Kristiana Tu is a fifth-year undergraduate student in Iowa State University’s architecture program, graduating in May 2025.
Her passion for design stems from a love for people and community. While at Iowa State, she has devoted time to community-oriented clubs and initiatives. She has been a member of Iowa State’s NOMAS chapter since 2022 and has served as its event coordination chair since August of 2024. This role has allowed her to connect with professionals both locally and nationally in an effort to provide networking opportunities and professional resources to minority architecture students at Iowa State. She has also been a peer mentor for freshman design students, worked at the College of Design’s print shop and resource center, and helped lead an architecture publication club at Iowa State called STRATAA.
As a designer, she is passionate about design that goes further than buildings. Through five years of studio and multiple internships, she’s dedicated herself to designing spaces and experiences tailored to diverse contexts, clients, and environments. She is passionate about environmental responsibility and has completed a minor in sustainability. Her work displays consistent attention to detail and an extraordinary level of care.
• Assisted in Design Development for a luxury residential tower project
• Improved parking efficiency by iterating plans for a large-scale mixed-use development
• Helped create detailed competition models for multiple mixed-use projects in RFP
• Compiled comprehensive research on sustainable material innovations for a prospective residential project
SLAM Collaborative
Intern Architect // Full-time May-August 2023 and December 2023-January 2024; part-time August-November 2023
Iowa City, Iowa
• Created clear construction documents for various healthcare and research facilities
• Iterated spatial plans and renovation details for a pharmacy renovation
• Supported a collaborative atmosphere in multiple team settings
• Coordinated equipment locations and quantities for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital
Legat Architects
Intern Architect // Full-time May-August 2022 and December 2022-January 2023
• Iterated massings and exterior designs for various Moline K-12 school additions
• Created detailed Revit models of existing buildings for awarded renovation projects
• Created construction documents for various small-scale renovations at the University of Iowa
• Designed facade iterations for corporate and K12 projects
Iowa State University College of Design Output Center
Student employee August 2021 - May 2022; August 2022 - May 2023; January 2024-present
New Haven, Connecticut Iowa City, Iowa Ames, Iowa
• Led new employees in on-the-job training
• Coordinated team workflow to operate efficiently during busier shifts
• Assisted students in laser-cutting
• Troubleshot for the printers, computer systems, and laser cutters when needed
• Maintained a clean and safe work environment for all student employees at the center
EDUCATION
2020 - 2025 (projected)
2017-2021
2017-2021
SKILLS
• Autodesk Revit
• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Enscape
• Bluebeam Revu
• Microsoft Suite
• Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, Illustraor, Premiere Pro, and Lightroom
• Rhino 3D
• Lumion
• Twinmotion
INVOLVEMENT
AIAS member
Iowa State University
Bachelor’s of Architecture // Minor in sustainability
Kirkwood Community College
Associate’s of Arts
Mid-Prairie Home School Assistance Program
• Team collaboration and communication
• Architectural research and analysis
• Architectural graphics and visualization
• On-the-job skill building
• Written and oral communication
• Attention to detail
• Organization
• Flexibility
• Ability to manage multiple projects and tasks
REFERENCES
Rod Kruse, FAIA LEED AP
Associate teaching professor
Architecture / Iowa State University
High school
Fall 2023 - present Ames, Iowa Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, Iowa
NOMAS Iowa State
Fall 2022 - May 2024: memeber
May 2024 - May 2025: Event Coordination Chair
STRATAA
Student-run architecture publication
Spring 2023 - Winter 2024
ACHIEVEMENTS
Dean’s list (x7)
Iowa State University
Dean’s list (x4)
Kirkwood Community College
rodk@iastate.edu
+1 515-294-5676
Adrienne Nelson, AIA IIDA
Principal
Pickard Chilton / New Haven, CT
anelson@pickardchilton.com
+1 203-786-3033
For a deeper dive, visit my webside at kristiana-tu.squarespace.com
LOOP
ARCH 401 / Fall, 2023
Professors Rod Kruse and Ayo Iyanalu
Partner Katlyn Aikin
This semester’s focus was creating architecture that had not just a neutral but a positive effect on its suroundings. The site we worked with is a victim of poor wastewater management and a collection point for much of Ames, Iowa’s dirty runoff. As a result, the site has experienced catastrophic erosion and toxic deposits, leaving the soil compromised, the steeply-sloped site bare of native flora, and large patches of trees dead.
Our team chose to situate our building within one of these patches of dead trees, partly to minimize any impact on living systems and partly to intercept the two main drainage points through which toxic water entered the site. The building itself operates as an open hydrological loop, capturing drainage and rainwater and sending it through seven different purification steps. These purification steps capitalize on natural decomposition processes to clean the water with plants, microbes, and minimal chemical additives. After water is cleaned, it is either used by our building as grey water, given to the Ames water filtration plant, or released safely back into the site. In this way, our building works to improve its site and work with existing constraints and patterns to fulfill its needs sustainably.
