Selected Projects
Jelena Leviceva
Thesis Project (REVIT+Ps)
Study of architecture and streets that surround the site (left) Hand-drawn elevation of the existing Seattle Times building located on the site (bottom)
This project encapsulates the decisions related to revitalization and redesign of a neighbourhood: how to preserve a link between the neighbourhood and locals; how to connect the new and the old; how to make the place safe and usable at all times; how to make sure that the redevelopment stays relevant over the years, etc. As an example: to perserve the neighbourhood-locals link, I kept the original Seattle Times building, which was built on the site in 1950s. To make the place usable and inviting, I organized the new architecture around a public place that I placed in the center of the block...
Site plan generated in Revit and Ps (left) Sketches of preliminary ideas for art community design (extreme left)
Photoshop-rendered study of standard architectural approaches to the residential facade design (top and bottom)
Design of studios where artists can create various pieces and work with various mediums is a big part of my thesis project. The work spaces I am creating are beautifully lit (diffused South and direct North light) and have spatial “plasticity“ to accomodate different creative processes. These studios are mostly designed in three different sizes (S, M, L) to provide more freedom of choice and affordability.
Photoshop-drawn interior views of the described studios XL studio that can accomodate sculptors and artists that work with big tools/appliances/devices (bottom right) L studio that can accomodate artists that work with large scale paintings, for example (bottom left) M studio that can accomodate artists that work with smaller scale paintings and smaller tools, etc. (left) S studio that can accomodate people such as writers and those, who do not need much space (extreme left)
Claremont Pre-K-8 School (REVIT+Ps) This academic project started with a choice: to either keep the existing Claremont school or to tear it down and build a new one. I decided to preserve most of the school’s structure, and to also make some new insertions/additions. I carefully studied the original blueprints of the school, and based on what I learnt, I made a decision to retain its foundation, the first floor and a part of the second floor. The second floor had to be partially removed from the center of the building - to insert a new atrium, and - from the South wing - to allow the placement of a new CLT floor, slightly rotated away from the existing axis, for the purpose of inserting a new skylight (to let more sunlight reach the first floor classrooms). I made a lot of other carefully thought-through changes that focused on wheel-chair accessibility, sustainability, energy performance, students’ well-being and aesthetics.
Perspective view of the school, rendered in Revit (top) Section through the new classrooms and the outside corridor (middle) Elevation view of the South facade (bottom) Floor plans of the first and second floors, paired with a section through the new classrooms, atrium, dining cafeteria, gymnasium and library (right)
For the additions/insertions I chose cross-laminated timber and lumber to intensify the contrast between the old structure (steel-masonry-brick) and the new one. This section drawing includes one of the most complex details of this project: the way the new corridor (CLT), the new skylight, the existing wall (masonry-brick) and the second-floor addition come together and form a tight envelope. The interior rendering shows how the atrium provides the hub for various participants of education to come together in one open space, and how the new structure coexists with the existing one.
Interior rendering of the new atrium, viewed from the second floor, Revit + Ps (left) Section through the new corridor and the existing wall of one of the classrooms that shows the solution of putting the new and old structure together; hand-drawn +Ps (extreme left)