SHELBY BURNETT
“The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.” - Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Contents 4
Los Angeles Native American Tribal Library 2017
Corporate
13
Yik Yak Satellite Office 2016
Education
22
Save the Amazon Service Immersion Facility 2016
28
Photography
Library
3RD YEAR INTERIOR DESIGN VIRGINIA TECH A+D SHELBY18@VT.EDU 540.522.8124
Los Angeles Native American Tribal Library 13,000 Sq. Ft. | 4 Weeks | Spring 2017 | Collaboration with Jessie Bean | Revit Inspired by the Native Americans and their interdependence on the land and with nature, this space emulates the natural forms of the Southwestern United States, where the largest population of Native Americans resides. By incorporating principles of biophilic design and mimicking the fluidity and movement of naturally-formed canyons, shaped by wind and water, we focused on connecting modern Native American culture back to their roots within nature. Custom installations within the library convey our concept by creating movement within the space; implementing the use of textures and layering; invoking senses of refuge, prospect, and wonder within users; and experimenting with interactions of light and shadow and how they can impact the library environment. Through our design decisions, we return visitors to a native place, while simultaneously meeting all of the needs of modern-day libraries and tribes.
View of library upon entering
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1. Custom Workstation: This piece was designed to emulate the curves and layering that occur in naturally-formed canyons. It meets both standard and ADA requirements for both height and accessibility. 2. Mezzanine: The curvilinear form of the mezzanine mimics the fluidity and sweeping gestures of canyon walls and creates an interesting aesthetic experience. 3. Ceiling Feature: A custom layered ceiling feature frames the central seating areas and makes an otherwise cavernous space more intimate. 4. “Kids’ Cave:” Evoking the same sense of shelter and refuge while incorporating a fun and playful element, this space encourages the use of technology and offers individual reading nooks. 5. Prospect: Inspired by the “14 Patterns of Biophilic Design,” the mezzanine level offers two moments of prospect and reflection to observe the features and activities occurring below. These locations are destination points within the library and serve as landmarks within the space to aid in wayfinding. 6. Relaxation Booths: Located near one of the locations of prospect, individual booth seating evokes a feeling of shelter for users. Deep shades of purple aid to the calming environment.
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The hallmark of the space is a sculptural ceiling feature that can be viewed from below and above (from the mezzanine). It serves both aesthetic and functional purposes, aiding in noise control within the main social and collaboration space.
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The library provides a variety of spaces ideal for any user. Whether you are reading a book, working on a group project, or need tutoring help, there is a space to support your needs. A favorite of library users are these personal relaxation booths that allow users the perfect amount of privacy and room to spread out, while also giving them a panoramic view of the library and what is happening below.
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Detail of main workstation
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Social Media Satellite Office for Yik Yak
4,200 Sq. Ft. | 3.5 Weeks | Fall 2016 | Individual Project | Revit Yik Yak is a company that wholeheartedly embraces both individuality & commonality among individuals, encouraging users to be themselves & find their “herd.” In the way that a herd functions as a family, so do Yik Yak’s users & employees. The Yik Yak interface serves as a means of connecting individuals whom might not otherwise cross paths, even when within a five-mile radius, & connects individuals through anonymity. The themes of connectedness, locality, & building community are integral to Yik Yak’s values as a company & drive the needs & purpose of this space. Through fostering a comfortable, communal, & collaborative environment, this office aims to facilitate better connections & relationships amongst its employees. Marked by fun breakout spaces, individual work zones, and “communities” of workstations, the office offers a variety of different work settings, focusing on comfort, degrees of enclosure, & user choice, encouraging workers to define how they work.
WHO IS YIK YAK? Yik Yak’s mission is to make the world feel small again. Its founders, Tyler and Brooks, wanted to create a way for people to instantly connect with everyone around them, and so Yik Yak was born. What started on one campus has now grown to over 2,000 campuses across the US and is expanding internationally. Yik Yak is a location-based social network that prides itself on being “hyperlocal” and helps you connect with the people around you, linking you to people within a five-mile radius of your location. By letting you share news, ask questions, offer support, and interact freely with others who are in the same place at the same time, Yik Yak acts as a springboard for discovering, meeting, and connecting with people in your local community. Yik Yak helps you find your herd.
