Portfolio - SPring 2024
BU rger
Ben Burger
Architecture Student - Detailer - Fabricator
Contact
785-813-6904 benburger2001@gmail.com
Profile
Architecture Student from Lawrence Kansas with 5 years of work experience in Structural Steel Fabrication.
Skills
Revit
Rhino - Grasshopper
Tekla Structures
Adobe Suite - Bluebeam Revu Enscape - Twinmotion - StableDiffusion
References
Shannon Criss - Professor 785-766-0069 scriss@ku.edu
Kapila Silva - Professor 785-864-1150 kapilads@ku.edu
Kerek McGinley - HME Machine Lead 785-230-3028 kerek.mcginley@gmail.com
Education
University of Kansas Graduation Spring 2026 Masters of Architecture
Johnson County Community College Graduation Summer 2021 AAS Metal Fabrication
Work Experience
HNTB - Architecture
Sports - Aviation - Critical Infrastructure - Internship
Kansas City, MO
May 2024 - Present
Contributed to multiple project pursuits by generating ideas, graphics, and design studies. Created detailed architectural models, both physical and digital, and managed render models while enhancing client renderings. Developed presentations, visited project sites, and supported the design and visualization process across various projects.
Haas Metal Engineering
Machine Operations - Weekend Shift
Topeka, KS
December 2019 - Present
Experience with hands on manual machining, fabrication, welding, CNC, and AISC and general structural fabrication standards.
Structural Detailing - Internship
October 2023 - May 2024
Created digital models in Tekla Structures from architectural and structural drawings. Designed multiple smaller projects with clients in a design-build format.
Extra Curricular
N.O.M.A.S Treasurer
Manage SOFAS account funds and organize fundraisers
KU Architecture Mentorship Program
Fall 2023 - Spring 2024
Fall 2023 - Present
Serve as a mentor for a underclassmen throughought their semester.
Eagle Scout: Troop 55
Designed and led construction of custom picnic benches for a local school
Spring 2019
Abroad
Architecture in Europe
Professor led Architecture trip through Finland, Sweden, and Denmark
Summer 2023
Trips through the Swiss cities of Zurich, Bern, Appenzell, Baden, and Geneva.
Castleberry Hill Mixed-Use Complex
SteelStacks Historical Center
Kaw Point Agriculture Hub
Grasshopper Explorations
Professional Work
Castleberry Hill Mixed-Use Complex
Urban Mixed-Use - Revit - Rhino - Twinmotion
Atlanta, Georgia
Arch 608 - Fall 2024
Gustavo Garcia Do Amaral, PhD
The Castleberry Hill Mixed-Use Complex is a forwardthinking project designed to enhance community stability and inclusivity while preserving the historic identity of the Castleberry Hill neighborhood in Atlanta. Inspired by the area’s industrial legacy and vibrant arts culture, the project integrates mixed-use programming, including family-oriented housing, community spaces, and sustainable stormwater management strategies.
This design prioritizes affordability, accessibility, and environmental sustainability through features like permeable surfaces, bioswales, and terraced landscapes that address stormwater challenges. The development also focuses on pedestrian connectivity and energy efficiency, promoting a vibrant and walkable urban environment. By blending modern interventions with Castleberry Hill’s historic architectural language, this project bridges the past and future, fostering a resilient and cohesive community space.
