Academic Work Sample - 2023

2017-2021

Hannah Fredricks University of Texas

Summary of Experience

UTSOAGraduate,2021

• Began studies at UT in 2016, in Engineering Honors and Liberal Arts Honors

• Transferred into UT School of Architecture in 2017, one of 12 students accepted out of 250 applications annually

• Nominated for Design Excellence Award, Fall 2020

• Won Design Excellence Award, Spring 2021

• Researched, wrote, and designed thesis. Wrote a 60 page report, conducted original research about failing businesses on a beloved local street, and designed a project in response

• Learned Arabic at UT Arabic Summer Institute, and gained Intermediate Mid-Fluency according to ACTFL testing

• Graduated summa cum laude in both College of Liberal Arts and School of Architecture

I’d like to show you snapshots of three of my best academic projects. First, a competition entry to the “Low Rise LA” competition. Second, “Scales of Collectivity”: a studio project in response to the “missing middle” of housing. And third, my thesis project, “Death of the Drag.”

Thank you for taking the time to look through my work. I’m looking forward to your consideration,

HGF

Low Rise LA

CompetitionEntry

The Low Rise LA architecture competition is a response to the failure of the ‘American Dream’ to hold up under modern pressures. Los Angelenos are running out of land to build on, property values are increasing, and locals are getting pushed out of their neighborhoods by gentrification. The supply of housing in LA is stagnant compared to increasing demand, causing people to get priced out of their homes. This problem demands policy changes, but it also demands changes in our architecture.

A simple response to gentrification in Los Angeles is to simply provide more housing for newcomers, to avoid further gentrifi cation. Moreover, that housing should be built hidden within existing neighborhoods and at the neighborhood’s scale. Unlike Corbusier’s Plan Voisin, which proposed installing skyscrapers at Paris’ edges and bulldozing transit through its downtown- this plan would build upon and the existing character of Los Angeles’ best neighborhoods.

By building units within neighborhood blocks, it also allows neighbors to use the units as spare bedrooms or offi ces, or to rent them out to others. This incentivizes their development in the neighborhood, and also gives back to the neighborhoods rather than just taking space from them.

Partner: James Holliday

Partner: James Holliday

Section through bathroom & kitchen

Section through side yard

Partner: James Holliday

“Death of the Drag” ThesisProposal

“The Drag” is the main street of the university of Texas, separating the “West Campus” neightborhood where students live from the university itself. My thesis work first focused on the history of the Drag over time: the types of businesses and building owners that have marked the Drag over time. I found that, at the time of my research in 2021, over a quarter of its storefronts were abandoned. Of the buildings still in business, over 77% were self-owned. Whether owned by a chain like Chipotle, Urrban Outfitters or Sweetgreen, or by a mom-and-pop shop like Jenn’s copies, self-ownership was the path to longevity on the Drag.

Following this finding, I imagined an architecture that made it easier for small businesses to make it last: owning their own microstorefront. The idea was simple: most storefronts on the Drag were oversized for the businesses hoping to move in, which was daunting for their pro-formas. Breaking a lot into a series of small, vertical storefronts allows small businesses to reinvigorate the Drag.

Critics: Judith Birdsong, Coleman Coker

Critics: Judith Birdsong, Coleman Coker

Critics: Judith Birdsong, Coleman Coker

Scales of Collectivity

Partner:Jessica Chen

Since the onset of the pandemic, the limitations of individualistic housing have been exposed. Loneliness and depression are worsening, divorce rates are exponentially increasing, and our social skills have atrophied—largely because we’re quarantined in isolation from one another. According to the newly released 2017 American Housing Survey, the majority of Americans live in suburbs. for the fi rst time in history. It is clear that the suburban housing model is not working for us. The suburbs attract people by providing certain basic amenities, privacy, and individual expression in their homes. These things are important things provided in a home, but people also need suffi cient prodding to get out of it, like community spaces and resources. This middle ground between isolation and community was the starting point for our project. We designed distinct townhouses arranged in a tatami-mat formation creating courtyard between them. The courtyard acts as a sort of shared backyard, even a cul de sac, between the units offering a communal space that’s small enough to still feel private. Larger interstitial spaces between the townhouse clusters hold amenities for all of the residents to share: including a pool, park, and playground. Alleyways thread between the clusters, providing circulation and acting as a sort of front yard. In the alleyways, units have front porches face each other, and mailboxes and bike racks guarantee fl eeting daily interactions among neighbors. Collectivity combats the isolation that American homeowners feel with community at every scale.

Critics: Martin Haettasch; Partner: Jessica Chen

Critics: Martin Haettasch; Partner: Jessica Chen

Alleys Private Courtyards Shared Courtyards

Private Courtyard, shared by the pod of units

Balconies provide views to neighbors, like a front porch

Concrete Concept Models

Castelvecchio exploded axonometric section

Cathedral in Venice

Ronchamps Chapel Frank Gehry Vitra Building

Design-build bridge for Audobon Society, Houston

Hannah George Fredricks

hannahgfredricks@gmail.com (817) 907-1161 Palo Alto, CA

EDUCATION

The University of Texas at Austin, 2021

Bachelor of Architecture

Bachelor of Liberal Arts / Plan II Honors

École Nationale Supérieure

d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville, 2019

SKILLS

Archicad

Autocad

Revit

Rhino

Sketchup

Analogue Drafting

Model Making

EXPERIENCE

Heather Young Architects Designer, Fall 2021 - Present PaloAlto Residence

• Proposed schematic designs to HYA founder & workshopped the design as a team before presenting directly to the client

• Developed design through conversations with the client, client representative, contractor, and 5 consultants

• Managed the permitting process: prepared and submitted 4 permit packages

• Coordinated with structural, landscape and civil consultants, interior designers, and 10+ city officials

• Designed and prepared 3 FFE packages for distinct residences

OfficeRemodelProposals

• Proposed remodel designs for 3 office buildings in Mountain View

Enscape

Lumion

Twinmotion

Adobe Illustrator

Photoshop

MS office suite

Arabic*

*IntermediateMid-Fluencyaccordingto ACTFLtesting

HONORS AND AWARDS

Design Excellence Award, Spring 2021

Design Excellence Nomination, Fall 2020

Dean’s Distinction Nomination, 2019

Issue 20 Publication

Issue 21 Publication

INVOLVEMENT

Licensure

5 / 6 ARE 5.0 exams passed

Writing

Freelancer for AN Interiors Magazine

Freelancer for Texas Architect Magazine

Architecture Columnist for Daily Texan

• Designed around seismic, historic preservation, and overlay district, and pro forma related concerns into the final proposal

• Presented design concepts to the clients

• Coordinated with 3 clients, 2 contractors & their subcontractors, as well as Mountain View city officials

Woodside Residence

• Produced 10 rendering packages

• Drafted plans, RCP’s, interior elevations and details in the CD phase, for a total of 9 issuances

• Coordinated with an international team comprised of 20+ people across professions

Clayton Korte

Intern, Summer 2021

• Made 6 rendering packages over the course of 12 weeks for projects ranging from high end residential, commercial, and hospitality

Gulf Coast Design Lab Designer, Spring 2020

• Worked on a team of 10 to design and build a bridge for the Houston Audobon Society

• Designed the proposal that was selected by the class to move forward with

• Priced materials and coordinated the completion of construction documents with the team