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Gracie Hecht Architecture Portfolio

University of Kansas - Master of Architecture

CONTACT

913 - 314 - 0650

Gracie.R.Hecht@gmail.com

Lawrence, KS | Kansas City, MO

Gracie Hecht

EDUCATION

University of Kansas

Master of Architecture | Expected May 2026

Bachelor of Architectural Studies | Expected May 2025

EXPERIENCE

Universal Cheerleaders Association

Cheerleading Instructor | 2021 - 2025

Work with student athletes to develop their technical skills as well as teaching the importance of being athletes, crowd leaders, spirit raisers, ambassadors, and leaders in their schools and communities

WNB Architects

Student Intern| Spring 2020

Communicated directly with architects about education, licensing, certifications, and their journeys to becoming architects. Gained knowledge about how architecture firms work.

REFERENCES

Amy Van de Riet (she/her)

University of Kansas

Amy.Vanderiet@KU.edu

Shannon Criss (she/her)

University of Kansas

SCriss@KU.edu

Parker Jackson (she/her)

Varsity Spirit

PJackson@Varsity.com

SKILLS

Oasis on Speer

Shannon Criss

Oasis on Speer

This semester was dedicated to creating a mixed use urban multi-family housing building in Lower Downtown Denver. I started my design by analyzing the site and local context. Some key surroundings include Cherry Creek, Larimer Square, Speer BLVD, Auraria Campus, and Downtown Denver. While researching demographic information I discovered there’s a huge need for housing for workers in the city which led me to making workers my people group I’d design for. I started by establishing the needs for my site. Retail stores and a restaurant would create jobs on the site. Private amenities like a fitness center, laundry room, mailroom, seminar space, and community spaces give people opportunities to

intermingle while providing basic necessities. By creating small apartment units (460-700 sqft) I could meet the needs of the people while ensuring affordability. Some other key goals were to maximize outdoor spaces, bring a Larimer feel to Market street, minimize noise and views of Speer, prioritize views and connections to Cherry Creek, and incorporate sustainable strategies to ensure my building doesn’t negatively impact the environment. The definition of an Oasis is a “fertile spot of land where water is found.” I made it my goal to make my building fit that description. I incorporated Oasis strategies, daylight strategies, water strategies, sound strategies, and other miscellaneos strategies.

Industrial District Cherry Creek & South Platte River Roads

Recreation District

Downtown District

Education District

Recreation District

South Platte River

• Well developed at Confluence Park

• Otherwise polluted and unkempt

Cherry Creek

• Mostly unkempt & polluted

• Contains a walking trail on one side & a bike trail on the other

Larimer Square

• Est. 1858

• Became a protected district in 1971

• Pedestrian only since 2020

Education District

• Est. 1973

• Appx. 14,00 students

Speer BLVD

• 5 - 7 lanes in one direction

• Fast traffic, loud, dangerous

Downtown District

• Est. 1858

• Became state capitol in 1876

Design Framework Goals

• Create a sustainable building & site using passive design strategies & ecological strategies to reduce environmental impacts

• Provide spaces to fulfill all demographic needs

• Maximize outdoor spaces for the public & residents

• Prioritize views & connections to Cherry Creek & Market Street

BUILDING DESIGN PROCESS - INITIAL MASSING

Massing Goals

OBSERVATIONS

• Use circulation to block Speer BLVD

• 45 UNITS / 1.15 ACRES

• 7 SHOPS: APPX 1,000 SQFT EACH

• Views of Cherry Creek or Market Street from resident balconies

• 1 RESTAURANT: APPX 7,000 SQFT

• 4 UNIT TYPES:

