Portfolio by Leah McClendon

“PEOPLE EXPECT ARCHITECTS TO BE A LITTLE BIT NERD MIXED WITH CREATIVE ARTIST...” -Bob Borson

LEAH M c CLENDON ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER

PORTFOLIO:

ARCHITECTURE & OTHER WORKS

[TAKE A LOOK INSIDE!!]

ABOUT ME | 05 RESUME | 07

ARTWORK | 50 PHOTOGRAPHY | 52

[PROFILE]

02 |

[PROFILE]

INFORMATION ON ME AS A PERSON AND DESIGNER ALONG WITH MY SKILLS AND TALLENTS PROFILE | 03

04 |

+ABOUT ME

A SHORT DESCRIPTION

ME & ARCHITECTURE

About me

I have lived in St. Louis for most of my life and have had a passion for design and architecture since the young age of 12. Playing The Sims and pouring over house plans I began to notice my natural talent and enjoyment for designing different spaces. From that moment on I decided to pursue architecture as my future career.

My education

Since attending the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design at Kansas State University I have enhanced my design and creative skills as well as expanded my understanding of different design styles and techniques. As a designer at Kansas State I have honed these styles and techniques to create my own unique style of design.

Growing interest

While my education has sparked an interest in architecture projects spanning from residential housing to commercial buildings, my newest interest is designing sustainable buildings that use less energy and have little or less impact on the fragile environment. Understanding sustainable design and its requirements is an important factor for the future of architecture. Participating in unifying architecture and sustainability together would be a very exciting path that I would like to continue and expand upon. My designs have begun to exemplify qualities of sustainable design while still incorporating my unique style of modern aspects with simplistic and versatile spaces. This portfolio shows in detail these qualities of my style of design along with my passion for design and architecture.

Traveled to

countries

Prefers

Can be cold in a room that is o

Iced Coffee

82%

Exactly

Chance of getting sunburnt

wears

5’0” tall

glasses

at the computer

Enjoys:

[THAT’S ME!!]

PROFILE | ABOUT ME | 05

06 |

+RESUME +Education

A LIST OF SKILLS

+Experience

Kansas State University

Shift Manager

8.08-5.13

7.07-8.10

5 year NAAB Accredited Masters of Architecture Degree

Einstein Bros. Bagels

Italart Santa Chiara Study Center

Responsible for evening shift closing routine that included: securing exterior doors, counting and recording cash register and safe money, preparing deposit bag with money, and setting restaurant security alarm.

Supervised restaurant and employee performance in accordance with company policies and procedures.

College of Architecture, Planning, and Design

1.12-5.12

Study Abroad Semester in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy

College of Architecture, Planning, and Design

LEED Green Associate Accreditation

Line Worker

In Process

Completed LEED Green Associate Exam Preparation webinar

+Technical Skills

Prepared food and coffee, maintained cleanliness of kitchen, dining area, and restrooms. Assisted shift manager in closing routine that included: washing and sanitation of dishes, restocking food preparation area, cleaning and sanitizing tables in dining area, swept and mop floors in dining area and kitchen, and taking and recording of food waste.

Hand Drafting

+Honors

Hand Sketching AutoCAD

College of Architecture Deanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Honor List

Revit

Kansas State University

3D Studio Max

12.11

Scholastic achievement indicating academic performance working towards a commitment to excellence.

Google SketchUp Adobe Illustrator

National Honor Society

Adobe Photoshop

Lafayette High School

5.07

Membership selection criteria included academic success and significant community service involvement.

Adobe InDesign Microsoft Office Not Proficient

Proficient

Highly Proficient

+Achievements College of Architecture Ambassador

Kansas State University

Gold Award

6.06-7.07

Einstein Bros. Bagels

Girl Scouts of America

+Organizations The American Institute of Architects

AIA of St. Louis

8.09-5.13 8.97-8.08

The American Institute of Architecture Students

Kansas State University

Women In Design

Kansas State University

PROFILE | RESUME | 07

08 |

[DESIGN]

INDVIDUAL AND GROUP ACADEMIC PROJECTS COMPLETED AT KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY DESIGN| 09

2010

3rd year project

NATURE & WINE

A MANHATTAN WINERY

Kansas State University’s Prairie Biological Station (KPBS) conducts grape cultivation research to provide assistance to Kansas’ wine industry. The KPBS winery serves as an educational facility for industry professionals and the public to learn new cultivating techniques on grapes, wine production, and opportunities for wine tasting. The winery’s design incorporates architecture and materiality to create a sense of the winery fitting naturally within the Konza Prairie’s ecosystem. Limestones quarried from the local landscape adorn the walls, natural tall grasses grow around walkways, and green roof build a visual illusion of the winery emerging from the ground. Windows align the outer walls creating expansive views into the prairie connecting the natural elements within the winery to the Konza Prairie’s ecosystem. Efficiency in wine production and energy use was also a major factor in the overall design of the winery.

