Bianca's Architecture Portfolio

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

BIANCA BRISCOE

SELECTED WORKS, 2019-2023

Thank you so much for taking the time to open my portfolio. My love for creativity and expression is displayed all throughout my projects, and I look forward to sharing a part of me, with you.

2023 Solar Decathalon

During my final semester, I had the wonderful opportunity of participating in the 2023 Department of Energy’s Solar Decathalon. We were in the Retro-fit Housing Division, and our site is a Historic Landmark near Howard campus. We reinnovated the house into a net-positive half communal space with various sustainable practices.

My personal contributions included creating the new floor plans, drafting the floor plans, researching historic background information, creating a water conservation system, and contributing to interior renders. We won third place!

NEA MALOO

DARIAN JACOBS II TEAM LEAD

EJOVWOKOGHENE

"WE SEE RETRO BOOMING AS THE ADDITION OF PROSPERITY AND EFFICIENCY TO AN EXISTING HOME, WHILE PRESERVING ITS HISTORICAL LEGACY

1890: Mary Church Terrell (MCT) returns to DC to teach language at M Street High School

1895: First Black Woman appointed to the DC School Board (1985-1901, 1906-1911)

1913

1953: The court ruled segregated eating places to be unconstitutional in DC

saved by the firewal

During summer of 2021, I interned with Stantec in Arlington, VA. While contributing to projects within the firm, the interns from other Stantec offices in North America broke into small groups to collaborate on a design challenge to build a Nature Center in Texas.

My personal contributions included being one of two architects to finalize the form, create the program layout, and circulation of the building. I also contributed to interior renders, created the theatre room seating, and rendered the 3D axonometric sections.

Wild Ladybirds

“Linked” Apartments:

A Re-imagined Mixed Use Apartment Design

Washington, DC

2023 Thesis Project

Professor Dunson and Edwards Software Used:

Main Research Takeaway:

The most common theme amongst the current mixed-use apartments in DC is horizontal programming. There’s little to no vertical connection within the building, and the circulation is catered to our task-oriented routine.

Incorporating Small Businesses

Why?: The ambitions, hobbies, and skills of a person, and how they use those skills to interact with the world, are the foundational aspects of a community. Creative skills can create bonds through common interests, the desire to learn, the consumer, and the inspired.

Main Ideas Personalization Immersion Interaction

Aerial Front Vew Aerial Side Vew

Front Entrance View Streetscape View

Small Business (Appointment) Art and Retail Store

No-Go: The Go-Go Music Museum

Washington, DC

Fall 2020 Project, Modified 2023

Professor Paddack

Software Used:

A museum that both emphasizes Go-Go music impact, influence, and resiliency, while sustaining the cycle to create more Go-Go music.

To keep Go-go music alive and thriving, the museum does more than just inform the viewer, it maintains a cycle of creation, ensuring opportunity to expound on your interest.

Ground Sidewalk View of Museum

Crosswalk View of Museum

Aerial View of Museum

2nd Floor View of Permanent Exhibit

Structure and Floor Plans

Extensive Arched Green Roof

• Visually emphasizes the outdoor performance area

• Provides a slight noise barrier for the residential houses to the east

• Adds greenery to a plant-scarce area

• Aids in comfortability and reflects the warm energy of go-go music

Community Engagement

CONTINUING THE ART OF GO-GO:

listeners citywide

• INFORMS the city about live performances

2: PRACTICE ROOM

• Provides the space to REFINE your skill

3: AUDITORIUM

• INFORMS the users of the impact of Go-Go music

• INFORMS the listeners of current Go-Go artists

5: PERMANENT EXHIBIT

• INFORMS the user of th history and influence

• Allows users to produce and PERFORM

Sample Work: A Flood Resilient Apartment

40-Unit Apartment for displaced people, maintaining ungrounded awareness through:

rennovated, and the demographics have changed. We decided that an appropriate project prompt would be to create a place for of gathering for black expression and culture. For the context of the project, the building that currently resides on the corner has been removed. Through my personal research, I came up with these main ideas and words that encouraged and influenced my design.

CHANGE DC;

The Roots, is a Pavilion deidcated to social gathering and cultural expression.

location of the Frank D. Reeves Muncipal Center. After historical investigation, we concluded that 14th & U Street was previously Black Broadway, a site of black culture and business. Throughout time, it slowly became generified and rennovated, and the demographics have changed. We decided that an appropriate project prompt would be to create a place for of gathering for black expression and culture. For the context of the project, the building that currently resides on the corner has been removed. Through my personal research, I came up with these main ideas and words that encouraged and influenced my design.

we concluded that 14th & U Street was previously Black Broadway, a site of black culture and business. Throughout time, it slowly became generified and rennovated, and the demographics have changed. We decided that an appropriate project prompt would be to create a place for of gathering for black expression and culture. For the context of the project, the building that currently resides on the corner has been removed.

