elizabeth kovacevic

Elizabeth Kovacevicekovacev@tulane.edu(317)840-13057204 Willow St.New Orleans, LA 70118

projecting spaces fall 2011

malleable surfaces fall 2013

n. o. culinary institute spring 2012

connecting currents spring 2013

urbanBUILD08 fall 2012

suspension of disbelief fall 2013

parametric modeling spring 2013

2D multimedia

the horizon spring 2011

studio work

additional design research

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connecting currentsThe London Avenue directly connects Dillard University and University of New Orleans at the lakefront. This projects aims to connect the two schools and the community to the wetland ecosystem that surrounds New Orleans with access to water quads and on site wetlands. The undisturbed wetlands at the west side of the canal would be kept in their current condition and would be open to the public and both universities. The canal walls would be torn down and a bike and pedestrian path would take its place. This would create a more direct connection between Dillard and UNO. It would also reinvent the canal as a public community space.The program created for the site would include dorms to increase Dillard’s on-campus housing. Also included would be an environmental center where students and the public could learn more about the adjacent ecosystem. Lastly, a track would be incorporated into the site work. The track could be used for practices and events for both the Dillard and UNO track teams. With bridges and path connecting all of the program, the site would be easily accessible to everyone. The wetlands would be tightly connected to the built environment.

bridge across Lodon Avenue Canal

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overlooking water quad from dormitory site plan

low water level normal water level high water level

aerial view

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high water level site circulation bioremediation

The French Quarter is one of the most historical neighborhoods in the country. One of the most telling characteristics is the incorporation of courtyards in this dense urban space. In this design, for a public library, the courtyard was designed as a large open space with spaces cantilevered into it. This allows for views of the seldom seen spaces of the French Quarter. The main part of the building holds the stacks, public meeting space, and staff offices. The projecting rooms are reserved for more social spaces such as the reading rooms, computer lab and kids' area. Cantilevering these 'special' spaces into the courtyard increases the interaction of people and this important, dominant green space. The projecting spaces are also able to be opened, creating cross ventilation and an outdoor experience that isn't found in many public buildings. The courtyard itself has shifted planes that allow for seating. There is also an incorporated reflecting pool and water feature that will help retain water during downpours. Around the courtyard and the facades, the building uses a system of glazing and perforated metal panels. These panels break up the facade to be more contextual. There are also voids in the facades that have been pushed back, creating balconies that are a common feature in the French Quarter.

projecting spaces

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process diagram showing views water retention

natural ventilation

blocking southern sun

view from cantilevered space

detailed section

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second floor plan

view on top of a balcony

Toulouse St. elevation

view of the lobby

detail sectional model

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The importance of nature was the main focus of this design. The program was a leadership camp in Acadia National Park, Maine. The six separate, cave-like cabins are arranged to isolate their views. The paths that move to the main house move the camper from a closed, isolated space to an expansive, public space. The water that flows along the circulation represents the scheme's culmination at one point, the meditation point. The site layout is organized so that it resembles a river system, with all the paths leading downhill to the group locations and the dock. The wet climate is emphasized by this dendritic system and the channels along the pathways that collect water as it flows to the ocean and the meditation point.

the horizon

rendering from meditation point

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1020406080site planplan of a cabin

rendering from cabin

4010 20 60 80

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The New Orleans Culinary Institute site was located in the midst of the historic OC Haley Boulevard. The program given for this site was large, looming over the smaller buildings around it. To solve the problems of this site issue, the building was split into three different masses. The plinth is where the building meets the ground. It borders the edge of the site to emphasize its commercial and public qualities. The restaurant and other public spaces are housed here. The top of the plinth acts as a second ground floor, with a green roof and gardens on it. The school component rests on top of the plinth and houses all of the classrooms and teaching kitchens. The translucent and transparent facade panels create a lighter feeling than the spaces below. The plan is rotated on these upper levels to incorporate large covered outdoor spaces. The third element is the circulation. It is a wedge shape that splices through the two other masses. It connects them and connects the gardens to the city through views.

n. o. culinary institute

OC Haley exterior

massing diagram

school

plinth

circulation

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urbanbuild 8This project was a part of the Tulane School of Architecture’s urbanBUILD project. The semester was spent designing a mixed use building in the heart of the La Salle Corridor, a run-down neighborhood. Harmony, the client, is a development firm who has built the new housing projects in the neighborhood. The first phase of the building consists of a café, a retail space, and two one-bedroom apartments. The project was tackled by working in teams who specialized in certain aspects of the building. As a part of the cladding team, I have included the façade option my team worked on. Our option included many layers to be contextual. The brick and the screen wrap the glass and hardie-panel mass of the building. Project Team: Rianna Bennett, David Campanella, Victor du Peloux, Lauren Evans, Drew Hauck, Elizabeth Kovacevic, Beau Lacroix, Daniel McDonald, Dave Namaky, John Nelson, Dennis Palmadessa, Julien Remond, Kyle Ryan, Aaron Schenker, Nora Schwaller, Alexander Shporer, Matthew Skoda, Roland Solinski, Joshua Ungar, William Nemitoff, Yueqi ‘Jazzy’ LiHarmony Neighborhood Development: Una Anderson, Charles Cutno, Nora Hickson, and Michael HellierProject Team Leaders: Byron Mouton AIA, Director of URBANbuild, and Matt DeCotiis MArch, Adjunct Faculty

