Payton Estis | Undergraduate Portfolio

Portfolio Payton Estis

Selected Works

Undergraduate

From:

To:

University of Florida

2018

2020

facture to techne

purpose:

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“Architecture forms a vital link between people and their surroundings. It acts as a gentle buffer between the fragility of human existence and the vast world outside.

How different people choose to build connections in their environment essentially defines those societies and their relationships to conditions around them.�

-Kengo Kuma

retreat

tower

institute

graft

center

fabrication

design V fall 2019

design IV spring 2018

design VII fall 2020

design IV spring 2018

design VI spring 2020

adv topics in digital

^ selected works

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Aquatic Restoration | Retreat Cedar Key, FL | Atsena Otie Key Critic: John Maze Architectural Design V

On site, a retreat lies perched above the water. Centered around a primary program of a fish nursery, the intervention provides a response to overfishing off the coast of Cedar Key. A regard for existing conditions and past history serve as the catalyst to decisions made for the intervention, while providing a place for simple leisure and pure experience to landscape.

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Section drawings depicting the shifting elevation from high to low tide

With connection to Cedar Key, the nursery serves as a breeding ground to rejuivinate and address the concern of over-fishing. By providing a controlled and protected zone, the intervention marks as a nexus and beacon to an everchanging zone, variant on the fluxuation of high to low tides throughout the day.

Comprised of two levels, the intervention in its nature shifts with the conditions. During lowtide, a reveal of the suspended kelp along the aquaculture ring and hatchery run are present. The nursery also serves as a hinge, connecting the bridgeway to the other island to the dolphin feeding zone along the beach.

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Plan of Fish Hatchery Retreat, Cedar Key, FL

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Site Model: Fish Hatchery Retreat, Cedar Key, FL

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A process of sketching and detail modeling presents an approach to construct, as well as techniques to engagement. These studies aim to explore and convey a meticulous consideration for site, addressing both the sensitivity and rigor of the shifting tides on an hourly basis each day.

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To the experiential, the retreat aims at heightening the relationship to visitor and aquatic life to a nearly symbiotic connection. Providing constant exposure to the environment, the individual experiences at first hand an adaptation to the cycle sea life follows around the island. At low tide, the oyster bed is revealed, surrounded in an inserted ring of kelp for protection and ecosystem as the tide rises. This point allows for clear observation from the first level. As the tide rises, the threshold between the ocean and built is crossed, allowing fish to circulate through the project, while remaining low enough for visitors to walk through the water amongst the sea life. Finally, at high tide the base level becomes fully submerged, and during this point allows for inhabitants to either leave or arrive onto site.

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Programmatic Amalgamation | Tower Hong Kong, China

Critic: Nancy Clark Architectural Design IV

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Set in the district of Wan Chai, the exploration of vertically arranged spaces was the foundation of this concept. Using program as the generator for organization, this proposal addresses the idea of a city without ground. This ascension placed within a bustling city depicts a fragment of its complexity, serving as a hub for some and a place of work and recreation for others.

This investigation into the ascension focuses heavily on the intertwining of moments. As much of today’s architecture accomodates the vast array of everyday activities, this fragment of the city aims to embody the amalgamtion of character brought to it. The specificity of people and program led to studies of space making, directed at understanding the technical requirements while acknowledging and optimizing the experiential. These model studies show an adaptive process to form finding, originally inspired by the idea of a sail.

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Wan Chai being considered one of the busiest commercial areas in Hong Kong, much of the program centered around the purpose of serving as a hub.

The central to lower portion of the project features a variety of entry points to accomodate different means of commuting.

These include a parking garage, walking and cycling loops as a connector to nature trails, and metro line as part of the Shatin-Central Link. Additionally, to juxtapose the frenetic nature of commuting, the other half of the fragment encapsulates spaces of recreation and observation.

A place of pause.

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Men With Birdcages

Observation

Recreation Escalators

Walking Cycling

Presentation Room

Dining

Parking

Metro Station

Elevator

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Outcropping Manhattan | Institute New York City, NY

Partner: Parker Cox Critic: Peter Sprowls Architectural Design VII

The implementation of the grid system during colonization dominates NYC today, and the schist outcroppings and hills that used to make up the island topography are now fewer and far between compared to the foundation of the city. This institute celebrates what once used to make up this portion of New York and bring attention to the heavy excavation that humans acted upon in order to build the great city.

