Kirah Shannon Cahill
Contents
TYPES
OF
SCALE
Economic 1. Individual 2. Community 3. Society Physical 4. Material 5. Detail 6. Monument 7. Building 8. City
Selected Illustrations
India Ink in Moleskine Sketchbook
1. individual
Part I: ECONOMIC
SCALE
Economics is the study of the social condition. Design is the expression of the social condition. While economics has shown me how to see the problem through data analysis and research, architecture would show me how to solve the problem through design and technology.
Self Portrait Collage
Printed images, articles glued to 100lb. paper size: 19� x 24�
2. community
Handshake Collage
Columbia University GSAPP “Intro to Architecture� Professor Joshua Uhl iPhone Camera, Photoshop Collage representing the city I live in - Carmel, IN. Once a rural suburb with farms mixed among residences, Carmel has tripled its population in the last 20 years. New residents are uppermiddle class and moved from other states for jobs in budding Indianapolis, bringing wealth and intense development to the area.
2. community
First Christian Church (Eliel Saarinen)
Midwest Mecca
Hand Drawn in Procreate Columbus, Indiana, is a small town and the hometown of J. Irwin Miller, previously CEO of Cummins Engine. Miller is known for hiring numerous famous architects to build in Columbus. As Justin Davidson explains in Modern Midwest Mecca, Miller “saw social justice as a tool of enlightened capitalism and design as the mark of a gracious, economically thriving city... [The architecture was a way] to recruit the brightest talents to a quiet provincial town.� The city of Columbus demonstrates how architecture impacts the local economy.
Columbus Gateway Project (Robert Stewart)
North Christian Church (Eero Saarinen)
3. society
TheU.S.HousingMarketCrisis HousingStock(milions),byType 127
11 million renters pay $600 or less per month, 16 million renters pay between $600 and $1,000, and 18 million renters pay more than $1,000 per month.
There is a shortage of housing supply, especiallly of lower priced units, which is driving up prices for the whole market. 38 deficit = 27 million
11 all available units
affordable units needed
affordable units available
* Apartments with rents above $1,000 have increased by nearly 6 million in the past decade, while apartments below $1,000 per month have decreased by over 3 million.*
More than 2 in 10 renters in the US are severely rent-burdened (pay >50% of income on rent).
About3 in 10 renters are rentburdened (pay >30% of income on rent).
Causes for Rent Burden: - student loan debt - poverty - substance abuse - healthcare debt - lack of transportation, limiting access to jobs
Tens of millions of renters are facing eviction starting in 2021, due to lost employment and increased debts resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. This is expected to worsen the housing crisis the country faces.
ImpactofHomelessnessontheEconomy Cost of an Unsheltered Person:
~$62,500 / year
Locations with Highest Rates of Homelessness:
Plus the cost of public services, such as police and sanitation, can be in the tens of millions per year.
Risk Factors:
- rent-burdened - financial instability - low or no savings - substance abuse - mental illness - domestic abuse - single parent - minority group
Cost of a Sheltered Person:
~$20,000 / year Housing also makes it much easier for people to find jobs and get back on their feet.
Homelessness rates are highest in metropolitan areas with tight housing markets and high rental prices.
It is estimated that over 550,000 people experience homelessness per year. By providing housing, the U.S. could save over $23 billion.
Housing Market Infographic Illustrator
These statistics and facts are astonishing to me. I would like to explore more about what causes homelessness and how homelessness impacts communities and economies.
3. society
Exploring Design Solutions to Housing Crisis Ink, Alcohol Markers in Moleskine, Google Slides
Long-term solutions to the housing crisis are (1) to build more housing, which will lower prices, and (2) design more efficient and less costly buildings by using new technologies such as: • innovative materials • modular or pre-fabricated construction • space efficient design These are topics I would like to learn more about in a Masters of Architecture program. Sketchbook features notes on affordable housing designs which use innovative technology to lower costs and increase efficiency.
4. material
Part II: PHYSICAL
SCALE
Like in economics, in architecture it is crucial to be able to move fluidly between many scales, whether a drawing, model, or building. The following are design-focused explorations at various scales.
Selected Photographs Canon EOS M6 Mark ii 45-120mm, Photoshop
Some small details such as these are frequently overlooked in dayto-day life but can be quite beautiful and also critical to construction.
4. material
Selected Photographs Canon EOS M6 Mark ii 45-120mm, Photoshop
Individual materials can be paired together to create a whole structure. Different pairings create vastly different styles and provide hints toward the function of the building.
5. detail
Fortune Teller Fixture Pieces 100lb. Paper, Xacto Knife
Personal project focusing on form and light. Diagrams illustrate the process of creating the pieces by cutting squares of paper, folding into fortune tellers, and then cutting various patterns in the paper. Photos show final forms.