• Get sunlight in all apartments, shops, restaurants, & corridors

• Create Larimer feel on Market

• Maximize outdoor patios

•

Observations

• 40 units / 1.15 acres

•

MARKET STREET

• 7 shops: appx 1,000 sqft each

SUNLIGHT IN ALL APARTMENTS, SHOPS, RESTAURANT, AND CORRIDORS

• 1 restaurant: appx 7,000 sqft

• CREATE LARIMER FEEL ON MARKET

• 4 unit type: studios, 1 bed / 1 bath, ADA units, end units

• 450 - 850 sqft

Pros

BUILDING DESIGN PROCESS - INITIAL MASSING

• Circulation blocks Speer

• Residents get private balconies with views to Cherry Creek or Market

CHERRY CREEK

MARKET STREET

• 45 UNITS / 1.15 ACRES

• 7 SHOPS: APPX 1,000 SQFT EACH

• 1 RESTAURANT: APPX 7,000 SQFT

• Lots of comfortable patio spaces

• 4 UNIT TYPES: STUDIOS, 1 BED / 1 BATH, OR 2 BED / 1 BATH

• Setback from Market for floors 2-5 improves human scale on Market

• 450 - 880 SQFT SPACES

• Shops face Market furthering the Larimer feel

• USE CIRCULATION TO BLOCK SPEER

• Restaurant patio towards Cherry Creek

•

Cons

• VIEWS OF CHERRY CREEK FROM RESIDENT BALCONIES

• Not much space on floors 3-5 for amenities

• GET SUNLIGHT IN ALL APARTMENTS, SHOPS, RESTAURANT, AND CORRIDORS

• CREATE LARIMER FEEL ON MARKET

• 2nd floor patio is oriented to Speer

• MAXIMIZE OUTDOOR PATIOS

AMENITY SPACE ON FLOORS 3-5

• MAIN PATIO ON 2ND FLOOR IS ORIENTED TOWARDS SPEER

SPEER BLVD

Oasis Performance & Passive Systems

Oasis Strategies

Sun / Daylight Strategies

Water / Runoff Strategies

Sound Strategies

Other Strategies

Oasis Strategies

These strategies involve bettering human conditions through the following methods:

• Add native plants to reduce pollution & heat island effects

• Provide outdoor spaces that promote intermingling

• Creating ideal views that block stressors through window design and building orientation

Sun/Daylight Strategies

These strategies involve mitigating detrimental sun & ensuring all spaces have ideal sunlight:

• Building orientation ensures outdoor patios are comfortable year round

• Louvers block harsh summer sun but allow winter sun in to warm the building

• “Portal” near restaurant allows more daylight to infiltrate deeper into the space

• Southern tree grove provides summer shade

Water Strategies

These strategies involve reducing water runoff:

• Blue roof & patio systems slow water runoff to reduce strain on storm drains

• Gutters from the blue systems drain water to rain gardens reducing environmental impacts

• Awnings over entrances prevent water from infiltrating the building

Sound Strategies

These strategies involve reducing sound pollution:

• Orienting residential circulation between units & Speer blocks car traffic noise from the units

• Greenery around the patios & between the roads & sidewalks reduces the noise of car traffic

Other Strategies

These strategies vary:

• Rooftop solar panels oriented south allow the building to produce energy on site

• Low-E glass allows for large windows without too much heat loss

• Pervious pavement instead of tradtional sidewalks reduces runoff

• Brick rainscreen facade mimics stylistic context of surroundings while optimizing building performance

