Clara Gentner | Portfolio 2024

Clara Gentner

Hi!

My name is Clara Gentner. I am an architectural designer with 7 years of professional experience based in the Philadelphia area. I am passionate about architecture and it’s dynamic impact on our lives. Because of it’s strong influence, I believe in bringing as much knowledge, skill and engagement as possible to every project team I am on. My goal is to always have an impact on not just the work but the people around me.

When I am not at work, you can frequently find me hanging out with my husband and 2 dogs, Dakota the Husky and Red the mutt. Together, yes together, we are renovating our old Fishtown rowhome, enjoying our neighborhood and chasing squirrels. I also enjoy creating art, getting way too stuck in a book, strength training and trying new food.

Strengths

o Communications

o Project Organization

o Adaptable to programs and methods

o Quick to learn

o Personable and great in dynamic team settings

Passions

o Love art and creating most anything

o Plants and gardening

o AutoCAD

o Enscape

o Sketchup

o Adobe Suite

o Creating design concepts for renovating our Fishtown rowhome

o Getting people engaged and excited about what they are doing

o Trying new things, particularly food

o Traveling, especially to see architecture

Goals

o To finish my exams and become a licensed architect in 2024

o To continue my education in either business or sustainability

o Bring my skill set to a diversity of projects and expand how I contribute to communities

o Add positively to a firm’s culture with fresh ideas and a positive attitude

Experience

Architectural Designer II

JDavis Architects | June 2017 – April 2024

o Assisted and lead 20+ projects in the firm in a broad capacity from proposals through to construction administration services.

o Presented design concepts and projects to clients throughout the eastern seaboard

o Coordinated consultants through the full design process on a variety of project scales from clubhouses to 330+ unit buildings

o Advanced firm culture and growth by being a representative on an Employee Ownership Committee for a company of 80-100 employees

o Developed firm-wide BIM modeling and documentation standards as co-lead of a Production Standards Team

Internship Experiences | Summers 2013-2016

o 119 Degrees Architects- Experience in medical renovations for various healthcare facilities around the Philadelphia area

o BCK | IBI Group- Work that included capital improvement projects for military, correctional and school systems, historical building adaptations and higher education buildings in the state of New York

Education Philadelphia University (Presently Jefferson University) May 2017

o Bachelor of Architecture – 5 year accredited degree

o Minor in Historic Preservation

400 West Elm

Location: Conshohocken, PA

Project type: Multi-Family Residential, detached 2 level parking garage

Number of Units: 348

Construction: 13 levels of Girder Slab, IA Construction

Project Role(s): Project Architect, Designer

Status: Completion April 2024

Project Team: Architecture and Interior Design - JDavis

Structural: O’Donnell & Naccarato

MEP Engineering: Advanced Engineering Inc.

Landscape Architecture: Stuart + Associates

Storytelling

Creating a story is not just for the building. It’s for the community the building will serve. 400 West Elm embodied the idea of telling a story for the community it was going to live in. The concept and building statistics of the design could prove to be too overwhelming if the focus was on aesthetics alone. So a deep dive into the roots of Conshohocken, it’s long history merged with it’s contested experience with urban renewal and now a resurgence in commuter culture, wove a complicated architectural tapestry. The project was also contending with a large housing boom so 400 West Elm sought to be an icon above all else. Situated by the regional rail tracks and station as well as the Schuylkill river nearby, the site faced many constraints from a layout standpoint but was poised to be a new epicenter for residential activity in the area.

Trailhead Park River Trail Park

Trailhead East

CONSHOHOCKEN

MANAYUNK / ROXBOROUGH

SCHUYLKILL EXPRESSWAY

PHILADELPHIA

SEPTA REGIONAL RAIL

SCHUYLKILL RIVER TRAIL

In order to successfully weave the project into the fabric of the neighborhood, it felt appropriate to have the design show the building spanning across time. Time being, the many phases of architectural periods that had come through the area. The facade is instrumental in showcasing this progression. On one wing of the building, 400 West Elm conveys the elements from Conshohocken’s industrial era, being a large producer of steel and iron. The facade is imbued with traditional factory architecture, displaying traditional red brick, black metal accents and darker materials. The other wing is a nod to the modern evolution of Conshohocken. A lighter facade is a nod to the tall, bright buildings nearby and the contemporary patterns of the panel on the facade bring a more modern aesthetic to the wing that faces towards the downtown area. Both wings are zipped together by a consistent band of gray panel, a thread, that brings the two together, displaying the full progression of Conshohocken’s design history.

