Kathryn Schenk
My interests in architecture have always revolved around creation. The physical making, creating, building of things has naturally become the driving force behind the way I see and interact with design. Working with my hands to discover spaces has been an influential aspect to my work. The ability to understand the components and how they fit together, to me, is just as important as understanding the whole. Through three dimensional studies, materiality and the aggregation of elements I have developed a design sensibility that is all at once tactile, experiential and believable.
Contents Studio
Living with the Dead Walled In Aggregates
Full Scale
Diffused Spaces KDL Photo Exhibit
Professional
Second Story alibi studio Covington & Burling lehman smith mcleish Shanghai Int’l Dance Center studios architecture
Photography
Japan Ongoing Portraits
Engaging the ever-more necessary question of what to do with the deceased, Living with the Dead investigates the condition of burial in the urban context. Sited on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, the world of the living and the world of the dead collide in a structure that combines single occupancy apartments with a mausoleum. In addition to its investigation of proximity, Living with the Dead explores the dichotomy of light and dark, shadow and source, and life and death.
Living with the Dead UG3 | Fall 2010 Catie | Newell
N
Located within the Loop, this site is prime real estate in Chicago, with an unobstructed view of Lake Michigan
A stacked wall of mausoleum crypts faces the back alley, while apartment units face the street for a rare lake view
Staggering units creates balconies for outdoor space in the city
High efficiency micro apartment units cater to young professionals
Circulation crosses between the two halves of the tower through a series of ramps
Mausoleum wall is loaded from rear of building with hydraulic lifts
Section through Living and Dead
Circulation Section
Elevation of the Living
Elevation of the Dead
Compact single occupancy units radiate light from within the core to create an effect of layering transparency
Living Unit Details
Punctures within the mausoleum wall create strong silhouettes. Tubes in the front atrium space both reflect light and throw clean shadows in the space
Exploring the intricacies of integrated design, Walled In investigates strategies of consolidation, concealment, programmatic separation and threshold. The wall creates a boundary that weaves throughout the building dividing spaces of living and working in a fabrication studio building located within the Cranbrook Academy campus, while simultaneously containing the mechanical systems, structure and vertical circulation. The wall expands and contracts as necessary based on the needs of the particular zone. Materials, construction assembly and details are particularly important in this project due to the complexity of the wall section.
Walled In
G1 | Fall 2012 | Terry Boling
This fabrication facility for Cranbrook includes dorm rooms for 20 students, studio space, artist in residency studios, a fabrication workshop and exhibition space.
Axonometric wall sections investigate moments when disparate wall assemblies meet.
SOUTH
EAST
WEST
Exploring the ideas of connection, adaptability and interdependency, this project engages the contrasting, yet integrated roles of the residents of Ann Arbor and the students of the University of Michigan. In using the concept of a gift economy (Neigh-borrow) in conjunction with the auction atmosphere, these two communities are brought together by a mutual need for things. Sited at a major intersection between the campus and the city, this space was envisioned as a nexus to facilitate trade, learning, communication and chance encounters for all inhabitants of the city.
Take One, Leave One UG1 | Fall 2009 | Ellen Donnelly
The site is located at the intersection of State and Liberty, a commercial center that is frequented by both students of the University of Michigan and residents of Ann Arbor.
A densely aggregated wall of niches are designed to both hold objects left behind by passersby and storage for furniture used for longer occupation.
Section through Wall Storage
Axonometric Study of Mobile Furniture Units
Objects that are organized by size and vary with season are placed within the provided niches.
Winter
Organization by Season Summer
Organization by Size
Section slice investigates wall niche depth and moveable furniture
Cast sectional model demonstrates materiality and detail.
Using techniques of projection, Diffused Spaces explores the perception of space and depth with respect to the human body. Each space uses the threshold of the screen as both a surface for projection and as a means to extend the depth of field through the strategic placement of light. The four rooms of the space are transformed into light boxes that employ varying degrees of occupation to engage the observer. Perception of the depth of the spaces change subtly as one moves to or from the barrier of the screen, causing confusion in the interpretation of the space.
Diffused Spaces
GLOW Workshop | Winter 2011 | Catie Newell
7’x 2.5’ light box fills back wall of the space and artificially extends it. Black Light bulb casts purple light in the space. Fiber optic strings that glow at tips arranged to create a forced perspective to a point at the back of the space. Points closer to screen appear sharper than those farther back in the space. Plastic film covers entire opening to hide apparatus and create light box. Film is stapled at around the walls and weighed down at the floor with wood.
