anna haynes portfolio. 2025
curriculum vitae.
education
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Bachelor of Architecture Candidate
Dean’s List | Summa Cum Laude
3.9 GPA | 2025
Aalto University, Helsinki International Study Program
4.0 GPA | May-August 2023
professional experience
Architectural Intern - Full Time
McCarty Holsaple McCarty Jan-Aug 2024
Architectural Intern - Part Time
McCarty Holsaple McCarty Aug-Dec 2024
Research Assistant
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Professor Scott Wall
August 2023-Current
Research Assistant
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Professor Mark Stanley
December 2024-Current
personal works selected representation
Bento House
pg. 10 - pg. 27
KOKO Sips + Bites
pg. 28 - pg. 37
academic works
The Mill Exchange
pg. 40 - pg. 55
The Shift
pg. 56 - pg. 73
Timber Ridge Apartments
pg. 74 - pg. 85
Reimmersive Cultivation
pg. 86 - pg. 99
Temporal Dreamscape
pg. 100 - pg. 113
Novel Effects
pg. 116 - pg. 117
Cabinet of Curiosities
pg. 118 - pg. 119
Precedent Study
pg. 120 - pg. 121
Edinburgh City Map
pg. 122 - pg. 123
A Thing in Space
pg. 124 - pg. 127
anna haynes
personal works
personal works
01
Bento House
Year: Summer 2024
Purpose: AIA ETN ADU Design Competition
Location: Knoxville, TN
Team: Anna Haynes + Jakob Mikres
Bento House tells the story of a home designed for adaptability, offering a flexible space that evolves alongside its occupants’ needs. More than just a dwelling, it’s a container for living and creating, balancing comfort, efficiency, and accessibility. The ADU complements the main residence while asserting its own unique identity, forming a harmonious yet independent addition to the Knoxville Traditional Neighborhood typology.
Clad in locally sourced, resilient materials, the exterior blends seamlessly with its surroundings, while the interior celebrates the everyday, using plywood and accessible finishes that feel warm and practical. Playful, operable windows punctuate the envelope, inviting daylight and fresh air while creating visual connections to the outdoors. Even the often-overlooked alley becomes part of the community fabric, fostering a sense of inclusion and openness.
The design thoughtfully reimagines the carport, transforming it into a multifunctional covered porch that expands gathering space. With its self-contained amenities, semi-private implied yard, and thoughtful layout, Bento House is perfectly suited for a variety of uses—from short-term rentals to long-term tenants, a young adult finding independence, or an aging family member seeking proximity.
As life evolves, so does Bento House. Its design allows for effortless transformations, accommodating multi-generational living, non-residential uses, or entirely new purposes without major renovations. It pushes the boundaries of traditional neighborhood living, offering a resilient, communal vision for Knoxville’s future.
personal works
form diagram
contextual:
Bento House is designed within the context of Knoxville’s Traditional Neighborhood zones, blending with the color palette, roof forms, and finishes of the local vernacular while celebrating its scrappy, conventional construction. It is designed to complement the scale of the primary dwelling unit, while also engaging the site and streetscape by defining implied program zones and edges on the site. It is critically composed within the context of a dweller’s changing needs and aspirations in mind.
site plan
personal works
A majority of materials used are intentionally conventional, reductive, and yet locally sourced and/or salvaged to reduce building and finish costs in addition to embodied and life-cycle carbon. Finished ceilings and floors are omitted when possible to reduce material impact. Bento House’s sustainable design elements include natural ventilation, a vegetative roof to offset site runoff, an edible garden, thermal mass floors, deep overhangs, high performance windows and insulation, and salvaged/local materials. These strategies reduce the project’s overall EUI and carbon footprint, as well as upfront material costs and postoccupancy energy costs. The use of FSC certified plywood and non-toxic finishes increases durability and flexibility of the interior spaces, while promoting health and wellness for the long term. sustainable:
exterior carport perspective
exterior east elevation perspective
personal works
transverse section perspective
longitudinal section perspective
personal works
carport roof
carport
personal works
interior bedroom perspective
interior living space perspective
interior flex space perspective
interior mudroom perspective
personal works
interior kitchen hall perspective
interior kitchen perspective
personal works
personal works
KOKO Sips + Bites
Year: Winter 2024
Purpose: Interior Renovation Visualization Project
Location: KOKO Sips + Bites, Knoxville, TN
Team: Anna Haynes + Jakob Mikres
This project began with a visit to a small restaurant, collaborating closely with the client to uncover their vision for the space. The process started with a meticulous, hand-drawn survey to create detailed as-built drawings. These initial drawings captured the existing conditions with precision, forming the foundation for a design that balanced the restaurant’s functional needs with its brand identity.
