A prime located but long-empty site at the intersection of 14th and Wyandotte in Downtown Kansas City has been the site of many proposed high-rise buildings over the past 20 years. The Century Tower offers a new design approach for consideration: A mixed-use office / condo / retail tower, inspired by the many art-deco skyscrapers dominating the Kansas City skyline, that provides an iconic addition to the continued revival of the city’s urban core. Pushing the boundaries of this century’s building and construction methods, the project is composed of two primary masses: a 6-story podium base, (housing highly desired Class-A office space, a community market, an expansive roof garden, and private parking garage) and an 18-story mass-timber tower (housing 98 luxury condominiums and shared amenity spaces.) Highly sustainable throughout, the facade design utilizes familiar art-deco design language in a contemporary manner while taking advantage of the ecological advancements of mass-timber, ceramic-clad skin, triple glazed glass, and highly recyclable copper and brass accents.
This concept is a continued work-in-progress, allowing for exploration in new design technologies within an active urban context.
Concept property of OMNIPLAN
This 350 unit multifamily concept offers an elegant local residence for many future tech-sector workers currently flooding the Phoenix market. Taking inspiration from the many mid-century modern architectural icons across the greater Phoenix area, the Horizon concept proposes a formal aesthetic of clean lines, simple massing, and subtle ornamentation that enhances the desire for contemporary housing for those with a sophisticated and discerning taste.
Of utmost priority to the architectural team were four general Design principles: User Comfort, Longevity, Site Appropriateness, and Emphasizing Views. By maximizing the building footprint, the concept makes the most of the available site while formally announcing a presence as the only multifamily project within the greater masterplan. While maximizing the available net-rentable square footage, this move challenged the design team by restricting areas for exterior balconies and open space. This was resolved by: First, insetting unit balconies, which create semi-enclosed outdoor rooms that become natural extensions of the units and provide residents ample access to the outdoors, while also creating self-shading outdoor areas to avoid direct solar exposure. Secondly, a slice was cut through the North and South sides of the building, as well as carving a two-story paseo through the connecting spine, creating two separate but connected courtyards around which residents can congregate. Amenities for the building are scattered both vertically and horizontally across the site, allowing for residents to feel directly connected to the community. The courtyards, housing active amenities such as the pool and fitness buildings, wrap around a glass-enclosed co-working hub. The two-story lobby reaches up and greets residents and guests as they arrive, and encourage them to travel to the top of the building where a sky lobby and lounge greet them on the 5th floor. To the North, bike storage and pet amenities welcome visitors as they make their way a short walk to an inter-connected ribbon-like walking park connecting the overall masterplan.
Taking material cues inspired by the American Southwest, the building attempts to re-contextualize stucco and light-cream colored brick into a contemporary Desert Modern language. Hints of dark bronze, copper, and metal panels keep the material palette further grounded in the desert surrounds.
Concept property of Helix Architecture + Design
Located in the heart of the eclectic Santa Fe Art District on the West side of downtown Denver, this project proposed a 209-unit multifamily development that draws visual and geometric cues from the surrounding neighborhood while emphasizing stunning views of the panoramic mountain ranges unique to Colorado. The ~145,000 sq. ft. development would include ground level retail, multiple shared rooftop amenities spaces, a private pool, sustainable approaches to on-site energy production and water recycling, dedicated bike storage for residents, and an underground 215-space parking garage. Following the existing neighborhood art walk, consisting of multiple public art murals, the proposal would collaborate with local artists to become a backdrop to contribute to this unique neighborhood artistic identity.
Utilizing conceptual design sketches, I evolved the initial concept through schematic design and proposal to the client. Digital model created using Sketchup, renderings created using Enscape and Photoshop.
Mixed-Use District Feasibility Plan and Concept Design property of OMNIPLAN
Exploring options for a 5.5 acre urban site with direct adjacency to DART light rail. With a prime central location and nearby attractions such as Northpark Center and Shops at Park Lane, we explored how a former big-box retail site could
a) be transformed into a multi-phased vibrant live-work-play community while also
b) providing unique solutions to integrate new construction with existing buildings both on and adjacent to the site.