To ‘Still’
Diagram of spaces and mechanics used to manipulate space. (Installation designed and installed in partnership with Mary Beth Carolan and James Rotz).
Bench provided to encourage pause in front of last space.
Spot light hung at low vantage point creates exaggerated shadows of the bottom half of an object on the door. Spot light hung at high vantage point creates exaggerated shadows of the top half of an object on the window. Projector behind screen references the larger light boxes at a smaller scale. Child’s chair references the small scale of the light box in front of it.
Occupants activate a motion sensor at the threshold, illumninating the space and casting their shadow on the screens in the door and window.
Occupants outside the space register inhabitation through the shadows cast.
To Entrance
Inset lets occupant partically inhabit the light box. The angle of the screen causes a shift in perception as the occupant passes. Lights of different shades placed behind varying aperatures create strong geometries that are altered by the angle of the screen.
The Caledonia branch of the Kent District Library regularly supports artists in the community by hosting exhibits by local students and artists. In the summer of 2012, I was asked to contribute a collection of photos from my travels to Japan two years earlier. The collection consists of fifteen 12 x 18� photos mounted on sheets of Baltic birch and faced with Plexiglas and fastened with brass screws at the corners. The collection was on display from May to August.
Photography Exhibit
at the Kent District Library Summer 2012
Each photo is mounted flush to the edges of the wood panel to create a clean edge reminiscent of Japanese joinery.
Panels are hung by a single point from the back on a curved wall at the entry of the library.
“Amplifying, transporting, and distorting the volumes surrounding and within a contested existing domestic environment, Second Story reconfigures spaces that were once familiar into an “other” occupation and visual register. Used to imprint the space and excite the atmosphere, this inhabitable texture is driven by the manipulation of factory standard acrylic rods to capture, manipulate, and distort the existing volumes of the second story of Spencer’s Funeral home in Flint, Michigan, a house slated for demolition.” -Catie Newell
Second Story
Lead Fabrication Designer Alibi Studio | Summer 2011
Acrylic rods are bent and pulled using heat to form a 3D texture that is both inhabitable and transparent.
Covington & Burling is a financial law firm headquartered in Washington, DC looking to move their office to a new building located in a currently under construction complex in the heart of the downtown district. City Center will house over 500 lawyers plus support staff in two office towers starting June 2014. As a member of the design team, I helped develop floor plans and furniture arraignments on the typical floor, department floor and basement levels. As the project moved into construction documents, I was in charge of producing documents for the basement and mezzanine floors. With this project I was actively involved in client meetings, site visits and was able to make contributions to the overall design.
Covington & Burling
at City Center, DC
Architectural Intern Lehman Smith McLeish | Winter 2013
ITS
ACCOUNTING
TRAINING
FIN. ANALYSTS
IRS
ITS NETWORKING HANDHELD DSS
ITS/SEC. INTAKE
PAYROLL
TRAVEL/F INTAKE
ITS HELPDESK
SECURITY
F
LSM strives to restructure the work environment, moving away from closed doors towards transparency for spaces that encourage collaboration, trust and efficiency.
FITNESS CENTER
SEN. STAFF/ ATTY. TOUCHDOWN
LSS
LSS
ACCOUNTING A/P/GEN. LEDGER PURCHASING COLLECTIONS
ACCOUNTING BILLING
HR
BENEFITS INTAKE
FAC. E
LR RECEPTION
TRAVEL
FACILITIES
LEGAL RECRUIT.
OFFICE
OFFICE
OFFICE OFFICE OFFICE
SE
MAIL/FAX/MESSENGER, DUP SHIPPING & RECEIVING, S
TWO
TERRACE
TERRACE
RF WORKROOM CONFERENCE SUPPORT
11
WORKROOM
WORKROOM
09
2019
07 05
2024 2029
03
CB ROFO
CONFERENCE
11
MPR SERVERY/DINING
10
OFFICE
09
LIBRARY
OFFICE
08
WORKROOM
OFFICE
07
CONTRACT ATTY. SR. STAFF ATTY.
OFFICE
06
CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE
WORKROOM CONTRACT ATTY. SR. STAFF ATTY.
