PORTFOLIO
Galen Kragas | M Arch Year 3
U of Houston | Fall 2023
GALEN KRAGAS
TEL +1 281 650 9101
EMAIL galen.kragas@gmail.com
August 2021 - May 2024
August 2006 - May 2010
University of Houston
Masters of Architecture
University of Texas at Austin
B.S. in Petroleum Engineering
June - October 2022
January - August 2022
August 2010 - August 2021
SOFTWARE
CAD | BIM
Render
Post Process
MS Office
UH Graduate Design | Build Student Contributer
Urbano Architects
Intern
Shell Energy Company
Reservoir Engineer
Rhino 3D
Rhino 3D | 3DS Max
Illustrator | Photoshop | InDesign
Excel | PowerPoint | Word
CURRICULUM VITAE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE ACCOLADES
June 2023
December 2022
September 2022
Hope Farms Project Feature
Houston Chronicle
Frank Black M. S. Project Feature
University of Houston
Sundin Scholarship Recipient
University of Houston
CONTENTS PROCESS
Drawing as Process
STUDIO
Spring 2023
Fall 2022
Homes at Harrisburg
Bolivar Borderlands
COMMUNITY DESIGN | BUILD
Summer and Fall 2022
Spring 2022
Inside | Out at Frank Black M.S.
Going Green at Hope Farms
DRAWING AS PROCESS
As an Architecture Student, drawing has become a critical part of my design process. I use it to build a better understand of something, generate a new idea or just for fun.
I started by drawing physical objects on my desk as reference and expanded from there. When I hit a roadblock in the design process commonly will look to books for reference.
The twelve semi-abstract forms on the opposite page are referenced from Francois Blanciak’s Siteless: 1001 Building Forms. After building some basic
skills in drawing I began to use it as a tool for architectural design. The next spread contains a drawing set I made during the initial design stage for the “Homes at Harrisburg” studio project. Several key elements from these drawings made it into the final design. The drawing above was made for a competition entry and is titled “Duality of Space.” The entry was a research proposal for investigating the density of Hong Kong through section. I wanted to investigate Central Hong Kong in vertical section and comparing it to Victoria Park in plan.
Drawing as Process
Process
Drawing as
Drawing as Process
HOMES AT HARRISBURG
The Homes at Harrisburg is located in Houston’s Second Ward directly on the Green Line for the METRO Light Rail. The Lockwood Metro stop is located a few hundred feet away and is connected directly to downtown Houston.
The Second Ward is one of Houston’s original four wards with many buildings being constructed in the 1920’s. It is mostly residential and buildings are primarily constructed from wood.
South of the site is a strip land that was traditionally used for industry, but has transformed in the last five years. This includes the Center for Pursuit and Baker Ripley. Both organizations serve underrepresented groups.
The southern row of apartments has two different unit types. The Single Unit (SU) is built to support up to four people, similar to a hotel room. However, its primary purpose is to support an individual receiving training from the Center for Pursuit and their caretaker. In total it is ~ 500 sq ft. The Half Unit (HU) is built to be a home for a single individual or a couple. In total it is ~250 sq ft. The northern row of apartments is primarily made up of Double Units (DU). The Double Unit (DU) is built to support a family of four. The bedrooms received direct sunlight from the south, and more indirect sunlight from the large north facing windows. In total it is ~1000 sqft.
Professor: Marcus Martinez Project: Mixed-Use Housing
South Elevation
Plan Homes at Harrisburg | 2nd Year Masters | Spring 2022
Site
LOBBY OFFICE SPACE LIBRARY RESTAURANT BATHROOM STORAGE EQUIPMENT STAIRS & ELEVATOR STAIRS & ELEVATOR BATHROOM Homes at Harrisburg | 2nd Year Masters | Spring 2022 Ground Floor Plan
SHARED KITCHEN SINGLE UNIT SINGLE UNIT HALF UNIT HALF UNIT HALF UNIT DOUBLE UNIT DOUBLE UNIT LAUNDRY STORAGE Typical Apartment Floor Plan Homes at Harrisburg | 2nd Year Masters | Spring 2022
Courtyard Looking East Exterior Walkway Looking East
at Harrisburg | 2nd Year Masters | Spring 2022
Interior
Homes
North South Section East West Section Homes at Harrisburg | 2nd Year Masters | Spring 2022
3D Printed Model Individual Floor Interiors Homes at Harrisburg | 2nd Year Masters | Spring 2022
Floor 3 Homes at Harrisburg | 2nd Year Masters | Spring 2022
BOLIVAR BORDERLANDS
Port Bolivar is at the frontier of humanity and nature. It is only a 20 minute ferry ride from the bustling tourist island of Galveston and is located at the entry to the Port of Houston. When you step off the ferry onto the Bolivar Peninsula, the energy is totally different. You are greeted with mud flats, salt marshes, uplands, and beaches. It feels quite undisturbed. Bolivar Borderlands brings the beauty of the nationally recognized Bolivar Flats to a broad audience by rehabilitating the nat-
ural landscape near Port Bolivar. The Market Hall and Nature Center act as a beacon to introduce, educate, and entertain an inclusive population. The building is easily accessible by pedestrian, public, or private transit via the ferry from Galveston Island. The Ferry Hall and Market extends out over the marsh while the Climate Observatory is built into the sand dunes. Skylights in the Terminal Market, draw in natural light further connecting human to nature at the Borderlands of Port Bolivar.
