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Multicultural • Multilingual • M.Arch. Designer
Hey There! My name is Marina, and I am an Architectural Designer. I have always been fascinated by user activated spaces and practices on sites that encompass multiplicity and variations on their corresponding spatial structures, specifically when dealing with relationships that contain social implications. My main goal is to leverage this multiplicity with client-user collaboration in the process of creating purposeful, community conscious and better performing environments. Intuitively my method of developing new projects usually begins by analyzing quantitative and qualitative data pertinent to possible problems and solutions required for each phase and it’s corresponding task. Once these metrics are established, a series of iterations are performed to come up with integrated and desired results. I hold a Master of Architecture degree from Washington University in St. Louis as well as a Bachelors of Arts in Architecture from Florida International University. I hope to continuously evolve as I develop these design principles alongside advancing my technical skills and pursuing my architectural license. Check out my Linked-in profile for my C.V. and more! in
Table of Contents
St. Louis, Missouri - Spring 2015 Pg. 10
Munari Mixed Menu
Milan, Lombardia, Italy - Fall 2014 Pg. 18
Visual Recollection - Barceloneta Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain - Summer 2014 Pg. 26
The Artek - Vitra Education Center
Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland - Spring 2014 Pg. 32
Community is the Protagonist of Space St. Louis, Missouri, USA - Fall 2013 Pg. 38
Adapting to Water - I-Cares Center
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA - Spring 2013 Pg. 44
Academic
Culture Matters - Stitching the Divide
Emerson - Hermetic St. Louis, Missouri, USA Pg. 52
Emerson - Latin American HQ. + Expansion Sunrise, Florida, USA Pg. 56
Professional
NIDEC - USA Head Quarters St. Louis, Missouri, USA Pg. 62
Emerson of Brazil HQ Sorocaba, S達o Paulo, Brazil Pg. 64
Academic
Culture Matters - Stitching the Divide St. Louis, Missouri - Spring 2015 Comprehensive Studio - Degree Project
Sam Fox School of Design - Prof. Philip Holden.
‘The Delmar Divide’ is an example of social, economic and racial disparity. The divide occurs along Delmar Boulevard between Kingshighway Boulevard and North Taylor Avenue in St. Louis, MO. This stretch of Delmar Boulevard holds a lot of potential; it encompasses a highly established system of commerce and occupancy called ‘The Loop’. The Delmar Metrolink Station marks the east end of ‘The Loop’, beyond which commerce and amenities are near nonexistent. Physical barriers are part of what creates the Divide. A place that holds the synergistic potential to connect neighborhoods is a community center. The proposed community center is modeled after the YMCA|YWCA. Historically, the YMCA has provided a platform for many socio-cultural reforms. The institution affords its occupants programs including health and fitness, job training, community counseling, integration activities for recently arrived immigrants, and temporary housing to name a few. This project stitched the Divide by creating a place where both the highly established system and the underdeveloped sides of the community could gather.
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Culture Matters Stitching the Divide
Community Study Top 4 Priorities Housing Quality 21% 33%
Public Facilities
Housing Quality, Public Services
Home Repair
Economic Development
24%
Neighborhood Improvements Renters | Most Populated
Race
Community Center
This Region holds 90% African
60% of the residents are renters.
American
This Region holds 30% of the
residents
and
the
lowest income in the area.
total census tract of this radius.
Neighborhood Improvements 22%
Demolition of Derelict Buildings
Boardings Delmar Loop Metro Link Station Monthly Boardings: 51,900 Delmar Loop Metro Link Station Daily Boardings: 1,940
In their 30’s 29.7 is the median age of the total
Public Comments Non Families 60% of the total census tract 45%
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Youth / Disabled Support
of this radius are non family
Economic Development 29%
households.
Commerce
census tract of this radius. This area has the higher percentage of 30 year old people.
Non - Neighborhood Specific Program Distribution to Facilitate Interaction 3,000 SF Bar
5,000 SF Restaurant
15,000 SF Flex Space
3,000 SF Art Studio
3,000 SF Art Therapy Center
3,000 SF Wellness Center
Second Floor
Ground Floor
42,000 SF Green Space
5,000 SF Housing Office
3,600 SF Lobby 5,000 SF Retail 7,200 SF Fitness Center
10,000 SF Pool 3,600 SF Day Care Culture Matters Stitching the Divide
Floor Plan | 1st and 2nd Level
Bar Restaurant
Second Floor Lobby
Green Space
Flex Space Housing Office Ground Floor
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Lobby
Art Studio Art Therapy Center Wellness Center
Flex Space
Day Care
Flex Space
Retail Fitness Center Pool Day Care A
Culture Matters Stitching the Divide
Section A
Process Modeling
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Culture Matters Stitching the Divide
Munari Mixed Menu Milan, Lombardia, Italy - Fall 2014
Sam Fox School of Design - Prof. Stephen Leet & Prof. Buzz Spector.
