Deandra Smith Academic Work

DEANDRA SMITH

Academic Work 2019-2023

ABOUT ME

CONTENTS

EDUCATION RICE UNIVERSITY

WORK EXPERIENCE 2021-2023

Master of Architecture

CONST. ENGINEER INTERN •

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2017-2021 Bachelor of Design Architecture

June 2023-August 2023

Visited project sites and ensured that the buildings comply with the D.C. Fair Housing Act and UFAS codes

•

Attended requisition meetings and inspected the ongoing

DFW ELECTRIC GATEWAY

04-13

PROJECT PARKLAND

14-21

CONTAINED PAVILIONS

22-29

COLESTIUM PARK

30-37

SCRUB STATE RESERVE FIRE BURNING FACILITY

38-41

construction of the agency’s projects •

SKILLS

Visited projects within DCHFA’s portfolio and ensured that the properties were in good condition

Adobe Acrobat

Enscape

Adobe Indesign

Grasshopper

Adobe Illustrator

Fabrication

MODEL FABRICATOR

Adobe Photoshop

Lumion

ArcGIS Pro

Microsoft Office

•

•

Washington D.C. accessibility requirements for multifamily projects certificate received May 2023

Facilitated communication between two architecture firms to execute a shared design vision

Autodesk AutoCAD Rhinoceros 3d

•

Communicated with various vendors

Autodesk Revit

Sketchup

•

Prepped 3D and Adobe files for fabrication

Autodesk Recap

V-Ray For Rhino

•

Built a physical model of a memorial for an architecture competition

DIALUX Evo

Woodworking

AWARDS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS DCHFA Award for Continuing Education Scholarship Morris R. Pitman Award

ARCHITECTURE INTERN

March 2022-August 2022

•

Responsible for schematic design proposals

•

Created drawings representing existing conditions of various sites and buildings

•

Assisted in the creation of CD sets for FEMA and the Houston Housing Authority

•

Assembled an RFQ

Rice University Full Tuition Scholarship

GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Published Senior Design Thesis (UF)

•

Fall 2021-Spring 2023

Collaborated with Carlos Jiménez & Maggie Tsang

4

DFW Airport

5 DFW Airport

DFW ELECTRIC GATEWAY DALLAS FORT WORTH AIRPORT Fall 2023 | Professor Troy Shaum In collaboration with Wenjie Ma

An “electric gateway’ was envisioned from the conception of the project. The challenge was beginning to imagine what makes a gateway electric and what is a gateway in the broad scope of the vast Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. One thing that was also clear from the project’s conception is that an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) terminal should be high-tech and look somewhat futuristic. Thus, a floating gateway project was conceived.

Regarding the idea of a “gateway,” the Electric Gateway eVTOL terminal is located right on the airport’s north-south axis. This project greets passengers and embeds itself into the DFW’s layered urban fabric. Additionally, it engages with all forms of transportation happening at DFW, from airplanes, the Skylink, cars, trains, and pedestrians. As for the “electric” part of the design, the building implements various methods of green energy production like ground source heat pumps, photovoltaic cells to generate electricity, and batteries to store the produced electricity and charge eVTOLs and other electric vehicles throughout the DFW Airport.

Furthermore, this project also explored the idea of modular architecture and the possibility of deploying this gateway throughout both the site and cities beyond the airport should eVTOL usage increase. Additionally, these gateways that are deployed elsewhere will also generate electricity and help cities make the switch to a greener carbon footprint. Thus, our team settled on a hexagonal module as it can be easily combined, offers multi-directional views, has interior walls that may be reconfigured for change of building function, and provides the space for an eVTOL to land and take off from the top of it.

6

DFW Airport

a.

DFW Site plan

7

DFW Airport

b.

c.

MODULE

MODULE AGGREGATION

b. eVTOL perspective c.

Hexagonal module parti

d.

d.

Program diagram

Vertical circulation Departures

Gates Arrivals

eVTOL platforms Airport support

Batteries Mechanical

Skylink

8

DFW, Airport

9

e.

