L e a r n
Innovate
Intervene
A d a p t
S u s t a i n
PH
Education
University of Kansas (5 Year Master’s of Architecture) Current
Outside the Classroom Duke TiP Architecture Teaching Assistant Summer 2013 8th grade architecture discovery program Internship with Ralph Eglin Wafer Architecture 2012-13 passive house and garage remodel Study Abroad, Freiburg Germany Summer 2012 sustainable cities + environmental economics Habitat for Humanity (KU Volunteer Coordinator) 2010-12 organized student volunteers for build events Teaching Assistant (Arch 540, Site Design) 2012 discussion and site visit leader
Joseph W. Radotinsky Scholarship 2013
AIA St.Louis Chapter Scholarship 2012
Goldwin Goldsmith Scholarship 2011
KU University Scholar 2011
KU Honors Program 2010-Current
ARCHITECTURE
Technical Skills Graphic Software Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator Modelling Software Sketchup, Revit, AutoCAD, Rhino Achievements
LAWRENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY @ Lawrence, Kansas Studio 209 Civic Architecture
This project was to design a new branch library for Downtown Lawrence, that would also serve several other community functions. These include: a historical gallery, special collections space, a town meeting room, and an auditorium. An exterior plaza anchors the corner site, and is a welcoming public space.
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The site is on a prominent downtown corner, 9th St. & New Hampshire, amid other large new developments. To retain the building line, the library was stretched vertically with a clerestory and stair tower.
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In order to make the new building less imposing, setbacks bring it more gently to the ground. This preserves a human scale in the plaza, and at street level.
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Nearly a third of the site was left open for a public plaza. A reflecting pool picks up the glow of the illuminated auditorium at night and creates an inviting urban environment at all hours.
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@ Adaptable Site Studio 409 Design-Build
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This design-build studio examined space frames, in order to build beautiful structures with minimal impact from material use. My project was to design and prototype a backyard canopy, which could be used as a shelter for entertaining. Potential retailers could include Dwell Magazine. The modular pieces could be flat‑packed and shipped, for assembly on site.
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Many materials and types of joints were tested, before deciding on half-inch steel conduit bolted together. These alternatives included PVC, wood, and even concrete.
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The structure is easily adaptable, with add-ons like benches, bars, integrated lighting, or shade canopies. All are easily attached to the modular structure.
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Construction involved a few basic steps: cutting, crimping, drilling, and assembling the pieces. Only three lengths of conduit and one type of bolt were used. The roof plane was assembled first, at ground level. It was then raised on scaffolding and the legs were assembled underneath. Two people could lift the structure, but it supported the weight of several more. 16
BETHANY COMMUNITY CENTER @ Kansas City, Kansas Studio 608 Urban Acupuncture / Public Interest Design
This adaptive reuse project takes an underused building in a rebounding community, and makes it more effective for the needs of those who use it. A large portion of the studio was devoted to meeting with the locals, and getting to know the area.
The existing Community Center faces many problems, both aesthetically and functionally. From outside, there is no way to identify it as a place of community activity. The exterior is heavy masonry, with almost no windows. The entrance is hidden away from view and accessibility; it faces a parking lot in the back of the building. The entryway is uninviting, and once inside there are only dark and unconnected spaces. The interior classroom space is chopped up by outdated, sliding, partition walls. My proposal is to reconfigure Bethany Community Center as a hub for artistic and athletic expression of existing skills within the community. The park around Bethany Center will become welcoming space. It will draw in visitors, and provide places to meet, relax, or be active. The park then becomes a hub for movement through the community, with the addition of a Bethany bus line, as well as biking and walking trails.
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The first step I took to improve the building, was to make it accessible. The white circles on the map are centered on bus stops and represent a five minute walk around them. The red areas are not within this pedestrian-friendly distance. They are mostly residential areas, where riders come from.
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To solve this problem I proposed a “community circulator route�. It would go around the areas currently in red, and pick up locals for transfer to other routes. All routes would go through Bethany Park, where my building is sited. Bike paths and walking trails would also extend from the park, to allow for other modes of access.
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The bunker-like exterior, and lack of windows were a detriment to the building’s appearance. I began the redesign of Bethany Community Center by looking at it as a blank slate. The box containing support spaces was removed and glazing was added to the two short sides. This let in light and gave views to the outside. All solid surfaces became canvases for public art.
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The building was bookended with public space, in the form of a plaza and an ampitheater. The support spaces were then reinserted on the northwest, with the entrance facing the street. The exterior of the building was then wrapped in circulation. Raised terraces around the Community Center function as egress, classroom space, and house public art displays.
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The enty sequence has been fixed by turning it towards the street. The main lobby is now open to the plaza and the classrooms below. Outside, all levels are connected by the elevated walkways. Including an added third level, with a balcony overlooking the gym.
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The classroom space has been transformed into a youth art studio. It has been opened up by removing the ceiling panels and exposing the structure and HVAC systems. Modular shelving units can now be used to partition space more informally. A farmers’ market beneath the raised walkways will serve the community’s need for access to healthy foods.
