Issuu

O R T F O L I O

KAYLA HANS

UNDERGRADUATE PORTFOLIO

UNL SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

SELECTED WORKS 2023-25

0 1 OF PERCEPTION & INQUIRY

0 2

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIVAL

0 3

EQUILIBRIUM 0 0 CV/RESUME

0 4 THRESHOLDS OF GROWTH

2-3 4-11 12-17 18-25 26-39

RESUME KAYLA HANS

CONTACT

www.linkedin.com/in/ kaylahans issuu.com/kaylahans kaylalhans@gmail.com (402) 580-9893

601 R Street, Apt. #519 Lincoln, NE 68508

HONORS

DLR Group Scholarship: Fall 2024 - DLR Studio

AIAS (Midwest Quad Chapter): Member since 2024

Dean’s List: 2021-2022

National Honors Society: Member

Scholastic Art: Silver Key & Honorable Mention

Letters: Academics & Music

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN (UNL), LINCOLN, NE

Bachelor of Science in Architecture & Minor in Product Design, expected May 2025

LINCOLN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL (LCS), LINCOLN, NE

High School Diploma, May 2021

WORK EXPERIENCE

LINCOLN PUBLIC SCHOOLS: PAINT CREW, LINCOLN, NE

Seasonal Painter & Part-Time Help (May 2023 - January 2025)

Repaired & painted interior & exterior building damages, fulfilling work orders across schools within the Lincoln area

Stripped, stained & finished wooden furniture & cabinetry for classroom use

Laid out and help paint new parking lots based on given site plans & dimensions

Trained & managed new seasonal employees when appointed

PAS DE DEUX SCHOOL OF DANCE, LINCOLN, NE

Dance Instructor (Aug. 2022 - Present)

Developed & taught technical choreography to young dancers while managing a classroom, giving critical feedback & building relationships

Built musical pieces for performance soundtracks using music editing software

Aided in backstage management, helping dancers quickly troubleshoot problems during performances and stage rehearsals

COPPLE FAMILY YMCA, LINCOLN, NE

Head Guard/Shift Lead, Lifeguard, & Swim Instructor (Aug. 2019- Jan. 2023)

Protected lives and prevented injuries of pool patrons within a team of lifeguards

Managed two pools, their water chemicals, & conditions while addressing any problems that arose in order to maintain a family-friendly environment

KEY SKILLS

DIGITAL: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Rhinoceros 7, Revit 2025,

Chaos Enscape, Chaos V-Ray, Twinmotion

FABRICATION: Physical Model Making, Laser Cutting, 3D Printing, Wood Finishing

WHO AM I?

I am Kayla Hans, and I am a fourth-year student graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture in May 2025. I was born and raised in Lincoln, NE, and therefore a native Husker. My passions have always been within the fine arts, ranging from dance to music to crafting. Studying in the field of architecture and being a part of this line of work has been a goal of mine since a very young age. Along the way, I have grown both as a person and as an aspiring designer. I have obtained and continuously work to build skills in making, modeling, detailing, drawing, and more. I have always had a love for design, art, and high-quality production and am eager to help create beautiful spaces for people to inhabit, live, and find themselves as people in God’s creation. Thank you, readers, for your time, it is much appreciated.

I see art of every style to be the voice and expression of a person in reflection of the One above. It is an unspoken, yet universal language that brings forth one’s individuality, in which is contained great value and beauty.

OF PERCEPTION & INQUIRY

Theoretically located within UNL’s campus, this cognition-perception research center was designed to show the seamless connection between perception, connection, imagination, and creation. It embodies the Gestalt principle of visual closure; the intricate and powerful visual perception processes between the human eye and brain where fragmented parts are architecturally weaved together to form a cohesive whole. With fragmented exterior facades, classrooms generating new possibilities, research labs making possibilities reality, and both administrative and exhibition spaces allowing coordination, collaboration and connection, this structure is a visual story created and completed through the visual closure of a partial given narrative. This concept of closure can be seen from the complete building form down to the smaller details.

OF PERCEPTION & INQUIRY

FLOOR PLANS 1-4

LOWER LEVEL FLOOR PLAN & SITE PLAN

SITE CIRCULATION ANALYSIS

OF PERCEPTION & INQUIRY

SITE INFLUENCE

Site, circulation, and sun analyses informed the major moves that this structure takes on. It aims to keep the pre-existing circulation paths that campus students and staff may use daily. With this move, almost every room in this building has access to natural light. Outside in the front of the building, there is also a disconnected, two-story space that serves as an outdoor balcony and shaded spot for space for students and staff to sit, work, or eat lunch on nice days.

