porfolio 2012

PORTFOLIO

Jessica Hester2006 -2012

Cover image: MAPPING OF THE WOOD

During the early phase of my Master’s Degree research I performed analysis of a block of wood. This analysis was based on the idea of digital indexing and led to the creation of a digital language to understand space that can not physically be explored.

“tHe problems of tHe world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics wHose Horizons are limited by tHe obvious realities. we need men wHo can dream of tHings tHat never were.”

- JoHn f. kennedy

AutoCADRevit Suites

Adobe AcrobatPhotoshop

Flamingo ArcMap GISV-Ray Microsoft Office

RhinocerosSketch Up

TRAVEL

SOFTWARE IllustratorInDesign

EXHIBITIONS,PUBLICATIONS,

PRESENTATIONS,& AWARDS

• Loose Canons Exhibition curator, contributor, and installer, April 26 - Present • Bad Infinity Exhibition curator and contributor, April 6 - 11, 2012• Stainlessness Exhibition contributor and installer, April 9 - 23, 2012• ULI/Gerald D. Hines Urban Design Competition finalist team, April 2012• Taubman College of Architecture Merit Scholarship recipient, F’11 - S’12• Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, Research Day presenter, March 2011• Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, research grant recipient, F‘10 - S’11 • OU College of Architecture representative for the Provost creative/research work, F’11 - S’11.• Backus Payne Leadership & Ethics Scholarship recipient, F’10 - S’11• ENYA Design Competition, HB:BX Art Center expo & publication, New York City, November 2010• Creating_Making Forum, Paper presentation and publication, November 2010• Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, F’10 - S’11• College of Architecture Ambassador, Liaison for the College of Architecture for distinguished events

held by the University of Oklahoma during the inaugural year. F’10 - S’11• AIAS Oklahoma Presidential Award, May 2009• LEED Accredited Professional, March 2009

EXPERIENCE

Golden’s Designer Jewelry, Rogers, AR May 2011 - January 2012I was responsible for company imaging, product branding and design, as well as advertising development. Projects have included co-branding with Walmart for a custom jewelry line, and the re-imaging of the company at large.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI January - May 2012I worked as a Research Assistant for the 2011-2012 Walter B. Sanders Fellow at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan on the development of the Stainlessness exhibition and publication.

University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK August 2009 - May 2011I worked as Lab Assistant for the department of Information Technology. Daily duties included assisting peers with technology issues such as troubleshooting software, developing layouts for digital projects, and maintenance of hardware.

Boynton-Williams & Associates, Norman, OK May 2008 - May 2011I worked as an Intern Architect directly for a Project Manager on multiple designs of primary and secondary schools. I was able to gain many skills and learn much about the architecture profession.

ann hester,LEED AP

6315 Eastland CourtRome, GA 30161

[email protected]

PERSONAL GOAL

EDUCATION

INVOLVEMENT • URBANITE, Copresident, 5th Yr. Expo & Celebration, F’10 - S’11• Haitian Earthquake Benefit - Organized the premiere showing of the film, “One Peace at a time” to raise

funds for the American Red Cross Relief Fund after the Haitian earthquake. March 2010• NAAB Visiting Team Member Florida International University, April 2011 Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, March 2010 Southern University Baton Rouge, March 2009 University of Detroit Mercy, March 2008• AIAS - American Institute of Architect Students Member, F’06 - S’12 Accreditation Chair, I led the Studio Culture Task Force, F’08 - S’09 Forum 2008 Denver Attendee Mid-West Quad Conference, F’08 Executive Class Member, F’07 - S’08 Philanthropy Committee, F’07 - S’08 Forum 2007 Milwaukee Attendee• AIAS Freedom By Design Member, F’09 - S’11 Fund-raiser Chair, F’07 - S’08• President’s Honor Roll. • Dean’s Honor Roll. S’07, F’08, S’08, F’09, S’09, F’10, S’10, S’11• Dean of Libraries Student Advisory Council, Member F’09 - S’10• AICAE, American Indian Council of Architects & Engineers (Student Chapter) Member F’06 - S’07 Secretary, S’07

• Germany • France • Monaco • Switzerland • Italy •Canada • Mexico

To complete doctoral research focused on understanding how low-tech, sustainable solutions operate in global humanitarian design work and how these systems participate in the dialogue of contemporary architectural design; as well as use the knowledge gained through this research to influence the profession of architecture and the education of emerging architects and designers.

Master of Design Research GPA 3.81Master of Science in ArchitectureUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, May 2012

Bachelor of Architecture GPA 3.30Minor in Human RelationsUniversity of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, May 2011

jessicaRESUME

7

decommissioning american consumption #8Master of Design Research

Fall 2011 - Spring 2012

the Hill (Finalist Submission) #28ULI/Hines Urban Design Competition

Spring 2012

california connection #36Capstone Project


the redaptive vessel #42USGBC Natural Talent Design Competition

Spring 2010

components: the redaptive vessel #46Undergraduate Research Opportunity Grant Research

Fall 2010

airsHed #48urbanSHED International Design Competition

Fall 2009

the apeX (HB:BX Art Center) #52Emerging New York Architects Design Competition

Fall 2009

renderings #58Hand Rendered Images


contentstable of

Pinnacle Hills Promenade (a lifestyle center), Rogers, Arkansas

9

decommissioning american consumptionMaster of science in Design research


The work of my Master’s Degree examines the increased social and economic benefits embedded in the design and experience of the emerging development, the lifestyle center, in comparison to the fatigued consequences of the consumer focused enclosed shopping mall. While these the spaces of the lifestyle center are perceptive and thought out, the design lacks true innovation as there is a continued reversion to historic development and very little progressive thinking. One of the key questions of the research is this reversion alongside the incredible success of the space. This is in reference to the fact that the space is continually occupied and it maintains exceedingly low vacancy rates. Patrons flock to these lifestyle centers all across America purchasing goods that far exceed necessity. Furthermore, this work also examines the demise of commodity exchange space in lieu of the recent economic decline.

