Acacia Uechi Portfolio 2024

Acacia Uechi

Interior Architecture - University of Tennessee Knoxville

PORTFOLIO

Acacia Uechi I’m a third year interior architecture student at the University of Tennessee. I’m interested in design that communicates a narrative and engages the users of the space with that narrative. My work is about bringing people into spaces that allow them to engage with the community and share experiences that relate to home, culture, and inspiration. auechi@vols.utk.edu

412.310.2466

SELECTED WORKS 3

Emerald Isle 17

Centro Hispano 31

Glossier x Angele 41

Photography 43

Drawings

EMERAL 3

LD ISLE 4

INTRO Saldaña Studio - Fall 2023

Emerald Isle Emerald Isle is a memorial exhibit of the natural life and scenery of Plymouth, Montserrat--an island in the Caribbean--before the series of volcanic eruptions beginning in 1995 left the land covered in molten rock. Curtains were the primary tool in creating an extrapolated representation of the island of Montserrat. The goal was to make different moments of discovery throughout the exhibit that allows the visitor to connect with the experience of the different groups that called Montserrat home.

227 W Depot Ave Knoxville, TN 37917 5

8,000 sq ft 6

Plymouth, Montserrat

DISCOVER 7

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Montserrat is an island in the Caribbean, a little west of Puerto Rico. Montserrat became a home to many. Every group that came to live on the island had to discover it for themselves. The first group to settle there was the Arawak tribe in the mid-1400s.

In the 1600s, Irish, English, and French groups came to live on the island. Groups came and left, and it eventually became a big tourist destination. Because of this, the act of discovery was a driver in design development of the exhibit.

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ORG ANIC

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Process & Ideation Origin As a memorial to the beautiful nature and scenery that was lost due to the volcanic eruptions, this design focuses on creating organic forms and layering of textures to create a scenic atmosphere with an ephemeral quality.

Vision The design utilizes the existing large trusses overhead in the site to hang fabric and structures that would disorient the visitor to percieve that they are in an organic environment. This also allows volumetric engagement within the space.

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The existing site was one large open room with no partitions of space. To accommodate for the museum program, the entrance was designed to transition the visitors into the exhibit space.

The spatial arrangement of the exhibit was designed to be super fluid and avoid rectilinear proportions. Visitors are able to freely flow from one exhibit space to another without a set path of circulation.

FLUID 12

SCENE exhibit displays Each display within the exhibit references sceneries from Montserrat and transitions as a tour through the island would transition. The exhibit starts out walking through an isle of emerald columns to allude to the emerald waters surrounding the island and the tall palm trees surrounding the coast. It then transitions to a display of a poinciana tree as an ode to one of the island’s colorful beauties. Through a forest of curtains is another display which features the mystery and muddiness of the island’s creeks and forests.

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retail showcase The exhibit was designed with the idea of it being paired with a Montserrat memorial retail campaign.

Visitors would come to shop a special collection of items that represented the organic life of Montserrat in this exhibit that conceptualizes Plymouth without destruction. Visitors of the exhibit would then get to leave the space with awe of what Plymouth, Montserrat once was, as well as with something tangible that creates an opportunity for them to share with others about Plymouth, Montserrat.

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EXPER

RIENCE

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CENTRO H 17

HISPANO 18

INTRO Valenzuela Studio - Spring 2023

Centro Hispano This project explores adaptive reuse as a means of blending cultures and linking with the city of Knoxville to best serve the interests and purpose of Centro Hispano de East Tennessee. The design was organized by a system of stacked programs that are public rentable spaces to bring the city of Knoxville into the doors of Centro’s building. The programs within the building include classrooms, social gathering spaces, the kitchen hub, children’s rooms, office spaces, and a courtyard for outdoor activities.

611 N Central St Knoxville, TN 37917 19

20,470 sq ft 20

RESTORE

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The site was built in 1859 and was among the first commercial buildings built in what is now called Emory Place. During the 1920s the building was home to Dempster Construction Co. and Motor Co, owned by former Mayor, George Dempster.

As an ode to the history of the building and its impact on the city, the renovation of this building is designed to reference the original facade of the Dempster building. In an effort to engage with the street, the courtyard is redesigned as a nice greenspace that draws people in the doors of the building.

