NICOLA VEGA
Intent
My name is Nicola Vega and I am originally from the southern most island of the Caribbean, Trinidad & Tobago. My culturally diverse upbringing has played a formative role in the actualization of my design philosophy and has compelled me to investigate and incorporate vernacular materials, methods of construction and passive cooling techniques into all of my projects. Growing up in a developing country has also instilled in me a strong sense of social responsibility. I believe social change can happen through design and that people can develop an intimate connection to their built environment. I seek to articulate these core values in all of my designs. During the past year I decided to give back and make a difference by volunteering. Having learnt so much from those experiences, I am ready to rejoin the workforce and continue to make valuable contributions to society. I am looking for a position that will challenge me as well as develop my design skills, satisfy my thirst for knowledge and passion for research. Please do not hesitate to contact me, if you would like to work together. Thank you for taking the time view my work.
nicola.sonia.vega@gmail.com 757.672.5462
20 34 52 66 92 108
Intent - Résumé
Human Factors Environmental Context
Structural Systems
Non-Urban Context - Building Systems Integrated
Internship - Interior Design
Sketchbook - Artwork
Foundations
04 08
Profile
Design Experience Freelance Designer – Design NV [Jul ‘04 - current] – Brand Identity – Interior Design – Renderings
Name: Nicola Vega
Résumé
Phone : 757.672.5462 E-mail: nicola.sonia.vega@gmail.com
– Promotional materials – Floor Plans – Book Design
Architectural Designer – Thomasville Landmarks – Thomasville, GA [Mar ‘12 - Aug ‘ 12] – Residential Design – Construction Documents – Signage – Urban Revitalization
– Site Visits – Project Presentations – Revit/Photoshop/Illustrator – Historic Preservation
Architectural Intern – CDA Architecture – Trinidad [Jul ‘07 - Aug ‘07]
Education Savannah College of Art & Design Savannah, Georgia, US. Bachelors of Fine Arts, Architecture Jan 2006 - Sep 2011 Holy Name Convent Secondary Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. Caribbean Examination Council General Certificate of Education Sep 1997 - Jun 2004
– Residential Design – Site Visits – Construction Documents – Project Presentations – Project Management – AutoCAD/Revit Architectural Research Assistant – OBMI – Trinidad [Aug ‘05 - Dec ‘05] – Mixed-use Design – Research & Development – Feasibility Studies – Walk-through Animation
– Construction Documents – Quantity Surveying – Cost Analysis – Site Visits
Architectural Draftsperson – The Synthesis Group – Trinidad [Aug ‘04 - Aug ‘05] – Commercial Design – Construction Documents – Office Drafting Standards
– Site Planning – Sketching – AutoCAD
Recognition Trinidad & Tobago National Panorama Finals 3rd Place - Caribbean Airline Invaders [2011] U.W.I. SPEC Half Marathon Top 5 - University Students/ Top 25 - Ladies [2010] Savannah College of Art and Design Combined Honors Scholarship [2006 - 2011] Savannah College of Art and Design Dean’s List [2006 - 2011] Academy of Art University Summer Portfolio Grant - 75 % tuition awarded for study [2002] Trinidad & Tobago Art Society Grant Art Workshop in Fine Arts [2000] Secondary Schools Drama Festival Honorable Mention - Antagonist - Ti-Jean & his Brothers [2000] Trinidad & Tobago Music Festival 1st Place - Junior Choir [1998]
Community Disaster Services Volunteer - American Red Cross Winston Salem NC [Jan 13 - present] Architectural Designer – Project Manager NKA Foundation, Ghana – UN Online Volunteer [Aug 13 - Oct 13] Construction Volunteer – Habitat for Humanity Winston Salem, NC [Aug 13] Salsa Demos/Classes for boys & girls club & teens Savannah GA [Jun 09 - Aug 09]
Skills OS Autodesk Adobe Microsoft Familiar
Windows, Mac Revit, AutoCAD Photoshop, Acrobat, InDesign, Illustrator Word, Excel, Power Point Google Sketchup, Bentley Microstation
Practical
Model Building [wood shop & laser cutting], Sketching, Hand Drafting, Presentation Materials, Rendering, Parametric modelling
Attributes Positive attitude, strong work ethic, effective time management, adaptable, detail oriented, keen researcher, analytical thinker, effective written communication, fast learner.