[EXTERIOR VIEW] 10 |

DESIGN | MANHATTAN WINERY | 11

The Konza Prairie is a Biological station that is home to an 8,600 acre native tallgrass prairie preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University. The prairie was established to provide a natural laboratory for the study of ecological patterns and processes in native tallgrass prairie ecosystems.

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In response to this natural laboratory characteristic, the winery is conveniently located in which when a viewer stops at the existing scenic overlook their view is directed over the green roof of the winery and blends, as if occuring naturally, with the surrounding land while also utilizing the large windows to view nature within the winery.

Site and Manhattan context

Site and large context

Site and medium context

KS 177 Highway

Prairie Scenic Overlook

Visitor Entrance Truck Entrance

Site plan DESIGN | MANHATTAN WINERY | 13

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Entrance/Reception

Second level

Dining area Wine area

First level Aging area Storage area Fermentation Shipping/Receiving area

<< [DINING AREA]

Basement level DESIGN | MANHATTAN WINERY | 15

Earth integration

The production areas require cold dark spaces that are shielded from the sun and are naturally temperature controlled by earth integrating the thick, limestone clad concrete walls.

Sun patterns

The overhanging roof, designed with a specific pitch, protects visitors from the strong summer sun; while in the winter this roof channels the sun into its interior to warm these spaces.

Dining Area

Section 16 |

Aging Area

Overlapping views

Occupants in the reception area can view guests in the dining area and vice versa, while guests in the dining area can view the aging area, staff, and the wine production process.

Entrance/Reception

Storage Area

Receiving

Pressing

Fermentation

Aging

Bottling

Lab

Storage

Shipping

Production efficiency

To make the production process efficient the specific spaces and rooms should be in production order. This can happen in a linear fashion where the receiving area is on one side of the building and the shiping area on the other. Or, in the most efficient way, a circular motion where the receiving and shipping areas share the same space. This design incorporates the later of the two efficient production processes.

Nature & Wine

[WINE AREA] >> DESIGN | MANHATTAN WINERY | 17

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<< [OUTDOOR AREA] DESIGN | MANHATTAN WINERY | 19

THE TWA HOTEL

A KANSAS CITY HOTEL

2011

3rd year project

Kansas City is in the midst of a regeneration decades in the making. With the new Sprint Center, the power and light district, the emergence of the cross roads, and the newest edition the Kaufman Performing Arts Center new life and energy abounds within the city. With this boom in business comes an economic and population boost. But there is a lack of lodging in the area to accomodate this new boost in population. At 1713 Walnut Street in the cross roads district in the heart of Kansas City will be the TWA hotel. This hotel will provide high quality, luxurious, lodging for travelers touring the city as well as business men/women staying for work. The convenient location of the hotel allows for the occupants to easily travel to any destination they choose within the city. The architectural design incorporates motorized exterior louvers to control sunlight entering the building. The louver monitoring system detects weather patterns, changes in light, and temperature to adjust the louver angular positions to provide the greatest degree of sun protection and interior thermal comfort. Occupants can remotely control the computer system for their room to adjust sunlight and temperature depending on their personal needs. Special attention was given to the buildings play with light, spatial quality, environmental impact, and specific detailing.

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<< [STUDY MODELS]

Summer vs. winter sun

Blocking all sun

Cloudy summer vs. cloudy winter sun DESIGN | TWA HOTEL | 21

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Guest Suite Double Guest Suite

Fourth - Tenth Level Meeting Room

Third Level

Exercise Room

Garden

Second Level

Kitchen

Bar & Lounge Area

Lobby/Reception

<< [GUEST SUITE]

Ground Level DESIGN | TWA HOTEL | 23

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<< [STREET VIEW] DESIGN | TWA HOTEL | 25

Career counseling area

THE ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE CENTER

A SAN FRANSCISCO CAREER CENTER 2011

3rd year project

The recent recession has rendered many individuals and families throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in sever economic distress; almost 11% of able workers are unemployed. While immediate assistance for families and individuals in need is an important social service, providing knowledge, training, and life skills to those living below the subsistence level has the potential to instill much greater benefits for the homeless and unemployed over their lifetime. The downtown economic assistance center is desiged to help those who are truly interested in bettering their economic situation. The center provides: employment and career advancement services, inocme enhancement and work support, and financial and wealth-building services. Each occupant of the building begins on the first level where they are able to purchase professional clothing and then work their way up each floor to the counselor areas, career centers, financial offices, and then finally to the education classrooms on the top two floors before â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;graduatingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to a career.

