caitlin mccunney [ selected works ]
“It’s not about your greatness as an architect, but about your compassion.” [ Samuel Mockbee ]
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[ contents ]
02 rexton 08
disorientation + relief
16 rolling 26 appropriation 28
urban platform
34 threshold 40
other works
52 resume
[ rexton lobby ] Spring 2015 I 12 weeks Professional Residency Program I BSC Architecture Jane Stageberg I Tim Bade I Rob Bundy I Jake Kim
This project with Bade Stageberg Cox Architecture involved an existing storefront and lobby space of a Manhattan skyscraper in need of renovation. Current and historical elements were assessed, and functional problems were evaluated to create a unique design that would attract users. Several design schemes were considered from porous light-filled surfaces to organic manipulated ceiling planes. Views were drawn to the Empire State Building. The historic storefront could be restored or modernized. Various materials were considered to replace existing conditions. This project allowed for the most varied experiences from the intial site survey, to the drawing/ modeling phase, to the conceptual design studies, to the client presentation. All drawings and models shown were self-created with input and corrections by the team members listed above.
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[facing page] existing vs. proposed rendering; [above] exterior rendering with proposed awning
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[facing page] demolition plan, proposed plan, approved RCP option; [above] proposed elevation renovation and approved section option
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[facing page] existing and proposed interior renderings; [above] physical model studies and accepted model study
[ disorientation + relief ] Fall 2014 I 18 weeks Advanced Design Professor Wendell Burnette
This travel studio involved a museum design in the Great Salt Lake Desert. The visitor would become attuned to the site’s variability, recognizing the constant change of the present materials, including ground, mountains, and sky. Disorientation, solidarity, and contemplation would be capital influences in achieving this. The visitor would ultimately pause to reect on the environment around them, and leave with a unique experience only the Salt Lake Desert can provide. The major design concept here was earth curvature. Seldom experienced, but possible with the scale of the site. The distances seen with the human eye across the curve of the earth were calculated and applied to different heights of experience from standing to driving in a truck. The percentage of view across earth curvature was then calculated at incremental distances from the building. This drove the idea behind the disorienting 2.89 mile walk from interstate to museum on a variable wooden boardwalk. Relief came from arrival to the shelter of the open-air concept building of glass columns and reflective flat metal roof, then descending into the darker, heavier lower level which housed the artwork.
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[facing page] Great Salt Lake Desert image; [above] concept site map
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The visitor travels far off into the desert, far enough that the main trafďŹ c of the interstate is reduced to white noise. There must be a gravitational pull towards the destination, a desire to reach an end, to get closer to the ever-receding mountains. Nearer, he or she can see a building that is reective of the surroundings, just as present water could reect mountains or sky, creating a disorienting, pause-inducing experience. On closer inspection, he or she sees a (chemical) reaction occurring between the ground and building, and is compelling enough to touch to understand it to be true.
[above] site plan and section with experiential perspectives
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[facing page] structural grid; [above] construction detail
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[above] section and ground level plan
[ rolling ] Spring 2014 I 18 weeks Design VI Professor Judy Birdsong
This comprehensive “sound building� studio dealt with programmatic, environmental, and structural design while creating a responsive form. The building is defined as a bowling alley and roller rink, with supplemental programs. The resultant design is of prominent sectional quality, due to the dynamic movement of the programs. Massive folded volumes, interacting through shears and connectivity, follow programmatic and building function. Materials play a dominant role: thick, dark, smooth concrete as defining the volumes, wood as bowling/roller skating designation, and lighter, textured concrete as exterior space. Solar studies, HVAC calculations, exit path strategies, structural grid explorations, and detailed wall sections are some examples of topics covered.
