Portfolio

Meredith Blakeley North Carolina State University Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture 2013 Georgia Institute of Technology Master of Architecture 2016

Table of Contents Project 1 - Study of the City

2 - Museum of the City

3 - Open Nook Retreat

4 - Savannah Station

5 - School of the Arts Study

6 - Federal Courthouse

Study of the City Charleston, South Carolina Architecture Design Studio: Environment NCSU Spring 2011 Jessica Johnson Moore

An analysis of landform, passage, threshold, place, and texture through two dimensional diagrams. Further study of the city involved synthesizing the first set of maps into one map. With a partner (Josh Reason), the study of the city concluded with a model that merged both partners’ synthesis map.

Hand drawings on trace paper.

Model Materials and Methods: Laser cut wood pieces and details, hand cut and molded bristol paper, hand formed wire elements, painted base and blocks.

Museum of the City Charleston, South Carolina Architecture Design Studio: Environment NCSU Spring 2011 Jessica Johnson Moore

The design problem: to evoke the experience of moving through the city of Charleston engaging the given list of elements. These elements include four walls defined as the wall which defines entry, the wall of the surveyor which is characterized and ordered through rhythm, repetition, meter, and proportion, the wall of books which is a wall that holds and has mass, and the wall of light which affects the quality of light within its physical dimension. Two volumes were also a part of the required elements consisting of a 24’ cube and a 12’x24’x72’ rectangular prism.

Open Nook Retreat Advanced Architectural Design Studio NCSU Spring 2013 Georgia Bizios

Along the Haw River in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, my client requested a couple’s retreat cabin for winter getaways.

The only visitors will be herself and her husband so privacy was only needed for the water closet. This allows the spaces to flow freely with nooks extending to provide cozy areas. The site is left natural except for the drive in, as my client wanted to be able to walk with no specific destination.

Organization Diagrams

Open

Nooks

Utilities

Living

Extensions

Private Public

Floor Plan

Arrival View

Sections

Exterior Views

Interior Views

Savannah Station, 601 Cohen Street Savannah, Georgia Options I Studio - Historic Preservation GA Tech Fall 2014 Jack Pyburn

Savannah Station is a historic building blocked from the city by an interstate fly-over. The removal of the flyover will allow the area to be reorganized and better connected to the city. Through analysis of the area, I determined local children could benefit from an interactive learning center. School curriculums for ages 4-10 and their connections to the building were the basis for the exhibits. Historical elements are celebrated and original materials are displayed to allow visitors to see the connection between the activities and the building.

Entry, Exhibit Space, Lecture Classroom, Lab Classroom

Physical models completed by myself (top left), Vanessa Lira and Joanna Bledsoe (top right), and Tracie Cabler and Sun Yifeng (left). Original digital model of the building by Carly Smith and Geoffrey Rees.

Site Plan

C

Material Composition

Sailing

Plane

Material Properties

Boat Hot Air Balloon

Light

Lifting

B

Mixture

Friction Hovercraft

Measurement

Train

Travelling Exhibit

up

up

Automobile

up

3 2

A

up

Solutions

Age appropriate exhibit activities are split into two categories - materials and transportation. The path through the exhibits follows the curve of the skylight and starts with materials. Present in the building and studied through activities are brick, mortar, steel, wood, and glass. Friction and Lifting exhibits overlap the transportation and materials categories bringing the pieces together.

The building was historically used to operate various means of transportation, hence the exhibit topic. Means of transportation studied include water (boats, sailing), air (planes, hot air balloon, hovercraft), and land (train, automobile).

Space for a travelling exhibit is included to provide visitors with a new experience each time they come. Lecture and lab space are available for presentations and further exploration.

1

Level 2 C dn

Level 1

A

Wall Connection Detail 2 Scale: 3” = 1’ - 0”

detailsDetail of reveals used between old WallPlan Connection 3 Scale: = 1’ - materials 0” and3”new to respect the building’s historic features.

Skylight Section Detail - The curve of the skylight and the front desk evoke a relaxed atmosphere, a place of fun and excitement.

The skylight also highlights the roof structure, a key element of the building.

Wall Connection Detail 1 Scale: 3” = 1’ - 0”

Skylight Detail Scale: 3” = 1’ - 0”

Entry View (top left) shows new curved desk, new stairs and ramps, and the new elevator to make the building accessible, Second Level View (top right) shows the library and adult space through which the suspension cables project, Exhibit Space View (bottom right) depicts some of the exhibit activities, the opening of the barn doors, treatment of the new materials against the old materials, and the lighting from the skylight.

adult space

PAINTED BRICK: strip paint from brick using a nonabrasive method such as a chemical paint remover, repoint mortar joints with matching mortar as needed, seal brick with clear paint if needed to maintain integrity VOLUME - DIVIDED

DOOR OPENING

STRUCTURE: keep structure exposed

PAINTED STRUCTURE

BRICK: repoint mortar joints with matching mortar as needed, seal brick with clear paint if needed to maintain integrity STRUCTURE

VOLUME - DIVIDED

BARN DOOR

DOOR OPENING: fill opening with new storefront or curtain-wall windows and doors

office lobby

Section A Scale: 1/8” = 1’ - 0”

