Portfolio (Feb 2021)

Laura Ellis

University of Florida College of Design, Construction, & Planning Discipline: Architecture

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TABLE OF CONTENTS The Amelioration.....................................................4 Desert........................................................................16 Tower........................................................................22 Musical Communications Woven in Nature...28 Chirping with Nature............................................38

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East End Eatery:

the Amelioration a proposal of the new East End Eatery in downtown Gainesville

Design VI Spring 2021 Professor John Maze 3 weeks Ellis, 4

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Sitting on one of the busiest corners of Gainesville (1st Avenue and Main Street), East End Eatery: the Amelioration, encompasses both space and outside air.

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Level 1

Level 2

The first floor includes a dining area, the main kitchen space, outdoor dining space in both the front corner and the back NW area. Here, a void is cut through the site to show a path of circulation, let light in, and make the space feel more open than compressed.

Echoing the first floor, the second floor has space for catering and the ceiling height is much taller to create a main event space.

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Level 3 The third floor includes the roof top terrace and is all open-air, minus the storage space for the restaurant.

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By rolling and pushing the curtain walls back, not only light is refracted, but the balconies can be extended outwards for more openness of space to be collected. This tectonic expression is impressed and woven together by different elements to create a rhythm and measure. This measure is echoed and layered throughout the project and is most noticeable in the roof top terrace.

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This project started with watercolor and learning how, when, or if one should blend colors, structures, and the surroundings.

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Desert

Design IV Spring 2020 Professor Sarah Gamble 4 weeks Ellis, 16

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The space created embodies a small part of a journey on a continuous prairie between depth and surroundings and how they are interconnected through a system of rhythm, measure, and modulation.

Once entering this part of the continuous prairie, individuals are guided by the depth of the ground.

The first node I created by modulation is a place marked with repetition and rhythm to represent the individual’s need for resting. The main gesture of the node is reflected from the context of the ground. The node is impressed in the ground to not be distracted from surrounding landscape. The light here is blocked and diluted specifically to create moments of resting and regenerating. The first height of the walkable surface is used for hibernating, while the other is for refreshment.

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Continuing in the depth of the prairie causes the individual to turn. This brings us to the second node. This moment is for the use of studying the prairie and what lives above it. Guiding up the stairs, the stairs reflect the rhythm the node has.

Built heavier, this node has a feeling of consideration, thought, place to ponder, and contemplation. This node is built with framed views to help the scientists view the surrounding prairie. This node is higher than the ground for scientists to study the birds and where they nest. There are other places for different needs in studying: more enclosed side for those who need silence to study and a more pulled and open side for those who need to be with others to study.

The last node pulls you in by walking up the prairie. There are two sides. One for going to and one coming out of the place for gathering. Although individuals here are separated, they can see each other’s faces from the cut in the wall.

Approaching it: you see those happy faces leaving it; coming from it: you see the awe of those walking to it. Once up the stairs, you are guided to the right by the repetition of the overhead condition. The further you go in the structure, the greater heaviness you feel due to the amount of people intaking it all in. This space is mainly enclosed to keep the noise contained and powerful. Light is used here to bring more of an intensity and awe to the gathering itself.

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Tower

This project caused us to think and create a vertical datum to hold spaces for a particular sport.

Design IV Spring 2020 Professor Sarah Gamble 4 weeks Ellis, 22

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Once entering the vertical armature, individuals and racers will walk up the stairs to see the spontaneity, culture, and daredevil effect of motocross.

The first node I created was a room for storing the race bikes. The floor is made of glass. Looking at your feet, you can see the race bikes lifted above on the ceiling. The ceiling is extruded horizontally from the rest for the race bikes to be storage. These openings let the light from the sun and the noise from the races above filter through. In the middle of this room, there is a vertical pully system for the race bikes to lift to perform to release down for maintenance. Below your feet, is the maintenance room. With stacked structure floor, the noise from fixing the bikes is deluded from the races above. Leaving the storage room, you have one last look at the room for storage once again before walking up the staircase on the other side.

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Crossing over to the other staircases and continuing up, you are welcomed into the node for practice. This room is known for speed. The horizontal elements above press the racer to push faster and faster like how they would have to in the race. The staircases now push back into vertical armature and continue upward.

The last node has many different viewpoints for the non-racer, non-daredevil to watch. Here, the racers are put to the test to perform.

Starting at the top of the node, they are pressed close together and go down ramps, jumps, levels, and obstacles to see who will win.

Non-racers can watch from the starting line and at the end. The starting line viewpoint is more condensed for the non-racers to get a feel for what the racers are feeling. At the finish line, the viewpoint is more pulled and spread out. The floor above is stacked so the finalist won’t be deluded from the noise above. The finish line is praised vertically to show the at last effect.

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amphi(bious): Musical Communications Woven in Nature a proposal of Gainesville’s new recharge wetland park

Design V Fall 2020 Professor Martha Kohen 4 weeks Ellis, 28

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Normal

Exaggerated

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This spread was created by Laura Ellis, Adlrin Gaffud, Brian Lachnicht, & Manuel Sisnandez

The amphitheatre is a beacon- like sonar, it calls people to it.

