Liz Fraka, AIAS Academic Portfolio 2019-2023

LIZ FRAKA, AIAS

+1.913.475.4549

EDUCATION

2024 Master of Architecture, University of Kansas (expected) | 4.0 Study Abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark (Summer 2021) Certificate in Service Learning

2019 Diploma, Mill Valley High School | Shawnee, KS

EXPERIENCE

May 2021 - Aug. 2022 Intern, Clark Huesemann, Lawrence, KS

- Docking State Office Building: Directly worked on all aspects of Bridging Documentation with lead architect for $106 million, 270,000 sq ft project with a building EUI of 26

- Broken Arrow Park Shelter: Created existing conditions model through a site visit and independently developed, modeled, and rendered six plan options for renovation from an open-air to a partially enclosed and tempered shelter through rendering for preliminary client presentation

AWARDS/ACTIVITIES

2021 - 2022 American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) Chapter President

- Organized and hosted monthly professional development and general body meetings

- Managed weekly board meetings to ensure progress towards events

2020 - 2021 AIAS Secretary

- Founded and chaired the Advocacy Committee

- Helped establish a regular panel series connecting students to professionals and hosted several of the panels

- Recorded, edited, and managed the AIAS KU YouTube Channel to document all virtual events

2020 - 2021 AIAS Membership Committee, Member

- Assisted in the creation of the “Benefits of Membership” guide that was presented at the national conference FORUM

- Helped write the “Mentorship Guidebook” to be published on the national AIAS website

2021 - 2022

AIAS Education and Culture Task Force, Member

- Assisted in the revisions to the Learning and Teaching Culture Policy

2022 - Present AIAS Student Health and Wellbeing, Chair

- Host bi-weekly meetings

- begin developing a brief, highly graphical resources guide for students struggling with different topics to make these resources more accessible for all students.

- developing programing options for both in person and online conferences.

2021 - Present Alpha Sigma Kappa - Women in Technical Studies

Spring 2022 Finalist for KU Architecture Portfolio Awards

2020 - Present The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

2019 - Present University of Kansas Chancellor’s Scholarship

PROFICIENCIES

OTHER

Revit, SketchUp, AutoCAD, Lumion, Enscape, Rhino, Adobe, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, Slack

- Attended Grassroots (2020, 2021, 2022), FORUM (2021, 2022), and Midwest Quad Conference (2020)

- Traveled to Europe through high school trips

- Danced recreationally and competitively for 14 years

- Volunteered on five annual domestic mission trips and one international mission trip through church

PLACEMAKING

PROJECT BRIEF

Steve Padget|Fall 2022

Urban Mixed-Use Residential

1040 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS

20,000 sq ft

DESCRIPTION

The goal of this project was to create a mixed-use residential building at the northeast corner of 11th and Massachusetts in Lawrence, Kansas. The project had to be integrated into the surrounding context and utilize COTE 10 principles to create a sustainable building. The units were designed to minimize hallways and maximize natural light into the bedrooms and living rooms. The different unit types were mixed within the residential floors to create an integrated community and opportunities for connection. Wider hallways and notches create a customizable, semi-public zone instead of simply a temporary transition space. The building is supported with CLT walls and floors with primary load bearing walls every 25’. The overall massing is steps back at the ground level to create a public plaza, and the fifth floor is set back to reduce the street presence and create additional outdoor space.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The

time you are given does not matter, it is what you can do with the time that counts.

1: BLOCK EXTRUSION

2: ROTATE FOR LIGHT AND PUBLIC SPACE

3: SUBDIVIDE FOR BOTTOM/MIDDLE/TOP

4: UNIT SHAPE EXPRESSED

UNIT DESIGN

The design of the units prioritizes access to natural light and ventilation, keeping bedroom and living spaces close to windows and allowing service spaces to be more inboard. As the units were tiled together, they were mixed on each floor to foster aonnections between different user groups that may not otherwise cross paths. The hallway is wider than necessary to create an interior street and give space for personalization at each apartment’s front door. Windows over the kitchen sink into the hallway also increase connection and create eyes on the street.

