Ava Coker - Architecture Portfolio

AVA COKER

Bachelor of Architectural Design Portfolio Griffith University

ABOUT ME

Gold Coast, Queensland ava.coker@griffithuni.edu.au

I am currently undergoing my Bachelor's Degree of Architectural Design at Griffith University. I have always had a strong interest for Architecture and Interior Design. Throughout my degree my passion for sustainable architecture, interior architecture and aesthetics has grown immensely, and I thoroughly enjoy incorporating these principles into my own designs. I consider myself an enthusiastic, passionate and dedicated individual with a strong desire to succeed in any given task. Particularly throughout Design Studio Courses, I have learnt how to effectively work under pressure, and collaborate with my peers and tutors to produce the best work possible.

EDUCATION

2007 - 2011 Samford State School

2012 - 2019 Coomera Anglican College

2020 - 2022 Bachelor of Architectural Design

GPA: 6.0

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

PRACTICAL SKILLS

Revit Enscape Photoshop Illustrator Indesign

TIME MANAGEMENT

My university experience has certainly allowed me to enhance my time management skills. Working as well as being a full time student has been a challenging experience, but my time management and planning skills have allowed me to push myself and complete work to a high quality no matter how busy.

RESILIENCE

Studying Architecture has undoubtedly built my resilience. There have been times where I have felt overwhelmed and stressed with the workload, but my desire for greatness and future ambitions always allowed me to push through no matter the circumstances. These challenging experiences actually allowed to improve, and proved to myself that I have the resilience and mentality to persevere.

COMMUNICATION & INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Throughout my degree I have found communication and collaboration to be paramount in succeeding. As an Architecture Student, collaborating with my peers and tutors has always inspired me and allowed me to improve. I am always willing to listen and communicate in a helpful manner, and always do so with a professional attitude and open mind.

PUBLIC SPEAKING & PRESENTATING

Being an Architecture Student, public speaking and presentations are inevitable. Throughout my degree, my public speaking skills have improved significantly, and I have gained the skills to confidently and enthusiastically present my work to my peers, tutors and other academics.

TEAMWORK

My time at university has presented me with many opportunities to work as a team and gain experience in group work settings. There have been many occasions of group assignments, where I have been a positive addition, contributer and organiser for the group.

WRITING SKILLS

Written communication is certainly one of my strong assets. I am a confident and proficient writer, and this has helped me immensely throughout my degree to be able to communicate my ideas in written form, not only diagrammatically or visually.

ACTION BASED CAREER PLAN

Post graduation I will be moving into the workforce to pursue my career in the field. With my key interests being sustainable architecture, as well as interior architecture and design, I would love to gain a role in a workplace where I can be a positive addition to the team, and share my passion and skills in these areas.

I am aware that a large percentage of jobs are not advertised, so will be actively seeking a position by utilising my connections such as University Course Convenors and Tutors, as well as friends and family that are in the Architecture and Design field today.

To build my professional network, I will continue to communicate and maintain connections with people in the industry, as well as presenting myself and my work in a professional manner to optimise opportunities that may arise.

CONTENTS

T1, '22

Women's Transitional Facility

Red Hill, Brisbane

Pg 1 - 3

T2, '21

Community Centre

Southport, Gold Coast

Pg 4 -5

T2, '21

Pixel Hotel

Upper Coomera, Gold Coast

Pg 6 - 7

T2, '22

Binna Burra Eco Cabins & Centre

Binna Burra, Scenic Rim

Pg 8 - 10

TRANSITIONAL FACILITY

Red Hill, Brisbane, QLD

3905ENG Design Studio 5, City Systems

PROGRAMS USED: Revit, Illustrator, Photoshop

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Based in Red Hill, this project required design for rehabilitation and reintegration of formerly incarcerated women. The Transitional Facility was designed with an approach that looked at the project as a micro city, in order to include all the necessities of everyday life.

With rehabilitation being a key focus of the project, in order to improve quality of life and prevent recividism, a biophilic design approach was taken.

With a large quantity of incarcerated women throughout QLD being of Indigenous Australian culture, it was essential to acknowledge this and design with consideration of country. Additionally, with children up to the ages of 5yrs being able to reside in the facility with their mother’s, design considerations were taken to cater for them also.

REFLECTION

The designing of a Women’s Transitional Facility was an extremely interesting but challenging process. With the site located in Red Hill, a dense residential area, a key goal for the project was for it to blend with the surrounding infrastructure, whilst maintaining as little institutional feel as possible. The topography of the site also challenged my approach, but also inspired some of my design decisions. A key intention was to create a project which lightly touched the site, with accommodation buildings being inspired by a common housing typology in the area; Queenslander’s, hence the raised nature via stilts. With rehabilitation and successful reintegration to society being paramount, the use of biophilic design principles was one that also drove a lot of my design decisions. A main challenge in this project was the extent of required programs.

