Tiffany Chen JLG Architects Application
3943 Bryant Ave S #3 Minneapolis, MN 55409 cell: (832) 661-9084 email: chen.tiffany38@gmail.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction
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Qualifications
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Project 1: Z-Wall
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Project 2: Food in Four Acts
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Project 3: Two-Sided Interactive Fence
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Project 4: Sentient Facade
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Project 5: Cedar-Riverside Spine
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Project 6: Four Fingers
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Project 6: Two-Sided Interactive Fence
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April 10, 2012 JLG Architects 801 Washington Ave N, #120, Minneapolis, MN 55401 To whom it may concern: I am in search of a summer architectural internship in the Twin Cities to develop my skills even further. I have graduated from the University at Buffalo in New York and received my Bachelor’s of Science in Architecture. I am currently in my second year at the University of Minnesota working towards a Master’s in Architecture. I would like to discuss employment and adding value to your organization. In my studies at UB, I have acquired a great deal of knowledge and skill. The skills I have learned but not limited to are model making, rendering, and diagramming. I am knowledgeable with a wide variety of programs including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe illustrator, Adobe InDesign, AutoCAD, Sketchup, Rhino, Ecotect, IES, Grasshopper, and Revit. During the summer of 2011, I enrolled in a course named Community Service Design. This course involves working with Habitat for Humanity to construct homes with the recipients of the home and my peers. I learned quickly and helped teach my fellow habitat workers easy techniques to accomplishing a task. From these experiences, I developed and improved my leadership, social, and communication skills which enabled me to return to Habitat as a team leader the following summer of 2012. The last semester was the most valuable and distinctive experience of my undergraduate career at UB. In the design studio, the class is mixed between undergraduate architecture seniors and graduates of architects, planners, and dual degrees (architecture and urban planning). We were privileged to work with the Erie County Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC), a firm in downtown Buffalo, to design a bridge that will connect the Inner and Outer harbor as it intersects an abandoned, empty grain elevator. Also, through the support of UB following ECHDC, we were able to redesign the areas directly connected by the bridge. A major design priority is sustainable design as well as working with the site context. This experience allowed me to learn and work with people from different fields to complete the common task of re-purposing the area. I have also gained many memorable experiences at the University of Minnesota. During the spring of 2013, I was in a studio that was responsible for the Gen Y Ecohouse at the Minnesota State Fair held this past summer. In this studio, the whole class worked together to design this Ecohouse. I learned of different ways people could live and what the bare minimum a place called home could be. Based of a survey we conducted for this course, the students discovered that the majority of people in Gen Y eat in the living room and do not even use their dining room space. I also learned that people can live comfortably and efficiently in compact spaces. This course has taught me to thoroughly observe human behavior in relations to architecture, to not forget the human perspective. Thank you for your time and consideration. Attached is my resume and a few samples of my work. Please contact me at your earliest convenience with the contact info listed in the title page or directly below. Sincerely, Tiffany Chen (832) 661-9084 chen.tiffany38@gmail.com 1
QUALIFICATIONS EDUCATION • Master’s in Architecture University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 55455 GPA: 3.33 •
Bachelor of Science in Architecture SUNY-University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY 14214
Expected May 2015
Graduated May 2012
SKILLS • Fluent in Mandarin Chinese • Operating Systems - Windows PC, Apple Macintosh, and Linux Ubuntu • Computer Skills – AutoCAD, Autodesk Ecotect, IES, Rhino, 3DSMax, Google Sketchup, Grasshopper, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office, Apple Works, Adobe Creative Suites, Quickbooks, Java programming language, HTML • Design Skills - Sketching, modeling, photography and darkroom procedures, photographic manipulation, wood and metal shop experience • Office Machines: Fax, Copy Machine, Scientific and Graphing Calculator
ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS • Institute of Chinese Culture • National Honor Society • Japanese Club • International Cultural Society • Literary Magazine Club • Hamman Foundation Scholarship • Habitat for Humanity Buffalo
1999-2006 2006-2008 2006-2008 2006-2008 2005-2008 2008-2012 2011-2012
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY • Origami Restaurant Minneapolis, MN 55401 o Hostess o Server •
West Ridge Liquor Rochester, NY 14615 o Cashier o Front End Manager
•
UB Main Street Area Office Buffalo, NY 14214 o Receptionist
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Charissa Seipp Interiors Houston, TX 77084 o Intern o Assistant
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Patriot Advertising, Inc. Katy, TX 77450 o Accounting Assistant o Animation Consultant o Web Developer
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Chin Won Chinese and Sushi Katy, TX 77450 o Cashier o Waitress o Manager
June 2012 - present
Summer 2009, Summer 2010
August 2008-May 2009
October 2007-April 2008
May 2007-July 2008
2004-2008
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Z-Wall University at Buffalo/Spring 2009 Professor Chris Romano TA: Michael Bailie Skills: hand drawings, wood working
This abstract structure is composed of a single module to create a wall with a lintel and could turn ninety degrees.