7
Foundations
Architectural Drawing
“The most compelling reason to learn how to draft by hand is that it is a way to personalize the design process and resulting documentation.� Christine Cavataio
11
Site Plan 12
Floor Plan
Sections
Elevations 13
Fundamentals
“First, the Architect must learn how to think in terms of space and communicate spatial ideas� - Jonathan Friedman
All Projects done during Fundamentals 1 employed the use of a kit of parts consisting of linear elements, panel-based (planar elements) and module-based (solid elements).
Dialogue Spatial Unity was created by choosing a parti then investigating the concept of binary pairs to create dialogue.
Parti Diagram Axonometric
Volume A 3” contiguous mass was built to display a hierarchy of Volume.
Axonometric (Solids & Voids)
Transformation A 4“ cube of solids and voids was transformed using processes such as, translation, rotation folding, reflection and enlargement. The end result was a 9” cubic volume.
Axonometric (4” cube prior to transformation) 15
Time Piece
A set of architectural spaces in which people may observe and appreciate the cycles of time, revealed by the weather, night and day, the seasons and memory With a passage linking a 4� place of entry to a 6� place of arrival. 16
19
Human Experience
Residential
Building Typology
Single Family Residential
Location
Savannah River Landings, Savannah Ga.
Site Description
Corner lot, surrounded by three streets, two running from West to East to the North and south of the site and one running from North to South to the East of the site.
Client
A yoga Instructor
Scale
The lot is 24 feet wide and 90 feet long. About 85-90% of the lot is covered. Each floor is 12 feet in height, but the building is 40 feet tall, due to sloping
Users
The Client and her Friends and Family
We shape Architecture; thereafter Architecture shapes us. Conceptual Thinking The central concept that drives the project is holism; the idea that Architecture can fulfill the needs of man’s mind body and soul.
Design Process The logical design process was a study of the inter-relativity between the body, mind and soul. A hierarchy of spaces was developed loosely on the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and programming needs then followed.
23
Schematic Design
To achieve balance in life one must fulfill the needs of the mind, body and soul. To achieve Balance in Architecture the client, program and environment must be considered equally. The gestural sketch played a major role in determining circulation patterns. The greatest design challenge was determining how to design based on the sketch, which was very organic in nature, while conforming to the rules of the site. The project is radially organized around the core circulation patterns. The building form was determined through a series of transformative approaches sliding or shifting, mirroring, enlarging and rotating the walls to form a dynamic path throughout the building. The ideas of phenomenology and place making also influenced my design. Since my central concept is about fulfilling man’s needs through Architecture and phenomenology is about individual experience and perception of Architecture, I wanted to create a space that would foster unique experiences every time. 24
Sketches & Sketch Model
25
Northern Facade
Graphite (18”x 24”) 26
Plans
Balcony
Meditation
Painting Studio
Library/Office
Veranda
Dance Studio
Secondary Entry
Kitchen Primary Entry Dining Room
Tertiary Entry
Master Bedroom
Living Room
W.C
Master Bathroom 27
Elevations and Sections
28
29
E
xtensive outdoor spaces, within the design, benefit the environment; The form of the building is ideal for rainwater collection for irrigation and flushing. The large open spaces are used for extensive green roofs. The central atrium is used for natural ventilation and day lighting. Vegetation is used on the indoors to control humidity and create a microclimate. The master bedroom is naturally heated because it is located below grade. The sloping roof on the south façade is used for solar panelling. By implementing many passive strategies, operating costs is minimized while, delineating the site to create interest with dynamic forms. Man, landscape and building are all interrelated in the same way that mind body and soul are interrelated. The use of an uncovered ‘atrium’ is the centre of circulation between mind, body and soul. It is a transition space between indoor and outdoor spaces bringing the user to the outdoors during the journey. Vegetation and reflecting pools in the central atrium aid the transition from outdoor to indoor. Vegetation is also utilized as a space making element primarily on the third floor it outlines the path of travel. 31
32
Environmental Context
Worship
Building Typology
Church and Fellowship Hall.
