Michael Bleau - Architecture Portfolio

MICHAEL LLOYD BLEAU ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

Chicago Federal Center 2023

Michael Lloyd Bleau

Contact Info

Resume Technical Skills • Revit (Linkedin Certified) • Rhinoceros 3D • Lumion • Enscape • Microsoft Office • Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Indesign • Photography

Soft Skills • Customer Service • Public Speaking • Embraces Teamwork

Languages • English • American Sign Language

Accolades

• Character Counts Award

2019

• Boy Scouts of America (2nd class rank) 2013-17 • 1st place Modern Woodmen of America Speech Competition 2016 • 1st place St. Joseph School Academic Fair 2014

mi597254@ucf.edu (904)-899-3442

Summary of Intent

Architecture student at the University of Central Florida with a passion for people and architecture. This passion was solidified after working in various customer service roles and growing up around a wide array of architecture with great historical significance. Interested in architecture and its related fields and willing to take on various tasks of the design process.

Education

University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL - 2020-2024 Bachelor of Design in Architecture

Expected Graduation: 2024 Valencia College, Orlando, FL - 2021-2022 Associate in Arts Pre-Architecture

Work Experience

Walt Disney World Resort - July 2023- Present • Magic Kingdom Watercraft Deckhand - Assist in operations of watercraft around the Magic Kingdom Park Resort Area.

Responsibilities include assisting guests onto and off of various vessels, such as ferry boats and cruisers, crowd control, guest engagement, and safety monitoring.

University of Central Florida - Orlando, FL March 2023- May 2023 • Fabrication Lab Technician - Operated laser cutter, 3D Printer, Large-scale printer/plotter for students.

Publix Supermarkets - Orlando, FL, 2019-Present • Bakery Clerk - Provide quality customer service in aiding customers with product selection and taking custom dessert orders regularly.

• Grocery Clerk - Worked as part of a team providing quality customer service and maintained product stock.

Ta b l e

o f

C o n t e n t s

City in a Tower

01

Study of Systems

02

Savannah Collaborative

03

Climate Vernacular Study

04

Lower Division Works

05

Clermont Center for the Arts

06

City in a Tower 01

Design 7 Group Members: Molly Dell, Kimberly Wright

Professor Treadway Project Role: Lead Designer Program: Mixed Use Tower Location: Chicago, IL

Process Distributing Program: One of our first steps in the design process for our city within a tower was to allocate program space. Our tower had to have space for four main programs: residential, office, civic and commercial. Our intention was to place the more concentrated and heavily trafficked programs (Office, Civic, and Commercial) towards the bottom. This would in theory limit the disruption of the residents higher within the building while making it easier for the people who utilize the office, civic, and commercial space to flow in and out on a day-to-day basis.

Form Progression

Form Finding: Once we had a general idea as to where our program was to be located, we began the process of form finding. Being aware of our tower’s location in Chicago, IL, we wanted to consider the unique seasonal patterns of the site along with wind. While our tower began initially as one vertical mass, as we progressed, we turned our residential portion into a dual-tower setup with bridges in-between to connect various floors.

Flow and Spatial Distribution: With a clear form in mind, it was time to figure out how we would allocate the flow of people along with distributing and designing the spaces accordingly. One of the biggest challenges we had was figuring out how to work around our circulation cores. There are essentially two main cores inside of the tower. Each has elevators along with stairs that were positioned to fit within the confines of the dual residential tower portion. As the tower grew taller, the elevator cores needed to shrink in size to accomodate for the adjustment. This is best seen in the adjacent residential floor plan as this is where that change occurs. The elevator cores shrink from a 6 bay to 3 bay core. This change alone allowed us to maintin the intended design while also providing adequate access for the residents.

Another important area that needed significant attention to flow was our plaza at the tower base. Utilizing the already existing plans for the upcoming 78 neighborhood this tower would be a part of, we wanted to continue Crescent Park into the plaza of our tower. The end result was a layout based on the angle at which the park met the base of the tower. This guesture would welcome guests into the main entrance for our civic space as well as our commercial area. The outdoor plaza would also double as an area for performances and other gatherings.

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Metra Line

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Civic Space: One of the purposes of designing our city within a tower was to create a community under one roof. That is why we chose to create a recreation center as part of our tower. The center would provide residents and visitors with different opportunities for activities and wellness. Being that Chicago is in the top ten most fit cities in America, we incorporated other active amenities from pickle ball to pools for swimming. We also designed studios for other art and humanities activities such as painting and dancing.

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Office Atrium To break up the monotony of a stack of floors, we wanted to include elements within the tower of multi-level verticality. This is best exemplified in our office atrium where a ramp circumnavigates multiple levels while providing workers with a mini oasis with plants and areas to rest or work as opposed to sitting at an office. One other principal element shown here surrounding the ramp is our piping found in many areas of our tower.