Listening to the client’s aspirations, we explored how to elevate both the efficiency and the ambiance of the space. By carefully analyzing circulation patterns, we identified opportunities to improve flow, maximize seating capacity, and enhance the dining experience. Warm, sustainable materials were selected to reflect the client’s values, while textured surfaces and layered lighting created an inviting atmosphere that transitioned seamlessly from casual daytime dining to a refined evening ambiance.
Special attention was given to accessibility, acoustics, and spatial efficiency, ensuring the final design was as practical as it was beautiful.
Throughout the project, iterative hand sketches, technical drawings, and 3D renderings allowed for clear communication with the client, offering a visual narrative of the evolving design. This process ensured the final result not only met but exceeded expectations, delivering a cohesive and thoughtful interior that enhanced the restaurant’s unique character and branding.
Ultimately, this redesign transformed the restaurant into a space that invites diners to linger, creating a memorable experience that aligned with the client’s vision to grow their connection with the community.
personal
personal works
transverse section perspective
longitudinal section perspective
personal works
bar perspective
interior
personal works
interior booth perspective
anna haynes
academic works
academic works
The Mill Exchange
Semester: Fall 2024
Purpose: Mixed-use Development
Location: Knoxville, TN
Professor: Tricia Stuth
This project began with a deep dive into the history of the abandoned Standard Knitting Mill and Knoxville’s broader industrial legacy. Recognized by Knox Heritage as “fragile and fading fast,” the Mill represents a significant cultural asset in urgent need of preservation. Its adaptive reuse framework emphasizes maintaining its historic identity while reinterpreting it in a modern context, positioning the Mill as a cornerstone of Knoxville’s future. Key insights into the surrounding context, such as the disconnected railroad and creek, informed a design strategy that integrates public and private spaces while encouraging equitable access to the site and beyond.
Masterplanning efforts integrate the site with nearby parks, greenways, and the proposed rail corridor to create a vibrant “green network.” This connectivity supports active circulation, fosters community interaction, and generates economic
opportunities, establishing the Mill as a beacon of equitable urban renewal and sustainable growth for Knoxville.
The design process drew on extensive site analysis, historic research, and community engagement to frame the Mill’s role as a social and economic anchor. A core goal of the project is sustainability through adaptation. The design balances historical preservation with contemporary needs by incorporating sustainable materials, strategies for adaptive reuse, and gentle interventions that maximize impact while respecting the building’s character.
academic works
The proposed program begins with public-facing spaces on the ground floor, including markets, retail, cafes, and an educational museum that celebrates the Mill’s history.
As levels rise, the program transitions into co-working spaces, wellness facilities, event venues, and ultimately residential units, reinforcing a clear gradient of privacy and public engagement.
A central pedestrian pathway enhances connectivity across the railway and into Knoxville’s green network, establishing the Mill as a hub linking urban, recreational, and natural environments.
academic works
exterior corridor perspective
academic works
exterior terrace perspective
academic works
interior market perspective
academic works
The Shift 02
Semester: Fall 2023
Purpose: Light Industrial Makerspace + Masterplan
Location: Knoxville, TN
Professor: James Rose
Partners: Julia Goodman + Joe Hanlon
This Integrations project reimagines W. Jackson Avenue as a place that celebrates Knoxville’s rich history while shaping a future rooted in connection and creativity. The design creates a permeable urban district with walkable routes, bike-friendly pathways, and a lush greenway that seamlessly links the site to surrounding neighborhoods. Preserving the historic character of the street edge through thoughtful material choices, the plan balances modern functionality with a respect for the site’s past. By introducing mixed-income housing, live-work units, increased parking capacity, and community-focused amenities, the vision fosters economic growth, inclusivity, and a renewed sense of belonging for residents.