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SAY HELLO TO DEREK. His favorite thing about working at Yik
Yak is the fun atmosphere and the employee perks. He loves the collaboration that occurs in the “think tank� & its close proximity to the kitchen, where employees enjoy free snacks & coffee all day.
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SAY HELLO TO BEN. When he isn’t hard at work, you might catch
Ben in an intense game of ping-pong. He embodies what it truly means to work at Yik Yak: grind hard, put the herd first and have fun in the meantime. His favorite spot in the office is the conference room because the table doubles as a ping-pong table.
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Section of Community Kitchen, “Think Tank,” + Brainstorming Pod (facing west)
Section of South Side
Section of North Side
Elevation of Reception Desk + Wall
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Building on three key principles that Yik Yak’s platform embraces, the office is structured to support a range of activities and purposes. Community: Yik Yak’s sense of community is integral to its mission. It is intended to link total strangers and create meaningful connections without ever even having seen the other person. This “Community”minded attitude is reinforced through the main breakout and ideation spaces. These spaces foster connections among people, whether it be through socializing, sharing ideas, or just hanging out. Locality: With the goal to connect people that are geographically close to one another, “Locality” builds a stronger community. This is translated into the space through the “neighborhoods” of workstations, separated into four groups of four employees each. By grouping desks into “communities” that house people from various fields of expertise (e.g., one “neighborhood” might include one person from marketing, one software engineer, one graphic designer, and one software designer), employees are exposed to a range of ideas and are able to learn from one another, as well be a part of a smaller community within the Yik Yak family. Individuality: Yik Yak promotes commonality while simultaneously embracing individuality and teaches us to appreciate our differences and realize how much we also coincidentally may have in common with the people around us. Including individual work spaces throughout the office gives people the ability to work by themselves at times.
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SAY HELLO TO JUSTIN. Justin is especially inspired
by how companies brand themselves, and Yik Yak is no exception. This is his favorite spot for focused, headsdown work and to observe Yik Yak’s brand in action in this vibrant pop-art mural.
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SAY HELLO TO JULIE. Her favorite thing about working at Yik Yak is the people. She loves her coworkers and can often be found socializing in the lounge, the gathering space between the four “neighborhoods� of workstations.
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A SAVE THE AMAZON EDUCATION INITIATIVE
Save the Amazon Service Learning Orientation Facility
3,700 Sq. Ft. | 3 Weeks | Fall 2016 IDEC Competition | Collaboration with Meredith Tobias | Revit E/MMERSED: A Save the Amazon Education Initiative, located on a brownfield site near Coral Gables, FL, and the University of Miami, is inspired by the biological vibrancy and intricacy of the Amazon rainforest. Adapted from and inspired by the layers of the rainforest, primarily the canopy layer, the spaces within the facility experiment with different forms, degrees of enclosure, and interactions with light. The indigenous people of the Amazon believe the “rainforest is the home of spiritual life” (Kennedy) and believe that all natural elements - plants and animals - in the rainforest have spiritual value. This space uses these natural elements and their meaning and purpose to shape our space. Drawing inspiration from the indigenous people, the space strives to integrate “traditional elements and natural materials with contemporary forms and materials” throughout the design (Asojo, A.O. & T, T), while also incorporating sustainability.
The layout of the space emulates the structure of the rainforest tree system, comprised of spaces that represent the activity level of the four tree layers: the forest floor, the understory, the canopy, and the emergent layer. Each of these layers is marked by varying levels of interaction among species. The interactions among different species parallels to that of the students that will use this space and, thus, we have designed spaces that can accommodate different levels of interaction, collaboration, and reflection and help to address the needs of service-learning education. The E/MMERSED service learning center will be located just outside the southwest Miami city of Coral Gables, FL. In close proximity to the University of Miami, the area reflects the “youthful vibrancy” (Coral Gables, 2016) of the student body and offers easily accessible faculty to collaborate with for the educational center. This area boasts an excellent public transportation system, called the Miami metrorail, enabling students and employees to travel with ease. Coral Gables has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability through its “Tree City USA” recognition and promotes energy, water, and waste efficiency. The chosen site, specifically, is located on a current brownfield site that would be remediated before building the educational center, as an initiative by Save the Amazon to give back to the community. This commitment to their parks and positively contributing to the environment parallels nicely with the intended mission of the center - to “serve as the orientation and educational space for individuals embarking on a service-learning trip to the Amazon Basin of South America” and to promote service to the environment and conservation efforts in the Amazon.