The piping function as mullions to bring different levels of scale into the design.

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Garden Balconies and planters: Throughout our tower, we wanted to incorporate as many elements of nature as we could. We found this opportunity in the many balconies throughout the tower.

The gardens would provide a place of relaxation for residents and workers alike.

At the recreation center, there is even a rooftop pond that would double as an ice-skating rink in the winter for everyone to enjoy. Other examples of nature elements can be found in planters along outdoor steps and in our plaza.

Study of Systems 02

Design 6 Group Members: Molly Dell, Kimberly Wright

Professor James Project Role: Co-designer Purpose: Conceptual Study

Ephemeral

Yaw

Carve

The Power of Three: For this design exercise, we were tasked with producing three unique and spatial verbs to build into three distinct systems that would come together as one. We had to find a word for a skin, circulation system, and a core. The words we chose were Ephemeral (Skin), Yaw (Circulation), and Carve (Core). Our terms are defined as follows: Ephemeral: To last for a brief period of time. This was accomplished with moving elements to create different spatial forms on demand.

Yaw: To deviate and then return to pre-determined path. This was accomplished with the use of basswood planks acting as the main path with basswood sticks and piano wire deviating and returning to the path and various points.

Carve: To subtract from a solid mass. This was accomplished by creating various layers of openings and allowing them to stack to create a foundation for the circulation and skin elements to join to.

Savannah Coll aborative 03

Design 6 Group Members: Molly Dell, Kimberly Wright

Professor James Project Role: Documentarian Program: Business Incubator Location: Savannah, GA

Process A New Motion Picture Hub For our business incubator, we wanted to design a place to cater to the ever-growing motion picture industry within the state of Georgia. With Savannah’s picturesque aesthetic, we thought that creating a production facility to cater to the students of the Savannah College of Art and Design would be an excellent addition to the City.

Calling back to the Past As part of our design, we wanted to highlight the unique character that makes Savannah an utterly unique example of urban planning and design. Our structure would utilize brick and cobble, two materials that physically built the city along with elements that allude back to its unique “grid” layout.

A Center for Collaboration Our site for Savannah Collaborative is located right in the heart of Downtown Savannah, GA adjacent to Franklin Square. Being a corner lot, we wanted to welcome our guests at an angle into our facility. This is best seen in the plan for floor 1. Our visitors are first greeted with a gallery and exhibition space for students to show their work. Adjacent to this is a theater space for the general public to view films made by the students. Below this level is a basement for production that includes various spaces such as recording studios and a computer lab for post-production work. Above floor 1 is an auditorium space for live speakers and office space for students and professors. The third floor is host to apartments for people who want to utilize the facility for an extended period without having to travel far for work.

A Welcoming Facility for All: The design for Savannah Collaborative places emphasis on self-expression and talent. The facility enables guests to peer into the motion picture industry and get a look first hand into the process and work of the students at the facility. It also fosters a healthy creative environment with state of the art tools and spaces for experimentation and creativity. All of this within steps of the picturesque historic district of Savannah, GA.

Evolving Design: As our design progressed, so did our systems. One task for this project was to utilize the systems we had created in the previous assignment. Our Carve term became the central open space in the building and our Ephemeral term evolved in the complex bridge construction shown in the rendering on the left and the model at the bottom. The design of the bridge creates unique lighting conditions that were inspired old-fashioned celluloid projection technology used for motion pictures. As for Yaw, the system had to be adapted for the distinct levels of the building and is mostly surrounded by our Ephemeral system.

Climate Vernacul ar Study 04

Environmental Technology II Professor James Program: Residence Location: Hillsboro Beach, FL

Hillsboro Mile

Hillsboro Inlet

As an architect, it is especially important to not only understand your client, but also your location. As part of this exercise, we were tasked to create a living space for a hot and humid climate. The location for my residence is located in Hillsboro Beach, FL along the famous Hillsboro Mile. During the design process, various data was gathered to best understand the site and its given conditions. Knowing this would allow me to utilize the best strategies for comfort at this location.

One of the first points of contention would be the sun which is most intense on the southern portion of this lot. To best adapt to this condition, I designed the space with a wraparound porch to cool the air that would flow around it from the eastern breeze. To top it off, I also incorporated heavy vegetation for as much southern shading as possible.

Atlantic Ocean

Designing for Comfort

Climate: Hot and Humid

Location: Hillsboro Beach, FL

Prevailing Winds: Summer: East and South-East Winter: East and North-East

Deisgn Driver: Positioned along the East Coast of Florida, this site along Hillsboro Mile near Ft. Lauderdale, FL, presents unique challenges. The structure must respond to harsh summers, and an intense hurricane season.

