INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
University of Houston- Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design
Melissa Amaro
MENDED STAGES
Senior Year Spring 2024: INAR 4501: Senior Capstone
Mended Stages brings together entertainment and healing to create a therapeutic space for veterans.
• Using the existing historic Main Street Theater located in Port Lavaca, TX, veterans are able to enjoy entertainment with their families.
• Addresses the deficiency of healing spaces for veterans and lack of resources.
• Mended Stages aims to create a place for healing focusing on the five stages of healing.
• Draws inspiration from the principles of Feng Shui, which incorporates elements and materials of earth, water, wood, metal, and fire.
• Each of the five elements is featured in five healing pods with diverse activities allowing the veterans to focus on their overall well-being.
Design for Healing
Curative Process
EARTH WATER FIRE WOOD METAL
Potting plants. Therapeutic activity. Taps into the healing essence of Earth.
Soothing tones and rhythms. Therapeutic sounds. Sound therapy.
Diagrams and Elevation (Rhino and Illustrator)
Section Perspective (Vray, Illustrator, and Photoshop)
Interior Perspective of the veterans healing in the earth, metal, and wood pods. (Vray and Photoshop)
Interior and Exterior Vray Renders
INTERWOVEN ACTIVITIES
Junior Year Spring 2023: INAR 3501 Partner Work
Redesign of an existing laundromat into an activity center for culture learning for African American children and single mothers of third ward Houston.
• The surrounding area is Project Row Houses and a steel gable that inspired the scaffolding system in the design.
• Each programmed space hosts different activities such as weaving, music, art, and reading that would allow children to learn about their culture alongside their mothers.
• Benefits for the mothers to utilize are the communal kitchen, dining space, and laundry space with folding boards and iron boards integrated within the scaffolding system.
Programmatic Collage (Illustrator and Photoshop)
Concept collage representing the scaffolding as a loom and the people weaving through the activities creating an interwoven space. Precedent Mosaic that inspired design.
East Elevation Ground Floor Plan (Illustrator)
Transverse Section (Rhino and Illustrator)
Model Photos
CREATIVE SOILS
Junior Year Fall 2022: INAR 3500 Partner Work
Creative Soils transforms a traditional home garage into a fun pottery workshop.
• Creative Soils utilizes an existing facade located in Hyde Park Houston in Montrose.
• Solution to deal with flooding and the construction of large townhouses displacing soil.
• Proposes to use the soil that is collected and create clay to create pottery.
• Exterior facade made of plywood and standard framing 2x4’s for storing soil, air drying shelves, and displaying pottery creations.
• Exterior deck to level the driveway in order to have outside movable furniture to work outdoors.
• Interior elements include kilns, sinks, pottery wheels, shelving for storage of tools and clay, and wood boxes to store more soil.
Diagrams and Mosaic
Conceptual
Collaged Exterior Perspective
and Illustrator)
Model Photo Technical Facade Assembly Drawing
Interior material collage section of garage that includes shelving, storage of soil, a sink, and a pottery station.
MINGLE WITH NATURE
Sophomore Year Spring 2022: INAR 2501 Partner Work
Mingle with Nature is an inspiration to create a lounge space to relax with nature, coffee, and people.
• Existing project site was the POST Houston.
• Influenced by the three amazing stairs to create walls that take the shapes from the X, O, and Z stairs located throughout the POST that create private spaces from which plants are hung.
• Since the POST Sky lawn has nature and greenery we wanted to do the same by including them in the interior of the building.
• Feature artists and photographers who focus on documenting plants and nature.
• Placed our installation/lounge near the Z stairs since BlendIn Coffee Club was right beside it so people can drink coffee and “Mingle with Nature.”
Concept Diagram Noise Collage
Material Exploration (Photoshop and Illustrator)
Isometric depicting the designed space with the X, Z, and O walls, vegetation, and a hanging metal structure to provide warm light.
Model Photos
INTERNSHIP + REVIT
During my internship at Tucker de Vazquez Architecture, as an Architecture Intern, I collaborated with the architect and used the Adobe Creative Suite and Rhino to work on four projects ranging in scale. Listed below are the projects I worked on and what I contributed. Included as well are two projects where I learned to use Revit.
Covid Testing Center/Messaging
Houston, TX
Designed in Rhino3D an outdoor 72ft x 72ft testing center for Covid19 that could later be repurposed for art or event space. Developed two outdoor Covid prevention signage in scaffolding and parks that helped English and Spanish speaking communities.
Project Row Houses
Houston,TX
Updated 3D model to add contextual surroundings such as streets, sidewalks, light posts, and signs. Created various 2D drawings to represent new design interventions and concepts.
Tucker House
Alabama
Updated an existing floor plan and then created a 3D model from it using measurements given from the architect and an elevation. Produced a series of diagrams to show programmatic activities, usage, the plumbing wall, and the north wall.
Morning Star Baptist Church
Monroeville, Alabama
Create a 3D Rhino model of the church at a 1/8” scale using an elevation, floor plan, and images from the renovations to the roof and exterior.
Full Beginner Course- Balkan Architect
Completed a beginner revit course and learned how to make a two story house with furniture, curtain walls, and sheet arrangements.
Single Family House- Balkan Architect
Another course where I learned how to make interior renders, materiality, importing CAD furniture, and space planning in revit.
Covid Testing Center 3D Model and Interior. Covid Messaging in parks and in scaffolding.
Drawings, Diagrams, and Site Context.
Tucker House Programmatic Drawings and 3D Model.
Reference Material and Final 3D Model.
Floor plans, Sections, Elevations, and 3D Perspective Sheets.
Interior Renders, Floor Plan Sheet, and Elevation Sheet.
