Issuu

KYLIE BRIDGES

SELECTED WORKS

ACADEMIC PORTFOLIO

2024 VOL 01.

INTRODUCTION

PAMLICO COUNTY MASTER PLAN

ARTS PAVILION AT PAMLICO

THE GROUND MODEL WORK

INTRODUCTION

Kylie Uaolani Reese Bridges|She/her

Architectural Designer

La Miniatura “Millard” House Pasadena,CA 1923 Frank Lloyd Wright

CONTACT

[Email] [Phone Number] Linkedin.com/in/kylieubridges

EDUCATION

Conceptual

I am an architectural designer dedicated to creating spaces that evoke emotion, enhance well-being, and foster meaningful connections. My design approach is deeply rooted in empathy toward the psychology of space, recognizing how the built environment influences mood, behavior, and human interaction. I thoughtfully engage the five senses considering texture, sound, scent, and spatial experience to craft immersive and memorable environments.

Light plays a crucial role in my work, not just as an aesthetic element but as a dynamic force that shapes atmosphere, movement, and perception. I integrate biophilic design principles, bringing nature into spaces through materials, greenery, and organic forms to strengthen the connection between people and their surroundings.

Culture and community are at the heart of my process, ensuring that every project respects and reflects the identity of its context. I draw inspiration from history to create designs that honor the past while embracing modern innovation. Sustainability and ecology are fundamental to my philosophy, guiding my choices in materials, energy efficiency, and long-term environmental impact.

I approach design as a balance between tradition and forwardthinking solutions, embracing craftsmanship alongside contemporary techniques to create spaces that are both timeless and adaptable. Ultimately, my goal is to create spaces that are not only visually compelling but also deeply responsive to human needs, environmental responsibility, and the evolving ways we live, work, and connect.

PAMLICO COUNTY MASTER PLAN

Introduction

Pamlico County, located on the Carolina coast, has a rich history rooted in the Pamlico tribe, who called it “TaTaku” or “where the land and sea meet the sky.” Established in 1872, the county’s economy began with agriculture, focusing on cotton, corn, and lumber, later expanding to potatoes, tobacco, and fishing. Today, its economy is more diverse, with small businesses, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and public services, such as education and healthcare, which employ 20% of the workforce.

Home to about 12,276 residents, Pamlico County has a median age of 54, with a mix of young families and veterans contributing to its vibrancy. However, challenges include an aging population, a 15.5% poverty rate, limited public transportation, no nearby hospitals, and vulnerability to environmental risks like hurricanes. Its demographic makeup is 74% white, 16% African American, and 4% Hispanic.

The coastal landscape features Stockade loamy fine sand, prone to high runoff and shallow water tables, creating a habitat for diverse wildlife, including the American alligator and Atlantic sturgeon. Preserving wetlands, addressing flood risks, and improving infrastructure are critical for the county’s sustainability and future.

To cultivate a vibrant, sustainable, and resilient community hub in Pamlico County, fostering collective pride, to the land, and a shared future for all residents.

NURTURE COMMUNITY:

Craft spaces that inspire connection, collaboration, and shared experiences, nurturing a vibrant community spirit while honoring Pamlico County’s rich heritage.

Re-imagine parks, plazas, and community centers as dynamic, welcoming hubs designed for engagement through intentional spatial planning and aesthetic harmony.

Celebrate and uplift local artists, musicians, and storytellers by weaving their contributions into the fabric of the built environment, enhancing cultural identity and shared experiences.

STEWARDSHIP OF THE LAND:

Project Brief

Collaborating with Pamlico County, North Carolina, community members to develop a Master Plan for a new Community and Economic Development Center. The Center will serve as a hub for community engagement, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. In addition hold health, transportation, and emergency service that help serve and meet the county needs.

Preserve and enhance Pamlico County’s natural environment, including waterways, wetlands, and wildlife, ensuring long-term sustainability. Adopt sustainable practices in public spaces and promote green initiatives among residents and businesses.

Integrate nature-based solutions and green infrastructure to strengthen community resilience.

