Mia LeRiger Portfolio 2023

03. Yin + Yang Multicultural Center

01. Wildlife Refuge Center 02. Contemplation Gallery

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04. Robotic Dairy Innovation Center

05. Product Design: Medication Organizer 06. Etsy Shop

Mia LeRiger

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Project : Wildlife Refuge Center Year : 2022

Valentine National Wildlife Refuge is located within the Nebraska Sandhills. The SandHills are the largest “grass stabilized” dune field in the world, and the largest sand dune formation in the Western Hemisphere.

It contains sand dunes up to 400 feet tall and 20 milies wide. The soil make-up of these dunes are very very sandy and porous, allowing quick and efficient infiltration of any fluids that happen to impinge upon them, making this a perfect major recharge zone for the Ogallala aquifer. It’s also considered one of the wildest, most untamed parts of America with over 85% remaining completely untounched.

The natural beauty of vast rolling plains, lushious wildlife, and calming waters come together in harmony at Valentine National Refuge. The site demands a structure that will not distract or disturb from it’s natural magnificence but rather further enchance it.

Research/ Oﬃce Common Living Space Resterooms Meeting Room Gallery Space Living Quarters Entrance Space Bedroom Bedroom A A B B

N 01.

Floor Plan 1”=40’

REFUGE ROAD REFUGE ROAD REFUGEROAD CLEAR LAKE PARKING PATH TO BUILDING ACTIVE DOCK Site Plan 1”=400’ N Mia LeRiger

Process: Nebraska Sandhill Dunes

Process: Parabolic Dune Shaping

Process: Form

Project : Wildlife Refuge Center

Year : 2022

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Process: Program

Process: Grid Layout

Process: Exterior Connection

The conecpt to achieve this is to begin to create a blur between the boundaries of built environment and nature. The building takes on it’s shape from the natural land boundary formed against the lake and it’s form inspired from the surounding context of parabolic sand dunes. This creates a seamless design that blends with it’s surroundings while still enhancing it’s natural setting. To further the blur between boundaries, elements of water and land are incorporated throughout the buildings design. An accessable green roof covers the structure to blend it into the surroundings and to create a more ecofriendly design. Water from the lake is pulled throughout the building as a circulation guide creating a unique experience. Water in this gallery is streamed throughout the space, creating a guide through the gallery. The natural serene elements of this space allow it’s vistors to feel relaxed to meditate, bird watch, or just take in it’s breath taking surroundings.

Mia LeRiger

LAND LAND WATER WATER WATER WATER WATER LIVING PPRIVATE GALLERY PUBLIC MIX

B

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Section

1”=40’

Project : Contemplation Gallery

Year : 2022

The location of this space is within the Nebraska National Forest. Identified as a massive space of solitude, where the East meets the West in terms of its wildlife and plants.

Visitors of this space come to seek relaxion and peace making it a prime location for this meditative gallery.

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Floor Plan 1”=50’ N Mia LeRiger 9

Client Project : Contemplation Gallery

Year : 2022

The design conceptually resembles a 2x4 piece of wood stuck into the ground that has succumed to erosion and overgrowth due to natural elements. The interior wooden structure alternates with the opening in the concrete to create a unique scerene atmosphere that changes with the day. This creates a beautiful natural lighting that illuminates the entire space. The angle of the cieling planes also create a very playful element that appear to cross one another without ever actually touching.

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Cast in place Concrete Shell

Glass Openings

Interior Wood Structure

Interior Space

Gallery/ Meditation Space

Reception

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Client Project : Yin + Yang Multicultural Residency/Restaurant Year : 2021

The project concept is to invite three chefs from different cultures around the globe to travel to Lincoln for a one-month residency in which they live together, learn from each other, and serve a collaborative meal each night for twenty guests. For many eager Lincoln diners, such an experience is a welcome antidote to the social and cultural isolation experienced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. My projects goal is to reimagine the activities of cooking and eating through poetic and playful manipulations of architectural materials and details. The main conceptual driver behind this structure is the seperation between living and work spaces. For this I referenced the Chinese concept of Yin and Yang which is defined as two complimentary forces that exist as inseperable opposites. These forces make up all aspects of our lives. Within the structure there are two distinctive parts: one is the restaurant and the other is the chef’s personal living space. The materiality, form, and atmosphere of each side is distinctivly different but compliments one another.

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Project : Yin + Yang Multicultural Residency/Restaurant

Year : 2021

D D B B A A C C 5’ 10’ 20’ N

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FLOOR PLAN

Each side offers its own language to allow residents a mental separation between live and work

In addition to the resteraunt and resident sides, there are points of ‘bleed’ between the two sides where one can see into the other side and start to understand the cohesion between each of the pieces.

D D B B A A

C

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SECOND FLOOR PLAN

Project : Yin + Yang Multicultural Residency/Restaurant

Year : 2021

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One of these points of bleed being a large glass opening on the resteraunt stairwell that looks into the living side’s kitchen. This allows restaurant customers to feel a connection to the chefs preparing their food and might even give an insight to some new recipes or ideas they are creating. This metaphorical “bleed” continues to the other side of the wall on the stairwell with use of a white, reflective brick. This allows the view from the chef’s side to be uninterupted as well as places an emphasis on this being a point of crossover between the sides. The restaurant side also contains artificial lighting and color that helps guide customers throughout the space. This as well helps to inform everyone what parts of the building are currently being in use based of what lights are on.

