graham kervin portfolio

portfolio of selected works

^ ^0703 17 37About Richard

Meier &PartnersArchitects

KrizovatkaOlomouc

Photography

Background

information and

professional

competencies

The art of

model building

as Manager of

the Model Shop

at a venerable

Manhattan

architecture firm

Series of thematic

graphic designs

carried out as

Creative Director

of a non-profit in the Czech

Republic

Collection of

photographs

selected from

numerous travels

and explorations

d e s i g n p o rt f o l i o | 2

contentscontents

3 | g r a h a m k e rv i n

aboutabout

fayetteville, ar

houston, tx

new york, ny

abilene, tx

rome, italy

olomouc, czech republic

edinburgh, scotland

d e s i g n p o rt f o l i o | 4

Richard Meier & Partners Architects : New York, NY Architecture firm dedicated to achieving openness, clarity, and beauty through intentional design. Manager of the Model Shop

Supervises the daily and long-term activities of the model shop. Coordinates with architects and

senior designers to interpret ideas, drawings, and digital constructs into physical models for

use among members of the firm, clients, and for promotional purposes. Hires, trains, and works alongside junior builders to develop creative solutions toward conceiving and executing projects.

KRIZOVATKA OLOMOUC : Olomouc, Czech RepublicA service and outreach organization dedicated to enriching the moral fabric of the city.Creative Director and Outreach Coordinator

Co-founded this non-profit organization to develop rapport with and cultivate moral values among local residents. Envisioned, directed, and supervised the organization’s creative output in

all manner of media. Interpreted and branded the face of the organization through everything

from posters, booklets, and T-shirt design to installations, photo/video editing, and advertising.

Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects : Little Rock, AR Architecture firm dedicated to sustainable design, innovation, and creativity in a holistic approach.Summer Architectural Intern

Visualized ongoing architectural projects in the firm. Enhanced drawings and digital models and developed presentation materials for public engagements, including television and the web.

oct 2013present

oct 2006aug 2012

june 2002aug 2002

Master of science and ReligionUniversity of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Master of Divinity : MDiv Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX

Bachelor of Architecture : BArch University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR

• Minor in Art History

aug 2013

may 2006

may 2003

^ ^

education

professional experience

richardmeier &Partnersarchitects

richardmeier &Partnersarchitects

N EW YO R K, N Ymanager of the model shop | 2013-present

OAKSfront

lineHyundai

seamarqHotel

Surfclub


richard meier

& partners architects

For more than fifty years the architecture firm of Richard Meier & Partners has upheld openness and

clarity as paramount components of any and every

architectural undertaking. With its signature white

color and defining grid, each project bears testimony to a design process that explores solid and void, light

and texture, in effort to inspire the mind and elevate

the senses. As an indispensible part of this process,

RMP relies on the materiality, weight, and tonal

qualities of physical models to capture the essence

of each design. Revealing deeper truths about a

design's formal and tectonic properties than drawings

or renderings alone, models offer clear insight into a

design's overall perception and its relationship with its

larger context.

As Manager of the Model shop, it is my responsibility

to supervise, strategize with, and train others in

physically modeling designs both in process and

in final iteration. I coordinate with architects and designers to interpret drawings and digital mock-

ups into physical models for use among members

of the firm, clients, and for promotional purposes. I also train, mentor, and work alongside junior model

builders to develop creative solutions toward the

conceiving and executing of projects. Moreover, my

duties extend to curating and repairing older models

on display at the firm's Model Museum in New Jersey.

Attaining

concrete

expression

and clarity

of design

through

the art

of model

building

The tools of the trade are as varied as the projects

themselves. From electric machines to hand tools,

every instrument is tuned to heighten and refine increasing degrees of precision and exactitude.

r i c h a r d m e i e r & pa rt n e rs | 8

o a ks f r o n t l i n e | 1 0

24" x 42" x 11"Sca le: 1 : 20 0

Nestled within the rolling countryside outside of

Prague, the Oaks Frontline project belongs to a

bold collaborative vision for a 220-home residential

development that spans hundreds of acres and as

many as 10 design teams. RMP's contribution to the

project is a series of clustered structures that house

25 apartment units and an integrated wellness center

that overlook the adjacent golf course. The varying

facades of the project are carefully designed to

accommodate and accentuate the undulations of the

topography, but also to reflect and engage with local Czech architectural and cultural sensibilities. Flanking

the apartment complex, two single-family villas reflect a more sculptural interaction with the landscape and

offer breathtaking views in every direction.

oaksfrontline

Prague, Czech Republic

1 1 | g r a h a m k e rv i n

Cascading down its gentle slope, the various elements of the Oaks Frontline

development, left, simultaneously complement and contrast with other, each incorporateing and departing from

common unifying features. Extended terracing, multi-directional louver systems, and bold geometric forms step away from the more traditional Czech construction while engaging the

surrounding context with a respectful

playfulness.