INVEST IN THE FUTURE:

Design with foresight, embracing sustainable development to address Pamlico County’s evolving challenges and opportunities, ensuring enduring prosperity, well-being, and equitable mobility for all.

Foster initiatives that create meaningful job opportunities and welcome new businesses while honoring the county’s distinctive character and charm.

Nurture local businesses and entrepreneurship, cultivating a sense of pride, resilience, and economic self-reliance within the community.

PROMOTE WELLNESS:

Encourage healthy, self-sufficient lifestyles by addressing physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.

Ensure public spaces are inclusive and accessible for all.

Provide affordable, nutritious food through community gardens, f markets, and education.

Design parks, trails, and recreation centers to support safe, active living.

Present Day 2024

Selected site off of Highway 55 in Grantsborough,Pamlico County, North Carolina Site Analysis

WIND ROSE

SUMMER SOLSTICE

WINTER SOLSTICE

FLOOD PLANE

COMMERCIAL

GRANTSBROOK REHAB NURSING CENTER

OLDBAY RIVERRD.

PHASE 1:

A. Health Service

B. Social Service

PHASE 2:

A. Barn

B. Cafe

PHASE 3:

A. Recreation + NGOS

B. Art Pavilion

AGRICULTURE AND EDU

HE ALTH

SOCIAL SERVICES

PARK S AND REC.

TRANSPORTATION HUB

CONSERVED TREES

POTENTIAL FUTURE DEVELOPMENT ART FLOOD PL ANE

HWY 55 (MAIN ENTRANCE)

RESIDENTIAL ENTRANCE

Pedestrian Circulation

PAMLICO ARTS PAVILION 1.5.

PRAIRIE PLANTS

Act as sponges with their deep roots. These roots absorb excess rain from storms, reducing flooding. They also prevent erosion by holding soil in place, leading to cleaner water. The deep roots also tap into groundwater during droughts, keeping the prairie healthy.

PAVILION

NATIVE PLANTS

Require less maintenance, saving you time and money. Plus, they’re beautiful throughout the seasons. They also create a healthier environment by reducing the need for pesticides and herbicides. Native plants help fight climate change by storing carbon dioxide and require less water to thrive. Additionally, they provide vital habitat and food sources for a variety of wildlife.

SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

Reducing environmental impact (lower carbon footprint, energy efficiency) while

Providing strong, durable buildings. This not only benefits the planet but also attracts Eco-conscious clients and positions your business for success.

Kylie Bridges

From Left to Right:

Studio Space featuring one of three modular moving office spaces, View into the outdoor performance theater.

A Story of Nature, Community and Resilience

Nestled within the landscape, the Arts Pavilion at Pamlico does not seek to dominate its surroundings but rather to become an inseparable part of them. It stands as a quiet gesture of respect—both to the land it inhabits and the community it serves. Inspired by the steadfast presence of the site’s Loblolly pines, the pavilion extends this spirit of preservation, ensuring that the natural environment remains not just intact, but enriched.

The land here tells a story of change. Once a wheat field with rhythmic rows stretching across the horizon, it later became a community space shaped by both nature and time. Yet, the site’s vulnerability to flooding threatened its future. The pavilion’s response is subtle yet effective: rather than resisting the landscape’s natural tendencies, it works with them. The structure is gently lifted, not as an abrupt intervention, but as a seamless continuation of the land itself. A soft, sloping hill rises to meet it, blurring the boundary between built and natural, making it feel as though it has always been there.

The space unfolds gradually, balancing openness with intimacy. Where expansiveness might have felt daunting, the design carves out moments of closeness—nooks where the community can gather, reflect, and reconnect. Movement through the landscape is guided by curiosity, encouraging exploration while maintaining a sense of familiarity. It is a space that feels both new and deeply rooted, offering a fresh perspective on a place long known.