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First Iteration
Second Iteration
Final Iteration
Stacking System
For each iteration, the questions raised were whether or not the unit could make a continuous wall, could the unit make a ninety degree turn, and could the unit make a lintel. If the module failed in any aspect, then that module would be modified and tested again. The first module, a simple parallelogram, can stack on top of each other but could not interlock to create a continuous wall surface. As a result, a notch was introduced by cutting the corner of the parallelogram. The notch allowed for some interlocking between modules but this second module could not create a corner or make a lintel. To make a lintel, the notch was moved away from the edge so the modules could latch onto each other. To create a corner, the intersections of modules had to carefully manipulated. The result is two specific angles in the notches to allow for a wider or sharper turn. It takes about five modules to turn ninety degrees.
Module Axon
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Module Plan
Module Elevation
Creating the Lintel
Negative wooden molds were made of the unit to create rubber positive molds. Because of the notch location in the “Z� module, a lintel can be created just by removing a module within the wall surface as shown in the images to the left.
Z-Wall Elevation
Z-Wall Lintel
Z-Wall Corner
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University of Minnesota / Fall 2012 Professor Adam Marcus Group: Annie Bearss, Tiffany Chen, Ben Kraft, Alex Robinson Skill: wood working, diagramming, video editting Media: Illustrator, Photoshop, Premier Pro
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Food in Four Acts A group of students work together to create an interactive installation that displays food ingredients in different ways. This installation will be located in Rapson Hall in Minneapolis, MN.
Menu Menu Menu
The chosen produce are snow peas, garlic, bell peppers, and grapefruits. These ingredients are organized based on size and also by which course of a meal, starting with the snow peas as an appetizer and ending with the grapefruit as a dessert. The installation consists of a sphere that can be disassembled into chairs and eating surfaces. This sphere comes apart into 5 layers: first layer is the chairs, second is the snow peas, third is garlic, fourth is bell peppers, and fifth is the grapefruit. As each layer is removed, the food interaction gets lower. The result is the change in posture from standing to sitting through the different courses. We were required to invite four volunteers to interact with the installation. These volunteers were only given the menu displayed above as a set of instructions. They figured out how to take the sphere apart and put it back together after interacting with each ingredient.
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Two-Sided Interactive Fence University of Minnesota / Fall 2013 Professor Jennifer Yoos Skills: model making, diagramming, renders Media: Photoshop, Illustrator
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Students are required to design a small scale farmers market at a site of their choice in the Twin Cities to better understand temporary program and structures.
As a program, a farmers market is temporary Greenway in durationLoring and erection. As a result, the space Bike Route occupied by a farmers market must also be flexible. The chosen site is based on this analysis and is located along La Belle Vie a popular bike path adjacent to an Apartment and Restaurant apartment building with a large, unused green space in Minneapolis. My proposal is to replace the existing fence that separates the bike path and apartment building with a flexible, interactive, two-sided fence. This new fence can be opened up into different stalls with embedded storage along the bike path when the farmers market is open and resume the function of a fence when the farmers market is closed. On the residential side, this fence can be opened up to reveal picnic tables, hammocks and other accomodations for outdoor activities that better utilize the green space adjacent to the apartment building. As a result, the fence will be in seasonal use during the farmers market but also can be used anytime by the residents and passerbys.
