https://dakodaash.myportfolio.com/urban-sustainability https://dakodaash.myportfolio.com/study-abroad-costa-rica
(770) 778 7758
Lawrence, KS
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS M. Arch
Cumulative GPA: 4.0 / 4.0
SketchUp
Adobe Photoshop
dakodaash@ku.edu Revit Enscape
Adobe Indesign Lumion
Adobe Illustrator 3ds Max
4th year portfolio award recipiant 3rd year portfolio award recipiant
Multicultural Architecture Scholars Program recipient (2018-current)
University of Kansas Merit Scholarship Recipient
National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) member
Student Mentor, works with 1st and 2nd year students to aid in adaptation to university life
United Partners Pflugerville, organized crafts and job training at day camp for adults with disabilities
Crisis Ministries, aided in providing supplies to low income families within the community
Hello! I am currently in my fifth year and final year at the University of Kansas in pursuit of my Master’s of Architecture degree. I have a passion for graphic design and digital animation and an eagerness to see the evolution of technology and innovation within architecture.
GENSLER Chicago, IL
August 2022 - December 2022 architectural intern
Participated in Co-Op program to facillitate collaborative research thesis Generated graphics for RFPs, RFQs, and client presentations
INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTS ATELIER Kansas City, MO
architectural intern
May 2021 - May 2023
Created and maintained bim models during schematic design phase Led graphics team for national and local award competition submissions
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Lawrence, KS
August 2021 - December 2021 teaching assistant - arch natural systems
Create online tutorial videos and lead lab sessions Run office hours and pin up opportunities
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, KS
January 2020 - Current teaching assistant - arch software design
Aids in the teaching of software for an introductory architecture course Shows proficiency in sketchup, revit, adobe suite, lumion, and 3ds max
ESCOBEDO GROUP Austin, TX
architectural intern
May 2020 - August 2020
Created and maintained bim models during preliminary project phase Generated new system of construction cost takeoff
Innovation Hive encompasses a multidisciplinary facility that fosters creativity to simulate a microcosm of skills.
What is Chicago’s, Kansas City’s, and Detroit’s Climate Action Plan? What are the climate action initiatives on a neighborhood and individual scale?
The concept of Upcycle, a new model of transitional housing, spawned in order to combat gentrification and the altercations that intrinsically occur from large urban strategies.
The mosque and school provides a communal identity to the heterogeneous immigrant population who came from diverse cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds.
The premise of this project spawned from the observation of the lack of a definitive entrance to the University of Kansas.
Located on the northern cusp of Wells Overlook Park, this picnic pavilion structure provides a space of shelter and seclusion while still serving as a point of connection to the rest of the park.
KANSAS CITY, MO
YEAR 03.2
The essence of this Innovation Hive encompasses a multidisciplinary facility that fosters creativity to simulate a microcosm of skills. The structure is separated into a series of five terracing levels with an intermediate library structure that tethers two segments of the form together. The “hive” concept derives from the idea that although there are a wide array of people and resources available, this facility permits the development of a spectrum of skills in a single location. As a result this “hive” becomes a self sustaining and self sufficient entity that yields life applicable competency for occupants.
The program reflects eight distinct yet fluid concepts. While many of these categories are paradoxical at their root, surprisingly every aspect of the program is flexible in categorization and often has many overlaps. The groups include “open vs focused,” “facilitated vs operative,” “static vs evolving,” and “owned vs shared.” To further simplify this, a single word from each category was chosen as designations for programming.
The first level features large lobby space that provides a glimpse into the composition of each level. Each floor is partially organized by program category distinction, but mostly is centered around an evolutionary hierarchy of noise production and relevance to occupants.
Our site is located on the Berkley Riverfront in the metropolitan Kansas, City area.
This strip approximately fifty acres and has been attempted to develop many times in the past several decades without success. Despite the ideal location and proximity to downtown the Berkley Riverfront has proven its opportunistic future. This proposal features a master plan in which seven different parcels offer a wide array of resources and ammenities that aim to fill the gaps in the presently overlooked district.
BERKLEY PKWY
10 11 12 9 8
Signature stay inspired by KC heritage
MIXED USE TOWER
Foster residential and commercial density to the area
Main entrance into district from I-29
Fosters creativity to stimulate a microcosm of skills
CO / EX
Flexible convention and exhibition space at the heart of the development
MIXED Foster commercial the
Foster residential and commercial density to the area
MIXED USE TOWER
Foster residential and commercial density to area
Anchor of district that activates the riverfront experience
Our goal as a studio was to create a world class destination for our clients, Port of KC. The existing Berkley River Front was parceled into seven disctricts that cater to a wide array of uses and demographics.