10

Shopping Centers across America

Lifestye Centers across America

Due to America’s obsession with consumption, thousands of malls and shopping centers have been erected over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, to numbers upwards of 31,000. These spaces, often enclosed with one to five floors of shopping, dining, and entertainment options, are spaces of pure consumption. They lure the suburban shopper with the promise of selections beyond their imagination and utter convince. American’s are overtaken by the excess of these commodity exchange spaces, they immerse themselves in the corridors lined with glass that reveal all the latest fashions displayed in the most pristine and elegant configuration all with the goal of enticing the shopper to open their wallet and the flâneuse to stroll the corridors with leisure. As the economy has declined, the continued development of these properties has become stagnant. The lifestyle center, on the contrary, has picked up development by 30%. There are over 380 lifestyle centers in America. These open-air developments consist of mixed-use commercial and retail space.

consumerismtHe facts of

in america

11

Pinnacle Hills Promenade located in Rogers, Arkansas

Lifestye Centers owned by General Growth Properties

General Growth Properties is one of the two leading development companies of retail facilities in America. They own over 175 malls, which is 11.2% of the market and six lifestyle centers which is approximately 2% of the market. In total they own over 200 million square feet of retail space that includes over 24,000 shops. One of these Centers, located in Rogers, AR, is the Pinnacle Hills Promenade. Completed in 2006, this 1.1 million square foot open-air shopping space, which includes over 95 shops and 7,200 parking spaces as well as second floor offices, serves as a regional destination for the wives of the executives of mega industries such as Walmart, Tyson Foods, and JB Hunt Trucking.

12

lifestyletHe

center

+ =Lifestyle CenterStrip MallMain Street

Lifestyle centers include leisure amenities, such as plush seating, fine dining, regularly scheduled entertainment, and are designed with the aesthetic qualities of historic Main Street meets the suburban strip mall. The difference between these two designs is the arrangement of the outdoor space, particularly parking and landscaping. The strip mall has a sea of parking located in front of the building and the landscaping is non-existent. On the contrary, on-street parking, street trees, buildings with large windows, individual buildings not wider than 25 feet, variety in ground floor material palette, and wide sidewalks, architecturally define the Main Street aesthetic. These components create a space of excess that renders the effect of montage.

Walter Benjamin explains in the Arcades Project that “the beginnings of photomontage come out of the attempt to ensure that images of the landscape retain a painterly character” which was desired after the invention of the camera. (Benjamin W. , p. 684) Now days, photomontage is considered the art of abstracting moments of an illustration and overlying them with opposing moments from varying sources to create a completely new illustration. My theory is that of spatial montage, which creates a new understanding of a space that would not be considered without the layering of building materials. The lifestyle center creates a space that not only appears layered due to the multiple material elements that compose the pedestrian experience, but creates the effect of montage as well. As a result of this layering, strange moments occur due to the blurring of the boundaries between the programed spaces. As shown in image three where the couple is acting as they would in their own living room, cuddling up on a couch watching Judge Judy, they are actually sitting in the Food Pavilion of a lifestyle center. Without this layering this confusion would not occur and thus occupants would not be lost in the sea of excess that renders them helpless to decipher appropriate actions for public.

13

As a result of these ostentatious spaces, General Growth Properties (GGP) was obliged to file for chap-ter eleven bankruptcy. After only one year in office, their Chief Executive Officer, John Bucksbaum, the son of the two brothers that founded GGP in 1954, was ‘asked’ to resign as a result of corporate fraud compounded with massive company failure. This setback would be the end of a family owned opera-tion, which culminated with the Bucksmam’s fortune falling from $3.2 billion to $116 million in a short half a year. This sent the company into a hard and fast downward spiral, a failure of which could be seen in all capacities of American retail.

In an effort to hold on to the Promenade, Adam Metz, the new CEO of GGP began to make some envi-ronmental adaptations to the function of the space. He enacted the General Growth Properties’ Pre-cious Planet initiative (GGPPP), which was carried out via the General Manager, David Faulkner. The first step of the GGPPP initiative was to alter the use of the thermal comfort units. The heating and air-conditioning was turned off between the hours of ten o’clock in the evening and nine o’clock in the morning in an effort to “preserve our planet’s valuable resources.” The next effort was to remove the use of cleaning services, which could be replaced with “outside service that [had] been approved by the Green Clean Institute.” Adam then informed the tenants that GGP would no longer be responsible for the toiletries in the restrooms or any other replacement materials for the landscaping, including light bulbs. The final memorandum stated that the company would no longer maintain the grounds, unless the Occupational Safety and Health Administration sanctioned them.