T-Mobile Center

Kauffman Center for Performing Arts

T-Mobile Center Western Auto Building Power and

District Bars / Breweries / Distileries

Front Entrance: View from Oak Street

2nd Floor Bar

3rd Floor Bar and Event Spaces

Lobby

Rooftop Patio

3rd Floor Plan

Site Plan

South Elevation

3D Building Section - From the South Looking North

3D Building Section - From the East Looking West

RIGID INSULATION

GYPSUM BOARD

ALUMINUM COPING

ROOFING MEMBRANE

COUNTER FLASHING

FINISHED SURFACE

SHEATHING

METAL C STUDS

RIGID INSULATION

CONCRETE SLAB ON CORRUGATED STEEL DECK

MOISTURE BARRIER

SHEATHING

STEEL C STUDS & CAVITY INSULATION

VAPOR BARRIER

GYPSUM BOARD

AIR SPACE

TERRACOTTA CLADDING CLADDING STRUCTURE

RIGID INSULATION

SHEATHING

MOISTURE BARRIER

CLADDING STRUCTURE

TERRACOTTA CLADDING

CONCRETE SLAB ON CORRUGATED STEEL DECK

PRIMARY STEEL COLUMN

GYPSUM BOARD

VAPOR BARRIER

STEEL C STUDS & CAVITY INSULATION

GLASS

ALUMINUM CURTAIN SYSTEM

PRIMARY STRUCTURAL STEEL COLUMN

LAGGING

CONCRETE

AGGREGATE

FOOTING

The Art of Food

Front Entrance: View from Mass Street

Sculpture Garden at Night

Lobby

North Section

South Section

West Section

Sculptures: View from upstairs balcony

Sculpture Garden: Looking towards Mass Street

Outdoor Dining Patio

Interior Dining

Qithá Hináqpegthé | The Eagle’s Nest

Lawrence, Kansas is home to two universities, the University of Kansas, as well as Haskell University. Haskell Univeristy has stdents from about 140 different Native American tribes. It is a very diverse campus. The campus is on government land and does not recieve a lot of money. Some buildings have not been updated since the creation of the university. The goal for this project was to create a welcome center for the university that represented Native American culture and strength. It was important to understand and respect the ideas and beliefs of Native American Communities. Symbols, colors, and geometry all had to be considered thoguhtfuly and thoroughly within my design.

Another goal for this project was to create a sustainable design. I was required to include solar panels. I was able to include some other sustainable features such as louvers to help control the amount of sunlight entering the building. I also created a water collection system that would collect the rain water and deliver it to the vegetation on the site. After doing some research and studying the site, I created ideas for my design. My overall concept was to represent an eagle. Eagles are symbols of strength and pride in Native American cultures. Materials and colors, such as limestone and earth toned terracottas, would represent the strength and history of Kansas.

Haskin Memorial Arch

Existing Cultural Center Statue

Student Dorm

Gazebo

Hiawatha Hall

Auditorium

23rd Street

Barker Ave

SITE

1/16" = 1'-0"

East

1/16" = 1'-0"

South

1/16" = 1'-0"

South

1/16" = 1'-0"

1 East

1/16" = 1'-0"

2 West

Front Hallway with Shadows

Banquet Hall with Louvers

Banquet Hall with Art

Design Build

For my Design Build semester, my classmates and I would be working together to design and build a project for Grandview Park Presbyterian Church in Wyandotte County, Kansas. After meeting with the client and doing our own research we discovered that the area is predominantly Hispanic/Latino and that most households were low income. The church itself was built in 1890 and went through several additions and renovations over the years. However over time it has naturally experienced some decline as money gets harder to come by. Budget would be our driving factor throughout. As we looked at the church the thing that stood out most was the worn, chain link fence.

It was in disrepair, covered in plant life, and did not seem welcoming to members of the community. We wanted to change that. It took a lot of research, design iterations, prototyping, planning, testing, etc. to finally get the finished product. We settled on an industrial, prefab fence design.The design was based on an existing fence on my families property. The design included hog panelling that we made more beautiful by adding latin inspired tiles onto. We created blank tiles for the kids in their summer program to decorate and add onto the fence. This fence would become a lovely, inviting place for the community to engage with. The design proved to be cost effective as well ensuring we met all goals.

Households vs. Income

The design should…

- Be able to be prefabricated to some extent

- Fit the slope of the site

- Provide room for error

- Be cost effective

- Produce minimal waste

Design factors to prioritize include…

- Stepped design

- Hog panel, not cattle panel

- Minimalistic frame

- Panel attached on the frame, not within

- Ability to adjust height while maintaining a fixed post dimension

L / U System

The criteria above led to the creation of the L / U System. The letter corresponds to the shape of the frame. L Frames contain 1 post and 2 rails. U Frames contain 2 posts and 2 rails. The numbers correspond to the number of columns on that given hog panel. The design consisted of most panels containing 11 columns while a few contained 8 columns or 6 columns. The U Frames serve as anchors where they are located. The ground must be the same height on both posts. L Frames go up and over and attach to the U Frame. Given the slope the U Frames were placed at the highest points on the site. The Ls attached below the top of the U. The slope was consistent enough for this system to work with no issues.

8 Column Hog Panel L Frame (8CLF)

11 Column Hog Panel L Frame (11CLF)

6 Column Hog Panel L Frame (6CLF)

6 Column Hog Panel U Frame (6CUF)

11 Column Hog Panel U Frame (11CUF)

11 Column Hog Panel Custom U Frame (11CCUF)