Alice Kucherov 4th Year Portfolio by alice-kucherov

Architectural Portfolio

University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design

2024

Alice Kucherov

Master of Architecture

The University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design Fourth Year

Phone: 314.762.8263

Email: alicfleur@gmail.com

I’m a 4th year architecture student from St. Louis, Missouri looking for an opportunity to grow my knowledge and apply my skills to real world practice. I’m personally looking to take on a role where my individuality can shine, as well as gain experience from team projects and group work.

I’m looking to work in an environment that values personal growth and encourages innovation. I value open line communication and personal relationships, and look to be pushed to greater heights at work. I hope to work with a competent, passionate team that aligns with my values in the professional world.

Education, Honors

Parkway Central High graduate, Magna Cum Laude, 2021

Special Distinction Award for Speech and Debate Honors Society, 2021

St. Louis Group Scholarship Recipient, 2021

The University of Kansas Chancellor’s Scholarship Recipient, 2021-Current

St. Louis Artist’s Guild Young Artist’s Showcase

Joanne Stremsterfer Prize, 2021

KU Architecture Portfolio Review, Honorable Mention 2024

AIA Kansas Excellence in Design Merit Award Winning Team, 2024

Hard Skills

Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

Lightroom

Premiere Pro

Archicad

Revit

SketchUp

Leadership

Studio Mentor, 2024

Rhino Grasshopper Lumion

Enscape

Procreate hand drawing mixed studio media

Varsity Debate Team Captain, 2019-2021

STL Literacy Program volunteer, 2019-2020

References

Adam Pickett

Cody Howard

Francesco Carota

Work Experience

Graphic Designer for KU School of Engineering, 2024

Counselor at Sabra Summer Camp, 2024

Architectural Design Intern with Benton Design Group, 2023

Host with Bengelina Hospitality 2022-2023

Server at Bigg’s, 2022

Service Consultant at Waterway Carwash, 2020-2022

Party Host at Olivette Lanes, 2019-2020

Courtesy Clerk at Dierbergs, 2019

Soft Skills

I love collaborating with a group, sharing ideas, and working through compromises.

I’m detail oriented and like to be thorough.

I like taking initiative on problem solving, though I enjoy asking questions as well.

I aim to keep learning and getting better every day.

Interests

Stage design, fashion, music, writing, cooking, traveling

Language

English, primary language Russian, native

636.515.0382 adam@bentondg.com

785.864.2936 codyh@ku.edu

785.8137196 francesco.carota@ku.edu

SEQUENCE, AXONOMETRIC SKETCH

Ockinga, Spring 109

BOTANNICAL HEIGHTS, Urban Housing, Shenzhen 6-17

CROSSROADS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, Kansas City 18-27

CONCEPT DIAGRAM

CLASS SITE MODEL

PEARL RIVER DELTA, GUANGDONG

BOTANNICAL HEIGHTS

Shenzhen, Guangdong, China Carota, Fall 2024

As Shenzhen is an experiment in rapid urbanization, the project aims to carefully create lasting bonds in community to ensure the city’s stabilization in the coming years. In order to address the complex social context of Shenzhen as well as defining what the given brief of “luxury” means in the modern world, this project breaks up the looming density of the surrounding context by scattering smaller scale communities across the site. The project aims to be integrated into the fabric of the city, while providing refuge from the urban scale. The site is wrapped in greenery and winding paths, reminiscent of a peaceful Chinese garden. The site is shared with a classmate.

SITE AXONOMETRIC

MASSING CONCEPT

WEST ELEVATION

NORTH ELEVATION

PROGRAM DIAGRAM

CONCEPT DIAGRAM

FLOOR PLANS

BED FLAT

2 BED LOFT 2 BED FLAT 3 BED LOFT

Defining spaces that can introduce public life to the site meet private, secluded residences with communal areas that define the core of the program. Visitors can be hosted by residents and increase the odds of chance encounters. Encouraging social interaction is the key of the project’s program intent, as building a local social fabric will be essential to the city’s stability and growth.

EGRESS DIAGRAM

STRUCTURE

HVAC

TECTONIC DIAGRAM

The ceramic tile facade references traditional Chinese cladding while responding to climatic conditions. Ceramic tiles function well in humid, hot climates as it sheds water and absorbs heat. The tiles are directly adhered to a cavity wall that can weep moisture. The white facade envelopes the solid concrete core like a sheltering wave, creating a volume within.

CROSSROADS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Kansas City Crossroads Gross, Spring 508

A new performing arts center is taking form in the Kansas City Crossroads, a site rich with a history of transformation and independent artistic culture. This budding identity of the KC Crossroads is just in its adolescence, and will see even greater investment and growth in the coming years and decades. This performing arts center is meant to be a lasting symbol of the local spirit, organic to its conditions, and a peek behind the curtain for the everyday visitor.

A recital hall, experimental blackbox theater, and dance studio make up the majority of the program, including a main lobby, rehearsal rooms, and additional back of house facilities. Specialized architectural applications create functional spaces for various performance, such as a hydraulic floor system in the theater, recital hall acoustic design, and a saucer shaped performance area in the lobby. This project is mainly composed of cast in place fiber reinforced concrete with steel rebar. Back of house service access is designed to be straightforward in order to uphold the “magic” of performing arts.