Memorandums from GGP announcing the decline of the Property

Fall of the Pinnacle Hills Promenade

14

The decommissioning process begins with the removal of certain architecturally iconic moments within Pinnacle Hills Promenade. The intention of which is to enroll society in the various stages of the process. This phase has moments of importance throughout the 21 year duration of the decommissioning process where it serves as a continuous reminder to the days when life was a little less complicated.

monumentpHase 1

duration: January 2012 - october 2026

Walmart Visitors Center6.7 miles

Historic Downtown Rogers Park4.9 miles

Pinnacle Hills Promenade

JB Hunt Trucking Headquarters6.8 miles

Tyson Foods Headquarters11.3 miles

Dissemination of Architectural Monuments Throughout Rogers, Arkansas

15

MO

NUM

ENT

16

containpHase 2

The second phase of the decommissioning process begins to come to fruition as the materials that compose Pinnacle Hills Promenade are taken down one piece at a time and are re-packaged in acutely designed shipping containers that have been altered to expose the time lapse of the material as it breaks down over many years. Throughout this phase and in-depth analysis is performed that allows for the indexing and processing of the material makeup that exposes that the only way to begin to alleviate the symptoms of utter shock and disappointment in corporate culture lie in the ability to take the building apart. In the process of this decommissioning the constructional logic is revealed.

DillardsTheatre

JC Penny Block C

Block C+

Block D

Block E

Block E+

Block F

Inte

rior M

ater

ials

Key

Key

Building Name Building Exterior (1” = 900 sf)

Exte

rior M

ater

ials

WoodTileGlassEIFSRockBrick

Block D

Block C+

PavillionBlock E+

Block C

Block E

Dillards

Block F

JC Penny

$77,

600

$199

,473

$96,

673

$229

,672

$257

,597

$133

,404

$151

,163

$223

,025

$235

,220

$294

,875

$481

,135

$510

,082

$481

,135

$323

,845

$780

,993

$1,0

55,9

53

$1,1

01,9

39

$1,1

25,3

85

$1,2

47,8

20

$1,2

10,4

24

mat

eria

l cos

t

material size 1 = 40cy

Building Name Building Exterior (1” = 30,000sf)

CarpetFloor TileGrid CeilingGyp BoardBlock Walls

mat

eria

l cos

t

material size 1 = 40cy

7.7

16.06 28.42

7.06

1.9935.79

11.519.15

26.16 31.28

10.04 4.16

11.51

12.25

39.320.88

13.34 7.5411.74

34.85

Pavilion

Theatre

(1”

= 20

,000

sf)

(1”

= 5,

000

sf)

Container Layout

Material Index

duration: september 2011 - July 2014

17

CO

NTA

IN

18

eXposepHase 3

The result of material removal is the exposure of the structural grid. By exposing this frame of steel, the bones of capitalism have also been exposed. This abstracted vastness of space contains the clues to revealing the forward movement of commodity exchange space. This phase becomes vital as the following phase begin to take over and the two phases work together.

The Bones of Capitalism, Exposed

duration: January 2014 - July 2014

19

EXPO

SE

20

interJectpHase 4

In an effort to rapidly return the Promenade to its natural state, the concrete is pulverized in large swaths and interjected with the nutrients need to be fruitful once again. The ground is repopulated with the ecological species required for future success. As time goes by the land grows richer, the species large, and the air clearer. The relics of capitalism remain but their negative roots have rotted. The space that once stood as a source of capitalism is not only a monument to a past of long ago.

Nature Taking Over

Pho

to: B

rian

UIr

ich

duration: July 2014 - [ ]

21

INTE

RJEC

T

22

eXHibitpHase 5

As a way of participating with the upper echelon of accepted social culture the samples gathered throughout the decommissioning process will be displayed at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American art, located a few miles away. This highly curated show will serve as a constant reminder that capitalism is under our control and we choose to restrain it or let it take over.

AA

01

02

03

04

05

BB CC DD EE

01. Dillards02. Movie Theatre03. Food Pavilion04. Block C05. Block C+06. Block D07. Block E08. Block E+09. Block F10. JC Penny

01

05

02

08

07

09

10

06

04

03

Map for Museum Display

duration: may 2012 - [ ]

23

N

EXHI

BIT

24

GGP Reports $25 Billion in DebtMr. John Bucksbaum Resigns

The Bucksbaum Stake dives - 96%

GGP Files Chapter 11 BankruptcyPinnacle Hills Promenade - FOR SALE

Negotiations for Purchase

Develop De-Con Concept DrawingsDevelop Monument 1 Base Const. Drawings

Construct Monument 1 Base

Develop Monument 2 Base Const. DrawingsConstruct Monument 2 Base

Deconstruct Monument 1

Finances

Community

Lifestyle Center

Progress

GGP Decline

Traditional Mall

Develop De-Con DrawingsProcure Containers

Work With FabricatorsFabricate and Deliver Containers

Remove Signage

Gather Material SamplesDraw Maps

Design DisplayWrite Narratives

Record Audio TourExhibition Opening

Exhibition Run

Remove Ceilings

Develop Grid DrawingsClean and Prep Grid

Paint GridDesign Bird Blinds

Manufacture BlindsDesign and Construct Cable System

Pulverize Pavement SwathsRemove and Store Debris

Plant Sunflowers for Soil MitigationCultivate Sunflowers

Plant Winter WheatPulverize Remaining Pavement

Remove and Store DebrisPlant Sunflowers

Cultivate SunflowersPlant Winter Wheat

Cultivate Plant GrowthIntroduce Native Animal Species

Increase Animal and Plant DiversityFormalize Preserve SpaceInstall Bird BlindsPreserve Opening Day

First SeasonContinued Growth and Development of Preserve

Remove FlooringRemove Finishes

Remove DrywallRemove Light Gauge Framing

Remove Electrical SystemsRemove Pluming Systems

Remove Mechanical SystemsConstruct/Arrange Containers and Supports

Clean and Prep Site

Close on Purchase $ 2.8 Million

GGP Misses $900 Million Loan Payment Dead-

Site VisitMeetings with City

Meetings with CorporationsData Analysis

Locate CrewRemove Fixtures - FF&E

Sale Fixtures for Funding

Relocate Monument 1Public Opening of Monument 1






Public Opening of Park Space

Public Opening of Container Display

valu

e

time

2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2012 2024 2026 2028 2030 2032