Project Challenges: Facade

Project budget limited amount of brick to be used and limited our material options from metal panel to a fiber cement product

Design questions: How to maintain the aesthetic of the industrial wing, while significantly reducing the amount of masonry? How to keep the polished, clean design of the modern wing of the building?

Analyzing Nichiha panel as a solution that both served our design needs but also met the technical requirements for wind load and fire resistance through the NFPA 285 assembly required for IA construction.

Exploring how to thoughtfully develop intentional breaks with cornices, coordinate material colors and establish panel patterning to create clean consistency and add relief to an otherwise flat facade

Utilizing Nichiha’s VintageBrick as a material to reduce the amount of brick on the facades.

Added Challenge

Finding a brick to match the Nichiha VintageBrick.

I worked with GlenGery to find brick options that matched both the texture and tones of the fiber cement product. Throughly evaluating the variation between both materials and then further coordinating mortar colors and how to reduce how noticeable the transition between the true masonry and the panel is. Using repetitive design concepts and mitigating the change in material at the 3rd level with a thicker, neutral colored cornice, draws the eye away from the subtle differences.

Nichiha VintageBrick Alexandria Buff

Glen Gery Bradford

Life safety plan for courtyard demonstrating a required exit into the building

Exhibit for the borough to demonstrate the effective use of a window mullion as a guardrail in order to allow a larger opening of the operable portion for fresh air intake

Girder Slab

Construction of 400 West Elm helped me see the application of a construction type I had never used before. Coordination of plank edges, seeing IA construction applied throughout a building, and solving problems unique to girder slab construction presented a whole new set of challenges not found in wood construction.

Completion April 2024

The Charles

Location: Raleigh, NC

Project type: Multi-Family Residential, wrapped 7 level garage

Number of Units: 330

Construction: wood IIIA construction over IA podium

Project Role(s): Project Architect, Designer, Project Manager

Status: Permit/Pricing

Project Team:

Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture - JDavis

Structural: Fluhrer Reed

MEP Engineering: Lighthouse Engineering

CRABTREE NORTH

SCHEDULE DRAFT

02.23.202023

& LA Touch Base

Arch., ID & LA Touch Base

ID & LA Touch Base

Structural Follow-up

- MEP Kick-off: Coordination of Model and Scope

- Creation of Critical Decision Path

- ASR Close-out, coordination with Civil

- Set Storyboard kick-off

- Preliminary Structural Review

- Revisit material selections for elevations

- Refine window design, evaluate sizes and fenestration

- Fire wall & Door locations

- Engage low voltage consultant

- Structural model coordination - 1st pass at structural grid

- Unit Development and documentation (include RCPs)

- Compilation of CS series (code summaries, UL types and partition schedules

- Overall plan documentation

- Finalize circulation (stair configuration, elevators, etc.), document

Structural, ID & Arch Coordination

Structural & MEP Coordination

Amenity Kick-off

- Identify typical wall sections and document

- Engage the following consultants: Accessibility Code Spec Writer

- Development of typical details

Final Model/ Drawing Share before deadline

- Clash review/ conflict review of structural and MEP systems

- Development of preliminary door, window, storefront schedules

-Engage hardware consultant upon completion of schedules

-JDavis internal QAQC

- Pick up check-set comments

- Review annotations, tagging and graphics

-Coordination identification to prioritize into CD’s

- Engage the following Consultants:

Every project broadens both experience and perspective. The Charles brought on the task of how I would define leadership for myself and gave many lessons to learn. Having already built a history of how I could contribute meaningfully to a team, I was now presented with the opportunity to show I could lead a team. The Charles is an intricate building project with many dynamic conditions requiring unique solutions. This combined with a tight schedule and a client we were eager to please, we needed to remain organized and efficient. Returning to a wood construction building after years of developing my knowledge in girder slab was a reminder to always keep my skills fine-tuned and ready to tackle any project type.

