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Kayla Smith

Kayla Smith

Austin, TX, US

 

About 

Hello! I am an architecture student at the University of Texas at Austin in my final semester of design. I am an introvert with a strong set of beliefs. These beliefs help me find my voice, both through my designs and in everyday life. I believe the surrounding environment has the power to affect a person's outlook on the world, and can invigorate people to shape the rest of the world for the better, or exasperate an existing problem to desolation.

I am also a born explorer. Nothing excites me more than discovering new places, and experiencing the world around me first-hand. I refresh my energy by going on walks, and usually return with newfound inspiration. When not drawing from the world around me, I'm engrossed in the imagined environments of books and video games. I'm currently involved in developing artwork for a cell phone rpg. Involvement in these parallel fields provides me with a well-rounded experience in design.

Elsewhere:

Employment 

Pfluger Associates Architects, Austin, TX, US, Architectural Intern

Pfluger Associates Architects is a medium-sized firm in Austin that focuses largely on school design. Most of the projects are for school districts in Texas, but the firm has also begun projects for the University of Texas in recent years.

I've worked at this firm beginning my senior year of high school, and returned to work there most summers and winter breaks throughout my college career. By staying with this firm these years, I've gained a great deal of experience with the business and construction management side of the architecture practice. I understand the paper trail and many of the legal aspects involved in the design and construction of a building. As time went on, I was also entrusted with more design work. In the last few months of my employment, I was responsible for a library design within a school and also took over the design of a smaller project. The firm's focus on Revit has also given me a great deal of experience in working with this modeling program in an office setting.

Jan 2008 - Aug 2012
 

Education 

The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, US, BArch, Architecture

The School of Architecture program at University of Texase places students in studios every semester of the five-year degree plan. Many of our architectural history, construction, and other related lecture classes are highly integrated with our studio projects. This ensures that we constantly relate our studies back to design.

Sep 2008 - current
 

Awards 

Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Grant

Fellowship granted to students to fund an independent research project of the student's design. I planned a trip to Los Angeles, California to research the Case Study Houses of the 1940s and 50s that shaped much of Mid-century Modernism in America. I viewed five homes, two of which were still privately owned, to study not only the new systems of living these forms implied and radical new building technology details of the era, but also how these design ideals have held up over the years.

2012
 

Areas of Specialization 

Skills