RECEPTION
CONFERENCE
FDA LIBRARY
TRAINING ROOM
PRO BONO
WORKROOM
CONFLICTS
OFFICE
05
WORKROOM
PROF. DEV.
OFFICE
04
OFFICE
03
MARKETING
SUBLEASE
HR/LR/LSS
EC/FACILITIES/ITS/IRS/TRAVEL/ACCOUNTING
CONFERENCE MOOT-COURT
RECEPTION
02
STORAGE
COVINGTON MAIN ENTRY
TENANT SPACE
01 MEZZ
HD RECORDS (5,250 LF)
PLICATING, SUPPLY
O CITYCENTER (SOUTH)
SUPPLY STORAGE, GENERAL FOOD SERVICE STORAGE
B1
DEPARTMENT STORAGE/SCIF
ONE CITYCENTER (NORTH)
HD RECORDS (1,700 LF)
B2
HD RECORDS (3,650 LF)
B3
HD RECORDS (3,300 LF)
B4
In 2011 STUDIOS Architecture won an international competition to master plan and design a campus for the Shanghai Dance School. This 915,000 square foot campus includes a 1,000 seat performance theater, a 200 seat rehearsal hall, dormitories for the dancers and several classrooms housed in 4 buildings. In 2013 STUDIOS in partnership with Team 7 Architects won the competition to design the interior spaces including the performance hall, rehearsal hall and classroom buildings. My role on the design team was to create visuals to help communicate design ideas to the clients in China. This included both renderings and models in several iterations.
Shanghai Int’l Dance Center
Architectural Intern | STUDIOS architecture Winter 2013
Two schemes for the main performance auditorium were presented to the client.
Several models were built to help visualize space within the theater using a combination of hand-built techniques and 3D printed parts.
Experiencing architecture is an absolute necessity for a student, because seeing a drawing is nothing like experiencing a space firsthand. Travelling abroad gave me the opportunity to learn another culture through their architecture.
Japan
Summer 2010
The Golden Temple Kyoto, Japan 1000 Torii Gates Kyoto, Japan Imperial Gardens Kanazawa, Japan
Mt. Fuji, 5th Station Naoshima Island
Hikone Open Air Museum Naoshima Island Streets of Tokyo
Photography for me has always been an exploration of my surroundings. Through a camera I am able to investigate details, capture moments of intrigue, reflect on what resonates within me.
Ongoing
Photography
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
Cincinnati, OH
Pittsburgh, PA
Recently I have begun to turn my camera away from architecture and towards people in an attempt to refine my skills and expand my talents. With the help of a friend talented in make-up art, I was able to explore light, shadows, posing and editing techniques unique to portraiture.
Portraits
Photography
Hair/Make up/Model: Julianne Erno
Hair/Make up: Julianne Erno
Hair/Make up/Model: Julianne Erno
Education University of Cincinnati School of Architecture and Interior Design Masters of Architecture | Cincinnati, Ohio | Class of 2015
University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning Bachelor of Science in Architecture | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 2007-2011
Work Experience STUDIOS Architecture Design team member on multiple projects including pre design and schematic design San Francisco, California | August-December 2013
Lehman Smith McLeish
Kathryn Schenk
Design team member for a 420,000 SF law office in downtown DC Washington, DC | January-May 2013
Alibi Studio Lead fabrication designer, installation assistant and photographer for multiple installations Ann Arbor, Michigan | May 2011-2012
Software Experience Rhinoceros, Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, Microstation, AutoCAD, Revit, 3D Printing
Other Experience Assessing Feasibility: Work with Kroger to assess conceptual store designs | Summer 2013 Diffused Spaces: Full scale installation in Flint, Michigan | Spring 2011 Special Topics in Architecture: Study Abroad in Japan | Summer 2010 Loose Fit: Installation assistant for Monica Ponce de Leon and Maciej Kaczynski | Fall 2011 Photography Exhibit at the KDL Library: Caledonia, Michigan | Summer 2012
Extracurricular American Institute of Architecture Students 2007-2011 Alpha Rho Chi. Professional Fraternity of Architects Alumnus 2012
Awards University of Cincinnati Merit Scholarship Participant in Student Showcase Winter 2010 University Honors Six Semesters University of Michigan Regents Merit Scholarship