. architecture .
. art .
. design thinking .
SeyiramTorkornoo torko22s@mtholyoke.edu . + 1413.275.3511
SEYIRAM FRANCES TORKORNOO
50 College Street South Hadley, MA 01075 torko22s@mtholyoke.edu 4132753511
Education
Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA
AugDec 2013
Danish Institute for Study Abroad, Copenhagen, Denmark Interior Architecture
Skills
Computer: Adobe Creative Suites: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign Drupal, AutoCad Architecture, Rhinoceros, Picasa, Final Cut Pro, Vectorworks
May 2015
Candidate for Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies
GPA: 3.521
Creative: Drawing, Design Thinking, Painting, Modelmaking, Sketching Language: English, Intermediate French, Twi and Fante
Professional Experience Dec 2014Jan 2015
Architecture Intern, Adjaye Associates, Accra, Ghana Assisted in the remodeling of light panels in office and conference spaces of a corporate building in Dakar, Senegal using AutoCAD and Rhinoceros Researched and proposed appropriate foliage to be used for the landscaping of office building
JuneAug 2014
Design Intern, SCALE Africa, Brooklyn, NYC Worked directly with the Executive Director to redesign the bathroom arrangement of two apartments in New York City using Vectorworks Assisted in the event planning of SCALEAfrica's fourth annual Fall Benefit for 500 guests
June-
Development Intern, Free Arts NYC for Abused Children, NYC
Aug 2013
Analyzed current social media traffic and proposed three different strategies to increase the Facebook, Twitter and website activity of Free Art NYC’s social media accounts Researched and reached out to 50 public relations officers of different organizations to support Free Arts NYC’s annual Free Arts Day
JuneAug 2012
Web Designer, Communications Office, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley Co-designed and created a more interactive interface for Mount Holyoke College’s 175th anniversary web page using Drupal
Leadership & Involvement May 2013present
African Co-Chair, Mount Holyoke African and Caribbean Students’ Association, MHC Oversee the duties of the executive board and preside over all general, executive and emergency meetings Spearheads the planning of the annual African and Caribbean cultural show for 350+ undergraduates, including organizing performers and contacting vendors
Aug 2012present
Community Advisor, Residential Life Department , Mount Holyoke College Organize four to six different floor events for twenty five residents to create an inclusive, friendly and safe environment Design three floor bulletin boards to inform, educate and brighten the appearance of the floor Serve as peer counselor and first point of conflict resolution among roommates
Activities
June-Aug 2013
Multicultural Arts Management Program, Arts & Business Council of New York, NYC
Oct 2010-May 2011
Art Therapy, Deveme Community Service, Volta Region, Ghana
Contents architecture
-The Akwaaba Arts Center -Nitobe Memorial Hall -The Exploded Folkekøkken
art
-Cardboard Tree -Pretty Hurts -The Wait -September’s Love Story -Strangers.Friends.Lovers
design thinking
-Bike Barn
The Akwaaba Arts and Culture Center Arch 395/ Capstone Project Spring 2015
The Akwaaba Arts and Culture Center semi-private semi-public
private
The Akwaaba Arts and Culture Center is a semester long design project to design an arts and culture center located in Accra, Ghana. The vision of this project is to create a space that is accessible, spacious,vibrant and reflective of Ghanaian culture.The spatial concept of this space is inspired by a Ghanaian adinkra symbol that represents authenticity, creatibity and dynamism. To allow some of the main users of this space to create a space that is relevant, sustainable and reflective of culture, the structure of the individual programs are designed in a kid-of-parts technique that consists of a wide range of panel structures in bamboo and terracotta. The artists can then put their structure together depending on how public to private they want their spaces to be.
public
Ananse Ntontan ‘a spider’s web’
Hub for authenticity, creativity and dynamism
Roof System
Structural System 12’ 4’
3’
PRIVATE (100%)
10’
5’
5’
5’
PUBLIC (100%)
The Akwaaba Arts and Culture Center
Exhibition
Living Space Restaurant
Art Stalls
N
Masterplan showing placement of programs and movement across the site
The Akwaaba Arts and Culture Center
Section showing differences in height of programs
Rendering showing how exhibition space in relation to art stalls
Rendering showing relation between restaurant, exhibition and art stalls
Nitobe Memorial Hall Arch 403/ Design V Studio Fall 2014
Nitobe Memorial Hall
The vision of the Nitobe Memorial Hall is to commemorate the philanthrophy of Mr. Inazo Nitobe, a Japanese agriculturist and author of Bushido. To ensure that the spirit of Nitobe is shared and passed down from generations to generations, principles from the book Bushido is highlighted through the spaces created.