Professor: Matt Johnson Project: Architectural Context
Bolivar Borderlands | 2nd Year Masters | Fall 2022
Terminal Market Site Plan
Bolivar Borderlands | 2nd Year Masters | Fall 2022
Market Ground Floor
Terminal
Bolivar Borderlands | 2nd Year Masters | Fall 2022
Terminal Market Second Floor
Bolivar Borderlands | 2nd Year Masters | Fall 2022
East
Terminal Market
West Section
Climate Observatory
Bolivar Borderlands | 2nd Year Masters | Fall 2022
INSIDE | OUT
The outdoor classroom incorporates active environmental design to promote learning in an outdoor setting.
During school hours the structure acts as an outdoor class room. During rain events it helps with rain water retention. In the morning and evening it can act as a gathering place for pre or post school activities.
My personal responsibilities on the Design | Build included
generating site diagrams, renderings, and the physical execution of the project. This inlcuded surveying for placement of the shaf piers. Prefabricating and installing the wooden deck and walls. Attaching the roof panels to the galvanized steel structure. Thank you to Professor Patrick Peters for managing the project, and the GDB 2019 team for doing the initial design and construction documentation.
Professor: Patrick Peters Project: Outdoor Classroom Build
Founation Survey June 2022
Inside | Out | 1st Year Masters | Summer 2022
Inside | Out | 1st Year Masters | Summer 2022
Steel Install Aug. 2022
Wood Install: Sept. 2022
Completed: Oct. 2022
Opened: Nov. 2022
Inside | Out | 1st Year Masters | Summer 2022
GOING GREEN AT HOPE FARMS
Hope Farms is located in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Houston and is part of the nonprofit organization Recipe For Success. The farm aims to reconnect children to food sources to combat childhood obesity and other life threatening chronic diseases. We had the opportu -
nity to design a compost bathroom for the farm, substantially reducing their carbon footprint. My personal responsibilities on the project included design the profile of the roof, the foundation and floor framing plan, and creating construction documents for these items.
Professor: Patrick Peters Project: Compost BathroomSite Survey: Jan. 2022
Opened: July 2023
Going Green at Hope Farms | 1st Year Masters | Spring 2022
Initial Design Drawings
Going Green at Hope Farms | 1st Year Masters | Spring 2022
Going Green at Hope Farms | 1st Year Masters | Spring 2022
Construction Drawing Set
S5.3 TOP OF PIER 10' A B A B 4 A3.1 Architect Patrick Peters, Professor, Coordinator Registration No. 19306 Graduate Design/Build Studio Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design 4200 Elgin Street, Room 122 University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-4000 Telephone: 713.320.5185 g d b s Drawn by: Marco A. Chapa & Galen Kragas Date: 02.19.2022 Revision: 10401 Scott Street Houston, TX 77051 Composting Relief Shed for Hope Farms Not for Regulatory Approval, A3.1 Sheet Name: LOOKING EAST & WEST BUILDING SECTIONS Sheet No:1 4 Typical Truss Plate SCALE: 1-1/2" = 1'-0" SYP TREATED 2X6 RAFTER SYP TREATED 2X10 CEILING BEAM SYP TREATED 2X4 TOP PLATE SYP TREATED 2X4 CEILING JOIST SYP TREATED 2X4 ROOF TRUSS AS-20 GALVANIZED TRUSS PLATE 3 Typical Roof Truss SCALE: 3/4" = 1'-0" 2 Looking East Section SCALE: 1/2" = 1'-0" 1 Looking West Section SCALE: 1/2" = 1'-0" HORIZONTALLY CONTINUOUS 4'-92 7'-0" 6'-8 4 2'-117 1'-6" 1'-0" 1'-9 1'-6" 1'-6" 1'-0" 1'-6" 1'-6" 1'-6" 1'-11 1'-0" 1'-0" 1'-0" 2'-5 2'-9 1 2 3'-11" 3'-3" 12'-4 16'-11" 3" A1.1 4 A1.1 11 5 1 2 10" 3 A1.1 Patrick Peters, Professor, Coordinator Registration No. 19306 Graduate Design/Build Studio Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design 4200 Elgin Street, Room 122 University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-4000 Telephone: 713.320.5185 g d b s Drawn by: Marco A. Chapa & Galen Kragas Date: 02.17.2022 Revision: 10401 Scott Street Houston, TX 77051 Composting Relief Shed for Hope Farms Not for Regulatory Approval, Permit, or Construction. 1 FOUNDATION PLAN SCALE: 1/2" = 1'-0" A1.1 Sheet Name: FOUNDATION PLAN & FLOOR FRAMING PLAN Sheet No: 2 FLOOR FRAMING PLAN SCALE: 1/2" = 1'-0" 4 10" FOOTING PLAN SCALE: 1-1/2" = 1'-0" 3 10" FOOTING SECTION SCALE: 1-1/2" = 1'-0" 4 BEAM TO JOIST PLAN SCALE: 1-1/2" = 1'-0" 3 BEAM TO JOIST SECTION SCALE: 1-1/2" = 1'-0" 12' Concrete Pier Simpson HTT4 Hold Down Tie Alternate Option: Simpson ABU 4X4 Wood Column 2X12 Wood Beam Simpson H2-5A Hurrican Tie 2X6 Wood Joist
