GISELLA ALLEN university of texas | interior design
SPACES
STUDIES
OTHER
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flourish coworking retail: flagship store retail: patterning retail: pop-up shop mixed use: paris mixed use: reverb poetry & literature center wildflower center edible materials lab: agar luminaire: 360 shirt reconstruction resource desk window study hand drawings graphic design rĂŠsumĂŠ
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FLOURISH COWORKING SPACE design 6 / spring 2014 / tamie glass angelo donghia foundation scholarship nomination Flourish is an office space designed for the new Seaholm Development in Austin, Texas, based on the idea of coworking. Coworking, a style of work that incorporates independent activities in a shared and collaborative work environment, is conducive to the idea of movement. Promoting movement has been implemented into this office space through the idea of a work-life cycle in which members are encouraged to work uninterrupted for 90 minutes and then take a break to relax, renew, and replenish. Productivity and growth are encouraged by promoting an active lifestyle that incorporates everyday needs and activities into the working individual’s life. 5
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Sleep researcher Nathan Kleitman once discovered what he called the “basic rest-activity cycle.” This cycle is composed of the 90 minute periods at night during which humans move repetitively through five stages of sleep, from light to deep. Kleitman also observed that our bodies work in the same 90 minute rhythm during the day. This cycle involves movement from higher to lower alertness and is referred to as “ultradian rhythm.” 6
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Reception Brainstorm Room Conference Rooms Kitchen Partition Work Area Ribbon Work Area Ribbon Lounge West Lounge Touchdown Locker Room & Bike Share
top right / lounge with multiple seating options for comfortable breaks bottom right / bike share is a service provided in which members can temporarily rent bikes 7
Changes in the color and intensity of lighting subtly let members know when a 90 minute period has passed. These changes are concentrated in areas of work, and are incorporated in drop ceilings and underneath work tables. Drop ceiling lights are on a cycle throughout the day, and lights beneath tables can be set by the individual worker for customization. 8
The “ribbon” that flows throughout the center of Flourish is a combination of work and lounge areas. The ribbon’s exterior wood veneer transitions into hardwood floors that contain work tables and benches rising from the floor plane. 9
Partitions provide a semi-private work space. Panels separate the work area from the adjacent ribbon and kitchen. Panels can be comprised of various pin-up surfaces including cork, plywood, magnetic, dry-erase, and graphic panels. Members can lease a partition for an additional fee for personal uses such as a work area or advertising space. 10
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COSTUME NATIONAL FLAGSHIP STORE design 4 / spring 2013 / clay odom Located adjacent to the W Hotel in Austin, the Costume National Flagship consists of a minimalistic plan catering to the display of high fashion articles. A patterned wall surface developed for a previous iteration, the pop-up shop, becomes a three dimensional module that is repeated to become the display and entry to the store. Materials are a play on matte and sheen as well as reflectivity and transparency.
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left / users enter through display feature that showcases merchandise above / folding method used to create display modules right / bottom floor contains dressing rooms and merchandise mezzanine level specializes in tailoring and custom orders 15
PATTERNING design 4 / spring 2013 / clay odom Shapes derived from an article of Costume National clothing are manipulated and repeated to create patterns that drive the flagship store and pop-up shop. 16
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left / pattern physically wraps around surface right / pattern is digitally projected onto various surfaces 18
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POP-UP RETAIL design 4 / spring 2013 / clay odom A small-scale shop is created using inspiration from previously developed graphic patterns. The diamond shape is turned into a surface that covers walls and dictates the forms used to display merchandise. The words asymmetry, minimalism, and edginess are kept in mind as Costume National remains an inspiration.
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top left / wall surface integrates with diamond shaped shelving units bottom left / light punctures through center fold to create a dappled effect, highlighting displayed clothing right / mannequins attach to perforations as display feature 21
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MIXED USE: PARIS advanced design / fall 2014 / studio abroad team members: alex dallas, seyeong gwak, saranya kanagaraj Various programs including housing, office, retail, school, and gym intersect and interact on a site located in the outskirts of Paris, France. A pre-existing six meter drop splits the lot into two distinct zones that lie between railway tracks and a park. These factors act as limits that begin to define ground-level change and inform density, circulation, and materiality. 23
Materials create a narrative that describe the program relationship of the site. Less porous materials such as brick make up the side of the office that faces the rail yard, while materials such as glass start to show structure and allow transparency at the retail level. Brick and concrete continue from the facade of the office building onto the artificial ground plane to emphasize the urban cliff condition and to create a formal continuity across the site. As housing becomes more prominent on the park side, warmer materials such as wood and landscaping are introduced to imply livability and user intimacy.
