erin duffee selected works
university of cincinnati
design, architecture, art, & planning
As a Junior in the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning’s nationally accredited Bachelor of Urban Planning program, I aim to obtain a Summer Co-op position with your company. Given the opportunity, I will prove to be a unique, valuable asset to your team. Here’s why: I am a fearlessly creative, enthusiastic, risk-taking, inquisitive individual passionate and determined to accomplish whatever I put my mind to, whether it be scoring 100% on an exam or changing the world as we know it. I am also a conscientious and driven student currently maintaining a 3.9 GPA. The rigorous curriculum thus far at DAAP has been a challenging experience that has pushed me to succeed and prepared me for a challenging work environment. I recognize the value of teamwork in order to accomplish goals, a quality demonstrated through my experience as an intern for the Ohio Department of Commerce, Board of Building Standards. My adaptive nature is perhaps my greatest strength; I possess the ability to quickly and adeptly realize team-oriented goals through dedication, thoughtfulness, and skilled written as well as graphic communication. A versatile skill set, including a proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, SketchUp, GIS, and hand rendering techniques also sets me apart from others and allows for me to provide a variety of skills valuable to an employer. Through this position, I intend to build upon the skills I currently possess while developing new ones that will be viable for my future as a professional. My versatility, optimism, persistence, and self-directedness make me an excellent candidate for this position. I intend to apply these personal attributes to the success of your firm’s unique goals and aspirations. Please accept this letter, resume, and portfolio as an expression of my great interest and eagerness to do so. Thank you - Your time and consideration are greatly appreciated. Sincerely,
Erin Duffee 614.565.9311 duffeee@mail.uc.edu
_resume _projects 01: ideal city project 02: kinetic city design 03: site planning 04: urban regeneration 05: community analysis 06: urban design 07: art and graphics _thanks _contact
[6] [8] [10] [12] [14] [16] [18] [20] [22] [23]
personal academic
objectives
education
(a) to obtain employment with a collaborative team of talented individuals in order to gain the knowledge and experience needed to succeed as a professional in the Urban Planning field, and; (b) to learn as much as possible about sustainable design so that I may pursue a career that integrates my keen interest in preserving the built & natural environs.
University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, Ohio Bachelor of Urban Planning, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning Minor: Sustainable Urban Engineering 3.9 GPA, Dean’s List - Every quarter to date; University Honors Scholar Involvement: Planning Student Organization, Students for Ecological Design, APA Student Member
experience
Bishop Hartley High School - Columbus, Ohio Involvement: Art Studio Club Founder and President, History Club, NHS Graduated, 2006
Landrum & Brown - Cincinnati, Ohio Aviation Planning Intern, Full Time - Winter 2009 to Spring 2010 Responsibilities included research, synthesis, analysis, writing, + organization of extensive narrative reports for multiple airport layout plans, utilization of AutoCAD to edit existing layout plans, & designing graphic exhibits for client reports using AutoCAD, Photoshop, Illustrator, & Excel. State of Ohio Department of Commerce - Columbus, Ohio Board of Building Standards Intern, Full Time - Summer 2007 + Summer 2008 Assisted clients with the digital process for submission of architectural plans + responded to inquiries regarding Ohio’s plan approval process. Additional responsibilities included administrative duties + organization of the approved plans storage facility. Winchester Sign Company - Canal Winchester, Ohio Assistant to Manager, Part Time, June 2003 to August 2006 Aided in the design, production, and advertising for a small but exponentially growing sign company. Duties included graphic design, cutting + assembling sign materials, delivering signs to clients, promoting the company, answering phones + emails, & various administrative duties.
skills Office - Microsoft Word, Publisher, Powerpoint, Excel, Access, Administrative Duties Graphic - Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Some Flash (CS4) Mapping - ArcGIS 9.2 including ArcScene and 3D Analyst, AutoCAD 3D Modeling - SketchUp Pro, some experience with AutoCAD 3D, Vectorworks, Rhino Rendering - Strong hand drawing/sketching abilities with some drafting experience Other - Excellent writing + organizational skills, hard-working + positive demeanor
honors
Dean’s List & University Honors Student David Peet Memorial Scholarship for Design Excellence, First Place UC English Composition Essay Contest, First Place UC Association Essay Contest, First Place Cincinnatus Century Scholarship McMicken Scholarship
thank you for your interest in my work. if you have any questions/comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at duffeee@mail.uc.edu. the following pages display selected academic and personal endeavors that reflect my professional interests & aspirations with regards to planning, urban design, sustainable development, and graphic representation. they are presented in the order in which they were completed so that they represent my evolutionary progress thus far as a design-oriented urban planning & sustainable urban engineering student.
master plan
inspired by the city of amsterdam; conceptually located in queensland, australia; sustainable features include water-powered energy grid and an urban form designed to encourage pedestrian activity; its design is entirely original - i sketched and rendered the plan by hand then modeled it in sketchup; winner of the annual david m. peet memorial award for design excellence (first place).