In 1995, the opening of the Denver International Airport also equated to the closing of the Stapleton International Airport. This historical event became the catalyst to one of the nation’s most successful examples of urban redevelopment. In relation to the proposed development of the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired located on E.26th and Roslyn in Denver, Colorado, the historical context truly illustrates a crucial and imperative role not only within the establishment of the community, but also the ability to propose such a progessive and inclusive project. As a result, it became abundantly clear that the archetype and essence of aviation should serve as a defining driver within the conceptualization and design of the school.
The airplane, often symbolizes motivation and direction and its association to flying often symbolizes the ability to soar and achieve. When we dream of aspirations, it is often synonymous with ideas of uplift and flight and conversely when we dream of failure it is often synonymous with missed flight and opportunity. The influence of these ideals are the exact embodiment of the potential influence of education and the opportunities we yield with this project to shape young minds. Considering the close proximity to the Anchor Preschool for Blind Children, the proposed school for the Blind and Visually Impaired will serve in support for kindergarten through fifth grade students. This symbiotic relationship among schools is apparent in the poetic connection of names between the seas and the skies and the journey and growth through life.
In this excercise, the above image represents what an individual with full visual capabilities would be able to see without blurriness or distortion.
Normal peripheral or In this simulator, the reduced from 180° to 10° right eye is experiencing lense, which is worse
“side vision” is 180°. “side vision” has been 10° on the left eye. The experiencing a 20/800 visual acuity than legal blindness.
It happens when aging causes damage to the macula — the part of the eye that controls sharp, straightahead vision. The macula is part of the retina (the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye).
LEVEL 06
LEVEL 03
LEVEL 01
LEVEL 02
Along the exterior corridor of the library remodel students can find another interactive walls. This balcony provides excellent spatial quality and is adjacent to one of the main circulation corridors. Along the Northern facade a colorful mural brings contrasting light through to the interior of the library. The expansion of the corridor allows for easy and constant accessibility.
Westerly Creek Elementary
Bill Roberts Elementary
Denver School of Science & Tech (senior high)
Anchor Center for Blind Children
The Primrose School Montessori Children’s House of Denver
Knowledge Beginnings Early Childhood Learning Center
Isabella Bird Community School
Swigert Elementary Discovery Middle School McAuliffe Middle School (at Smiley Campus)
Denver School of Science & Tech (Conservatory Green)
High Tech Elementary
The Goddard School Northfield High School
Art Park Arrowhead Park Bouquet Park Cherry Pie Park Community Garden Constellation Park F-18 Parks Fall Park Green Links Harvest Park Heritage Park Lilac Lane Measurement Park
Pizza Park
Quilted Garden Park Rumble Park Sail Park Songbird Park Spinning Spokes Parklet Spring Park Summer Park Square Park
Terra Park Triangle Park Valentia Street Parkway Greenway Park Westerly Creek Founders Green Central Park
Bluff Lake Nature Center
The Sand Creek Greenway Fred Thomas Park Prairie Meadows
The Uplands Conservatory Green Winter Park
Aviator Puddle Jumper F15
Jet Stream Runway 35 Maverick
Quebec Square E. 29th Avenue Town Center
The Shops at Northfield Eastbridge Town Center
Metro Districts: Park Creek Metro District Westerly Creek Metro District
Eye on the Horizon (After Monet)
The Airfoils The Picnic Garden Stories Chorus Prairie Reef
There are six classrooms that each contain access to the exterior with carefully modulated light. Each classroom contains several sensory rooms and corners that can accomdate grades K-5
The cafeteria and music room are located along the southern edge with direct access to the outdoor courtyard.
The cluster of admin entry. This area contains nursing offices, parent lounge and training
admin offices are right off the contains counseling offices, parent offices, and teacher training
The gym features a basketball court, bleachers, and locker rooms. Adjacent to the gym is a multupurpose stage / auditorium.
The “commons” are a collection of common spaces such as art and ceramics rooms and a library.
A digital scaled model was built digitally to allow for accurate and efficient preparation that could also be used during the building process.
We were given two a 1/4”=1’ physical board, cardboard, plexiglass. Using printers and hand cutting.
two weeks to create model using chip cardboard, basswood, and laser cutters, 3d cutting.
1/4” = 1’ - 0’ PHYSICAL
The final model consisted of a 20”x20” base showcasing a two sections and two elevations of the north east corner of ascend school for the blind and visually impaired.
Contrast in materials among baseboards, walls, and moulding
Door frames will be highlighted in red for ease of wayfinding.
Reduces the amount of glare that enters classrooms
for students and staff.
Furniture is rectanglangular for ease of navigation, and accessibility to create pods or independent arrangement
Allows for diffused light to enter classrooms and sensory rooms.
MO YEAR 04.1
In Collaboration with Alexa Balkema
Transitional housing intended to serve previously homeless and disadvantaged people by upcycling the Jazz District community and simultaneously redesigning the perceived archetype of subsidized housing.