SELF-TAPPING SCREWS

SELF-TAPPING SCREWS

LEVEL 1 1/32” = 1’

FLOOR-TO-FLOOR JOINTS

CLT FLOOR PANELS

WALL-TO-FLOOR JOINTS

CLT FLOOR PANELS

ANGLE BRACKETS AND SCREWS

CLT WALL PANELS

CLT WALL PANELS

OCCUPIABLE ROOF AND PARAPET DETAIL

CELLULOSE BATT INSULATION

PLANTER SYSTEM INTEGRATED INTO GUARDRAIL PARAPET WITH DRAINAGE PIPE

CONTINUOUS MOISTURE BARRIER TERRACOTTA RAINSCREEN

PERMEABLE ROOF DECK PAVERS FOR WATER DRAINAGE

PERMEABLE ROOF DECK PAVERS FOR WATER DRAINAGE

ENGINEERED MAPLE FINISH FLOOR

GALVANIZED CLIP SYSTEM TO ATTACH ALUMINUM SUNSHADE

CONTINUOUS EPS THERMAL BARRIER

CONTINUOUS MOISTURE BARRIER

9-LAYER CLT FLOOR STRUCTURE 7-LAYER CLT WALL STRUCTURE TERRACOTTA RAINSCREEN

WALL SECTION LOOKING NORTH

LONGITUDINAL BUILDING SECTION LOOKING EAST

1”=20’-0”

COTE 10 MEASURES

Throughout the development of the project, strategies to address the COTE 10 measures were regularly considered and integrated into the design. These ten measures are Integration, Community, Ecosystems, Water, Economy, Energy, Well-being, Resources, Change, and Discovery. Many of these strategies positively impact more than one measure.

ACCESSIBLE WASTE DISPOSAL

PATIOS ACCESS FRESH AIR

OPERABLE WINDOWS FOR NATUAL VENTILATION

SHADING SYSTEM FOR WIND AND SUN REDUCE COOLING LOAD

CROSS VENTILATION / DAYLIGHTING / ACOUSTICS

PRIVATE BALCONIES CONNECT TO MASS

BIKERACKS

COMMUNAL WORKSPACES

DAYLIGHTING STRATEGIES

NATIVE PLANS TO MINIMIZE WATER USE USE LOCAL PRODUCTS + SERVICES MINIMIZE VARIETY OF MATERIALS LOW MAINTENANCE AND DURABLE MATERIALS

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

RETAIL SPACE

MASS STREET GRID

CLT - CARBON SEQUESTRATION

COTE 10 STRATEGIES

GREEN ROOF EDUCATES ON NATIVE PLANTS + CONSERVING ECOSYSTEMS

COLLECTED WATER AND COMPOST WASTE REUSED IN GARDEN

WATER COLLECTION SYSTEM FOR GARDEN

ELEVATOR HAS GRAPHICAL INFORMATION DASHBOARDS

SOLAR PANELS PROVIDE ONSITE ENERGY GENERATION TO REDUCE ENERGY BILLS AND EASE BLACKOUTS

DURABLE TERRACOTTA RAINSCREEN FACADE

LARGE WINDOWS CONTRIBUTE NATURAL LIGHT AND PASSIVE HEATING

SOCIAL SPACES FOR ALL AGES

EV CHARGERS IN PARKING GARAGE

WALKABILITY + BUSES

CIVIC SPACE

PERVIOUS PAVEMENT

BUILDING ORIENTATION

HAVEN STUDIO

PROJECT BRIEF

DIRT WORKS STUDIO

Chad Kraus| Fall 2021-Spring 2023

Studio Space and Demonstration Home

3813 Greenway Drive, Lawrence, KS 500 sq ft

DESCRIPTION

The Dirt Works Studio entered in the 2023 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Build Challenge. As one of the original team members, the Dirt Works Studio and I began work on the design of Haven in late October 2021. In the summer of 2022, our funding availability shifted and upon returning in the fall, 10 now fourth-year students from the original project were joined by a new semester of the Dirt Works Studio to redesign and construct Haven Studio.

Haven Studio will be an interactive, full-scale, teaching tool and learning environment to benefit current and future generations of students as well as our broader community. Due to its location adjacent to the KU School of Architecture and Design’s 67,000 sq ft East Hills Designbuild Lab, this project will serve to educate many different groups on sustainability and net-zero building solutions.