25

GGP Reports $25 Billion in DebtMr. John Bucksbaum Resigns

The Bucksbaum Stake dives - 96%

GGP Files Chapter 11 BankruptcyPinnacle Hills Promenade - FOR SALE

Negotiations for Purchase

Develop De-Con Concept DrawingsDevelop Monument 1 Base Const. Drawings

Construct Monument 1 Base


Deconstruct Monument 1

Finances

Community

Lifestyle Center

Progress

GGP Decline

Traditional Mall

Develop De-Con DrawingsProcure Containers

Work With FabricatorsFabricate and Deliver Containers

Remove Signage

Gather Material SamplesDraw Maps

Design DisplayWrite Narratives

Record Audio TourExhibition Opening

Exhibition Run

Remove Ceilings

Develop Grid DrawingsClean and Prep Grid

Paint GridDesign Bird Blinds

Manufacture BlindsDesign and Construct Cable System

Pulverize Pavement SwathsRemove and Store Debris

Plant Sunflowers for Soil MitigationCultivate Sunflowers

Plant Winter WheatPulverize Remaining Pavement

Remove and Store DebrisPlant Sunflowers

Cultivate SunflowersPlant Winter Wheat

Cultivate Plant GrowthIntroduce Native Animal Species

Increase Animal and Plant DiversityFormalize Preserve SpaceInstall Bird BlindsPreserve Opening Day

First SeasonContinued Growth and Development of Preserve

Remove FlooringRemove Finishes

Remove DrywallRemove Light Gauge Framing

Remove Electrical SystemsRemove Pluming Systems

Remove Mechanical SystemsConstruct/Arrange Containers and Supports

Clean and Prep Site

Close on Purchase $ 2.8 Million

GGP Misses $900 Million Loan Payment Dead-

Site VisitMeetings with City

Meetings with CorporationsData Analysis

Locate CrewRemove Fixtures - FF&E

Sale Fixtures for Funding







Public Opening of Park Space

Public Opening of Container Display

valu

e

time

2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2012 2024 2026 2028 2030 2032

Schedule of Progress over the Project’s Duration

26

The design of lifestyle center brings up many questions regarding the discipline of architecture and the relationship shared between these architectural space and society at large. One question that continues to loom over the research and nags at me as I attempt to wrap up my work is why are these spaces successful? The answer is not simple, as the enjoyment of the space is particular to each person’s identity and previous experiences. A large amount of the absurdity imbedded in the space is rooted in the idea that lifestyle centers are trying to be something they are not, something of the past. Which begs the question; will they be legitimized as the historic districts as time passes? Are these the ‘town squares’ of our children’s future and is that really so bad? As an architect (to be) I am constantly confronting the notion of what we have been willing to lie about. I will put this into the context of the space. In the lifestyle center, every piece of the landscape is implanted. When the builder begins the construction process he ‘mows down’ every living and non-living thing on the site to ‘prepare’ the site for future construction. By the completion of the project, it appears as though all the new plants and greenery were there all along and the architecture simply ‘placed’ itself around it. What is it about this process that can be changed? How can we allow the materials of the spaces to speak the truth about the building and design process? As I worked through the conclusion of my research, it is becoming clear that there is a necessity for undoing what had been done, in other words, the decommissioning of the lifestyle center is the only way to understand this architectural and sociological conundrum. It is our duty as the architects of modernity, to tell the truth to the public. There is no longer the need for these ludicrous spaces for society to participate in the excessive consumption of goods; it simply compounds the economic difficulties we are already facing. We no longer need to be limited by the ways of the past; we simply need to let the buildings tell their own story…the truth. This paper cannot begin to explain the aesthetics of this shift, in other words what this change will look like, in the process of design, but hopefully it cleared up the deep desire to make these changes a priority within the discipline.

resulttHe

27

works cited

Ankum, K. v. (1997). Women in the Metropolis: Gender and Modernity. Berkeley: University of Cali-fornia Press.

Benjamin, W. (1968). Illuminations. New York: Schocken Books.

Benjamin, W. (1999). The Arcades Project. Cambridge: First Harvard University Press.

Benjamin, A. (2005). Walter Benjamin and Art. In D. Mertins, Walter Benjamin and the Techtonics Unconscious (pp. 148-163). London: Continuum.

Bhatnagar, P. (2005, January 12). Not a Mall, It’s a Lifestyle Center. Retrieved January 15, 2012, from CNN Money: http://money.cnn.com/2005/01/11/news/fortune500/retail_lifestylecenter/

Bowlby, R. (1985). Just Looking: Consumer Culture in Dreiser, Gissing, and Zola. New York: Methuen.

Buck-Morss, S. (1991). The Dialetics of Seeing. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Cather, W. (2008). The Professor’s House. Radford: Wilder Publications.

Crawford, M. (1992). The World in a Shopping Mall. In e. Michael Sorkin, Variations on a Theme Park: The New Armerican City and the End of Public Space (pp. 3-30). New York, NY: Hilll and Wang.

Cross, G. (2000). An All-Consuming Century. New York: Columbia University Press.

Deleuze, G. (1992). Postscript on the Societies of Control. October , 3-7.