Below, a 1:50 scale model more pointedly examines the balcony and entry conditions of the apartment units. The louver screen spanning three stories of

this building underwent three different

iterations before culminating in the semi-

private membrane that showcases sliding

louvered panels that can be expanded

and collapsed according to need.

o a ks f r o n t l i n e | 1 2

Accompanying the overall site

model, two larger-scale facade studies were built to test as many as three

different variationsof the louvered

screens


34" x 34" x 1 6"Sca le: 1 : 3 0 0

From out of a seaside peninsula blanketed by

decades-old pine trees the Seamarq hotel rises

gracefully above the gently sloped summit. A two-

part complex, the project comprises the primary hotel

tower, a high-rise sculpted by angular and curving

planes, and the banquet hall, a lower component that

stretches across the base of the hill and connects to

the tower by means of an elevated glass corridor.

Various other support facilities, including an open-

air amphitheater, dot the hillside among the trees. In

contrast with one another, the high-rise bursts from

the hill, drawing full attention to the its stature, while

the banquet hall seems to emerge from the recesses

of the hill, still working to free itself from the dense

cover of trees. Despite their difference in height,

both volumes offer commanding views of the area,

with unobstructed views to the sea and countryside.

The hotel's program spreads itself across the entire

site, taking advantage of changes in topography

and carefully framed perspectives to maximize the

reclusive and majestic nature of the land. Lounges,

infinity-edge pools, a restaurant, and a spa adorn the most conspicuous points of the hotel complex.

HyundaiSeamarqHotelGyongpodae, South Korea

s e a m a r q h o t e l | 1 4


Perched upon the summit of the hill, the hotel high-rise, left, ensures spectacular views to the surrounding area. Each balcony orients guests toward the sea by means of a sober, angled privacy screen that plays off of the gently curved wall that wraps the opposite side of the tower. Beneath it and the entry plaza, the spa peeks out from the hill with a private

deck for sunning and bathing.

The entry plaza, pictured below, terminates in the joint between the

high-rise's more conspicuous tower for

rooms and a lower volume that houses

the restaurant and lobby. Vehicles circle the plaza around two infinity-edge water features and a sacred tree that blossoms

high above the stones.

At right, the model illustrates the complex as a whole as it masterfully takes root within and atop the peninsula. The cascading volumes of the project

demonstrate careful consideration for

the site, preserving its lively terrain and ancient forest while offering visitors paths

of circulation that engage intentionally with the numerous ups and downs.

S e a m a r q h o t e l | 1 6

despite its final cohesion, the

model was completedthrough an intermittentprocess that took three

years and three separate teams of

builders

s u r f c l u b m i a m i | 1 8

72" x 42" x 24"Sca le: 1': 1/1 6"

Situated just outside of downtown Miami along an

expansive 9-acre stretch of beach, the Surf Club

project is a primarily residential complex that met with

a distinct and noteworthy challenge: to expand upon,

dialog with, but not eclipse the buildings constituting

the existing historic Surf Club built in the 1930s.

With sensitivity to form, scale, materiality, and the

ubiquitous Miami sun, the new typology rises out of

the old with sophistication and style. Three separate

buildings--two residential towers flanking a central hotel--maximize twelve floors of breathtaking views toward both the Atlantic Ocean and the Miami skyline,

and ample provision of restaurants, pools, fitness centers, gardens, and 40 beach cabanas, provide

guests with a tireless list of amenities.

surf club

Miami, FL

Detail view from the northeast corner overlooking the

original Surf Club cabana apartments.Bird's-eye view to the north, looking down on the penthouse level of the South Building.


Bird's-eye view of the penthouse level of the North w Street view of the canopied entrance to the South

Building, with a view to the original Surf Club courtyard in the background.

s u r f c l u b m i a m i | 2 0

from start tofinish the Surf club's

three componentsrequired 7 months and

as many as 6 peopleto see it tocompletion

Beyond the shop's normal production of models, we

also engage periodically in mini-projects connected

with significant events in the lives of members of the firm, intended as a way to reflect and honor their interests and personalities. In the case of a

colleague's departure, for instance, he or she is given

a thoughtfully designed and crafted 'card' on which

everyone in the firm writes their name and well wishes. Other events such as birthdays and births are

similarly commemorated.

specialprojectsNew York, NY


Theskateboard 'city'

was composed from various scrap blocks

and carefully sanded tomeet and flex with the

deck's complex geometry

s p e c i a l p r o j e c t s | 2 2

In a break from orthodoxy, Pablo approached me regarding his farewell

card with a special request: could I possibly incorporate into his card a skateboard deck that he had kept stored

beneath his deck for many months, whihc was originally a part of a different extracurricular project? Always up for a challenge I obliged him, and after a few days thought about how best to utilize the deck, I fashioned the idea of a rich urban environment that gave

foundation to and rose above the plane

of the skateboard itself. After an intense 10 hours of work the cityscape emerged, reminiscent of projects at RMP but

imbued with a life of its own.