The Charles mixed routine multi-family architecture with a complicated site which elicited interesting moments across the project. Grappling with land that spanned a 62 foot grade change and hosted a large storm water pond, the challenge was immediately about finding a plan that gracefully handled the transition while creating an optimal layout for as little foundation complication as possible. This introduced a series of steps across the site and multiple shifts to areas like the garage to align as much as possible to the grade. Additionally, the site being zoned for up to 12 stories allowed the building to utilize up to 8 total levels while still using traditional IIIA over IA construction. A great deal of coordination with the structural team carefully placed podiums to create soaring double height amenity areas as well as push the architecture up the grade. These podiums introduced a large amount of technical research for how to section off the building into proper fire areas, implement expansion joints at key intersections and even effectively reduce the amount of podium by implementing a basement condition.

Double height spaces that have to step with grade at the main entrance of the building

THROUGH RETAIL

SECTION THRU ENTRY & AMENITY

The complexities of this project required lots of communication and collaboration to bring the building together. In-house, the architecture, interior design and landscape architecture teams worked together to create spaces that were large and open despite the grade change burying some of the building. Illustrated above, the sections show where double height spaces were utilized to maximize interior amenity areas and also handle the steep grade change from the building’s entrance, down to the amenity courtyard. Construction types were separated out in as efficient locations as possible to both comply with code but also reduce material costs. Taking

LEVEL 6

LEVEL 5

LEVEL 4

Communicating Technical Design

A lot of design isn’t the beautiful renderings and sketches but bending the software you use to communicate complex situations and explain them better to team members and clients. This is a simple diagram pulled directly from Revit where the view is filtered to show slab on grade vs. wood truss floor vs. podium levels to help explain where reductions to podiums could be made to reduce cost.

LEVEL 6

LEVEL 5

LEVEL 4

= EXPANSION JOINT

Communicating Design Intent

Cohesive branding was a high priority for the client. So architecture and interior design sought to collaborate in a way that made the interior and exterior of the building communicate with each other to achieve an elevated sense of style. This meant working together to mirror the clean lines and modern design that showed on the facade and while maintaining a richness of materials that interiors was pulling throughout the spaces. Communication was key to achieving fully coordinated design intent and then translating that to consultants to make sure that vision could be achieved.

Location: Cary, NC

Project type: Multi-Family Residential, wrapped 7 level garage

Number of Units: 358 including townhouse units

Construction: wood IIIA construction over IA podium

Project Role(s): Project Architect, Designer

Status: Investor Package/ SD

Project Team: Architecture, Interior Design - JDavis

Architectural Designer

Designer

Alston Yards

With every project, collaboration is leaned on heavily for the success of the design. Alston Yards is no exception but came with some challenges that a lot of other projects face. Frequently, excitement at the opportunity of a new design also leads to difficulty sifting through multiple design opinions. Combined with a eager client who wants to be as involved as possible, the balancing act begins to try and harness the power of everyone’s creativity and work towards one cohesive concept. Alston Yards went through many waves of refinement as the project team distilled a lot of input into a concise design that complied with intensive appearance guidelines.

During a particular time in the schematic design phase, separate teams had to work through the interior layout of units and the facade. What remained critical was consistent coordination between everyone involved and constant sharing of the design to ensure that everything aligned. One area the team began highlighting around the building was making corner units and their balconies a more grand gesture. Close back and forth allowed the plans and facade to develop at the same time and allowed each area to inform the other.

UNIT B6 -FLOOR PLAN

Articulation

Many times in every day architecture, there is a strong desire to mask and hide elements of structure. These are often portrayed as unsightly and undesired in multi-family buildings especially. However, for Alston Yards, there was this potential to capture some additional industrial language in the facade by paring back some of the usual techniques to disguise necessary structure at balconies. Instead, I saw that bringing these elements forward offered a stronger design concept and made the balconies more sculptural and a design staple of the building. Honing the design at the corner in the image to the left, gave me a rule of thumb to follow for integrating the design around the building.

Meridian Lakeview

Location: Raleigh, NC

Project type: Multi-Family Residential, low density, 5 buildings with surface parking and clubhouse

Number of Units: 330

Construction: wood VA

Project Role(s): Designer, BIM manager

Project Team: Architecture - JDavis

Multiple building projects to have an orthogonal model for construction that can be linked to a site model.

Buildings 3 & 4 mirror so setting up one building completely and then copying is the most efficient approach.

Frequently communicate tasks and utilize workshare monitoring on projects with high team participation.

Plan first and relay expectations so conflicts are reduced and passive model fighting is avoided.

Utilize as few exterior walls as possible to minimize amount of shifting needed when changes occur

(LOCAL ST.)

