ARCHITECTURE

Experience

I embraced my architectural education as a chance  to experiment with artistic, environmental, and realistic ideas. One of the most gratifying experiences was having the opportunity to witness a project evolve  from design to construction.

As I follow my journey professionally, I continue to thrive in all aspects of design from design development to construction. My thirst for new ideas and exciting projects drives my motivation. However, the most gratifying part of my work has been being able to restore a community and give back to others through design.

Century, FL

Quina Grundhoefer Architects - 2016

The Century United Methodist Church has been serving the small sawmill community of Century, FL, for 114 years. In 2016, a tornado hit Century and destroyed the old church. The community reached out to the firm to help restore their church to its original design. This devastation, however, served as an opportunity to provide a more sophisticated design to the Fellowship Hall addition on the back.

The final plan design uses an enclosed Narthex to connect the Fellowship Hall and Classroom as well as to provide a direct access from the covered drop-off and the back parking lot. This Narthex also allows the kitchen to be used for events in all rooms. It also includes a larger Chancel than the original. The long back porch stairs serve as an ideal photo location during events.

After value engineering, the final façade has a slender cupola which 

heightens the verticality of the design. This feature creates a sense of lightness to the design and alludes to the tall tower of the original church. 

For this project, I was involved from initial design proposals to construction documents.

Century, FL

Quina Grundhoefer Architects - 2016

The Alger-Sullivan Houses are part of a small planned sawmill community in Century, FL. In February 15, 2016, a tornado ravaged the over 100 year old small town and damaged the houses. That year, the county set in motion a project through Florida’s State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) to rebuild the sawmill houses. The objective was to design affordable homes that would restore the character of the original historic community and that could be replicated to replace other homes in the future.

The desire was to provide a two-bedroom plan option for families of one to two people and a three-bedroom plan for larger families. Keeping the owner’s interest in mind, the project also provided several façade, utilities, material, and color options. Part of the objective was to respond to the individuality of each homeowner while enhancing the sense of a unified community. Originally, six homes were designed first, and one more house was added later.

My main challenge on this project was the coordination between these selections.

Shalimar, FL

Quina Grundhoefer Architects - 2018

Shalimar United Methodist Church is a small campus located in Shalimar, Florida. In addition to worship  services, the campus is used as an elementary school during week days. The church members desired to invest on a master plan that would generate a more cohesive campus layout, enhance the use of their current spaces, and house a larger school system. 

To unify, organize, and increase overall security in the campus, the new master plan proposes to build a Narthex between the Sanctuary and the Family Life Center. This Narthex serves as the new main campus entrance to all religious and educational functions. The existing pre-school structure will be demolished and a larger two-story building will be built in its place. The new building will house the pre-school programs on the first floor and the adult and youth educational programs on the second floor. The other campus functions and spaces will remain the same and receive some renovations. 

To showcase the new master plan design, I was tasked with developing several renderings and a Revit walkthrough.

Fairhope, AL

Quina Grundhoefer Architects - 2018

The leaders at Camp Beckwith approached the firm to develop a master plan scheme to improve their campus. Throughout the process, they also requested the firm's service to make smaller renovation projects for the campus. Among these projects was the renovation of an existing cottage into a larger living space for their director. The final design enclosed the existing porch to expand the living and dining room area and added a new porch and bedroom at opposite sides of the cottage. For this project, my involvement consisted on generating design development and construction documents from the architect's sketches.

Footwash, AL

Rural Studio - Fall 2013

Roselee was a previous client of the Rural Studio, a program dedicated to providing affordable housing for impoverished communities in Alabama. Unfortunately, she lost her Rural Studio house to a fire. During the 20th anniversary of the Rural Studio, our third-year studio designed a new house for Roselee and her son Jason.

The 20K houses is a product that the Rural Studio is developing to provide affordable housing with a material cost 

of $20,000. The goal of this project was to explore the design possibilities inherent in the combination of previous 20K house designs. Roselee's House specifically consists of Eddies's and Mac's 20K houses working together as one collective design. Materiality and placement were essential in generating the visual connection of the two distinct structures.

Eddie House Construction (front house)

Mac's House Construction (back house)

Auburn, AL

Hinson + Dagg Architects, LLC - 2015

As an Independent Contractor for Hinson + Dagg Architects, LLC, I worked on several housing projects in which I interacted directly with the clients. My involvement in the Hein House consisted of generating the construction documents from the existing structure for future designs changes. During this project, I learned how  to generate door and window schedules.

Montgomery, AL

Thesis Project - Fall 2015 to Spring 2016

This project acknowledges art and architecture's potential to promote social growth. The derelict downtown area of Montgomery, where the project is located, is slowly growing and has developed a strong performing arts foundation. This project proposes the construction of a Visual Arts Museum that complements the performing arts background and furthers the growth of the downtown.

Concept

Capturing Movement

The  intent was to use art to capture movement and translate it into the architecture of the museum. 

The design process consisted of generating 2D and 3D compositions that would inform the form and details of the building. The 2D compositions were created by superimposing two contrasting  images of slow and fast paced photos on a translucent paper. When the superimposed images were exposed to light, a third image that captures the complexities of movement would emerge. This third complex image would then inform the design composition of the building. One of four superimposed images was selected as the main inspirational guide.

Reception

Sculpture Gallery

Bibb City, GA

Second Year - Fall 2012

The design for this house draws inspiration from the environmental aspects of the site, which vary due to the site's proximity to a river and steep slope. The main environmental strategy relied on a solar chimney for the natural ventilation of the house. 

Two distinct volumes define the uses of the house. The private functions like the bedrooms lie on the heavy, stone volume below, while the common areas of the house are located on the lighter, glass volume above.