained, residential development that activates the surrounding area while serving as a catalyst for the community, oriented around sustainable living in the region.

The site strives to accomplish the IDEA goals through creating an increased public activity across the site, which blurs the lines between public and private realms. The most obvious example of this condition is a central green space that can hold a multitude of events, as well as provide a simple gathering space for the community. This community plans to educate the city of Oberlin with a community center that specializes in organic farming. The use of pedestrian paths and bike paths through the site promotes healthy living, as well as connecting key relaxation spots under existing and newly planted fruit trees. This makes it encouraging for every passerby to stop, slow down and enjoy the natural environment that surrounds them.

The Northwest corner of the site utilizes a small café and exterior lounge space to create an attraction to the site. It also provides a great opportunity for employees of the industrial zone of Oberlin to participate in an enjoyable lunch outdoors.

The pedestrian path connects existing trees and newly planted fruit trees in order to create social interaction and resting points throughout the site. The path then connects areas of activity in the community of Oberlin such as Tappin square and the industrial zone to the north of the site.

This passive home relies on the same ideas expressed in the IDEA Homes development, referring to sustainable practices and lifestyles.

These ideas are expressed through the concept of living light. Not only will the homeowner be provided with adequate daylighting year round, but will also be enlightened on living light. This will teach the homeowner to only consume the essentials to live comfortably.

The floor plan then emphasizes sharing the ideas of living light. The home is centralized around the core living spaces, which are extended into an exterior walk out space. This is where the enlightened family can share their ideas to the community through organic gardens and gatherings on the patio.

The metal roof even exhibits a sense of lightness by hovering effortlessly over the simple wood mass of the home.

North Elevation

Floor Plan

Orientation

Entry/Patio

Sun Angle

South Elevation

Winter Winds

The simple form of the home responds to the climatic conditions of Oberlin, Ohio. It does so by simply pushing the North West corner into the slight berm. This creates a reduction in area exposed to the harsh winter winds. This allows for a sunken patio space and greater exposure on the Southern facade. Extending the roof over this elevation keeps the harsh summer sun blocked while still allowing for optimum solar gain during the winter months.

These attributes of the home, along with a slightly sunken patio, contribute to the natural ventilation of the interior spaces. The ten inch exterior walls with eight inches of insulation create a home that can sustain a net-zero energy consume.

Section Perspective

This proposal strives to reveal Vermilion’s history and culture through the revival of specific local wildlife, creating experiences internal and external that merge the boundaries between land and water. The design embraces the local activities between avian wildlife and water recreations to create a more active lakefront for the city, while teaching the community about local avian history and population. The project reacts to Vermilion as a “green city” by regenerating native wildlife through and around the site to encourage all native species and more specifically, bird migration that has recently been forgotten about. Natural patterns and forms are applied to inspire lighting and ventilation throughout the project.

Recycled Wood

Porous Pathways

Metal Roof

Living Machine

Harvestable Landscape

Solar Panel Parking

The development of the site and building form resemles and revolves around the local avian wildlife of Vermilion Ohio. The living building challenge provides a sustainable direction for the proposal while informing a healthier way of life for all wildlife and visitors. The utilization of edible landscape and natural materials attracts birds in migration to the site, therefore creating an attraction for visitors.

Existing Site Activity

Design

New Site Activity

The existing activity levels on the site are sporadic and relatively non-existant. This proposal strives to create a new evenly distributed level of activity. This is achieved with the addition of cabins along the Vermilion River for bird watchers and kayakers alike. Located at the end of the pier is a raptor flight cage that provides flight rehab as well as a bird watching pavilion when not in use. All of these elements create a better distribution and activity throughout the site.

The section of the exhibit space resembles the feathers of a bird while providing a dynamic lighting throughout the year. Similar to the feathers of a bird the panel system also allows for natural ventilation, while blocking the summer heat and accepting the winter solar gain.

This project promotes the education of avian wildlife while also providing livable space within the wall construction. Varying the size of the compartments that create a unique patterning along the façade resembles a similar pattern of cliff nests along the Vermilion River. Utilizing two way glass on the interior of the wall cavity, visitors may experience the nest while not disturbing the birds.