After thorough massing and site design studies, we ultimately proposed two options for the client to consider: A suburban style mid-rise commuter community that re-uses existing building stock, and an urban style high-rise community that sets the foundation as a future mixed-use destination.
Concept and Feasibility Study property of OMNIPLAN
Situated between the Knox-Henderson and Uptown neighborhoods of Dallas, Cole Park has been a quiet oasis of the Central Expressway residential corridor for decades. Following renovation of the park in 2010, the area’s desirable location has primed itself for increased density. Our proposal for the Cole Avenue Tower anchors the Southwest corner of the park on a postage-stamp parcel. Inspired by more recent as well as historic existing built context, our concept aims to provide the next step in the neighborhood’s natural evolution while taking advantage of incredible Downtown skyline views, providing residents with direct access to Cole Park’s many outdoor amenities. During this pursuit we provided the developer with a variety of multifamily scales and construction types to maximize potential development use on the site.
Concept property of OMNIPLAN
Dubbed 'the creative hub of food, fashion, special events, films, and anytime-style inspiration in Alabama', this luxury shopping complex just outside of Birmingham seeks to retain it's image as the go-to retail destination in the metro area. Ownership engaged OMNIPLAN to explore inventive options to redevelop areas of the outdoor mall showing signs of age and to help position the complex for future growth potential. The concept proposed a series of surgical interventions that would create a series of destination 'nodes' while maintaining uninterrupted operations to the surrounding existing retailers. The proposal also provided future growth options for specific target tenants, focusing the nodes around outdoor pedestrian-focused destinations: The Great Lawn, Luxury Oasis, and The Neighborhood.
Based on conceptual design sketches and site plan diagrams, I created a digital model of the proposal and articulated further design details of The Great Lawn and Luxury Oasis nodal areas. Digital model created using Sketchup.
Concept and Feasibility Study property of OMNIPLAN
In Charlotte’s trendy, post-industrial South End neighborhood we explored mixed-use high-rise options for a client looking to capitalize on a prime site with enviable views towards the Downtown skyline. Our approach was informed heavily by existing context and our detailed environmental analysis, allowing solar and wind studies to dictate the massing of the building form. The resultant tower proposal emphasizes the verticality of the tower mass and includes a mix of luxury condominiums, a 220 key hotel with public amenity roof deck, and a ground floor restaurant space directly adjacent to a popular commuter rail line.
Auburn University Alagasco Design Competition Submission
Interactive VR interior panorama can be found HERE
The Mobile Timber Towers Project came out of a months-long investigation into the urban fabric of downtown Mobile, AL. Once a thriving industrial port, the city now finds itself devoid of residents and lacking consistent economic drivers. To help battle these shortcomings, our studio proposed a city master plan that introduces a new tech sector into the downtown core. The Mobile Timber Towers proposal is imagined as the crowning icon of this new tech sector and home to young professionals the city desperately needs. The Timber Towers plan combines public/private, commercial/residential into one hybrid complex for the Mobile of today and tomorrow, with a focus on pedestrian circulation. Based on the work of SOM’s 2013 Timber Towers Research project, the project utilizes a concrete jointed timber framed structural system, which utilizes cross-laminated timber as the main structural element, reinforcing weak points at connections with concrete. Using this technique, it is estimated that the embodied carbon footprint can be reduced by 60 to 75 percent when compared to a benchmark concrete building. Formally, rather than rigidly adhering to the Map for Mobile Municipal Building Code, this proposal challenges the notion of what constitutes a traditional contextual icon within the downtown city fabric. Unifying the towers is a consistent material palate of cross-laminated timber structure, expansive glass, and hints of Spanish tile. These tributes to the shared history, culture, and economy of the city make this proposal not only a desirable location for housing but also creates a new landmark specifically designed to pay homage to the incredibly diverse nature of the city of Mobile while providing hope to a new, growing future.
The challenge: Design a communal cabin retreat for you and your invited guests in a specific desired location anywhere worldwide.
The concept: A contemporary take on the Norwegian A-frame cabin, designed in a modular fashion to allow for sets of 1-3 cabins to be spread across the site, a private island off the coast of Oslo. The cabins are perfectly sized for a 2-3 people, and includes a full bath, kitchenette, wood-burning fireplace, and a loft for sleeping or storage. The entire cabin fits on a 14’ x 14’ pad and is designed to be constructed over the course of a long weekend.
