Architectural Portfolio
Architectural Portfolio
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Wall Assembly Case Study Row Center Bird Observatory 27 Cube Project Airport Boulevard East Austin Eco-Aftercare Ivry Sur Seine Social Housing Loabneh Residence Dougherty Arts Center Redesign Selected Hand Drawings
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Modeled in Rhino and rendered in Vray. Modeling the Mercator Sportplaza plantable skin was an exercise in understanding the construction assembly of a complex building skin. This building was chosen because of its challenging assembly; an exterior green wall complete with irrigation and planting mat, and an enclosed natatorium.
Duration: Four weeks | Partner: Rachelle Simon | Fall 2011 | Professor Ulrich Dangel
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1 40mm of Sedum Planting -EPS Insulation & Vapor Barrier -50mm Poured Concrete -200mm Concrete Floor with Circular Hollows 2 Air-conditioning Ventilation Ducts 3 Green Facade Planting Pockets -10mm Felt -10mm Plastic Panel -50mm Trapezoidal Sheet -Steel Column 4 Sealing Membrane -120mm Insulation Vapor Barrier -18mm Plywood Panel -120/60mm Wooden Frame with Steel Bar 5 End profile, Steel SHS 6 Glass Facade with Aluminum Frame 7 20mm Stone Tile set in Mortar
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Aimed at solving traffic caused by rowers meeting hike and bike trail users, the public facilities of the row center float above the trail, while boat storage feathers out from the berm towards the water. Because of the beauty of the lake side location, the building establishes a strong connection with the land and lake; at ground level, floor to ceiling windows invite occupants to walk out on to the grass beside the water, while the hovering second floor perches above the landscape, orienting itself and its generous glazing to the lake.
Spring 2011 | Professor John Blood
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Cross-section and elevation.
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Site plan of the rowing center, intersected by the hike and bike trail.
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Four masses emerge from the berm. The rowing tank sits at water level to feel part of the river, easing the visual monotony of training.
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Gathering space for regattas offers southern panoramic views of Lady Bird Lake. This nearly transparent room floats above the hike and bike trail, creating a place to see and be seen.
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Half-inch model of construction details. Model dimensions 6’x2’x3’. Chosen structural system is a two-way concrete slab in order to minimize the number of columns needed and to take advantage of the system’s flexibility in column placement.
3 1 2 1 roof drain, .25in sealing membrane, 8in/5in rigid insulation, 10in reinforced concrete slab, 19in secondary beams, 22in primary beams 2 36in x 39in exposed HVAC supply duct 3 HVAC direct exchange unit 4 2in poured concrete, 2in rigid insulation, 10in reinforced concrete slab, 19in secondary beams, 22in primary beams 5 double glazing in aluminum frame carved into concrete slabs 6 1.5in concrete paver, roof drain, sealing membrane, 6in/4in rigid insulation, 10in reinforced concrete slab 7 poured concrete retaining wall 8 20in x 20in poured concrete column 9 4in sealing rowing tank concrete, 7in poured concrete foundation slab, sealing membrane, 5in gravel 10 12in/6in gravel, sealing membrane, french drain system
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Half-inch section of construction details.
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The occupiable bird watching wall blocks the western sun, allowing west-facing glass walls to view the parallel-running water channel.
Inspired by harsh Texas summers, the bird observatory celebrates water collection, thermal massing, and cohesion with the landscape. At the human scale, carved volumes create unexpected and useful spaces. The long, thin building’s perpendicular orientation to the site slope puts deliberate emphasis on the birdwatcher’s descent from the heat of the empty field above to the cool edge of the forest below. This solemn pilgrimage into the bird-filled woods is accompanied by a water channel that runs along the long facade so that the sound of trickling water is celebrated on the anticipated occasion of rain.
Duration: Five weeks | Spring 2010 | Professor Judy Birdsong
Both occupiable wall and water channel terminate in the trees, where birds are most likely to be. The building is sunk into the ground to delay summer heat gain.
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Subtract volume.
Unfold 3D nets.
This project explored different modes of digital fabrication. What started as a traced plan and elevation of a shoe in AutoCAD became a 3D subtracted mass from a volume composed of 27 cubes. This digital 3D model was then exploded into nets that were lasercut out of museum board and assembled. To complement this piece, an abstract addition was digitally modeled, dimensioned, and created from basswood.
Fall 2010 | Professors Marla Smith + Igor Siddiqui
Create abstract addition.
