architecture portfolio
Bernadette Chamberlain
343 - 262 - 0670
bchamberlain@laurentian.ca
home : 39 Longden Pl Kanata ON K2M 1V3
school : 211 - 82 Ignatius St Sudbury ON, P3C 5G3
Bilingual architecture student with an interest in sustainability and craft, seeking a student job for the summer of 2024
the SPROUT project
The fourth-year integrated design project in pairs is a 5 storey mixed-use residential and commercial building (market and co-working). The project involved programming, urban design, structure, passive and mechanical design, lighting and building code evaluation.
The meaning of “foyer” in the French language means many things; the idea of home, gathering and community being among them. With the integration of multiple foyers representing their various meanings, a social gradient of invitation is established throughout the building. This manifests within the context of supportive social housing for youth, young adults and newcomers where the fertilization of a healthy lifestyle is key, and the gradient essential to compassionate design. Through articulation, this gradient of invitation is defined both in the programmatic and architectural planes: from the inside out.
studio 7 & 8
fall 2023 & winter 2024
integrated design year-long project with Aerin Joseph
Detailed facade model & elevation
(291 sqft)
PENDANT
RECESSED POT LIGHT
VERTICAL CONCEALED STRIP LIGHT
USER DEFINED PLUG-IN FIXTURE
WALL-MOUNTED SPOT LIGHT
VENTILATION EXHAUST
WALL-MOUNTED ADJUSTABLE
READING LIGHT
RECESSED FLOOR STRIP LIGHT VENTILATION
VENTILATION SUPPLY
CABINET MOUNTED STRIP LIGHT
TWO-PIPE FAN COIL UNIT
Clockwise from top left
Detailed studio plan; studio render; axonometric render; lighting diagram; lighting plan; RCP studio plan
Structural strategy:
Load bearing CLT walls, post & beam, and CLT floors
Assisted stack ventilation diagram
Left
Right
Winter passive section
Summer passive section
sauna at Bennet Lake
A forest is made up of many levels - canopy, young trees, brushes and grasses, earth, roots - all interconnected to one another. Different layers of the forest present different light and atmospheric qualities. For instance, it becomes darker as one travels through denser trees, only to emerge by lake in the light.
The journey to, through and from the sauna mimics the idea of the forest journey and its different constituents. The birch log path continues into the building, weaving the tree trunk with the ground. Rocks of the landscape also are present inside. Inside the sauna, the wood benches take the shape of the Sudbury rock. The butterfly roof simulates the different levels of light and openness of the forest in the building.
From top to bottom Main entrance; gathering space; section 1:50; concept model showing form and environment
Solar shading at the critical moment, in summer and in winter, drawn in Illustrator
Solar shading device for south façade of the building
Right
Passive summer section
Passive winter section
Below
ecological education centre
The ‘‘NASA Nest’’ is proposal for an ecological education centre situated on the cliffs overlooking Lake Laurentian. The structure surrounds the platform of the former NASA observatory, like a bird’s nest. The created courtyard is the heart of the building and play area for children.
Many different species of birds live in the site’s different habitats - lake, rock, sand and trees - and they are invited to come interact with the building with elements such as bird houses incorporated into the exterior walls.
Concept sketch. Structure surrounds NASA platform and descends into rock
Physical concept model & birds in walls
Opposite and above Plan & sections realized in Rhino, Photoshop and Illustrator;
Left
Hand-drawn construction details
Right
Vignettes (Endscape and Photoshop from Rhino model): courtyard; lobby; winter view from lake
the web: an inhabitable unknown
studio 8 winter 2024
This installation was designed and built within the studio course and also featured at Nuit Blanche 2024. It explores the verb “contain,” and the sub-verbs “trap” and “emerge.”
Made of repurposed plastic bags turned into string and woven together and cladded with larger plastic garnment bags, the web forces the body through a sequence of positions inforcing the feeling of containment.
Discomfort and containment are increased through the use of darkness as well as sound. A soundtrack of local sounds was composed and reinforces those feelings.
group project with: Drew Howlett, Shauntae Vassell, JR Walker & Lanxin Yang
Clockwise from top left
String & shower curtain structure; garnment bag cladding for light reflection; final web; plastic bag string web
design studio
This project, done in partners, was to design a design studio, focusing on the structure and construction of it. The main entrance leads to the mezzanine meeting space. The main level of the office sinks into the ground on the sloped site. Glulam beams supporting the roof rest on a concrete foundation. Steel columns and beams support the mezzanine in this woodand-steel construction.
structures & material behaviour
winter 2023
FOUNDATION PLAN 1:100
SECTION A 1:100
SECTION B 1:100
community & civic centre
The concept is of heat and weather control, using winter clothing’s three-layer principle (specifically the snowmobile suit). The base, middle and outer layers each have specific roles to play in insulating, releasing moisture and protecting from the elements. Each layer creates specific microclimates that can be inhabited differently.
The civic center at Smooth Rock Falls will be placed near the snowmobile trail, as this is a central element of the concept - for many months of the year, the majority of visitors arrive by this means of transportation.
Geodesic domes are covered with ETFE material, creating several layers of external skeleton in order to create a controlled internal environment. The spaces created by the internal buildings contain the program’s specific elements and add a further level of insulation.
PLAN DE SITE 1:400
Bernadette Chamberlain
Bernadette Chamberlain
PLAN NIVEAU SOUS-SOL 1:100
PLAN NIVEAU SOUS-SOL 1:100
PLAN NIVEAU SOUS-SOL 1:100
PLAN NIVEAU PRINCIPAL 1:100
PLAN NIVEAU PRINCIPAL 1:100
PLAN NIVEAU PRINCIPAL 1:100
PLAN D’ÉTAGE 1:100
PLAN D’ÉTAGE 1:100
D’ÉTAGE 1:100