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material diagram

UP

UP

Terrace

Bath BathService

KitchenStorage

Loading/Res. Access

Dining Room

CoffeeBar

Apts.Access

OutdoorDining

EventBar

Sales Area

Loading

Office/Storage

Bath

Terrace

first floor plan

view from La Salle

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Working under the assumption that Cirque du Soleil is establishing a base in New Orleans, this project tries to create a building that embodies the spirit of the Circus of the Sun. The service spaces (locker rooms, storage, and parking) create a plinth on which the other program elements sit. A public pathway moves onto the plinth and cuts through the site. The interior circulation runs perpendicular to the public circulation, creating a cruciform organizational scheme. The site is split two ways that separate long-span vs. short-span and performers vs. staff. The multi-purpose room is suspended over the public plaza to create an outdoor performance space.The building acts as a billboard for Cirque du Soleil by creat-ing a performance that is highly visible along Tchoupitoulas, a high-speed street. The cladding also becomes a literal billboard with its LED mesh screen. During the day, this screen also creates a translucent veil that disrupts the visual connection between the public and the performers to reinforce the mysticism of Cirque du Soleil.

suspension of disbelief

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BACK OF HOUSE

FRONT OF HOUSE

SHORT S

PAN (L

IGHT)

LONG SP

AN (HEA

VY)

HORIZONTAL CIRCULATION

VERTICAL CIRCULATION

studio c assembly area storage

acces.

wood work

cafe/bar audio-visual library

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c

d

PUBLIC CIRCULATION

PUBLIC OPEN SPACE

PUBLIC CIRCULATION

INTERIOR CIRCULATION

public performance on plinth

plinth level floor plan

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overlooking practice room

facade at night

east facade

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long section d

short section b

street performance and Cirque performance

Using a 3-axis CNC machine, the team explored ways to create malleable surfaces from solid material by milling away material. The process consisted of a material study to find the best material to create the malleable surface. After experimenting with acrylic and multiple types of wood, American beech was chosen for its flexibility and tensile strength. Also explored were the milling patterns that can be used to get different degrees of bending. Following the exploration process, a coffee table was designed and prototyped using the information gathered earlier. The table uses three boards that are milled into at different areas to create curves in the continuous surface. Tension cables are used to keep the curves in place If mass produced, the table would be shipped easily in a flat pack and assembled on site by the owner.

Project team: Christian Ardeneaux, Madison Baker, Ryan Kilpatrick, Elizabeth Kovacevic

malleable surfaces

detail of malleable surface

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To investigate parametric modeling, two projects were created using top-down and bottom-up techniques. The first project (right page) was a ‘lamp’ whose script can be easily changed to create multiple different iterations. Three of the infinite iterations were then 3D printed. Because the lamps were started from nothing and then built up using lines and points, it uses the top-down technique. The second project (left page), using the bottom-up technique, started with a physical model that was then imported digitally using a 3D scanner. The surface was then manipulated to create texture and to respond to external data. The individual panels in this ‘cave’ follow and point towards the person moving through the space. The size of openings also increases as the person approaches, giving view outside of the space. The two different techniques ended in two very different projects that both use parametric modeling.

parametric modeling

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polygon diameter

polygon rotation

minimum radius

maximum radius

spiral height

interpolate pull closest point

3d scan clean up smooth contour loft

point offset in relation to the distance from the attractor point

circles created with radii determined by distance from attractor point

three seperate lofts are used to create the interactive panel

divide surface into points connect points into squares find vector from mid-point to acctractor point

3d scan clean up smooth contour loft

point offset in relation to the distance from the attractor point

circles created with radii determined by distance from attractor point

three seperate lofts are used to create the interactive panel

divide surface into points connect points into squares find vector from mid-point to acctractor point

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Untitled, woodblock

three-layered woodblock print to explore composition and color

theory

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Cityscape, copperplate print

Ryogen-in Zen TempleKyoto, Japan

Yoyogi Olympic StadiumTokyo, Japan

Ryoanji TempleKyoto, Japan

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Untitled, linoleum block print

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