Wall detail

PASSENGER GATES

DFW Airport

f.

Selected plans

24

eVTOL landing platform

C spray fire proofing Suspended wood slat Aluminum light shelf SKYLINK PLATFORM

Suspended ceiling hanger

Concrete encased steel column

Aluminum service grating Slot diffuser Aluminum louver with integrated photo voltaic cells

ARRIVALS FLOOR

Stand off support

Fritted IGU

2” terrazzo floor slab Rockwool acoustic insulation

AIRPORT SUPPORT FLOOR 6” composite steel and concrete decking spandrel insulation

Fire safing Exterior soffit insulation ALUCOBOND exterior panel

N

10 DFW Airport

g.

Section AA

11

DFW Airport

12

DFW Airport

h.

i.

13

DFW Airport

j.

h.

Physical model image

k.

STRUCTURAL FRAMING PLAN

i.

MEP plans j Circulation and energy diagram k.

Perspective of eVTOL landing platform l.

Perspective of a departure gate and electricity battery LIGHTING PLAN l.

HVAC ZONES PLAN

14

Sharpstown, Houston, Texas

PROJECT PARKLAND HOUSTON, TEXAS Spring 2022 | Professor Jesús Vassallo In collaboration with Andrew Jiao

Project Parkland is a redevelopment project of an existing apartment complex, Ashford Crescent Oaks, located in the Sharpstown neighborhood in Houston, Texas. Ashford Crescent Oaks was built in 1971. Currently, the apartment complex is derelict. It requires extensive renovations or redevelopment to improve its residents’ quality of life, and there’s a need to increase the amount of housing offered within Sharpstown.

Project Parkland also aims to respond to Sharpstown’s needs.

Primarily the need for green spaces, affordable housing, and light-scale industrial spaces to rent. The main driver behind this project is to combat gentrification and provide the current low-income residents with the tools needed for success to remain in their homes as the rates of housing in Houston continue to climb. The light-scale apartment support structures may also serve as community buildings like daycares and meeting spaces. The thought is that providing residents with affordable housing and financial tools can help enrich their lives and improve their financial stability.

Thus, helping residents begin to build generational wealth.

Furthermore, implementing a public park and market-rate housing may entice new residents to move into the neighborhood.

Thus, adding another income layer to the urban fabric and offsetting the costs of the complete redevelopment of the existing site. Finally, the large public park serves the entire community.

The site is located in a industrial urban grid with a need for green space, so a generous portion of the site has been dedicated to being accessible to the public.

15

Sharpstown, Houston, Texas

9 I- 6

1

Sharpstown, Houston, Texas

a.

Sharpstown park disparity map

B

17 Sharpstown, Houston, Texas

Bellaire Blvd

et

nn

o iss

Hillcroft Ave

St

t tS

ne

n sso

Bi

b.

Existing massing vs. proposed massing

Park and Tree Canopy Map 1 Burnett Bayland Park High Density Tree Canopy Action Plan 45 Moderate Density Tree Canopy Low Density Tree Canopy

PARKSCORE MAP ParkScore Map Trust for for Public Public Land Land Trust Bayland 1 Burnett Burnett Bayland Park Park Area Area Served Served by

by Parks Parks High High Need Need for for Parks Parks Very Very High High Need Needfor for Parks Parks

9 I-6

ng ve o e, and

Chimney Rock Rd

rs

16

Hillcroft Ave

with ).

Bellaire Blvd

Gulfton St

1

Gulfton St

Bellaire Blvd Hillcroft Ave

ASHFORD CRESCENT OAKS APARTMENTS

s Bis

on

t ne

St

ParkScore Map Trust for Public Land Park 1 Burnett Bayland Map Source: Trust for Public Land ParkScore Area Served by Parks High Need for Parks Very High Need for Parks Action Plan 45

18

Sharpstown, Houston, Texas

19

c.