Location
Pass Christian, Mississippi.
Site Description
L- Shaped, the site is surrounded by four streets; two running from East to West, one to the North and a highway (US 90) to the south of the site. One runs from North to South to the East of the site where another street terminates at a parking lot.
Client
Trinity Episcopal Church
Scale
On it’s longest edges, the site is approximately 400-500 feet wide and 700-800 feet long.
Users
The Community of Pass Christian
Architecture should relate form and plan to the site, region and the climate.
T
he benefits of being close to water also have a price: increased risks to property and life related to storms. In 1969, Pass Christian suffered a direct hit by Hurricane Camille, the only Category 5 hurricane to ever make landfall in the continental United States. Then in 2005 as much as 90 percent of the town was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, requiring a total rethinking of where and how to rebuild. There is a very intense desire in this community to build and to restore at least the atmosphere the town once had. There’s no better symbol of renewal than Trinity Episcopal Church, a Gulf-front landmark built in 1851. Destroyed by Hurricane Camille in 1969, it was rebuilt 14 feet above sea level—still not high enough to elude
Katrina’s 36-foot surge. The frame of the church edifice was left intact, while other buildings on site were completely destroyed. The task: Design a new skin of the church while responding to the many problems on the site. The most obvious problem of the site is its location. It is located on the Gulf Coast and as a result is prone to rising sea levels, since it is a mere ten to 12 feet above sea level. The fact that the site is in such a low lying area, makes any structure built on it susceptible to catastrophic damage due to the tidal surge in excess of thirty feet. As a result of this, Pass Christian has implemented the smart code, and all finished floor heights of buildings are required to be at least twenty two feet above sea level. Both buildings on the site are designed with that in mind.
37
Site Analysis Topography
Sun & Wind 38
Vegetation
Circulation
Sensory Analysis & Existing Features 39
Design Process - Site
40
41
Design Process - Fellowship Hall
42
Design Process - Skin Flying Buttress Double skin
Double Skin supports ramp that wraps around the church (procession - Road to Calvary stations of the cross)
43
Justification of Site Design The soil has a naturally low fertility level and poor water-holding capacity. As a result of the hurricane, the soil is struggling to recover from millions of gallons of salty sea water that soaked into it in the storm, as well as erosion due to the high volumes of water moving at a faster rate than the rate of infiltration. The use of plants to stabilize soil and reduce erosion is one of the oldest of biological engineering land management techniques. This approach attempts to create conditions similar to a stabilized natural site. Native plants were chosen to provide long-term protection, because native vegetation is adapted to the conditions of the site and has the greatest probability of persisting over extended time periods. . Salt tolerant crops grown immediately on the site were chosen. Examples of these are sea oats, salt meadow cordgrass, cabbage palm, as well as the ever present live oak.
