MEREDITH VLAHAKIS

MODULAR SHELVING
 1.

Sold as six individual pieces and intended for self-assembly, these modular units create 2.
a customized shelving system tailored to the individual. Easy construction and
breakdown allow flexibility for new combinations as required. Geared towards mass
production, each module is laser cut from a template on 3/16” plywood or acrylic.
The double-layering and waterproofing of each piece creates a durable,
low-maintenance design.

3.

4.

5.

MODULAR SHELVING
MIDWEST LACROSSE CENTER
 1 2 3 4
An all-in-one lacrosse center,
providing the midwest with 5
much-needed practice and 6
competition spaces, league
headquarters, supplies, education
and promotion of this lesser-
known sport. Prominently located
on the corner of a busy intersection
in Highland Park, IL, lacrosse is
freely promoted through ample
opportunities for casual observation.
Non-lacrosse players are drawn
1 EXISTING FOREST PRESERVE 7
to the site via spaces designed
2 PEDESTRIAN / CYCLIST PATH
for public use. 8
3 OBSERVATION BERMS

4 WARM-UP / RUNNING TRACK 9

5 LACROSSE FIELDS

6 PRACTICE DRILL BOARDS

7 PUBLIC ART / OUTDOOR SCULPTURES

8 OUTDOOR STADIUM

9 LACROSSE CENTER

10 CHUMASH ARENA

10

4 5

1 STADIUM
2 EXHIBITION
3 RETAIL STORE 6
4 THEATRE / LECTURE HALL
7
5 ADMINISTRATION
6 SHOWERS / LOCKERS
7 CHUMASH ARENA

MIDWEST LACROSSE CENTER

 Operable louvers and a ventilated
polycarbonate wall system assist
temperature regulation inside the 60’ glass
Chumash arena. Open vents simultaneously
circulate in air cooled by underground
passage, and exhaust out warm air collect-
ing between inner and outer wall systems.
Closed vents create an insulating pocket of
warmth from air sandwiched in between
the glass and polycarbonate. Metal louvers
provide summer shade or reflect extra
winter light into the space.

MIDWEST LACROSSE CENTER: CHUMASH ARENA

 A B

As illustrated above, a translucent canopy

casts minimal shadows over the field while
sheltering observers. Rows of polycarbonate
sheets (A) affix via a webbed, cross-bracing
beam to a modularized steel system
of curved double tubes (B). The steel tubing
units are factory-assembled to minimize
on-site welding. When bolted together,
they form the structural skeleton for the C D
canopy (C). Once fully assembled (D)
the entire system is anchored back into the
ground via steel cables and concrete-filled
steel columns (E).

MIDWEST LACROSSE CENTER: OUTDOOR STADIUM

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT’S ROBIE HOUSE
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT’S ROBIE HOUSE
URBAN AGRICULTURE CENTER
 1

NORTH HALSTED STREET

3

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GOOSE ISLAND

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A poorer urban area with limited access to fresh produce benefits from this WEST DIVISION STREET
riverfront agriculture center near Division and Halsted in Chicago, IL.. A healthier 1 COMPOST / RECYCLING DROP-OFF
lifestyle is encouraged by introducing a lively green space with a community 2 EDUCATION CENTER
pea-patch, interspersed along a biking and walking path. The mud-friendly 3 BIKE / PEDESTRIAN PATH
education center doubles as a flexible space for community use. A budget and 4 COMMUNITY PEA-PATCH
eco-friendly design incorporates reclaimed bricks, lumber and other local materials.
Rainwater is collected and stored for use as a public watering resource.

3 4

1 2

1 WET / DRY CLASS AREA

2 LOCKERS / RESTROOMS

3 RAINWATER STORAGE

4 EXTERIOR COOLING POND

5 STAFF MAINTENANCE
6 LIBRARY RESOURCE

7 EXHIBIT SPACE
8 RECEPTION 6 7 8

URBAN AGRICULTURE CENTER

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
A study in structural and economic efficiency, this
first-year model examined Florian Nagler’s use of
glue-laminated lumber and polycarbonate for a
timber processing plant in Bobingen, Germany.

STRUCTURAL BEAUTY: BOBINGEN FACTORY HALL

“LOVE YOUR INNER SELF”

MODERN VITRUVIAN
“YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT”

MODERN VITRUVIAN
MASTERS PROJECT: COMMUNITY JOB FACTORY
 DETROIT, MI KETTERING NEIGHBORHOOD PACKARD PLANT

1.0 mi. 0.5 mi.

A project tackling the wasted industrial resources and high unemployment

facing many cities today. The impoverished Kettering neighborhood of Detroit,
with a long-defunct industrial corridor along the western edge, is an ideal pilot
project location. The robust abandoned Packard Plant complex provides 35 acres
of buildings, most in sound condition. Unsafe buildings would be torn down; the
remainder divided into different job “Zones,” focusing on local economies.
The program strongly centers around on-site job training and continuing
education. For the pilot job program, materials from the razed buildings would
be cataloged and used to create a Job Support Center (JSC), extending from an
existing building and a key feature to employment success on the site. Once
complete, the shell of the JSC will serve as an education in construction materials.
PACKARD PLANT POSTCARD, DATE UNKNOWN PACKARD PLANT TODAY

ZONE 1 - RECYCLING & SORTING

ZONE 2 - ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION LAB

ZONE 3 - EDUCATION
ZONE 4 - LOCALLY MADE
ZONE 5 - URBAN AGRICULTURE

ZONE 6 - JOB SUPPORT

MASTERS PROJECT: COMMUNITY JOB FACTORY

 JOB SUPPORT CENTER LOT WITH EXISTING BUILDING

4
Harvesting bricks and CMUs from the demolished buildings and weaving
them into the newly built portions of the Job Support Center, allows for an 1
experimentation of masonry bonding patterns to wrap around the building.
The patterns would exist as an on-site tool for masonry education. Indoor
brick rainscreens allow experimentation with translucency and give privacy 2
to the interior offices. To-scale mock-ups and shadow studies of these
rainscreens were conducted and photographed, shown below. 3

FLEMISH BOND

EXISTING BUILDING DEMOLISHED BUILDING 5

100 ft.
1 STEPS & BENCHES SLICED FROM CONCRETE COLUMNS; SUPPORTED WITH CMUs

NORTH 2 FLARED TOPS OF KAHN COLUMNS SHEARED OFF & CONVERTED TO PLANTERS
3 PUBLIC WALKWAY & OUTDOOR DINING AREA

4 CLASS / COMMUNITY GARDEN PATCHES

5 OUTDOOR WALKWAY SHELTERED BY ROOF FROM EXISTING BUILDING

WEST EAST

SOUTH 1

8
9
2
10
3 11
4
12
5
6
1 EATING / EVENT SPACE 7 ENCLOSED OUTDOOR PLAY AREA
2 KITCHEN 8 CHILD CARE
3 KIOSK / ENCLOSED OUTDOOR EATING 9 OPEN WORK SPACE
4 SHOWERS / LOCKERS / TOILETS 10 PRIVATE OFFICES
5 RECEPTION 11 ENCLOSED CLASSROOM / TESTING
6 MASONRY LEARNING WALL 12 OPEN CLASSROOM / EVENT SPACE

MASTERS PROJECT: COMMUNITY JOB FACTORY - JOB SUPPORT CENTER

A transparent, protective barrier was needed to protect the child care’s outdoor area. A series of shadow studies with different CMU
“walls” resulted in a wavy pattern which softened the visual effect of the material.

MASTERS PROJECT: COMMUNITY JOB FACTORY - ENCLOSED PLAY AREA

mvlahaki@iit.edu