Selected Works
Katherine Prentice Dorsey
Contents
About Me
Professional Work
1201 L Street
3300 Whitehaven
Cortland East Interiors
Vertical Opportunities
Outerspace Competition
Plaza West
Academic Work
Occupying Decay - Degree Project
Swiss Art Institute
Transverse Connective Tissue
Other Explorations
Katherine Prentice Dorsey
issuu.com/kaetyp linkedin.com/in/kaetyprentice katherinedorsey.com
I am a highly disciplined architectural designer with background in housing, commercial and institutional projects. I am looking for a workplace where I have opportunities to expand my knowledge base, experience new project typologies, and demonstrate my capabilities.
I am addicted to design, baking, color, painting & sketching, poetry, reading & mischief. In my spare time I love to get away from the city for a hike. I believe in, and love to engage in, the power of words and design to shape and form our every day lives.
About me: Highly disciplined architectural designer with background in housing, commercial and institutional projects. I am looking for a workplace where I have opportunities to expand my knowledge base, experience new project typologies, and demonstrate my capabilities.
Skills: Revit, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite (Particularly Indesign, Illustrator, & Photoshop), Lumion, Enscape, Vray, Sketchup, Rhino
Education:
Washington University in St. Louis | Master of Architecture | St. Louis Missouri 2018
• Awarded City Studio STL Fellowship to address social challenges in St Louis through design
• Designed and exhibited a public art installation in collaboration with the Pulizer Art Museum
• Contributed research and participated in traveling exhibit and publication for "Segregation by Design: A historical analysis of the impact of planning and policy"
Catholic University of America | B.S. in Architecture | Washington D.C. 2010
• Senior thesis of a metro station information hub chosen by the community as a possibility for construction
• Studied abroad in Barcelona with a GPA based program
Professional Experience:
Staff Designer | Hickok Cole Architects | Washington D.C. 2014-2015 | summer intern 2016 & 2017 | 2020-Present
• Actively engaged in all phases of work in both designer and technical roles.
Professional Accomplishments:
• Developed mass timber details for multi-family project through Design Development phase
• Developed PHIUS details through Construction Documentation phase
• Won internal micro-grant to research mixed use design
Awards/Features:
• MHN-Excellence Awards "Best Amenities" for Cortland East at the Highlands, 2023
• HC "iLAB" Micro-grant for research, "Vertical Opportunities", 2022
• IIDA Mid-Alantic Chapter Premiere Design Awards "Multifamily Award" for the Earl Apartments, 2022
• NAIOP Northern Virgina Awards "Mixed-Use Project Award of Excellence" for Cortland East at the Highlands, 2022
• Two features in Washington Post for project featuring a "grandfamily" affordable housing model, 2018 & 2019
Architectural Designer | Mackey Mitchell Architects | St. Louis, Missouri 2020
• Developed higher education projects for Penn State University and Abilene Christian University
Design Architect | Urban Improvement Company | St. Louis, Missouri 2019-2020
• Conceptual design/technical development for single family homes, multifamily, and commercial projects
Professional Accomplishments:
• Structured and implemented design process standards for commercial projects
• Created a winning proposal for the St. Louis Midtown Redevelopment Corporation's Gate District West development project
Awards/Features:
• Gate district proposal win featured in St. Louis Post Dispatch, 2020
City Studio STL Fellow | Washington University in St. Louis/ PGAV Planners | St. Louis, Missouri 2018
• Won a fellowship through Washington University in St. Louis to research and design streetscaping along South Grand Boulevard
• Worked with local partners and advocates to research the history and existing context of the neighborhood
• Created a book of research findings and design recommendations
Teaching Assistant | Washington University in St. Louis | St. Louis Missouri 2017
• Led group discussions and graded coursework for a freshman design course and an urban design theory course
Staff Designer | W.C. Ralston Architects | Chantilly, Virginia
Professional Service:
DCBIA Community Improvement Day, Washington DC, 2023
Old North Real Estate Committee Member, St. Louis MO, 2019-2020
Alberti Design Program, St. Louis MO, 2018
Professional Work
1201 L Street
Work done at Hickok Cole
This project is a design for workforce housing on a small compact lot in downtown DC. The client’s goal was to create affordable housing while not using typical approval/financing avenues.
The client was looking for a design that clearly read as housing within a largely office context. In addition, they were looking a somewhat economical and yet bold design that gave a welcoming precence. To achieve the necessary economy we clad the building in brick and limited balconies. Additionally we worked within zoning ordinances to create as many apartment units as possible including cellar and penthouse units. To create a welcoming environment we clad the base in tile and created welcoming wood clad entrances and openings.