Airport Boulevard is a busy road in Austin that caters exclusively to the car. The southern tip of Airport Boulevard intersects highway I-35; the inner U created by this intersection is the site. As a result, the master plan strongly focuses on reducing traffic noise and promoting pedestrian friendly paths. It achieves this by following four architectural rules: scale, porosity, peeling the landscape up and down, and ensuring access to sunlight. Each team member was then responsible for developing their own mixed use housing block on the site. My building fronted Airport Boulevard to the west, and a single-family home neighborhood to the east. The most crucial site force for the block was finding an appropriate scale for each facade. As a result, the Airport-facing facade elevates the housing above a commercial level, while the neighborhood side mediates between these extremes with three story town houses. In the building’s center, a courtyard serves both shoppers and residents as a space to enjoy the outdoors.
Site challenges.
Site program.
Building program.
Duration: Nine Weeks | Urban Design Partners: Dyami Luster + Maria Garza | Spring 2011 | Professor Nichole Wiedemann
Massing axons.
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Final master plan for south Airport Boulevard.
Right: Cross section through the apartments facing Airport Boulevard (left) and the town houses (right), with the courtyard between. Bottom: Longitudinal section through the courtyard and proposed library. The library is aimed to draw visitors and residents from a wider area, making the development a relevant improvement not just to Airport Boulevard, but the wider Austin area.
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After school care can teach children about their local environment and passive building practices through architectural example. In this East Austin day care, passive solar design techniques and water collection measures are architecturally highlighted. The building has a playful didactic approach too; 8’x8’x8’ EcoPods are spread throughout the building for the children to discover and interact with tactilely. The pods are designed and located to become stimulating microclimates created by the building’s interaction with Texas temperature extremes.
Duration: Six weeks | Fall 2011 | Professor Fernando Lara
Low-sitting operable windows surround the courtyard. They bring cool air into the buildings, expelling warm air through high windows on the opposite walls. Corrugated steel roofs shade the buildings below, creating cool airspace between building and roof. The roofs funnel water into the courtyard pond, where a rain-themed learning pod perches to view the gushing water.
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Designing a social housing community in Paris demanded a three scale perspective. The master plan focused on activating the riverside by creating a public plaza; the community doorstep. The scale of the block focused on creating a walkable grid of corner shops and cafes that activated the spaces between buildings, and recreated the scale and activity of a Parisian street corner. At the unit scale, river views and access to daylight were maximized, by optimizing the number of units served by a single circulation core.
Duration: Seven weeks | Partner: Rachelle Simon | Fall 2012 | Professors Igor Siddiqui + Danilo Udovicki
weekly market resident vegetable gardens units commercial
denser pedestrian lighter pedestrian car traffic
cores underground parking
public | private | public
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The four units are based on a 4.5m x 4.5m module. This allowed us to radiate the units from a single core, maximizing each unit’s access to daylight. Each apartment unit enjoys a view of the courtyards, the Seine, or both.
The arrangement of the units around the core allows every unit’s living room to have a corner window looking onto public green space.
POOL BATH 2424.25 FF
2426 FG PROPOSED BUILDING ENVELOPE (34,915 SQ.FT.) 2422 FF
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2417 FF EXISTING BUILDING ENVELOPE (34,915 SQ.FT.) 2422 FF UPPER
2410 FF LOWER
North Elevation.
2409 FF GARAGE
Carved into and echoing the arid mountainous landscape with its neutral and natural material palette, the Loabneh home wraps its low mass around the peak of a hillcrest to maximize miles of views. Respectful of and inspired by the desert, the home follows the natural contours of the site to minimize its footprint. The building’s harmonious relationship with its site makes it look as if it is naturally emerging from the hillside; a continuation of the desert.
Duration: July - December 2013 |
Internship: Steven Brenden Architect |
Team: Steven Brenden, Garth Auger
South Elevation. 3D model created by Steven Brenden.
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TERRACE MASTER BED
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14'-6" x 21'-8"
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MASTER BATH 25'-7" x 19'-6"
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EXERCISE 16'-3" x 23'-4" 2417
TERRACE 22'-0" x 31'-4" 6 242
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POOL BATH & EQ.
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11'-10" x 10'-0"
11'-8" x 14'-2"
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MEDITATION 16'-5" x 19'-3"
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14'-9" x 18'-7"
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BEDROOM 2 PLAY / STUDY
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MECH X-X
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FORMAL LIVING 21'-10" x 16'-2"
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11'-0" x 10'-4"
LAUNDRY2422 17'-8" x 8'-0"
OUTDOOR KITCHEN
FORMAL DINING
8' CLG.