Rather than segregating the site with a harsh boundary, the programs and buildings were strategically positioned to create two districts; public and private. A key node for the site, the Cultural Centre, was positioned central to the accommodation, for residents’ ease of access and encouragement of social interaction.

ISOMETRIC VIEW

KIDS PLAYGROUND M O M E N T S

IDEATION: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

CULTURAL CENTRE

MEETING PLACE SYMBOL

SEATING ARRANGEMENTS

MOTHER & CHILD SYMBOL

The key focus for the secure perimeter was to ensure there is no instutional feel about.

By creating a buffer zone, and implementing a simple timber fence, social interaction between the public and women is welcomed.

SECURE PERIMETER FENCING SECTION

Implementation of 2.6m buffer zone, planted out with native Australian flora, to prevent the exchange of contraband through the fence. 1.5m timber fencing ensures it blends with the surrounding housing types.

NATIVE AUSTRALIAN FLORA PARTICULARLY PRESENT IN RED HILL

The presence of Australian Aboriginal Art can be found over 30,000 years ago. A very important aspect of this art is the use of symbols. The use of symbols is an alternate way to write down stories of cultural significance, teaching survival and use of the land. With song and dance being a significant aspect of Indigenous Australian Aboriginal culture, a 50m2 music room was added to the Cultural facilities, adjacent to the Indigenous Meeting Space.

PLAN

HICKORY

GUINEA FLOWER NATIVE PASSIONFLOWER

PLECTRANTHUS

EUCALYPTUS LEUCOXYLON

SECTION A: NORTH TO SOUTH

SECTION B: EAST TO WEST

Southport, Gold Coast, QLD

2902ENV

PROGRAMS USED: Revit, Photoshop, Enscape

ABOUT THE PROJECT

With the Community Centre site being named after the founder of scouting, Baden Powell, the concept has been inspired by a campsite. Campsites often resemble qualities of community, togetherness and unity. Throughout the design process, these qualities have been key drivers. The central outdoor area within the design is a symbol of the campfire in a campsite setting. The campfire in the centre of the campsite is known as the meeting space in a camping dynamic.

The tent within a campsite acts as a form of protection from the outside, but when inside the tent, the user still feels a sense of connection with the surrounding natural environment. Within the Baden Powell Community Centre, one of the key intentions is to allow users to utilise the space whilst still feeling a connection with nature and the surrounds.

REFLECTION

The site for this Community Centre Project was based along a busy main thoroughfare, Smith Street Highway, in Southport. Due to this, privacy and noise were two key considerations when positioning programs on the site. A large central outdoor space for interaction between users was key for the design, so programs were positioned around this shielding the space from noise as best as possible, whilst also creating privacy.

Another key goal for this project was to create bright, light spaces which created connection to the outdoors, which links back to my concept. To achieve this without sacrificing privacy to the public, large curtain walls and windows were utilised.

SITE ANALYSIS

PROGRAM ZONING

PATH

NOISE CORRIDOR

ENTRY

LAYOUT RESEMBLES THE TRADITIONAL CAMPSITE LAYOUT

SITE/FLOOR PLAN

Upper Coomera, Gold Coast, QLD

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Pixel Hotel project involved the selection of an abandoned or inactive space to repurpose and give new life. The key concept was to design with consideration of the site’s history, culture, and locality.

Located in Upper Coomera on the Gold Coast, QLD, ‘Tallei Lodge’, is a project which was developed with the goal of creating an accomodation space on the Northern Gold Coast, which engages with its surrounds and allows users to feel connected to the site’s history and surrounds.

The space was inspired by the traditional Queenslander home, which is a common housing typology throughout the area. Tallei Lodge is an open plan style accomodation, with one bedroom and a connecting ensuite. The prominence of timber throughout is inspired by the Queenslander typology, as well as providing links to the site’s history, with the nearby Coomera River being heavily utilised by Timbergetters in the 1800. The use of sage hues throughout the space were inspired by the leaves of the wattle, which is where the name ‘Coomera’ was derived; ‘Kumera’ meaning ‘Wattle’ in the Aboriginal Yugambeh language.

MATERIALISED FLOOR PLAN

REFLECTION

With the key driver of this project being to repurpose a space, there was already a constraint in place; the form of the building.