Financial Data
$150,000 or more
Income Distribution
$150,000 or more
$100,000 to $149,999
$100,000 to $149,999
$75,000 to $99,999
$75,000 to $99,999
$50,000 to $74,999
$75,000 to $99,999 $100,000 to $149,999 $150,000 or more
$50,000 to $74,999
$35,000 to $49,999
$50,000 to $74,999
$35,000 to $49,999
$25,000 to $34,999
$35,000 to $49,999
$25,000 to $34,999
Less than $24,999
$25,000 to $34,999
$50,000 to $74,999
than $24,999
$35,000 to $49,999
$25,000
$75,000
$25,000 to $34,999
Less than $24,999
Cost Of living - Darker = more expensive
Atlanta | Castleberry
Castleberry Hill’s financial and spatial context reveals critical challenges and opportunities that shape the design approach. The income distribution data highlights a higher proportion of low-income households compared to Atlanta overall, emphasizing the need for affordable housing and community resources to prevent displacement. The cost-of-living map further illustrates the financial pressures on residents, with Castleberry Hill situated in a more expensive urban area. These economic realities underscore the importance of integrating equitable and inclusive design solutions. Spatially, Castleberry Hill’s proximity to key landmarks such as Mercedes-Benz Stadium, State Farm Arena, and Clark Atlanta University enhances its potential as a connected, vibrant neighborhood. However, this adjacency also introduces challenges, such as balancing increased visitor traffic with the needs of long-term residents. Together, these insights inform a design approach that prioritizes affordability, accessibility, and connectivity while preserving the neighborhood’s unique identity.
395 Nelson St SW
Clark Atlanta University
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
State Farm Arena
Water Management & Demographics
The existing site struggles significantly with water management due to its lack of permeable surfaces, with nearly the entire site covered by impervious materials. As a result, 70% of rainfall results in runoff, meaning only 30% is handled in sustainable ways, 20% through infiltration and 10% through evaporation. This imbalance contributes to significantly increased flood risks, limited groundwater recharge, and strain on stormwater systems. The proposed design introduces strategies to drastically improve water retention and reduce runoff. Key interventions include permeable pavement solutions, street planters, and bioswales, which allow for natural water absorption. Additionally, stormwater is redirected from rooftops and impermeable paving away from streets and into on-site green infrastructure. This prevents excess water from overwhelming street drainage systems and reduces localized flooding risks. These improvements reduce annual runoff from 32.46 inches to just 2.10 inches, while boosting infiltration to 90% and leaving evaporation at just 5%.
Performance metrics illustrate the success of these changes:
• Days with runoff drop from 59.98 annually to just 5.71 days.
• The percent of wet days retained increases dramatically from 18.37% to 92.16%.
• The largest rainfall without runoff improves from 0.23 inches to 2.99 inches, showcasing the system’s ability to handle heavier rainfall events sustainably.
By addressing these challenges through green infrastructure and redirecting stormwater away from streets, the design enhances stormwater performance, reduces strain on urban systems, and fosters a more resilient and
Permeability
The demographic data for Castleberry Hill highlights a stark lack of family-oriented housing options, contributing to smaller average household and family sizes compared to Atlanta and the United States. With an average family size of 2.86 and an average household size of 1.32, Castleberry Hill significantly lags behind Atlanta’s averages of 3.09 and 2.05, respectively. This is further evidenced by the dominance of single-occupant households, which make up 50% of the area’s total households, a figure much higher than the national and city averages. The lack of larger, family-oriented housing options forces families to look elsewhere, leaving the neighborhood dominated by transient and single-occupant demographics. This data underscores the critical need for housing solutions that address this gap by creating spaces designed for families. Providing familyoriented housing will help encourage longterm residency, stabilize the community, and ensure that Castleberry Hill becomes a more inclusive and diverse neighborhood.
The site’s design prioritizes seamless integration with existing transit infrastructure to promote accessibility, connectivity, and sustainability. Positioned at the border of Castleberry Proper and Greater Atlanta, the project leverages its proximity to key transit nodes, including multiple MARTA stations and bus routes, to support walkability and reduce car dependency.
We began the design by incorporating insights from gathered data, focusing on its context, boundaries, and existing urban flow, while building on the spatial framework established through prior analysis and keeping the existing building’s footprint on the site.
We then introduce our mass 40’ thick, to enhance pedestrian comfort and height to under the 55’ code limit so can better protect the urban
We enhance pathways across the site to improve accessibility and create a better experience for both residents and the wider community. These pathways establish both vertical and horizontal access, inclusively connecting landscaped green spaces to unify the site while fostering community connections and encouraging active use of shared outdoor areas.
thick, set 15’ back from the street and safety. We’ve also limited the so that, along with the setback, we urban fabric of Castleberry Hill.
