Amanda Gabriela
Architecture and Urban Design Portfolio
about me
I have always had a passion for urban life. I find inspiration in exploring cities worldwide, meeting new cultures and talking to different people. The experience gives me a range of design problems and solutions to observe and use to inspire my own projects. Sustainable development is a key idea in which societies should grow and evolve through the scaffolding provided by designer’s ideas.
table of contentsTABLE OF CONTENTS contents 1. urban mobility plan for downtown Teresina 2. jk brigde 3. colorful istambul 4. haiti cluster 5. open theatre 6. tribeca loft
urban mobility plan for downtown Teresina - urban intervention - Teresina, BR - march - december 2014 Downtown Teresina is the historic hub of the city. It was densely occupied until two decades ago, when people started migrating to the suburbs, initiating the urban sprawl process. Nowadays, half of the people moved away, and it became an important commercial area, which holds 40% of the jobs in Teresina. As a result, people from all over the city head downtown every day, using their private car, causing traffic jam and serious pollution problems. This plan sought to redefine priorities and propose a new urban design based on sustainable development that could reduce dependence on private vehicles, decreasing distances and increasing people’s quality of life. Taking into consideration land use, downtown Teresina was divided into 04 smaller areas: 01 and 02 are residential areas occupied by low-income families; 03 is a hospital service area; and 04 is a commercial hub. It is clear a solid division of uses, in which areas are poorly integrated, hindering mobility by increasing distances between home, work and leisure environments.
To guide the urban renewal proposal, it was stablish some goals that ought to be achieved by the end of the project. Downtown Teresina should become a mixed used area through transit guided development. It is expected to design a dense and accessible neighborhood, where people can live close to where they work and do not need to rely on cars to meet daily routine. Public and private investors should work together to create new public parks throughout the area, inviting people to discover and preserve their historic hub. People should feel invited to walk and cycle in the streets, perceiving streets from a different perspective and feeling responsible to take care of the city themselves.
In each one of the divided areas was created a new public space, whether a park or a transit terminal, valuing local conditions, creating new references points for downtown Teresina and motivating mobility in between areas.
It was proposed a new hierarchy of streets which organize traffic by separating means of transportation. Each one of the typologies have different characteristics and play different roles into the master plan, and they all together create a sustainable multimodal network of transportation focused on people’s needs.
Primary axes before and after – exclusive corridor for public transportation and increase of floor area ratio to create mixed-use areas.
jk brigde - urban intervention - Teresina, BR - march - july 2014 The bridge connects downtown with one of wealthiest neighborhoods in the city. Traffic is a serious problem especially during normal business times or rush hour. The bridge is surrounded by preserved areas and recreational parks used intensely for sports. With its current design the bridge is the sole connection between the two green spaces. At this point, the bridge is more of an obstacle for pedestrians and cyclists than a useful connection.
In this design the central lane is elevated so people can safely walk, run, cycle or simply relax while crossing the bridge. It also integrates the lifestyle associated with the surrounding parks so the function of the bridge appropriately serves the location. Exclusive bus lanes will help expedite public transportation, which should help alleviate congestion. As a result of it’s central position, our hope is that the new JK Bridge will encourage architects to develop additional projects based on sustainable development.
colorful istambul - urban intervention - Istambul, Turkey - march - july 2013 For this project I had to choose a city and integrate color into the city as part of an urban intervention. I chose Istanbul, which is interesting as it is technically half in Asia and half in Europe. As I researched the city I found a powerful representation of Turkish culture in their tradition of handcrafted lamps. These are extremely high quality objects created in an array of beautiful and diverse colors. I decided this should be a part of the city. The idea is that each neighborhood or section of the city will have a different color associated with its rooftops. As we move through different levels, the city would change color slightly. People could easily distinguish between different sections through the use of color and light.
top views of two different neighborhoods in Istambul
turkish lamps and their color palettes
map of Istambul districts divided by neighborhood/color palettes
haiti cluster - housing and landscaping - Port-au-Prince, Haiti - march - july 2013
park with ocean view
diagrams
site plan Project located in Martisan Park, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The goal is to design a self-sustaining temporary residence for artists and artisans who want to go to Haiti to volunteer. To provide better ventilation and resistance to natural disasters, the construction is suspended by trusses made of bamboo, an abundant material in the region and extremely resistant. Also, suspending the construction, the green area was maximized, further improving thermal comfort and providing more planting areas. The extensive roof besides providing shades, also helps to collect rainwater, which is stored in internal containers, and used both on plantations and in own house bathroom. Organic waste from toilets should also be collected and used in the plantations.
sections
open theatre - theatre and landscaping - Port-au-Prince, Haiti - march - july 2013 At the same park in Haiti, few meters away from the cluster, it was proposed an outdoor theater. To maintain the dialogue with the housing, the concept of the structure was kept and taken a step further. With the idea of connections in mind, a spatial network of autosuportant bamboo was created, respecting the landscape of the park.
diagrams It was also important that the theatre could be used in many different ocasions, for a different amount of people and with different purposes. The diagrams shows how the theatre can be used, depending on the venues and the users.
tribeca loft - interior design - New York, NY - july 2013
SOCIAL
STUDIO
PRIVATE
Owned by a young couple of a photographer and a jewelry designer, the loft is located in the charming neighborhood of Tribeca, NYC. The design tried to enhance personality of both artists through zoning division using colors and saturation. Social areas such as living room and kitchen stand out by the use of a vibrant red in furniture and details, going through the studio section with use of less saturated colors, and finally the bedroom all black and white, providing a more intimate atmosphere and differing from work and social areas.
Layout was designed to attend artists’ needs, who are young and like to party and have friends over, needing a confortable living room, but also providing a small retail area where they showcase their art separated from more private section.
“Architecture has the power to make the world a little bit more like our dreams.� Bjarke Ingels