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Project : Yin + Yang Multicultural Residency/Restaurant

Year : 2021

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All furnishings of this project were tailor-made for this project. In doing this, there was an extreme importance placed on technique and fabrication of these furnishings. For furniture in the living portion of the project I wanted to keep with the theme of having a colorful, curvy, and organic atmosphere.

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Client Project : Yin + Yang Multicultural Residency/Restaurant

Year : 2021

As previously mentioned, this transition space serves as a visual palate cleanser and allows chefs to mentally prepare themselves for going to work. This was one of the biggest issues that people who work where they live experience. They struggle to form a seperation between the two spaces. This color-null space allows them to have that separation from two such drastic spaces. This transitional hallway is null of all color and just features large white textures that run from floor to ceiling to truly engulf oneself in the space.

To create this space materials are manipulated to have a white coat on top. White lighting along the materials boundary are also installed to play with and accentuate the contrasting characteristics of the space. The change from a reflective material to a rigid stone eases the overall transition between the spaces because it subtly prepares the chefs for what they will experience on the other side.

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Project : Robotic Dairy Innovation Center

Year : 2022

This project as defined by the UNL grant states it as: “A collaboration between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Michigan State University (MSU), Nebraska Public Media (NPM), and Seoul National University (SNU), the Small Technology-based Animal-focused Green center for Engagement (STAGE) initiative aims to create a distributed network of environmentally sustainable and resilient technology-based small dairy producers/processors. To ensure sustainability, this project will increase public understanding of automated dairies of the future to safeguard continued consumption of dairy and demonstrate potential STEM and agriculture-based careers.”

Collaborators : Josh Lorenzen, Kelsey Belgum, Zade

Miller, and Rebecca Sowl

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Year : 2022

We wanted our building to encompass three major elements of the people, public, and barn. These spaces offered two adjacencies that we really wanted to emphasize. The define our 'intersticial spaces', defined as "occurring in or being an interval or intervening space or segment."

We then took a multifacited approach to understand how a user interacts with a space and how we can fully immerse them within a space. This offers two different circulation paths of either being for the journey or for the destination.

Collaborators : Josh Lorenzen, Kelsey Belgum, Zade Miller, and Rebecca Sowl

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Client Project : Robotic Dairy Innovation Center

Year : 2022

Using our concept we created our building to reflect such circulation between spaces. We wanted users to have the option to fully immerse themselves within spaces of the dairy process while still designing for animal welfare. We did this though angled wall cuts into the spaces that reflect upon the journey stages of dairy development as well as the exhibit space.

Collaborators : Josh Lorenzen, Kelsey Belgum, Zade Miller, and Rebecca Sowl

B SEMINAR/ CLASSROOM KITCHEN CLASSROOM KITCHEN RR RR

ENTRANCE CAFE

LOBBY HYDROPONIC GARDEN

A LOADING DOCK MILK & FOOD PROCESSING BARN BARN EXHIBIT VECTOR KITCHEN LOADING DOCK SEMINAR/ FLEX SPACE LEVEL 1 SCALE -1/8” =1’0” Milking Robot Milking Robot Vector Robot Dry Stalls Maternity Stalls Water Tank Water Tank Water Tank 80 Regular Stalls Sick Pens Water Tank RR Ofﬁce Space Change Room ROBOT VIEWING ROOM Storage Mia LeRiger

Client Project : Robotic Dairy Innovation Center

Year : 2022

Collaborators : Josh Lorenzen, Kelsey Belgum, Zade Miller, and Rebecca Sowl

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Based upon surveying of the public and project stakeholders the prime value of this project is the increase public understanding of the overall dairy process.

To do this, an interactive exhibit piece was created. This walks users through each phase of the dairy process from farm to table. Each step allows users to follow along side with their 'milk' and educate themselves with the process.

Since this building is also to be used on school fieldtrips this exhibit is a prime center piece in the experience for the public.

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Project : Weekly Medication Organizer

Year : 2022

The problem analyzed in this project was forgetting to take crucial medication for mental health illnesses. This is a problem because many mental health medications if one dose is missed can result in reverse/ worsening symptoms of depression, neuroses, anxiety, paranoia, etc, It can also in extreme cases result in coma, seizures, or death. When a dose is missed it causes users noticeable discomfort and poor mental health that can become hard to correct. Some medications need to be taken up to three times daily and timing becomes crucial Studies find with younger ages it’s easier to remember to take meds on days they are busy, this is the opposite with older ages. Many people struggle with remembering to take medication daily. This causes them to not see results or quit their meds all together. An efficient tracking system and reminding system was the project goal to keep individuals on track with their own journeys of bettering their own mental health. User groups of focus were college students suffering mental health disorders who struggle with routine medication but the product has a universal use as well