The building itself houses education programs, providing a space for Ames residents to learn about water conservation, sustainable use practices, and to occupy as a workspace oriented towards a peaceful, natural environment.
1. Ames population density
Brush on site pointed to the prairie that had once inhabited the land as well as an abundance of invasive species.
Ash, Oak, Elm and Maple comprised the main tree population, with the oldest on the East border.
The southeast corner housed a busy intersection between two of Ames’ busiest streets making conversation impossible.
Both of the soil types present on site are highly susceptible to erosion and not condusive to deeply-rooted plants.
Ames receives most of its rain in the summer, with some storms depositing up to 8” in 24 hours.
As a midwestern town, Ames experiences temperature extremes, from hot, humid summers to bitterly cold winters.
In the summertime, wind comes primarily from the North or South and can reach almost 30 miles per hour.
In the winter, wind comes from all directions, with the most intense wind coming from the North to East directions.
My team employed a closed hydrological loop system to capture and filter incoming stormwater coming from two drains on the southwestern corner.
1. ENTRY into a spacious lobby
2. LOBBY featuring full views of the main floor
3. CENTRAL SYSTEMS OVERVIEW giving guests real-time data about the closed hydrological loop
4. WORKSPACE oriented towards the rain garden
5. RAIN GARDEN creating an environment of peace and focus
6. CAFE fueled by collected and purified rain water
7. ELEVATOR AND STAIRS to the lower exhibition
MAIN FLOOR PLAN
1. VESTIBULE maintaining special atmospheric conditions for the exhibition space 2. AERATED LAGOONS, step four of the hydrological loop
OUTDOOR LAGOONS, step five of the hydrological loop 4. EDUCATION SPACE for interactive learning 5. LECTURE SPACE for more organized education about conservation
ADMIN OFFICES to house security, maintenance, and event management
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
DAYLIGHTING LEVELS
All above-ground areas of our building can be 100% daylit
DAYLIGHT AVAILABILITY
Our building’s orientation and openness allow it to be 100% daylit 75% of its annual operating hours.
MATERIALITY
Our team prioritized choosing sustainable, locally-sourced materials for our project.
GREEN ROOF ASSEMBLY: Substrate and drainagle layers supported by a CLT roof slab and mass timber column-and-beam structure; collects rainwater for filtration system.
2. LOW-E GLASS SKYLIGHT: A double-paned low-E glass skylight with a recessed frame maximizes sunlight in the assembly space while limiting solar heat gain.
3. MASS TIMBER STRUCTURE: White pine glulam columns support a radial beam system.
4. POLYCARBONATE WALL: 25mm multi-wall polycarbonate panels mounted to our mass timber structure provides superior natural lighting without compromising on the envelope’s thermal integrity.
5. CURTAIN WALLS: Triple-pane high-efficiency glass is fitted into a fiberglass curtainwall frame. Fiberglass frames improve the curtain system’s thermal performance by up to 250% and are more recyclable than metal frames.
6. EXTERIOR SHADING: Our team designed custom timber horizontal lourvers sized to block direct sunlight in the summer and allow it to heat the throme wall on the south facade in the winter.
7. CLT FLOOR CONSTRUCTION: A structural CLT slab mounted on a timber structure below supports an open floor assembly which houses an underfloor air distribution system that allows natural ventilation through the south facade to cool interior air in the main space. The space is finished with white pine slats.
8. RAMMED EARTH WALLS: All retaining and solid walls in our project are rammed earth. We limited the use of concrete to the building pad to decrease our project’s embodied carbon.
9. LAGOON DISPLAY GLAZING: The ten foot deep aerated lagoons are housed in concrete forms recessed into the earth. Above grade, tempered glass acts as both a guardrail and a surface on which information about the housed ecosystems is displayed for visitors.
10. TIMBER LATTICE STRUCTURE: The double-height exhibition space is supported by a light timber lattice structure which distributes loads evenly into the foundation and allows the space to celebrate light. The structural assembly is inspired by the Japanese Cidori toy which allows three wooden pieces to latch into a connection without metal fasteners.
11. POLYCARBONATE SKIN: The exhibition space is housed in 25mm polycarbonate, which allows the plants in the lagoon to receive their required sunlight levels while mitigating glare for visitors.
This section highlights how we employed the AIA’s ten principles of design excellence, focusing primarily on designing for integration, ecosystems, water, energy, and wellbeing.
A section detail of the double-skin curtain system details how it works to naturally ventilate the space in the summer.