At its core is an industrial makerspace that serves as the beating heart of the district, designed to
empower local artisans and small businesses. The building is intentionally raw and honest, peeling back layers of enclosure to reveal its structural framework and programmatic functions. This transparency highlights the materials and craftsmanship while reinforcing the values of authenticity and sustainability. Inside, rentable bays, exhibition areas, and production spaces create opportunities for makers and manufacturers to thrive.
More than just a district, W. Jackson Avenue becomes a story of transformation—a place where Knoxville’s creative community can connect, create, and grow. It’s a neighborhood that nurtures local talent, enhances livability, and honors the city’s spirit, offering a forwardthinking model for urban reuse.
reflected ceiling plan
floor plan
academic works
second floor plan
academic works
interior corridor perspective
VINE AVE
VINE AVE
live/work + housing section greenway access section
JACKSON AVE
STREET TREES + STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
JACKSON AVE
CONNECTION FROM JACKSON TO GREENWAY THRU STAIR/ELEVATOR CORES AND CIRCULATION
JACKSON AVE
CONNECTION FROM JACKSON TO GREENWAY THRU STAIR/ELEVATOR CORES AND CIRCULATION
CONNECTION FROM JACKSON TO GREENWAY THRU STAIR/ELEVATOR CORES AND CIRCULATION ON-SITE PV POWERGENERATION
MAINTAINED ALLEYWAY/ CIRCULATION
STOREFRONT
CONDOS
STRUCTURE
STRUCTURE
academic works
academic works
Timber Ridge Apartments
Semester: Spring 2023
Purpose: Multifamily Housing
Location: Knoxville, TN
Professor: Maged Guerguis
Affordable housing is a significant issue in many areas of the United States, including Knoxville, TN. It is difficult for groups of people such as college students, grad students just starting families, and single parents to find an affordable place to live in Knoxville. These groups are hit hard by high rent costs and low availability of apartment units. This proposal, Timber Ridge, a high-density apartment complex at a lower cost, utilizes and revitalizes an abandoned area of Knoxville on Concord Street. It tackles common issues in building affordable housing, such as expensive labor, materials, and building codes. Timber Ridge is established not only to provide a place to live for those who need it but as a place to thrive and grow.
Timber Ridge consists of three levels of prefabricated apartment units that sit atop a mixed-use ground floor. Prefabrication allows for tighter budgeting and high-quality units
while keeping prices affordable. Prefabricated construction can cost 20-30% less in building costs, and takes almost 50% less time to build total. The project was designed with crosslaminated timber as the primary material as a durable, renewable, and low-carbon option that can easily be integrated into prefab design. Because the facade and envelope are a large portion of total building costs, CLT simplifies the total wall components and can be used as a nice interior finish, which cuts the costs of extra materials needed such as drywall.
The facade itself is made of a prefabricated clip-on facade consisting of recycled wood strips, making it environmentally conscious as well. This allows for the project to be both visually appealing and low cost, with simple finishes that still draw the eye with wood tones complimented by the greenery in the surrounding courtyard spaces.
academic works
The facilities of the ground floor are specifically selected to provide ways for residents to improve their quality of life. They provide spaces for residents to exercise, study, and learn new skills, and things such as maker spaces and offices allow them to run small businesses or work from home.
The site itself is also bordered by three separate parks, with amenities such as walking trails, tennis courts, and a skate park. This allows for a great surrounding environment with walkable activities for families and couples.
exterior garden perspective
academic works
ground plan residential plan
section perspective
Reimmersive Cultivation
Semester: Fall 2022
Purpose: Rural Development
Location: Newport, TN
Professor: Scott Wall
Reimmersive Cultivation is the reclaiming of a stretch of land that was once the livelihood of an entire community. The site is located on Douglas Lake in Tennessee, where the Tennessee Valley Authority once flooded communities to build a series of hydropower plants, causing the displacement of thousands of families. The project is a cycling of history and returns to the original purpose of the land the project is embedded into. It is a haven for nomads and migrants seeking refuge from an impending climate emergency. The reclamation of this land is a powerful symbol to new inhabitants that community and stability can be rebuilt and remain steadfast through the use of thoughtful and sustainable design.