To bring community to this area is to provide a hearth for the citizenry, and the amphitheatre is intended to be that spectacle. To perform, to play, and to enjoy- is to immerse yourself in this place. Along with the hearth, you have the veins that flow through the park- the stream, the ground, the sky, and the sound. Convening at the plaza, each vein leads to their own parts of the park but only accessing places specific to them. To wander, to explore, to get lost, and to reconnect is truly what this park will be about.

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This venue is comprised of three different structures stitched together by a common plaza space. Totaling a little over 10,000 square feet these structures are held in a 75 acres recharge wetland park. Open for all ages, the first structure on the north side is a welcome center comprised of bathrooms, an office and breakroom for the keepers of the park, nature exhibit, arts and craft room, and a storage room.

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THE WELCOME CENTER The right structure is a welcome center with bathrooms, an office and breakroom for the keepers of the park, nature exhibit, arts and craft room, and a storage room.

Due to the local schools nearby, I created a space for the students to learn about the nature of the park and a space for the students to express their feelings of the nature of the park in the arts and crafts room.

When entering the welcome center, individuals are wrapped in by the exposed steel ceiling joists overhead and welcomed by the receptionist. Nature bleeds into this space by the tall windows encapsulating light in and the double-sided Cotswold glass sectioned roof overhead exposing the light downward.

For the nature exhibit: images, display cases, plants, and much more circulate you around the room.

By creating a partitioned glass wall in between the arts and craft room and the nature exhibit, parents and other individuals can peak in and watch the art of the nature of the park come to life.

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PAUSE, REFLECTION, & CONTEMPLATION​​​​​​​ Echoing the steel joists from inside the welcome center, the left structure is an open space used for embodiment of food and conversations.

Although the sides are opened to feel and be one with nature’s air, the roof structure conceals the weather to come into play.

For special events, this structure will be packed for caters to come and serve food.

On normal daily activity, this a space for individuals and families to sit, bring lunch, and talk without having the weather to distract from deep conversations. This is a space where nature bleeds into and reflection comes, and your perspective is opened to see wildlife and the nature.

The steel joists extend to the north to create cascading shades to show the individuals to walk onward to the west.

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OPEN-AIR AMPHITHEATER The steel joists pull you into the final structure, which is a space for viewing. Woven into the ground, the amphitheater was created to showcase and experiences the idea of being in harmony with music and nature.

Here local musicians come to play and sing and be submerged into nature. The steel joists here are used to create cascading shadows.​​​​​​​ Having this open-air amphitheater lets individuals partake in the wrapping of nature’s smells, the views of the water cells, the feeling of the wind, the feeling of the earth beneath your shoes, and the sound of not only the band or musician but the exposed nature around.

Inside the back of the amphitheater is two changing rooms for performers to get ready and a back staircase for the performers to come onto the stage. North of the stage is a staircase for the performers to bring crowd members up.

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Chirping with Nature

Design IV Fall 2020 Professor Martha Kohen 4 weeks Ellis, 38

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A lightweight construction fused together like the bones of a bird. Bird’s lightweight skeletons have hollow bones making them light enough to fly.

Taking this concept and I created tree-like structures with lightweight, layered materials to show flight and sturdiness of a bird’s bones. Individuals come here to observe birds and partake in nature.

To arrive to this journey to be with nature and wildlife, observers must park in Owen’s Illinois Park and then trail by foot on the trails already given to take part in and become one with nature. These suspended, lightweight structures are bonded to the trees to show that you are in flight like a bird.

To arrive to this journey to be with nature and wildlife, observers must park in Owen’s Illinois Park and then trail by foot on the trails already given to take part in and become one with nature.

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REFUGE By walking up the stairs, observers are encircled by trees.

These suspended, lightweight structures are bonded to the trees to show that you are in flight like a bird. By weaving around the corner, the observer can put down their stuff and enter the structure for refuge. The tectonic manifestation here encapsulates and wraps the observer to give rest. Towards the back, light is diluted to encapsulate the observer to a deep sleep while still able to observe nature while laying down and looking up.

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OBSERVING By continuing north through the suspended canopy walk, observers are suspended, exposed, and are submerged in nature to view not only the woods in the east but also the surrounding lake in the west.

The lightweight second structure bonded on the tree is layered and has a selected rhythm to grasp the want of pause, contemplation, consideration, and thought. This space is created with an erased modulated side at eye level towards the east so the observers can contemplate and write down and draw the birds they are observing.

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SUBMERSIVE Continuing down the suspended canopy walk to the water, this opened, exposed structure is created to look out over the water. Impressed over the water, this is a final pause to view the sunset in the west and reflect on the research from the birds.

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SUSTAINABILITY SPEAKING Both the refuge and paused structures roofs were created with different layers bonded together to dilute the water in a specific way so that the water would run off the structure. By keeping most of the trees in the area, it brings shade, framed views, and protection. Also, it keeps the birds less aware that there is a structure nearby, therefore, the birds come to sit in these trees more.

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STUDIES OF THE WILDLIFE Here are the photographs of Newnan's Lake. Here I studied the air, the tree knees, the ripples in the water, and the local plants. The plants I studied I took from the site and pressed.

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