Portfolio - B Harshini Ongole

Professional experience - Gensler Fellowship

A take on the science center of the future

Coursework - Georgia Tech Design scripting(Python - Rhino), Media + modeling 2(Grasshopper) - December 2021

Mama Loka Cultural Center Thesis project - January 2020

Yuhe Cancer specialty hospital - December 2018

Revitalizing Cheruthuruthy Urban design project - June 2019

A trip down memory lane Landscape design project proposal - December 2019

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

To conceptualize a multidisciplinary research facility located in an urban context 25 years from now. The project focuses on utilizing space and energy efficiently, minimizing its impact on the environment. New synergies are catalyzed between academia and industry. At a time of rising social inequality, inefficient land use, and continued environmental degrada tion, the future academic science building needs to find a way to balance technological advancement while also acting to be a truly positive asset within surrounding communities.

Identifying the common issue.

Public Engagement?

Starbucks doesn’t count.

PROTOTYPE COMPONENTS:// ATLANTA BELTLINE

8:00AM

Eddy

+ Elementarystudent

Eddy isan 11 year-old student at Hope Hill Elementary. Eddy is a part of his school's agriculture club

The club has partnered with the lab facility's Youth Initiatives Program wheretheyparticipate in lab workshops after school led by Dr. Maria and tend to the community crop garden led by Joe.

5:00PM 6:00PM

8:00AM

3:00PM 4:00PM

OVERVIEW AND MISSION LOCATION + PROGRAM MANIFESTATIONOUR VISION DAY IN THE LIFEPROTOTYPE

Dr. Maria

+ Researcher and professor

Maria teaches a growth and biomaterials class at GSU. She also helps run the lab facility on site.

After overseeing research, she leads the lab workshop portion of the Youth Initiatives program with Hope Hill elementary. She then continues her work and is responsible for closing the lab in the evening.

2:00PM 4:00PM

6:00PM 1:00PM 3:00PM

OVERVIEW AND MISSION LOCATION + PROGRAM MANIFESTATIONOUR VISION DAY IN THE LIFEPROTOTYPE

6:00PM

+ Farmer and vendor

Joe has been selling his farmed goods at Krog Street Market next door for 10 years. Joe has partnered with the Lab's agriculture project to make and sell food using the community grown crops.

He spends his lunch at the facility's beltline park and then runs the garden and green house on the site and leads a group of student volunteers 3x a week.

3:00PM 4:00PM

7:00AM 8:00AM 1:00PM

OVERVIEW AND MISSION LOCATION + PROGRAM MANIFESTATIONVISION IN THE LIFEPROTOTYPE

+ OVERLAP OF EXPERIENCE

The lab as a hub to stitch communities together...

#Beltline thoughts

Howcanourlab servethe community?"

“CanIparticipatein thelabto understandmy interestsandalso contributetothe community?”

“Asafarmer,howcan Icombinescienceto givebacktomy community?"

agriculture overlap

lab research overlap

+ + + beltline overlap

OVERVIEW AND MISSION LOCATION + PROGRAM MANIFESTATIONOUR VISION DAY IN THE LIFEPROTOTYPE

SOLAR DECATHLON

The proposal has been developed and structured to empower any house owner in the neighborhood to rep licate any relevant design component to transform their house to be more energy-efficient in an affordable way. The current retrofit proposal is for a house with an east west orientation, where the east embodies the house’s front porch. Houses in the Westside Neighborhood with the same orientation can be a replica of this proposed design.

HIGH-PERFORMING CITY DESIGN

East Gateway is the site closest to Stone Mountain (only a mile away) and is abutted by Memorial Drive on the south and Hairston Road on the West. Our aim is to establish connectivity of the site with its immediate neighborhoods as well as on a macro level. A well-connected street network and trail system will enhance accessibility to the site for residents, artists and tour ists. Redevelopment and retrofitting are an opportunity to increase the ener gy performance of the site as the existing area performs poorly. With these proposed developments, our performance targets mainly focus on re ducing the carbon footprint of existing buildings by introducing material modifications, by deciding heights of the new developments for day light and optimal spaces with visual and thermal comfort for artists to work, recycling and reusing waste collected on site through transfer stations and upcycle markets, energy generation through small scale PV, supporting local artists, and creating jobs through commercial development.

ULI HINES COMPETITION

SEEDS is a neighborhood retrofit aimed at introducing a new lan guage of connectivity and affordability to the culturally rich and ethnically diverse, Old Oakland. The retrofit takes a healing approach that prioritizes deconstruction as opposed to demolition. It recogniz es that the roots of Old Oakland go back generations, having been watered and nurtured by one family member to the next. These roots have survived racist land policies and gentrification; these roots will not be uprooted by SEEDS. Instead, SEEDS identifies roots in need, unsheltered community members, young children, elders, families, vendors, the working class, and has designed to tend to their soil.

SITE ANALYSIS

THE CONCEPT STORY DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT IDEOLOGY

SEEDS is a culture-centered, pro-community, affordable, self-sustaining mixed-use development aiming to preserve and water the roots of Oakland. SEEDS provides 385 residential units including 30% affordable housing and a renewal center for people experiencing homelessness. It produces 15,000 jobs in 480,000 SQFT of retail and office space, upgrades streetscapes, and activates the highway underpass to increase SEEDS : Collect projected $26 Million in annual revenue, affordable housing and units for people experiencing homelessness,  jobs, and help Oakland residents fill the STEAM employment gap in the US

Former FORMA SUMMARY

AFFORDABLE

DIVERSE FINANCING SOURCES

SEEDS creative financing plan follows the same principles that are at the root of its design and puts the diverse range of residents at the forefront of each financing decision. With a projected valuation of $22M for the given site plan, SEEDS strategically acquired $8M of additional parcels while ensuring no residents were displaced and staples of the community such as New Destiny Church remained untouched. A public-private partnership was negotiated with the City of Oakland to donate the courthouse in exchange for delivering affordable art spaces and a public STEAM Academy that builds a foundation for residents to tap into the $7.2 Trillion Technology industry, attracting employers to relocate from across the from San Francisco Bay.

COURSEWORK

This section involves Python-based design script ing to generate 3D forms and outputs in Rhino. The subsequent pages showcase grass hopper-based transformations using mathematical equations and finally, an energy modeling research project.