GREATER CROSSROADS

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

The site is cattycorner to the iconic Kansas City Star building, which is currently being proposed to be torn down to make way for a new sports stadium. In order to preserve the history of the area, the new performing arts center plans to rescue the copper panels of the Star to screen the facade. The old panels would be perforated in a pattern to allow light, which is inspired by the accoustic properties of water under vibration. Everything but the lobby would reuse panels, which would use a new copper that would patina over time as a symbol of the building settling into its new home.

SCREEN REUSE & PATINA DIAGRAMS

SOUTH ELEVATION

EXTERIOR PLAZA RENDERING

EAST ELEVATION

The glass saucer which acts as the enterance to the lobby can preview a show inside the bowl from the outside, or act as an interior viewing gallery to the outdoors. An audience can also gaze down from the second story balcony.

SECOND FLOOR LOBBY RENDERING

In the recital hall, thick cast in place concrete walls offer mass for sound isolation. Hollow concrete clouds add absorbtion and reflection, while a massive hollow volume in the ceiling adds the illusion of a larger hall. The front and back walls are curved to move more sound to the audience.

RECITAL HALL RENDERING

The dance studio offers wings from both sides for performers, while the audience gets the choice of balcony seating to view over the dancers. The Crossroads, including the Kauffman center act as a natural backdrop.

DANCE STUDIO RENDERING

BLACKBOX FLOOR ARRANGEMENTS

LOBBY WALL DETAIL

RECITAL HALL WALL DETAIL

SITE AXONOMETRIC

FILM ROW COMMUNITY THEATER

Kansas City Crossroads

Remboldt, Spring 209

In order to express the legacy of historic Film Row, as well as define a physical identity of the modern day arts district, the empty lot under the Kauffman Center in downtown Kansas City is becoming an arts center holding a theater, film galleries, and community programs.

The outdoor ampitheater sits in a natural hillside, projecting on the western face of the building. The parking lot extends for a movie drive up at the top of the hill. Elevation as well as plantings create a buffer from Broadway St. Adjacent to the main plaza, a food truck drive up also abutts a public picnic area.

SECOND

Art lovers might approach from the south gallery enterance while meandering First Fridays, while theater enthusiasts might be attracted by the dome and north plaza just across the road from Kauffman.

Incorporating a 45 degree angle, spaces can imply direction, and move a visitor along by providing necessary previews of their destination. Working with steep topography on site also means improved visibility moving up and down the spaces.

GALLERY LOBBY

FIRST FLOOR RENDERING

PROPOSED KC SKYLINE SOUTH ENTRANCE

In order to maximize benefits from the site, the neighboring flood plains and local drainage had to be considered. The site might transform nto a living machine that cleans, stores, and diverts water to drainage points and local plantings. Living structures reinforce the sloping soil to prevent erosion, and support the human community as well with gardens and shade.

PASSIVE WATER STRATEGIES

PERVIOUS & GREEN SURFACES PLANTINGS

SECOND FLOOR RENDERING

SITE CONCEPT SKETCHES

RYAN GRAY PLAYGROUND SHADE PAVILION

Lawrence, KS

Van der Riet, Fall 509 DesignBuild

Professor, Project Manager:

Keith van der Riet

Teaching Assistant:

Suzanne Hampton

ARCH509 Student Team:

Ocean Babcock

Allison Brooks

Natalie Chalona

Monet DeFreece

Anna Dority

Ellie Goodman

Matthew Hahn

Shyann Jonscher

Alice Kucherov

Ashley Loza-Hernandez

Nick Peterson

Kevin Rauch

Jeffrey Tistoj-Lara

Jillian Tomlinson

Alex Ultzsch

Rich Wiggins

Elaina Wright

The playground is dedicated to the late Ryan Gray, a dedicated Kansas basketball fan, and considered a “good luck charm” to the team.We visited and documented our targeted shade area; the picnic tables. To kick off the project, we were introduced to our site at Hillcrest Elementary. Their playground recently underwent renovations, meaning they lost most tree cover around the area, leaving recess exposed to the elements.

The class continued in groups to develop the structure to a buildable stage, and solidify a shading strategy. I explored Rhino modeling, as well as flexible shading methods.

SITE

Developing our individual research, we also took inspiration from nature. I interpreted a bird’s wing as both shelter for the site, while incorporating the feeling of takeoff and play.

As a class, we decided to go with the pleated pavilion, and develop a zig-zagging roof form with various shading options. Polycarbonate was considered as an option until cost and connection details proved powdercoated steel was our best option long term. The class explored the idea of “komorebi”, light being filtered through trees..

CONSTITUENT

MOTION STOP

CONCEPT SKETCHES

GALVANIZED COLUMNS

Beginning fabrication, we learned metal and wood shop skills, like welding, plasmacutting, saws, drilling, and communication. I learned a lot about teamwork since it was necessary to deal with heavy steel. We went on several facility tours including our galvanizers, seen to the left.

We moved carefully to our site from the warehouse. This is where we found it the most crucial our drilled, cut, and reamed hole alignments were accurate. We poured concrete, caulked, dug out the bioswale, and carried rocks. Scaffolding allowed us to reach the highest elevations.