FACADES & STRUCTURE

This building has a site-cast concrete structural system with a custom pre-cast concrete cladding and structural glass. facade. Geometric shapes and patterns within these exterior elements invite individual perception and understanding of the given visual information.

WALL

COMPONENTS

ROOF COMPONENTS:

1. Parapet

2. Sheething

3. Vapor Barrier

4. Insulation

5. 2” Air Gap

6. 6” Site-Cast Concrete Slab

GLASS WALL & FACADE

COMPONENTS:

15. 2” Structural Glass

16. Stainless Steel

Connector

17. Site-Cast Concrete Floor Slab

18. Structuwral Glass Fastener

19. Glass Mullion

FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:

25. Earth

26. Gravel

27. 4” Site-Cast Concrete Floor Slab

28. Drain Pipe

29. Vapor Barrier

30. 3” Concrete Foundation

31. Insulation

SOUTH & EAST ELEVATIONS

CONCRETE WALL COMPONENTS:

7. Pre-Cast Concrete Panel

8. 2” Air Gap

9. Insulation

10. Vapor Barrier

11. Sheething

12. 7” Site-Cast Concrete Wall

13. Drywall

14. Latex Paint

FLOOR COMPONENTS:

20. Drop Ceiling Cable

21. 6” Site-Cast Concrete Floor Slab

22. HVAC System & Sprinklers

23. Dropped Ceiling

24. Wood Slat Runners

DETAILED WALL SECTION FACADE DETAILS

OF PERCEPTION & INQUIRY

02

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIVAL

PROJECT PARTNER: HALEY TEJRAL

On North 48th Street in Lincoln, NE, there lies a strip of historical buildings that were once the downtown main street of University Place. The small town of University Place originated in the late 1800s and was eventually swallowed up by the growing city of Lincoln. Of the many old building fronts, one in particular stood out to us because of its intricately detailed, pale yellow facade made from terracotta tiles. For this facade redesign, our focus was not only to preserve the character of the building but to also have a positive impact on the natural environment around it. The facade’s large awning is reinforced and converted into a plant bed, and a portion of the tiles are recycled into large bricks designed to house pollinators. Together the flora and fauna benefit each other and positively impact the struggling natural environment around the site without compromising the historical nature and character of the facade.

PHYSICAL MODELS

02

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIVAL

PROJECT PARTNER: HALEY TEJRAL

MATERIAL REUSE:

Reusing the terracotta tiles from the building’s original cladding preserves the building’s expression and history. The new facade connects its past and present in a positive, ecological manner through the use of bricks made from recycled terracotta tiles taken from the original facade. These bricks are made to house pollinators and create new habitats in order to help bring both human and animal life back to the area. This sustainable move speaks well to the building and surrounding area.

The old and detailed façade of this building is an expression detail preserves this cultural expression and community's past. the use of recycled terracotta taken from the original façade. These back to the area. This sustainable

FACADE PROCESS:

Terracotta tiles from portions of the building are removed. The rest is kept in order to preserve the building’s character. REMOVAL

EXISITNG

Building Culture & Impact:

detailed façade of this building is an expression culture from the time when it was designed. Preserving part of the building's façade and this cultural expression and community's past. The new façade connects the past and present in a positive, ecological manner through terracotta taken from the original façade. These bricks aim to create new habitats for pollinators in order to help bring life and people back to the area. This sustainable move speaks well the building and area's culture.

Building Culture & Impact:

this building is an expression culture from the time when it was designed. Preserving part of the building's façade and expression and community's past. The new façade connects the past and present in a positive, ecological manner through taken from the original façade. These bricks aim to create new habitats for pollinators in order to help bring life and people back to the area. This sustainable move speaks well the building and area's culture.

REFINEMENT

The tiles are crushed into fine pieces & mixed with fresh material to ensure durability, then formed & fired into new bricks.

REUSE

Recycled terracotta bricks are applied to the building facade allowing insect habitation & improving the area’s quality of life.

PROPOSED FACADE

02

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIVAL

PROJECT PARTNER: HALEY TEJRAL

ENVIRONMENTAL & COMMUNITY IMPACT:

The redesign and repurposing of this building’s facade aims to help promote a greener and healthier area for the surrounding communities. This maintains the character of the building and contributes to more ecological development. By adding terracotta bricks as a new place for pollinator habitation, and an awning plant bed for shade and vegetation, this new facade provides new organic life. Therefore a positive influence on the social, and environmental dimensions of the community is created through spaces that contribute to the well-being of its residents.

