2025 Portfolio

Christian Studebaker Architecture Portfolio Selected Works in Architecture & Design

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2025

Experience October 2021 - August 2022 Schmidt Architects, Portland - Architectural Designer

Christian Studebaker I am a Master of Architecture candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, expected to graduate in 2026. I received my Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Portland State University in 2022.

March 2021 - September 2021 Axiotecture, Beaverton - Architectural Designer Construction of Architectural plans Building design Code approved construction Managing development of projects worldwide May 2020 - August 2020 ABI, Seattle - Lead/Supervisory Intern

My approach to architecture is rooted in minimalism—not in aesthetic reduction, but in the belief that spaces should provide a framework for users to interpret and experience on their own terms.

Architecture should be honest in form and function, seamlessly serving its purpose while evoking an emotional response that feels natural rather than imposed. I am drawn to the depth found in details, not for their ability to impress at first glance, but for their capacity to enhance everyday interactions.

Thoughtful detailing has the power to make a space feel intuitive and considered, creating moments that might go unnoticed yet contribute to the overall experience.

Beyond design, I see architecture as a discipline that requires resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace complexity. Throughout my life, I have been drawn to challenges that push me beyond my comfort zone, requiring creative problem-solving and perseverance—qualities that I bring to every project I work on. I believe architecture should not only respond to its immediate context but also anticipate change, adapting over time to remain relevant and meaningful.

As I continue my academic and professional journey, I hope to contribute to projects that explore innovative structural solutions, prioritize sustainability, and create meaningful spaces for people. I am excited about the possibilities architecture holds and the impact it can have, and I am eager to engage with projects that challenge conventions while remaining deeply connected to the needs of users and communities.

Development of plans and program for construction Management of other interns in project developement On-site construction management of projects

Skills Adobe Sketchup AutoCad Microsoft Suite Vray Enscape Revit

Rhino Architectural drafting Design thinking Urban design Architectural layout Constructing documents Presentational layout

CHRISTIAN STUDEBAKER

During my undergraduate studies, I gained over a year of experience working at multiple architecture firms, where I was exposed to a broad range of project types, scales, and design methodologies. These experiences refined my understanding of how architecture balances concept, materiality, and function while responding to real-world constraints. I am particularly interested in sustainable and adaptive design strategies, as well as the role of mass timber in shaping the future of construction.

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

Construction of Architectural plans Site planning Building design Code approved construction

2025

5 Lowell Circle Apt 2 Somerville, Massachusetts, 02143 (503) 901-7521 Christianstudebaker@gmail.com

Christian Studebaker t: 503-901-7521 e: christianstudebaker@gmail.com

MIT Option Studio 2

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MIT Option Studio 1

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MIT Core 3

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EWB Mkutani, Tanzania

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CONTENTS

01 MIT Option Studio 2 Kit for a Bit

Kit for a Bit is a modular, transportable recreational facility designed for ease of assembly and disassembly, allowing it to be relocated and reconfigured as needed. Rather than relying on large, heavy components, the structure consists of manageable, human-scale parts that can be assembled into a repeating skeletal module.

The lightweight framework is elevated off the ground by four 2” x 2” members per column, enabling beams to slide into place with minimal effort. Walls can be inserted as needed, allowing users to customize the space for different functions. The modular system is further adaptable through extendable columns, which accommodate varying topographies across different sites.

This flexible approach ensures that Kit for a Bit remains highly adaptable, portable, and efficient while providing a dynamic recreational space wherever it is needed.

Fall 2024

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Roof Detail

Stair Detail

Module

About

It was understood that some sites would contain a more aggressive topography and in order to maintain structural integrity the building would have to accomodate via stairs.

The stair assembly, which follows the same slotting method as the rest of the building, ensuring ease of construction and disassembly without requiring additional fasteners or complex connections. In the spirit of ease of assembly/ disassembly, the ground contact wood columns are ground contact pressure treated lumber that is capable of restricting rot due to moisture found on site. Because the building is not meant to be permanent, neither are the individual memebrs which are to be replaced as needed.

Ground Detail

Fall 2024

2025 ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO CHRISTIAN STUDEBAKER

OPTION STUDIO 2

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01 About

The three images showcase the Kit for a Bit module deployed across diverse landscapes, demonstrating its adaptability to different topographies and ground conditions. In rocky terrain, the extendable columns allow the structure to rise above uneven surfaces without the need for extensive ground preparation.

On aggressive slopes, the system seamlessly integrates vertical circulation, ensuring stability while maintaining the modular assembly’s efficiency.