We’re strategically reducing building mass to achieve our design goals while retaining the existing private/public cross-site pathways. By minimizing the site footprint, we make the area more inviting and accessible, fostering a sense of openness and creating better spaces for community interaction and engagement.
Our final design integrates renewable site elements and sustainable strategies while reusing existing features. This balance of forward-thinking innovation and practical reuse fosters a connected, pedestrian-friendly environment that promotes sustainability and community engagement.
The shading strategy for the project incorporates passive solar design principles to enhance energy efficiency and indoor comfort while adapting to seasonal changes. By carefully analyzing sun angles and shading requirements, the design ensures optimal light penetration during winter months and effective shading during the summer to reduce heat gain.
The west-facing units are designed with deep overhangs and adjustable shading louver devices to protect from the intense afternoon sun. These features are paired with strategically placed trees to further mitigate solar exposure while maintaining a connection to the outdoors. The diagrams highlight how incorporated shading reduces direct sunlight penetration into living spaces, improving thermal comfort and energy performance.
The south-facing units are meticulously designed to maximize the benefits of solar orientation, incorporating shading elements calibrated to the specific seasonal angles of the sun. Horizontal louvers and deep overhangs block high summer sun to prevent overheating while allowing the low-angled winter sun to warm interiors
and By requirements, winter outdoors. incorporating overhangs
naturally. This ensures year-round thermal comfort, minimizing reliance on mechanical systems and enhancing energy efficiency. The section diagrams illustrate how these shading components work dynamically throughout the year, adapting to seasonal variations and providing a balance of protection and light access. This thoughtful approach integrates passive solar principles into the architectural design, ensuring the spaces remain both functional and inviting in all seasons. This shading strategy not only enhances the performance of individual units but also contributes to the overall sustainability goals of the project, creating a harmonious balance between built and natural environments. Each egress route is carefully integrated into the building’s layout to align with both regulatory requirements and the overarching architectural vision. The yellow-coded routes represent centrally located elevators designed to meet ADA and IBC standards for emergency use elevators. These elevators are strategically placed to minimize travel distances for mobility-impaired individuals throughout the building and site, ensuring equitable access while
maintaining a seamless flow within the building. The green arrows highlight required balcony hatches that can be used as emergency egress points. These hatches are thoughtfully positioned to provide easy and intuitive access during evacuations, with robust materials and discreet placements ensuring they blend seamlessly into the overall design without compromising safety. The blue-coded staircases form a key component of the strategy, featuring wide, well-ventilated, external corridors that facilitate safe and rapid evacuation. These staircases ensure intuitive navigation and are constructed with fireresistant materials for enhanced safety and durability. Finally, the red arrows indicate vehicular access points designed to support parking and maintenance services. The layout prioritizes clear and unobstructed pathways, allowing vehicles to arrive and depart the parking areas efficiently without disrupting pedestrian circulation. By weaving these egress elements into the architectural framework, the design achieves a cohesive balance between aesthetics, functionality, and safety, ensuring the physical and mental well-being of all occupants.
SteelStacks Historical Center
Brownfield Reuse Museum - Rhino - Grasshopper - Twinmotion
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Arch 508 - Fall 2023
Kapila D. Silva, PhD
Dilshan R. Ossen, PhD
The SteelStacks Historical Center is an industrial history museum located in Bethlehem Pennsylvania on the site of the now abandoned Bethlehem Ironworks in a ongoing arts distric development. The Museum’s structure invites visitors to use the entirety of the site and context to experience the American steel industry’s founding, rise to glory, collapse, and optomistic future. While the monumental steel blast furnaces serve as the most evident example of the history of the site, the museum serves to enhance that example through a welcoming environment and ease of acces to an elevated walkway for tours.