In the winter, the double-skin wall is closed, creating a throme wall to naturally heat the space in the winter.
BENEDICTINE GUESTHOUSE
ARCH 302 / Spring, 2023
Professor Paul Mankins Partner Ella Kannegiesser
This semester’s focus was to design a Benedictine Guesthouse next to the St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des Moines, IA. The cathedral was built in 1856, directly following the relocation of Iowa’s capital to Des Moines. It and the adjoining rectory were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Surrounding the building site is a mish-mash of architectural styles and landmarks, including a Mies Van Der Roh bank.
This project strove to create a work of architecture that could address and compliment such a diverse context, especially the cathedral. The guesthouse is to serve as a space for religious pilgrims to stay while on pilgrimage in order to rest, study, meditate, and commune with others.
The challenges of this project were to create a building that could seamlessly transition between the cathedral and the living spaces, as well as to fit multiple programs on a small lot, while maintaining easy circulation and honoring desired adjacencies.
Above: Our design process started with analysis of the urban context of our building site: St. Ambrose Cathedral, the Catholic Dioces of Des Moines, and Principal Financial Group. Beyond this, various restaurants, businesses, and other corporate offices inhabit our context.
Left: Because of Des Moines’ density, our build site is surrounded by many tall office and residential buildings, blocking direct sunlight for much of the year.
Our massing process involved printing and marking up modeled iterations. We remained conscious of architectural styles surrounding us and how to reconcile our massing to existing datum lines.
Far left: Public and private spaces were divided and fit into one of the two interlocking masses. Stacking public spaces allow private rooms to remain separated but within easy access of gathering areas.
Middle: Circulation is equally accessible from any portion of the building. A small service elevator serves the second-floor kitchen from a receiving and mech room.
Right: A diagram showing how public, private, and semi-private spaces are organized and stacked.
Top left: Main floor plan
Bottom left: second floor plan
Upper right: Lobby render
Bottom right: courtyard render
Top left: Third floor plan
Bottom left: Fourth floor plan
Upper right: Library render
Bottom right: Guest room render
Longitudinal section
EPHEMERAL GRANDEUR
ARCH 402, Spring 2024
Professor Bosuk Hur Partners Katlyn Aikin and Fatemah Almahmeed
This project focused on revitalizing empty spaces in San Francisco’s Financial District. Post-COVID, San Francisco has suffered from a doom loop, in which rising vacancy rates have left many building owners unable to afford security. This has led to increased crime rates in the Financial District and beyond, causing tenants to vacate buildings and exacerbating the problem.
Our project sought to tackle this by creating a community space inside the abandoned Crocker Bank. Once a grand symbol of capitalistic wealth and Eurocentric prosperity, this bank has sat empty, costing its owners $250 a day in fines for closing access to the rooftop garden, a registered POPOS. Architecturally, the bank features common Italian Renaissance components, including white marble, ornate detailing and carving, and massive scale meant to overpower human occupants.
Our team chose to fill this space with a mixed-use development including artist residencies, a market for local craftsmen, and a highly versatile gallery that caters to a multitude of artist typologies. In doing so, we are amplifying minority voices and artists who would otherwise struggle to exhibit and sell in such an expensive city. We hoped to provide an opportunity for reparations to historically marginalized communities in San Francisco, including the Chinese immigrant community, Native American tribes, street artists, and economically lower-class residents.
Our team started by creating a book filled with research about San Francisco’s and the Financial District’s history, focusing on marginalized groups and the effects of the doom loop. This research became the basis for our intervention’s purpose.
We then moved into researching our intervention’s (referred to as a “parasite” for how it feeds off its context) site and history. We laid out intentions for programming and how they would serve both the community and developers’ financial interests.
We created a manifesto that told the story of our intervention. On the bottom, we pictured Crocker Bank surrounded by its history and its current state. Traveling upwords, we unraveled the bank and built new, more colorful innovations and programs meant to serve the community by providing platforms and representational spaces for artists, craftsmen, minorities, and microcommunities.
Our team chose to build a versatile structure out of metal framing, giving artists and curators the opportunity to create their own exhibition spaces using curtains. This ephemerality not only keeps the space versatile and able to meet any future spatial needs, but engages in symbolic irony; the bank, built of heavy stone and reflecting naturalized ideals about white power and capitalistic gain, is now filled with ephemeral structures housing what has proven to be truly permanent: community and representation of populations and ideas that contradict Eurocentric capitalistic hierarchies.
Perspective floorplan showing the layering of ephemeral spaces within the metal framework
Above: 1/32” context model
Below: 1/8” final project model
Detailed interior model photos showcasing the gallery spaces and structure contrasted with the white bank structure