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1 The green wall featured in the reception contains several varieties of mosses and indoor plants that act as natural air humidifiers and purifiers by removing VOCs and other harmful toxins like benzene and formaldehyde, as well as provide a visual connection to nature. 2 Inspired by the indigenous cultures of the Amazon, the space juxtaposes “traditional elements and natural materials with contemporary forms and materials” (Asojo, A.O. & T, T) through the selection of furniture, materials, and native artifacts as accents. 3 As most of the plant and animal life in the rainforest is found in the canopy layer, a clearly-defined, central “activity” zone houses large-group workspaces, the highest-density and highest-activity spaces. 4 Flexible and movable furniture pieces allow students to shape their space for informal conversation and reflection, large group collaboration, or individualized tasks. 5 Large group spaces accommodate large group instruction and reflection, a necessary component of service-learning education. 6 Small group spaces allow for more indivualized reflection and tasks and accomodate students that might prefer a smaller setting. 7 The use of bamboo floors throughout not only address the need for sustainability in design as a rapidly renewable resource, but also aid in giving the space a more natural, authentic atmosphere. 8 Incorporating writeable surfaces transforms the entire space into a classroom and allows for rapid sharing of ideas, as well as helps define different zones within the space. 9 Providing integrated technology, touch screen TV walls, and projectors aids in enhancing instruction by creating a more fun and interactive learning environment.
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The “canopy” feature spans the center of the space, providing diffused washes of light that give the space a warm glow, much how the rainforest canopy functions. Overlapping triangular elements constructed from cork panels provide overhead shelter and a sense of refuge, which can aid in increasing occupant comfort in the space. The ceiling feature not only utilizes a rapidly-renewable material, but also serves as a sound absorptive barrier over heavily-populated collaboration spaces. Placing this feature over the highest-density and highest-activity learning spaces in the center of the building reflects the liveliness and abundance of life in the canopy layer of the rainforest.
Line of sight diagram (informed placement of “canopy” feature)
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A small-group setting positioned adjacent to the large open “classroom� space allows for a more intimate work environment and allows the larger group to break up throughout the day for smaller group discussions. Equipped with writable surfaces and various technology, the space promotes collaboration and focused group work.
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PHOTOGRAPHY
Exploring Photography as a Passion: Selected Works Outside of design, photography is one of my greatest passions. It not only helps me relieve stress, but also literally gives me a change of perspective. There is something so poignant about what is observed through a lens. You become more attuned to your surroundings, more observant, and, ultimately, more appreciative. Photographs represent a millisecond of one’s life, the blink of an eye. They can never be recreated quite the same, which, while frustrating, is what I think I love most about photography. The reward in capturing a “great” image means that much more, knowing it can never be recreated. My favorite subjects to photograph are nature and buildings. I’ve always been drawn to photography and, no matter where I go, I always have a camera on me, even if my iPhone is as good as it can get at the moment. Learning how to compose a good photograph has helped me be more observant in design and has taught me a lot about composition within design itself. I am always searching for an aged door, dramatic shadows, a sunset, or another other great composition for my next shot.
“Wonder” exhibit at the Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Main living area in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater
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La Menagere in Firenze
Muted tones in Venice canal
Photography 31
Michelangelo’s David at Galleria dell’Accademia, Firenze
Vibrant canals of Venice
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Entry exhibit made of recycled materials from previous Biennale, Venice
Exhibit by Peter Zumthor at Biennale Architettura 2016, Venice
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SHELBY BURNETT
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PERMANENT ADDRESS:
407 Hunt Club Road Apt. 37B Blacksburg, VA 24060
44 Valley Lane Washington, VA 22747
TELEPHONE: 540.522.8124
EMAIL: shelby18@vt.edu
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