EQUILIBRIUM

Along the Chicago River, one of Chicago’s original buildings, the Reid Murdoch building, stands as a prominent piece of the city’s historical architecture. The northwest side of this building has a vacant space with the potential for an addition or another building. In order to preserve the historic nature of the existing building, this mixed-used high-rise only affects a small portion of the exterior walls and roof. This high-rise aims to not only connect residents to the natural exterior environment through green spaces but also become a vertical community focused on healthy foods and lifestyles within the heavily built environment of Chicago.

FLOOR PLAN INSPIRATION & CONCEPTS

SECTION INSPIRATION & GREEN AREA CONCEPTS

03

EQUILIBRIUM

MINDFUL SPACES & FACADES

Within the built environment and deep parts of inner cities such as Chicago, there is often a lack of vegetation and green exterior spaces. To combat this, the goal is to bring nature, vegetation and green exterior spaces back to the built environment in a vertical manner through the use of large shared balconies and community gardens dispersed throughout the residential highrise. Chicago is also known to have high winds and rain, which may present itself as a deterrent to vertical green areas, but by setting the spaces farther into the building and using a precast panel facade system designed to collect rainwater and feed vegetation, these spaces become inhabitable and enjoyable for flora, fauna and residents within the building. All this gives residents access to natural life and light which is proven to increase physical health, mental health, and social interaction.

Built environments lack green exposure

High winds & wind driven rain

winds & wind driven rain

Integration of exterior space & natural vegetation

Integration of exterior space & natural vegeation

Spatial inset & a facade system designed for rainwater collection lack green exposure

Spatial inset & a facade system designed for rainwater collection

Within the built environment and deep part of inner cities such as Chicago, there is often a lack of vegetation and green exterior spaces. In order to combat this, the goal is to bring the nature, vegetation and green exterior spaces back to the built environment in a vertical manner through the use of large balconies and community gardens dispersed throughout the residential highrise. Chicago is also known to

High

CLT 2. Insulation

Vapor Barrier

Steel Connection 5. Precast Concrete Rain Collection Panel

Floor Finish & Noise Barrier

Concrete Floor Plate 8. Air Space (HVAC)

Dropped Ceiling Condition

Plantable Area & Drainage

11. CLT Structure

12. Terracotta Cladding Panel 13. Insulated Window Glass

EQUILIBRIUM

BUILDING COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

The vertical distribution of programs within this residential high-rise connects not only the residents together through common space on residential floors, but also builds a community centered around health and local efforts. The roof of the building is a large enclosed greenhouse that grows produce sold in a market on the lower levels of the building for the public and building occupants therefore creating a healthy connection and focus throughout the entirety of the building.

Greenhouse

Residential Green Areas

Residential Housing

Vertical distribution of programs creates building community & promotes health

Greenhouse used to grow local produce

The vertical distribution of program within this residential high-rise connects not only the residents together through common space on residential floors, but it also builds a community centered around health and local efforts.

Residents have access to fresh food

Rental Multipurpose Spaces

Fitness

Fresh produce market grown & sold on site

Pool, Lanes & Hot Tub

Produce Market

Bike Storage

Lobby & Mail

Parking & Drop Off

Mechanical & Deliveries

Residents have access to fresh food

LOBBY & MARKET: FLOOR 1

RESIDENTIAL: FLOORS 11 &1 5

MARKET: FLOOR 2

RESIDENTIAL: FLOORS 12 & 16

THRESHOLDS OF GROWTH

PROJECT PARTNERS: CAITLIN ELSER, MARISSA

HENTHORN, & LEXUS PROCHASKA

In collaboration with two existing businesses, Ruth Staples Child Development Lab and Family Resource Center, we envisioned a new connected space that can accommodate the two very different programs in ways that foster positive habits, continuous learning, and personal growth that extend beyond the building walls and into the outdoors. After speaking with both clients and assessing their values, we focused on and designed around four guiding principles: the blending of indoor and outdoor spaces, adaptability and flexibility within spaces, both tranquil and explorative spaces and opportunities, all while preserving and connecting the program’s communities. With this focus, both programs are able to be connected while maintaining their confidentiality, thereby offering each individual user and staff member a unique and personal growth journey. Both businesses are currently connected to UNL and work with college students, therefore finding a large space on one of UNL’s campuses was important. This design is located on and empty portion of UNL’s Innovation Campus, allowing for many opportunities to ensure the clients needs and values were met.