The Munari Mixed Menu is the conception and design of three temporary pavilions in Milan, made for the display of Bruno Munari’s works. Three geometries, three sites, and three typologies of his work are explored through the abstraction of all three elements cued from design observations of the original designer’s pieces. This is done in order to highlight, amplify and display his collection of work. The square is the first geometry explored; the combination is paired with Munari’s books and the Rotunda. The second project chosen explores the geometry of a triangle at the Triennale site together with Munari’s traveling sculptures. The third and final geometry is the circle and is located at the Galleria in Milan, which showcases his paintings.
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Munari Mixed Menu
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Plan
A
Section A
Munari Mixed Menu
Plan
A
Section A
22
Munari Mixed Menu
Plan
A
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Section A
Double
Pained
Curved
Glass | Joint Connection Bent Lucite Hanger Equal Sized Paintings Back to Back
Munari Mixed Menu
Visual Recollection - Barceloneta Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain - Summer 2014
Sam Fox School of Design - Director A. Luchini, Prof. Elena Canovas.
A neighborhood scale performing center that primarily hosts the activities of the local Castellers teams. A training and performance space, as well as a place for other neighborhood activities and local events to happen. I am calling my experience and perception of the Barceloneta neighborhood “Visual Recollection.” By mapping the edge conditions of the site, and assigning them a 3D frequency, I sew them together as the transliteration of these visual cues. “Visual Recollection” talks about the identified frequencies and their aggregation onto the specific location, processed as the derived psychological impact of visual recall. This is a strategy based on the senses, with an artistic representation of architecture as it also serves as an representation of the physical movement from the Castellers tectonically.
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Visual Recollection Barceloneta
Site Plan
Visual Edges Visual Edges
Visual Edges Ground Floor Plan
A
B
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Influence of edges - Timed Memory
Vehicular
Pedestrian
Buildings
Boardwalk
Section A
Ocean
Frequency of edges
Aggregation of frequencies on site
Process of Connection
Visual Recollection Barceloneta
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Visual Recollection Barceloneta
The Artek - Vitra Education Center Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland - Spring 2014 Comprehensive Studio
Sam Fox School of Design - Director P. MacKeith, Prof. Matti Rautiola.
Helsinki has a proud architectural heritage. In my project I hope to embody and engage this heritage. My building becomes the abstraction of the site’s surrounding facades. The structure finds its proportion from its neighboring buildings, which provides a connection between the traditional and the modern. The lower floors are public but as you ascend the higher floors become more private. The Idea is to minimally impact the site, like a jewel box, where the language of the existing traditional architecture is blurred into the new structure providing a physical space that denotes the rich history and fitting future of the Artek business in Helsinki.
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The Artek Vitra Education Center
Facade Datum Abstraction
Program | Public to Private Apartments Offices
4 3
Conference
Seminar
Room 2 Library Assistant Archives Receptionist Lobby Elevations | S W N E
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Classroom Rooms Library
1
Gallery Showroom
2
3
A
1 The Artek Vitra Education Center
Section A
4
3
2
1
-1
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Floor Plan 4th Level | Sauna
4
The Artek Vitra Education Center
Community is the Protagonist of Space St. Louis, Missouri, USA - Fall 2013 Comprehensive Studio - Housing
Sam Fox School of Design - Prof. Elena Canovas.
“Just as in dance or theater, man is the protagonist of space.” - Lina Bo Bardi. A further examination of this quote provides many clues found through the understanding of site specific design dynamics; The notation of the existing infrastructure, the use of site circulation, and the interaction/integration of the user with its immediate and projected surroundings are the focused elements for this project. The continuation of this quote dictates: “until a person enters the building, climbs its steps, and seizes the space in a ‘human adventure’ that develops in time, architecture does not exist.” This statement allows me to think of this project as a space, not only built for a singular user, but one which becomes a direct link between the social implications of the current spatial conditions of this site and most importantly its community. The resulting housing complex becomes a visual connector with amenities for both the transit oriented user and its surrounding neighbors. Analytical research methods were derived from a Sustainable Network Diagram I designed. Click on the image for full size version.
