Honor Roll (Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024)
Experience
Phoenix House Designbuild- Lawrence, KS Fall 2023-Spring 2024
Climb Lawrence- Lawrence, Kansas Routesetter October 2023-Present
References
Chad Kraus
Professor in School of Architecture and Design ckraus@ku.edu
Shannon Criss
Professor in School of Architecture and Design scriss@ku.edu
Involvement
AIAS (2021-present)
KU Mentorship Collaborative
Dirt Works Studio
Rock Climbing Club Community Service Chair (2021-present)
Skills
Soft Teamwork and Collaboration
Detail Oriented
Relationship Building Creativity
Hard Revit
Sketchup
Photoshop
InDesign
Illustrator
Microsoft Office
AutoCAD
alyg8r@icloud.com
www.linkedin.com/in/ alyda-hunnicutt-20489018a
Flora Flats
1019 SE Eighth St, Bentonville, AR
We were tasked in designing a mix-use residential building near downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. The first portion of our class was spent designing a framework plan for the site that would be split into individual parcels.
Fall 2024
Arch 608 Andrew Moddrell
Bentonville’s culture is adventurous and outdoorsy, being the “Mountain Biking Capital of the World.” Many of my design choices were influenced by a young, active lifestyle and connecting people to nature.
User Values
Art and music
Green space
Natural materials
Bicycle infrastructure
Integration of nature
Framework Goals
Entrance to shared parking and utilities area for the building south of the Razorback Creek.
Bike infrastructure should be continued off the Razorback greenway, drawing people to the southern portion of the site.
Buildings should open up to the promenade, and add amenities to encourage public engagement with the site.
Buildings on the east should provide store-front retail to draw people off of busy J-street and Walmart Headquarters.
A bioswale with native plants extends off of Razorback creek to control flooding.
Total:
724,700 Sq Ft
Selected Parcel
Flora Flats
PROMENADE
The Razorback Greenway, a cycling and walking trail that extends over 50 miles, runs south of my parcel into the new Walmart Headquarters. Our framework’s promenade is to the west of my parcel.
PROMENADE
JSTREET
Site
Buildable Area
Alleyway
The mix-use program will be on the ground floor, with residential above. The residential unit types are not neccessarily organized by type. The response to the east will be program that draws in people from Walmart HQ.
A shared alleyway is located at the northeast portion, with access to parking and a loading area off of J street.
Site
Buildable Area
Alleyway
Outdoor space should be located to the south and the west to engage the Razorback Greenway and our promenade. More private and spaces should be located to the north of the site because delivery, garbage, and parking access will be in the alleyway.
Public-Facing Ground Floor
Building opens to the Razorback greenway to the south and our site’s promenade to the west.
• Holds to the 0’ setback to the east to allow for storefront space that faces Walmart Headquaters
Residential Block and Atrium
The upper floors are residential and private while the lower floors connects with others around the site.
Atrium allows for more natural lighting and cross-ventilation for individual units.
Butterfly Roof and Setbacks
• The butterfly roof allows most of the water that falls on the building to be harvested and re-used within the building.
• The atrium is terraced, opening up more on upper floors, allowing an outdoor circulation path and light to reach deeper in the space.
• The large setback on the fourth floor makes space for an extensive green roof.
Flora
Primary roof is seamed metal and the secondary roof, which exists for sustainability measures is created with ETFE foil units that span between the butterfly roof timber trusses.
Solar is located on the western roof, where the roof angle is 30°, optimized for energy production.
Balconies are inset from the structure. Operable bi-fold louvers provide shade in the summer and option to control privacy.
Cladding is a Red Cedar rainscreen, which is local to Northwest Arkansas.
Semi-permeable paving increases permeability of the site.
Sustainability
The water that falls on the butterfly and shed roof are collected in four cisterns in the basement. This non-potable water can be used to irrigate the green roof and the herbs greenhouse, to flush toilets, and within the hydronic radiant heating system.
Hydronic Radiant Floor System
Irrigation of Herbs in Greenhouse
Flushing Toilets
Irrigation of Extensive Green Roof
Winter
Four-foil ETFE cushion (fritted foils shown as dashed lines) with higher pressurization between second and third foil, opening the frit pattern and allowing solar access during winter months.
The openings to the atrium are sealed, making it habitable in the winter by utilizing the greenhouse affect to trap solar radiation within, offsetting heating costs of the building.
Summer Ecological Response
Four-foil ETFE cushion (fritted foils shown as dashed lines) with lower pressurization between second and third foil, closing the frit pattern and limiting solar access during summer months.
