KELSEY WILLIS first & second-year portfolio tulane school of architecture
RESUME.
architectural design student Tulane University
kelsey.m.willis@gmail.com EDUCATION (360) 220-6286
EDUCATION. Tulane University, New Orleans, LA Class of 2018/19 Masters’ of Architecture Bachelors’ of French
Sehome High School, Bellingham, WA Class of 2014
RECENT EXPERIENCE & INVOLVEMENT. RMC Architects
Summer 2015
Tulane Center for Public Service Service Learning Assistant
2014-Present
The Charrette (Architecture School Biannual Publication) Contributor & Assisting Editor
2015-2016 2016-Present
Tulane Green Club Community Outreach Coordinator
2015-Present
Tulane College Democrats Graphic Design Coordinator
2015-Present
Divest Tulane Graphic Design Coordinator, active member
2014-Present
Student Government Presidential Campaigns Chief Graphic Designer
2016
Bellingham, WA Architectural Intern
Training in facilitation, leadership, coordination
Editor
SKILLS. French Language Photoshop Illustrator InDesign Rhinoceros AutoCAD Sketchup HTML/CSS Hand-drafting Model-building
a cultural institute in the
THE MARDI GRAS
INDIAN INSTITUTE
heart of the treme to celebrate and facilitate the
arts and outreach of the mardi gras indians.
The project goes through several phases: -Mardi Gras Indian Suit Analysis -Mardi Gras Indian Pavilion -Mardi Gras Indian Instiute
form is influenced by suit studies, neighborhood analysis, and interviews with leaders in the mardi gras indian community.
Learning to interpret the complex culture and history of the celebratory mardi gras tradition of “masking indian” an important part of New Orleans’ African-American independence culture - through carnival season and beyond
the project began with the analysis of individual pieces of a mardi gras indian suit, combined with cultural studies
the legpiece
spatial vs. cultural:
the mardi gras indian suit
interpretive models We were challenged to represent the concept and movement of our suit piece without imitating its form. These reflect the rotation and movement of the leg within the “boot” while still being tightly laced into the object. “liberation through enclosure”
mardi gras indian pavilion a dual-purpose space for public performance and private suit-making, sited in a traditonal new orleans neighborhood long-lot
mardi gras indian institute
elevation: esplanade avenue
4
3
2
1
circulation
site: esplanade ave & claiborne ave
nighttime elevation
mardi gras indian institute:
final model
parti / massing exploration
section a
section b
exploded axon
rooftop performance space
inspiration: Paul Klee, Double Tent
STEP 2: unfold
STEP 3: refold
STEP 1:
axon
plan
STEP 4: render
digital media: cube explorations Inspired by a chosen piece of artwork, Paul Klee’s “Double Tent”: 1) Created a digital model of a modified cube 2) “Unfolded” the model into a flat surface 3) Laser-cut the surface and folded it into an actual 1’x1’ cube 4) Rendered the cube as an object in a outdoor scene
“museum of the city” new orleans, la tremé neighborhood
located in the historic but transforming heart of the Treme, the museum of the city serves as a place to celebrate the neighborhood’s unique, colorful culture and its fascinating past.
phase 1: diagramming
sprawl
zoom out
the project began with research and diagramming to better understand the growth and processes of new orleans. Ultimately, I chose to focus on patterns of sprawl and development over the centuries of the city’s existence.
urban/suburban neighborhood scale: the treme
scale: new orleans
zoom in
neighborhood scale: the tremĂŠ
Switching focus to the history and culture of our site’s neighborhood, the historic Treme, I focused on the spread of cultural centers within the neighborhood and the relationship between buildings and the street-front throughout the neighborhood. The Treme is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, and the oldest historically black neighborhood in the United States. Collaged into these diagrams are its many incarnations, including: plantation, urban renewal ground zero, public housing development, and vital, music-filled neighborhood.
preliminary site explorations: pavilion / uncovered space
transverse section a
transverse section b
MUSEUM OF THE CITY: MODEL STUDIES longitudinal section
a
longitudinal section b
pavilion of the treme an open community gathering space located at a point of transition into the underserved treme neighborhood. intended as an exploration of the site and its entry points, in preparation for a museum project on the same site.
plan
museum preparation
final model
process models
MUSEUM OF THE CITY: MODEL STUDIES
pavilion of the treme an open community gathering space located at a point of urban transition into the treme neighborhood
parti model development
MUSEUM OF THE CITY
elevation: basin street
elevation: n villere street
Form / massing development diagram Diagrammatic breakdown of the tectonic and stereotomic forms that make up the walls and structure of the building.
rendering: corner of basin street and north villere street
historic courtyard studies:
the cabildo
french quarter, new orleans
The Cabildo was the seat of the Spanish colonial government of New Orleans in the 1700-1800s. We explored the courtyards and systems of the building design, as well as its history. We were then partnered with community icons to design a courtyard intervention based on their desires. For jazz musician Irvin Mayfield, this was an entertaining space and and open practice area.
sequential analysis: willow dorm complex tulane university
PRECEDENT
axial divisions
light penetration and hierarchy
ANALYSIS
Margaret Esherick House Louis Kahn, 1961 Chestnut Hill, PA
“fruit drawings”
precedent drawings
“elevation”
“plan”
“section”
esherick house, louis kahn
diagramming congruency: the guggenheim museum, frank lloyd wright vs. white mushroom, agaricus bisporus
Exploring architectural concepts through diagrammatic study of classic buildings (as well as organisms!)
“precedent intervention: visitor’s center”
site:
PISCINA DAS MARES, PORTO, PORTUGAL
project by alvaro siza, 1961 An intervention to a canonical project, influenced by in-depth study and analysis of Siza’s designs and method. Using an understanding of the project, program, and experience to create a new point of entry and re-orientation, to introduce visitors to the famous site.
site plan (with intervention) The Piscina das Mares is a still-functioning public swimming pool, built into and carved out of natural rock formations. The concrete structure creates a boundary between the industrial area beyond the road and the wildness of the ocean.
SITE Analytical diagrams used to determine placement of the visitor’s center: reflecting and extending the geometries of the original project design, extending the order vs. disordered boundary condition. .
boundary, natural form vs. built form
geometries and metering
model: geometries and project siting
INTERVENTION
final model
site model: embedment into the cliffside, relationship between site extensions and natural boundaries