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Community is the Protagonist of Space
Systems Diagram - Site and Form Analysis
Site Plan
Section A
Circulation Axis
A Pedestrian Concentration
Connections
Program Distribution
Floor Plans | 2-7 Food Garden
Fitness
Social Activity
Business
Type. 1
Type. 1
Day Care
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Type. 2
Type. 2
Structural Detail Section
Thermal Barrier Sliding Door System Fixed Screen Connection to Slab
Fixed + Movable Screen Connection Thermal Barrier Wall System
Foundation
Self Sustaining Units - 2 Type 1 = 1 Type2 Type 1 - 900 SF Young Professional
Duplex Unit
x2
Unit Plans
Type. 1
Floor Slant Water Flashing Detail
Type. 2
Living
Type 2 - 900 SF Single Family Affordable Type. 2
Type. 1
Living 2 Duplex Units = Type 2
Living Opt 2
Community is the Protagonist of Space
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Community is the Protagonist of Space
Adapting to Water - Research Center New Orleans, Louisiana, USA - Spring 2013 - Biomimetics
Sam Fox School of Design - Prof. Catalina Freixas.
A native Louisiana tree, the bald cypress is highly responsive to water. The cellular structure of its trunk shrinks and swells with the absence and presence of moisture. This characteristic of the bald cypress led me to design this project around rainfall and radiation two factors which determine moisture level. As with my cellular studies of the bald cypress, I examined the ultra-flat New Orleans site at 20 times magnification in order to identify hyperfine microclimates. I mapped these micro-climates and determined where solar radiation would result in the quickest moisture dissipation on site while also measuring monthly rainfall. The result is a visual site analysis highlighting “transitional” moments at which the wettest and driest micro-climates adjoin. It is at these moments that the adaptability of the bald cypress’s cellular structure is implemented spatially, thus developing the project’s architecture and program organically.
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Adapting to Water I-Cares Center
Systemic Diagram
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Ground Plan
Adapting to Water I-Cares Center
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A
Sections C-A
C
B
Adapting to Water I-Cares Center
Professional
Emerson - Hermetic St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Fox Architects.
My contributions to this project were to assist the team with the production of space planning, a full construction document set as well as a FF&E design set. While working directly with the client’s department president, I developed a departmental and facility plan for their new space at the Emerson campus. I coordinated the move-in schedule of furniture and employees, and also assisted on the construction administration for this project under the direction of the project architect.
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Emerson - Hermetic
Departmental Plan
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Construction Document Plan
Emerson - Hermetic
Emerson - Latin American H.Q. Sunrise, Florida, USA
Fox Architects.
Due to my familiarity with the Latin American customer I was given the task of conceiving this project’s design under the direction of my supervisor. I was given the opportunity to come up with design schemes and presentation materials for the client. My responsibilities were managing the clients budgetary need, coordinating DD and FF&E documents, as well as providing facilities services, space planning, material selection and purchase for the holistic design of the space. This phase was completed in 2012. Expansion Once the client noticed expansion needs, we proposed opposing lobby schemes. The new lobby would emphasize the entrance to a large conference room. This became their primary training and conference center, the space also provided a rest area for long meetings as well as a lounge area adjacent to the employee’s break room.
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Emerson - Latin American HQ. + Expansion
Floor Plan | Phase 1
Floor Plan | Phase 2
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Emerson - Latin American HQ. + Expansion
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Emerson - Latin American HQ. + Expansion
Site Plan
NIDEC - USA Head Quarters St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Fox Architects.
This project encompassed the shifting of 400 employees in a 130000 S.F. building. Our task was to merge personnel from an outside building into this existing structure. Programing departmental shifts and generating enough space to bring over 200 employees in a building that only housed 180 and was mostly lab spaces. By decreasing the size of the existing cubicles and implementing equipment moves in labs, we were able to swiftly conclude the task. This process had duration of 7 months in which I was part of client relations, construction documents, field verifications, move list and schedule.
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Construction Documents and Phase Plans
NIDEC - USA Head Quarters
Emerson of Brazil Headquarters Sorocaba, SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil
Fox Architects.
This was the first international project I worked on and It gave me the opportunity to travel to Brazil to implement our integrated sustainable approach. This was an ongoing effort in which I managed the English-Portuguese communication with the client and contractors about the project’s LEED requirements and expectations. Fox Architects as the LEED consultant for this job, was progressively working to achieve Silver status for the clients as their expectations were high for its $50M investment. In the process I have become proficient with LEED and assisted in achieving several of this projects credits. Silver certification for this project was awarded Fall of 2013.
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Emerson of Brazil Headquarters
+1.305.205.6530
marina.miers@wustl.edu
marinamiers.com
in linkedin.com/in/marinamiers
issuu.com/marina.miers
vimeo.com/marinamiers
Contact and Social Media
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