The openings to the atrium are opened, and stack ventilation for the openings in the top of the building use the stack affect to vent hot air that has risen, drawing in cooler air from below. The adjustable louver system can shut, blocking a majority of direct sunlight, as residents wish.
Flora Flats
Structure steps back on upper floors to allow more natural daylight deeper into the space.
Balcony colors, revealed when louvers are open, are taken from Bentonville’s OZ color palette.
ETFE units span between structural bays. Steel crossbracing in the
Planter boxes are used as railings within the atriums to bring nature within the building and to improve indoor air quality.
atrium helps resist lateral forces.
Beautifully integrated the natural bedrock, characteristic of Helsinki, into the design.
Hernasaari: Industrial Dockland being converted into new offices and homes.
Maan Valo
00150 Merikatu St, Helsinki, Finland
In the diagram above, our assigned site is denoted in black. With this site, we were tasked in designing a mix-use building, part apartments and part makerspaces/woodshops. Located on the southern coast of Helsinki, our site is in a unique position. It borders the western edge of the largest park in Helsinki, where holidays are celebrated.
Fall 2023
Arch 509
Chad Kraus
To the west of our site, a historical industrial dockland is undergoing change into a more commercial space. In this dockland, a new sauna has been built. A few miles north of our site, a church has been integrated into the bedrock beneath the site. All these places had an influence in the design of Maan Valo, which directly translates to “earth light.”
LOYLY SAUNA
GULF OF FINLAND
CHURCH OF THE ROCK
SITE
KAIVOPUISTO
East-west linear form to maximize southern exposure.
Added bend to follow coastal axis.
Pushed back each story of floors to add terraces accesible to each floor.
Connected the terraces with a series of “green ramps” allowing public access to the entire roof.
Oldest and largest park in all of Helsinki where annual holidays are celebrated.
Maan Valo
Hernasaari: Helsinki’s industrial dockland that is undergoing land use change. Within it, a new sauna has been constructed that utilizes a faceted wood facade. Any “curves” of the roof are actually faceted to create a connection between flowy, organic nature of the park/green roof and the rigid, manufactured nature of industry.
Falu Red wooden rainscreen: traditional Scandinavian paint that is made by mining byproducts and depending how long it burns ranges from bright red to black.
Kaivopuisto: Helsinki’s largest park that borders my site. It’s proximity to the site and festivals that take place there led me to design an intesive green roof that the public can access from the ground outside the building.
Direct sunlight during predominantly cooling degree-days
Direct sunlight during predominantly heating degree-days
Percentage of days over the entire analysis period (11Am to 3PM from June 15 through August 30) recieving a minimum of 3 hours per day of direct sunlight
Percentage of days over the entire analysis period (9 AM to 3 PM from June 15 through August 30) receiving a minimum of 3 hours per day of direct sunlight.
Percentage of days over the entire analysis period (11Am to 3PM from September 1 through May 31) recieving a minimum of 3 hours per day of direct sunlight
Percentage of days over the entire analysis period (9 AM to 3 PM from September 1 through May 31) receiving a minimum of 3 hours per day of direct sunlight.
The structure diagram below presents my solution to a faceted facade. The columns and beams are made of glue-laminated wood while the floors, partial walls, and overhangs are made of 5-ply cross-laminated timber. On top of providing shade during summer months,
the overhang allows solar panels to be attached at an optimal angle (shown in render bottom left). On the north facade of the building, the fenestration is angled up towards the sky to allow northern skylight directly into the building. Shown to the left is a diagram of direct sunlight during different times of the year.
West Elevation
North Elevation
Faceted wooden louver system on West Elevation
B2
Second Floor Apartment
Compact soil
Polyethylene moisture barrier
7” extruded polystyrene insulation
Vapor barrier
6” reinforced concrete slab with 2” hydronic radiant piping
Compact soil
A3 gravel
Drainage mat and moisture barrier
7” extruded polystyrene insulation
Vapor barrier
12” reinforced concrete
2” bedrock finish
5-ply cross laminated timber
Plywood sleepers and hydronic flooring system
Aluminum heat-transfer plates
3/8” plywood cover sheet
European ash tongue and groove finish flooring
3/4”vertical european ash cladding with falu red
stain
1” furring strip and ventilated cavity
Polyethylene moisture barrier
7” extruded polystyrene insulation
vapor barrier
5-ply cross laminated timber with clear coat
9-ply cross laminated timber vapor barrier
7” extruded polystyrene insulation
2” underlayment
Polyethylene moisture barrier
Drainage plane with water storage capacity
RoofWick
Liveroof module with root barrier
growing medium
Model Photos
1140 Oregon Designbuild
University of Kansas Dirt Works Studio
In partnership with Tenants to Homeowners, Dirt Works Studio was tasked in designing and building an affordable ~450 sq ft house. It is used to provide a previously houseless person a discounted rent so they can save for a down payment.