Festa, E. (2011). Conveniently Situated Museums: The House Museum Movement and Modernist Interiority in Willa Cather’s ‘The Professor’s House’. Arizona Quarterly , 73-113.

Frank, R., & Hudson, K. (2008, December 9). Dark Days for Mall Dynasty. Retrieved March 23, 2012, from The Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122875588694888349.html

General Growth Properties, I. (2010). Company Overview. Chicago, IL, USA.

Illouz, E. (1997). Consuming the Romantic Utopia: Love and the Cultural Contradictions of Capital-ism. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Institute, F.-B. C. (2011). Mission. Retrieved April 2012, from Form-Based Codes Institute: http://www.formbasedcodes.org/

Kavanagh, M. (2000, June). A Brief History of Shopping Centers. Retrieved April 2012, from The Impact of Shopping Centers: http://www.icsc.org/srch/about/impactofshoppingcenters/briefhistory.html

Kracauer, S. (1995). The Mass Ornament. Weimar Essays , 74-86.

Parsons, D. L. (2000). Streetwalking the Metropolis: Women, the City and Modernity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Wolff, J. (2006). Gender and the haunting of cities (or, the retirement of the flaneur). In A. D’Souza, & T. McDonough, The Invisible Flaneuse: Gender, Public Space, and Visual Culture in Nineteenth-Century Paris (pp. 18-31). Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.

The Hill Master Plan, Houston, Texas

29

tHe HillULi/hines Urban Design coMpetition

Spring 2012

Houston’s downtown has been divided into districts, except for the area west of I-45, north of the Buffalo Bayou, and east of Travis Street. A 16.3 acre site that the 2012 ULI/Hines Competition 10 encompasses most of this area is currently owned by the United States Postal Service and houses a post office distribution facility and office building that have been deemed obsolete to USPS operations. A local foundation, the Central Houston Foundation (CHF), has acquired the option to purchase the site. CHF has a large endowment committed to both the sustainable growth of Houston’s downtown and community development, and would like the site to generate a revenue stream for its endowment while also helping to shape a new downtown district. At the same time, the Downtown Management District, Central Houston, Inc., and other groups devoted to development downtown have taken an interest in the property as a key site to reconnect the Theater District, the Historic District, and greater downtown to the Buffalo Bayou and provide additional residential units downtown. They have been working closely with CHF to determine its goals for the site and a surrounding study area. These stakeholders have determined that the development site is the beginning of the next big opportunity to create a new downtown district with a distinct identity as well as redevelop or reuse existing buildings in parts of downtown with many surface parking lots or underutilized buildings. They envision generally that the river and perhaps some element of public open space can be used to catalyze the creation of a new downtown district while also ensuring connections between the site, the Theater District, and the Historic District.

coMpetition brief

30

PP

P

PPP

Texa

s T-B

one

to

Dalla

s or S

an A

nton

ioC

omm

uter

Rai

l to

oute

r Hou

ston

Light

Rai

l to

Dow

ntow

n

Wal

king

acro

ss th

e Hi

ll

0

15

30

45

60

Trave

l tim

es fr

om H

ill Tra

nsit

Cen

ter (

min

)Pe

rcen

t of S

quar

e Fe

et B

y La

nd U

se

Public: 3%, 30, 654 SFIndustrial: 3%, 35,769 SF

Retail: 46%, 555,532 SF

Residential: 48%, 575,154 SF

Sports Fields

StormwaterManagement Zone

Gas Station

Local Coffee Roaster Coop

REI

Public Market

Urban Target

Public Plaza

Parkfront Grill

Terrace Park on the Bayou

The Houston Highline

Buffalo BayouBike and Jogging Trail

THE ILLat houston[ [H

0506

University of Houston Research Center

Sound Reducing Berm

City Bus Stop

Pedestrian Bridge between The Hill and The University

Park and Ride

Mutimodal Transportation Station and Pedestrian Bridge to Lightrail

Boutique Hotel

Convenience Store

Bioswale Stormwater Management

pedestrian

retail

bus

the hill

park

BUILIDING PHASING

CO

NC

EPT

SKET

CHE

S

CO

NC

EPT

DIA

GRA

M

Phase 1

Transit Hub (2014-2015)

Intermodal Station + Park & Ride for convenient access to site and downtown

University of Houston Downtown Public & Environmental Research Center

Total Square Ft: 381,229

Residential Density (2016-2017)

Mixed use

Affordable + market rate residential

Riverfront retail + residential


Neighborhood CommercialCore (2018-2019)

Major retail anchors: Target & REI

Community Center: Public Plaza & Public Market

Total Square Feet: 589,352

Residential Density + Economic Gardening (2020-2021)

Create coffee roaster coop for local businesses to grow and expand into new markets

Affordable + market rate residential + SRO

Gas Station


Connections

Open Space

Circulation

Land Use

Daily Shadow Range in April

The Hill creates a new urban microclimate in Houston by maximizing shadow coverage and wind infi ltration through the design of carefully articulated open space. Detailed climatic studies were conducted to determine optimal site design based on climatic comfort goals.

Wind Rate Vectors

Waterfl ow to The Bayou

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

VISION DIAGRAMS

[a] VIEW FROM THE HOUSTON HIGHLINE

[b] VIEW TO THE PUBLIC MARKETBIRDSEYE VIEW

FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT

[c] SITE SECTIONScale: 1/64” = 1’-0”

MICROCLIMATE AT THE HILL

bicycle

dining

train

texas

community

kayak

parking

vehicular

houston

recycle

SITE OBJECTIVES

Livable NeighborhoodVarious housing options attract a diversity of people. The public market, pharmacy, Target and other neighborhood retail provide household goods within walking distance. Athletic fi elds, river access, and pathways provide recreational opportunities. Social programs and spaces foster a healthy community.