Storm Water collects to the southern end of the site; Placing a drainage system there combining a few different methods was a solution to the problem. Every site has an existing natural drainage system, by following it using streams of dry creek beds, the water will be guided to a wetland area. Wetlands provide water storage, filtration and offer protection from floods. The basin will be a wetland area consisting of 50% chip bark, 20% gravel, 15% sand, and a miscellaneous amount of straw, peat moss, sewage sludge and aged manure, which will temporarily store the water, allowing sedimentation and other pollutants to settle without infiltrating, then allow it to flow out to a separate area of permeable soil to allow fast infiltration. Second Street, which runs all the way through Pass Christian, terminates on the parking lot of the Church site. This is visually confusing as the parking lot is not clearly defined on the site and is deceptive as driver may think the road continues on to the site. Using the existing tree on site as the focal point of the end of the Street, a semicircular drop off point with a pair of parallel pathways bordering a water collection pond leading to the new fellowship hall. Parking was rerouted to the north western tip of the site away from the school and can be accessed from Henderson Avenue to the West of the site and St. Louis Street to the North of the site. Capitalizing on the ocean view and incorporating it into the church worship was achieved by relocating the transepts to the southern end of the church and the entrance to the church now faces St. Louis Street directly opposite the cemetery making access to the cemetery easier in the event of funerals. The approach to the church is now grander with rhythmic placement of another semicircular drop off point, and a wrap around staircase. The issue of noise from the bordering railroad track to the North of the site was addressed to the north of the Cemetery with a Noise Barrier wall in combination with planted buffers called Earth Berms. 44
45
Final Design - Fellowship Hall
46
47
Final Design Eastern Elevation
Sustainable Building Strategies - Church Skin
Sustainable Site Strategy - Drainage System 48
Sustainable Building Strategies - Fellowship Hall
Longitudinal Section
Transverse Section
49
Model - Fellowship Hall
50
51
Structural Systems
Exhibition
Building Typology
Cultural Research Institution
Location
Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Site Description
Triangular site directly adjacent to the architecture school FAU, USP or Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo.
Client --
Scale
Approximately 12,600 sq. ft.
Users
The students & faculty of the University and the General Public
Structure can define space,articulate circulation, and suggest movement.
B
uildings are the clearest expression of a people at a given historical period, exemplifying their way of living, their available technology and their artistic ideals. More durable than other cultural manifestations, Brazilian architecture often incorporates other art forms, such as sculpture, painting, furniture and popular art and artifacts. It makes up the great majority of listed items, even those which are listed simply because of their historical significance. In Brazil, the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage including Brazilian architecture, where it is of national importance, is the responsibility of the federal government, through the Institute for National Artistic and Historical Heritage. The purpose of the research institute is for the preservation and curation of Brazilian modernist architecture and design. The triangular site is directly adjacent to the architecture school FAU, USP or Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo. The site offers an important place for gathering.
55
Collage Collage, being the art of bringing varied pieces together to form a new whole served as a method of comparative visual analysis for how structure relates to and is expressed by artists in diverse fields. Case studies examined precedents in Brazilian architecture. This project fluently inspected structure, interior experience, and landscape.
Conceptual Thinking Culture relates to a collective attitude. It’s the common thread of any given society, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity or religious affiliation. Culture is based on the uniquely human capacity to classify experiences, encode such symbolically and teach such abstractions to others. It is usually acquired through enculturation, the process through which the older generation induces and compels a younger generation to reproduce the established lifestyle; consequently, culture is embedded in a person’s way of life. This is especially true today, as the students of the university are compelled to reproduce in the Brazilian Culture of Architecture. Concept board 10”x 10” 56
58
Schematic Design
Site Geometry Diagrams
Building Footprint Diagrams
Massing Models 59
Final Design Site Plan
Eastern Elevation
Northern Elevation
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3 Western Elevation
Southern Elevation
62
63
64
65
• Non-Urban Context • Building Systems Integrated
Community
Building Typology
Air Rights Development/ Supportive Housing
Location
Outskirts of Port of Spain, Trinidad
Site Description
Long and narrow residential Site located in between two major traffic arteries, adjacent to the city landfill.
Client --
Scale
50-100 acres
Users
Residents of the Area and General Public
Supporting Stable Living Conditions
O
nce an all-squatter’s community of people living in wooden shacks, Beetham Gardens was born more than 35 years ago out of the government’s decision to finance construction of concrete homes with running water, indoor plumbing, and electricity and even mail delivery. Five phases were built, between two main vehicular arteries, below sea level and next to a landfill. The Beetham Gardens today remains a poverty-stricken housing project afflicted by squatters who continue to erect illegal and unsightly structures, relentless gang warfare, the lack of basic amenities such as electricity and water, as well as the health hazards present such as the drains
of green stagnant water, clogged with rubbish, which breed mosquitoes and it’s location adjacent to a landfill. The government erected a wall along the slum’s frayed edges, blocking the view into a long troubled community that shares space with the murky waters of industrial waste, overgrown weeds and the constant stench of the nearby landfill. The five foot wall is simply a beautifying touch, but to those who live behind the wall, the structure means something else: It’s a symbol of years of broken promises, government neglect and the widening gap between the haves and have-nots.