22'-0" x 30'-0"
18'-2" x 24'-0"
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FIRE PLACE
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18'-0" x 28'-0"
2410 FIRE PLACE
BREAKFAST DECK 12'-6" x 9'-0"
FAMILY DINING
FAMILY LIVING
18'-0" x 10'-4"
18'-7" x 25'-2" 2418.4 12' CLG.
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12'-0" x 21'-9"
14'-6" x 25'-4"
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Main Level Floor Plan. Created by Steven Brenden, Garth Auger and Diana Sisk.
POOL 34'-0" x 12'-2"
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Personal role in the project included preparing a drawing set for design review by Fountain Hills HOA. The drawing set includes site plans, floor plans, sections, elevations, RCP’s, and material finishes. Sections and elevations were crucial in demonstrating that the building maintained a 30 feet or less height above natural grade.
Entry section.
Cross-section through circulation and living areas, with the family great room floating above the hilltop.
This studio focused on the relocation and redesign of the Dougherty Arts Center to contribute to the City of Austin’s plans for a new DAC building. As an increasingly important entity in the Austin art scene, the DAC requires two architectural improvements: a strong public identity, and larger classroom and theater spaces. The DAC contains three distinct programs: a main theater, a black box theater, and a school where classes are held for all ages. The proposal dances between Austin’s easygoing ruggedness and Downtown’s sleek art scene by adopting a two-faced persona. The south facade facing Riverside Drive boasts a cantilevering jewelbox gallery on the second floor, allowing the significantly smaller DAC to compete in pomp with the monumental Palmer and Long Center cultural buildings. However, the long east facade nestles along an existing yet unused promenade of trees leading down to Lady Bird Lake. Its playful yet elegant columns and casual yet sophisticated palette of travertine and timber invite pedestrians to walk in and explore, or just relax and watch the park’s ceaseless activity. The porch also unites the three different programs of the DAC to create a mutually supportive flow of users between theaters and school.
Duration: One semester |
Spring 2013 |
Professor Kevin Alter
Unexpected, playful opprtunities to peek in at another part of the building encourages visitors to explore and discover new activities held at the DAC.
Fall 2009 to Spring 2013
Santa Klara Kyrka, Stockholm
Tone study, UT Campus
dianasisk@utexas.edu 512 | 590 2534 Park Place Apt. 808 1023 West 24th St. Austin TX 78705
The University of Texas at Austin Bachelor of Architecture, GPA 3.79 on a 4.0 scale The International School at Sotogrande, Spain I.B. Diploma, graduating rank 2/50 Digital Proficient in AutoCad; Sketchup; Rhino; Revit; Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator Analog Analytical and expressive hand drawing, lasercutting, model building, watercoloring Languages English, Spanish Steven Brenden Architect, Scottsdale, AZ. Intern - Produced construction drawings of a 7,500ft2 residence in Fountain Hills for HOA approval - Sketchup 3D modeled five residential renovations and a marketing office in downtown Phoenix - Contributed to client meetings - Sketchup 3D modeled a roof sun/shade analysis - Drafted construction drawings for a residential solar panel installation - Researched and ordered material samples - Coordinated office showroom visit to learn about new ceramic products - Measured existing buildings for MountainBrook Village Senior Community remodel JACOBS Global Buildings, Austin, TX. Intern - Revit model team member of a four floor office renovation in Austin, TX - Revit modeled details of UT Material Transfer Center (campus chemical storage facility) - Picked up AutoCAD MEP redlines of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport - Requested RFQ’s from subcontractor firms for new UT Computer Science student lounge - Responsible for project meeting notes and dimensions during site visits McLundie Architects, Sotogrande, Spain. Intern - Designed elevations for a luxury villa in Oman - Researched viability of potential high-density housing sites in Dubai - Observed construction administration on site visits
Anticipated May 2014 May 2009
July 2013 – December 2013
May 2012 – August 2012
July 2011
University Honors, given to top 20 percent class rank Michael Maraldo Southwest Terrazo Scholarship Amy Dryden Scholarship Brubaker, Perkins + Will Endowed Presidential Scholarship Nominated for UT School of Architecture Design Excellence
2011 – 2014 2013 – 2014 2013 – 2014 2010 – 2013 Spring 2011
Officer, UT School of Architecture Undergraduate Student Council Organized events to encourage mentor/mentee bonding, coordinated mentor/mentee matches Academic Mentor Mentor of a first-year architecture student
2011 – 2012
Hiking Acrylic Painting Avid Cyclist Cycling is my passion, means to explore, my exercise and - more often than not - my A to B
2010 – 2013