Operable Walls Storage
Gardening
Bike Parking/Storage
Private Side (for residents)
Dining Inside
Public Side (such as Farmers Market)
Outside
SITE SITE
Loring Greenway Bike Route
Loring Greenway Bike Route
La Belle Vie Apartment and Restaurant
La Belle Vie Apartment and Restaurant
SITE
Loring Greenway Bike Route
La Belle Vie Apartment and Restaurant
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University of Minnesota / Catalyst 2014 Professor Lucy Dunne Group: Tiffany Chen, Matthew Enos, Loubna Houri Skills: computer programming, model making Media: Arduino, Rhino
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Sentient Facade Students learned how to create responsive artifacts by programming the Arduino board to respond to certain variables within one week.
Our group wanted to create something responsive and useful for architecture or for daily life. We decided on creating a “sentient facade� that would respond to the current weather conditions. The facade reacts to the daylight and outdoor temperature. If the outside condition is too bright, the louvres are closed for shading. If the outside condition is too bright and too hot, then the louvres remiain closed and a water feature is turned on to activate the evaporative cooling feature on the facade. The water is stored in a tank that can have vegetation above to filter and recycle water. If it is night time, the lights embedded in the louvres are turned on. My specific role for this project was to program the Arduino board and hook up the hardware to the board.
Water Feature
Louvres
Water tank
Light Sensor Thermal Sensor
It is too BRIGHT
It is just RIGHT
It is too BRIGHT and HOT
It is too NIGHT
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Cedar-Riverside Spine University of Minnesota / Fall 2012 Professor Adam Marcus Skill: diagramming, model making, drafting, rendering Media: AutoCAD, SketchUp, Podium, Illustrator, Photoshop
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This restaurant acts as a spine that connects the busy public street of Riverside Ave in Minneapolis, MN to the calm residential street of 5th street South.
ransparancy of a Block
This diagram explores the transparency of the blocks in Cedar-Riverside. A point is placed at the midpoint of each block on each side of the block. Then, the line of site is measured from the point until the closest obstruction, such as a building. This study was done at various heights. height up to 15 feet height from 15 feet to 30 feet site of restaurant
The process began by investigating the path that connects Riverside to 5th Street South through various modeling styles. Through massing, the forms around the path were determined. Through the basswood stick study, the rhythm of the elevations were determined. The last set of models synthesized the form and path.
xperimental Cuisine Collective 14
Restaurant Restaurant Cooking Lab Cooking Lab
Public Circulation Space Public Circulation Space
Restaurant Restaurant
This structure housed two restaurants and two cooking labs. These spaces were categorized by the cooking style of minimum or maximum. The minimum cooking style is related more to traditional style of cooking with slight molecular enhancements. The maximum cooking style is complete alteration of the food at the molecular level. The maximum style restaurant and cooking lab is considered more public so it faces the commercial or public side of the site on Cedar Ave. The minimum style is more private and acts as a threshold from the public to the residential neighborhood. The spine connects these different cooking styles and different functions together.
Section 1 Cedar Ave
MINIMUM Minimum
Cooking Lab Cooking Lab
MAXIMUM Maximum
Section 2 Commercial/Public Residential/Private
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Ground Floor
Second Floor
5th Street S
Minimum Style Restaurant
Maximum Style Restaurant
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Section 2
The structure is constructed using balloon framing. The chosen material is timber. The rhythmic facade varies depending on the amount of privacy desired for the function behind the facade. The maximum style restaurant is a fine dining restaurant. This type of restaurant desires more privacy so the spacing of the columns is closer together and the rhythm is faster. On the otherhand, the cooking school wants to show their work to the public so the spacing is farther apart and the rhythm is slower. The columns gradually tilt and the roof surface undulates primarily to allow optimal daylighting for the center spine as well as for experiential and visual purposes.
The Spine
Section 1
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Detailed Plan
Detailed Section 1
Detailed Section 2
Since the spine is placed between program and has a sloping roof, drainage becomes an issue and is questioned. The solution shown in these detailed drawings demonstrates the drainage system. Gutters are placed along the edge of the spine while pipes run down some columns to drain the runoff.
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Four Fingers University at Buffalo / Fall 2011 Instructor: Hiro Hata Skills: model making, diagramming, rendering, drafting Media: AutoCAD, Rhino, SketchUp, Vray, Ecotect, Illustrator, Photoshop
This public housing project is located close to downtown Buffalo, NY and conceptually designed with building codes and requirements in mind.