Fall 2023
Arch 509
Chad Kraus
My personal contribution as an aquisitions manager was to contact companies and ask about recommendations, quotes and discounts for products as well as keeping an updated cost estimate, so we could stay within our budget.
Photograph by Chad Kraus
Collaborators: Morgan Kime, Samantha Weidner, Julia Bond, Aidan Hall, Spencer Landis, Amanda Willen, Haley Ford, Adin Mehanovic, Morgan Campbell, Makenna Dawson, Reese Gilmore, Corrie Bolton
Structure
With the foundation poured, we began to assemble the structural CLT. I helped direct the crane operater while on the roof to place the CLT correctly.
After the structure was complete, we turned our focus onto insulating and sheathing the house. My most challenging task of the project was calculating and cutting compound angle cuts for the valleys of the roof with a circular saw.
Next, we finished waterproofing the house and began putting up our rainscreen, which was a clip system. My main task during this step was to help install the clip system as level as possible to make snapping on the boards fast.
Finally, we completed the interior which included drywall, painting, hanging cabinets, light fixtures, tiling, and window surrounds.
Insulation + Sheathing
Cladding
Interior
Photograph by Morgan Kime
Photograph by Morgan Kime
Photograph by Morgan Kime
Photograph by Chad Kraus
A portion of the cost estimate that Amanda Willen and I created, which was vital to keeping our project within our budget.
This bathroom was designed to be a safe room in case of tornadoes hence the lack of windows. It is also ADA accesible with a turnaround radius within the shower. A Laundry unit and shelving are also included in this space.
Bathroom (81 sq ft.)
Kitchen/ Living Room (175 sq ft.)
Bedroom (65 sq ft.)
Photograph by Makenna Dawson
Photograph by Makenna Dawson
Photograph by Corrie Bolton
Kaw Point Kitchens
1403 Fairfax Trafficway, Kansas City, KS
Kaw Point Park is located at the convergence of the Kaw and Missouri rivers, as well as right outside the heart of Kansas City, Kansas. This area of Kansas City is often neglected, leaving the residents with a lack of access to valuable resources.
Spring 2023
Arch 209
Shannon Criss
In doing research about the history and the context of our site, I discovered that many residents in Wyandotte county are currently in a food desert, contributing to negative health factors. As a result of this, I decided to focus my project on adressing this food desert by programming in more spaces in addition to the environmental education aspect.
Wyandotte County* Routinely lands at or near the bottom of the state’s health rankings, largely due to the fact that residents’ most common food sources are convenience stores and fast food restaurants.
of 105 Kansas Counties
Start with L-shape to create courtyard for farmer’s market
Add second story to fit programming
Built up Prairie Mounds create an intimate experice for the visitor as well as diffuse noise coming from the nearby Kaw Industy Park.
Slant second story roof towards south to maximize sun exposure
Puncture with dogtrot to allow summer breezes to enter market
Cafe and Flex Space
Hydroponics Lab
Farmer’s Market
I chose timber as my main structure because my building is only two stories tall and it will bring in warmth into the interior space.
Load Bearing Walls
Using load bearing in combination with the timber was the best option becuase the depth of my building is not that deep, so in some places the beams can span from wall to wall. It also frees up the interior grid for storefront windows.
Subtractive Chapel
Sunflower Quarry: 34135 W 95th St, De Soto, KS
Located in a quarry in De Soto, Kansas the chapel project program was to create a chapel (including a meeting room and bathroom) using negative space, carved out of a limestone cliff. I focused on the the contrast beween light versus dark to create a spiritual and solemn experience for the visitor.
Fall 2022
Arch 208
Thom Allen
Removed rectangular sliver to illuminate aisle in chapel and to provide light to the meeting room.
Chapel space is a barrel vault to invoke a holy feel.
Initial sketches demonstrate the back-lighting and illuminated aisle that I envisioned, creating an entirely different chapel experience.
sketches Personal Work
Outside of school, I enjoy painting and drawing immensely, and have experimented with ceramics as well. This is a collection of a few of my favorite creative works.
