Lema,Erika_Portfolio by erika_lema

Portfolio

Erika Lema

I am a recent graduate from the New York Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. My passion lies in designing spaces that bring communities together and create lasting memories. As communities grow and evolve, I believe what I intend to design should adapt with them. I am looking for opportunities to grow as a designer under the guidance of experienced architects.

elema11955@icloud.com (631) 276-0838

www.linkedin.com/in/erika-lema7248b3202

EDUCATION

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), New York, NY

Bachelor of Architecture (B. ARCH)

RELEVANT COURSEWORK

• Architecture Design Studio

• Building Construction

• Visualization I - III

• Urban Design and Planning

• Computer Aided Drawings

• Building Codes and Regulations

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Junior Project Designer

Chiffert Architectural Engineering, Southampton, NY

• Aid in creating 3D modeling & diagrams using Revit.

• Help craft detailed plans, sections & elevations with precise dimensions.

• Confirm that project comply with zoning regulations and building codes.

Sep 2019 – May 2024

Sep 2024 – Oct 2024

• Consistently interact with clients to provide updates, resolve issues, and improve colaboration.

Teacher Assistant Design Studio

New York Institute of Technology, New York, NY

Jan 2024 – May 2024

• Created guides (via Zoom Meetings) for first-year students to further understand application of software for assignments in class.

• Aid professor with project instructions and offered feedback on student drawing compositions and execution.

Sales Associate

Eataly, New York, NY

Sep 2021 – Jun 2023

• Provided exceptional customer service by engaging with guests in both English and Spanish, improving their customer experience.

• Collaborated with team members to ensure daily goals were met in a timely manner.

SKILLS

• Rhino 3D

• Enscape

• Adobe Illustrator/Indesign

LANGUAGES

• English

• Spanish

AWARDS

Design VI: Best Conceptual Framework May 2023

New York Institute of Technology, New York, NY

• Project: Tapestry Crossing

Semester 4

Prof. George Cumella

Semester 6

Prof. Diane Neff

Thesis

Prof. Daniel Sudlin & Alana Goldweit

1 Museum

The Pavilion of Light

The project is a design for a public historical cultural center for New York’s Central Park. The site is located on the south-west corner of Central Park. The area I have decided to work with includes Overlook Rock that is nestled in between Inscope Arc and Gapstow Bridge. This project incorporates the existing greenery to interplay with the building, panoramic views, and carved spaces that allow cave-like experiences.

Plaza, Entry, & 1st Gallery

Admin, Lounge, Cafe (ind./out.), 2nd Gallery

VISION PLAN SCALE: 1/64”= 1’-0”

2 NYCHA Open Space

Roosevelt Houses: Tapestry Crossing

Roosevelt Housing is a 9 building NYCHA complex located in Brooklyn, NY for low income residents. The main issue with this NYCHA campus is its isolation from the surrounding community. The existing edges are comprised of fences cutting off any connections to the public realm. In this project, my team and I, explored the issues and opportunities to redesign the open space. Through redesigning “edge” conditions, developing a zone hierarchy, and configuring way-finding systems our vision of “weaving” became practical to thread together the NYCHA community into the existing fabric of the city.

3. New Edges

2. Connections

4. Zoning

1. NYCHA vs City

REDEFINING EDGES: KIT OF PARTS

FOCUS 1

3 Sustainability & Regenerative Cities

EcoGrid & Pocket Village

Communities are known to change over time as values evolve. This can be influenced by a multitude of things, such as generational change, cultural interactions, and advancements. Each generation brings new ideas and different priorities, leading to community practice shifts. The question at hand is: How can we make emerging communities more flexible? With the rising issues of having a place to call home, how can I create a link network of spaces so that a growing community can adapt in a self sustaining and sufficient manner?

EcoGrid is centered around creating a green hub dedicated to carbon sequestration, complemented by recreational amenities to infuse an urban atmosphere. Building placement is carefully orchestrated along the perimeter to seamlessly integrate with the existing environment. Vehicular pathways navigate through the parcels, seamlessly linking to adjacent streets, while also branching out to create pedestrian-friendly thoroughfares, ensuring easy access and connectivity throughout the center.

Pocket Village is a 12 acre site that contains 3 major nodes in each zone: Social Sector, Food Production, and Recreational Open Space. Residential homes are formed in a constellation that harbor the edges of each node, residents are connected by a series of raised platforms that feed into greenhouses or other modular program. At ground level, all three nodes are connected with a major path.

URBAN STRATEGIES

ECOGRID

The master plan is centered around creating a green hub dedicated to carbon sequestration, complemented by recreational amenities to infuse an urban atmosphere. Building placement is carefully orchestrated along the perimeter to seamlessly integrate with the existing environment. Vehicular pathways navigate through the parcels, seamlessly linking to adjacent streets, while also branching out to create pedestrian-friendly thoroughfares, ensuring easy access and connectivity throughout the center.

The human scale of networks, allows for movement within its own parcel, while also connecting to larger “arteries.”

The vehicular network connects transit from within the neighborhood to the larger scale network outside of the site.

The recreational network, combined with habitat, allocates a tranquil movement through the site, access to the “heart” of the site, and connects parcels.

The overall components of the site, together acting as one body that allows for resident movement throughout the site.