Establish Boundaries Contextual
Contextual Layout Maintain Site Accessibility
Circulation Align Form to Grid
Site Selection
U.S. Steel’s Foundries
Bethlehem Ironworks Integrated Mills Mini Mills
Fabricated Structure
Mechanical / HVAC
Egress / Circulation
Integrated Systems
Kaw Point Agriculture Hub
Mixed-Use
Development - Rhino - Grasshopper - Enscape
Kansas City, Kansas
Arch 209 - Spring 2023
Prof. Shannon Criss
The Kansas City Parks Department Agricultural Hub is a dynamic project that encompasses the Park, the Heart, and the Nursery. The Park area invites visitors to immerse themselves in a tranquil environment, while the Heart serves as the hub of education and innovation. The Nursery plays a vital role in sustaining the city’s green spaces by cultivating a diverse range of plant species. Together, these interconnected areas create a beautiful and sustainable space that highlights the importance of environmental stewardship. The central structure, the Heart, is the focal point of activity, housing the offices, storage, and workshops for the Kansas City Parks and Recreation department as well as a cafe, art gallery, and educational spaces for the public. It represents the nexus of collaboration and education, where sustainable practices are developed to enhance the city’s parks and green spaces. Adjacent to the Heart, the Nursery provides a nurturing environment for plant cultivation and propagation, ensuring a sustainable supply of flora to support the mission of the Parks Department. The Park area offers a tranquil retreat and a place for visitors to connect with nature. The Kansas City Parks Department Agricultural Hub is a testament to the city’s commitment to sustainability, community engagement, and the promotion of environmental stewardship.
Boat Ramp
BUILDABLE SITE
HEART
NURSERY
HEART PARK
HEART NURSERY
Define Perforate
Grasshopper Exploration
Modular Apartment System - Rhino - Grasshopper
Lawrence, Kansas
Arch 600 - Summer 2023
Dr. Tzu-Chieh Kurt Hong
Situated within the heart of a hypothetical landscape, the modular living project creates a system of separate rooms sprawling out from a central core, the project is scaled to fit within a city block, offering a novel approach to new urban living. Drawing inspiration from the Japanese Metabolists, notably the Nakagin Capsule Tower, this architectural endeavor presents a dynamic solution to contemporary housing needs.
The project’s core is a complex a Rhino Grasshopper script. The script weaves simplicity and complexity, transforming basic curves and surfaces into an intricate web of modular living units. Over a two-week period, I worked with my professor, managing complex data streams while maintaining structural feasibility. The script’s triumph lays not only in its capacity to generate visually captivating designs but also in its ability to produce potentially structurally feasible configurations.
The outcome, shown by two renderings and a series of six distinct modular room generations, showcases the versatility of the script. Each iteration pays homage to the Nakagin Capsule Tower’s modularity while responding to any given input. This project, grounded in the principles of adaptability and functionality, reaffirms architecture’s power to reshape living.
Architecture Internship
Professional Work - Various Programs
Kansas City, Missouri
Internship - Summer-Fall 2024
HNTB
During my internship at HNTB, I contributed to large-scale sports, aviation, transportation, and critical infrastructure architecture projects, gaining hands-on experience in design development, documentation, and project coordination. My responsibilities included preparing detailed physical and digital models, assisting with project design and documentation, and collaborating with a multitude of different teams and individuals to meet ongoing project goals.
This role allowed me to greatly refine my technical skills, particularly in Revit and Rhino, while expanding my understanding of sports facility design and urban integration. I actively participated in design reviews, contibuted to client meetings, and team workshops, enhancing my ability to balance design innovation with functional and regulatory requirements.
Working on projects that emphasize accesibility like Ryan Field and community impact Like the West Viginia Travel Plazas reinforced my passion for creating spaces that bring people together. My internship experience at HNTB provided invaluable insight into the complexities of largescale architectural projects and solidified my interest in pursuing a career in sports architecture.
CNS Structure
Professional Work - Tekla Structures
Topeka, Kansas
Internship - Winter 2023
Hass Metal Engineering
Working with a local university I led the design, detailing, material procurement, and participated in the fabrication of a small connection mock up for their Construction Science and Architectural Engineering Departments.