First Fold
First Cut Pattern
Second Fold
Second Cut Pattern
Third Fold
Third Cut Pattern
5. detail
Fortune Teller Fixture
100lb. Paper, Elmer’s School Glue 18� diameter Final assembly of light fixture. The patterned fortune tellers create dynamic and unique textures, both on the lantern surface and on surrounding objects or walls via shadows.
6. monument
Illustration India Ink, Moleskine Sketchbook
Photograph iPhone
“‘If, for instance, I want to paint horses taking the water hurdle at the Auteuil race-course, I expect my painting to give me as much that is unexpected, although of another kind, as the actual race I witnessed gave me.’” - Gaston Bachelard quoting Lapicque, The Poetics of Space
6. monument
Monument at Pitman Farms Hand Drawn on iPad using Procreate and collaged with in Photoshop
Personal project focusing on conveying motion in a still object and creating a unique experience. The sculpture merges several stillframes of a horse jumping to form an overpass. By walking under or around this monument, a person can experience the movement in a way that is unique from both riding and observing.
7. building
Pied a Terre
Harvardx “The Architectural Imagination” Rhinoceros 3D, Photoshop Row house design inspired by le Corbusier’s 5 Points of Architecture and Architectural Promenade.
Back Entrance
First Floor
Second Floor
7. building
Site Analysis of Schermerhorn Hall
Columbia University GSAPP “Intro to Architecture” Professor Joshua Uhl Rhinoceros 3D, Photoshop Students were assigned 15’ sections of Amsterdam Ave. in NYC to recreate as a 3D model and combine into one complete model of the whole street. My model section is the one on the end, which has been opened like a book. I also created the render. I was interested in the stairs as a place of transport as well as a place of social interaction.
7. building
Continuing my interest in stairs and ramps as means of access and socialization, I wanted to incorporate these features throughout the building.
Access Bridge
Columbia University GSAPP “Intro to Architecture� Professor Joshua Uhl Hand Drawn in Procreate (right), Rhinoceros 3D, Photoshop (left) Initial designs and program concepts for the final project: a bridge between campus level and street level. Program options such as food pantry, community garden, childcare, and cafes were examined. Additionally, several bridge designs were considered for form and function.
I was intrigued by twisting bridges like this one. The movement creates a memorable and adventurous form.
7. building
Access Bridge
Columbia University GSAPP “Intro to Architecture� Professor Joshua Uhl Rhinoceros 3D, Photoshop More experimentation, focusing on the form of the bridge. Smaller cubes combine in a spiral array to enclose the bridge, while dissolving in the building at each end. These simple shapes create bold form and movement on the federal, stoic New York streetscape. The bridge aims to inspire curiosity, drawing people to Amsterdam Ave. Stairs and ramps crisscross inside, creating bookshelves and spaces for reading or socializing.
7. building
Access Bridge
Columbia University GSAPP “Intro to Architecture” Professor Joshua Uhl Rhinoceros 3D, Photoshop Final design for bridge which connects the greater New York community to Columbia’s campus, which is blocked by the plinth. The library with multi-purpose greenspace and pedestrian bridge connects to an academic building, fostering engagement by offering free wifi, educational resources and space for interaction between students and the public.
7. building
Christ Church Cathedral Illustration
Ink, Alcohol Markers, Gouache size: 8.5� x 11� One of the oldest historic buildings in Indianapolis, this church is made of Indiana limestone and has beautiful detailing. The masonry appears in stark contrast with the surrounding contemporary office buildings.
8. city
1875
1936
Christ Church Over Time Illustrator, Excel
Originally built in 1875, the church used to be one of the tallest buildings in Indianapolis. Now, the Salesforce Tower dwarfs the church in downtown. This development is representative of the economic growth the city has undergone in the last 200 years. By comparison, the northern suburbs (such as Carmel) have grown at an even faster rate but have lower density.
Population Density per Square mile 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0
2020
1875
1936 Indianapolis
2020 Carmel
8. city
Model Metropolis
Rhinoceros 3D, 3D Printer, PLA size: 8” x 8” x 7.5” Experimentation with 3D printing and fenestration.
Kirah Shannon Cahill B.S. in Business
Economic Consulting Indiana University Kelley School of Business Founder’s Scholar ‘19 & ‘20 3.91, Highest Distinction December 2020
General Record Exam Verbal: 163 (92nd) Quantitative: 160 (72nd) Written: 5.0 (92nd)
Relevant Coursework
Columbia University “Intro to Architecture” Harvardx “the Architectural Imagination”
Software Proficiencies Adobe Creative Suite Wacom Tablets Procreate Rhinoceros 3D SketchUp ZBrush
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