This studio was challenged with the urban revival of the 18th street corridor located adjacent to the Crossroads District and the Jazz District in Kansas City, Missouri. As a master plan proposal, the Kauffman Center and Jazz Museum served as anchor points for the book ends of the district, with the center circulation becoming the focus for revival. As a result, the largest challenge at hand evidently became how to link the two juxtaposing districts by addressing the consequences and byproducts of urban revival.
The concept of Upcycle, a new model of transitional housing, spawned in order to combat gentrification and the altercations that intrinsically occur from large urban strategies. While it is undoubtedly evident that the 18th street corridor would benefit socially and economically from this master plan proposal, unfortunately it is the same demographic of people that are consistently neglected and are placed in a perpetual and cyclical cycle of marginalization. Upon further research, it was discovered that Kansas City offers only one homeless shelter with only sixty-eight overnight beds and extremely limited long term solutions. Thus it became clear that what this urban proposal critically needed, was a solution to address not only the inherent homeless population, but also long term solutions that would aid any member of society seeking subsidized urban housing with the opportunity to be integrated rather than isolated.
The existing conditions of 18th and Vine St at present are dilapidated and do not provide the necessary resources to serve the community. Currently the site houses reminiscent pieces of a retail shop that have been destroyed by weathing coniditions and blantant negligence. The grafitti conveys the tone of Jazz District residents that illustrate the need for urban revival.
The partitions within closed partitions to create a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment.
Multiple units can be bought to meet the needs of the resident. two units with open partitons create a family freindly option which allows for up to four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The premise of this project spawned from Professor Hugo Sheward’s observation of the lack of a definitive entrance to the University of Kansas. While there is a university sign adjacent to the Visitor Center, a sign alone does not necessarily define the boundary of a structure. As a result, our studio as a whole engaged is extensive site analysis and research in order to better understand the city of Lawrence and the development of the University of Kansas, is an attempt to properly illustrate the boundaries of campus and then determine the proper location for a welcome center.
The Main KU campus is defined by the transformation of morphology to encompass central basins, student interactions with community spaces, and perception of human scale that leads the KU experience. This proposal advocates for the expansion of the current boundaries in order to connect main campus to west campus. Within the preliminary research of the project, it was determined that Jayhawk Boulevard is often considered the heart of campus mainly due to the fact that it houses the majority of academic buildings and a large concentration of residential life with the involvement of Greek housing.
The narrative of this project is centered around a child with Cerebral Palsy in which mobility is limited. In contrast, the child enjoys nature and as a result the juxtaposition between accessibility and nature is spawned. Thus, nature was used a model.
The angular adaptation is construed on the basis of biomimicry in which nature is being studied however it is abstracted in a more geometric manner. The purpose is not to copy nature, but to emulate some of its relevant properties.
The modular approach was an even more abstracted version of the angular rendition. As the charette process continued, the models evolved from rather organic, to geometry in its simplest form.
This is a not for profit community mosque and school community center, located in Wheaton, Maryland. Muslim immigrants of the Wheaton and Silver Springs area purchased two adjacent residential lots located near commercial hubs. The mosque and school will provide a communal identity to the heterogeneous immigrant population who came from diverse cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds. Currently the school and the mosque are located at two adjacent plots. The mosque committee will demolish the current structures, merge the two plots, and construct a three story building in phases.
The defining parameters of the project was the consideration of Qibla, the direction of Mecca, as well as light modulation. As a result, the form of the structure is very angular in response to the path of the sun and the direction of Qibla. The plot of land is parallel to the existing major roadways, Veirs Mill Rd and Norris Dr. While the plot is arranged conveniently for circulation, it is not ideal for light modulation. The path of the sun travels at a path of forty-five degrees to the existing roads. Thus, the angle of the long cantilever of the second module, is angled at forty-five degrees to emulate the path of the sun.
Additionally, the other factor considered when developing the form of the mosque, is Qibla, the direction of the Kaaba. The main wall within any prayer hall must stretch lengthwise perpendicular to the direction of Qibla. With the direction of Qibla lying perpendicular to the existing roads, and the path of the sun circulating parallel to the roads, a rather angular structure was naturally formed.
LAWRENCE, KS
YEAR 03.1
Located on the northern cusp of Wells Overlook Park, this picnic pavilion structure provides a space of shelter and seclusion while still serving as a point of connection to the rest of the park. This was a design - build project among 17 dirt work studio members during the fall of 2020. The entirety of this project was designed among the Covid - 19 pandemic, thus design collaboration was done exclusively online and remotely, while the project is scheduled to undergo construction at the start of the 2021 semester.
Two modular spaces, or pods, create two different experiences as one is funneled into the site from the parking lot. The northern most pod offers gentle entry into the site and a more intimate connection with the site and adjacent garden. The southern pod gestures to the clearing in the Wells Forest and acts as a host for larger gatherings under its roof.