I worked on this project from schematic design through the design development phase. During that time I worked with the principal designer to develop the primary facades as well as with the project architect to develop the exterior skin. I designed the courtyard elevations. I executed the majority of the materials for client presentations while developing the exterior skin as decisions were made. I created the renderings in Lumion (right and bottom image).
Tools used: AutoCAD, Revit, Enscape, Lumion Ilustrator, Photoshop, Indesign
Rendering: (Above) Renderings showing light well design
Rendering: (Below) Rendering of base design
Rendering: (Above) overall rendering of the design
3300 Whitehaven
Work done at Hickok Cole
The site is located adjacent to the British International School in a serene NW location in DC. Now an existing office building, this new multifamily building adds 256 new units as well as a gymnasium for the British International School. The client was focused on forward thinking design by embracing a mass timber structure. The project includes many upscale amenities for residents including the nearby NPS park. This makes this location is ideal for residents seeking both indoor and outdoor amenities as well as luxury units.
I worked on this project during its Design Development phase. During that time, I designed the interiors for the Gymnasium for the school, assisted the designer with the development of the facades, and was responsible for developing the exterior skin of the Mass Timber structure.
Tools used: AutoCAD, Revit, Sketchup, Enscape, Ilustrator, Photoshop, Indesign
Drawing: (Above) Axonometric drawing showing existing office building and new multifamily design Rendering: (Below) Image of building design with park
Drawing: (Above) Details showing mass timber structure Rendering: (Below) Image showing view of design from Whitehaven Street
Cortland East Interiors
Work done at Hickok Cole
Large second floor luxury amenity fitout within a new highrise multifamily project. Amenities include a large fitness facility with a bouldering wall, private aqua spa with endless swimming pool and co-working lounges complete with small meetings rooms to accomodate the working needs of today’s hybrid environment.
Designed specifically for a diverse community of familes and young professionals additional amenities include a treehouse inspired playroom for children and a game room clomplete with a golf simulator, dart boards and beer on tap.
I worked on this project from schematic design through construction administration. Due to changes in the design this project had a quick turnaround to catch up with the rest of the project and I worked with the team to ensure that all design goals and deadlines were met.
Tools used: AutoCAD, Revit, Sketchup, Enscape, Ilustrator, Photoshop, Indesign
Photo: (Above) Overall photo of Cortland East by Ron Blunt
Photo: (Below) Detail of Bouldering Wall by Garrett Rowland
Photo: (Above) Detail of game room featuring golf simulator, and darts by Garrett Rowland
Photo: (Below) Co-working lounge with private meeting room by Garrett Rowland
Vertical Opportunities
Work done at Hickok Cole in partnership with Jack Lynch Hickok Cole has a unique model called iLAB where microgrants are awarded to employees to do research that will benefit the firm. The research of Vertical Opportunities was done between 2021 and 2022.
As a part of our initial investigation, we noticed that mixed use submarkets within the downtown core of DC performed better than office submarkets during the pandemic. This made us curious if mixed use could be resilient against future crises.
After further research, we believe that the right programmatic mix can bring resilience to development. Housing can provide a financial basis for the development while other types of programs can drive resilience by providing a stable long-term tenant as well as reinforce convenient and positive consumer experiences which then relates back to tenant retention. From that, we went on to iterate program mixes that combine a variety of program types and interrogate the stability and productivity of their relationships.
We are captivated by the open building concept as a framework for developing the systems. An open building concept focuses on an appropriate level of standardization within a central core area. It places stacks and the most standardized structural systems within that central core area. This standardization then allows greater flexibility on the outside portions of the building which can allow for greater flexibility on the exterior façade or to allow fluctuations in building program. Tools used: AutoCAD, Rhino, Ilustrator, Photoshop, Indesign
Outer Space Competition
For two years Blank Space NYC ran an “Outer Space” competition that sought proposals to envision space exploration in the near future (100-200 years). An excerpt from the brief reads, “What kinds of structures will be developed to move, house, and sustain people? How will robotics, AI, autonomous spacecraft and satellites enhance our reach?”. Each entry required 5 images as well as a text description to describe the submission. These images and text are a part of my 2020 submssion.
“Following the example of the Amish, we knew from the beginning that there would be those, the humanish, who would refuse to accept the technological advancements available. While their rights must be protected, their ignorance should not be emulated or in any way be allowed to impede the progress of transhumanism.”
Jeffery H Miller, IMD, IMPH
Operational head of the International Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
My heart pounds as I wake. I must find my mother a liver today. Her abdomen is swelling and each day she grows more jaundiced
Somehow, but how? I’m nervous.