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[facing page] concept model; [above] exterior perspective
DN
DN
UP
Community Dining 9 485 SF
3’
3’
Women's
Mechanical
3
5
387 SF
262 SF
Welcome Desk 1 618 SF Skate Rental and Lockers 2
Kitchen
Men's
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4 Office
382 SF
356 SF
6 328 SF
UP
Storage 7 451 SF
UP
18
579 SF
UP
UP
Bar and Lounge
Bar and Lounge
5
5
1296 SF
2.5’
Bowling Rental
3’
1296 SF
Lounge
Lounge
2
2
2.5’
549 SF
1
Bowling Rental
3’
549 SF
1 345 SF
345 SF
Men's
Men's
Women's 4 211 SF
UP
UP
3 215 SF
Women's
3
4
215 SF
211 SF
UP
UP
[facing page] ground level plan; [above] second level plan
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[above] long section facing south
[ 1 ] Rocks to hold down barrier; [ 2 ] Roof vapor barrier; [ 3 ] 4” (total depth) concrete slab; [ 4 ] 2” Deep steel floor decking; [ 5 ] Dowels for composite floor system; [ 6 ] 12” Steel wide flange beam (welded connection, double coped for girder); [ 7 ] Bolted (pin) connection between beam and girder; [ 8 ] 12” Steel wide flange girder at ~ 9’ intervals; [ 9 ] Floor to floor glazing: 1” thick, 2 layers, argon gas between (steel column overlaps when meets glass, glass dives into concrete); [ 10 ] Rubber stoppers and support; [ 11 ] 2” Thick concrete cap for continuous floor aesthetic (placed after window installation); [ 12 ] 6” x 4” I section purlin (to hold up concrete shell); [ 13 ] 2” Deep concrete shell precast concrete panels with a finish coat, along with 2” steel decking above (this system encloses hollow space for HVAC systems); [ 14 ] W4 x 12 Steel column (with rigid/welded connection between beams); [ 15 ] Steel base plate and grout with bolts; [ 16 ] 6” Thick concrete slab and 3’ deep footing with steel reinforcement
1 2 3
4 5 6 7
8 9 10
11 12 13 14
15 16
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[facing page] construction section; [above] construction section model
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[facing page] concept model, study models; [above] final model
[ appropriation ] Fall 2013 I 9 weeks Design V Professor Larry Doll
In this studio, the task was to “steal� existing ideas and apply them to individual projects. Appropriated morphologies from celebrated architects were used to design apartment units. Ancient dense cities were additionally analyzed, and their forms were transferred into an urban block of downtown Austin, ending with the goal of a mixed-use site with residential units. For the final project, the footprint of the Kowloon Walled City was placed onto the site, and was made habitable by widening walkways, increasing light penetration, and improving wind ventilation through adding calculated voids. Material was explored, in addition to views and program.
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[facing page] Kowloon image; [above] project experiential renderings
[ urban platform ] Spring 2013 I 18 weeks Design IV Professor Nichole Wiedemann
Urban living was the theme of this studio. Case studies in urban environments were dissected, and urban units were consequently developed. For the final project, Austin’s North Lamar Corridor was the setting. Within a team, we developed an urban platform to improve pedestrian conditions, while sustainability and landscape features were utilized. The main concept was to implement a permeable platform for pedestrians, that could narrow and swell, rise and fall, and permit landscaping features including plant life and water collection/drainage. After establishing a group plan for the corridor, individual sites were chosen to personally develop with commercial and dense residential uses. The resultant design drew the pedestrian platform through the site: widening the commercial edge of Lamar, narrowing a path through, and opening into a residential area of multi-family units with green space, and ending with a single family edge towards the existing residential neighborhood.
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195 5
19 4 0
LEGEND 2003 building footprints 1955 building footprints 1940 building footprints 1895 building footprints
INHABIT INHABIT historical footprints
Caitlin McCunney historic city boundaries Caitlin McCunney
[facing page] contextual photo; [above] historic map analysis of building footprints and city boundaries over time
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B
A
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second level
third level
sixth level
[facing page] ground level plan; [above] upper level plans
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[facing page] experiential perspectives, site section; [above] final model
[ threshold ] Fall 2015 I 18 weeks Advanced Design Professor Fernando Lara
This urban planning studio involved travel to São Paulo, Brazil, in which we analyzed the relatively informal neighborhood of Itaim Paulista, and individually selected topics of interest to improve urban life. São Paulo is known as the “City of Walls” with segregation of city space in response to fear of the street. This fear is manifested in the method of fronting the street threshold through high walls, which isolate the homes within, and create a severely deactivated street environment. This deactivated street is concerning in security purposes and community engagement. To create an activated street, new porous thresholds between the building, sidewalk, and street needed to be involved. These could act as activators to promote visual connections, pausing opportunities, informal activities, weather protection, and permeability. Building to street thresholds were analyzed in other American cities, and these typologies were appropriated to the Itaim Paulista context. These threshold typologies were then used to navigate the new street level due to widening construction.