Nitobe Memorial Hall
SECTION 3
NURSING MOTHERS
CLASSROOM
SECTION 1 BATHROOM
LIBRARY/ ARCHIVES LOBBY/ COMMUNITY CENTER
ENTRANCE FROM PARK
RECEPTION
ENTRANCE FROM SIDEWALK
CLIMATE CONTROLLED ROOM
EXHIBITION
First floor plan
Second Floor Plan
To highlight the principles Politeness, Loyalty, Honor and Honesty that are expressed in Nitobe’s Bushido, the different programs were grouped according to the principle that best fits it. Materials were used to visually strengthen these principles. Wood, a modest material, is used in the public space to highlight Politeness. Stone, a material that oozes strength, is used in the exhibition space to emphasize Nitobe’s honor. Polished concrete, a somewhat reflective material is used in the classroom space to describeloyalty and glass is the materialused in the library space.
Nitobe Memorial Hall
Exterior view of Hall highlighting Nitobe’s spirit through materiality
Nitobe Memorial Hall
Exterior view of Hall highlighting Nitobe’s spirit through materiality
The Exploded Folkekøkken Arch 151/ Interior Architecture Foundation Fall 2013, Copenhagen
The Exploded Folkekøkken was designed as a community soup kitchen that brought people from the lower to middle class families together. There are four urban gardens created at the different corners of the building. These urban gardens serve as a source of education for children, a community to grow food and bond. The urban gardens were exploded into corners of the building as a strategy to enhance the smell and presence of food and vegetables throughout the building.
The Exploded Folkekøkken
CONCEPT spatial qualities Exploded greenhouse Urban gardening
playful freedom bonding
Playful Reminiscent of fruits & vegetables
user focus locals children
The Exploded Folkekøkken
Playful Growth Bonding
Urban Gardening Freedom, Relax, Nature
Playful, Freedom Bonding, Community Playful, Growth, Relax Growth, Education Open, Connected spaces
The Exploded Folkekøkken
Model showing interior of the soup kitchen and how the urban gardens relate with the interior
Cardboard Tree Sculpture 204, Sculpture 1 Spring 2012, Seyiram Torkornoo, Michelle Olguin, Lori Lamberto, Rinat Degani
Cardboard tree was a sculpture built through the collaboration of four Sculpture 1 students. It is a space designed for recreation. The cardboard material allows for two different kind of surfaces to be created. The rough, stem-like texture of the outside versus the smooth texture of the interior. 15
Cardboard Tree
Interior showing how light comes through the ceiling.
Visualizing text is an interest I pursue consciously and unconsciously everyday. Using paint to tell stories inspired by song lyrics, literature or simply a thought about an everyday life event is my way of capturing moments and passing it on. By creating set-ups using everyday still life objects, I wish to explore the art of storytelling by drawing inspiration from texts and other artistic pieces. These set-ups may, in turn, inuence the creation of another piece; thus generating a potentially inďŹ nite cycle of storytelling.
Paintings
Pretty Hurts. 2013
The Wait. 2014
Paintings
Strangers. Friends. Lovers. 2014 September’s love story. 2013
Design Thinking Innovation through Design Thinking Fall 2013, Copenhagen
Design Thinking
During my semester abroad, four students and I undertook a project to solve one of the major issues international students studying abroad in Copenhagen were facing. To arrive at a final solution, my team mates and I observed, interviewed, underwent many prototypes and tested our solution. Below is a link to a video describing our project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPH_N26V3UY&feature=youtu.be
How might we ensure every DIS student with an interest in biking receives one easily and is adequately equipped to enjoy and sustain biking throughout the semester