susTainable communiT y & universal accessibiliT y Influenced by Universal Design principles, A Place In This World is tailored to guests of all ages and backgrounds, offering sculptures that are accessible by people of all abilities. This provides an enjoyable and equal experience for all users. By developing a wetland and teaching guests about recycled art, the community can learn ways in which they can help the neighborhood as well.
ann arbor Tree line Trail
The proposed Treeline Trail connects trails throughout Southeastern Michigan to encourage outdoor activities. By making the site connect with the Treeline Trail, users can enjoy a beautiful stopping point along their route. Bicycle parking is available at the park so guests can safely store their bike while enjoying local food and art.
arTisT resiDency Program
New art at the site is very important. As the seasons change so does the art. This can only happen by allowing a residency program to take place on the site. The artists who stay will maintain the site while they also design their projects. Other artists set up shops within the Sculpture Market to sell their work to and educate visiting community members.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
721 N. Main street greets many visitors of Ann Arbor, however, most would not stop to take a second look. It is a superfund site with many issues of waste and chemicals infiltrating the grounds, old metal storage pieces, and parts from maintenance vehicles. The sculpture garden would use these old parts and pieces to help create works of art without removing and sending the scrap to another waste site. The community would also have the opportunity to submit their own artwork to display for the season. The location provides a perfect stopping point before entering downtown.
This project is a proposed community center on a very narrow strip of land between two standing buildings. The site is in “Over the Rhine” which is a neighborhood in Cincinnati that has recently been plagued with problems of a gentrified divide in the community with displaced individuals being pushed out of their homes and the new, more affluent populations taking over.
The concept is to bridge the divide amongst the community by creating a social building that has theme park elements to promote fellowship and togetherness. The users will experience the entire space by traversing the stairs with the ultimate reward of the ferris wheel at the top which gives expansive views of the city.
This was a very important project for me. It was the defining moment in which I knew architecture was the correct career to be in. I wanted to do more experimental work along with social and sculptural designs. I enjoyed this project because it allowed me to embrace my unique design concepts, exhibit individuality, push boundaries, and create something joyful for the citizens of an area that was finding new life. The project gave me confidence to break out of my shell and to try different types of concepts. It was later featured in the Oxford Art Museum.
cincinnati community center 02
Hand-drafted floor plans with notes and sketches of how the wheel will fit and work within the building. Drawn with pencil
Hand-drafted section views with notes containing preliminary ideas of what the structure was going to look like. Drawn with pencil
Up until this point all of our assignments were hand drafted and rendered, however, this was the first project to require the use of computer software. As a final project the goals were to research libraries in the country that were successful and determine their unique qualities. As a sculpture minor, I wanted to incorporate eye-catching sculptural elements into the project. The site was in Clifton, a small neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. The area needed a library where kids and adults could study, learn new technologies, utilize free resources, and borrow media. The concept was to have an area that stood out from the rest to draw attention towards it. I was interested in the landscape outside of the city and wanted to reflect this by tying in natural features amongst industrial behemoths. On the top is a green roof with a small pond for birds to rest while they travel through the city. Elements of bending curves were to help show the visceral design that did not belong. The materials of the building were made from glulam beams and a double façade wall. The side of the building allows for vegetation to grow and bring a natural color to the area.
cincinnati
loHi ne T Zero sTuDenT Housing
DePar TmenT of energy race To Zero sTuDenT Design comPe TiTion
2017 seconD Place reciPienT
Performance goals
By meeting or exceeding DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certification levels and following Passive House design best practices, LoHi directly illustrates that it is possible to create a sustainable student living learning residential community. In combination with the illustrated design strategies and systems below, LoHi would be on target to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards like all new residence halls at Miami University.
Lynn Belhumeur
Kevin Bechard
Located in Oxford, Ohio Climate Zone: 5A Square Footage: 35,929 ft2
Est. Unit average monthly energy cost (average of 38 units) = $10.39
Design inTenT
Staying true to our academic home, our team sought to fill a void currently untapped by our University’s present market. Designed by students for students, LoHi takes on an unprecedented role of its own on the corner of “Lo Energy” and “Hi Performance”.
With a team comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds and intertwined cultures, we aimed to design not only a home, but a destination for resident Miami students and the non-permanent international students alike. Our aim as designers was to not only create a sustainable living space for our residents, but to create a living, learning sustainable laboratory where residents would be greatly impacted to sway their present unsustainable lifestyles and living comfort conditions.
Love. Honor. Live.
Kitchen features a glass refrigerator to feature the vegetables that are being grown on site from the outdoor community garden. This further brings in the concept of healthy living and lifestyles among residents.
Oxford Kinetics Festival Bike 2015
I was given an assignment to develop an interesting bike in order to learn about the fabrication process. This allowed for plenty of creativity and innovation. The bikes were later entered into a bike race around town in order to demonstrate the functionality of the creations as well as an opportunity to interact with the community. Skills learned during this project include welding, plasma cutting, and forging.
Yestermorrow Design/ Build School 2017
Yestermorrow provided me with the opportunity to participate in timber frame raising upon learning wood joinery techniques, tool use, and frame design. Most of the structure was built without electric tools. The shelter is now used as a classroom space on the campus.
Yestermorrow Design/ Build School 2019
The Treehouse Design/Build class taught me that not all of your experimental designs need to be stored away. While at Yestermorrow I was encouraged to utilize all of my creativity in conjunction with both my landscape architecture and architecture knowledge to develop a treehouse in the environment. I learned valuable skills for safely building my own functional and sustainable treehouse through hands-on activities while enhancing the landscape rather than hurting it.
The process involved more than picking out a tree and moving forward with the design. We learned about tree species and what to look for in selecting a good tree for building. Since the class focused on sustainable techniques, we were taught about nearing trees and how to design around them without hurting the area. Learning about tree tolerance and growth also played a factor into the design. After choosing a viable tree, we learned about the construction techniques needed to build. Many of the parts needed to be fabricated to allow for the best suitable design. Through the process we learned that the designs do not always work and flexibility is an important skill to have. The overall tree house structure is supported by multiple connection points so the platform remains in place and does not move. This project provided many teaching opportunities regarding the durability and flaws of structures as nature decided to weaken our treehouse since its inception. These structures are not always meant to last forever; nature can take them back over the years and there is something beautiful about that.
