ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO LEAH BALDOCCHI
Projects
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New York Block
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Florida Landscape
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Cirque du Soleil Tower
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Charleston Theater
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Barren Desert
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New York Tower
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Orlando Suntrust Model 3
New York Block
Leah Baldocchi Design 7 - Fall 2019 Professor Judi Shade Monk One Penn Station in New York City is one of the busiest transportation hubs in the world. For this project, my classmate, Hannah Blake, and I had a goal of creating a quiet sanctuary of outdoor space in the center of the craziness that is One Penn. Our site was organized as a reaction to the circular plan of Madison Square Garden. After studying the site plans of several circular buildings, we discovered that the most intriguing way to react to the curvature was to imagine that MSG had fallen from the sky. With this in mind, we began peeling the ground upwards in fan-shaped sections as if it had been shattered by the fall. By raising the ground plane, we were able to exponentially increase the amount of safe public space on the site. Additionally, the “zig zag� shape of the ground allows for a slow transition into our multi-use building, which includes hotel, residential and office spaces. More efficient ways to travel can be found underneath the ground feature. Hannah and I collaboratively worked on the both the physical and 3D model, including the renders, and I contributed the sections.
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Level 14 Outdoor Public Space
Street Level Museum Entrance
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The building itself appears as though it has bounced upwards in response to the peeling of the ground.
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Public Space from Street Level
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Ground Floor Plan
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The space underneath the ground houses the I Ching art installation. The art is composed of a series of carpets and can be view from the public space outdoor through the trianglar windows.
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Aerial View of the Site
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Aerial Views of Final Model
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Bristol Process Models
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Florida Landscape
Leah Baldocchi Design 5 - Fall 2018 Professor Michael Kuenstle After studying the topography and characteristics of Fort Island Beach, Florida, I was able to revamp the tired and sad waterfront into an exciting destination with three small interventions. Inspired by the folds and ripples of the waves, I designed undulating pleated components to construct each intervention. The first structure is a transitional welcoming space that allows for beautiful ocean views and brings awareness to one’s environment. The second building is a restaurant and entertainment space, because every beach-goer needs a space to escape the sun for some burgers and fries. The final intervention is a peaceful and serene meditation space for relaxing and renewing. The construction of this structure allows for natural breeze and ocean sounds to penetrate the structure and soften the space.
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Diagrammatic Site Mapping
Yoga Studio Section
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Restaurant Patio
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Restaurant Section
Entrance Section
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Cirque du Soleil Tower Leah Baldocchi Design 4 - Spring 2018 Professor Elizabeth Cronin
The Cirque Du Soleil Tower houses a magnificent production of acrobatic excellence. The three main programs of the tower are dedicated to practice, performance, and renewal and are arranged around a structured core. The massive plaster core represents the strength of each performer, which is the foundation of the art form. The programmatic spaces are located in the fragile, organic plaster molds that are suspended from the core. The intention behind these soft spaces was to embrace the apparent delicacy and smoothness of the acrobatic performance.
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Tower Diagram
Practice Space
Performance Space
Renewal Space
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Charleston Theater Leah Baldocchi Design 6 - Spring 2019 Professor Peter Sprowls
The theater was inspired by the culture of Charleston, South Carolina. The building is located on South King Street, a street known for its highend fashion retail. The structure has absorbed the nature of its site by doubling as a runway. Words, such as stitch, layer, drape, and seam, were the stimuli in creating the building method, spatial organization, and interior features. The walls of the ground floor plan work together like stiches to create both compressive and expansive spaces. This resembles the characteristic of clothing to hug or drape over different parts of the body. The facade of the building appears to be sewing the structure together, allowing the exterior space to slip indoor through the seams. The staircase creates a beautiful, grand entrance into the theater. The drapes surrounding them mimic the way in which a pleated skirt falls from the waist.
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Pleated Staircase
Experiential Image of Stairs
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Process Model in Site
Preliminary Spatial Organization Sketches
Ground Floor Plan
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Barren Desert
Leah Baldocchi Design 4 - Spring 2018 Professor Elizabeth Cronin
The challenge of the Desert project was to create a programmatic destination in a site with little to no topographical influence. The practice of yoga was the inspiration behind the design. Just like in practice, this building focuses on its relationship and connection to the ground. This characteristic of yoga is incorporated by taking advantage of the few natural features offered in a desert. The outdoor space underneath the structure is used as a hot yoga studio. Solar heat is absorbed by the desert sand and reflected into the space, eradicating the need for an electrical heating system. In addition to the hot yoga studio, the building provides spaces for indoor group classes, personal meditation and a natural sauna.