The project begins with a water research laboratory, and over time begins to populate with refugee cabins along the riverbed. The planned community spans across the length of
the three-mile site, and through time, over the course of 150 years. The farming and housing infrastructure is designed to take into account the course of time and slowly unfolds in the form of agrivoltaics, combining farming and a grid of solar panels which provides clean energy and self-sufficiency for the entire stretch of the community.
academic works
Reimmersive Cultivation is ultimately about returning to the roots of the land, where the original Appalachian inhabitants relied on agriculture as their livelihood, and repopulating the site in a way that both honors those who were displaced and reimagines a healthier way to sustain a community with new methods of farming and energy production. It is meant to invite climate refugees to a haven that will support them through the combined efforts of their new community, so that they may in turn begin to support each other and build connections with their community that will stand the test of time.
academic works
interior water laboratory perspective
academic works
exterior modular cabin perspective
academic works
cabin axonometric
modular
academic works
Temporal Dreamscape 05
Semester: Summer 2023
Purpose: Narrative Design Exercise
Location: Suomenlinna, Finland
Professor: Scott Wall
This three-week project was assigned as a way to interpret the cultural and architectural immersion experienced throughout the months the FSAI cohort spent in Helsinki, Finland. It is a narrative meant to express the ephemeral qualities of light and water through unique representations, photography, and physical model-making. The project began with paper modeling made with the intention of biophilic mimicry and textural investigation. From these models, we developed a method of play with light and shadow through photography, which informed later design decisions. In my own investigation, I realized an ongoing interest in forming a narrative around abstract digital perspectives created from the textures and shadows generated through the physical paper models we produced. The final portion of the project consisted of locating the design as a series of pavillions on an island off the coast of Helsinki, known as Suomenlinna.
As the project progressed, 27 unique pavillion perspectives were created, and each had a story and experience embedded within. These perspectives were developed into an abstract “dreamscape” which consisted of a map constructed from fragments of Suomenlinna that the pavillions were located on. From this map, a journey emerged, and experiential narratives were created for each perspective progressing the journey onward. The project created an opportunity for storytelling that puts on display the beauty and influence of light and shadow and water.
academic works
thesis:
How can architecture perform in a subconscious context, and how can the interplay of light and water create transformative spatial experiences?
The project is a speculative journey through a series of architectural dreamscapes, delving into the possibilities of indefinite spatial narratives that transcend the boundaries of tangible built environments. What happens when explorative perspectival experiments precede the normative series of drawings that produce a building or space? Architecture becomes the vessel to guide travelers throughout a series of sensory experiences that exist beyond mere functionality of space. Light becomes a precious resource, and water becomes the ambient score that acts as a guide through space. As light shapes the perception of space and depth, water engages the secondary senses as a navigational catalyst. Shadows engage the periphery of the journey, a murmur in the ear of the wanderer, a whisper pointing onward, water guides the rhythm of the architectural composition. The storyline is led by shape and form and sound and illuminance.
site map
fragment map
dreamscape map
academic works
I know my own realness. What I don’t know is where the ground is that my feet rest on. A storm is stirring, and I taste it on my tongue, the crackling air. The sky is weighing on this funny ground, pressing my feet in, not quite like quicksand. I am weaving between fragments of dark and light, but they’ll be gone when the rain comes.
02 03
My thoughts expand and contract with the shadows pressed against these walls. They lead me, companions of my passage through quiet gray halls. The click of my heels echoes around the corner, and I follow the sound before it is dampened by the stone.
These shadows brush against me like a whispered secret. There are wide bands of light scattered in every direction, and no real way forward. I cannot take a single step without touching this tangle of night and day.
