Carlotta Mace architecture portfolio 2023

My name is Carlotta Mace, and I am a third year student currently pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Architectural Studies at the University of Waterloo.

Within the discipline of architecture, my focus centers around environmentally conscious and equitable designs. Every project included in this portfolio consists of re- imagining existing spaces and materials. I believe that one of the most crucial roles of a designer, working within the context of a climate emergency, is to be able to conceptualize a new future for existing building stock without demolition as a first resort. To me, these adaptively reused spaces create a rich dialog between the past and present use of a given location. Other than adaptive reuse, I am also especially interested in the integration of renewable energy within architecture.

Honours Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Co-op University of Waterloo

September 2020 - 2025

Third year

Excellent Academic Standing University of Waterloo

Fall 2020 - Present

Academic average above 80%

Energy + Design Award University of Waterloo

Summer 2022

Presented to an architecture student who submits the best energy-related design

Merit Scholarship University of Waterloo

Fall 2020

Presented to students with an admission average of between 85 - 89.9%

Urban Design Intern Urban Strategies Inc.

September 2022 - December 2022

• created urban design diagrams and drawings to illustrate concepts in planning justification rationales as well as presentations using Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator and Photoshop)

• drawing site plans for projects with various levels of analysis

• created base site models and massing options in Archicad

Architectural Intern Cohlmeyer Architecture

January 2022 - April 2022

• created written proposals for major prospective institutional clients

• assisted in the creation of construction documents and as built drawings

• facilitated communication between various subconsultants

Circulation Desk Musagetes Architecture Library

January 2023 - Present

• assisted patrons with accessing library resources and locating books in the library

• reshelving and organizing books

Tree Planter Brinkman Reforestation

May 2023 - August 2023

• planted over 2 500 trees per day in order to promote the reforestation of clear cut blocks.

Volunteer Idea Exchange

January 2023 - Present

• assisted facilitating community events

May 30, 2022

From: Daniel Cohlmeyer

Principal | Cohlmeyer Architecture | 2001, av Laurier est | Montreal | Québec | H2H 1B8

To Whom It May Concern:

Carlotta Mace was employed with Cohlmeyer Architecture from January 4th to April 22nd, 2022 while on a co-op term through the University of Waterloo.

During her time with us, Carlotta was assigned to work on several projects where she produced architectural drawings, and documents, and was heavily involved in putting together Proposals for Services. She is a fast learner and is not afraid to take on new and challenging tasks.

I believe that Carlotta would make an excellent addition to your team as she is bright, organized, and enthusiastic, and brings that energy into the office every day. She was a pleasure to work with.

I would recommend Carlotta for a work term within your organization.

Sincerely,

Daniel Cohlmeyer | Principal | OAQ, OAA, MAA, SAA, AAA, AIBC

To whom it may concern,

Carlotta worked at Urban Strate gies Inc. as an urban design intern from the beginning of September to the end of December 2022. While she was here, I supervised her on various projects. At Urban Strategies, Carlotta was responsible for the production of diagrams, presentations, and multiples graphics to support our planning and urban design projects in the Greater Toronto Area. Carlotta was able to contribute actively on multiple projects ranging from residential building applications to larger mixed-use developments.

She demonstrated a high degree of proficiency with design softwares, such as Archicad and Adobe Creative Suite, and ensured all work was completed in a timely fashion. While working with Carlotta and reviewing feedback from others who have also worked with her, she has been observed to be a diligent worker who picks up co ncepts quickly and functions well in teams. She can work independently, take initiative on tasks, and participate enthusiastically on projects.

I believe that Carlotta would be an excellent addition to your team,

Samuel Lozeau

From Waste to Waste

From Waste to Waste is a proposal for a new intervention at the Hamilton Brick Factory site in Hamilton, Ontario. With the focus of the studio being landscape design, the project answers the question of how to conceptualize a space with a history of industry and extraction. From Waste to Waste converts the once brick factory into a lively and didactic power plant, fueled by municipal organic waste. I began the project by investigating the processes that had previously taken place on the site, specifically the extraction of clay and production of bricks. Something that I discovered was that there were a number of similarities between the brick making process and the process of producing renewable energy by gasification. This recollection formed the basis of my approach towards the site, which intends to remind visitors of history and simultaneously give new life to an abandoned.

