Design Portfolio | Selected Works 2024 | Libby Couture
design portfolio
selected works 2024 | kansas state university
libby couture
cover image | collage sketch of architectural details at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City | ink | june 25, 2022
Created in the context of people, place, and time, architecture plays an inextricable role in the human environment through facilitation of reciprocal interactions with the body. The evolving relationship between people and architecture is rooted in the historic, cultural, and subjective experience. Architecture without people does not exist.
Today, architecture desires to respond to the intense political and social climates that pervade society. It desires to bridge divergent views and inspire collective and united action through spatial agency, community engagement, and beauty.
Located in a neighborhood with a diverse population and rich history, this tower acts as a vehicle to reconnect Strawberry Hill with the surrounding area, providing the opportunity to rebuild and revitalize the community. A series of interior and exterior porches provide places for the community to gather and share their culture and experiences, thus encouraging the reclaiming of community.
completed with Lily Murray | individual emphasis on facade and wall details
Addressing both Koreatown’s history of tension and present-day strides in social justice and equity, this project seeks to empower Koreatown individuals and organizations through spatial agency, user adaptation, and ad-hoc public space. On a site where the exterior and interior are equally significant, spaces are defined by the contrasting, yet complementary, walls and reconfigurable iron details—their permanence and adaptability both working to support activism of all forms.
Heintzelman Prize Nominee
Deeply rooted in its immigrant history and home to many ethnic enclaves, Koreatown is vast with cultural expression. While still a thriving cultural hub, the growth and gentrification of Koreatown has dramatically shifted the sense of place, widened the socioeconomic divide and contributed to the increase in historic tension. However, the pride demonstrated by various non-profits and grassroot organizations is a testament to the strength of Koreatown and should be recognized as valuable assets to the community.
As a non-profit arts activism center, this project seeks to provide a place for community and collaboration.
Massing iterations explore applied geometries, topography manipulation, and the integration of overhead planes. The immediate context informs key site entries and encourages a direct relationship with the historic Chapman Market. Building masses are rotated and organized to create ad-hoc public space of all scales, supporting activism that creates change.
walls as backdrop for activity
The central exterior space invites the public into the site to support the public nature of activism and encourage the convergence of individuals and ideas. An occupiable stair allows for a procession from Chapman Market to the gallery along the primary axis.
Defined by vertical CMU walls and metal mesh overhead planes, the public space becomes a place for activity, activism, and art. Continuing the language of the buildings, permanent and movable seating supports a variety of postures and events, while vegetation and trees work with these built elements to add liveliness and increase comfort.
view of primary axis | facing towards gallery from chapman market
Innovative use of low-cost materials allows the non-profit center to thrive while recognizing economic means. Overhead structures are constructed with steel components and polycarbonate sheets which support the integration of solar panels. Within the buildings, the concrete vertical structure compliments the horizontal steel members.
10 mm twin wall polycarbonate panels
two way angle iron steel truss
perforated black metal panels
poured in place concrete basalt stone pavers sand base aggregate bedding material gravel base layer
Fredens Park only exists because of buildings demolished in preparation for the Søringen highway plan. A reimagining of this plan as a greenbelt through the city reveals a series of spaces that support the scale and movement of the individual, rather than that of the vehicle. Formally, this structure builds on the vernacular gabled architecture of the region, while imparting a new approach. The roof form that serves as a pavilion within the greater park pulls up on either end, emphasizing the unconventional glass structure in the center. Activated by users and blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior, this street culture house becomes a hub for youth activity and redefines the street as a place for people.
movement
movement pathways allow for new site movement building informed by existing movement program located along continuum of movement
existing flow of site flow informing program
plaza
section through social building
patchwork
Typology | Housing and Education Center
Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Size | 30,500 sf
Date | August 2023 - December 2023
Sketching, Revit, Lumion, Photoshop, Illustrator
Improving behavioral health and social well-being at the intersection of neighborhoods near Berks station provides the opportunity to create meaningful third-place and foster a more collective community. Multi-scale co-housing with shared spaces and resources encourages connection between diverse residents. Hobby focused education through intergenerational teaching creates a safe environment to support youth and retirees away from home or school.
completed with Catherine Steinacker, Will Reboulet, and Kyle Odgers | interdisciplinary team | individual emphasis on adaptive reuse interventions, facade, and interior-exterior relationship
addressed
open courtyard + shift stair
front building and link removed to open site and smoke stack adapted for stair tower
establish gateways
major access points defined with gateways to emphasize entrances
fenestration
expansive glazing applied to common spaces, skylight extended, existing window grid maintained with new windows and brick infill
landscape massing
landscape defined by interior program and streetscape developed to improve safety and connection to assets
Emphasizing the intersection between the built environment and social health, Vital Design Studio provided a platform to understand our role as designers in the creation of healthier and more equitable cities. The studio structure allowed for analysis of the site context prior to interdisciplinary project development. Mixed-use, mixed-income solutions required teams to address the critical challenges of housing affordability and social infrastructure while tackling adaptive reuse solutions situated in place. This monograph captures a detailed record of these design processes and proposed solutions.
co-edited with Alexis Davies | contributions from 2023 Vital Design Studio, Professor Kendra Kirchmer
[c2h4]ange for reuse
Typology | Suspended Wall Partition
Location | Weigel Library, Regnier Hall, Kansas State University
Size | 2’8” x 5’ panel, 5’4” x 5’ panel
Date | October 2022 - December 2022
Hand sketching, Rhino, Fabrication Lab, Construction
With an emphasis on sustainability and wall craft, [c 2 h 4 ]ange approaches the design of a partition system through the innovative reuse of plastics. The modular strategy employed is based off the individual unit of the milk jug and allows for implementation at various scales. Individual units are modified to enable for filtering of light, framing of views, and sculptural shaping of space. Taking advantage of the lightweight nature of this material, the system is suspended from a structure above using clamps, cable, and fishing line.
completed with Yvette Fabela and Amber Pryor | individual emphasis on construction and connection to site
(bottom)
creative work
Date | Spring 2021 - Spring 2024
Medium | Graphite, Ink, Watercolor, Film Photography
Creative mediums allow for an intimate observation of space and composition. Studies of built precedents provide the opportunity to explore architectural elements at all scales, understand how individuals engage with the built environment, and gain insight into the immaterial qualities of a place. These subjective interpretations are made tangible through the practice of creative representation.
| grundtvig’s kirke | watercolor | april 9, 2023
right
del campo | graphite | may 19, 2023
church of ognissanti | graphite | february 8, 2021
piazza
siena roof | ink | may 19, 2023
athens from areopagus hill | graphite | april 16, 2023
framing home | photographs | 4x5 monorail | april 2024
