kaitlyn labrecque

cveducation

Dalhousie university, halifax ns

master of architecture

candidate 2014-2016

gpa 3.85/4

Dalhousie university, halifax ns

bachelor of environmental design studies in architecture

graduate 2012-2014

in-course academic achievement scholarship 2012-2013

deans list 2013

Dalhousie university, halifax ns

bachelor of community design in urban planning and sustainability

previous study 2010-2012

deans list 2011-2012

Dalhousie entrance scholarship 2010

nscad university, halifax ns

school of extended studies iin metal and drawing

2010-2012

experience

coastal studio Halifax

designer/ builder - fundy national park treehouse project

undergraduate co-op

2013-2014

Dalhousie architecture students association

vice president communications

2012-current

nova scotia planners directors association

planning and organizing conference support

2012

bedford academy

senior safety and activity coordinator - summer program

2008-2012

whw architects

job shadow volunteer: anna sampson

summer 2011

digital skills

adobe creative suite

2012-current

audocad 2011

2012-current

sketch-up/v-ray

2013-current

arc gis

2011-2012

vectorworks

2012

rhino

2014- current

grasshopper

2014-current

affiliations

nova scotia architecture association

member

undergraduate/ graduate student

2012-present

Dalhousie intramural co-ed soccer

player

2010-present

halifax dunbrack soccer club

senior womens player

2012-2014

Canadian institute of planners

student member

2011-2012

atlantic planning institute

student member

2011-2012

qualifications

ennis safety services

scaffolding, fall protection, occupational health

and safety certified

expiry july 2017

Canadian breast cancer society

volunteer

2010-present

Canadian red cross

national lifeguard, water instructor certification

completed 2009

st. johns ambulance

cpr-c

completed 2009

sobeys inc.

whims

completed 2009

references

susan fitzgerald

professor

susan.fitzgerald@dal.ca / 1 902 830 1024

dr.ted cavanagh

employer

ted.Cavanagh@dal.ca / 1 902 209 1444

leanne munn

personal

Leanne.french.munn@dal.ca / 1 902 499 6624

1 902. 880. 6931 (cell)

kaitlyn. labrecque@dal.ca

contact

contentcheticamp farmers market

dalhousie school of music

fundy national park treehouse

vals counterpoint pavilion

light + acoustics

artist retreat advocate

productive urban landscapes

personal work

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This interdisciplinary studio was supported by research initiatives that worked collaboratively across several disciplines with faculty, students, community groups and not-for-profit organizations. The funding for the gridshell was made possible by a partnership grant from The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The grant is titled Thinking While Doing, and is based on emphasizing transparency, creating a network of early adapters, and supporting a culture of innovation. This gridshell structure was created for a small rural community in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Community engagement was a crucial aspect to our design process, and consultations were facilitated to gain input from local figures. The 20x40ft structure was designed to undergo extreme climate conditions, as it sits on the windiest coast in Canada. Testing the structure was crucial to our design process as there were no existing standards for the type of structure and joint we proposed. A 1:2 mock up was constructed and several 1:1 connections were developed and tested with resources from the Engineering Department. The structure uses a green/red oak double lath system jointed by marine ply clamps and Marlow rope. The shell derives its strength from its double curvature, allowing for an open plan organic interior. Furthermore, the exterior shell is currently being constructed on-site by undergraduate co-op students.

cheticamp farmers market

Instructor: Dr. Ted CavanaghDesign: Kaitlyn labrecque, Megan lloyd, Katelyn Lathem, Nina Hitzler, Julia Weir, Xan Hawes, Fraser Plaxton, Amanda Kennedy, Noah Jacobson, Evan HoylesM1 term: Summer 2014 / present

cheticamp, ns present state of market (without final cladding)

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form finding bolting clamping lashing + clamping node testing

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The Dalhousie School of Music is located at the end of Dalhousies main campus, on the corner of University Avenue and Robie Street. The building acts as a gateway to the university, which connects and contrasts the programmatic divide between the community east and institutional west. The vernacular precedent of shipbuilding was studied in order to clarify the structural scheme of the community theatre hanging verses the institutional theatre sitting. This strategy allows the public pedestrian corridor along university avenue to bleed into the ground floor of the music school. Connecting the bisection, as individuals experience the contrasting performance of each tectonic gesture. The buildings material strategy acts in contrast as well; the institutional west half is representative of its heavy masonry colleagues, and the community east half is representative of its light wooden neighbors. Again, connection occurs at the public circulation zones. The acoustic strategy provides the final contrast at a systems scale. The smaller theatre obtains acoustic isolation by surrounding itself with mass, while the larger theatre obtains acoustic isolation by surrounding itself with air. In summary, the public and circulation zones connect the building, while the structural, material and acoustic strategies act in contrast- creating a playful engagement.

