Shayla Thomas Architectural Portfolio
Carnegie Mellon University |
Florida A&M University
Shayla Thomas
Phone | 443-388-4434
Email | shayla.thomas.2018@gmail.com
01 Radical Wellness
Radical Wellness is a multi-family housing project, collaborated on with three individuals that prioritizes the mental & physical wellness of its residents, a provision that is seldom made in low-income housing. By facilitating growing, exercise, and quality food, the project builds community and breaks away from the rigid individualism typically seen in multi-family housing. Through a number of community terraces, several bridges are created between residents that builds trust and a sense of home. Programmatically, we took inspiration from the Vietnamese housing typology called bahay na bato, where a ground-level market sits below the housing of the family who manage it. In furthering the mission of promoting wellness, the structure is built with mass timber for its low carbon output and positive physiological traits. Created using Revit and Enscape.
EXPERIENTIAL COLLAGE
LIGHT QUALITY
AIR QUALITY
COMMUNITY BUILDING
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
WARM TEXTURES AND COLORS
MARKET FOR RESIDENT PRODUCE
LOCAL VENDORS
FOOD GROWING SPACE FOR EVERY
WEEKLY GARDENING CLASSES
WELLNESS CENTER FOR PHYSICAL
INTERSPERSED COMMON TERRACES
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY USE
SOLAR ENERGY USE
02 Artist Residence
This style of home located in Northwest Detroit, MI was created in response to climate change and economic inequality throughout the United States by explore alternative materializations, spatial configurations, and models of living. The prototypes were created as a result and are located based on its position in relation with the Artist Walk, an neighborhood initiative that has shares a street with this intervention. These homes were designed to be accessible for artists, of any kind, from Detroit, a place where they can display their passions right on their doorsteps. The homes were also rematerialized as being made of hempcrete to for natural insulation while providing an aesthetic interior finish and wooden shakes to protect the biomaterial from the elements. Created with Revit, Enscape, and Photoshop.
SITE MAP
03 Révitaliser le Vieux Port de Montréal
The influence of the design was to draw a connection to the visiting circus which acts as a very popular attraction while also creating a connection with the surrounding environment. The use of the ellipses in the design of the building related to the circular footprint of the circus tent. The circular patterns of the pedestrian pathways are to act as a link to the two buildings. The arch formed by the two buildings act as a framing device and viewing point to see another popular tourist attraction, the Montreal Biosphere which is a museum dedicated to the environment in Montreal. Visitors can travel up the walkway and experience the view like never before. The urban design of the pedestrian pathway mimics the “current” of everyday life, where the patron may not be sure where they are going, but they will have a grand experience. Created using Revit and Enscape.
Old Montreal Port Site
PontdelaConcorde
Ile Sainte-Helene Pont des Iles Fleuve Saint-Laurent
SITE MAP
Form Developement Forces Programming
Rehearsal/ Back of house
Public Access/ Theaters Administration
Storage
Forces Applied Programming
Rehearsal/ Back of house
Public Access/ Theaters Administration
Storage
SITE PLAN
Forces Applied
SITE SECTION
VIEW LOCATION DIAGRAM
VIEW PORT
THE BIOSPHERE, ENVIRONMENT MUSEUM
Work Experience
HMC mossArchitects
04 HMC - Harbor UCLA Hospital
Centered on Humanity, Sustainability and Exceptional Care, the new Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Redevelopment Program will consolidate medical services into new facilities on the 72-acre campus. The program ensures Harbor-UCLA Medical Center complies with Senate Bill 1953, which takes effect in 2030 and requires all California hospitals to be structurally resilient in the event of a significant earthquake. Assistance was provided in the form of updating and correcting construction documentation to ensure accuracy before deadlines as well as the creation and updating of interior renders for client meetings. Created using Revit, Rhino, and Enscape.
LOBBY WITH ART FROM LOCAL ARTIST
05 mossArchitects - Sharpsburg, PA
Outside the city of Pittsburgh, is the quaint town of Sharpsburg, a small community with a city center that is home to local and franchised business alike. I was tasked to work on this small commercial project in this area. The owner asked for multiple facade design options to be able to market the space to potential renters. I came up multiple design options, with varying levels of intervention for a possible restaurant or cafe renter. The use of color was in response to the clients interest as well as building upon the existing mural that would remain post renovation. Created using Rhino and Photoshop.
DESIGN CONCEPT 2
05 mossArchitects - Haverford Pool house
This client had dreams of renovating the pool deck and house of their recently purchased home. The large design renovations included updating the interior kitchen layout and adding a pergola and outdoor kitchen. I drafted and modeled the existing conditions and the design options of the pool house, deck, and pergola in Rhino. The design team had to balance with the clients desire to have visual balance while still making the renovation worthwhile
EXISTING FRONT ELEVATION
OUTDOOR KITCHEN DESIGN OPTION 4
DESIGN OPTION 4 RENDER
Haverford Pool House
05 mossArchitects - Beechwood Guest House
The Beechwood project was a residential new build and renovation project. While the more senior design team tackled the arduous demolition and design of the main house, I was the primary designer on the renovation of the guest house. The intent for the guest house is to host 1-2 visiting artists at a time while also allocating storage for art, gardening supplies, and sports equipment. The client initially wanted a "light touch" renovation of the 1.5 story structure, but after multiple meetings and bouts of compromising, they decided they would be happier to fully realize their vision with a complete gut of the building. Created using AutoCAD and Photoshop.
The existing exterior conditions that the client wanted to see design options for were the 10 foot overhang on the front facade and intersecting roofs creating awkward spaces on the 2nd floor interior.
EXISTING FRONT ELEVATION
The final design options given to the client included an option that removes the 10 foot overhang, which the client gravitated towards. Both options included a retaining wall for exterior side access for sports and gardening storage. So as not to invoke a variance order, the roof line was not changed, but the client has decided to lower the existing floor by 14 inches to make the second floor spaces more usable.
OPTION A- FRONT ELEVATION
OPTION A - 1ST FLOOR PLAN
OPTION A - 2ND FLOOR PLAN
Miscellaneous Work
06 Magnetic Growth
Created in a design-research seminar course that explores alternative material formations beyond the current petrochemical reality. Material resilience was explored as well as their intersection with the statement: if architectural forms can self-care while being entangled in the space of their local ecology. Magnet Growth was a group collaboration on investigating the intersection of the effects of magnetic fields on plant growth as well as making the construction waste stream more cyclical. Magnetic powder, sawdust, and glycerin were the main ingredients casted into form work to create the wall panel system that was subsequently hand sewn together with basic needle and thread.
PORTION OF WALL SYSTEM