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The previous pages showed how the whole building worked together to form a cohesive space for community interaction. It allows the creativity and energy of those coming to the center for classes to be expressed for the whole community to see. This view shows how the building works within the park and the greater Riverview Neighborhood Area. Paths leading through the park have been rearranged to invite pedestrians off the street to enter. Crosswalks and lane reductions also serve to make the area more pedestrian friendly. Parking has been provided, but shifted away from the parking lot in the rear. The lot will mostly serve the farmers’ market. Cars now have access to angled parking along Central Avenue, and covered parking, dug into a hill on the east side of the park.
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KU CAMPUS BUS PROPOSAL @ Lawrence, Kansas UBPL 565 Principles of Environmental Planning
Campus Transit Policy Proposal UBPL 565 Principles of Environmental Planning Alex Wolfrum
7.82
It takes
“Together, the City of Lawrence and University of Kansas will provide safe, convenient, affordable, reliable and responsive public transportation services to enhance the social, economic and environmental well-being of the community.” -KU on Wheels
Riders on a bus
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to be in a car. as fuel Person efficient as
Pollution Factors
• In the U.S. transportation causes more pollution than any other source. • Pollution in the form of particulate matter poses the most health risk to humans, it gets deep in the lungs and causes irritation, asthma and even leads to death. • At KU, transit accounts for nearly 24.05% of CO2 emissions. • Buses get less mpg than cars but have far greater potential for number of riders.
KU Policy for Sustainable Transit
• Reduce number of vehicles in the campus fleet and increase the energy efficiency of fleet vehicles. • Create an environment that supports a multi modal transit system. • Increase transit ridership as a primary mode of commuting to campus. • Improve access for all members of the campus community. • Maintain 100% occupancy for on-campus housing.
Transit Ridership at KU
• KU buses are fare free to students, and run by students. • Danny Kaiser of KU on Wheels asks, “Why burn gas in your own vehicle when you can ride the bus?” • KU offers 18 bus routes through campus that go to every corner of Lawrence. • Despite this, KU still has a high percentage of people commuting with a personal vehicle, 71.4% of faculty, 80.8% of staff, and 43% of students.
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The goal should be to increase ridership...
achieved through
the spread of information...
Education is a helpful technique to overcome barriers of awareness. Students need to be aware that • Car pollution is a detrimental to health • Commuting to campus by bus saves energy • They have already paid to ride the bus
Using social networks and other media, as well as person to person spread of information, it is hoped that riding the bus can become a social norm at KU.
social
marketing...
and buses powered by green technologies. Typical, gas powered buses get 4.2 mpg, while hybrid models get 5.6 mpg (133% more efficient). Upgrading the fleet is a step that can be taken which doesn’t require any changes in students’ routines to become more sustainable.
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Bus Riders by Time of Day All Day 80 70
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# of riders on bus
My independent research for this course focused on the KU bus sytem, and how to improve its energy efficiency. I discovered that 7.82 people must be on a bus for it to be as efficient as one person in a car (measured in mpg). Then I gathered data on ridership at different times of the day, in order to propose changes in frequency of bus arrivals.
50 40 30
20 10 0
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8:30
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9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00
11:30 Noon 12:30 Time of Day
1:00
1:30
2:00
2:30
3:00
3:30
4:00
4:30
5:00
ing with a personal vehicle, 71.4% 43% of students.
achieved through
the spread of information...
Education is a helpful technique to overcome barriers of awareness. Students need to be aware that • Car pollution is a detrimental to health • Commuting to campus by bus saves energy • They have already paid to ride the bus
The class taught effective methods of persuasion, used to promote environmentally friendly behavior. I feel these Using social networks and other media, as well as person methods will help prepare person spread of information, it is hoped that riding the bu me for interactions with future can become a social norm at KU. clients. I can now be more convincing in situations where I want to propose something costly that will be more sustainable in the long run.
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marketin 36
PH
GREGG AVE. PASSIVE HOUSE @ Saint Louis, Missouri Internship Ralph Eglin Wafer, AIA
My time at the office of Ralph Eglin Wafer, AIA gave me experience with the design and construction process of a certified Passive House.
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The south facing roof is outfitted with a 3.99 kW solar panel array on a fixed tilt. The house also makes use of solar thermal panels and a geothermal system. I was able to attend meetings with the consultants for these passive systems, and learn more about their integration into whole building design.
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The building’s structure is made up of two systems. The first floor is poured concrete into insulated concrete formwork. The second floor and roof are made of structural insulated panels.
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I came onto the project after the house’s design was finalized, but I was able to contribute to the documentation. Shown here is the front porch, with multiple design iterations. The front porch was a point of emphasis to reflect the design of other, older, houses in the neighborhood. The final design was much simpler than these, due to budget constraints.
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ARCHITECTURE Alex Wolfrum a679w627@ku.edu 314.922.0257