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Site Analysis
Neighborhood
Business
Collision Zone: NeighborhoodBusiness
Collision Zone: NeighborhoodNeighborhood
Downtown Roads (Radial)
Neighborhood Roads (Grid)
The layout of the public housing is derived from Buffalo’s city plan, which is a Ellicott plan (radial) superimposed with the Jeffersonian plan (grid). The main roads of downtown radiate from city hall. Once the area becomes more residential, the roads start to be more of the grid style; however, the grid is along the radial main road from downtown. This superimposition creates collision zones between residential and commercial as well as the radial and grid plan. The transition from urban (public) to residential (private) through the superimposed city plan is translated to the assigned public housing project.
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Ground Floor Site Plan
Parking Floor 1
Parking Floor 2
The plan of this public housing refers to the radial and grid superimposition of the Buffalo city plan. Like in th Buffalo city plan, the main vertical circulation acts as the centerpoint where radii intersect. These radii become main through-view corridors for the apartments where all the spaces in the apartments branch off from. Along the window side of the corridor are lined with shoji screens that open up to benches for seating and daylight.
Section 2
Residential Floors 4, 5, 6
Roof Plan
Floor 2
Floor 3
Section 1
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1 Bedroom
Studio
Southwest Elevation
Section 1
3 Bedroom
Northwest Elevation Section 2
2 Bedroom
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Occupancy groups + means of egress
E G R E S S
Occupancy group (p. 7-12, 347)
Occupant load (p. 283)
Maximum floor area (scheme)
Number of occupants
Number of egress stairs (p. 254)
Stair width (p. 284-285)
Smokeproof stairs? yes/no (p. 261)
Sprinklers? yes/no (p. 284)
Maximum travel distance (p.284)
R-2 Multi-family resident
200 sq. ft (gross)
9265 sq. ft.
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2
36 in.
yes
yes
250 ft
A-3 Assembly (Library, Lecture Hall)
100 sq. ft (gross), 7 sq. ft (net)
1600 sq. ft 2100 sq. ft
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2
44 in.
yes
no
200 ft
S-2 Parking garages (low hazard storage)
200 sq. ft (gross)
12075 sq. ft.
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2
44 in.
yes
no
300 ft
This studio required the students to look in depth at the technical aspects of a building such as accessibility, egress, and other building codes. The primary sources used for this were “The Architect’s Studio Companion,” “Architectural Graphic Standards,” and “Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings.”
3-hour Fire Rating
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1-hour Fire Rating
2-hour Fire Rating
Residential Egress Public Egress Parking Egress
S T R U C T U R E A C C E S S I B I L I T Y
Residential Egress
Fire Stairs
M E C H A N I C A L
Vertical Circulation Structure
Shear Walls
Columns
Beams and Girders
Transfer Beam
Public Egress
The structure includes a series of shear walls that run in a radial direction. Columns provide stability for the void between each unit. One shear wall breaks and shifts at the third floor, requiring a transfer beam to bring the loads down to the ground.
Refuge Area Elevator
Wheelchair Turning Radius
S U S T A I N I B I L I T Y
The four different types of units are narrow, allowing for optimal daylighting. A shoji screen system is provided along the corridor to allow for user operability. The closets in each bedroom are raised up two feet. Underneath these closets are operable louvres for the residents to open or close. Across the main corridor are operable windows. There are also operable windows on the exterior wall of each bedroom. Opening the bedroom window, louvres, and hallway window allows for cross ventilation.
Vertical Chase Plumbing Walls Air Distribution Ducts
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University at Buffalo / Spring 2012 Instructors: Hiro Hata, Harry Warren Group: Tiffany Chen, Yi Chen, Tomasz Majkut, Rich Mrugala Skills: wood working, model making, rendering, diagramming, drafting Media: AutoCAD, SketchUp, Rhino, Vray, Illustrator, Photoshop
Peel + Inhabit A bridge connects the Inner and Outer Harbors of Buffalo, NY; however, this land is under-developed. Thus, students in groups develop a master plan for the connected harbors.
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Water -
Surrounded by water, this is the most dominant influence on the site
Buffalo River
Times Beach - In addition to providing critical habitat for wildlife, this nature preserve might be the only place in the city where a person can feel total freedom from the urban fabric.