The constructed ground plane reacts to the topographical limits of the site by negotiating the two main levels while also being manipulated by programmatic forces. By using the metaphor of the urban cliff condition, the architecture creates a theatrical backdrop for the site’s various activities while addressing issues such as prospect and refuge. 24
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MIXED USE: REVERB intern project / summer 2014 / gensler dallas internship program team members: ellie hopen, gabi korac, matt michalak, jacob navarez, claire thompson Located in the Old Dallas High School building, Reverb acts as a concept for a mixed use development that tackles the issue of unifying different areas of downtown Dallas and includes housing, retail, parking, market, public green, and artist collaborative spaces. The old DHS building represents an opportunity for a unified vision of Dallas, serving as a catalyst for greater movement rippling throughout the metroplex. 27
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POETRY & LITERATURE CENTER design 3 / fall 2012 / tamie glass Located in an existing building on Congress Street, the center incorporates programmatic needs such as storage for books, a poet laureate living space, and indoor/outdoor cafe. It is essential that the historic limestone walls are not touched or changed throughout the design process. Two main objectives drive the concept behind the center: that the vertical circulation becomes a focal point, and that the poet laureate space is one that can be opened to the public. 29
The issue of vertical circulation is addressed by creating a space where visitors can interact with the staircase, allowing people to walk, sit, and mingle at any point on their transition to the second floor. The staircase also houses collections of poetry and literature, highlighting the main purpose of the building. 30
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The poet laureate’s personal space is a private area, but the space in between the studio and the public performance area houses a rhythmic gallery full of work and information about the poet, merging the two spaces together and allowing the public to interact indirectly with the poet.
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WILDFLOWER CENTER design 2 / spring 2012 / robert mezquiti Water, wind, and sun are key elements in the design of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center in an effort to increase the conservation of native landscapes. The roof slope filters water into a conservation system used to hydrate plants. Translucent openings allow for light to glow throughout the center of the building. An upper deck and open back patio allow for the circulation of wind. Classrooms provide a space for educational visits as well as staff meetings. 34
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EDIBLE MATERIALS LAB: AGAR advanced design / spring 2015 / igor siddiqui partner: zach walters This research-based advanced design studio titled Edible Materials Lab focused explicitly on material experimentation and exploration. By viewing construction materials and food as subjects that have commonalities, observations in the way that they influence each other lead to innovative investigations and material developments. The studio curated an exhibit as part of Fusebox Festival’s ArtPlace America in Austin, Texas where visitors were able to see, touch, smell, taste, and hear about new materials. Our material, agar, is derived from the polymeric carbohydrate agarose, found in the cell walls of certain species of red seaweed. The two primary species of seaweed used for agar, Gelidium and Gracilaria, have traditionally been gathered from boats, by scuba divers, or after they have been washed ashore. Agar is commonly used in food as a vegetarian alternative to gelatin and in microbiology as a growth medium in petri dishes. 37
Commercially available in the form of powder, agar transforms into a gelatinous substance after boiled in combination with water, plasticizers, and other additives. Once cured, the solution forms a bioplastic that ranges from a thin and flexible film to thicker and more rigid sheets. The final texture of the bioplastic can be controlled by changing the substrate on which the agar is dried. For example, curing the agar on acrylic produces a smooth and translucent bioplastic whereas curing on wax paper produces a wrinkled and opaque bioplastic. Without the addition of plasticizers, agar has a tendency to curl - naturally creating dynamic, sculptural forms. When poured on parchment paper, parallel ridges form in the substrate as a result of moisture in the agar mixture. These ridges cause the agar to set with areas of different thicknesses that cure at different rates, causing the material to curl inwards. The anticlastic curvature of the resulting component is controlled to a certain degree, while also allowing for a level of inherent variation. Here the component has been aggregated based on defined rules that generate a modular system. This process allows for a dialogue between natural form-finding in biobased materials, computational design, and fabrication techniques. 38
process
connection + aggregation
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EDIBLE MATERIALS LAB: AGAR WINDOW BLINDS advanced design / spring 2015 / igor siddiqui To further explore how agar could become a feasible building material, the final month of Edible Materials Lab focused on creating a product based on prior research. Agar blinds address biodegradable issues as they are developed entirely out of agar with no additives. They replace the typical window blind which is often made out of PVC plastics that are harmful to the environment. Agar films are flexible, allow for a variety in opacity, and strong when layered and fused by a direct heat source.