Interior Architecture Degree Thesis, Auburn University
Adaptive reuse and renovation of former real estate offices
Interactive VR interior panorama can be found HERE
Architecture and interior design should strengthen life and the emotive and biological existence of its users. This can be achieved through the integration of the elements of the theory of biophilic design, first introduced by biologist Edward O. Wilson in his book, “Biophilia” (1984). He defined Biophilic design as “the urge to reconnect people to the natural environment” and is characterized in design by geometric coherency, that is, “that the physical space must have such a geometrical configuration able to exalt the connections between the human and natural dimensions”. Upon research into such geometrical configurations, it was discovered that a hexagonal shape is one of three regular shapes found in nature that form continuous cell structures in a flat plane (the others being equilateral triangles and squares). Of the three, hexagon cells require the least total enclosure length, making them the most efficient in a cell. Thus, the proposal aims to test the theory of Biophilia through manipulation of the chosen hexagon shape in differing use of scale, transformation, cellular array, and material differentiation. The concept was initially explored through surface patterning and material manipulation in the floor/ceiling planes executed around a simplified open floorplan. Due to the deep, dark existing structure, an attempt was made to break up this monotony and invite as much light into the floor-plate as possible. This was achieved by installing an undulating cellular ceiling punched through with hexagonal skylights positioned over workspaces. The graphic design office proposes an irregular plan and simplified ceiling plane which takes advantage of the generous height and natural light of the existing clerestory windows of the second building. This space encourages a more relaxed work environment meant to ease stress and unburden the cognitive systems of the user.
Adjacent to the recently expanded Selma Interpretive Center and down the street from the Edmund Pettus Bridge, internationally recognized as the location of the famous Selma Civil Rights march, lies the site of the former Cahaba Furniture warehouse. The main aim of the project was to recover and adaptively reuse as much of the existing structure as possible while transforming the site into a new multi-purpose hall and event center.
The Amelia Boynton-Robinson Event Center, named after the civil rights activist and longtime Selma resident, proposes to establish a community dialogue between old and new by acknowledging the marks of the past while showcasing the possibilities of the future. The most important aspect of the project focuses on the covering elements: the front and rear facades and the ceiling/roof plane. The entire system is conceived as an architectural shell that is gently supported over the remains of an existing void. The project retains the existing facade on the street while restoring it as the main entrance, while introducing elements on the interior such as an elevated mezzanine and historically accurate punched apertures. The overhead vaulted canopy, made of a taut semi-transparent scrim fabric, lit from below to provide the illusion of depth while drawing the eye upward. The interior elevations are designed with a white perforated hollow brick which reinforces the contrast between old and new through subtle expressions of difference, while also holding acoustic dampening properties. The new rear facade rises as a collection of monolithic brick and wide apertures allowing glimpses of the social complexity of the city. From the street, the perception of the old facade is restored, whereas inside, the building offers a new community focused space for special gatherings and events.
Set within the Davis Arboretum at Auburn University, this multi-functional outdoor classroom and pavilion serves as a mysterious refuge of solitude and reflection. A repetitive vertical wood screen acts as a unifying skin, while the overhead fabric canopy frames a massive central oculus, protecting against the elements while evenly distributing light throughout the volume. At the center of the oculus sits a smokeless flame enclosed in glass, hearkening back to the base instinct of human gatherings around fire. Bi-fold retractable glazing allows for the space to open up to the surroundings, but also serve to block out noise during times of instruction. Nestled between two existing pathways and five surrounding frees, the proposal aims to have as little negative environmental impact as possible. This idea is manifested metaphorically by terminating the rain-screen six inches above the ground, providing the illusion that the building is floating. This allows the user to feel a sense of escape while experiencing the awe of natural beauty around them. Formally, the circular shape of the building was derived by navigating around existing trees and land formations in an attempt to gently insert the form into its surroundings. The glulam skeleton of the building, prefabricated off site, is designed for easily assembly, aiming to reduce traditional construction time by as much as 60%.