Distinctive DistrictVisibly stepped buildings create identity and capitalize on views. Rear facades communicate with highway traffi c and shelter the neighborhood.Iconic intermodal transit station acts as gateway to downtown.

Meaningful ConnectionsTransit station acts as a synchronized hub for trains, buses, bikes, cars, and pedestrians. Research space and pedestrian arcades attract visitors from University of Houston Downtown. Reimagined streets and pathways increase access to surrounding districts. Buildings provide space for local businesses to congregate and innovate

SustainabilityGreen infrastructure fi lters stormwater on site and provides space for fl ooding.Layout harnesses sun and wind patterns to shade and ventilate spaces. Native plants and LEED certifi ed buildings reduce water and energy use.

Mixed Retail Multi-Family Residential

Mixed Retail and Residential

Public Plaza

New Houston Ballet

South to Downtown

Footbridge to The Hill Terrace Park at The Hill Parkfront Grill Public Market at The HillPublic Plaza Noise Reducing Berm Recreational Fields

Structured Parking

Integrated Parking

Surface Parking

METRO Bus Stop

Primary Road

Secondary Road

Neighborhood Road

Semi-public

Greenway

Bicycle and Pedestrian Node

Bicycle and Pedestrian Path

METRO Rail

Commuter Rail

Texas T-Bone Rail

[a]

Washington Ave.

Franklin St.

[b][c]

[c]

N

Multifamily Residential

Offi ce and Retail

Light Residential

Light Industrial

Public Facility

Current Site Value $543,295 Projected Site Value $586,688,374 Net Present Value $80,969,76 Exit Cap Rate 6% Leveraged IRR 19% Unleveraged IRR 11% Current Downtown Population 3,853 Residential Increase 30% New Jobs 1,500

200

Pres

ton

400

Pres

ton

600

Con

gres

s

100

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m

(I-45

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15,000

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rby

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es

30,000

Open Space: 462,406

Streets: 10,225,318

Buildings: 13,852,590Ann

ual V

olum

e of

Sto

rmw

ater

Run

off (

gallo

ns)

Open Space: 15%

Built Environment: 85%Perc

ent o

f Op

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The Hill at Houston envisions a new livable downtown district with connections to the adjacent cultural and historic districts, the University of Houston Downtown, and the Buffalo Bayou through a reorganized street grid and the development of a multimodal transit station. A new ”Houston Highline” park acts as a pedestrian gateway that connects downtown to the Hill, linking Houston’s cultural and historic districts with a live-work-play community. The creation of diverse housing stock and continuous integrated green space connects to a variety of amenities while providing ecological habitat. Buildings gradually decrease in height towards the bayou, giving the project a distinctive architectural identity that maximizes views of the bayou and downtown while providing residents with comfortable living through advanced passive energy systems.

tHe Hillgoals of

31

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15

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Retail: 46%, 555,532 SF


Sports Fields


Gas Station


REI

Public Market

Urban Target

Public Plaza

Parkfront Grill




THE ILLat houston[ [H

0506


Sound Reducing Berm

City Bus Stop


Park and Ride


Boutique Hotel

Convenience Store


pedestrian

retail

bus

the hill

park

BUILIDING PHASING

CO

NC

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SKET

CHE

S

CO

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DIA

GRA

M

Phase 1






Mixed use











Gas Station


Connections

Open Space

Circulation

Land Use



Wind Rate Vectors


Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

VISION DIAGRAMS



FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT



bicycle

dining

train

texas

community

kayak

parking

vehicular

houston

recycle

SITE OBJECTIVES







Public Plaza

New Houston Ballet

South to Downtown


Structured Parking

Integrated Parking

Surface Parking

METRO Bus Stop

Primary Road

Secondary Road

Neighborhood Road

Semi-public

Greenway



METRO Rail

Commuter Rail

Texas T-Bone Rail

[a]

Washington Ave.

Franklin St.

[b][c]

[c]

N


Offi ce and Retail

Light Residential

Light Industrial

Public Facility


200

Pres

ton

400

Pres

ton

600

Con

gres

s

100

Mila

m

(I-45

off

ram

p)

0

7,500

15,000

22,500

Nea

rby

24 h

our t

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c vo

lum

es

30,000

Open Space: 462,406

Streets: 10,225,318


ual V

olum

e of

Sto

rmw

ater

Run

off (

gallo

ns)

Open Space: 15%


ent o

f Op

en S

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Round One Boards 1-2

32

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Wal

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ll

0

15

30

45

60

Trave

l tim

es fr

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ill Tra

nsit

Cen

ter (

min

)Pe

rcen

t of S

quar

e Fe

et B

y La

nd U

se


Retail: 46%, 555,532 SF


Sports Fields


Gas Station


REI

Public Market

Urban Target

Public Plaza

Parkfront Grill




THE ILLat houston[ [

H0506


Sound Reducing Berm

City Bus Stop


Park and Ride


Boutique Hotel

Convenience Store


pedestrian

retail

bus

the hill

park

BUILIDING PHASING

CO

NC

EPT

SKET

CHE

S

CO

NC

EPT

DIA

GRA

M

Phase 1






Mixed use











Gas Station


Connections

Open Space

Circulation

Land Use



Wind Rate Vectors


Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

VISION DIAGRAMS



FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT



bicycle

dining

train

texas

community

kayak

parking

vehicular

houston

recycle

SITE OBJECTIVES







Public Plaza

New Houston Ballet

South to Downtown


Structured Parking

Integrated Parking

Surface Parking

METRO Bus Stop

Primary Road

Secondary Road

Neighborhood Road

Semi-public

Greenway



METRO Rail

Commuter Rail

Texas T-Bone Rail

[a]

Washington Ave.