idealcity
conceptual renderings of final plan
the central public district of my city; entirely pedestrian with a large, public open space
freshman year design studio work at daap aimed to introduce basic concepts and media in design for use in presentations and reports. As the studio progressed, I found that I was actually enjoying myself at school, an idea so completely foreign that I actually questioned my own sanity (the concept still amazes me). we completed several interesting and educational projects, but my favorite by far was the final project, where we were required to use sketchup to design our own vision of a city, hand render it, create a board, and make a presentation. I became so engaged in the design of my city that I would forget I was in studio. Because of my hard work, enthusiasm, and eagerness to learn, I was awarded the annual david m. peet memorial award for design excellence. & although it may not be the most functional plan, it reflects my eager beginnings and reminds me to have fun with every project I undertake.
kineticcity
the concept of kinetic energy is at the core of the kinetic city theory. as opposed to potential energy, kinetic energy is defined as that which is in motion. in the context of the city this means more than transportation; it concerns ephemeral and transient activities, people and spaces. in essence, the kinetic city focuses primarily on the users of a space rather than its fixed dynamics, which are then transformed into a canvas for creating new means of civic expression. active use of the city is emphasized over specific forms and functions, promoting the design of places that accommodate and encourage shifting users and intentions. kinetic theory is refreshing in its human element because it rids the designer of many of the sterile and technical aspects of form-oriented urban design, thus shifting the overall intention from mostly structural to experiential and interactive. however, the spontaneity and temporality that comes with multiple and diverse users creates challenges for the designer to predict and respond to users’ desires or intent. in the following studio’s coursework, the area around cincinnati’s city hall was analyzed in terms of kinetic principles in order to establish the basic framework for a “kinetic design strategy” for the area.
final concept plan
1
3
2
analysis+concepts (left, 1&2) concept renderings; temporary pedestrian zone (right, 3) movement analysis; city hall area, downtown
design dynamics the elements of kinetic design as outlined by theoretical framework; established as focus dynamics for our final planning scheme. model created in sketchup pro/rhino.
form
function
movement
sitedesign
various views, final site plan
dayton, kentucky is a small neighborhood situated along the ohio river next to a lively town called bellevue. and although it is built to be a community oriented, pedestrian friendy environment like its neighbor, the streets are almost completely deserted at any given time. through analysis, mapping, and research, we found that dayton’s scattered development and incoherent resential patterns limited activity and underscored the business district. thus, when assigned a site for design purposes, we implemented form based codes in order to organize land uses.
rendering, existing business district
final site plan a conceptual site plan for an assigned site along the ohio river; the organic road pattern was designed in response to the existing topography. in addition, a pedestrian boulevard links proposed retail with residential development. below: analysis of dayton’s residential context, modeled and rendered using sketchup.
live/work elevation
renderings
proposed live/work development in the heart of college hill’s neighborhood business district; rendering modeled in sketchup & edited with photoshop.
created by hand & modeled in sketchup.
urbanrevival
although it is classified as “pedestrian oriented,” many are unwilling to walk the uncommonly long and linear distance of college hill’s neighborhood business district. businesses that once thrived and were considered vital assets in the community are now nothing more than plywood over empty buildings. this studio asked the following questions: what aspects of areas like college hill make it “undesireable to inhabit” by many modern homeowners and businessowners? and what can be done about the multitude of problems that many “college hills” are experiencing because of current sprawling patterns? can planning and design provide the framework for solutions? this studio course aimed to address these issues through research, analysis, community input of the housing and retail design of area surrounding the business district.
site views various views of final site plan, which emphasizes housing investment, retail development, neighborhood identity, and sustainable elements as effective catalysts for urban regeneration and revitalization.
green homes proposed design for affordable, green, multi-family homes located in close proximity to the business district. sustainable measures include an infill development site location, use of graywater for specific plumbing uses, & utilization of materials that have an extended life cycle.
logo design original logo design created for gateway/identity/wayfinding system in the area. this logo is now utilized by the neighborhood’s business association.
urbananalysis term_autumn 2009; junior year course_niehoff studio; community design instructor_frank russell; juliana zaiptini in their most elementary sense, neighborhood niches are the everyday places within a community that permit residents to acquire basic goods and services. many of these places - such as coffee shops, hair salons, bars and nightclubs, grocery stores, and the like - also serve to promote interaction among neighborhood residents and users. hamilton avenue, northside’s primary arterial for vehicular and pedestrian activity, houses a great deal of independently-owned, economically sustainable, and one-of-a-kind boutiques and eateries that not only residents, but also users from the context of the city of cincinnati, go out of their way to support. this part of urban analysis focuses on the active patterns of niches within existing form.