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People Product Environment

Chaotic Schedules

Changes in Daily Behavior

Initial Struggle Forming Habit

Large Quantit y

Hard to Track

Easily Spills, Difﬁcult to Open

Lack

Inabilit y to Recall Last Dose

Forget ting to Pack When Gone

Meds Not on Hand When One

Remembers to Take them

Pills and Bot tles All Similar

Semi-Transparent Orange

Cheap Plastic

Pill Bo

Process Material Technology

Project : Weekly Medication Organizer

Year : 2022

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k of Portablilit y

Medicine Cabinet

“Out of Sight, Out of Mind”

Bottles are Not Discrete

Problem: Forgetting to Take Medication

Usage Intructions Var y ot tles Loud

Environment Technology

This fishbone diagram shows issues surrounding the overall issue of medication management.

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Recall Remind Remember

Jessica wakes up in a rush to get to class in time and forgets to pack her anti-anxiety medication

She realize she doesn’t have it with her so she decides she will take it once she gets home

Once she gets home she is preoccupied by cooking dinner and studying

Client Project : Weekly Medication Organizer

Year : 2022

User Narrative:

She then realizes she was supposed to take her medication but now cant remember if she already did

She recalls her actions of the day and feels pretty sure she did not take her medication yet

Jessica is a busy hardworking college student who suffers from an anxiety disorder. She is perscribed a daily medication to help her better manage her anxiety levels, but because of her chaotic schedule she struggles establishing a consistant method to manage taking her medication each day that works with her constantly changing schedule.

Specific Needs:

Jessica needs an adaptable and discrete way to track taking her medication each day. She also needs multiple methods of reminding her to take her medication in case she gets busy

Personal Goals:

Jessica wants to gain back control of her mental health, making her life happier and easier

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Takes medication

Reﬂect React

Doesn't take medication

She takes her medication stored by her nightstand and resumes studying As she prepares to go to bed she one again questions if she remembered to take her medication symptoms of anxiety begin to develop

Takes medication

Taking more than prescribed dose can cause an accidental overdose

She subtly monitors herself over the next couple hours in case any side-effects arise

Doesn't take medication

Missing a dose can cause symptoms of withdrawal

Mood Board:

She reﬂects upon medications progress and aims to establish better habits tomorrow

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Mia

All Wood

360 Rotation

Single Top Opening

Internal Lighting notify system via external app

Green= Time to Take Meds

Red= Late to take meds

White= Already Taken

Client Project : Weekly Medication Organizer

Year : 2022

This design incorporates organic overlapping forms that mimic the moon and sun. There are seven compartments that mimic an organic star shape and will separate each day of the week. The lid will have a strong magnetic latch system with a single opening that offers a 360 degree roatation to individually access each day. An LED lighting system is located along one side as well to help notify users.

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7 openings (Mon-Sun)

Lighting notify external app

Time to Take to take meds

Already Taken

Magnetic Latch System

Top

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Client Project : Weekly Medication Organizer

Year : 2022

The following are sketches of early development and ideation. Studies were done in form, discreteness, modularity, and alertability.

Concluded, in form there was a need for symetery to make rotation possible, making circular orgaic forms ideal. A study into natural existing circular forms with modular elements was done to determine the form of an eclipse to represent the sun, moon, and stars as overlapping elements.

Based off research I wanted my final design to emphasize discretness. The design should take an organic form that can be stored beautifully at home and avoid a signal display to others. A system of notification is another primary focus of my design. This is important to establish routine to users and accurate medication progress. A development of an external digitial app is to be designed that has connection to the case and the user. A system based upon light would be successful for a design stored at home. Using light and color to connect daily medication status proved to be successful. To implement this within the concept of an eclipse, I wanted the light to represent rays of a sun. The design will feature strategic opening along one half to mimic the suns rays.

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Client Project : Weekly Medication Organizer

Year : 2022

An external app is to be developed and have bluetooth connection with this device to offer a one stop area to increase medication success. Within the app when you have updated daily status of medication it is then signaled to the medication case and displayed by various light coloring.

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Client Project : Weekly Medication Organizer

Year : 2022

The lighting represents certain signifiers to the user. Green being medication is ready to be taken, Red meaning medication is overdue, and White meaning medication was already taken for the day. This was done to address the specific concern of if medication was already taken and to increase accuracy in medication taking times.

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Client Project : Weekly Medication Organizer

Year : 2022

The final model was constructed from basswood lazer cutting. I used 1/4’’ across most pieces and 1/8’’ for the lid and bottom. Once assembled I realized i didnt want the pill storage to contain such small dark holes so I hand carved bigger openings as well as the days of the week as signifiers and created a second opening from the lid that could display such days. In addition to basswood and magnets I also incorporated a LED light fixture. To do so I had to carve in ways

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for this to be stored in the case without being visible to other areas. Magnets were added in a radial spacing to allow for complete 360 rotation. Stronger magnets were implemented on the lid to ensure proper closer and avoid spillage when accessing pills.Magnets were added in a radial spacing to allow for complete 360 rotation. Stronger magnets were implemented on the lid to ensure proper closer and avoid spillage when accessing pills.