Site plan

Sharpstown, Houston, Texas

e.

N

f.

e.

New apartment massing with the site f.

Perspective of a town home bar park g.

Perspective of town home and apartment bars

g.

d.

Redevelopment phasing sequence 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

20

Sharpstown, Houston, Texas

21 Sharpstown, Houston, Texas

h.

Complex components diagram

j.

Apartment bar & floor plan N

3x2.5 1,120 sq. ft

2.5x2 1,008 sq. ft

2x2 840 sq. ft

1.5x1 700 sq. ft

k.

Town home bar & floor plan

Town home units

Apartment buildings

Complex support

Light industrial buildings

Public park

i.

Redevelopment demolition & construction sequence 1.

2.

3.

Apartment bar & town home bar location

4.

5.

6.

Ground floor 3x2.5 630 sq. ft

Second floor 3x2.5 588 sq. ft

Third floor 3x2.5 504 sq. ft

1x1 560 sq. ft

22

Houston, Texas

CONTAINED PAVILIONS HOUSTON, TEXAS Fall 2021 | Professor Brittany Utting

The initial concept behind Contained Pavilions is formed around pavilions that allow children to gather cooperatively. Initial investigations into traditional elementary schools led to the discovery that many of them are enclosed and predominately isolate various grade levels from one another. Thus, this project aims to allow the children to gather collectively and have a more hands-on approach to learning. This thinking allowed for the development of possible parameters for each pavilion and how one interacts with them. This portfolio depicts imagined organizations of the threshold, learning, and assembly conditions.

Threshold spaces are instances within the building where no rigid walls are present, and gathering is encouraged freely in any orientation that serves the building’s occupants. The entirety of the mezzanine level allows many threshold moments. Rigid walls define the learning spaces for more traditional classroom uses. However, the classroom walls contain sliding panels, enabling the units to open up to each other or their exterior environments. This opening up of the classroom allows students and their teachers to use their spaces more flexibly. Finally, assembly spaces encourage gathering by implementing objects like the social stairs and the library blocks.

The pavilion assemblages mentioned above are housed within two containers. The containers are the building’s shells that protect the building’s occupants from Houston’s humid and sometimes harsh climate. In conclusion, this project aims to create microenvironments for the children of this school to learn collaboratively with one another. Thus, there is much visibility between the two containers, so they do not feel isolated.

23

Houston, Texas

24

Houston, Texas

a.

Site plan

N

25

Houston, Texas

26

b.

Houston, Texas

27

c.

b.

School axonometric c.

Section model expressing project materiality d.

Site model showing mezzanine and roof coverage d.

Houston, Texas

28

Houston, Texas

e.

Possible parameters for assemblies of spaces and people

THRESHOLD CONDITIONS:

LEARNING CONDITIONS:

ASSEMBLY CONDITIONS:

29

Houston, Texas

30

New York City, New York

31 New York City, New York

COLESTIUM PARK NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK Fall 2020 | Professor Nancy Clark In collaboration with Sean Reagin and Wesley Vierck.

Colestium Park is a three-block project in the Midtown Manhattan district. Its addresses are 876, 856, and 836 6th Avenue. These sites are selected because they sit at the crucial intersection of Broadway and 6th avenue.

One may observe that various vital landmarks in New York City occur at intersections on Broadway. Colestium Tower has ambitions to revamp and serve as a gateway for the Midtown Manhattan district. Thus, making­ the location of the project appropriate.

Colestium Park intends to invigorate the district by providing revenue and increasing the foot traffic across all three blocks. More specifically, Colestium Park confronts the district’s rundown, overcrowding, and lack of significant green space.

spaces, a mid-zone that reflects the context, and finally, a sky zone that reflects the sky and the developing district.