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[INTERSECTION VIEW] >>

DESIGN | ECONOMIC ASSISANCE CENTER | 27

THE FABRICATION LAB

A MANHATTAN CREATIVE CENTER

A Fab lab is a facility that allows an occupant to fabricate or produce just about any product they wish. It is a small-scale workshop with an array of computer controlled tools that cover several different length scales and various materials, democratizing manufacturing technologies previously available only for expensive mass production. The public is invited in to experience a situation where they can let their creativity and imagination run free with-in their designs and finished projects. Whether it is a wood, metal, or other material, this hands on experience is great for the typical do it yourself-er. Fab labs come equipped with proper tools to allow for cutting, drilling, trimming, shaping, and much more for all kinds of mate als to tackle just about any job. Manhattan, Kansas has continuously grown over the last few years with new housing, commercial, and entertainment venues. Residents of Manhattan can go to the Fab lab to produce any number of products for home improvement, enjoyment, or just curiosity of the facility. By having these powerful and versatile machines readily available allows the public to utilize the tools to conserve money on their projects by doing it themselves rather than hiring an outside party.

2011

4th year project

28 |

[CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS] >>

DESIGN | FABRICATION LAB | 29

The main design concept of this building is fairly simple and straight forward. Two rectangular forms come together and join near the center of each rectangle. This interconnection allows for a hierarchical emphasis in the building. I used this to emphasize the central hall way that goes down the intersection of these two rectangular forms. Within this space the occupant can see both part of the rectangles joining together. To emphasize the sense of joining and overlap I allowed the lower rectangle ceiling to be perferated with large rectangle openings to see up through the opening onto the ceiling surface of the upper rectangle. Another way that the design emphasizes overlap are the large rectangular windows along the northern interior wall. This allows the occupants on the balcony to look across the space and into the workshops.

Overlapping main form

[INTERSECTION VIEW] >> 30 |

View overlap

Extended view

Overlapping main form

Form is use Main- Producing Spaces Secondary- Business Spaces Overlap- Main Circulation

Site plan DESIGN | FABRICATION LAB | 31

[CAT WALK VIEW] >> 32 |

DESIGN | FABRICATION LAB | 33

Resource Room Offices

Apartment

Second floor

Display Yard Wood Workshop Metal Workshop Clean Workshop Lobby

Gallery Staging & Assembly Finishing Room Project & Material Storage

Ground floor 34 |

[LOBBBY & HALLWAY VIEW] >>

[APARTMENT VIEW] >> DESIGN | FABRICATION LAB | 35

Nearly half of the energy consumed by a building goes to forced air, HVAC, heating and cooling systems. To save on energy, this Fab Lab’s design incorporates the use of a more energy efficient hydraulic system. Radiant floor heating is used to heat the Fab Lab’s spaces and new technology known as ‘chilled beams’ are used to cool these same spaces. Using these technologies allow the building to be thermally controlled, use less energy, and ultimately reduce the overall cost to heat and cool these spaces compared to traditional means

Chilled beam system

Section perspective 36 |

This active chilled beam system makes use of a central air handler and ducts to bring new air into contact with the chilled water pipe. As the air in contact with the pipe cools, it also becomes more dense, sinks lower and cools the room. This in turn makes room for warmer air to rise from below and contact the pipe and be recirculated into the room.

Wall section DESIGN | FABRICATION LAB | 37

AGGIEVILLE RE-SOLUTION

2012

5th year group project

AN URBAN REDEVELOPMENT

The City of Manhattan approved the Aggieville- Campus Edge District Plan in October 2005. Aggvieville is considered by the University Administration to be an important recruiting asset, it is an iconic part of Manhattan and an important part of the image of Kansas State University. Very little has happened in Aggieville since this plan was adopted. Aggieville’s role as a ‘third place’ must be enhanced. This exercise focuses on the area identified in the District Plan as the Aggieville Business District with over 100 total business in Aggieville. These businesses include 14 recreational bars, 35 restaurants, and 25 retail and commercial businesses.