In order to commemmorate his 80th birthday I designed, planned, and

constructed for Richard Meier this photo

album of sorts to house a life of memories

and relationships. 80 3" x 3" photos were printed and mounted on museum

board, on which every member of the firm signed a short birthday greeting or thought to mark the occasion. The

box itself was devised as a set of pockets

in which the cards would sit in groups

of twenty, to be pulled out and looked through at leisure. It was fashioned from

cherry wood and polished to a sheen.

s p e c i a l p r o j e c t s | 24

Since Joey was leaving the model shop to go back to graduate school, we combined two of his great passions, reading and the Italian architect Bramante, to create a Tempietto-inspired set of book ends.


A gift to a dear friend with fond

memories of the Brooklyn Bridge, I endeavored to capture her experiences

with a 2-foot long slice of the East River. Based on detailed technical drawings, the model follows the bridge's original

specifications both above and below the water line as the Plexiglas river slices

through its foundations, revealing its full proportions.


much thesame as its actual

construction, thebridge was built as A set

of Pieces that expand andcontract with the

thermal changes ofits setting


In honor of her Greek

heritage Katie received a

'Meier-ized' Parthenon

Ever the rockstar, Etienne was immortalized with

his own electric guitar

As the office cycling guru, Amir received a bicycle in keeping with his hard work at the firm.

Because of his attentive

services to the needs

of the shop, Justin was honored with a 'Meier-

ized' paper towel holder



Every year the partners of the firm host a competition to design the holiday card to be sent out to all the

friends, family, and clients of Richard Meier & Partners

Architects. Pictured are two of the designs I submitted

for consideration, each based on work that had been

completed or begun construction on in the past year.

Holiday CardsNew York, NY

h o l i d ay ca r d s | 3 0

^̂ ^̂

KrizovatkaolomoucKrizovatkaolomouc

T H E I N T E R S E C T I O N

O lo m o u c, Cz ec h R epu b li ccreative director and outreach coordinator | 2006-12

EnglishCampvoices

the art ofpresentation

EnglishCamproots

EnglishCampcontrast


^ ^We founded this non-profit organization in 2006 with the singular purpose of nurturing moral and ethical

awareness in the hearts and minds of the citizens of

Olomouc, Czech Republic, a university-oriented city

in the center of Moravia. The nature of Křižovatka's work revolved entirely around what its slogan aspired

to: through love and service we connect paths. From

this modest ambition the scope of its work unfolded

in all directions, encompassing every demographic

from teenagers and university students, to adults and

young families. We conducted regular programs that

offered teens constructive after-school activites or

provided young mothers opportunities to meet and

find support in other young mothers, or that allowed students to increase their familiarity and confidence with the English language. Every year we also planned,

coordinated, and put on two week-long English

summer camps for younger and older teenagers.

These camps plunged Czech students into the midst

of classes, games, sports, and numerous other

activities that bolstered their courage in the English

language and cultivated friendship and community

with their peers.

As the Creative Director for Křižovatka Olomouc, my task was to establish and cultivate the public face

of the organization, interpreting the ideas driving

its short- and long-term visions into visual form. In

everything from its overarching goals and ongoing

programs, to annual camps and special events, I

was responsible for envisioning and supervising

its creative output in all manner of media. Besides

developing promotional materials such as posters,

flyers, and business cards, each year I realized and designed the entire aesthetic of each summer camp.

This entailed not only crafting the printed materials

used for advertising, but also creating T-shirts,

devising installations and props at camp locations,

and putting together videos to enhance specific themes.

The Křižovatka logo itself--a play on words that fuses the the word "intersection" with the cross of our

religious affiliation--is accompanied by the walking figure from a traffic light, letting the city understand that we were here to enrich, deepen, and help move

forward.