Dirt Works Studio has gained a large amount of support from sponsors and communities nationwide. In addition to in-kind donations valued at well over $100,000, we set up a crowdfunding page through our University that raised almost $27,000 from businesses and individuals in our community.

My role in this project was Student Team Lead, so I focused on project management and written content for deliverables. I was also heavily involved in all major design decisions. This role has provided me a diverse range of learning opportunities, from helping my professor coordinate efficient and effective construction progress between the several sections, to organizing fundraising events, to building cabinets. The construction will be completed during the Spring 2023 semester.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Keeping an open mind to new possibilities will bring the best possible solutions.

Nothing prepares you better than diving in headfirst (among many, many others).

Construction Documents

DESIGNED BY DIRT WORKS STUDIO

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

During the Fall 2022 semester, my group was tasked with creating the cabinet wall, the primary interior feature. We reclaimed birch pieces from our designbuild lab and pieced them together to create custom wardrobe, fridge, and dishwasher boxes, and faces for our IKEA bases. We sanded and refinished these pieces to give them new life.

Over winter break, I worked with team members to prep for and pour our pier foundation. During the concrete pour, I followed behind the rest of the team to finish the tops of each pier.

When we returned in Spring 2023, we installed our prefabricated floor, had our plumbing inspection, and in one day, installed all our Build Smart prefabricated wall panels. This project remains under construction with an anticipated completion date of early April.

ALPEN TYROL T-6 FIXED BACKER ROD AND SEAL CORNER BEAD 1/2" GWB

GRAD CLIP SYSTEM WITH THERMALLYTREATED HACKBERRY CLADDING

6" GPS RIGID INSULATION

1/2" OSB

ROCKWOOL COMFORTBATT

2X8 STUD

GWB

INSULATION

WOODHAVEN GRAD CLIP SYSTEM WITH THERMALLYTREATED HACKBERRY CLADDING

6"

GPS RIGID INSULATION 1/2" OSB ROCKWOOL COMFORTBATT

ALPEN TYROL T-6 FIXED BACKER ROD AND SEAL CORNER BEAD

1/2" GWB

2X6 STUD

ROCKWOOL COMFORTBATT

1/2" OSB

6" GPS RIGID INSULATION

WOODHAVEN GRAD CLIP SYSTEM WITH THERMALLYTREATED HACKBERRY CLADDING

ENGAGE

PROJECT BRIEF

Chad Kraus|Spring 2022

Music Hub

Urban Mixed-Use Infill

705 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS 20,000 sq ft

DESCRIPTION

This project examined the intersection of public and private spaces within a building that fuctions for both community events and as a hub for commercial activity. A mass timber structure of glulam and CLT combined with green design strategies creates an environmentally-friendly building. The main design move pulls the building away from its neighbor to the south to create both a public courtyard to entice community use as well as a lightwell to increase daylighting throughout the building. The music hall is angled within the building to face the rest of Massachusetts, engaging the performance with the street.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The time you are given does not matter, it is what you can do with the time that counts.

MATERIAL

THE SECRET CHORD

POST

PRIMARY

THE SECRET CHORD

POST

PRIMARY

1: OPEN LOT

2: BUILDABLE VOLUME

3: CARVE AWAY FROM EXISTING FOR DAYLIGHTING

4: ENGAGE PERFORMANCE HALL WITH STREET

5: CLT FLOORING WITH GLULAM COLUMNS AND BEAMS

6: FINISHED STRUCTURE

POLARIS

PROJECT BRIEF

DIRT WORKS STUDIO

Chad Kraus| Fall 2021

Picnic Pavilion

Wells Overlook Park, Lawrence, KS

DESCRIPTION

The Polaris Pavilion identifies and meets the need for equitable access to parks. Wells Overlook Park sits atop a hill just south of Lawrence, providing beautiful views of the city and the surrounding land. However, the existing infrastructure can only be reached by walking up a steep slope, inaccessible to those with mobility limitations. The Polaris Pavilion, the new picnic structure, is the sister project to the Passerine Pavilion, the overlook structure. Both projects are on grade with the road and can be utilized by all visitors. The engaging and thoughtful design makes them desirable to visit regardless of mobility needs, making the accessible structure appealing to all.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The smallest details become the most important.