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The entry and procession into and throughout the site, respectively, was dictated by both descension from the street and feeling the weight of the project surround and enclose occupants by its massive size and opaque nature. The entry from Madison Avenue on the west side begins with a descent, a longer walk that indirectly takes people to its entrance, creating the feeling of leaving the New York ground plane and into a new one: an excavated earth plane. Upon entry, a mass floats above the excavated earth plane, creating a feeling of weightiness at the start of the project.

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These diagrams and model began to look at ways one could begin to engage the natural and how we might inhabit this beyond our current status. A fascination with earth’s formations, merged with an approach to construction led to a celebratory stance to the institute, as the decision to recycle the excavated ground and elevate it to shape the plaza emerged.

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The institute becomes the connective tissue between the academic and arts community, linking The Dalton School and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum as a merger of these two disciplines. Furthermore, to the city of New York as a whole, the project is a commentary on the industrial and natural extremeties active within the city.

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Construct to the Contextual | Graft Gainesville, FL

Critic: Nancy Clark Architectural Design IV

On a vacant corner lot in the heart of downtown, the proposal provides a relief from its host black box art gallery, while simultaniously becoming a connector for pedestrians to the block. This extension based solely on its surrounding context became the punctuation to its neighboring buildings, looking to both funnel in and release any passerby as the second level ramp rises to the main street. As the second floor extends over the sidewalk, the ramp becomes an awning itself.

Site diagram

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With the intent to be a space of pause and reflection, transparency becomes vital. While still providing enclosure, the insertion of aperatures throughout the graft aim to reveal moments.

These moments give consideration to three aspects: the outside, the connection, and the past. To both the inhabitant and passerby, the threshold between the two is thin, as to almost be nonexistent. To the inhabitant, exposure to the structure shows its relation to the occupied edge. The final consideration to past exists on the fringe of old to new, framing points of reflection as one passes the threshold between outside and in.

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Polycarbonate

Structure

Addressing Edge | Center Orlando, FL Critic: Lee-su Huang Architectural Design VI

Situated off of Lake Eola, the intervention rests on the corner of N Rosalind Ave and E Washington St, a bustling edge of Orlando near landmarks such as the Walt Disney Ampitheater and Orlando’s Public Library. Set directly next to St. George’s Orthodox Church, the insertion of a cultural center arises, providing for the public a new space of gather and showcase serving as an oculus into downtown.

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Glass System

Facing the prospect of future development, the decision to set back site from the adjacent lot allows for potential interaction amongst occupants of each building. The formation of a courtyard becomes the atrium to a larger system of spaces, as it evolves into the merger of various communities. As further response to the lake, the corner is set back and angled towards the ampitheater, allowing for a relief to edge while directing the occupants view towards the stage.

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Diagram depicting manipulation of proposed footprint elevated to allow for further activation of public space relative to inserted program.

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To address its neighboring context, the intervention lowers to the height of the church to prevent from overpowering the landmark and overall edge of the street.

However, as the building begins to extend

further into the inner city, the profile begins to rise as a response to the sudden shift in height off of the lake. Similarly, the ground level begins to follow this system of reference, creating an extension of the sidewalk for pedestrians to navigate.

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| Fabrication Partners: Laura Tracy & Nicki Barrow Adv Topics in Digital Architecture

Built for and inspired by a friend’s bunnies, the project serves as both a pet bed and adorning side table. The concept was oriented with both pet and user in mind, presenting a minimal and soft design to allow for easy monitorization and accessibility. The assembly features a natural material of 8’x8’ birch plywood, utilizing the technique of notching to brace the horizontal rings to the leg components, allowing for easy assemblage/disassemblage.

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Payton Estis

paytonestis@live.com 262.497.2509

Work Experience ELECTRICAL ASSISTANT

Assistant Technician: Kenosha, WI June 2019 to August 2019

DRAFTSMAN/CARPENTER

Habitat for Humanity: Racine, WI June 2019 to August 2019

Pedagogy TEACHING ASSISTANT

Architectural Design IV: Spring 2020 Professor: Michael Montoya University of Florida: Gaineville, FL

Skills + Software AutoCAD 2019 Rhinoceros 6 + Grasshopper Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, & Indesign MS Office Word, Excel, & Powerpoint Google Sketchup

Education BACHELORS OF ARCHITECTURE

University of Florida Gainesville, FL Expected Date of Graduation: May 2021

ASSOCIATE OF ARTS Santa Fe College Gainesville, FL May 2018

Honors + Publications Dean’s List Fall 2018 and Fall 2019

Cum Laude upon graduation Spring 2021

Architrave 26 + 27: Featured works Revit, Civil3D Lumion 10 Languages: English [Native Language] Chinese [Intermediate]

thank you.