Meghan Caylor Architecture Portfolio

MEGHAN E. CAYLOR AIA, LEED BD+C PORTFOLIO.2017

Yet it is the very boundary line between the self and the world that is opened and articulated in an artistic and architectural experience.

- J. Pallasmaa

PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC PERSONAL

Gensler | 2013 - present* Engineering Ministries International | 2012 BAR Architects | 2011 SHP Leading Design | 2008 Living Designs Group | 2007

Graduate Thesis Digital Media Lab Revitalizing Union Terminal Studio

LCDC Entry SEC Studio

Travel Artistic Endeavors Values, Intent

*CURRENT WORK SAMPLES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST PORTFOLIO AVAILABLE ONLINE AT http://issuu.com/meg208/docs/

EMI2 (ENGINEERING MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL) NEW DELHI, INDIA JUNE - JULY, MID-JULY, 2012 2012

BLUE HAVEN SCHOOL

EMI2 (ENGINEERING MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL)

above, first floor plan of school; photo of first phase of construction (March 2017)

This project during my 5 week internship with EMI, Engineering Ministries International, consisted of developing the conceptual site and building plans for the Blue Haven Children’s Home and School for TellAsia, a Christian ministry, located on the outskirts of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Working with EMI’s staff architect, we developed an initial proposal for the clients in Lucknow and, upon the review, continued the design with modifications.

We also collaborated directly with volunteer and staff engineers for the preliminary civil design.

I worked mainly to develop the home design, which, in two phases, would accommodate 100 boy and girl orphaned children, the fulltime help, and guest volunteers.

The school is in three phases with eventual enrollment for 800 students, grades K-10 or 12, along with a community clinic.

EMI2 (ENGINEERING MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL)

BLUE HAVEN CHILDREN’S HOME

EMI2 (ENGINEERING MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL)

above, first floor plan of children’s home right, evening view of innter courtyard of children’s home

SCHOOL ELEVATIONS

Above, south and east elevations, with complete three phases and clinic.

HOME ELEVATIONS

Right, south elevation showing children’s dormitories. Below, east elevation showing inner courtyard facade and dining.

BAR ARCHITECTS

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA APRIL - AUGUST 2011

LAW

TERCERO STUDENT HOUSING COMPETITION UC DAVIS

I worked with a small team on the preliminary design for a student housing complex on the UC Davis campus.

LAW FAMILY WINERY & ROMBAUER WINERY

LAW

Located North of San Francisco in Wine country, I assisted in the CAD drawings and Photoshop renderings for permitting drawings for both of these projects.

ROMBAUER

ROMBAUER

BAR ARCHITECTS

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA APRIL - AUGUST 2011

TIANJIN

MIXED USE PLANNING GUANGZHOU & TIANJIN, CHINA I participated in conceptual planning design, mainly on presentation diagrams (right), Sketchup modeling, and CAD documentation.

Learning the process of a planning project as well as how to approach cultural spatial differences was a benefit of working on these with an experienced team.

GUANGZHOU

GUANGZHOU

SHP LEADING DESIGN CINCINNATI, OHIO JANUARY - JUNE 2008

GALLERIA CONCEPTUAL DESIGN CINCINNATI, OHIO

As a beginner in Revit, I was able to exercise my skills by modeling the current conditions of this building and proposing a few of my own design ideas (current conditions in upper right).

MT. HEALTHY MIDDLE SCHOOL

I assisted in this amongst several other school designs, as SHP has a specialty in school design. I assisted a team with Sketchup modeling and work in AutoCAD and Revit.

LIVING DESIGNS GROUP TAOS, NEW MEXICO JUNE - AUGUST 2007

CO-HEARTS COMMUNITY LIVING

Taos, New Mexico The firm was in conceptual design for a co-housing project. While assisting with the master plan, I was also able to design a preliminary housing unit.

ANGEL FIRE COUNTRY CLUB

Angel Fire, New Mexico I spent several weeks developing the Sketchup model from the team’s evolving CAD plans for the country club.