The Roots caters to many aspects and areas of African American cultural performance, from intimate exhibitions, to projecting speeches.

The Roots encourages congregation and leisure, creating a earthy setting for genuiene and intelligent discourse.

Permeability Elevation and Oversee Community Communication

Throughout time, it slowly became generified and rennovated, and the demographics have changed. We decided that an appropriate project prompt would be to create a place for of gathering for black expression and culture. For the context of the project, the building that currently resides on the corner has been removed. Through my personal research, I came up with these main ideas and words that encouraged and influenced my design. The Roots, is a Pavilion deidcated to social gathering and cultural expression.

The Roots, is a Pavilion deidcated to social gathering and cultural expression.

This design is meant for multi-purpose/setting performances and activites. The exterior conveys a set of “rising platforms,” giving opportunity for that to hold

Sample Work: 14th Street Pavillion

A pavilion for black performance and expression, reflecting the surrounding history through form and use:

Emotion

Emotion

Growth

Progression

Development Growth

Rhythm and Tempo

Progression CHANGE

CHANGE

Development

Emotion

Rhythm and Tempo

Growth

Concave

Progression

MOVEMENT

Through my personal research, I came up with these main ideas and words that encouraged and influenced my design. The Roots, is a Pavilion deidcated to social gathering and cultural expression.

The Roots caters to many aspects and areas of African American cultural performance, from intimate exhibitions, to projecting speeches.

The Roots caters to many aspects and areas of African American cultural performance, from intimate exhibitions, to projecting speeches.

The Roots caters to many aspects and areas of African American cultural performance, from intimate exhibitions, to projecting speeches.

The Roots encourages congregation and leisure, creating a earthy setting for genuiene and intelligent discourse.

The Roots encourages congregation and leisure, creating a earthy setting for genuiene and intelligent discourse.

The Roots encourages congregation and leisure, creating a earthy setting for genuiene and intelligent discourse.

This design is meant for multi-purpose/setting performances and activites. The exterior conveys a set of “rising platforms,” giving opportunity for that to hold the performers or the audience. For example, a choir could sing out to the people, a class could take a group picture, or the audience can gather and listen to a lone speaker. On the interior, more intimate and emotional activites can occur. From open mics, to sip and paint, it’s a setting that isn’t as heavily influenced by the outside noises.

2-Use Structure

MOVEMENT

Concave vs. Convex 2-Use Structure

This design is meant for multi-purpose/setting performances and activites. The exterior conveys a set of “rising platforms,” giving opportunity for that to hold the performers or the audience. For example, a choir could sing out to the people, a class could take a group picture, or the audience can gather and listen to a lone speaker. On the interior, more intimate and emotional activites can occur. From open mics, to sip and paint, it’s a setting that isn’t as heavily influenced by the outside noises.

This design is meant for multi-purpose/setting performances and activites. The exterior conveys a set of “rising platforms,” giving opportunity for that to hold the performers or the audience. For example, a choir could sing out to the people, a class could take a group picture, or the audience can gather and listen to a lone speaker. On the interior, more intimate and emotional activites can occur. From open mics, to sip and paint, it’s a setting that isn’t as heavily influenced by the outside noises.

The sustainability aspects of this design include recycled thermoplastic that coats the steel structure, leaving it semi-permeable to avoid flooding. This is especially important for the structures that engage with the ground, as it acts as seating for the audience. The structure also contains a thin inner shell that collects the water at the bottom (shown in section). There’s also a community garden that accessible from a pulley system inside.

The sustainability aspects of this design include recycled thermoplastic that coats the steel structure, leaving it semi-permeable to avoid flooding. This is especially important for the structures that engage with the ground, as it acts as seating for the audience. The structure also contains a thin inner shell that collects the water at the bottom (shown in section). There’s also a community garden that accessible from a pulley system inside.

The sustainability aspects of this design include recycled thermoplastic that coats the steel structure, leaving it semi-permeable to avoid flooding. This is especially important for the structures that engage with the ground, as it acts as seating for the audience. The structure also contains a thin inner shell that collects the water at the bottom (shown in section). There’s also a community garden that accessible from a pulley system inside.

Final Rhino 5 Iteration

View from the Front Entrance View of the open platforms

Modeled Pavilion Medium: Cardboard

Pavilion in Use: Performers on Ground

Pavilion in Use: Performers on Risers

Poster: Independent Studies Research

(2023) Under Professor Maloo, I researched the multiple strategies that countries internationally have practiced to achieve net-zero, and I categorized them by approach.