This project won the Energy + Design Award at the University of Waterloo for the best energy related design.

objectives based on existing site plan

plan of existing site

1. conections on the site

2. planting strategy

3. adaptive programs

axonometric of proposed intervention

power plant + fuel storage

ceramics studio + gallery

market + pavillion

classrooms

Urban Geode

Urban Geode was my final project for a studio course focused on adaptive reuse. This site sits within the heart of the civic center of Kitchener and in close proximity to the downtown. Our task was to reimagine a historic postmodern building, currently functioning as a police station, in order to draw people into the civic district and create a space for Kitchener’s emerging performing arts scene. My proposal involved cutting the existing building in two, drawing inspiration from artist Gordon MattaClark, which simultaneously creates a pedestrian walkway towards the center of the civic district while also separating public and private programming. The idea that was central to my project was the splitting of a geode. I thought of the old police station as a geode or a relic of the past and something worthy of being treasured. The act of splitting this historic building and revealing the inside to the world was a way to preserve and honor the past while giving a new life to the space.

These are process diagrams from the early stages of this project. I wanted to convey the act of splitting the mass in two. Subsequently the notion of a geode came to mind and I wanted to imagine the feeling of walking through a geode.

massing diagram

concept diagram

section Bb

section Cc

River Street Library

River Street Library was the final project of a first year studio about designing public spaces. The goal of my design was to create a space which promotes digital literacy as well as community gathering. The site is located in Toronto’s east downtown and connects to the lower Don Valley trail. I imagined this library as having programming related to technology and digital fabrication. The intended user of this space would be anyone seeking to learn more about digital literacy, or those with limited access to technology. The ultimate goal of this library would be to use public spaces and community oriented programming to create opportunities for underserved groups.

ground floor plan

second floor plan

third floor plan

The form of the building was influenced by two factors. The first being the streets which border adjacent to the site, Queen Street and King Street. I wanted to provide views in both directions. The second being the grid structure used for each form. These grids overlap with columns stacking on all three levels.

exploded axonometric

Toronto Island House

Toronto Island House was a project for a first year course on environmental building design. This project required the implementation of passive building design, and the consultation of weather and climate data for our individual sites, in order to design an efficient off grid house. The project my group member and I proposed would be floating on Lake Ontario, or any lake in southern Ontario. The idea behind this was that we wanted to be close to the water and take advantage of the natural fresh water, however not exacerbate the issue of eroding shorelines. Our house uses multiple strategies such as reclaimed and recycled materials, passive heating and cooling, natural daylighting, water collection, and green energy in order to be completely off grid.

lower level plan

upper level plan

section Aa

section Bb

water system diagram

53 Water St. N

53 Water Street North is another adaptive reuse project. The goal of this project was to reinvision a post war tower in Kitchener and accomodate 50% more people. The design I proposed was to create a shared outdoor space which would separate the communal spaces, such as kitchen and living space, from the more private bedrooms and washrooms. The intended user of this building model would be students. I wanted to create a large common space where student residents could congregate, and also quiet private spaces for alone time.

section Bb

Circular Blockline

The project proposes an adaptive reuse strategy for the existing post-war tower at 1100 Courtland Avenue. This project explores the ways in which the existing housing stock present in Kitchener can be improved and enhanced in order to create more affordable and equitable housing. Drawing inspiration from Lacaton & Vassal’s transformation of 530 dwellings in Bordeaux, the approach to the existing building was to create a mass timber layer wrapping around the existing concrete structure. This would then extend the units outwards, increasing the amount of bedrooms each unit could hold, as well as giving each unit a generous semi conditioned balcony space. A second tower was then added, made out of mass timber with a concrete core. Program within the building focuses on creating circular dialogues between industries in the community, allowing for almost closed life cycles of materials. For example, the large greenhouse on the top would create food sovereignty for the building’s residents, while the compost would be biomass for the gasification and energy production in the basement of the building.

existing industrial facilities

proposed industrial facilities

possible future industrial facilities

relationships between industries on site

existing land use

proposed land use

Existing land use map

General industrial employment

Heavy industrial employment

Open space

Natural herritage conservation

Low rise residential

Medium rise residential

High rise residential

Mixed use

Proposed eco-industrial park/ mixed use

0m 250m

ground floor axonometric

ground floor plan

residential floor plan

model photos

timber construction detail

timber construction detail