69
Location
Trinidad is the southern most island of the eastern Caribbean. It lies northeast of the South American country, Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. It shares maritime boundaries with other nations including Barbados to the northeast, Guyana to the southeast, and Venezuela to the south and west. Location - 10° 40’ N 61° 31’ W.
70
Site Analysis
Figure Ground
Sensory Anaysis & Existing Features
71
Schematic Design Problems • Physical Disconnect • Drainage • Landfill Stench • Landfill threatens ground water • Traffic within the capital • Poverty
Conceptual Master Plan
Design Solutions • • • • • • 72
Bridge over infrastructure to create connections Elevate Settlement above sea level Relocate Landfill and Rehabilitate land with wetlands After relocation use aquifer to generate electricity Provide parking and shuttles into the capital Sustainable growth of vegetables on site
Section Sketch
Proposed Grid based on prevailing winds
73
Master Plan Community • Promotes equity. • Provides green open space and recreational facilities. • Promotes public health and encourages active lifestyles. • Reunites the diverse community of the Beetham with the neighbouring settlements. • Provides an exemplary illustration of efficient and innovative alternative land use. • Strategies and outcomes serve as a national model for the creation of new green open space in a dense urban environment. Economy • Creates jobs, including entry level, apprenticeship programs and local hire. • Provides an economic stimulus for investment in resource efficient infill development. • Creates an inviting gateway to the city. • Increases tourism. Energy and the Environment • Improves air quality and reduces the contribution to global warming. • Reduces automobile usage and fuel consumption, green house gas emissions and promotes energy efficiency and conservation. • Creates a Pollution free environment for users of the development because there is no vehicular access on site; primary mode of transport over highway is a street car, and also encourages bicycle use. • Utilizes 21st Century cutting-edge environmental technologies • Creates a transit oriented development utilizing existing bus route. Potential for monorail shuttles to city. • Reduces the heat island effect.
Sub-level Parking Plan Primary Road Access through site
Parking Nodes
Supporting Stable Living Conditions
S
upportive housing is a combination of housing and services intended as a cost-effective way to help people live more stable, productive lives. This type of housing is widely believed to work well for those who face the most complex challenges - individuals and families confronted with homelessness and who also have very low incomes and/or serious, persistent issues that may include substance abuse, addiction or alcoholism, mental illness, HIV/ AIDS, or other serious challenges to a successful life. Supportive Housing can be coupled with such social services as job training, life skills training, alcohol and drug abuse programs and case management to populations in need of assistance, including the developmentally disabled, those suffering from dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and elderly people who are medically frail. It is intended to be a pragmatic solution that helps people recover and succeed while reducing the overall cost of care. Without supportive services, the tenant is likely to regress for the reasons that lead to their loss of housing in the first place.
76
Schematic Design
Massing Model
Rooftop (green roof) Rooftop Terrace Housing Units Circulation towers Supportive Services 77
Program Matrix & Time of Use Diagrams
78
Program Calculations
79
Materiality
Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast. It consists of recycled marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, poured with a binder. It is cured, ground and polished to a smooth surface or otherwise finished to produce a uniformly textured surface. Durable, Low Maintenance, Low Embodied Energy, Recycle/Reuse Content, Zero V.O.C Off-Gassing, Indoor Air Quality, Local Sourcing.
West Indian Cedar is an aromatic wood that is in high demand in the American tropics because it is naturally termite and rot-resistant. Low cost due to its light weight and low energy consumption required to produce, transport and processing.