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[facing page] concept diagram; [above] context elevation photos
Figures 21-33.
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Figures 21-33. Figures 1- 20. ! !
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Figures 21-33.
[facing page] American cities threshold typology studies; [above] model of existing and proposed threshold conditions
[ commercial corner ]
[ residential concrete wall ]
[ residential stair passage ]
[ residential garage ]
slope uneven sidewalk fully impervious vacant steps awning second story potential
slope fully impervious isolation no street connection sight obstructed privacy security exterior entry space
slope fully impervious sight obstructed tight space accessibility level change
fully impervious isolation void entry second story sight lines privacy security individuality
[ commercial corner ]
[ residential concrete wall ]
[ residential stair passage ]
[ residential garage ]
new street level bike lane rain garden loggia/ covered sidewalk steps water retention/landscaping
new street level bike level rain garden enlarged sidewalk stoop
new street level bike lane rain garden enlarged sidewalk stoop zaguan overhang rain collection
new street level bike lane rain garden enlarged sidewalk porch overhang/shade landscape terracing
street activation pause opportunities- sitting, watching, talking community engagement informal markets, concerts, gathering pervious cover opportunities
TING SECTIONS VS. PROPOSED SECTIONS
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street connection pause opportunities- sitting, watching, talking elevated lookout/ neighborhood watch pervious cover and landscaping opportunities ownership, right to the city community engagement
street connection pause opportunities elevated lookout, sight lines pervious cover and landscaping opportunities community engagement informal activities- music, art
street connection pause opportunities elevated lookout, sight lines pervious cover ownership/right to the city individuality
[ commercial garage ]
[ school concrete wall ]
[ residential fenced door ]
slope fully impervious driveway dominance street connection lacking human scale moves
slope fully impervious isolation no connection sight obstructed security exterior entry space street art
fully impervious no connection isolation sight obstructed void entry privacy steps second story potential
[ commercial garage ]
[ school concrete wall ]
[ residential fenced door ]
new street level bike lane rain garden enlarged sidewalk sloped driveway
new street level bike lane rain garden enlarged sidewalk porch overhang/shade sitting steps
new street level bike lane rain garden enlarged sidewalk stoop overhang/shade
slope pervious cover opportunities/landscaping skateboarding potential gathering potential
street connection pause opportunities elevated lookout, sight lines pervious cover opportunities/landscaping informal activities- street art, gathering, music
street connection pause opportunities elevated lookout, sight lines pervious cover opportunities/landscaping ownership/right to city individuality community engagement
[above] site elevation with existing vs. proposed sections
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[ other works ]
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visual communications I: wood joint
design V: model/photography explorations in defamiliarization
R
G
B
Project 01
Data Analysis and Visualization
The University of Texas, Austin
School of Architecture
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Course:
Instructors:
Arc221k + Ari221k Visual Communications III
Marla Smith Michael Leighton Beaman
Semester:
Teaching Assistant:
Fall 2012
Arman Hadilou, Monica Sanga, Brandon Campbell
visual communications III: data formulaization and realization
Caitlin McCunney
01
p
construction V: phosphorescent material studies; environmental controls: luminaire
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visual communications II: cactus drafted elevation, brise soleil module, and hybrid rendering
construction III: Hargrove Music Library Case Study, partner section model
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visual communications II: watercolor study of cactus-derived pattern
photography: Paris, Versailles, and Minneapolis
[ honduras ] Spring 2012 + Spring 2013
Our UT Global Architecture Brigades chapter won the design competition for the El Cant贸n Health Center in rural Honduras. In January 2013, I was able to travel to the site and aid in construction of the project with other students and the locals. The Global Brigades program allows students and other passionate individuals to not just give a community new things and hope for the best, but to give them the tools they need to move forward. The community can take ownership of the projects and build better lives for themselves. Drawing by the 2011 UT GAB chapter.