NOTE

This project was designed by the Fall 2020 Dirt Works Studio. The Fall 2020 studio created all the drawings and prefabricated the materials. Due to COVID-19 changing in-person scheduling, the studio was unable to complete construction. The Fall 2021 Dirt Works Studio took the design and completed the build.

All work credit Dirt Work Studio.

PROJECT MANAGER

For construction, the studio split into groups to specialize on certain elements of the construction. Some students spent their days on the roof creating the NLT structure. Other students worked on the bench and screen system. My role was unique. Early in the process, I took the initiative to learn the previous studio’s construction documents. I quickly became the go-to person anytime someone had a question about the design, or what they should be doing, as well as manage the materials. This role allowed me the flexibility of switching tasks as needed, and to assist my professor when it came to solving larger issues on site.

CULTIVATION

PROJECT BRIEF

Shannon Criss | Spring 2021

Seed-to-Table Youth Education Center

Kaw Point Park, Kansas City, KS 20,000 sq ft

DESCRIPTION

This project required detailed analysis of the urban context to identify and solve an issue using the program. The project also required comprehensive site analysis as Kaw Point is isolated from the rest of the urban area due to the highways, industrial zone, and rivers. After this analysis, the redesigned site strenghtened the selected program of a Seed-toTable Youth Education Center. The goal of this center is to provide children with increased exposure and access to fresh produce, due to the food desert found in Kansas City, Kansas. The form allowed for a chronological organization of the program following the Seed-to-Table. The physical parti model was used to explore dynamic lighting and inform the final model.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Understanding past and present urban context has meaningful implications to design.

SITE CHARACTERISTICS

Exploration of the site and its surroundings led to several discoveries. The most prominent discovery is the massive parking lot taking up most of the site, even though there were only a handful of visitors at a given time. Second, walking down into the forested area, the noise from the highway and industry disappeared, and the trees dappled the light in an interesting way. The trees blocked some views, but the changing leaves throughout the year would create interesting views themselves. Finally, an overview of local amenities led to the discovery of a lack of grocery stores, creating a food desert in the area.

100’

400’

COVERED PARKING FOR FARMERS’ MARKET

EDUCATION PAVILLION

RAISED GARDEN BEDS BUILD-YOUR-OWN RAISED GARDEN BEDS

PERMEABLE PAVING

LARGE EDUCATION PAVILLION

FORM AND SITE PLAN

The form developed from the interest in views. The building turns its back on the industry to the north, and opens up to the south towards the trees and skyline, also providing the benefit of southern exposure. To fit the program, the form was elongated and divided into thirds. The form was bent to gently pull the visitor through the main hallway and create a sense of discovery. The form was placed on the site to maximize garden space as well as create opportunities for a plaza and a smaller access point for cars to collect handmade garden boxes to extend the reach of the center to the rest of the community.

RAIN GARDEN

C-shaped outer shell for enclosure separation from different shell systems

randomized fins system for light modulation

inner shell for programming

clerestories for light modulation

LIGHT AND VIEWS

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, this project was done remotely. I explored my form using the materials I had available: a pizza box. The way that I had created the model informed conceptual ideas. I folded the exterior like a parti and the interior separately, leading them to become separate objects in the final model. As I began cutting into the walls to test windows, I was interested in the way that not fully removing the material affected the light - reminiscent of the lighting from the trees. I carried the windows along the north wall and roof to reinforce them as a unified object.

DENMARK

PROJECT BRIEF

Chad Kraus| Summer 2021 Sketches Copenhagen, Denmark

DESCRIPTION

During the summer of 2021 I had the opportunity to study abroad for two weeks in Denmark. I visited both historical and contemporary projects and learned how the geographical location and political history of Denmark had shaped its local design principles. In this time, I also was sketching more regularly. Sketching regularly improved my technical drawing skills and changed how I see a building and break it down in my head.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

First-hand experience of a place is invaluable to a deeper understanding.