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above / agar film curing process below / blinds layer when closed/open to create varying opacities depending on desired light or function left / physical prototype of one agar blind
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LUMINAIRE: 360 environmental controls / fall 2013 / keith simon team members: saranya kanagaraj & adam thibodeaux Created for Goldsmith Courtyard at the UT School of Architecture, 360 is constructed from 320 layers of cardboard. Each layer is cut from a cardboard sheet at an angle that varies by 1 degree from the subsequent layer. The angled cuts manipulate the corrugation within the cardboard. 360 uses the inherent structural nature of cardboard to filter light. 42
NATURE OF CARDBOARD TO FILTER LIGHT. AS LIGHT PASSES THROUG EACH ANGLED CARDBOARD LAYER, A SPIRAL OF LUMINANCE APPEARS WITHIN A SEEMINGLY SIMPLE RECTANGULAR FORM.
As light passes through each angled cardboard layer, a ribbon of luminance appears from within the seemingly simple rectangular form. When the light is off, the gradient of the corrugation within the cardboard is clearly visible. This ribbon of light varies as the user walks around the fixture, creating a moire effect. From afar, the light appears to be very sharp and concentrated in its ribbon shape. left / 360 off, on in daylight, and on at night above / various angled cuts on sheet of cardboard
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OXFORD SHIRT REMODEL design 5 / fall 2013 / allison gaskins A large oxford shirt was taken and manipulated to emphasize areas of movement through making fabric more rigid. Pleats begin in the shoulder region and continue through the oblique region, pulling on fabric to mimic the movement of the human body.
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STRUCTURE VS SURFACE Moments taken from the oxford shirt are translated into plaster casts.
rigid / plaster is poured into an imprint of a structural grid, allowing the surfaces to protrude upwards at various heights
soft / a smooth and flexible layer covers the structural grid, allowing the surface to act as a blanket
overlay / the blending of rigid and soft qualities result in effects similar to the oxford shirt 45
1 / feature wall elevation 17’
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ARCH RESOURCE DESK + FEATURE WALL design 5 / fall 2013 / allison gaskins The ARCH homeless shelter in downtown Austin sleeps hundreds per night and requires a durable resource desk. A large waiting area allows for more sleeping space at night, and cubicles under the waiting bench are large enough for bags. A power strip lies adjacent to computer nooks to provide for additional power sources.
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WALL CONNECTION TO STUDY CARRELS
The feature wall, inspired by the structure studied in the plaster casts, undulates to act aesthetically as well as functionally. It houses the private staff areas behind it and the computer nooks in front above / nooks attach to wall through a steel rod system 47
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WINDOW STUDY design 5 / fall 2013 / allison gaskins Windows drawn in graphite are overlaid with surrounding landscape to explore the notions of boundary and threshold. 49
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left / tone drawing: graphite right / figure drawing: charcoal
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CHARCOAL PORTRAITS left / abuelito center / kara right / tamuka 53
GRAPHIC DESIGN left / logo design for 101 Years of Interior Design Celebration center / winning logo for NYC Seminar 2014 to be used on shirts right / University of Texas AMPERSAND logo 54
schedule of events friday : october 25, 2013
students, lebrating
- SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE OPEN HOUSE (1:00PM - 5:00PM) +Goldsmith Hall, Sutton Hall, Battle Hall, West Mall Building
enriching posium, a
- RELAX AT UNIQUE AUSTIN INTERIORS (5:30PM - 7:30PM) +Charles Moore House Tour, The W Austin TRACE Patio and Lounge
Meet current students and professors; visit open studios; and tour our state of the art materials lab, digital fabrication lab, and historic Battle Hall library
Mingle with old friends, meet current faculty members, and enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in one of two uniquely Austin settings
saturday : october 26, 2013
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- TEXTILES SYMPOSIUM (8:00AM - 6:00PM) +Jessen Auditorium
A compelling day long symposium showcasing presentations by cutting-edge textile designers and acclaimed historians. Additional information available to the right.