school of music

Instructor: Susan FitzgeraldB5 Term: Winter 2014

shipbuilding - precedenthalifax, ns underside of theater A

underside of theater b

puncturing the theatre

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floor five floor four floor three floor two

longitudinal section

building systems

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Coastal Studio is a student based practice run from Dalhousie University, under supervision of Dr. Ted Canvanagh. The studio investigates building on the coast, exploring conjunctions between ecology, culture, and traditional technical knowledge. Studies are concentrated on community-based innovate designs which respond to local coastal situations. This gridshell structure was designed for Fundy National Park in Alma, New Brunswick and will act as a sleeping accommodation for visitors. The design process spanned six months, and construction is currently underway at the National Park. Our objective for this design was to push the boundaries of gridshell and create a structure that would resist loads through its complex geometry and connect onto itself. This objective was unlike any previous constructed gridshells, which all shared a connection to the ground. A 1:1 structural mock-up was built and tested with support of Blackwell Engineering. This phase of design development was crucial in order to receive proper permits to begin construction on-site. The structure is designed to stand on six metal posts overlooking the Bay. A meandering mill deck leads visitors to the shell. As seen in the image to the right the posts and mill-deck and currently in place on site. Three extended graduate students have now taken on the remaining design and construction tasks for the project, with a completion goal of summer 2015.

fundy tree house

Employer: Coastal Studio / Dr. Ted CavanaghDesign: Kaitlyn Labrecque, Megan Lloyd, Katelyn Lathem, Ben Angus, Brent Schmit, Tyler Hall.B4 work term: Fall 2013/ present

bay of fundy national park

gridshell wall section

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This was the first design studio in the undergraduate architecture program at Dalhousie University. The first task was a case study, designed to develop knowledge of the history of architecture through a masterwork. Each student received a different project, the project under study here is the Thermal Baths, in Vals Switzerland by Peter Zumpthor.The building is programmed as a hotel and spa complex, built over the only thermal springs in the Graubunden canton in Switzerland. The analytical design model to the right utilizes elements from Peter Zumthors original parti to convey his initial intention. Creating a building that appears one with the earth. Following the study of the Thermal Vals, a design proposition was developed as a counterpoint to the masterwork. The intention for this project was to design architecture that reflected the Thermal Vals and allowed for a near by complementary experience, programmed as a brasserie-like-restaurant. With little amenity in Vals, this project was intended to allow visitors to the spa an alternative leisure activity, enhancing their stay at the Thermal Baths. The design connects to the exterior through the interior, as the locally quarried quartzite walls are inhabited with booth-style seating. Furthermore, the monolithic nature of the counterpoint pavilion allows individuals to feel apart of the mountain.

vals counter point pavilion

Instructor: Talbot SweetappleB1 term: Fall 2012

thermal vals case study model

location map, vals

inhabited walls

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LIGHT + ACOUSTICS

Instructors: Emanuel Jannasch and Brian LilleyB2/B3 term: Winter and Spring 2013

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artist retreat, advocate harbour

Instructor: Roger MullinDesign: Kaitlyn Labrecque, Ashley Hannon, Kaitlin Dale, Riley Mckay, Brent Schmit, Fallon Walton, Fern Zevnik, Haley Johnson, Meredith Innes, Roger Mullin. B3 term: Summer 2013

This project was initially conceptualized in 2007 by professor Roger Mullin, inspired by his connection to a small rural community in Nova Scotia. Advocate harbour sits on the Bay of Fundy, and has a population of approximately 830 permanent residents, with a very aged demographic. The main objective of this project is to draw young artists to the area, as the retreat sits in a picturesque landscape. Bringing new residents to this area is essential to for the future economic growth this rural community. Students have made this project a reality by aiding in design considerations and construction.

This contemporary community amenity celebrates aspects of the historic shipbuilding period known as the Age of Sail. The program emerges out of an iterative building process and includes a new public space, an outdoor cinema, a gallery, a classroom and an artist residence. Film festivals and workshops are drawing interest from communities all along the magnificent coast of the Bay of Fundy. Specific tasks completed by the student team include: design of third pod, leveling foundation for third pod, weather proofing all structures, landscape design and maintenance, community engagement, signage, design/ construction of operable openings and site/ building drainage design/ construction.

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cuba productive urban landscapes]

Instructor: Susan Fitzgerald M2 term: Fall 2014 (Current Research)

Havana has successfully implemented sustainable food production throughout the city and is an inspiration to aspiring farming cities throughout the world. These urban farms have created a network of infrastructure across the city with social, service and spatial implications that have the potential to shape the citys future. Necessity forced Cuba into this paradigm shift. With the tightening of the economic and political blockade by the US and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, trade to the country essentially ceased and Cuba entered the Special Period. Our studio is investigating how these productive urban landscapes can be enhanced through more permanent infrastructure. After visiting Havana, I noticed contrasting conditions between garden, market, and education activity in different locations. In rural areas these three programs were tied together to create an agricultural community hub. Where in the urban condition of Old Havana these three practices were disconnected. Gardens were found privatively within homes, markets were found as street carts, and education centers had no relation to these practices. My proposal is to utilize holes in Old Havanas urban fabric and create a new building typology that merges the garden, the market, and education. Moreover to create a network of urban agriculture integrated into the urban realm.

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Old Havana, Cuba

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PERSONAL WORK

Painting Series: abstract representation between color proportion and texture: examples from current collectionMetal: blacksmithing beginner and intermediate worksWood: re-purposing antiques for modern day function: ongoing hobby

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40 x 48 40 x 40

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thank you1 902. 880. 6931 (cell)

kaitlyn. labrecque@dal.ca