The Aggieville District is recognized as one of the oldest retail districts in Kansas and contains remnants of a traditional “walkable” main street along Moro Street and N. Manhattan Avenue that invites window shopping and social interaction. As a group, three hypothetical goals were established to better the area of Aggieville by improving the parking, creating a more business complete area, and establishing a pedestrian friendly district.

Plan,section, and right render credit: Kate Connelly Theater image credit: https://plus.google.com/101956004256369498658/photos/photo/5746667548827107634

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Moro Street cross section

<< [MORO & 11TH INTERSECTION]

Moro Street plan

<< [MORO STREET] DESIGN | AGGIEVILLE REDEVELOPMENT | 39

MULTIGENERATIONAL LIVING

A ZURICH HOUSING PROJECT 2012

5th year thesis project

Housing in Zurich, Switzerland has been an ongoing problem that architects and planners have faced for decades. Without room to expand horizontally, these architects and planners have begun to build vertically. But also keep the characteristics of sustainable design and integrity of a closely knit unit, community, and surrounding neighborhood. Similar to the rest of the world, dealing with the elderly, and in tis particular situation Baby Boomers, has been a growing issue in the housing market.

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Aging individuals must have the ability to successfully cope with diminishing health, added stressors, and life changes. Some of these include loss of a spouse, becoming a caregiver, and loneliness. Coping success can be directly related to an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social support relationship. Rewarding social relationships are associated with positive health outcomes and are a key factor in psychological health, including happiness and subjective well-being of individuals . Cohousing communities express the social and practical advantages of a closely-knit neighborhood with extensive use of common activities. These community activities such as communal meals, neighborhood upkeep, and gardening create instances in which social interactions can take place and relationships develop. The home in a cohousing community is just as important as the community itself by affecting and determining the quality of a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s general well-being and health. The designs of the individual apartments are uniquely designed for elders, families, and single residents of many situations and disabilities to encourage mulitgenerational social interaction. This project proposes to use cohousing design principles to combat how programming and design can be utilized to create a strong sense of community with an emphasis on social activity. By understanding an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to cope with issues affected by social relationships, this community can be designed to become a versatile neighborhood with an emphasis on the overall preservation of the emotional, physical, and social health of its residents.

[STREET VIEW] >> DESIGN | MULTIGENERATIONAL LIVING | 41

2000-Watt Society

Cross Laminated Timber

The 2000-Watt Society ideal requires citizens to use radically less energy and consume significantly fewer resources in order for the entire community to become sustainable.

Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) was developed, which is an engineered wood product used for pre-fabricated construction. One of its great benefits is that it unifies structure and infill in one single element.

Currently, Switzerlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s watt usage per person is roughly 6000 watts. This includes everyday activities like taking the car to the store, using kitchen appliances, etc. In the United States, the average is two times that amount at 12,000 watts, while in some countries, such as Bangladesh, the amount is just around 300, bringing the energy consumption in the world to about 2000 watts per person on average.

CLT panels are created by gluing three layers of wood with the grain alternating at ninety degrees for each layer. Alternating the grain pattern provides omni-directional load-bearing and transfer capabilities, along with dimensional stability and accuracy. It is also six times lighter than concrete construction (woodsolutions. com). By using this layering veneer technique, the material is strengthened, allowing it to be used for complete floors, walls and roofs without reinforcement.

Minergie Presently the majority of residences in Switzerland and other western countries are consuming significant amounts of energy and are not producing any. In response to this unsustainable circumstance, Switzerland has developed a building standard called Minergie (comparable to the LEED system in the United States). Minergie is not simply a label, but the cornerstone of Switzerlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s building code. In order to encourage residents to adopt sustainable building practices, buildings now have to be highly energy-efficient, often generating electricity via photovoltaics and other means. The standard Minergie label requires that a building must consume seventy-five percent less energy than a comparable building, and consume no more than fifty percent of its fossil fuel. Despite these requirements, Minergieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main priority is a continued high degree of user comfort and livability. 42 |

Switzerland and Europe context

Switzerland and Zurich context

Zurich and lake context

Zurich city context DESIGN | MULTIGENERATIONAL LIVING | 43

Current site plan

Current site panorama 44 |

Sun orientation

The site is relatively flat with a southern orientation perpendicular to the street. The orientation of the built form becomes important to maximize thermal heat gain in the relatively oceanic climate.

Underground parking

Zurich has little surface area left in which to build upon; so any additional parking that is required for buildings and residential units must be placed underground with natural ventilation and as much natural daylight as possible.