Similar to the section, the plans were developed from the feathering qualities of birds. This provides the ability for natural ventilation in both plan and section simultaneously. One enters the complex into one of two exhibit spaces. The wildlife rehabilitation center becomes the core element of the complex with an auditorium space and educational facilities surrounding it. Located on the northern end of the complex, an exterior deck provides excellent space for bird and boat watchers along the lakeshore.

Ground Floor Plan

Lower Level Plan

This proposition explores Florence Italy’s sporadic urban fabric and existing connections, to introduce a new link between the inner and outer extents of the city limits.

The existing conditions of the site is intriguing, being that it is the only large void space in the city with virtually no activity throughout the day. That is surprising because it is located in close proximity to the San Ambriogo market, and lies on a key transition point of moving from vehicular to pedestrian movement.

These attributes of the existing site are combined with the program of a gastronomy center to not only create an increased activity between the San Ambriogo market and the site, but a new connection to the historical city center. This connection rethinks the relationship and transitions between public spaces.

This project began with rethinking how one experiences a building and its connection to the existing urban fabric. The initial concept model expresses a building at its simplest forms, public void space and programed building mass. By conceptualizing the project around void space, the building allows for important connections across the site to remain such as connections between the market and the architecture school. Surrounding this urban corridor with the program of a gastronomy center, the maximum amount of open space is left to the piazza. This promotes public interactions while providing quality gathering spaces that incorporate the enjoyment of food.

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Roof Plan

When considering the programmatic pieces of a gastronomy center the cycle of food, from harvest to production to enjoyment, it plays a vital role in the development of program location. As one moves through the public corridor, they are taken on a journey through the process of food production, education and enjoyment. The experience begins with education about food tasting and pairing programs such as cooking classes, cafes and reading rooms express the rest of the food cycle and production.

The facade is also developed from the initial study model resembling the ideas of solid, void and semi-solid materials in an elevation. It is as if the building is carved out of one larger mass where public spaces are carved completely out, private spaces are left untouched and semi-public areas are barely exposed.

The idea of this project is to form an active cultural hub that directly represents the diverse subcultures found in Tremont Ohio, from hipsters to the many diverse religions. Each of these subcultures bring their own forms of activities, art, food and architecture. All of these elements can be shared on an outdoor track that takes an individual on a journey through Tremont’s diverse street art, architecture and street life.

The facade development is directly related to the connections between the diverse subcultures experiencing the spaces within the building. By distinguishing the different types of program in section from gallery space to workout spaces, one can begin to separate and connect these spaces visually with elements on the facade. The elevation then becomes a direct depiction of what is occurring on the interior between such a diverse program, resulting in multiple layers on the facade.

Thicker bands across an elevation represent the physical barriers between spaces, while line work begins to tell how these spaces are connected visually. The line work is then translated into a screen element on the final design to provide a sense of privacy in spaces such as art galleries.

Being that this project exhibits multiple subcultures and a variety of social interaction there is an emphasis on connecting and overlaying these diverse activities. The ground floor is an open air exhibit space divided by the cultural track crossing and overlapping itself in the core of the building. The interior fitness center and exhibit space then seem to hover over the ground level. This results in floor plates that shift and slide over on another providing direct visual connections between activities. Making this building an important element to the social structure of the neighborhood.

The objective of the food bank is to create a more unified sense of community within downtown Kent. This proposal strives to diminish the boundaries between a fast paced upper level and the lower, slower streetscape of the college town. This is achieved through the utilization of a public stairway that encourages pedestrian movement from the streetscape to bridge level. With the proximity to major residential areas as well as local restaurants, the building becomes a vital transition between the central downtown area and the outlying residential areas of Kent.

Third FloorSecond FloorFirst Floor

The exterior pathway becomes the core element in which everything is constructed around. From this, pathway pedestrians can connect visually with all aspects of the food bank; both interior and exterior. Each element of the program utilizes an exterior component to attract visitors as well as create a greater sense of community.

The dynamic façade directly relates to the function of the interior space. Each space is carved in a way that emphasizes visual connections within or out of a space. The character of the space determines whether there is a solid, opaque, or glazed surface.