12:00
vehicular dominance
8:00
pedestrian dominance
5:00
12:00
10:00
8:00 vehicular dominance
shared
19
hamilton bar 9
gajah wong specialty
[check cashing]
mo’ money
4
junker’s tavern
14 4
casablanca vintage 19
blue nile int’l market
17
24
shake it records
16
park chili
sidewinder’s coffee 20
melt sandwiches 21
happen community art center
23 6 [bargain grocer]
save a lot
northside chop shop salon
serpent tattoo
13
15
northside tavern
20
21
visionaries & voices art 9
king’s carryout
quantitative analysis of existing niches, categorized by type
most viable
criteria utilized in order to determine the potential niche’s viability are as follows: observations and experiences of the businesses in terms of (1) inclusiveness; (2) atmosphere; (3) variety and options; (4) affordability; and finally, (5) conversations with residents. assumptions were then formulated by personally ranking each potential niche based on my experiences. in order to establish coherence when rating the northside area, i established a ranking system for each of the five categories; as i evaluated each area, a maximum of five points could be assigned to each group, with a possible total of 25 points per niche. each niche’s location is emphasized and their hierarchy along the scale on the right indicates their overall rating.
least viable
qualitative analysis of the viability of niches in northside
isometric view
bird’s eye view
1
3
4
5 1 adaptive reuse
2
2 dining+venue 3 green parking 4 exhibition/market space 5 transportation hub
urbandesign term_autumn 2009; junior year course_niehoff studio; community design instructor_frank russell; juliana zaiptini
an urban design plan developed in conjunction with my classmate and friend, john peet. our final vision was designed in response to a community framework plan outlined earlier in the quarter. through analysis and research of cincinnati’s northside and s. cumminsville neighborhoods, we found that these urban areas lacked cohesion due to the location of interstate 75. thus, our framework vision stresses connectivity via the transformation of an abandoned rail line. our urban design intervention is situated along this pedestrian linkage in the heart of northside’s business district. it incorporates adaptive reuse of a vacant historic factory, extension of the nbd, and the development of a green parking structure & multi-modal transit hub.
ST
K N O W LT O N S T K N O W LT O N S T
GREEN ROOF
PA L M AV E
JACOB HOFFNER PA R K
BUS STOP
B LU E R O C K AV E
D PE
ES
T
A RI
N
CO
I RR
DO
R
0
175
350
FT 700
art+graphics term_2005 to present media_typography+vector+sketch+paint +graphic design+layouts
various projects completed both in daap as well as independently that demonstrate my creative skills through various media. i am a lover of all forms of art and greatly enjoy creating original works, both in school and in my free time. the following pages display a variety of artistic and graphic pieces i have created in the past three years. works include anything from fine art to rough sketches to websites to computer graphics & layouts - all of which i hope demonstrate my skill as a creative individual with a vested interest in design.
design #1
design #2
design #3
T-shirt design inspired by artist Alexander Girrard’s autumn fabric collection. I am currently saving money in order to purchase a screenprinter so that I can make these designs a reality (Note: The colors used in these images are not final; when screenprinted, they will be a variety of colors).
An experiment with typography also designed for a T-shirt. I used Adobe llustrator and InDesign to create this graphic. Created in Art Studio Club in high school (a group I founded and became president of when our school lost funding for art programs), this was my first attempt at creating art with typography.
Another “love� graphic designed in Illustrator. This graphic was inspired by a Woodstock poster that hangs on my bedroom wall and visually illustrates that images and text can be integrated to create a work of art. I plan on making this graphic a t-shirt as well.
original graphic created by hand & in photoshop that i used as postcards to send to my friends & family for valentine’s day. a similar design was used as the cover of a mixed cd.
report & layout designs
a page layout i designed as part of a report for the autumn niehoff studio, in which we explored options for sustainable infrastructure.
various examples of daap studio report cover designs.
urban activity graphics
symbolic typography
the graphics pictured on this page are a few of many others that i produced for the honors seminar course “urbanism: observing the city,” which i was a part of in the spring of 2009. we were assigned a project in which we were to observe an aspect of the urban realm based on theoretical framework, then synthesize our information into a report, poster, and presentation. i observed three public places in downtown cincinnati - piatt park, the public library, and fountain square. i focused on how people move, react, percieve, respond, and intereact in these spaces and among themselves. i found that geometric configurations of a space as well as its symbolic connotations are tied to its patterns of activity. for example, fountain square (pictured on the left) is an iconic space associated with cincinnati; the genius of water fountain is the city’s symbol. even though fountain square’s location has been relocated several times, it still is an active and vibrant urban space. when spaces allow users to interact and provide opportunities to explore a multitude of activities, they tend to be viable pieces of the urban fabric.
city PHYSICAL FORM
INTER AC TION
INTERACTION
neighborhood
MOVEMENT/PROCESS
to
mom+dad for everything amy+morgan my best friends robert foster for the support aunt theresa for being there daap professors for direction you for your interest + consideration
erin duffee student; UC, DAAP
me
2230 ravine st. cincinnati, oh address duffeee@mail.uc.edu email 614.565.9311 cell phone #