GRADUATE THESIS SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA SEPTEMBER 2011 - JUNE 2012

EARTHFOODANDBUILDING: VALUES IN NOURISHMENT & SPATIAL EXPERIENCE

The fast pace of our modern lifestyle has left behind important rhythms and relationships in our daily lives, including stillness and connection to the earth.

This pace is spurred by the industrialization of separating sectors of our lives, which disconnects us from what could be considered central aspects of culture and conviviality, including food and building.

Food and dwelling engage the senses, particularly the forgotten hapticity of an ingredient or material; they reengage us with what is in front of and around us, whether food or space, enhancing our understanding of their significance in our lives.

This thesis explores both food and building as integral elements of life, and imagines their transformation to cuisine and architecture by uniting daily life with processes.

GRADUATE THESIS

THE SITE

SUNNYVALE, CA Before the reputation of Silicon Valley, a central hub of many tech companies, Sunnyvale was part of a region known for its fertile soil and abundant crops, specifically orchards. The temperate weather and plentiful cloudless days upholds the merit of its name.

Although all but a handful of the region’s orchards have been taken over by development, they remain a distinct reminder of the rich natural resources of the region.

Sunnyvale farmland (1959) versus urban sprawl development (2011) maps from historicimages.insunnyvale. org, maps.google.com, respectively

WE HAVE A MENTAL NEED TO GRASP THAT WE ARE ROOTED IN THE CONTINUITY OF TIME, AND IN THE MAN-MADE WORLD IT IS THE TASK OF ARCHITECTURE TO FACILITATE THIS EXPERIENCE. - Juhani Pallasmaa

GRADUATE THESIS

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lack of shelter/ defined space

architecture building

hunger

nourishment

food

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skill land seeds water sunlight

1. dig holes for seeds 2. plant seeds 3. water soil 4. keep away pests & weeds 5. wait

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1. dig & set foundation 2. build structure & frame 3. add needed infill 4. attach roof

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can weather to designated space, safe 1. degrade to point of from the elements nonfunctional 2. add beauty, nostalgia, feel rooted with surroundingsdrawn from Christo Inspiration

leftover building material (becomes waste or decomposes)

days, weeks, months, years / days, weeks, months, years

& Jean-Claude’s “RUNNING FENCE” installation includes bringing forth an existing order. In this case it is the topography made visible. With the farm, the growing process needs time toreveals grow & limitations crops ready uproot decompostable leaves, vitality 1 - 5+brought months / forth andtoopportunities of life and become what it is intended, & consume or prepare stems, etc.; shift several days from +consume elements. cannot be sped up the earth to in soil nutrient levels Image from americanart.si.edu

In our society, the process of industrialized food system consists of

disconnected process

industrial farm

processing/distributing

store

home

buy :: prepare consumer experience

prepare

vs.

Becoming part of the process of growing food allows one to connect with the whole experience. The system then shifts to

connected process:

cultivate

plant

tend

harvest

prepare

consume This creates a union with the whole food system; it is brought to a scale where we perceive the time, energy, and resources needed to bring us nourishment. Spending time to carefully prepare the valued produce will become one step in a more largely understood system.

grow :: prepare creator experience

consume

This creates a disconnect with the rest of the food system; it is too large to engage our understanding of the time, energy, and resources needed to bring us nourishment.

We therefore are less inclined to spend an adequate amount of time preparing this food.

The little effort needed to obtain the food proportionally carries through to the amount of effort to prepare it.

EARTH BUILDING EXPLORATIONS WITHIN THESIS

left; prototype of earth with digitally fabricated form work (more information later in portfolio. above, prototypes with light and UV light against paint in earth mixture, rendering of earth with angled pvc’s to allow varied light effects.

An essential element of the thesis was

relationship to the modern aesthetic through straight and clean

which in this case was rammed earth.

Most of the experiments involved a manipulation of light

exploring a natural building method, I chose this building method because

it allows a balance of opportunities for experimentation while allowing a closer

lines, which not every natural building method allows.

through the earth; to see an aperture not simply for viewing,

but to bring light in an out in a more controlled and stimulating way, emphasizing the massive wall versus the light penetration.

Left, the site programming is based on an intersection of the adjacent middle school, community farm, and main entry pathways.

