Undergraduate Portfolio by mlblair2002

UNDERGRADUATE PORTFOLIO 2024

MASON BLAIR

COASTAL CULINARY ARTS CAMPUS

FORKS OF THE ROAD MEMORIAL

GULF COAST PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

TRAVEL SKETCHES 01-14 15-26 27-34 35-40

COASTAL CULINARY ARTS CAMPUS

STUDIO 4A - 2023

EXHIBITED IN CHARLOTTE AND RICHARD MCNEEL GALLERY

SUBMITTED FOR LINE SCALE FORM COMPETITION

THE PROJECT IS LOCATED IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT OF EAST BILOXI, MS, AN AREA DEEPLY AFFECTED BY ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMICAL CHALLENGES. THIS DESIGN SEEKS TO CATALYZE COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION, OFFERING RESILIENCE TO FLOODING AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS WHILE HONORING THE NEIGHBORHOOD’S RICH HISTORY AND CULTURE. THE BUILDINGS ON THE SITE ARE ORGANIZED TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WITH THE MOST PUBLIC BUILDING SITUATED ON THE NORTHERN END NEAR DIVISION STREET, A MAJOR ROADWAY. AS ONE MOVES SOUTH ON THE SITE, THE BUILDINGS BECOME INCREASINGLY PRIVATE, ACCOMMODATING SPACES LIKE DORMITORIES AND DINING HALLS. SITUATED WITHIN THE 100-YEAR FEMA FLOODPLAIN, THE DESIGN ADDRESSES FLOOD RISKS BY ELEVATING THE CULINARY INSTITUTE’S SECOND FLOOR TO +18’, ENSURING CRITICAL SPACES REMAIN PROTECTED. INTEGRATED BIO-RETENTION CELLS HARVEST STORMWATER, WHILE PERVIOUS PAVEMENT AND GREEN SPACES ENHANCE THE SITE’S RELATIONSHIP WITH LOCAL ECOLOGIES. TOGETHER, THESE FEATURES CREATE A SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIVE DESIGN THAT RESPECTS BOTH THE ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNITY IT SERVES.

PROJECT SITE

DIVISION ST

HISTORIC STRUCTURES ON SITE

MAIN ST

FEMA 100 YEAR FLOOD ZONE SITE

INEZ CAFE - EXISTING SIGNIFICANT BUILDING

JORDAN, SCHWAN, AND HARRISON BUILDING - EXISTING SIGNIFICANT BUILDING

PRIVATE

FORKS OF THE ROAD MEMORIAL

STUDIO 3B - 2023

PROJECT DESIGNED IN COLLABORATION WITH SARA BOYTE AND ALANA VICE

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE CONTRIBUTOR PATRICK MARCUS

THE “FORKS OF THE ROAD” (FOTR) WAS THE SITE FOR THE SECONDLARGEST SLAVE MARKET IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. THIS DESIGN SEEKS TO MEMORIALIZE THE FOTR’S LEGACY AND IMPACT IN NATCHEZ, MS, THROUGH AN EXPERIENTIAL AND SYMBOLIC APPROACH. THE BUILDING’S FORM IS INSPIRED BY THE STAGES OF INJURY-PROGRESSING FROM THE PAIN OF THE INITIAL WOUND TO ITS EVENTUAL SCARRING. ITS JARRING EDGES AND CONTRASTING MATERIALS CUT THROUGH THE SERENE LANDSCAPE, EVOKING A SENSE OF ALARM AND REFLECTION. CENTRAL TO THE DESIGN IS THE “INJURY WALLS.” WHICH GUIDE VISITORS ALONG A PATH THAT DESCENDS AND ASCENDS, MIRRORING THE NARRATIVE PROGRESSION OF THE ADJACENT INTERPRETIVE EXHIBITS. THE PATH’S ANGLES ALIGN WITH TRUE NORTH, SYMBOLIZING ESCAPE AND FREEDOM, AND OLD WASHINGTON ROAD, THE FINAL PATH SLAVES CROSSED BEFORE REACHING THE FOTR. THE DESIGN EMBRACES EXPOSURE TO THE ELEMENTS, ALLOWING WEATHER AND LIGHT TO INTERACT WITH THE SPACE, DEEPENING ITS VISCERAL IMPACT. THIS PROJECT ASPIRES TO SERVE AS A LASTING LANDMARK, PRESERVING THE MEMORY OF THE FOTR AND ITS PROFOUND IMPACT ON NATCHEZ, THE SOUTH, AND THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.

NORTH

OLD WASH.RD

D’EVEREUX DRIVE

LIBERTY ROAD

D’EVEREUXDRIVE

GULF COAST PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

STUDIO 4B - 2024

PROJECT SUBMITTED TO 2024 ACSA STEEL COMPETITION, CATEGORY II

THIS PROJECT IS AN INFILL DEVELOPMENT LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN GULFPORT, MS, DESIGNED TO SERVE AS A CULTURAL ICON AND A HUB FOR THE ARTS. THE VISION WAS TO CREATE A WELCOMING SPACE THAT DRAWS THE PUBLIC IN FROM THE STREET EDGE, FOSTERING A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ARTS AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. THE BUILDING’S DESIGN AMPLIFIES THIS NARRATIVE BY PHYSICALLY OPENING THE FIRST-FLOOR ENVELOPE TO CREATE A VIBRANT NODE FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, WHICH CAN ALSO SERVE AS AN OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE VENUE. THE SECOND FLOOR FEATURES A CURTAIN WALL AND PERFORATED RAIN SCREEN, OFFERING PASSERSBY GLIMPSES INTO PERFORMANCE AND PRACTICE SPACES, SPARKING CURIOSITY AND INTEREST. THIS PROJECT ASPIRES TO BECOME A CENTERPIECE OF CULTURAL EXPRESSION, ENRICHING THE ARTISTIC FABRIC OF DOWNTOWN GULFPORT, MS.

TRAVEL SKETCHES

EUROPE - 2024

THIS COLLECTION OF SKETCHES CAPTURES MOMENTS FROM MY TRAVELS TO ROME, FLORENCE, BERLIN, MUNSTER, COLOGNE, ROTTERDAM, AMSTERDAM, AND BRUSSELS. EACH SKETCH HIGHLIGHTS DISTINCT ASPECTS OF THOSE CITIES, FROM THE ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE OF ROME TO THE MODERN RECONSTRUCTION OF BERLIN. THEY EXPLORE A VARIETY OF ARCHITECTURAL STYLES, INCLUDING ART NOUVEAU IN BRUSSELS AND DUTCH ARCHITECTURE IN AMSTERDAM. THESE SKETCHES SERVE AS BOTH AN EXPLORATION OF ARCHITECTURAL DIVERSITY AND A PERSONAL REFLECTION OF MY EXPERIENCES, OFFERING A VISUAL NARRATIVE OF MY JOURNEY THROUGH THESE REMARKABLE PLACES.