The site I chose was already quite open planned, which gave me a lot of creative freedom with how I wanted to divide up the space. With the project situated alongside a busy main thoroughfare, privacy and noise were important considerations; hence situating bedroom and bathroom spaces on the furthest wall. Having an interest in interior design and decorating, as well as a lot of creative freedom, this task was super enjoyable for me. Key design objectives and drivers throughout the project mainly consisted of the site’s history, and surrounding architectural typologies.

SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS

R

BATHROOM

SAGE HERRINGBONE TILE

WHITE HEXAGONAL FLOOR TILE

BRASS ACCESSORIES

OAK TIMBER

WHITE WALL TILE

SAGE & CREAM RUG

WHITE TIMBER CLADDING

TIMBER FLOORING

ACACIA WOOD SAGE LEAF WALLPAPER

SAGE CERAMICS

BEIGE TEXTURED RUG SAGE PAINT

BINNA BURRA ECO CABINS & CENTRE

Binna Burra, Scenic Rim, QLD

3906ENG Design Studio 6, Constructional Composition

PROGRAMS USED: Revit, Illustrator, Photoshop

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Based in Binna Burra, this project involves the designing of Eco Cabins and an Eco Centre, with consideration for bushfires post the September 2019 devastation. The project aims to be as off grid and sustainable as possible, coinciding with Binna Burra Lodge’s current ethos’. The main demographic for the project consists of students who would likely stay for days at a time, in addition to scientists and researchers who could have extended stays of up to a period of weeks or months. A key aim for the project is to educate visitors about the history of the site, local culture and environment, as well as climate change. With climate change concerns on the rise, sustainable design is a key aspect of the project philosophy, hence the use of ecofriendly materials and implementation of bio climatic design principles.

REFLECTION

Similar to the Transitional Facility Project in Red Hill, the site for this project, Bellbird Clearing, provides a steep slope and challenging topography. This was one of the first challenges that I noted upon the site visit. With some key points in my philosophy being sustainability and connection, and my concept revolving around regeneration, creating a project which lightly touches the site was the solution. Not only does this preserve the site, but it also enhances the user experience. With Binna Burra and Lamington National Park having a rich history of Indigenous Culture, it was important for me to honour and acknowledge this, by creating a central Indigenous meeting space, thus all the accomodation and buildings are positioned around this, whilst framing views of the surrounding natural environment.

REGENERATION THROUGH DESIGN

RAISED BOARDWALK

A raised boardwalk has been implemented in order to preserve the site’s flora and fauna. The continuous nature of the boardwalk throughout the entire site promotes connection between users.

RAISED BUILDINGS

By constructing each building with stilts, the built environment gains a ‘lightly touched’ nature, and is one with the site, significantly reducing impacts on life below.

ACCOMODATION TYPOLOGIES

6 x 6 BED CABINS

• 3x single bunk beds

• 3m wall height to ensure clearance

• Bifold doors opening onto verandah

2 x WHEELCHAIR ACCESSABLE CAB INS

• 2x single beds

• AS1428.1 compliant accessable bath room

• Washer & dryer

• Bifold doors opening onto verandah

CANOPY VIEWS

Raising the buildings off the ground allows users to be further immersed within the canopy of the surrounding trees, promoting connection to nature.

1 x SCIENTIST CABIN

• 2x double beds

• AS1428.1 compliant accessable bathroom

• Washer & dryer

• Bifold doors opening onto veran dah

SITE/FLOOR PLAN

1) Car Park

2) Gathering Space

Reception

Dining

Kitchen/BOH

Public Toilets

Seminar Room

Info Sharing Space

Verandah

Office

Labaratory

Accessible Cabins

Scientist Cabin

Bathhouse

Indigenous Meeting

6 Person Cabins

Wastewater Hut

Elevators

Canopy Walk

Bird Hide/Observation Point

With the key driver of this project being Regeneration, and key aspect of the philosophy being to encourage connection, a canopy walk has been installed throughout the entire perimeter of the site, accessible to all via elevators on either side of the Eco-Centre.

Butterfly roof implemented as a bioclimatic design strategy to utilise eastern and southern winds, whislt minimising excess sunlight into the labaratory.

Bird hide/observation point at the highest point of the site, only accessible via the canopy walk.

Indigenous Meeting Space which acts as a node, central to the site.

Bioclimatic design strategies utilised for Scientist Cabin, utilising eastern and western sunlight.

Elevator which is connected to the Eco Centre via boardwalk. Provides access to the canopy walk.

Dining space which overlooks tree canopy and is connected to verandah via bifold doors.

Seminar room/teaching space which connects to the info sharing space via bifold doors, to create one large, open & well ventilated indoor/outdoor space.

Breezeway style gathering space which utilises easterly prevailing winds and frames views of every angle of the site.