When column lengths exceed a certain threshold, interlocking diagonal wood braces are added to counteract buckling risks and maintain structural integrity, ensuring the module remains sturdy even in extreme conditions. In the third image, the module is deployed near a waterfront, where its open skeletal framework eliminates the need for walls, allowing it to function as a dock. The repetitive nature of the system allows for seamless expansion, enabling it to serve multiple functions depending on user needs and site conditions. Whether perched on rocky terrain, elevated on a slope, or extending over water, the Kit for a Bit module proves its versatility as a relocatable and reconfigurable recreational facility.

Site Option 1

Site Option 2

Site Option 3

Fall 2024

2025 ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO CHRISTIAN STUDEBAKER

OPTION STUDIO 2

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01

Fall 2024

2025 ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO CHRISTIAN STUDEBAKER

OPTION STUDIO 2

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02 MIT/ARO Option Studio 1 Waterfront Education Center

In Spring of 2024, MIT option studio 1 was taaught by the 3 principals of ARO from New York. Situated on a waterfront site in East Boston, this primary school serves a dual purpose, functioning as both an educational facility during the day and a community space in the evenings. The building houses essential programmatic elements such as classrooms, a cafeteria, offices, a music room, a playroom, a nurse’s office, a library, and various study spaces. At the heart of the design is a striking two-story greenhouse, around which the rest of the school is organized. This greenhouse serves as a dynamic learning environment, filled with diverse plant species and designed to support hands-on education in horticulture, chemistry, and biology. Spanning its second level, bridges connect different sides of the space, forming walkways and seating areas where students and visitors can engage with nature. Structurally, the greenhouse features large mass timber columns that branch out at the top to mimic trees, reinforcing the feeling of walking through a living forest. This biophilic design fosters a deep connection between students and the natural world, enhancing both education and well-being.

Wall Section 1/4” = 1’0”

Spring 2024

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2nd Floor Plan

About

Ground Plan

The two floor plans illustrate the integration of the greenhouse at the heart of the school, with classrooms and other programmatic spaces wrapping around its perimeter. The ground floor plan highlights the greenhouse’s diverse plant life and how it serves as a central educational space, while also showcasing the surrounding classrooms, library, cafeteria, and play areas. The second-floor plan reveals the network of bridges weaving through the greenhouse, allowing students to move between spaces while experiencing the natural environment up close, walking among both real trees and the branching mass timber columns. The plans also depict the school’s thoughtful relationship to its waterfront site, with a boardwalk that bridges the north and south sides of the property. Extending from the building, a series of piers create outdoor viewing and teaching spaces, providing students and the community with direct engagement with the water, further enriching the school’s educational opportunities

Spring 2024

2025 ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO CHRISTIAN STUDEBAKER

OPTION STUDIO 1

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02

About

The exterior images highlight the school’s interactive timber slat shading system, designed to engage students in teamwork while controlling natural light. These operable slats, which shade the classrooms, require students to work together to unlock the mechanism and spin a wheel to adjust their position, fostering collaboration and a hands-on understanding of passive climate control. The image also showcases the school’s waterfront integration, where a series of piers extend from the structure, softening the rigid boundaries of the site and creating spaces for learning and reflection by the water. The second image, a crosssection drawing, reveals the dynamic relationship between the greenhouse and the rest of the building. The section emphasizes the centrality of the greenhouse space, with bridges weaving through the lush interior and classrooms arranged around its perimeter. The drawing also illustrates the dramatic contrast between the greenhouse’s domed roof, which rises above the structure like a bubble of organic growth, and the flat, grounded form of the surrounding building, reinforcing the greenhouse’s role as the heart of the school.

North Elevation 1/8” = 1’0”

North Elevation

West Section West Section 1/8” = 1’0”

Spring 2024

2025 ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO CHRISTIAN STUDEBAKER

OPTION STUDIO 1

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03 MIT Core 3 Waterfront Long House

In Fall 2023, the Core 3 studio gave me the chance to explore and test the development of an architectural design proposal with an integrated understanding of the structural, spatial, material, and environmental performance of a building in response to local and regional site and climatic conditions, and issues of food sovereignty.