This horizon line is infinite, unending. Dust stings my eyes as they take in the gritty landscape. They are drawn to a pillar slicing through the endless sky. I’m sure this destination is mine. I fit between the cracks, half-hidden from the moonlight.
I am hit with a rush of hazy ambiance and sea-air. The distant sound of crashing waves echoes in my ears. There is salt crusted against this immovable, delicate marker of the shoreline. I move closer and sea-glass cracks beneath my shoes
There is a resonant whisper of water wherever I go. I am wandering aimlessly, this labyrinthine sea. Am I above or below? This glimmering perforation remains in my mind even when I close my eyes. My own reflection is scattered.
academic works
My own gravity is working against the current’s tug. Is it my charge to reach the shoreline, to stay afloat? The air is at odds with the drifting beneath me, not still, but holding its breath. The depthless river guides me beyond my little refuge, into endless night.
This haze in my lungs, my too-hot breath, all doused as I plunge into the gentle lap of water against stone walls. I am like tempered steel as color returns to my cheeks. Cold, new air cuts through the heavy, smoky steam like a shard of glass.
This tunnel-vision stretch of space cleaves the moonless night. I am here for a fleeting moment, centered on the vanishing point. I slip between the cracks, between the lightless veil calling me onward.
The sky is gray and lowering. The cadence of the clouds matches the rhythm of the shallow rainwater stream carrying me across. I seek a harbor for my wandering, a place to still my traveling mind.
I sit in silent sanctuary, suspended on this glassy surface. I’m drawn to the velvety touch of water, and the peaceful, sweeping shadows overhead. The sky is faceted, cloudless, and I remain on this placid lake with my thoughts.
I feel cool glass against my fingertips, but all I see is the weight of an ocean, dim and unfocused and barely illuminated by my own path. I feel the building pressure under my hand, hungry to break the thin barrier through which I am traveling.
academic works
14 15
I exist as a single drop of rain in a thunderstorm, a blade of grass among a forest. The shadow I cast against monumental, cavernous stone is no larger than a speck of dust. My insignificance is freeing in a way, and my steps do not falter.
This deep pool murmurs softly, wordless phrases that tug at my periphery. I drift atop the depths of my own dormant consciousness, occupied by the nocturne. My own breathing matches the water’s pull within this static cavern.
There is a flume of pale light running down adamant walls as I sail my own glowing vessel. The air is electric. The carved faces of stone are barely illuminated, and they shift along my vision as I move.
17 18
I emerge from the soft embrace of shadows to a monolith of poised and sharp light. The air tastes fresh and bright, and oxygen rushes my lungs. My leaden legs are not so burdensome as they seemed belowground.
So this is true weightlessness. There is bone-white light that cuts through my little ancillary thoughts. It is not the worst thing, to have my attention honed to a needle-point, my head is clear. I am a timeless witness to my own pondering. What a strange way to meditate.
This moonbeam ahead of me is split in three. It cleaves the murky black and glitters at the edges. The air is humming with existence, active and charged. This is the threshold on the edge of the waking world, beckoning my eyes to open, but I am not ready
academic works
I am an observer of this shifting landscape, a collector of moments. I stand here at twilight, but morning dew hangs in the air, balancing on the edge of this burning monolith. The wind whistles across my skin and into the night.
These whispering hallways pull me deeper beneath the earth. There is gravel coating the ground, saturated with a gentle, thin layer of ice-cold water. The dull click of my steps is the only mark I make on the floor.
Where will this take me, my exploration of edges? The little water drops here flow like oil, down tall, night black space. It’s just out of reach, but I’m not sure if it’s something I can touch. My eyes can’t focus on the trickling light for too long, but they’ve adjusted to the dark.
I am air and atmosphere. I am a shifting light breeze, winnowing through paper-thin screens. I am obscured by heavy, suspended mist, filtering the light, stuck between form and formlessness.
I’m framed by the whisper of balance as I travel. There’s symmetry in the vivid strokes of shadow flanking either side. My vision is split by bright white. I know it’s time to choose where my next step will take me.