Franklin St.

[b][c]

[c]

N


Offi ce and Retail

Light Residential

Light Industrial

Public Facility


200

Pres

ton

400

Pres

ton

600

Con

gres

s

100

Mila

m

(I-45

off

ram

p)

0

7,500

15,000

22,500

Nea

rby

24 h

our t

raffi

c vo

lum

es

30,000

Open Space: 462,406

Streets: 10,225,318


ual V

olum

e of

Sto

rmw

ater

Run

off (

gallo

ns)

Open Space: 15%


ent o

f Op

en S

pa

ce

33

PP

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PPP

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s T-B

one

to

Dalla

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Light

Rai

l to

Dow

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n

Wal

king

acro

ss th

e Hi

ll

0

15

30

45

60

Trave

l tim

es fr

om H

ill Tra

nsit

Cen

ter (

min

)Pe

rcen

t of S

quar

e Fe

et B

y La

nd U

se


Retail: 46%, 555,532 SF


Sports Fields


Gas Station


REI

Public Market

Urban Target

Public Plaza

Parkfront Grill




THE ILLat houston[ [

H0506


Sound Reducing Berm

City Bus Stop


Park and Ride


Boutique Hotel

Convenience Store


pedestrian

retail

bus

the hill

park

BUILIDING PHASING

CO

NC

EPT

SKET

CHE

S

CO

NC

EPT

DIA

GRA

M

Phase 1






Mixed use











Gas Station


Connections

Open Space

Circulation

Land Use



Wind Rate Vectors


Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

VISION DIAGRAMS



FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT



bicycle

dining

train

texas

community

kayak

parking

vehicular

houston

recycle

SITE OBJECTIVES







Public Plaza

New Houston Ballet

South to Downtown


Structured Parking

Integrated Parking

Surface Parking

METRO Bus Stop

Primary Road

Secondary Road

Neighborhood Road

Semi-public

Greenway



METRO Rail

Commuter Rail

Texas T-Bone Rail

[a]

Washington Ave.

Franklin St.

[b][c]

[c]

N


Offi ce and Retail

Light Residential

Light Industrial

Public Facility


200

Pres

ton

400

Pres

ton

600

Con

gres

s

100

Mila

m

(I-45

off

ram

p)

0

7,500

15,000

22,500

Nea

rby

24 h

our t

raffi

c vo

lum

es

30,000

Open Space: 462,406

Streets: 10,225,318


ual V

olum

e of

Sto

rmw

ater

Run

off (

gallo

ns)

Open Space: 15%


ent o

f Op

en S

pa

ce

Round One Boards 3-6

35

Final Round Presentation Boards

Connection Diagram, Downtown Oklahoma City

37

lumino itycapstone project


The final year of my professional degree in architecture was spent developing LuminoCity, a downtown revitalization project in Oklahoma City. This new-urbanist development project seeks to energize the city with smart design rooted in Form Based Code. LuminoCity is a mixed-use building project dedicated to providing an extraordinary pedestrian experience. The architectural design incorporates a continuous super light wells noted as Lumos. This well has the potential to provide light throughout the building and eventually poor the light onto the ground level pedestrian zone known as the California Promenade as well as the Robinson Walk.

c

38

Site Analysis

Concept Sketches

39

MEP Restrooms Cafe Retail Circulation Office Flex Space Residential

Ground Floor

Floor Two

Floor Three

Floor Four

floor planstecHnical

40Building Section

Pedestrian ExperienceLuminoCity is designed based on several ideals combined to form the concept for the building. The first of which is rooted in the site. Located on the corner of the California Promenade and the Myriad Gardens. This site begs for the building to capture the outstanding views that lie just beyond its borders. One of these views is the new Devon Tower and another is the Core-to-Shore initiative, Central Park.

The second ideal is that of push v. pull. In the initial development of the building concept the thought of cause and effect was studied in an attempt to secure a balancing point for the project design. Through the exploration of models, the design was turned into a modular system. The modules were then peeled apart to allow light and views into the depth of the building. This development became the basis for the building form.

It is important that LuminoCity continue to support the over arching efforts of the Re-visioning of the Cox Convention Center. These goals include creating a bridge between the Myriad Gardens and Bricktown along with a connection to the Business District and the Oklahoma City Arena. This newly idealized district also creates an opportunity for people to live, work, and play all within a two-mile radius. This opens an entirely new door for the City of Oklahoma City. The possibilities that come with it are endless and inspire great excitement for the next fifteen years in downtown.

41

Connectivity

Roof Section

Scale: 3/4” = 1’-0”

Wall Section

Scale: 3/4” = 1’-0”

wall sectionmodel

tecHnical

Final Presentation Board

The Float House at Work

43

tHe redaptive vesselUsgbc natUraL taLent Design coMpetition

Spring 2010

The Salvation Army and the U.S. Green Building Council recognize that financially vulnerable individuals, families, and neighborhoods are particularly in need of the benefits that sustainable design and green building practices bring. This partnership challenges entrants to design homes that demonstrate both short-term and long-term affordability, a high quality of life for their residents, and replicable strategies that contribute to our understanding of how to build affordably, efficiently and with minimal impact on the environment.