Attention to construction detailing is an opportunity in terms of rammed earth and its connection to the roof and other components. It was also important to design for seismic load.

classes, learning An important aspect to this thesis is establishing a relationship across two fields.

First, connecting our understanding of the food system to our appreciation of the process - to better distinguish a healthy, organic approach that is environmentally sustainable and culturally enriching.

aste

CONSUMPTIONTOUNDERSTANDING community

classes, learning

taste

cultivate

enjoyment (feast)

wander

Second, to grasp where we are situated in terms of material choices within the built environment. Most buildings individuals will encounter today that are earth-based are probably ancient and ‘memorialized’ as such.

To dwell in and amongst modern design with rammed earth allows one to see its value as a building material and promotes a different thinking of synthetic versus natural approaches to building and design.

e o oym ymentt eas s

prepare

system/process

moments marking change The earth—dirt or soil—is the common factor in allowing these lessons to penetrate individuals and communities, and a farm engrained and established in a community is an appropriate place to begin this.

rammed earth building

earth

ra

overlook

ding

“SUSTAINABILITY IS ABOUT STABILIZING THE CURRENTLY DISRUPTIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EARTH’S TWO MOST COMPLEX SYSTEMS – HUMAN CULTURE AND THE LIVING WORLD.” -Paul Hawken

CONSUME

At the entry is the CSA pick-up and produce stand, with easy access for visitors. This is where most in our modern society stop in terms of the food system, as consumers rather than participants.

CONSUME WANDER

Only upon curiosity spurred from multiple sources, including the farm’s programmed events, and planned ‘discovery spaces,’ such as this sitting area created by varied levels of rammed earth benches, will a consumer be led forward to small moments of learning about the food system as well as becoming connected to the earth itself — in the form of building, growth, hapticity, and time.

CONSUME WANDER CULTIVATE

Spending time within the productive landscape emphasizes a phenomenal aspect of the sequence, understanding one’s being-in-the-world. In this case, it is placing oneself in the much quieter, broader landscape of a farm, while still engrained in the city fabric.

CONSUME WANDER CULTIVATE

TASTE

In the tradition of the Slow Food movement, a tasting room dampens the sense of vision in order to allow the typically peripheral senses — smell and taste in this case, to prevail. It is along a passageway leading to a subterranean level, surrounding by earth-walls and a small, but deliberate reveal of sunlight.

CONSUME WANDER CULTIVATE

TASTE PREPARE

Part of this food sequence is appreciating the art of preparing food one grows. The kitchen classrooms are the main built spaces on the farm and create visual links to both the farm and orchard.

CONSUME WANDER CULTIVATE

TASTE PREPARE FEAST

The most important aspect of the sequence, just as with the Running Fence, is togetherness. This tensile structure is grounded in rammed earth walls and set four feet below ground — allowing the horizon line, where ground meets sunlight and root meets plant, to also meet the audience’s eye level.

DIGITAL MEDIA LAB

EXPLORING MATERIAL JOINERY & CNC ROUTER PROGRAMMING WINTER 2012

Using Powermill and the college’s CNC KOMO router, the class explored joinery and programming.

My second project (right) incorporates the use of RAMMED EARTH in my thesis and, through routing a side of the form work, I was able to create digital ‘traces’ on the otherwise minimally processed material that is rammed earth.

My first project (left) is a TRELLIS SYSTEM made of hexagons and adjoining pieces to create an angle from otherwise stiff material.

REVITALIZING HISTORIC UNION TERMINAL

“ENVISIONING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR THE CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER & ITS DISTRICT” A collaborative design studio of UC’s Niehoff Urban Planning Studio, UC College of Engineering, and the Cincinnati Museum Center

AUTUMN 2010

image, flickr, user ‘whitewall buick’ map. Google site plan, self postcard, cincinnativiews.net rendering, self

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REVITALIZING HISTORIC UNION TERMINAL

1 UNION TERMINAL (EXISTING)

rainwater flow/retention

2 STRUCTURED PARKING

3 SCIENCE MUSEUM / PLANETARIUM 4 JOB CORPS (EXISITNG) 5 GALLERY

6 THEMED GARDENS 7 THEATER

8 URBAN FOREST

9 RAINWATER RETENTION

rainwater will be collected on-site in a structured pond, on display for users to understand the importance of water retention on a site

thematic elements

10 OPEN RECREATION FIELD 11 MAIN AXIS/WALKWAY 12 PARKING

13 TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM 14 RETAIL

15 FOOD PREP & AGRICULTURE CENTER The neighborhood surrounding Union Terminal was once vibrant and densely populated, with a park where the terminal’s parking lot now exists.

