port folioJC

jennifer cahill

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Clifton Library

Hut Project

Urban Renewal

OTR Fabrication

Residential Studio

Skyscraper 919’

Sinclair College

Thesis

Clifton LibraryCLIFTON, OH

SITUATED in a popular dining and entertainment

district, the current library for the neighborhood

of Clifton is well-used but undersized. Our

program called for expanded adult, children,

and reference sections, along with space for a

growing segment of computer users, and a cafe.

My design consists of one- and two-story 'masses'

designed for these functions, oriented for optimal

views and a variety of spatial experiences. A

glass facade on the first floor allows for pedestrian

interaction at the street level and gives the rest of the

building a lighter feel, despite its vernacular brick

cladding. Walkable green roofs provide respite from

studying and offer some of the best views around.

This project was completed my sophomore

year, and allowed me to learn formZ quickly

through its direct application to a building design.

JCJ

hut projectOXFORD, OH

WHAT ARCHITECTURE student wouldn’t like their

own ‘Studio Hut’ - a place out in the woods to get away

from the chaos of the classroom? With ourselves as

the client, we designed a space for just the basics:

sleeping, bathing, eating, and drafting. My ‘hut’

was inspired by the experience of climbing a tree. A

louvered wall created by 2x12s provides filtered light

and privacy, while a narrow staircase leading up to the

loft and roof hatch gives climbers the satisfaction - and

the rewarding views - of reaching the top of a tall tree.

URBAN RENEWALCINCINNATI, OH

THIS URBAN design studio focused on creating a

socially and environmentally sustainable community

in the inner-city neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine. My

piece of the project was a residential development,

combining infill and an existing building to provide

units for a range of incomes. Garden terraces

and flowing louvers act as key features to draw

middle-class homeowners to the development.

Wealthier residents will provide funding for green

strategies (solar thermal, bike storage, energy star

laundry facilities, etc.) that will benefit ALL residents.

PRIVATE(for 6 units)

PRIVATE(for 1 unit)

PUBLIC(for all units)

SECTION

OUR DESIGN/BUILD STUDIO in Cincinnati's inner-city neighborhood

of Over-the-Rhine focused on Miami University's Center for Community

Engagement. My small group of four designed and constructed display

space for the Center. Panels, a cantilevered display case, and a

hanging projection screen were used not only to pin up materials for

interior display, but also to project the Center's message to passerby. I

had the unique opportunity to work directly with fabricators, consider

community input, and design with great attention to detail and

constructability. More importantly, living in this unique neighborhood

allowed me to experience the political and social aspects of architecture.

OTR FABRICATIONCINCINNATI, OH

RESIDENTIAL STUDIOCLIFTON, OH

DESIGNED for middle-age clients, the program of this

house had to account for visits from two adult children

and accomodate an elderly mother who had recently

moved in. The design makes special considerations

for accessibility, placing all of the house’s important

functions on the upper, entry level. The grandmother’s

quarters are separated from the public living spaces

by a glass atrium, which serves as a spatial buffer

and houses vertical circulation. Within this space,

the stairs serve as a thermal mass to protect the

atrium from excessive temperature changes, and a

two-story garden space allows for future installation

of an elevator shaft. From the exterior, the house is

clad mostly in cedar siding and appears to cantilever

from its northern edge, where the mass of concrete

block visually anchors the building to the ground.

AT 919’ TALL, this Manhattan skyscraper features a transparent

cantilever of banquet halls, bars and sky lounges. Lit from within, the

horizontal stroke of the cantilever counters the verticality of the tower.

To complement the extroverted nature of this public facade, the rest of

the tower is sheathed in the relative opacity and darkness of reflective

bronze glass. The cantilevered mass is separated from the tower by

a narrow canyon, and 2 escalators run through the interstitial space,

pulling passerby off the street and up into the building. Inspired by the

Central-Mid-levels escalator system in Hong Kong, the idea is to bolster

retail above the ground floor by luring consumers in with an escalator

ride and, at the end, the draw of a skinny skybar glazed on five sides.