A promotional poster that centers

upon an iconic cast bronze map of

Olomouc in order to accentuate the

myriad intersections that crisscross and

punctuate our lives.

krizovatka olomouc

Through

love and

service

we

connect

paths

k r i z o vat k a o l o m o u c | 3 4

E n g l i s h ca m p c o n t r as t | 3 6

Every year our summer English camps revolved

around a central theme as a way to tie together the

various activities, programs, and messages into a

coherent and meaningful synthesis. For the theme

of this camp we chose Contrast in order to draw

attention to the competing and oftentimes polarizing

ideas that flood our everyday lives, as well as to accentuate the differences in choice and morality

that come to bear on a life of faith. Building off of

contrasting themes such as truth and falsehood,

good and evil, and selfishness and sacrifice, both the camp's message and its media strove to elucidate

these themes in recognizable and thought-provoking

ways. Composed of an innumerable amount of paired

opposites, the design thus captured the subtle and

infinitely complex ways that contrasting ideas shape our thought patterns and our identity in the world.

Every year our summer English camps revolved

around a central theme as a way to tie together the

various activities, programs, and messages into a

coherent and meaningful synthesis. For the theme

of this camp we chose Contrast in order to draw

attention to the competing and oftentimes polarizing

ideas that flood our everyday lives, as well as to accentuate the differences in choice and morality

that come to bear on a life of faith. Building off of

contrasting themes such as truth and falsehood,

good and evil, and selfishness and sacrifice, both the camp's message and its media strove to elucidate

these themes in recognizable and thought-provoking

ways. Composed of an innumerable amount of paired

opposites, the design thus captured the subtle and

infinitely complex ways that contrasting ideas shape our thought patterns and our identity in the world.

englishcamp

contrastFinding balance

amidst the

push and pull


For this camp we built upon the concept of roots in

order to illustrate the deep interconnectedness of

our lives, as well as to probe questions of our own

groundedness: where and in what do we have our

roots? Each day emphasized a particular moment

within the cycle of life itself, developing such themes

as origins, nuture and care, bearing fruit, and new life.

The design thus embodies this organic weave as it

emerges not simply in our own lives, but in the lives

of those that similarly grow around us. In its layering

it strives to render inseparable both our desire for

singularity and irrestible intertwinement as we move

in and out of changing environments and lives.

englishcampRootsDigging down

to bring out

who we truly are

e n g l i s h ca m p r o o t s | 3 8

e n g l i s h ca m p v o i c e s | 4 0

Every single day our minds and impressions are

flooded with innumerable messages and imperatives, pushed upon us in passive and active ways. We

chose for this camp the idea of Voices in order to call

attention to these influences, and the power they have to sway us in both positive and negative directions.

Through the murmurs of conformity and addictions,

or the shouts of competition and satisfaction,

the voices we hear speak to us persuasively and

compellingly, and the design sought to capture this

range of volume. We inevitably live in a world of

sound and a clamor of voices, but it falls to us to

strain out the whispers that communicate authenticity

and truthfulness. In other words, what do you hear?

englishcamp

voicesStraining to hear

the whisper within

a roar of sound


While in the Czech Republic a good deal of my

responsibility was not only to cooperate with and

expand our sphere of influence among Czechs, but also to spread the vision of our work among

sponsors and supporters back in the United States.

The nature of our daily routine was sometimes as

foreign to others as the language we were speaking,

so we had to become adept at the art and finesse of communication. This required regular interaction

with supervisors Stateside and, whenever home for a

period of furlough, the development of presentation

materials in the form of slide shows, video clips, and

whatever else that might help get across the richness

and variety of our life overseas.

the art ofpresentationHoning the craft

of communication

t h e a rt o f p r e s e n tat i o n | 42

t h e a rt o f p r e s e n tat i o n | 4 4

Additionally, it was part of my responsibility to

compose and send back to family, friends, and

supporters in the updates and information in the

form of newsletters. Coming out every few months, I

tailored the layout and graphic style of Life and Times

in Olomouc to fit the content, shaping each newsletter in such a way that it would convey wordlessly the

atmosphere and tone of the work at the moment.

Never using the same format twice, every newsletter

had its own personality and its own story to tell.

photographyphotography

glimpses through an attentive lens | 20o6-present

Trinity County, TXSeptember 2008

photographyphotography

Agra, IndiaAugust 2010

p h o t o g r a p h y | 4 8

Zurich, SwitzerlandMarch 2007

Loudon County, VASeptember 2008


Florence, ItalyMay 2011

Brooklyn, NYSeptember 2014


Florence, ItalyMay 2011


Saint Amant, LAMarch 2009

[email protected]

703 | 217 | 0181Brooklyn, NY 11216

graham kervin portfolio

Documents

ar architecture firm

ny architecture firm

txbachelor of architecture

model shopsupervises

design process

creative director

contentscontents3 g

digital models