Acknowledging the lack of residential currently around the site, my design seeks to utilize the site mainly as activity space for the users of the Museum Center, which has a large presence within the terminal. Outdoor space can be used as teaching space for the museum, as well as a destination in itself.

spatial differentiation of programmatical concepts

connecting elements

experiential progression through space created from parking to museum, museum to parking, and for educational tours/classes

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preserving the axis

new cHild

union terminal

ren’s museu

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ampHitHeater

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(pending governor approval)

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car-Free living

ampHitHeater

existing lincoln park : parking lot key Habitat excHange (mixed Forest or natural grasses)

bencHes For tHe disabled. mixed aFForadable and market rate Housing

turF (watered by collected and absorbed stormwater)

walkable streets, street trees Filter air and ligHt rail + covered bike patH reduce car dependency

vegetated rooF (For stormwater collection and retention) covered bike patH

music Hall

ligHt rail route (pending city approval)

LCDC2011 vegetated rooF over i-75 & new structures & on some existing buildings

LIVING CITY DESIGN COMPETITION

This submission from our four person team entered the Living City Design Competition focuses on the importance of incorporating Cincinnati’s historic Union Terminal building in helping revitalize downtown.

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new museums outside oF terminal, bringing specialized education to interact in a creative environment

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pv panels above parking & i-75

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Habitat excHange at mill creek & urban agriculture at lincoln park & above i-75

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existing street view

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collaborative project and submission design by Laurie Karsten, Luke Laverty, Sarah Major, Meghan Plichta, & Gary Williams

WELLNESS CENTER

COMPREHENSIVE SEC STUDIO

FALL 2008 | SPRING 2009

WELLNESS CENTER

COMPREHENSIVE SEC STUDIO As a two-quarter series, this studio’s emphasis was to incorporate various design elements at the site, building, and detail scale, specifically structures, environmental considerations, and construction.

My design focused on a constant connection of user to others and user to environment, either directly or indirectly. Undulation in the main circulation corridor made it a point of interest while wrapping around a courtyard. The main activity spaces themselves were articulated with a slightly varying roof structure that was enclosed with a vegetative roof to re-enforce a feeling of closure to all but essential elements of light, contemplation, and self.

TRAVEL.

DRAWINGS FROM STUDY ABROAD IN Italy & Turkey SUMMER 2008

On a seven week study abroad trip to several Italian cities, Istanbul, and ending in an international studio in Alghero, Italy, I studied drawing and urban design.

TRAVEL.

DRAWINGS FROM TRAVEL IN India SUMMER 2012

Humayun’s Tomb, landscape in Jispa, India Gate

ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS

CREATIVITY BEYOND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Bedouin Man, oil pastel drawing Photograph, Haggia Sophia Photography class shoots

INTENT.

VALUES, GOALS, & EXPERIENCES While explorations within alternative building methods have taught me about technology, construction, and the industry, I lhave spent the last few years developing my technical skills and continue to strive to connect all facets of sustainability with the reason they are important to us,

as designers, in the first place: to improve the human experience. This may call for a single solution to a complex problem, or developing a new language for constructability. There are numerous problems that can use an architect’s creative and spatially-sensitive approach, as well as collaboration with other experts and professionals. This adds up to endless possibilities of learning, helping, and creating, and is my constant source of inspiration.

left to right: Sitting with some of the farm workers on the rammed earth bench I designed and (with help) constructed in Full Circle Farm in Sunnyvale, California.

Experimental pieces of rammed earth. Posing with some women at the Quitab Minar in Delhi. Riding an elephant in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

A house during construction for Habitat for Humanity, East King County, where I was an Americorps volunteer for one term 2009-2010.

Ziplining on Costa Rica vacation, 2016.

thank you.