Work Sample 2016

AL E X L AT H A M GRADUATE ARCHITECTURE

WORK SAMPLE

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY

AL

MOVEMENT

12'

16'

CHANEY STREET

GREENVILLE, SC

16'

30'

20'

6'

DW

12'

T

he Nicholtown community in Greenville, South Carolina serves as inspiration for the design of a 500 square foot, 40K house. The site, located on Chaney Street, is in a prime location in the heart of the city.

6 Chaney Street is in a moving place. The Nicholtown neighborhood continues to grow, change, and flourish every day. The community garden, bike program, and pocket parks reveal the moves the Nicholtown community is making to improve the place they live.

By providing the design of a sustainable and affordable home, the Nicholtown community can evolve and continue in their growth towards a more economically and socially sound environment.

Ultimately, the meaning of movement can go in many directions, as can be evidenced by the definition of the word. Taking this idea into an architectural form in a neighborhood like Nicholtown reveals the social change occurring in a place with a growing hope for the future.

16'

HEMSAYE N I C H O LT O W N

GREENVILLE, SC

T

he Nicholtown community is severely lacking in public space where the community can gather, interact, and relax. This project serves to create a space where members of the community can gather in a location directly connected to the Swamp Rabbit Trail as well as a convenient bus stop.

Through a time line, the project is designed in three phases that allow for appropriate allocation of funding to complete the project in a feasible time frame.

Phase I involves the creation of a moveable shade structure, capable of providing a place for sheltered gathering throughout the year. Phase II delves into a community bike sharing program, capable of expanding the network of the Nicholtown neighborhood. Finally, Phase III creates a basketball court adjacent to the Phase I site, just across Alameda Street.

The basketball court is at the base of a sloping landscape, which can serve as seating for guests who visit the site. Existing hardwoods serve as shade for the court and its visitors. Ultimately, the project serves as a design to invigorate a community with multi-functional gathering spaces built into the existing environment, capable of serving the needs of the area.

SWAMP RABBIT TRAIL

SOLAR DECATHLON CLEMSON, SC | IRVINE, CA

Every two years, the U.S. Department of Energy sponsors the

international Solar Decathlon competition. The event challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and visually appealing. The competition winner best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency of their design.

As Communications and Sponsorship Chair, I was responsible for working with the Clemson development office to raise over $1 million in donations, constructing two homes, marketing the project, designing the interiors, and many other tasks.

Being a part of the Solar Decathlon team has immensely impressed upon me the importance of team cohesion, organization, and passion in a work environment. Although the Solar Decathlon was,

admittedly, an arduous and daunting process, it proved to be the most rewarding and edifying project of my architectural education. Not only did I learn what it takes to build a home from the ground up, but I also embraced what it means to truly work with a team, build relationships, and succeed in seemingly impossible tasks.

Having the opportunity to participate in the design, construction, and implementation of a sustainable, efficient, and innovative home has been and will be an invaluable experience to employ in all my future endeavors both in and out of the field of architecture.

ALEXANDRA

LATHAM PHONE:

8 0 3 . 2 3 6 . 6 0 2 4

EMAIL:

AKLATHAM7@GMAIL.COM

ADDRESS: 2795 WINDMILL DRIVE

SUMTER, SC 29150