Gabby Tell Second Year Portfolio

New York City, NY / Personal Photograph

LETTER OF INTENT

Architecture and Sustainability Faculty,

Being from a small town, the large-scale architecture that most people think of when they hear “architecture” was not readily available to me. This made making trips (though not too far of a trip) to Grand Rapids, Chicago, New York, and any other larger cities such a treat to me. Annoying to my family but to me, this is always a highlight of any family vacation.

I developed an initial interest in architecture when I was in 7th grade. I had the opportunity to take a class that was focused on creative thinking and problem-solving. We used software that had interior design skills and allowed us to create our own spaces and buildings. I loved doing this and would do it all the time even after the class was finished. In high school, we did not have a ton of architectural classes, but I was able to take a drafting class. My teacher knew I had an interest in architecture and promised me that we would do a lesson in residential drafting and architecture; unfortunately, this was lost to COVID-19. I still knew that this was what I wanted to do in college and after college so I made it my goal to make it happen; starting with college.

Late in my senior year, I was able to take a tour of the college with Professor Cosper and Kate. I fell in love with the projects that were on display on the first floor of the Swan building. I fell in love with the structure of the school and could see myself creating these same projects and knew that I was going to make the right choice.

My first year and a half here at Ferris State University and having the privilege to be a part of the Architecture program has been one of the most rewarding experiences. I am passionate about the projects, and I love putting together projects,

working through the problems that are presented to us and producing a creative solution while creating something interesting and beautiful. Although I might not be the most vocal and animated about this, my favorite time in the day is time spent on various projects that I get to be my most creative self.

The first major project of my architectural career was in ARCH 101 where we were presented with a term and a definition from which we had to produce a space that we felt best physically represented the term. At the end of the semester, we presented our work in front of everyone. This was the least nervous that I had ever been for a presentation. I am not the best public speaker, but this was a presentation that I knew everything about; I knew what I was talking about, and I was passionate about it and felt good about what I was presenting. I enjoy hearing feedback on my work, knowing the skills that I am doing well and being able to take criticism to make my work even better to make me a better designer. I might not be the best designer or best student in the class, but I love to be in class and learn how to be the best.

Though it has not been an extended stay thus far in the architecture program, I have been able to take so much from each class and take it into my personal life. From seeing examples of ancient architecture in real life from Architectural History, gaining a massive respect for the work that I now know goes into the entire process from Architectural Detailing and Architectural Materials and Finishes. I always say to my parents and friends that I know everything there is to know about bricks and they always laugh but its mostly not a joke.

As I continue to grow as a designer, as a student, and in my professional career, I hope to continue to take this passion to get me to where I want to be. Post graduation, I would love to land a job in a firm, wherever that might take me; Grand Rapids might be fun, staying close to home or even heading out of state and getting the opportunity to experience the design challenges in an unfamiliar place. I have always had a greater interest in commercial

architecture and getting to work in a city setting rather than residential architecture. With that said, I have also always thought that being able to design residential spaces for individuals that would allow for creative and intimate design solutions would be interesting and rewarding.

In ARCH 102, Kate said, “We are the designers, we are mad with power.” Over the last year, this stuck with me, and I think about it often. I think about it in the context of the question posed recently by Professor Damico and Professor Reynoso; “What is architecture,” the most open-ended question of all time in this context. I think that as designers we are creating beautiful spaces for everyone to enjoy, spaces for people to feel comfortable, to make these spaces their own regardless of whether it is a home or an office, a conference room, or a lobby, or even just the front door.

We are seeking to evoke emotion, to make someone feel a certain way when they walk into your space; like the feeling of opening your hotel room door or walking into your new apartment for the first time. These spaces create these emotions and continue for the duration of someone’s stay. I appreciate this sentiment and I love getting a design problem and being able to think through the ideas; how do I want a person to feel, how do I want to orchestrate movement through this space, how can I get the occupant to experience spaces in a certain way?

I hope that as a designer and a student, I get the opportunity to evolve in the tactile and emotional skills to be a complex and well-rounded architect, miles above the initial outlines on a page.

Thank you for your consideration!

Contact Information:

Phone No.: (616) 591-4169

Email: tellg@ferris.edu

gabriellatell@icloud.com

The Synthetic Mural Project was a semester long study of the design principles that are practiced in the architecture trade. Using the graphite tile, we were asked to call out tonal values to create spaces with textures. From there, using additional materials comes a physical model that begins to outline spaces, surfaces, and hierarchy to then transform into digital, 3D models.

Physical Schematic / Tactile Model

Physical Model

8”x10”

The ECS Building Plan Project was a group task that required the study of floor plans and building drawings from a building on the Ferris State University campus. From there, we recreated the original drawings using Revit to additionally create each callout to create the elevation, section cut and details.

The Photoshop Collage was the introduction to Photoshop. Given the outline for the site and the building elevation, the task was to create three different facades using various sourced materials to overlay using Photoshop.

The Tessellation Project was a the introduction to the study of design principles to create a facade from repeating patterns. The physical node provided the pattern as well as a practice in physical modeling to create the overall structure. From there, using Illustrator to create the color blocked renderings with shadows incorporated.Using Photoshop, the final rendering was produced.

COLOR COMPOSITION

The Color Composition Project was a practice in using color theory to create a final work that properly embodies the concepts. The project also provides a practice for thinking in an abstract way to be applicable in creative situations.

The Open Air Pavilion required creative thinking to solve the problem. The given concept for this project was “Contemplation”. Given the concept, this structure was the resulting space that I felt best embodied the concept.

The Space and Void Project began with a starting line up of shapes that we were asked to create a completely unique space using these outlines. The task started with creating a physical model and from there, using the model to create the hand drawings.

CHICKEN POINT 10

ARCH 102 / Photoshop Spring 2023

The Chicken Point Cabin was a continued practice in using Photoshop to create a final rendering. Given the outlines for each view, the goal was to use sourced materials to create a tangible space as well as entourage to make the building a more realistic and comprehensible structure to the viewer.

Caledonia, MI / ARCH 242 / The Ideal Form: Form, Space, Order