My mother is humanish - pure earthen human. How will she survive an organ transplant on Mars? Her health has sharply declined since she stopped going to the doctor three years ago. Even at that time, she was so weak I supported her wherever she went. At the end of the visit the doctor concluded curtly that since she chose this humanish life she needed to think seriously about exercising more. And then my mother snapped,
“WHAT DO YOU THINK I’VE BEEN DOING?”, she bellowed.
My mother has refused to visit the doctor since. She says they have nothing that can help her. Was that visit the beginning of the end?
No, the beginning of the end was when she immigrated to Mars. Space exploration had slowed in the early 21st century. Agencies from many nations had established scientific outposts and production centers on earth’s moon. And while they had explored Mars, none had found a means to make it habitable. This was because the work was slow, centered around government funding and private grants
Everything changed when the US shot down India’s communication satellites. To this day if you want to start a fight in the VR Halls, just pick a side on why it happened. Either way, war machines that no citizen knew existed were suddenly launched into space. By the end of the week, every earthen nation was at war.
When peace finally came, large areas of earth were totally uninhabitable due to atmospheric explosions, craters from debris, and the fires that spread upon impact. The UN facilitated the International Peace Treaty of 2300 and declared a new martian nation as a sign of peace. A percentage of people from each earthen country would be combined to form a peaceful model nation on Mars. The UN immediately saw my mother as the perfect candidate for the new martian nation: high resilience and intelligence testing quotient, professional athlete, and no remaining family. My father, an officer in the space force, had died in the war.
Prior to earth exit, the UN encouraged every martian immigrant to receive an exoskeleton augmentation to their bodies. With bolts that interlocked with the joints of the human limbs, the exoskeleton provided the resistance in movement that earthens were accustomed to as well as resources to regulate the body in its martian new environment. Most immigrants were excited by the new technology and immediately had the surgery. My mother, however, refused. She insisted that as a runner she would only grow lazy from an exoskeleton’s assistance. She was determined to do all the work needed to stay fit and healthy on Mars herself.
My mother said goodbye to earth not knowing I was within her and so I began my life in space.
Upon arrival the first habs were prefabricated structures built among craters while the mining work began. Nine months later, we had a home - Hab1. It was three large open spaces thirty feet underground with individual habitations for each family carved into the edge of the common space. I have warm green memories of playing in the open spaces. My mother told me that the green light came from mold that helped keep the radiation far away from us. I remember lying down in the plant room of our own habitation; dreaming warm green dreams. The goal of the Hab1 was paradise underground, but it was short-lived.
My mother tried so hard to keep up. Every day she ran circuits around Hab1 but she had little time to do much else other than exercise. While I played, she ran.
With time and mounting earthen concerns of their own, the UN first introduced the VR halls as an attempt to distract the martians from the extensive repairs that were needed to the filtration system. They were hastily designed and constructed, but became quite a tourist attraction over time. Rich earthens would charter a private rocket to play. I suppose there is nothing quite like them on earth.
Finally, one year after our fateful trip to the doctor, our filtration system finally cracked apart and we joined Hab123 deep beneath the surface of mars. When we arrived at our new individual habilitation there were VR goggles in place of plants. Now, my mother only moves at the pace of the virtual world. She spends her time traveling through Paris with my father. She can see Notre Dame before it burned and the Sacre De Coeur before it was leveled by an atmospheric explosion. I try to press food into her mouth but she is only interested in remembering. It is interesting that Mars now holds earth’s memories.
I am no humanish. When I was born, they told my mother I must receive an exoskeleton. My body has lived better than my mother for a time, but it seems it will still fail me on Mars. The doctor tells me that although they thought the exoskeletons were perfect, they have now discovered that they are not sufficient to protect our bodies from premature decay. I will not live to be my mother’s age if I stay here, but I will also die if I return to Earth.
When my mother first removed herself to the VR world, I started to wander whenever I needed some space to think. Recently, I roamed up to the ruins of Hab1. It has long since been abandoned for deeper climes, but as I looked up, I saw several scrappy plants struggling along within a partially cracked filtration system. I detached my exoskeleton and let my body free.
I don’t care what they say. I am human and I have a right to live.
Patterns and Solid-Void Relationships of Historic Homes
Proposal for Gate District West
Work done at UIC
The Gate District West Proposal is a response to St. Louis University’s request for proposals for a development plan for forty three parcels in the Gate District.
Analysis of the existing context (massing, fenestration, datum, figure ground etc), is necessary to create a road map for future development. The final proposal included contextural analysis, development site plan, floor plans, elevations, and 3-D renderings of designs.
The proposal won fifteen lots for development from St. Louis University and was featured in a St. Louis PostDispatch article.
While working on the proposal, I created the analysis, worked with the design principal to design each of houses, created all of the renderings, and worked with the project architect to produce the proposal documents.