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Client’s Mission Centro Hispano de East Tennessee is a non-profit that exists to help every latino and latina in East Tennessee to thrive culturally, educationally, and economically. They promote empowerment and civic participation through education, workforce development, youth and family engagement, and community-strengthening initiatives.

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Linking with the city of Knoxville The site is right in the heart of Knoxville, with lots of neighboring stores, cafes, breweries, and businesses. This creates the perfect opportunity to knit Centro Hispano into the fabric of the city. With the large amount of square footage, half of the building will be rentable space to bring the community within the walls of Centro’s community hub.

Retail Brewery Cafe

MMUNITY

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MIN GLE

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Building Zoning The building is divided in half for zones of public use and private use. The southern (orange) portion of the building will be designated to Centro’s programs.

Meanwhile, the northern (blue) portion of the building will become rentable spaces for pop-up market on the first floor and unprogrammed space on the second floor.

By creating a moment of intersection at the center of the building, boundaries of the designated zones begin to blur creating the opportunity for people to mingle in passing and further allows the latinx community to be woven into the Knoxville community.

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first floor

SLICED 27

second floor

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With cy of dia, hom

The The in th 29

GATHER

hin Centro’s space, colors and materials were chosen to represent the vibranf latin culture without preferencing one particular country. The client, Clauthe founder of Centro Hispano, helped to pick out a palette that felt like me to her.

design features spaces in which the community can both work and gather. mission was to create a second home for all of the individuals and families he latino community.

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ANGELE x 31

GLOSSIER 32

INTRO INTRO Teston Studio - Fall 2022

Glossier x Angele This design features a conceptual design for a Glossier store in collaboration with Belgian-pop singer, Angele, aiming to analyze politics and culture to create an architectural composition that challenges how we typically read and experience architecture. This design started with the formal analysis of Angele’s, song titled “Jalousie.” The song was analyzed and represented as a simple and elegant composition with an interest in movement and delicacy.

This design is derived as a representation of the song as well as Angele’s philosophies.

1621 N Central St Knoxville, TN 37917 33

624 sq ft 34

IDENTITY

Angele is a French singer/songwriter from Belgium. She talks about her struggle with not being taken as seriously because she chooses to embrace her femininity which is seen by many as weak or vulnerable. She empowers people to be who they want to be and not let society define how that may look.

Glossier is a cosmetics company that began as a purely online company. It started because of the connectivity that beauty creates.

Glossier believes in the power of one and the ability for every single person to tell their own story. Glossier’s retail stores are landmarks for fans and followers of the brand to experience the engagement and connectivity through the beauty that Glossier promotes.

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DELICACY

Process This design was derived through the analysis and visualization of Angele’s song titled “Jalousie.” The sketch above showcases the steady keys layered with strings and melody that anchor the floating vocal harmonies. This visual analysis was then re-iterated as a collage which starts to bring in color and this idea of holographic textiles that reflect change based on view point. These components were then iterated again as an 18”x18” model. This became the basis and inspiration for the interior design of the Glossier store.

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FL OW

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EXPERIEN

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The design incorporates a lot of pink, glowy, and reflective finishes as this is how Angele chooses to represent and embrace her femininity. The thin poles are derived from the physical model that was built to represent delicacy featured in structurally strong features. The mirrored tile on the soffet creates moments of self-reflection, incorporating Angele’s philosphy of defining who you want to be. The beauty room allows customers to actually try on product and get a feel for how they like to express themselves.

process

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PHOTOGRAPHY Wat Pho - Bangkok

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Grand Palace - Bangkok

Koh Kret - Bangkok

Grand Palace - Bangkok

Arsomsilp Institution - Bangkok Bat Trang Pottery Village - Hanoi

Koh Kret - Bangkok

shot by Acacia Uechi 42

DRAWINGS Object Study

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Acetone Transfer + Graphite

15 min observation sketch

Illusion Exploration

Wedding Portrait

Sketch of Bangkok

Engagement Portrait

10 min observation sketch Inverted Drawing

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THANK YOU Acacia Uechi 412.310.2466 auechi@vols.utk.edu