Whether one is following Wells Ridge Trail eastward or coming from the main parking area, the Polaris Pavilion harmonizes two paths as a symbol of the many paths of exploration that have wound through Eastern Kansas. An embedded North arrow also pays homage to the area’s history, while the name “Polaris” alludes to the Kansas state motto: “Ad astra per aspera.”
Under the two roofs, one finds many places to sit, either at one of the three universally accessible tables or along one of the benches. The four sets of screens provide shade and add to the intimacy found underneath the roofs. Overall, the Polaris offers many instances to appreciate serene views and find peace among the trees.
As a conjunction of two main grids, The Polaris Pavilion rests at the northern half of the Wells Ridge Forest. Visitors coming to the site from the parking lot or from Wells Ridge Trail join under two pods that provide two different scales of intimacy. The North pod is narrower, with an adjacent garden to the east and one picnic table, so as to gently welcome visitors and be a space of quiet response. Wells Ridge Trail bisects the two pods while still integrating them to the rest of the park. The South pod opens to Wells Forest and shelters two picnic tables. This second space still emphasizes intimacy with its screens, but its larger size suggests more of a connection to the site. As one journeys through, they are able to experience the design differently throughout multiple points along the journey.
PROSPECT: Open space
REFUGE: Partially intimate space
REFUGE: Intimate space
PROSPECT: Open space, north axis
4. TIMBER SCREEN: Nail laminated timber screen matches the same “ABB” pattern found in the cantilevering roof above. At the four corners of each pod HSS Beams with T-plates are used to attach the screen to the roof and to provide enough lateral support. The arrangement of the screens provides a consistent rhythm while also giving visitors a parallax experience as their perspectives shift throughout the pavilion.
5. CUSTOM FURNITURE: The pavilion consists of three different picnic areas. One under the northern pod, and two under the southern pod, all vary in size to provide different size groups with multiple public or private seating areas. Each bench illustrates repetition established by the nail laminated roof and screens. Bench and table bases are made of precast concrete, while bench seats follow the nail laminated timber pattern. Each table was designed to be universally accessible from multiple sides.
6. STAMPED CONCRETE: The floor slab and sidewalk consist of broom swept concrete finishes, bisected by a central path following the cardinal grid. This path is stamped with timber to continue the incremental language of the timber element. As a continuation of Wells Overlook Ridge Trail, this walkway unites with the pavilion by adopting the visual rhythm of the roof. It articulated a difference in texture, thus signaling a new possible experience to visitors even those that could be potentially visually impaired.
1. NAIL LAMINATED TIMBER ROOF: Nail laminated timber creates a continuation of materials found in the screen and benches, following an “ABB” pattern. The unique foot-print of the roof serves to frame our experience of the Polar-is in multiple capacities. The angles that cut through the long horizontal roof members draw attention back to the two converging grids established within the pavilion. Canti-levers reach out past the screens over the benches and picnic tables creates either a more solitary experience on the outside of the screen or an interactive experience on the interior.
2. CUSTOM TRASHCAN: Located along the main axis of circulation for convenient access and do not create visual distraction. Instead they are unified with the pavilion. Steel frames and wood slate directly relate to the repetitions and scales established within the screen, roof, and benches. Design intended for little maintenance.
3. STEEL PLAQUE: The north-pointing axis becomes the con-crete base to the western benches. As it rises from the plane of the sidewalk, a steel plaque pays homage to those who helped make the Polaris Pavilion a reality. Names of designers, supporters, and others who aided in its design are etched into the steel surface, while Dirt Works Studio logo has been water jetted to reveal the concrete axis below.
The circulation space between the wheelchair accessible seating is at least 5’ for appropriate turn radius
Every table has an overhang of 1’ 6” for wheelchair accessibility. This is located on the side closest to entry.
Textured floor slab aids in the perception of what is covered roof space vs what is exposed for potentially visually impaired occupants.
The Polaris is placed at beginning of clearing in order to shorten pathway.
The Tables consist of two concrete slabs. The table top is a 3” precast slab and the leg is a 6” cast in place slab to be poured with the slab on grade foundation.
https://dakodaash.myportfolio.com/urban-sustainability https://dakodaash.myportfolio.com/study-abroad-costa-rica
EDDY TAVIO | AIA
University of Kansas Professor School of Architecture and Design University of Kansas 1465 Jayhawk Blvd Lawrence, KS 66045
(E) etavio@ku.edu
SHANNON CRISS | AIA Associate Professor of Architecture School of Architecture and Design University of Kansas 1465 Jayhawk Blvd Lawrence, KS 66045
(E) scriss@ku.edu
MAJID AMIRAHMADI | AIA
Principal Architect International Architects Atelier
912 Broadway blvd, Suite 300 Kansas City, MO 64105
(P) 816 471 6522
(E) majid@i-a-a.com