Kai Durvasula Portfolio

KAILAS DURVASULA Undergraduate Architecture Portfolio - 2023

CONTENTS

01

Jefferson Island Museum

02

Audubon Pavilion

Second Year Studio Project

First Year Studio Project

03

Ritmo del Rio

04

Walnut End Table

Third Year Abroad Studio Project

Independent Furniture Studio

01

JEFFERSON ISLAND MUSEUM

Jefferson Island, located on Lake Peigneur in New Iberia, LA represents a rapidly changing site rich with a breadth of history and “past lives.” Most notable in this site’s history are the collapsed salt mines, a hidden remnant of a tragic accident that occurred in 1970, which is responsible for the state of the island today.

The geometry the museum is based on is directly correlated to the geometries of the salt mines. The building emerges horizontally from the hillside,

4

Jefferson Island, LA Second Year Studio, Tulane University Fall 2021

creating a gradient of internal and external conditions. The museum is structurally and experientially like the salt mines that define the site’s historical past - bringing these geometries and conditions to the surface through the built form affords patrons the chance to view significant and historical artifacts, while simultaneously experiencing the hidden history of the island.

Site Map - Salt mines with ground represented above

Site Plan

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North/South Perspective Section

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7

Interior Perspective

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Exterior Perspective

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02

AUDUBON PARK PAVILION

Audubon Park in New Orleans, LA, is situated directly across the street from Tulane University’s campus. This park features a walking and biking trail, centralized lake, and an array of activity, people and animals alike. This small pavilion is accessible to the public and aims to enhance these aforementioned qualities which bring patrons to the park in the first place.

10

New Orleans, LA First Year Studio, Tulane University Spring 2021

Model Photographs Approach to upper and lower levels respectively

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Floor Plans Hand drawn upper and lower level floor plans

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Process Work Initial massing to determine occupied spaces

Exploded Axon Hand drawn upper and lower levels in axon

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03

RITMO DEL RIO

This proposal builds on an empty plot in the Besos neighborhood of Barcelona, Spain. Our goal was to create a space usable by the local community in order to reestablish identity to the neighborhood and bridge the people of suburban Barcelona with the rest of the city. It is designed to utilize the water of the adjacent Besos River to fuel the public gardens that populate the site, while also considering the sun and wind patterns to create a successful and flourishing vegetational experience.

The form was derived from a deconstructive

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Barcelona, Spain Third Year Studio, IAAC Barcelona Fall 2022 Completed in partnership with Alex Johnson, Fiona Allicandri, and Meg Rodi

analysis of Oscar Neimeyer’s Mondadori Headquarters, which was reinstituted in a protocol that created the geometric and ruled form that lines the inner faces of the public space.

Aeriel Site Plan Aeriel plan of the building on the site. The slope of the roof is shallow enough to allow pedestrian accress.

Site plan produced by groupmates

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Model of Wall Selected portion of wall hand-modeled from wood.

Model conceptualizes how a ruled surface is formed between two curves.

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04

WALNUT/MAPLE

New Orleans, LA Furniture Design Studio 2023

END TABLE

American Walnut end table with Maple accents.

The piece was designed in Rhino and fabricated in the Tulane Wood Shop with guidance from advisor Michael Dalle Moll.

The design centers around a light, nimble frame with a floated table top - the drawer mirrors the top, hanging below the bottom of the frame. A focus is placed on highlighting the structure as an aesthetic element of the piece - the drawer face shows the box joints which structure the drawer box, and the wooden dowels show both the through joints

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attaching the legs to the sides as well as the pin joints attaching the top to the frame.

Leg Joining Dowel Detail Maple dowels attach the legs to the drawer rails. The same maple dowels are used to loft the walnut top .

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Concept Sketch Front elevation sketch focused on light, structure-driven aesthetic.

Dimensioned Sketch Plan, elevation, sectional sketches working out dimensions.

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Detail Sketches Focused sketches of drawer details, leg shape and joinery detail.

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KAILAS DURVASULA Undergraduate Architecture Portfolio - 2023 kailasdurvasula@gmail.com