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[facing page] proposed building section; [above] construction team on site
[ caitlin marie mcc education
The Uni
Bachelor
Minors: Bio
skills
Digital a
Photoshop
related experience
Bade St
Architect
Collaborate projects. Pr tasks. Obse Conducted Investigate budgets fo Fabricated Produced d firm meetin
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Virtual St
Operated r Capital Citi Evolution o future grow
other experience
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Resident
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The Uni
French Tu
Guided stu skills. Ident
community service
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Improved t national gr constructio
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Member,
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Expanded construct w
marie mccunney ]
caitlin.mccunney@utexas.edu I 281-794-5110 caitlin.mccunney@utexas.edu I 281-794-5110
cation
The University of Texas at Austin
Bachelor of Architecture I expected May 2016 Minors: Biology, French
skills
rience
rience
service
Digital and Analog Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Rhino, Revit, AutoCad, GIS, SketchUp, drafting, fabrication, photography.
Bade Stageberg Cox Architecture Brooklyn, New York Architectural Intern I Jan- July 2015
Collaborated on commercial, cultural, and residential projects. Drafted construction documents for active projects. Processed shop drawings for furniture fabricators. Facilitated general construction administration tasks. Observed on site construction phase progress to note changes and perform quality control tests. Conducted site survey measurements and photo documentation for preliminary project studies. Investigated material options for surface treatments through research and model study. Managed project budgets for material selection and fabrication. Coordinated general project operations and logistics. Fabricated physical models for study at varied scales. Created 3D models of existing structures for analysis. Produced drawings and project renderings for design proposals. Discussed project development during firm meetings. Presented proposals to clients in conjunction with design team.
Nicholson Kovalchick Architects Seattle, Washington Architectural Intern I June- Aug 2014
Generated presentations for city approval including material boards and early design guidance packets. Researched and prepared historic preservation reports for city board review in protection or demolition. Conducted project feasibility investigations with the use of photography, code analysis, and programmatic study. Created business marketing materials comparing firm to competition. Participated in project design charrette. Designed façade elements to meet city requirements. Worked with material representatives to organize lunch presentations and to update materials library. Arranged materials library to CSI specifications. Assisted on construction documents. Surveyed construction sites for project completion and errors. Attended project progress meetings involving the architect, developer, contractor, and owners.
U.S. Department of State Austin, Texas + Brooklyn, New York Virtual Student Foreign Service Intern I Aug 2014- May 2015
Operated remotely with Bureau of African Affairs on the “Projection of Future Development of African Capital Cities” project, with a concentration on West Africa. Authored the research paper entitled “The Evolution of the West African Urban Fabric”, which analyzed influences on urban development to predict future growth, and offered recommendations on urban planning and placement of U.S. Embassies.
The University of Texas Division of Housing and Food Service Austin, Texas Resident Assistant at Moore-Hill and Almetris Duren Hall I Aug 2013- present
Manage over 150 residents. Arrange over 100 residence hall social and educational programs. Communicate university standards.Train staff members. Provide peer advice and resources to students. Collaborate on group projects. Resolve crisis situations.
The University of Texas Sanger Learning Center Austin, Texas French Tutor I Jan 2012- May 2013
Guided students through entry-level French. Provided clarification on grammar, speaking, and listening skills. Identified and addressed problems. Formulated lesson plans. Advised on learning strategies.
Global Architecture Brigades
Design-Build Team Member I Jan 2012- May 2013
Improved the quality of life in communities through sustainable design and synergetic construction. Won national group design competition for medical center in El Cantón, Honduras. Assisted with construction including hand-mixing concrete, laying CMU, improving retaining wall.
Students for Clean Water
Member, Officer I Aug 2010- May 2013
Expanded awareness of the water crisis in third-world countries. Fundraised with group over $40,000 to construct wells in Africa.
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