Tools used: AutoCAD, Revit, Sketchup, Enscape, Ilustrator, Photoshop, Indesign
Fenestration
Horizontal Datum of Historic Homes
Vertical Datum of Historic Homes
Plaza West
Plaza West is a 284,600 SF multi-family affordable housing project located in NW Washington D.C. The housing was all affordable units with 173 being affordable units and 50 being an innovative typology of “Grandfamily” units.
These units met the needs of grandparents raising grandchildren. In addition to housing, services to support the grandparents are made available on site at the housing project.
This development in typology was recognized by Washington D.C. mayor, Muriel Bowers, as critical to meet current low-income housing needs and additionally, the project was featured in a Washington Post Magazine article.
While on the project, I oversaw unit design development and consultant coordination as well as the design of the K Street entrance, and 4th street ground floor facade.
Tools used: Revit, Bluebeam, Photoshop, Indesign
Work done at Hickok Cole Architects
Academic Work
Drawing (Above) Section through the building
Occupying Decay - Degree Project
Professor: Phillip Holden
Problem: St. Louis currently has 25,000 vacant properties and land. And yet, the city of St. Louis also reports a sharp increase in investment. The investment growth that the city is purporting, however, does not consider the many vacant properties that exist in St. Louis. These properties are largely seen as undesirable locations for new growth and investment.
How does this dichotomy of vacancy and growth relate to our interaction with the decay of abandonment in a spatial context?
Concept: A palimpsest refers to an archaeological record that can be wiped clean and understood in a new way. Ultimately, however, the piece is a sum of its parts. Each layer is a crucial contribution to the overall text. In the same way, an abandoned building is a palimpsest of our decay. If we can learn to accept and occupy our past, perhaps we can find a way to stabilize and navigate our future. This project is about finding a new way of occupying our past decay to strengthen our new growth.
INDUSTRIAL CROSSROADS
THE SITE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
DOWNTOWN WEST NEIGHBORHOOD
A Palimpsest
= Traditional Horizontal Understanding
= New Vertical Understanding
Photograph: (Above) Process Models
Basement2
Basement1
GroundFloor
SecondFloor
The site is proposed at the crossroads of industrial decay on the 1700 block of Locust Street in the Downtown West neighborhood. On the far western corner is Mers Goodwill’s regional offices, a daycare, and some vocational training services. Adjacent to that building is a lot that is currently used for parking. Roughly in the center of the block is an existing abandoned building. This building was once used to house an extensive back up battery system for the streetcars. Today it is vacant and decaying.
The goal of the proposal is to draw attention to the capacity of vacant buildings for current occupation as well to physically represent the relationship between our spatial past and spatial future. Additionally, that the design will strengthen and unify the block as well grow Goodwill’s program capacities. On a larger scale, the programmatic functions of the Goodwill store and the theatre will seek desirability and stabilization for the neighborhood.
Tools used: Hand drawing, physical modeling, GIS, AutoCAD, Rhino, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Lumion
1. Theatre and plaza added to existing conditions 2. Steel structural system
3. Structure is attached to floors for support
4. Glass walls are attached within the structural system Diagram
Swiss Art Institute
Problem: Design a Swiss Art Institute for the
Concept: An art institute that both connects to the local context through materiality and massing and also is unique to it through a unique glass “heart” in the center of the building.
Professor: Jan Ulmer
nighborhood of Demun
Tools Used: AutoCAD, Rhino, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Indesign
Drawing: Site plan for Swiss Art Institute
Drawing: (Above) Section through building
Drawing: (Above) Basement floor plan
Drawing: (Below) Rendering of sculpture garden in basement
Drawing: (Above) First floor plan
Drawing: (Below) Second floor plan, Third floor plan
Rendering: (Above) View of the interior of the building
Transverse Connective Tissue
Professor: Eric Hoffman
Problem: Design an addition to an existing arts building in St. Joseph Missouri.
Concept: To create three transverse “bars” of tissue that would provide needed additional spaces.
Solution: There were three main goals for the project: first, provide accessibility for all students as well as a larger connection to campus, second, highlight the existing building through contrast and accent, and finally provide openness and light for the student and teacher work spaces. To achieve these goals three transverse longitudinal “tissues” were inserted into the existing building. Each was designed to support the needs outlined above.
Tools used: Rhino, Maxwell, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign
Drawing: (Above) Site plan showing the designs larger connection to campus
Drawing: (Top, left to right) First floor plan; Second floor plan Drawing: (below) Section through main lobby space
Other Explorations
Selected Artwork and Sketches
Selected paintings, and sketches executed between 2019 and 2024.
