portfolio :: student

design portfolio Devki Wright

introduction design + build

Con/Temporary Temple

comprehensive studio Iron-Working Studio

study abroad studio House America

contemporary landscape Flip-A-Strip

sustainability + affordability NC Sustainable Design Competition

resume

As a designer, my personal approach to architecture strives to demonstrate a clear articulation of a subtle and sensitivly integrated physical form rather than the creation of an isolated object. Both my professional and personal interest lie in the utilization of architecture as a medium with which to address the existing and future social and environmental issues within our contemporary landscape.

The following collection includes samples of work completed during both my undergraduate architectural education at NC State Unviversity and my graduate education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The projects were selected with the purpose of demonstrating an accumulation of a diverse set of experiences including traditional studio design projects as well as projects completed through design/build, study abroad, and competition entries.

con/temporary temple

of the new south [Charlotte, North Carolina]

design + build

levine museum

The Con/Temporary Temple was designed and built by a team of 8 architecture students from the UNCC College of Arts + Architecture. The design was inspired by the architectural and cultural aesthetic of traditional African American worship services in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Designed to be nomadic, the temple was then reconstructed by the designers as a performance art piece at an event at a local museum.

With the flexibility of a steel pipe structure, the temple was then clad with white ripstop fabric and perforated wooden panels designed to engage the viewer in an architecture of both meditation and mediation.

design + build

iron-working studio

comprehensive studio

[ Charleston, South Carolina ]

The master plan for the site and the building for the iron-working studio spaces was designed for the American College of the Building Arts. The site, a historic plantation in Charleston, is designed to focus on the preservation of the exiting structures and natural landscape. The design concept focuses on the creation of dynamic inside/outside spaces for the students to practice their craft-making.

Located on the southeastern-most portion of the site, the iron-working studio is organized into three zones. Two zones, the classrooms and studio spaces relate through a more organic third zone containing common areas with circulation, secondary and support spaces.

Cross Section

East Elevation

South Elevation

comprehensive studio

Longitudinal Section

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Auditorium

study abroad studio

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flip-a-strip

contemporary landscape

[ Charlotte, North Carolina ]

Located off of Tryon Street North Point Plaza Shopping Center sits in a relatively poor area of Charlotte, North Carolina. 17.8% of the surrounding homes are categorized as single mother households. Contrary to the common strip center layout, this building extends perpendicular to Tryon Street rather than parallel. Thus, the majority of the tenants are located away from the traffic of the main road, utilizing an advantage of a private and more protected shopping experience; at the same time however, the center is disadvantaged in terms of tenant visibility to the street.

The re-design of North Point Plaza addresses the following goals:

- establish interactive way-finding device to the center

- increasing visibility of tenants to Tryon Street

- transform the parking lot into a plaza

- foster a sense of security

NC sustainable design competition

sustainability + affordability

[ Durham, North Carolina ] Prepared for the NC Sustainable Design Competition, this project was completed by a team of three students. The site for this design was situated in a modest neighborhood with small, single-story houses. We utilized influences from the local vernacular such as the public front porch, sloped roofs, and a strong focus on the facade. However, given the program and contemporary ideas of sustainable design, we decided that the most important feature of the building was flexibility. We provided a design that can be both pre-fabricated or site built. It consists of three equal modules which are 12 feet by 24 feet, and a connecting hallway that allows for circulation between the pieces and a path for natural ventilation. The wide concrete masonry wall, shown in the longitudinal section below, is utilized as both a thermal mass and a threshold between public and private.

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Devki Gharpure Wright Academia and Awards:

• Masters of Architecture - University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2008 – 10)

o Cumulative GPA – 3.74 with a concentration in urbanism

o Thesis title - Occupation as Spatial Performance

• Bachelors of Environmental Design in Architecture - NC State Univ. (2004 - 08)

o Deans List/Total GPA – 3.64/Major GPA – 3.6 (2004 - 08)

• North Carolina State University Honors Program (2004 - 08)

• Alpha Rho Chi Award for Leadership, Service, and Professional Merit (2008)

• Participant in the North Carolina Sustainable Design Competition (Spring 2007)

• High School Graduate from the NC School of Science and Math (2002 - 04)

• Recipient of Scholarships from NC School of Science and Math, NC State University Honors Program, and NC State Architecture Department

Academically Funded Research

• UNCC Design + Society Research Center Assistantship (2008 – 2010)

o Organizing a community workshop on rain gardens for the residents of

Grier Heights neighborhood in Charlotte

o Preparing a proposal for the sensitive integration of a new development

within a historic neighborhood in Salisbury, NC

o Diagraming socio-economic trends for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County

Quality of Life Study

• New Urbanism Research Project (summer 2007) in Edenton, NC

o Studying the implications of a large-scale new urbanism development

with a multi-disciplinary team

o Conducting resident interviews

o Presenting to town officials and residents at Town Hall meeting

• Anthropological Research (summer 2006) in Florence, Italy

o Mapping and diagramming the historic Central Market

o Selected as one of four invited to present research at the Atlantic Coastal

Conference (UVA, April 2007)

o Presentation at the NC State Research Symposium (Nov. 2006)

460 Ardmore Road Charlotte, NC 28209 [e-mail] devkigharpure@gmail.com [cell] 919.523.2454

Work Experience:

Computer Skills:

• Drawing Programs – Revit, AutoCAD, Google Sketch-Up • Construction Programs - Newforma, AIA Contract Documents • Adobe Creative Suite - In-Design, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat • Microsoft – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook • Excellent visual and oral presentation skills

resume

• Odell Associates Architect Intern (Jan. 2012 – present)

o CA – processing RFCs, Change Orders, Pay Applications

o Preparing AIA Contract Documents

o Design Development for healthcare projects

• LS3P Architect Intern (summer 2008)

o Site visits, assessing existing conditions, schematic design

o Developing Revit model for school building renovation

• Oceanico Kitchens Designer & Sales Associate (Aug. 2010 – Dec. 2011)

o Designing, drawing, rendering, and pricing for clients

o Marketing, sales, and customer service experience

• Self-Help Credit Union Real Estate Intern (summer 2009)

o Researching methods of increasing building efficiency for

the commercial portfolio of this non-profit organization

• Contemporary Temple Design/Build Project (fall 2009)

o Installation displayed at Levine Museum of the New South

• UNCC Teaching Assistant (summer 2008) for graduate level studio

• Historic Charlotte Intern (spring 2009)

o Creating and delivering historic tour of uptown Charlotte

Extra Curricular Activities:

• U.S. Green Building Council (2012 – 2013)

o Emerging Professionals Regional Recruitment Chair

o Working to recruit and train leaders in NC, SC, and Virginia • NCSU AIAS Chapter President (Fall 2006- Spring 2007) • Leading two self-initiated spring break service trips for 12 participants (spring 2006) and 10 participants (spring 2007) for Gulf Coast Relief Efforts with Architecture for Humanity and Hands-On Gulf Coast