The Global Sustainable Strategies to Achieving Net Zero Carbon in Buildings

Spring 2023 Professor Maloo

Background

• Construction and the overall building industry are responsible for 40% of the carbon dioxide emissions released globally

• There is embodied carbon, which is an accumulation of the carbon dioxide emissions during construction

• There is also operational carbon, which is the energy the building releases when in use, through appliances and human practices

• With the population increasing, and with the need to house people and occupy land being of importance, it is crucial to consider the energy usage of the buildings we design and inhabit. Working toward minimzing that energy usage, and supplying energy to offset the usage, is the embodiment of achieving net zero.

• Net-zero involves the offset of the amount of energy required to build and operate. From all aspects of the site, form, source, cost, and emissions.

• Multiple countries outside of the United States have made siginificant progress towards enforcing net zero, and achieivng net zero.

Method Results

This research involved categorizing global architectural strategies based on its approach to achieving net-zero energy usage. Initially finding countries that have made significant progress in the net-zero industry, I found precedents that were a variety of size and program. I then categorized them based on their energy minimizing strategy, illustrating the variety of ways within one approach that can be implemented to achieve net-zero.

Using Renewable Energy Sources

Bianca Ro Briscoe Howard University

Multiple buildings have implemented solar generation on site. This involves solar photovoltaic panels designed, usually for the roof, to capture sunlight and store for energy usage in the building. This is essential for minimizing the use of nonrenewable energy sources.

Copenhagen International School, Denmark Incorporates a Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) installation totalling 6000 meters squared, or 720 kWp PV.

https://www.activehouse.info/cases/copenhagen-international-school/

Powerhouse Telemark, Porsgrynn, Norway

The solar panels installed can generate243,000 kilowatts-hours annually.

https://www.archdaily.com/950507/powerhouse-telemark-snohetta

Minimizing the Demand for Energy on Site

There are multiple ways to minimizing the need for energy on site. The energy on site is largely needed for comfort, so most strategies create ideal indoor air qualities so excess energy isnt needed to satisfy the inhabitants.

1. Natural Ventilation

Allowing large windows or manual ways of cooling the indoor enviroment will minimize the need to use energy.

Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovartion,

https://archello.com/project/joyce-centre-for-partnership-innovation

GSK Centre for Sustainable Chemistry at Nottingham University

Its main labratory has been equited and fitted with natural ventilation.

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/chemistry/research/centre-for-sustainable-chemistry/the-carbon-neutral-laboratory.aspx

2. Building Form Considerations

This approach orients the building to take advantage of natural lighting, and designs the form to consider natural shading.

School of Design & Environment @ National University of Singapore

Has a large overhang roof to create shading and has double facades on the east and west sides of the building to provide a cooler interior.

https://living-future.org/case-studies/school-of-design-and-environment-4/#:~:text=SUSTAINABLE%20DESIGN%20FEATURES&text=Enclosed%20spaces%20feature%20an%20innovative,air%20speed%20by%20ceiling%20fans

Zero Carbon Building, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong

Has a passive design whose built form, layout, and orientation were climate responsive and encourages natural ventilation

https://www.archdaily.com/282880/zcb-zero-carbon-building-ronald-lu-and-partners

3. Building Envelope

This approach involves assembling the wall section to create a tighter indoor environment, which can reduce the need to use energy to heat/cool.

Vodafone Site Solution Innovatine Centre, South Africa

Uses performance glass, motorised blinds, and overhangs on the glass facades to maximize comfort.

https://www.archidatum.com/projects/vodafone-site-solution-innovation-centre-ssic-glh-architects/

4. Efficient Appliance and Efficient Monitoring

Specific lighting sensors can reduce energy usage. On site electric or geothermal heat pumps also reduce usage.

Considering the Entire Lifecycle

1. Construction Considerations

Making sustainable structural decisions will reduce energy consumption of the building in its early stages.

2. Recycling and Reclaiming

Extending the lifespan of existing materials often times reduces the energy consumption of the overall construction of the building.

Conclusion

There is an essential need to re-incorporate nature and natural resources into the building, and truly assimilate the building back into its environment. This is important throughout all its stages of development, as the energy usage doesn’t stop, and constantly accumulates. Multiple global countries have implmented successful strategies in producing more energy it uses, minimizing its buildings overall energy usage, and even giving energy back into the environment.

A Pie Diagram illustrating the Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions, based on industry sectors https://carbonleadershipforum.org/the-carbon-challenge/