Materially, the pavilion speaks the language of its surroundings. Locally sourced wood allows it to blend effortlessly into the environment, while the very earth displaced in shaping the site is repurposed to sculpt the gentle contours of the land. Sustainability is not an afterthought but an intrinsic part of the pavilion’s story. Passive design strategies ensure that it remains resilient in the face of storms and rising waters, adapting to the rhythms of nature rather than opposing them.

More than just a shelter, the Arts Pavilion at Pamlico is a bridge between past and present, built and natural, solitude and community. It offers a place not only to gather but to pause—to listen to the rustling pines, to watch the landscape shift with the seasons, and to experience a familiar place in an entirely new way. In doing so, it becomes more than architecture; it becomes a living, breathing part of the land’s ongoing narrative.

From Left to Right:

Parti Diagram, Flexibility and movement of space

From top left to bottom right:

West Aerial View of Site, Sculpture Garden and Information Courtyard, East Aerial View of Site, South Face of Arts Center and Outdoor Theater

THE GROUND DURHAM,NC

From Left to Right: Viewing Deck and Soil Laboratory

Reclaiming the past, Cultivating the Future

Once a site of industrial function, now a landscape of quiet transformation—The Ground is a public space and research initiative that embraces both the visible and unseen forces of regeneration. Set within Sandy Creek Park, a landscape that itself has undergone a profound evolution from a wastewater treatment facility to an ecological sanctuary, this project continues the story of reclamation and renewal. It serves as a space for reflection, research, and reconnection with the land, acknowledging the past, studying the present, and nurturing the future.

The inspiration for the project comes from the site itself. Among the rotting trees and the fungi that quietly decompose them, a natural cycle unfolds—death giving way to new life, decay enriching the soil. This process of degeneration and rejuvenation became the foundation of the design approach. Much like the park’s transformation from an industrial site into a thriving ecological habitat, the pavilion does not seek to erase history but rather to learn from it. The structure takes on an organic presence, mimicking a mushroom on a fallen log—a quiet form nestled into the hillside that blends into its surroundings rather than standing apart. Before shaping the built environment, the land was studied. Soil typologies were examined, water quality analyzed, and ecological shifts understood—just as previous efforts at Sandy Creek Park sought to restore wetlands and rehabilitate the site’s environmental health. This research determined the building’s placement, ensuring it would sit lightly within the landscape. The materials chosen echo the site’s natural processes of decay and renewal. Wood, stone, and elements sourced from the land reinforce the project’s commitment to sustainability. Just as fungi transform fallen trees into soil, the pavilion embraces an ethos of circularity, integrating new elements from what already exists.

The design respects the scars of industry while fostering a new ecological narrative. The building is embedded into the terrain, creating a subtle intervention that feels like an extension of the park itself. An old viewing deck, once a remnant of the site’s industrial past, is repurposed into the building’s program, allowing visitors to reflect on both history and transformation. Along the adjacent trail, the pavilion provides a place for rest, reflection, and necessary public utilities, seamlessly integrating itself into the park’s layered activity.

More than just a shelter, The Ground is an experience—one that invites visitors to pause, observe, and engage with a landscape in transition. It provides space for rest and research, curiosity and contemplation, honoring both the past and the possibilities of the future. A site once defined by waste is now a place of renewal, proving that even in decay, there is growth potential. As Sandy Creek Park has shown through its history, places can be transformed, not just for nature, but for the people who find meaning in them.

SITE CONTEXT DIAGRAMS

The initial intuitive response was to create a soil typology map blended with floodplain, contour, existing buildings and pathways into one synthetic diagram. This developed a solution for site placement within the expansive park.

INSPIRATION

Upon visiting the site, I took several photos documenting water, people and soil conditions. I would later return in my notebook to sketch my visions and thoughts for what would be needed.

Kylie Bridges

PROCESS

Creation of desired location topography and form making based off of program blocking. I wanted a form that would support all types of activities and opportunities of chance interactions.

Form located next to an existing pedestrian pathway: This design attempts to convey visitors to approach from the path below and unto the buildings sloped hillside. All for a chance to peer into the building, the laboratory below and views to the flooded plane and even to ponder about nature.