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Aerial View of Model
Ground Floor Plan
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Section Perspective
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New York Tower
Leah Baldocchi Design 7 - Fall 2019 Professor Judi Shade Monk Manhattanville is a New York City neighborhood that is home to many educational facilities and factories. The neighborhood is located in the district of Harlem and is craving a cultural hub to revive its history. Working in a group, Hannah Blake, Kady Cramer and I designed the cultural center the area needed. The south side of the building activates the sidewalk with a market full of local food, drinks, music and much more. This development created a space to celebrate the culture and history of the locals.
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Cross Section
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The residential building blends market-rate apartments and affordable `` housing, uniting the city as one. The kitchen in every apartment is located on the south facade in order to represent an integration of all residents. No matter if the residents are cooking or ordering in, every meal contributes to the city’s culture. My contribution to the group for this project was the 3D model and renders, as well as the longitudinal section.
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Ground Floor Plan
Longitudinal Section
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Orlando Suntrust Model Leah Baldocchi HuntonBrady Architects Summer 2019 Internship
Using AutoCAD, Sketchup and Revit, I created a physical model of HuntonBrady’s Suntrust Tower in downtown Orlando. I joined the HuntonBrady team as intern in the middle of the tower’s construction. I spent about 150 hours transforming the digital model into a detailed, scaled down replica of the structure using wood, plexi and micro lumber. HuntonBrady will be moving into the Suntrust building following its completion and the model will be displayed in their lobby for workers, clients and partners to view.
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Resume
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Leah Baldocchi
(407) 310-3726 • lbaldocchi@ufl.edu
EDUCATION
University of Florida, College of Design, Construction, and Planning Bachelor of Design Major: Architecture, Minor: Sustainability and the Built Environment, GPA: 3.67/4.0
August 2016- Present
ARCHITECTURE EXPERIENCE/ INVOLVEMENT
Architrave, Member August 2018- Present • Worked with the club to create a student-produced publication, provided a creative outlet for students • Marketing and recruitment assistant • Attended weekly creative meetings American Institute of Architecture (AIAS), Member January 2019-Present • Planned networking event for architecture students with over 300 in attendance • Attended construction site visits, portfolio workshops, studio clean-outs, and guest speaker events
HONORS AND AWARDS
University of Florida Dean’s List, Recipient Feature photograph on UF Dance Marathon Social Media
2017-Present 2018
SERVICE EXPERIENCE
Dance Marathon at the University of Florida, Multimedia Captain August 2017- May 2018 • Photographer for organization’s events, edited hundreds of pictures per week • Personally raised over $1,000, doubling my initial goal • Attended weekly creative planning meetings Council Member for Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority, Service Chair January 2017- January 2018 • Scheduled and coordinated biweekly local service events for chapter members • Responsible for involvement of ZTA members in other organization’s events National Breast Cancer Foundation , ZTA Representative August 2017- Present • Encouraged Zeta Tau Alpha members to raise money for Breast Cancer Education and Awareness • Coordinated philanthropy events between ZTA members and Breast Cancer fighters
SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT
Recruitment Board for Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority, Head of Computers August 2018- Present • Acted as a liaison between sorority members and Panhellenic advisors throughout the year in preparation for fall recruitment Intramural Sports, Participant August 2016- Present • Represented sorority in UF Rec Sports soccer tournaments Youth Leadership Conference, Registration Staff January 2017- May 2017 • Registered high school students for a leadership conference hosted by University of Florida’s Student Government
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
HuntonBrady Architects, Intern • Participated in project meetings and site visits • Constructed detailed project model • Produced firm monograph • Created digital and physical massing models ACi Architects Inc, Intern • Edited Rhino and AutoCAD files • Attended project and client meetings • Built model and created sketches and elevations Impulse Nutrition, Employee • Worked in a fast-paced environment • Graphic Designer for social media accounts • Cashier
April 2017- August 2017
April 2017- August 2017
June 2018- Present
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