My journey is boundless, and the walls of these catacombs feel alive, like skin. I feel aware of every step I take, and tread lighter than before. Raw edges of light split the monotonous dark as I pass soundlessly through
academic works
How can there be starlight touching the ground, within my reach? The chill of the stone beneath my feet permeates my shoes, and my steps are in percussive opposition to the stone’s quiet whisper. It is cold here. It pulls me forward like I’m not meant to belong here. It is too omniscient a space for me to inhabit.
I stand at the mouth of some great threshold. Its walls are dripping with barely visible twilight streams, a reflection of the stars stuck like pendants in the sky. What lies ahead is expansive and undefined, and I inch closer to the unknown.
Somehow I know I have reached the border of my exploration. I stand before vast, relentless waters, and salt-saturated sea mist lingers on my lips. The tidal ebb and flow is a captivating dance, beckoning me onward. It is here my eyes are willing to open.
anna haynes selected representation
Novel Effects 01 selected representation
Semester: Spring 2023
Professor: Maged Guerguis
Location: Paraguay
Programs: Rhino 7, Adobe Illustrator
This project focused on meticulously modeling and documenting an existing architectural precedent to analyze its assembly and construction techniques. The precedent, Casa Himmel, was designed by Paraguayan architecture office Bauen, and was assembled in 7 days.
Utilizing precise measurements and thorough research, the building was recreated in a digital environment with a high level of detail, showcasing its structural components, material connections, and spatial organization.
The project emphasized technical accuracy and comprehensive documentation through exploded axonometric views and a plan of structural components, to clearly convey the design’s modular assembly and functionality.
casa himmel, paraguay
selected representation
02
Cabinet of Curiosities
Semester: Fall 2022
Professor: Marshall Prado
Location: Knoxville, TN
Programs: Revit, Adobe Illustrator, Midjourney
This project explored the intersection of digital creativity and architectural representation, transforming images from MidJourney AI into detailed Revit models.
Beginning with abstract conceptual imagery, the project required interpreting forms, materials, and spatial arrangements to develop a coherent architectural design while learning new software.
Utilizing Revit to model the imagined structures, comprehensive documentation including plans, sections, elevations, and 3D views were created.
initial midjourney image
selected representation
03
Precedent Study
Semester: Spring 2021
Professor: Marleen Davis and Hansjoerg Goeritz
Location: Dorshada Resort, Thailand
Team: Anna Haynes, Mariam Hanna, Noelle Page
Programs: ArchiCad, Adobe Illustrator
This project combined software training with architectural analysis, exploring the capabilities of ArchiCAD while studying a historical precedent. The precedent, Dorshada Resort, is located in Thailand and was designed by ACA Architects.
Through detailed modeling, the building’s structural and spatial organization was reconstructed, focusing on accuracy and clarity. Sections and axonometric drawings were chosen to represent these qualities.
wall section and elevation
DORSHADA RESORT RENOVATION
Second Year Design Implementation Dorshada Resort, Thailand, ACA Architects Study by Anna Haynes, Mariam Hanna, and Noelle Page
0'1'2' 5'
axonometric section
axonometric section
selected representation
Edinburgh City Map 04
Semester: Fall 2021
Professor: Mark Stanley
Location: Knoxville, TN
Programs: Rhino 7, Adobe Illustrator
This project involved the selection of a city and an analysis of a portion of the city plan. It involved in-depth digital modeling of the city’s context and rendering of selected perspectives from the ground and from a drone view.
The city chosen was Edinburgh, Scotland, and the focus was on the Scottish Parliament building, constructed in 1999 and designed by Enric Miralles. The building was modeled and surrounding context detailed for perspectives from Google Street View.
city plan
edinburgh
selected representation
A Thing in Space
Semester: Spring 2021
Professor: Mark Stanley
Location: Knoxville, TN
Programs: Rhino 7, Adobe Illustrator
This project involved the detailed analysis and recreation of a found object through disassembly and precise measurement. Each of the 43 components of the object were meticulously catalogued, scanned, and hand-measured to ensure accuracy, then modeled in 3D software to reconstruct its form and assembly.
Exploded axonometric drawings and assembly diagrams were developed, showcasing the object’s intricate design and functionality.