The design of an single-family home that meets the requirements of USGBC’s LEED for Homes Platinum-level certification and contains between 720 and 880 square feet of living space. The client for each home will be an elderly individual or couple in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans. The home must be designed with this client in mind, as well guests and future homebuyers. Four home designs will be chosen: two student designs and two emerging professional designs.

coMpetition brief

44

co

mp

etit

ion

bo

ar

ds

Passive Cooling System

45

The Float House on Land

native plantstHe selection of

46

Drawings of the Component Design

47

The research of the components required for the REdaptive Vessel to work allows for further development and understanding of the connections, details, and innovative technologies. As a recipient of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Grant, I received the funding necessary to continue with the projects development. The goal of this investigation was to design, in detail, the mechanisms and components that would be used to successfully move the house up with rising water. This development was be done with the utility connections and the shaft of the barge. The result was well-defined, explaining the technical adaptations that alter the pre-conceived notions that a solid foundation also means a stationary one. At the conclusion of the project, the physical prototypes of these mechanisms show how the connections work and aid in the understanding of the possibilities these designs have to influence the Architecture in Louisiana and flood plains around the world. The research is in video form and as such there

components: tHe redaptive vesselUnDergraDUate research opportUnity grant research

Fall 2010

Broadway Elevation

49

airsHedUrbansheD internationaL Design coMpetition

Fall 2009

There are more than 6,000 sidewalk sheds throughout New York City covering buildings and construction sites and spanning more than 1,000,000 linear feet. These structures typically stay in place for a year at a time and are installed to protect pedestrians from ongoing construction operations, but they undermine the beauty of New York City’s architecture.

The urbanSHED International Design Competition, launched by Mayor Bloomberg in August 2009, challenged the global design community to create a new standard of sidewalk shed design and develop a prototype worthy of today’s New York City. The competition sought a fresh, new sidewalk shed design that’s sustainable, economical, meets or exceeds the City’s current safety requirements and regulations, improves technical and structural performance and creates a better environment for the people who live in, work in and visit New York City. Engineers, architects, designers and students from around the world were invited to compete in the competition. Competitors generated innovative, compelling and environmentally friendly proposals to re-imagine temporary sidewalk shed design while improving the pedestrian experience.

coMpetition brief

50

The streets of New York are hectic and crazy. The airSHED provides an escape from the world in which we live. The SHED provides this experience through its inflated covering and multi-dimensional jointed steel structure applied to the façade of the building through tension. All of which combine to create a system of strength and stability. The covering is made of a cellular fabric, which allows the skin of the SHED to morph as the structure is manipulated its context. The illumination is integrated with the skin and structure like that of a shooting ray of light. Each of the three components is dependent on the other to create a space that evokes a since of well being and serenity. All portions of the SHED are to be fabricated off site in environmentally controlled conditions and trucked to the site to be erected. The SHED is a semi-modular structure and thus easily constructed and erected. This modularity allows the structure to easily conform to any number of site and context issues. This aspect of construction, fabrication, and installation lends well to thoughts of sustainability. Other sustainable points would be the use of recycled steel, a durable yet recycled vinyl covering, and low-emitting lighting. Although the SHED is not a physical barrier from the streets of New York City, it is a safe haven from the dangers of construction and a positive innovation in design for the streets of New York.

Pedestrian Experience

51

Competition Board

Connection Mechanism

Pedestrian Experience across the top of the Apex

53

tHe apeX (HB:BX ART CENTER)eMerging new york architect’s Design coMpetition

coMpetition brief

Fall 2009

HB:BX is an open international ideas competition to design an arts center that culturally reinforces the physical connection between the Manhattan and Bronx Highbridge communities of New York City. This competition is hosted by the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA), AIA New York Chapter, in cooperation with Artists Unite and the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and it is meant to draw awareness to the current efforts to restore and reopen the bridge. This competition is a forum to explore the urban and community improvement that may come with the achievement of such a momentous milestone. Thus, ENYA challenges emerging architects and designers to explore how disused historic structures can be reprogrammed into vibrant urban centers. Competition entrants are also challenged to rethink the relationship between infrastructure (aqueduct, railway, highway) and it’s urban context. These architectural issues, universally relevant to any growing city, take on a more site-specific nature when considering the historic importance of the High Bridge and the topographic challenge posed by the steep riverbanks of the Harlem River. Also grounding this competition to its local context are the unique clients who ask the entrants to reconsider architecture’s role in the creation, displaying of and experience of art. The competition expects entrants to use the program as a connector to bridge the ideological gap between such two different arts organizations as Artists Unite and the Bronx Museum of the Arts with the local residents.

54

The historical location of the High Bridge is the apex between the Brooklyn community and the Borough of Manhattan. In combing these two unique cultures, a unique building is born. The HB:BX Art Center is more than a shelter to display art. The volumes that encase the bridge combine elements in a way that morph, transform, and adapt the space that is the belly of the bridge. The building incorporates vertical art galleries which the patron transverses while moving within the actual structure of the bridge. The skin system that creates the interior, morphs throughout the design an then overcomes the top of the bridge transforming into a provocative entrance that no one will pass up.

bronx

Manhattan

Concept Collages

Site MapAdapt

Transform

Morph

conceptdesign

55

Gallery View

Lower Level 1

Lower Level 2

Across the Hudson River

59

renderings and sketcHeshanD renDereD iMages


The following images were created over the years. They are composed of various mediums on various materials. Some of the images were made for a specific project and others were just for fun.

tHank you for viewing

porfolio 2012

Documents

f11 s11

research assistant

university of oklahoma

architecture profession

research grant recipient

university of michigan

research day presenter

masters degree research