Group units to make updates easier across project Set reference lines for consist placement of exterior walls and maintain setbacks

BLDG 3

71 UNITS

Pin core items like elevator shafts and stairways to avoid accidental movement

A successful design only goes so far and the rest is left to the quality of the drawings used to execute it. My experience comes from production being just as collaborative as the design process. The drawings can easily betray us if they show any inconsistency or confusion. In my role in the production standards team, I wanted to encompass not only the digital attributes of standards but also the workflow aspect. Understanding the thought process when it comes to digital modeling and coordination is critical in creating the cohesion that we look for in the final product. I want to understand the needs and frustrations of each team member and consultant so that we can identify conflicts and find solutions faster. Working with interior designers to get the stair design they desire but model it so that the structural team can make that vision happen is one example. It sounds simple but so frequently, people start to isolate during production and in fact, that couldn’t be further from what a lot of projects need.

Building Standards

Allentown City Center

Location: Allentown, PA

Project type: 2 multi-family residential buildings, 2 office towers

Construction: IIIA construction over IA

Project Role(s): Designer, BIM manager

Project Team: Architecture - JDavis

Square Lofts West | Contributed to facade development and working in Sketchup to show design concepts

I was able to assist on designs for 3 of the 4 buildings that sought to add vibrancy to the city center of Allentown, PA. I served the role as architectural designer for the projects and was brought in to help build out both design concept presentations and documentation during critical deadlines. These buildings were very important to the design team as their purpose primarily was to help with Allentown’s place-making and downtown culture. They would be prominently featured and have lasting impact. Therefore, it was important for me to figure out how I could best serve the projects and work with the team.

Supplying critical modeling skills and software use as well as being able to contribute design opinions was important for me to provide and helped me understand how to both bring value to a team but also showed me, through how the projects were managed, how to bolster the strengths of other team members and help their value shine through as well. Working together made the designs all the more resilient and delivered high caliber buildings to the client.

Center

Center Square Lofts East | Contributed to documentation of facade and multiple areas of code documentation

Center Square Lofts East

This project presented many code challenges in regard to site positioning and height. While ultimately the final design removed the loft units at the top of the building, the original submission of the documents included thorough exhibits that I created to demonstrate the adherence to height restrictions and egress requirements for the loft units. I also contributed to the project by helping create and annotate the elevations of what was a materialistically intricate facade. Alternating panel colors and brick detailing needed to be carefully documented to meet design intent.

1 Center Square Redesign effort including facade adjustments, plaza design, exterior lighting scheme and material explorations

BIKE RACKS

BENCH INFORMATIONAL KIOSK

CUBE SEATS

TERRACE

OPENING UNTIL

ABOVE ADJACENT ROOF

75% ALONG PORTION OF FACADE THAT FALLS WITHIN 15’ TO LESS THAN 20’ OF ADJACENT BUILDING ONLY 75% OPENING IS ALLOWED ON THIS PORTION OF FACADE

MONARCH SIZE FOR PLANTER WALLS

alternate: Glen Gery - Carbon Black - Titan

UTILITY SIZE FOR BUILDING

alternate: Glen Gery - Carbon Black - Utility

MATERIAL ELEVATION - EAST

A blend of code requirements and sense of identity drove the design. This proposed design was to be the last piece put in place to round out the redeveloped Allentown core. Creating proper infill and rounding out the brand identity became the focus of the package.

BELDEN - BLACK DIAMOND VELOUR

BELDEN - BLACK DIAMOND VELOUR

COLOR BODY PORCELAINCHARCOAL

COLUMN BASE

BRUSHED ALUMINUM

COLUMN WRAP

EXISTING FACADE

Location: Prince Georges County, MD

Project type: Multi-Family Residential building, low density, surface

parking and small garages

Number of Units: 164

Construction: wood VA

Project Role(s): Designer, BIM manager

Project Team: Architecture - JDavis

Woodmore Grand

GARAGEA GARAGEB

GARAGEC

Woodmore Grand was the first project I was fully entrusted to do 100% of the modeling, rendering production and documentation. This project gave me many lessons learned especially when it came to integrating everything I had learned thus far into one project outcome. For the first time, I was the one in charge of making sure that every task was accounted for and that I had considered all the design criteria that needed to be reached for both the project and our standards. I learned tough lessons about how to communicate my work status properly, when to ask for help and how to own up to and discuss missteps. But I also learned that not knowing things was more than okay and that simply asking is so much better than pretending you have a handle on something that is out of control.

Thank You