SKYSCRAPER 919’NEW YORK, NY

UP

UP

UP

LOADING DOCKRETAIL

RETAIL

WEST 31ST STREET

WEST 3OTH STREET

TEN

TH A

VEN

UE

DYE

RAV

ENU

EEXISTING - 12 STORYSTRUCTURE

STUDIO 450EXISTING -SINGLE STORY

STRUCTURE

EXISTINGCONCRETE

DRIVE

141' - 8"

144'

-61/

4 "

0' 10' 20' 40' 80'

6776 SF 2623 SF

2840 SF

HOTELLOBBY5026 SF

RESLOBBY1797 SF

DNDN UPUPUP

1 BDRM

1 BDRM

1 BDRM

1 BDRM

2 BDRM

2 BDRM

3 BDRM

3 BDRM

0' 5' 10' 20' 40'

(880 SF)

(880 SF)

(642 SF)

(1082 SF)

(1181 SF)

(1181 SF)

(1156 SF)

(827 SF)

DNDN UP

UP

SERVICE CORRIDOR

ICE/VENDING

12 3

4 5

7

6

91011

1213

14

15

16

8

0' 5' 10' 20' 40'

UP

UP

DNDN

UP

FOOD SERVICEFOR BANQUET HALL

FOOD SERVICEFOR RESTAURANT

RESTAURANT

BANQUET HALL

0' 5' 10' 20' 40'

residential

hotel

south elevation

SINCLAIR COLLEGEMASON, OH

SINCLAIR’S NEWEST ADDITION (Building B) is designed with

both past and future construction in mind. The main concern

was creating connection through the building - connecting

areas of campus and at the same time ‘connecting’ students

socially. The building’s glass atrium carves a winding canyon

through the stone-clad core of the building, creating access

between the existing building/parking and what will eventually

be a main quad on Sinclair’s Cincinnati campus. At the

same time it provides an enjoyable space for students to

meet, lounge, and study. The circulation core protrudes into

the atrium, activating the space. Diagramatically, the atrium

separates classroom spaces from the shorter library wing.

This studio was intended to familiarize students with creating a

Design Document set. Annotated plans, wall sections, curtain

wall details, and additional drawings are included in that DD set.

NORTH

EAST

SOUTH

WEST

In the vacuum of Outer Space, the usual parameters for architectural design simply don’t apply. There is no gravity, no north arrow, no atmospheric weather – not even a designated up and down. Yet as explorers and researchers venture into such “extreme” environments, drawn by the allure of the unknown, architects will undoubtedly follow. As a profession, we must ask ourselves: what is the architect’s role in extreme environments?

The label of “extreme” suggests a wide spectrum of conditions, from outer space to Earth’s polar regions. As climate change and population growth continue to strain available space and resources, human development will increasingly encroach on these environments. Contrary to popular belief, such intrusion into the natural landscape is not only inevitable but may be beneficial, as exposure to unfamiliar environments produces a population that will advocate on their behalf.

THESIS PROCESSST. JOHN, USVI

[ligh

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JC

My thesis paper examines three frontiers of human exploration: the Arctic, undersea environments, and outer space. Analysis of these three environments highlights the similar design challenges they face. In each, architecture has the opportunity to mitigate extreme conditions such as disorientation, atypical daylight, containment, and lack of familiar sensory stimuli. Designs must be especially sensitive to users’ psychological comfort as they attempt to adapt to their unusual surroundings. In addition, I suggest that architects are uniquely qualified to address the challenges of building in extreme environments, since hostile conditions demand creative solutions to difficult spatial issues.

I presented this paper at the Spaces & Flows conference in Detroit on October 12, 2012. It has been accepted for publishing in “Spaces & Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies.”

The thesis process will culminate in the design of an undersea research station off the coast of the US Virgin Islands, incorporating principles explored in the thesis paper.

THANK YOU