PORTFOLIO
| Texas
University Bachelors of Environmental Design
Isabela Ferrero
A&M
Aplin Center for Hospitality and Entreprenuership
Instructor: Andrew Hawkins | ARCH 405 | Fall 2022
Partner: Emma Dowd
Our top priority was to create a building that responds to the climate. Our site analysis motivated us to take advantage of the southern wind for optimization. Therefore, we created a corridor through the middle of our building, which was later developed into a central courtyard. We also responded to the sun path by shading the high radiation facade, while also maximizing daylighting. The central courtyard is the heartbeat of our site, and is a protected area that students, faculty, and visitors will all want to gather to study or relax. With this building being the Center for Hospitality Entrepreneurship, we saw the opportunity for the building itself to be a warm and inviting place where users want to feel welcome to come and stay.
FLOOR PLAN KEY
POINT OF SALE
OUTDOOR COMMON SPACE
BREAKROOM / LOUNGE
RECEPTION
INTERVIEW ROOM
MODEL HOTEL ROOM
MODEL INTERVIEW ROOM
FACULTY OFFICES
5/8"
Buffalo Gap Boutique Hotel
Instructor: Faulkner | ARCH 406 | Spring 2023
Partner: Sydney Edwards
The Lodges at Perini Ranch is a boutique hotel proposal that harmonizes architecture, nature, and culture, creating a serene retreat in the heart of Buffalo Gap, Texas. Our design intent centers on crafting a space that fosters a deep connection to the natural environment while offering a luxurious, intimate experience. We explored West Texas culture and architecture extensively, incorporating elements like smooth stucco finishes, exposed wooden beams, wrought iron details, and local limestone. This design language establishes a clear architectural hierarchy and resonates with the regional vernacular. The hotel’s form and layout are influenced by the surrounding site conditions, including lush oak and cedar forests and a floodplain, which we embraced as an opportunity rather than a constraint. Buildings are elevated on pierand-beam foundations, emphasizing lightness and a seamless relationship with the land. The modules are oriented to optimize natural ventilation and minimize energy consumption, integrating sustainability into the project’s core. A key feature of the design is the modular construction approach. The prefabricated modules are designed with precision, employing the golden section to create proportions that evoke harmony and balance. Each module blends public and private spaces, with expansive glazing and wrap-around porches that dissolve the boundary between indoors and outdoors. The golden rectangles within the massing guide spatial organization and establish a visual connection to nature, emphasizing the timeless relationship between built forms and the environment. Materiality plays a significant role in the narrative of the project. Weathering steel cladding develops a patina over time, mirroring the dynamic changes in the forest and tying the architecture to the seasons. Inside, natural wood paneling and limestone walls create a warm yet grounded atmosphere, complemented by Spanish-inspired limewash finishes and brass fixtures. The living spaces are anchored by suspended wood-burning fireplaces, serving as both functional elements and focal points. By embracing challenges like the floodplain, incorporating modular flexibility, and prioritizing sustainability, The Lodges at Perini Ranch is designed to enrich the guest experience while paying homage to the culture and landscape of Buffalo Gap. The result is a boutique hotel that invites visitors to immerse themselves in the beauty and spirit of West Texas through thoughtful design and innovative architectural solutions.
Flood Plain Site Plan
Flood Plain Site Section
Modules Typ. Elevations
Friesenhahn Cave Research Center
Instructor: Andrew Tripp | ARCH 305 | Fall 2021
The research center is an approach to define a threshold between the present-day suburban condition and the interior protected cave by facilitating a meaningful experience on the site. This proposal explores Friesenhahn Cave from multiple scales to unravel the layers of the site while overlapping the ideas that are presented in each scale. I was inspired by the film “Power of Ten” which explored the relative size of things and the effects of adding another 0 to the scale. The film begins with a scene 1 meter wide and 1 meter away, every 10 seconds, viewing the scene 10 times wider and farther away, each scale bringing new ideas into existence. The research center proposes the importance of understanding Friesenhahn cave from multiple scales, to understand the details of things as well as the large contexts.
Geological Scale
Site Scale
Human Scale
Bessie Coleman Women Aviation and Simulation Center
Instructor: Gabriel Esquivel | ARCH 205 | Fall 2020
Partner:Ximena Calderon and Emily Acosta
In honor of Bessie’s impact and dream this aviation school is built in Atlanta, Texas, where she was born. It’s built for women that have similar dreams of becoming a pilot. Our project for the Bessie Coleman Women Aviation and Simulation Center is located in Atlanta, Texas and consists of an education and exhibition facility. It was inspired by the work of various architects whose purpose was to convey a purer composition of structures through mass and abstraction, yet still implementing strong ideas through ground condition and material. For the ground plane and four buildings, which consist of the aviation school, library, museum, and auditorium, we were inspired by various architects and artists, our biggest influences were Denise Scott Brown, Donald Judd, Carlos Scarpa, Michel Rojkind, and the concept of Brutalist architecture.
JEDI Center
Instructor: Robert Warden | ARCH 206 | Spring 2021
Role: Project Architect
Partners: James Cordero, Savannah McDougal, Hannah Baldwin, Elvia Zapata, Peiying Yang, Mailee Shaw and Mark Gastelo
The JEDI Center, located in downtown Bryan is designed to be a place that promotes Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (hence the name). The JEDI center is all about inclusion, of people from different backgrounds, of the natural and man-made environment, and of shared experiences that come from interacting with a space. The goal of this center is to remove the hierarchy that is present not only in society but also in the environment. By removing this hierarchy, we create a space that does not operate in relation to one aspect of humanity, but rather integrates itself and responds to the natural world to create a space that eludes a hierarchical organization. We want to make sure to create a sense of justice for the people and the environment and make sure every living thing has a chance to be included and thrive together.
Atrium South Elevation
Atrium East Elevation
Column Base
Beam-Column Connections
Exterior Wall Section
Interior Wall Section
Green Roof Section
Waffle Structure Section
Two Point Perspective Section (Drawing by James Cordero)
Waffle Structure Construction
Work Experience
Jay Baker Architects
01/2022 - 08/2022
During my internship at Jay Baker Architects I’ve been part of the team designing houses in the Houston area. Working on the plans, sections, elevations, 3D modeling, and renderings of the houses has been a great opportunity to understand how the design process works in practice. I’ve been able to be involved in all the design phases of a project, from researching the building codes to presentation drawings. I mainly focused on creating 3D models on Vectorworks and Sketchup and rendering the projects using Lumion which can be seen in the pages that follow.
Briargrove House
Salisbury House
| Texas A&M University Bachelors of Environmental Design
Isabela Ferrero