Site Plan Environmental Technology 2 Michael L. Bleau

Program: 1. Front Porch 2. Bedroom 3. Main Hallway/Breezeway 4. Living Room 5. Kitchen/Dining 6. Office 7. Bedroom 8. Master Bedroom 9. Theater 10.

Back Porch

Passive Strategies Optimal Performance One of the other challenges was that we could not use electricity to forcibly alter the climatic conditions inside the interior the home. This is where passive strategies came into play. First, I elevated the house above ground to take advantage of the eastern breeze. The breeze would act as the main source of cooling throughout the residence. With the house elevated, the air could pass underneath and cool the floor. Another strategy implemented was the use of a long hallway the length of the house and windows at the ceiling to allow for the hot air to be displaced. Furthermore, eastern facing windows for natural light into what would otherwise be dark rooms were also utilized. These could be opened to also allow the breeze to enter these spaces.

Lower Division Design 3 Professor Princivil

The Living Wall

05

The Sum of all Parts During this exercise, we were tasked with creating four separate spatial constructions our of basswood along with museum board. The purpose of the study was to see how a system could piece itself together and work as one while also telling a narrative.

Supermarket Dash Food as a Spatial Experience For this exercise, we were tasked with finding a product on a grocery store shelf and creating a spatial narrative of the making and consuming process. The product I chose was tea and the end result was a composition of spaces which created a winding path culminating in a place of relaxation.

Clermont Center for the Arts 06

Design 5 Professor Johnson Program: Artist Community Location: Clermont, FL

The Artist’s Oasis Utilizing the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL as a precedent, the assignment was to create an artist community in Clermont, FL where resident artists would work and where the public could visit, interact, and explore the unique setting.

Process

Introducing the Artists In the beginning, we were introduced to three unique artists: Martin Johnson Heade (Landscape Painter), Max Richter (Musical Composer), and Ralph Waldo Emerson (Philosopher). Our task was to create unique working spaces that would cater to each artist’s unique style.

The first step of this process included basic sketching for the spaces (sketches on the left) along with a site visit to Southern Hill Farms in Clermont, FL (bottom pictures). From the start, I knew the design was to be self-reflective, meaning that it would all focus inward in the site and block most interaction from the outside world. The thought was that this would create an inspiring escape to allow for creative thinking for the resident artists.

The Clermont Center for the Arts The final iteration of the design for the Clermont Center for the Arts presents itself in a logical and structured promenade. Beginning with the visitor’s center in the top left, the guest is greeted by a reflecting pool, surrounded by two studios of communal enjoyment: the Heade (Painter) and Richter (Musician) studios. These studios are placed together due to the common enjoyment of the medium by the visitors. Another important element of this layout is that all of the spaces face toward the center of the reflecting pool. Views from the outside world are limited so that the guest can focus on the area surrounding them and take in the natural Florida landscape.

In a more reclusive area of the site are the residences for the artists and the studio for the philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The location of this studio, apart from the others, was intentional given the personal philosophies and nature of Emerson as an individual. Overall, this overview highlights the uniquely orchestrated experience that visitors would have if they were to visit.

Visitor Center A Beacon of Creativity The visitor’s center for the Clermont Center for the Arts gives a big first impression. Most notable is the observation tower. Given the site’s sprawling location, the intent was to have an icon of permanence that would draw visitors to the site. As the surrounding areas would change, visitors could see progress around the area while looking over into the complex and appreciate the architecture from a bird’s eye view. Furthermore, floor to ceiling windows also give a glimpse into the unique promenade and environment that awaits guests.

Heade Studio

A Blank Canvas of Unlimited Possibility Martin Johnson Heade, a landscape painter, was all too familiar with the uniqueness of light as a medium. His paintings exhibit exceptional light qualities and were used as a design driver for this space. The studio consists of a gallery for visitors to look at work along with a studio and solarium to allot in plenty of natural light. The unique framing of the solarium also gives a unique lighting condition as the sun traverses the sky to the south.

Richter Studio Creating Art with Sound Max Richter, a musical composer, is known for his, what some would say are, classical sounding compositions. However, his unique approach to the medium is reflective of the modern age as is his studio. The facility offers a well-illuminated space for work with a private entrance. Immediately adjacent is a performance hall where the music can come alive in a naturally lit space during the day, or potentially in a star-studded sky at night.

Emerson Studio An Isolated Escape The philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson was rooted in Transcendentalism with a belief that God revealed himself through nature.

With this approach, the design of the space is set to harmonize and integrate into the surrounding brush. A room with floor to ceiling windows for work is connected to an elevated balcony where the inhabitant becomes one with the tree-tops and can further connect to nature.

Sears Tower Sk ydeck 2023

Thank You!