Bamboo is one of the most amazingly versatile and sustainable building materials available. It grows remarkably fast and in a wide range of climates. It is exceedingly strong for its weight and can be used both structurally and as a finish material.
Clay building blocks have been trusted to support innumerable projects island-wide and regionally. They facilitate faster construction and offer superior moisture resistance as well as present better thermal and sound insulation.
80
Sun Studies
Summer 9am
Summer 12 noon
Summer 6 pm
Winter 9am
Winter 12 noon
Winter 6pm 81
Life Safety
Mechanical & Plumbing Plan
Zone 1 - 7.79 t cooling load Zone 2 - 5.16 t cooling load Zone 3 - 11.63 t COoling load
82
Sub-Level Parking Plan
83
Floor Plans
Rooftop
Site with Level 1 plan 84
Level 1 (Supportive Services)
Level 2-6 (Apartments) 85
3D Section
Western Elevation at 2:30 PM
86
Structural framing
Northern Elevation at 5:30 PM
87
Sustainable Features
Rain water collection (Irrigation)
Daylighting
Natural Ventilation
Green wall System
Planter Box
88
Planter Box Detail
Concrete Masonry Units Cedar Top Soil Rubble Geotextile Membrane
Lightweight Concrete Rebar Corrugated Metal Deck Continuous Shelf angle Welded Angles Clip Angle I-Beam
Open Web Steel Joist
89
91
Internship - Interior Design
Internship
Thomasville Landmarks
“Preserving, protecting and promoting the architecture, history and heritage of Thomasville and the Thomas County area.” • Designed floor layouts based on historical typologies to aid in residential restoration adhering to historic preservation guidelines. • Visited sites of historical landmarks to determine feasibility of acquisition. • Conducted Damage Assessments and initial Cost Estimation. • Planned spaces and produced architectural details employing the use of Autodesk Revit. • Produced Construction Documents for houses that were to be restored. • Produced multimedia presentations and delivered to board of directors. • Designed signage to attract potential buyers of restored residences. • Conducted surveys of various districts to ascertain demographics to aid in Urban Revitalization efforts. • Produced Architectural Renderings incorporating entourage via Photoshop. • Worked independently with minimal supervision. • Prepared documents for board meetings. In order of appearance: Design of floor Layout and visualization of 141 S Love Street Visualzation of St. Thomas Episcopal Columbarium Visualization for Victoria Place
95
96
97
99
Interior Design
Interior Typology Restaurant
Location
Indianapolis, Pennsylvania
Description
Long and narrow residential Site located in between two major traffic arteries, adjacent to the city landfill.
Client
Crepe Guys
Scale
2000 sq. ft.
Users
Crepe Lovers
103
LI GH T I N G C U S TO M BU I LT-I N F U R NIT U R E - B O OTH S
Primary - Dining - Pendant
Polished OSB
Booth Sideboard
Secondary - Dining - Chandelier
Planter box Dividers
Tertiary - Bathroom - Sconce
Booth (4) - Dining Room
Ball chain Curtains
Private Party Booth (8)
Booth Cushions
Dining room - Drop Ceiling
Dining Room
M AT ER I ALS
Restrooms - Tile
S E AT I N G
Dining Room - Walnut
106
Artwork
Sketchbook
“This medium is simple, yet so rich in communicative potential that all human ideas can be expressed through it...� Jonathan Friedman
111
112
113
Fine Art
“Art is the desire of man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in.” - Amy Lowell
In order of appearance: “Promotional Sticker for Egypt” - Acrylic Paint “Caribbean Student Association Logo” - Photoshop “Gestural Sketch of a boot” - Charcoal “Contour Line Drawing of Pots”- Graphite “Resting Skeleton”- Pen Reproduction “Mother & Child” - Acrylic Paint “Festival of Lights” - Mixed Media Collage “Self Portrait” - Collage Untitled - Plaster, Sand & Seashells
115
116
117
119
120
121
122
123
I would like to extend my gratitude to my friends and family. Without the financial and emotional support, my educational and professional pursuits would not be possible
THANK YOU!