VOLUME

HISTORIC WINDOW: repair and restore historic windows

STRUCTURE

PAINTED BRICK

HISTORIC WINDOW

DOOR OPENING

PAINTED BARN DOORS: strip paint using nonabrasive methods, clear sealant, make operable

office corridor

classroom

travelling exhibit space

main exhibit space

exterior exhibit space

Section B Scale: 1/8” = 1’ - 0”

PAINTED STRUCTURE: keep structure exposed, strip paint using a nonabrasive method, clear sealant

classroom

VOLUME - DIVIDED: maintain volume by keeping new walls below structure

PAINTED BRICK

PAINTED BRICK: strip paint from brick using a nonabrasive method such as a chemical paint remover, repoint mortar joints with matching mortar as needed, seal brick with clear paint if needed to maintain integrity

STRUCTURE

DOOR OPENING: fill opening with new storefront or curtainwall windows and doors

VOLUME

HISTORIC WINDOWS

STRUCTURE: keep structure exposed

corridor

restroom

lobby

BARN DOORS: clear sealant, make operable

STRUCTURE

PAINTED BRICK

BRICKED OPENING: VOLUME: fill opening with new maintain volume window

OPENING

BRICK

adult space

Section C Scale: 1/8” = 1’ - 0”

VOLUME - DIVIDED: maintain volume by keeping new walls below structure

VOLUME

STRUCTURE: PAINTED BRICK: keep structure strip paint from brick using a nonabrasive exposed method such as a chemical paint remover, repoint mortar joints with matching mortar as needed, seal brick with clear paint if needed to maintain integrity

office main exhibit space

exterior exhibit space

School for the Arts: Study Options II Studio - Portman Prize Competition GA Tech Spring 2015 Charles Rudolph

This project is a study of the main spaces in a school for the arts: studio, classroom, and exhibit space. To display the studio as the special element of the school, it was placed above where it will also get the best natural light. The exhibit space is below the studio at the corner to give the public easy access. The classroom is placed in the back of the site with a courtyard to maintain the needed privacy. A bar of circulation and services connect the spaces together.

Physical model made from bass wood, cardboard, acrylic, and museum board.

Lounge Space (above left), Studio Space (below), Primary Corner View (above right)

A

B

C

DN

A

B

C

DN UP

UP

EXHIBIT SPACE

D

D

E

E OPEN TO BELOW

COURTYARD BELOW

COURTYARD

CLASSROOM ROOF BELOW

F

LEVEL 2

F

1/8” = 1’ - 0” 01 2

4

8

LEVEL 1 16

1/8” = 1’ - 0” 01 2

4

8

16

SECTION A

SECTION D

SECTION B

SECTION E

SECTION C

SECTION F

Federal Courthouse Mobile, Alabama Research + Design Studio I - Courthouses GA Tech Fall 2015 Thanos Economou

From a precedent study, I created a module for courthouse design. This project is an example of the module in a particular site with a specified program. The module consists of three separate circulation paths and two staggered courtrooms. The aggregation of the module I chose for the site was four courtrooms per floor. The parameters I set for my design include natural light into all spaces and having the staggered courtrooms displayed on the facade.

2 6

The module I created was originally a two dimensional drawing that I manipulated to determine how well it worked and how many different schemes could exist. I first tried a module that mimicked the courthouse in St. Louis. I saw where that module broke and modified the module to allow for balconies in the courtrooms.

This allowed the module to be much more flexible. To determine the best options for the Mobile courthouse, other criteria were set. Using those criteria and the number of courtrooms needed (7), I determined that two, four, and six courtrooms per floor would work on the site. I modeled the options in three dimensions to begin to really see how the circulation patterns would work. I was also able to see what the overall form of the building would be. These models told me that two courtrooms per floor would make a building much taller than I felt was good for the area. Six courtrooms per floor created complicated public circulation was is undesirable in a place that already fills people with anxiety. One of the four courtrooms per floor option had a cleaner circulation path than the other and so it was chosen as the best solution.

4A

4B

2 B

1

A

1

A

2 B

Level 9

Level 5

Level 1

Level 4

The St. Louis courthouse plan is four double height courtrooms per floor with two at the entry level and two at the upper level. This allowed the overall height of the building to be much shorter than had the courtrooms been simply stacked. The back and forth nature of the courtrooms allows the secured circulation to work with two alternating courtrooms. This means that instead of the secured circulation blocking paths through the building, the paths switches from one side to the other towards the courtroom with entry on the floor below. This organization gives more flexibility to the other spaces needed in the courthouse.

The facade starts to tell the story of what is happening inside. The lobby space is treated one way, the judges’ chambers another, and the courtrooms are treated with frosted glass but have the same fins as most of the building. Visibility of the courtrooms was a key idea, however, with that idea comes many concerns. The courtrooms do not need to have visions glass for the protection of those inside from outsiders and views outside have potential to be disruptive to courtroom proceedings.

There is a need for security for much of the functions of a federal courthouse and this makes the facade difficult as the spaces that want the most natural light are also the spaces that need to most security.

Organization: Level 1: Lobby, Jury Assembly, District Clerk Offices Level 2: Probation and Pretrail Offices Level 3: 2 Courtrooms and associated spaces, Jury room, Grand Jury Suite Level 4-5: 4 Courtrooms and associated spaces, Jury room Level 6: 2 Courtrooms and associated spaces, Library, Office Space Level 7: 1 Courtroom (upper floor) and associated spaces, Office Space Level 8-9: Judges Chambers Level 10: US Marshalls

Courtroom Views (bottom & left)

Main Entry View