The Longhouse program envisions a food system model in which local community members to grow and share food, while building practices of care and stewardship for people and the earth through ecoconscious practices of cultivation, conservation, reuse, and regeneration, etc., in which the goal is zero waste. In this model spaces of production can also serve for community gathering and care. I was encouraged to consider the architecture of food which covers a range of scales from infrastructure to building to food itself. I explored a range of physical food storage structures including warehouses, greenhouses, markets, granaries, pantries, kitchens, containers etc.,

Fall 2023

03 About

Situated between pier park and a commercial zone, the proposal completes the weterfront circulation by bridging the boardwalk of the park with the pier of the commercial area.

Mimicking the geometry of the street to the North of the site, the project bends to complete the bridging in a way that is symbolic of a candy bar wrapper being peeled, with the glue tissue of the wrapper being the programmatic elements of the project. Program elements peeling and stretching in the site creates indoor and outdoor spaces to be occupied during the colder and warmer months. Within the overall footprint of the building itself, there are 3 enclosures, one within one another. The overall building enclosed with moveable partitions and a double brick thermal enclosure, housing 2 main program boxes which each contain 3 sub program elements such as an auditorium, library, meeting room, cafe, and kitchen. The proposal balances a pushing and pulling effect within the bending of the building through the usage of punctures in the structure, punctures of the boardwalk, extensions a dn retractions of the roof and extensions and retractions of the boardwalk.

Ground Plan 1/16” = 1’0”

Ground Plan

Long Section Section B 1/8” = 1’0”

Fall 2023

2025 ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO CHRISTIAN STUDEBAKER

CORE 3

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03 About

Structurally, the section drawings highlight an innovative column system that bends with the building and supports both construction efficiency and long-term adaptability. The building is framed with four 4” x 4” columns spaced precisely four inches apart, allowing beams and girders to slide into place before being bolted down. This modular approach streamlines the construction process, making assembly and disassembly straightforward and reducing material waste. The flexibility of this system enables future modifications, making the structure more resilient to changing needs. Internally, these columns serve a dual function, discreetly concealing the water and gutter pipes from the roof, optimizing both the aesthetic and functional aspects of the space. Externally, the same column configuration generates 4” window gaps, bringing in natural daylight while maintaining a sense of enclosure and rhythm along the building’s façade.

Section 1

Section A 1/8” = 1’0”

By integrating these structural, environmental, and spatial strategies, the design achieves a balance between functionality, sustainability, and user experience. The result is a building that not only responds to its waterfront context but also embraces adaptability, ensuring longterm value for both its occupants and the surrounding community.

Section Detail

Wall Section 1/2” = 1’0”

Fall 2023

2025 ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO CHRISTIAN STUDEBAKER

CORE 3

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Fall 2023

2025 ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO CHRISTIAN STUDEBAKER

CORE 3

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EWB Mkutani, Tanzania Primary School Building

In the Spring of 2023 I joined Engineers Without Borders Boston’s professional chapter as one of two architects for their ongoing primary school building project in Tanzania.

The project is a low-cost, community-focused building funded entirely through donations.

Emphasizing sustainability, the design utilizes locally sourced materials and straightforward construction methods suited to the skill levels of local craftsmen and the limited availability of tools. The structure features a durable concrete slab-on-grade foundation, concrete walls with inset windows and doors, and a lifted wooden truss roof assembly. This elevated roof enhances natural ventilation, promoting passive cooling to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures in the warm climate. The project demonstrates a balance between affordability, functionality, and environmental sensitivity, fostering long-term resilience for the local community.

Construction began in the Summer of ‘24 and is scheduled for completion in the Summer of ‘25.

Spring 2023

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South Elevation

North Elevation

Spring 2023

2025 ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO CHRISTIAN STUDEBAKER

MKUTANI, TANZANIA

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04

About The section drawing illustrates the building’s elevated wooden truss roof, a key design feature for passive cooling. By lifting the roof above the concrete walls, a continuous gap allows hot air to escape while drawing in cooler air from lower openings, creating natural crossventilation. This airflow reduces heat buildup inside the building, making it more comfortable for occupants without the need for mechanical cooling. This passive cooling strategy, combined with the building’s simple, low-cost materials, ensures an efficient and sustainable response to Mkutani’s warm climate.

The section drawing below also highlights a rainwater catchment system integrated into the elevated wooden truss roof. Gutters along the roof’s edge channel rainwater into a storage system, which feeds into an elevated water tower adjacent to the building. This setup provides a sustainable water source for school children, ensuring access to clean water for drinking and handwashing. The elevated position of the tank allows gravity-fed distribution, reducing reliance on external infrastructure.

Short Section

Long Section

Spring 2023

2025 ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO CHRISTIAN STUDEBAKER

MKUTANI, TANZANIA

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Thank You