- COURTYARD RECEPTION (6:15PM - 7:30PM) +Gearing Hall Courtyard
Join us for drinks and hors d’oeuvres as we watch the Tower light up “101” in celebration of our event
- BANQUET AND KEYNOTE (8:00PM - 10:30PM) +AT&T Conference Center End the evening with dinner, drinks, and live music as we celebrate a wonderful weekend and 101 years of Interior Design at The University of Texas at Austin. Special keynote Paul Makovsky, Editorial Director of Metropolis Magazine.
sunday : october 27, 2013 - FAREWELL BREAKFAST (9:00AM - 11:00AM) +Battle Hall Library INTERIOR DESIGN FINAL REVIEW SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE CLASS OF 2014
SYMPOSIUM DETAILS “weaving the past and the present”
(8:00AM - 6:00PM) - MODERATOR +STEPHEN ELROD (VP Lee Jofa) - SPEAKERS +KAREN EDWARDS (President, Knoll Textiles) +SINA PEARSON (Sina Pearson Textiles) +MICKEY RIAD (CFO of Fortuny Fabrics) +MARTINA STARKE (Head of BMW Interiors) +SUZANNE TICK (Suzanne Tick Inc.) +LYNDA WAGGONER (Director of Fallingwater) - SPECIAL screening (4:00PM): +THE RADIANT SUN: DESIGNER RUTH ADLER SCHNEE (directed by Ronit Eisenbach & Terri Sarris)
Followed by a Q&A with MS. ADLER SCHNEE
Enjoy coffee and a light breakfast in Cass Gilbert’s Battle Hall Reading Room (formerly the University’s main library)
left / invitation design for 101 Years of Interior Design Celebration right / poster design for 101 Years of Interior Design Celebration
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gisella allen www.geegallen.com
EDUCATION
2502 Leon Street Austin, Texas 78705 geegallen@verizon.net 469-867-3119 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE Bachelor of Science in Interior Design | May 2015 ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE D’ARCHITECTURE DE PARIS-BELLEVILLE Study Abroad in Paris, France | Fall 2014
SKILLS
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
PHOTOSHOP ILLUSTRATOR INDESIGN iMOVIE
REVIT AUTOCAD SKETCH-UP RHINOCEROS
HAND DRAFTING DRAWING LASER CUTTING FLUENT IN SPANISH
GENSLER Interior Design Intern | Dallas | June - August 2014 Collaborated with interior designers and architects to redesign a corporate office building. Participated in design development and schematic design phases. Interacted with client, lighting designers, and vendors. Worked with a team to create a concept for a mixed-use development at the historic abandoned Dallas High School Building that represented an opportunity for a unified vision of Dallas. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE Student Assistant | Interior Design Department | January 2014 - April 2015 Assisted in preparation of materials for CIDA accreditation of the Interior Design program. Tasks included gathering materials for course reports, communicating with professors, and partaking in interviews with accreditation team. 101 YEARS OF INTERIOR DESIGN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN Celebration Committee | June - October 2013 Participated in planning the symposium, exhibit, and weekend events for the 101 Years of Interior Design celebration. Communicated with alumni, sponsors, and speakers to coordinate all aspects of the celebration ranging from donations to scheduling lectures. Designed graphics, programs, and invitations.
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NATURAL SELECTIONS DESIGN SHOWROOM Semester Break | Dallas | December 2011 - January 2012 Expanded material knowledge through writing QR codes for various samples.
ADDITIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE
UT PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION Parking Staff | Fall 2012 - Spring 2013 FORMULA ONE CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS Merchandise | November 16 -18, 2012
HONORS
ACTIVITIES
DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD IN ADVANCED DESIGN | Spring 2015 IIDA STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION - THIRD PLACE | Spring 2015 SHERWIN-WILLIAMS STIR STUDENT DESIGN CHALLENGE - THIRD PLACE | Summer 2014 ANGELO DONGHIA FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP - NOMINEE | Spring 2014 NYC SEMINAR SCHOLARSHIP | Spring 2014 ASID DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD - MERIT | Fall 2013 UNIVERSITY HONORS | Fall 2013, Fall 2014 DEBBIE ANN ROCK SCHOLARSHIP IN INTERIOR DESIGN | 2013, 2014 DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD IN DESIGN III | Fall 2012 TRISHA WILSON ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP FUND | 2012 INTERIOR DESIGN FACULTY SEARCH COMMITTEE | 2013 - 2014 Nominated by faculty to serve as the student representative in the search for new Interior Design professors AMPERSAND: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS | 2012 - 2015 Marketing and Graphics Chair | 2013 -2014 Organization that combines the student chapters of IIDA and ASID to provide students with networking opportunities within the interior design community
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