Concept
Historical Structures - The DL & W Train Station, Buffalo Main Lighthouse, and The Connecting Terminal R.R. Elevator garner preservation concerns.
Our buildings lift rather than consume the ground plane. This allows us to develop the site while also expanding the surface area available for wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and on site water retention and filtration. The horizontal is strongly emphasized over the vertical, drawing from the horizon line of Lake Erie, the shorelines of the Buffalo River, and the relatively shallow incline of the Niagara Escarpment. By sloping the ground up, the roof surfaces of the facility are developed into a park-like landscape where the public can view a panoramic view of downtown Buffalo, Lake Erie, and Times Beach Nature Preserve. By stepping-back the facade of the facility facing Times Beach, perception of the building as a barrier dividing the site and encroaching upon Times Beach can be minimized.
Section A
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Natural Green Spaces
Historical Structures
Main Street
Commercial/ Event Space
ain M
Pe rr
y
St.
St. . Ave ark S. P
Soccer
Running
Roller-skating Birds Watching
Yoga Badminton Study&Research
Buffalo River
Climbing
Shopping
Business
Legend Legend Car Lanes Car Lanes
Light Rail Lanes Light Rail Lanes
Pedestrian& & Bike Pedestrian BikeLanes Lanes Walkway in Times Beach
Circulation
Walkway in Times Beach
Activity
Master Plan
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Commercial
Institution
Recreational
Commercial - 15, 000 SF
Commercial - 180, 000 SF Residential - 220, 000 SF
Trajan’s Market - Rome, Italy 30,000 SF
8 House - Copenhagen, Denmark 646, 000 SF total
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Residential
Utility/Mechanical
Industrial Viewsheds
Research Institution - 350, 000 SF
Great Lakes Research Houghton, Michigan 450, 000 SF
Center
Fish Hatchery - 200, 000 lbs of fish/yr
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NYS DEC Salmon River Fish Hatchery Altmar, NY 140,000 lbs of fish/yr
Much of the winding circulation results from particular framed views throughout the site. The Inner Harbor is designated for high volume public uses including a museum dedicated to children’s entertainment and development to be located on the Webster Block directly opposite of First Niagara Center. The Second floor of the former DLW train terminal will become the location of an experience center for exhibiting the resident wildlife of the outer harbor and research achievements of the Lake Erie Research Center for Industrial Rehabilitation.
Development of the Inner Harbor architecture consists of lifting the ground plane to make productive use of the space underneath the ramp onto the bridge. This maximizes space and prevents dead zones on the site. Typically, ramps and other structures act as barriers for users but, by lifting the ground plane, users are not completely prohibited or deterred from a space. The grain elevator acts as the gateway to the Outer Harbor. Different sizes are peeled off the grain elevator silos to create either bird habitats or a climbing center. The smaller silos make up the climbing center, creating openings for a more exposed structure of the grain silos. The larger silos make up the bird habitat. The bird habitat is designed to accommodate the different types of birds such as water birds and perching birds Punctures or small openings are created depending on the bird lifestyle designated to the silo. Each silo is to accommodate different needs and rituals of the birds.
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Great Lakes Beach Grasslands
Great Lakes Prairie
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Great Lakes Marshland
On the Outer Harbor, different vegetation is placed depending on the type of path that runs along the buildings and around the site. The main path runs up the ramp from one end of the building down to the other. The vegetation along this path is shorter allowing more visibility. The other path is a more liesurely path that winds and curves along the building. These paths intersect with the main paths on the ramp. The vegetation along these liesurely paths are taller. The sloping surfaces are also coordinated to channel water to special filtration landscapes where wastewater other than sewage is naturally purified to a level healthy enough that it can drain directly into the Buffalo River and Lake Erie.
Phase 1 - Bridge Storefronts under bridge ramp - Utility space for outdoor events at Erie - Canalside - Opening in the grain elevator and bird habitat on large silos - Research Institution - Fish Hatchery - Light Commercial (to become Mixed-Use Residential)
Phase 2 - Children’s Museum - Museum in 2nd floor of DL&W Terminal and connection to Museum Climbing center in Grain Elevator - Addition to Mixed-Use Residential - Water Filtration Landscape - Lighthouse Picnic Grove - Coast Guard
Phase 3 - Last addition to Mixed-Used Residential
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