Building requirements

Buildings in this neighborhood are allowed three standard floors and one penthouse floor. The standard floors have a maximum utilization of 90% of the total site area and the penthouse can be up to 60% of the standard floors.

DESIGN | MULTIGENERATIONAL LIVING | 45

6 1

Cohousing characteristics

Participatory process

2 3

Residents help organize and participate in the planning and design process for the housing development, and they are responsible as a group for final decisions

Deliberat neighborhood design

The physical design encourages a strong sense of community

Extensive common facilities

Common areas are an integral part of the community, designed for daily use and to supplement private living areas

4 5 6

Complete resident management

Residents manage the development, making decisions of common concern at community mettings

Non-hierarchal structure

There are no leadership roles. the responsibilities for the decisions are shared by the community

Separate income sources

Residents have their own primary incomes; the community does not generate income

These first three characteristics influence the overall design of a cohousing project while the last three express qualities and responsibilities needed for the community after the initial design is complete and has little to no direct impact on the finished design project.

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Scales of social nodes

Axiel connections

Proposed site plan

DESIGN | MULTIGENERATIONAL LIVING | 47

Unit type B 1 Bedroom

Bike storage

Unit entries

Common house Play area

Unit type A 2 Bedroom

Community gardens

Ground floor plan

48 |

Second floor plan

Community kitchen Community living area Community deck

Guest Room

“Granny flat”

Unit type D 2 Bedroom

Shared roof deck

Unit type C 3 Bedroom

Third floor plan

Fourth floor plan

DESIGN | MULTIGENERATIONAL LIVING | 49

Combatting lonliness Baby boomers and the elderly in general are more susceptible to social isolation and loneliness because of: certain daily hassles and worries about their health and well-being. One way in wich to combat social isolation and loneliness would to ensure that an individual has adequate social support. This social support can come in the form of a close tight-knit neighborhood community. A sense of community was created by usuing many characteristics of cohousing architecture and applying them to the project context. The common house, a main characteristic in all cohousing projects, is centrally located on the site to bring the residents togther in one shared space. Common dining room, living space, and large kitchen are all shared spaces within the common house. Residents also share unit entries and have a better chance of meeting their neighbors in these spaces and creating a sub-community with their neighbor.

Front yard

Common house section 50 |

Entrance

Common house

Community interaction

Unit entries

Bike storage

Community gardens

<< [COMMON HOUSE KITCHEN]

[COMMON HOUSE] >>

<< [HOUSE KITCHEN]

South elevation DESIGN | MULTIGENERATIONAL LIVING | 51

Sustainable solutions Reduce This project reduces its amount of energy and electrical consumption by the means of utilizing alternative and natural ways to create energy. This is done via the use of solar vacuum tubes (heat), geothermal heat pump (heat), wood burning pellet system (heat), and solar panels (energy). Reuse This project reuses rain water that is collected through out the site. This is done in such a manner that the rain water is collected in a tank from the roofs of the units, is then passed through a natural filter system located on-site, and then is reused for irregation for gardening, toilets, and laundry.

Geothermal heat pump

Recycle This project recycles by composting food waste. This is done in such a way that food wast from meals and garden scraps or left overs are collected and placed in bins located near the communal garden areas. This compost is then used as a natural furtilizer and allows for greater nutrition for the communal gardens.

Rain collection

[BIKE STORAGE & THROUGH SPACE] >> 52 |

[PORCH VIEW] >>

Roof

Photovoltaic module Gravel 70mm Thermal Insulation 180mm Weatherproofing CLT panel 27mm Rock wool 240mm CLT panel 27mm

Wall

Gypsum board 15mm Rock wool 100mm CLT panel 27mm Rock wool 260mm CLT panel 15mm Water protection Back ventilation 35mm Wood cladding 27mm

Floor/ceiling

Slate stone 15mm Cement 80mm (radiant heating) Glass wool 20mm (sound insulation) Glass wool 20mm (electrical wiring) CLT panel 27mm Insulation 240mm CLT panel 27mm Gypsum board 15mm Air space Drop ceiling gypsum board 15mm

Interior elevation

Wall section

Exterior elevation DESIGN | MULTIGENERATIONAL LIVING | 53

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[PERSONAL] SKETCHES, ART AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF PERSONAL INSPIRATION AND INTEREST

PERSONAL | 55

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PERSONAL | ARTWORK | 57

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PERSONAL | PHOTOGRAPHY | 59

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PERSONAL | PHOTOGRAPHY | 61