The tower sits at the critical joint of Broadway and 6th avenue, and due to its height, helps people orient and navigate themselves through the bustling city. Since the tower stands at roughly 1000’ tall, the way it interacts with the city and the skyline had to be carefully considered. Thus, a concept of three zones was developed, an urban zone that allows clear sight-line into the double-height lobby

Finally, the residential block helps relieve the need for housing in the district and brings in revenue with its retail shops situated on the ground level. With these additions, we hope to reinvigorate the existing area and create a more lively district. Especially with its critically selected location, one will pass Colestium Park on their daily commutes and hopefully stop by for a while.

The subway seeks to help with the district’s congestion and provides commuters with the experience of traversing through the ground envelope. The main subway entrance allows commuters to ascend to and descend from a park featuring a canopy and a lifted corner.

The park’s lifted corner provides a skylight for the subway terminal. Furthermore, the park provides pedestrians and residents with a much-needed green space for leisure and rest. The park breaks up the monotonous grid of high rises and traffic by providing pedestrians with a dedicated and safe park.

32 New York City, New York

a.

33

New York City, New York

b.

c. a.

Broadway intersections and selected points of interest mapping b.

Longitudinal section of the three blocks c.

Programmatic isometric diagrams d.

Subway perspective

RETAIL HOTEL RESIDENTIAL d.

34

e.

New York City, New York

Section drawing zoomed in

35

New York City, New York

36

New York City, New York

37

f.

Site plan

New York City, New York

g.

Landmarks map

1

4

2

3

3

3

3 2

3

3 3

3

3

3

3

3

1. HOTEL LOBBY 2. RESIDENTIAL LOBBY 3. RETAIL 4.SUBWAY ENTRANCE

FLAT IRON

3

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

3

COLESTIUM PARK

3

PENN STATION

4

MOYNIHAN STATION

HUDSON YARDS

AY A DW B RO

6TH AVE

4

38

Cedar Key, Florida

39

SCRUB STATE FIRE BURNING FACILITY CEDAR KEY, FLORIDA Fall 2019 | Professor Lisa Huang

The Cedar Key Scrub State Fire Burning Facility intends to capture and protect the phenomenology and temporal qualities of the site. The facility is located within the vast 5,000-acre reservation. Twelve distinct natural communities form the reserve’s boundaries, including one of the rarest in the state, the Florida scrub. These natural communities are home to various wildlife, such as the Florida scrub jay, Florida mouse, gopher tortoise, and bald eagle. The preserve implements prescribed fire burning as a method of­ maintenance. Prescribed burning involves setting planned fires to maintain the health of a forest. The burns are scheduled for a time when the fire will not pose a threat to the public or the fire managers. Implementing controlled burning keeps this scrub state reserve under control.

The proposed facility will serve as the main complex for prescribed fire burnings scheduled throughout the reserve. The intention is to provide an on-site home base for the fire managers and park rangers. Furthermore, it will also be a place for visitors to come to the site and learn about the flora and fauna,

and methods of wildlife conservation. The visitor center, research labs, and observation tower provide three avenues for the public to engage with the facility. Such public programs intend to engage visitors who are curious about their natural surroundings and enable them to learn about the land and prescribed fire burning. Visitors are encouraged to visit yearly to see how the state reserve changes and understand its temporality and beauty.

The design features various screens that serve as canopies or vertical edge conditions. The screens’ configurations explore ways to allow light to enter a space through the previously mentioned edge and overhead conditions.

Additionally, the notion of a threshold uses datums to draw the occupant through the intimate spaces. Furthermore, the pathways are raised to allow smaller animals to cross under them and to provide a consistent walking surface for the visitors as the site’s topography changes over time. Finally, the observation tower serves as a fun design feature for all facility users to engage with and view the ever-changing landscape of the Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve.

Cedar Key, Florida

40

Cedar Key, Florida

41

a.

Cedar Key, Florida

d.

b.

c.

e.

d.

Section of the observation tower e.

Perspective of bird viewing deck f.

Perspective of model in context

a.

Section of visitor welcome center b.

Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve site plan c.

Vignette exploring vertical conditions

f.

Connect with me!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deandra-smith/