interior architecture + design
university of arkansas
furniture design + built
4th year
buildner residential architecture group competition
3rd year
little easy pathways of connection
adolescent mental wellness facility
3rd year
04
05 link next branded office space competition 3rd year 4th year
atc lectern in-house furniture concept
as a nontraditional student, my path to design has been shaped by real-world experience and a deep respect for the working class. i see design not as a luxury, but as a language that should be recognizable and tangible to the people who build, use, and live within it. my work aims to bridge the gap between craft and concept, grounding design in honesty, accessibility, and material integrity. for me, good design is not about spectacle; it’s about creating spaces and objects that resonate with everyday life and honor the hands that make them possible.
technical imaginative soft adaptable coachable inquisitive meticulous
enscape illustrator indesign microsoft office photoshop revit rhinoceros vray
hand sketching metal working model making photography wood working
2025 buildner sustainable microhome competition
2024 artificial intelligence competition in concept development honorary mention + award
2025 university of arkansas bachelor of interior architecture + design
2018
university of arkansas bachelor of arts / philosophy
2023 - 2025
president + officer non-traditional students of fay jones school of architecture + design
2022 - present student member american society of interior designers
community
2020 - present volunteer beaver watershed alliance
2020 - present volunteer city of fayetteville
2020 - 2023 volunteer 7hills homeless center
2024 - present fay fabrication labs assistant, fay jones school of architecture + design supports students in woodworking, laser cutting, and fabrication, supporting safe practices, prototyping, and exhibition installation.
2023 - 2025
research assistant, fay jones school of architecture + design contributed to a variety of research grant related projects under the direction of various faculty members.
2020 - 2022
assistant to the associate deans, graduate school + international education assisted the associate deans by handling a broad range of administrative details across several duty areas.
2018 - 2020
director of content, game masters llc coordinated and produced content in the form of news, blogs, and industry news. maintained user relations and deployed site vendor acquisition program.
internship
2024 facilities design assistant fay jones school of architecture + design
+1 (214) 662-3962 / dakotakalkstein@gmail.com in / linkedin.com/in/dakotakalkstein/ ig / kalkstn
denmark / 2025
study abroad / furniture design + build
this project explores sitting as both an experiential and philosophical condition. by subverting traditional notions of comfort, the chair transforms a passive act into active engagement with design. rooted in danish furniture principles developed during two months in copenhagen, it distills form to its essential expression—each cut and joint deliberately composed to maintain a sharp, architectural profile legible through sight and touch. the result positions the chair not merely as furniture, but as a tool for reflection on comfort, habit, and the relationship between body and object.
620 mm, w 460 mm, d 460 mm development construction
elevations
new orleans / 2025
buildner residential architecture group competition - 269 sqft
heritage, culture, and community are vital to sustaining a sense of belonging within diverse societies. rising sea levels and the shortage of affordable housing increasingly threaten the livelihoods of coastal residents—especially those displaced by ocean-related disasters. these interconnected issues are particularly evident in new orleans, louisiana, where a football field of wetlands disappears every 100 minutes. this proposal responds by drawing from local housing vernacular to create an equitable, contextually grounded design that helps residents preserve and strengthen their rich, diverse community.
drawings done by dakota kalkstein, drew schillings, campbell osier, and turner kane
this microhome iteration draws from the haitian-origin shotgun house— rooted in west african and taíno traditions and later adapted into louisiana’s gabled wooden forms. This lineage informs a series of elevated, puzzle-like structures that foster variety and neighborship. centering the southern connection to food, each unit integrates an extruded kitchen and shared zone as a social hub, while living and working spaces remain intentionally consolidated in contrast.
built-ins
microhome interior perspective looking south
microhomes exterior
perspective looking south
fayetteville / 2025
adolescent mental wellness facility - 17,420 sqft
rooted in fayetteville’s greenway system, this design solution brings the trail into an adaptive-reuse mass timber building, using it as a literal and symbolic connector between people, place, and program. exposed clt joints and strategic openings let the greenway move between a public café and bike repair shop and the patient–caregiver areas. a central patient commons strengthens this sense of connection. for an adolescent mental wellness facility, the approach offers clear orientation, gentle independence, and steady access to nature—reducing stress and avoiding clinical isolation. aligning patient spaces with a familiar civic path grounds young users in a supportive setting where movement and choice aid the therapeutic process.
first level - floor plan
longitudinal section perspective
a variety of programmatic elements enables different user types to interact when desired. the café and bike repair shop off the first-floor bike trail invites public engagement and creates opportunities for serendipitous connection.
group therapy spaces perspective looking northeast
patient third space
perspective looking southeast
next branded office space competition - 16,000 sqft
link reimagines a multi-level office near fulton market as a human-centric workspace where connection is created through design. anchored by the values of a leading global footwear brand—creativity, authenticity, and community—perforated panels, transparent partitions, and abundant glazing visually connecting programmatic zones while supporting hybrid work. circulation draws from chicago’s grid, encouraging movement and interaction. flexible clustered zones balance collaboration and privacy, while panoramic city views anchor employees within their urban context. link ultimately strengthens connections among people, their work, and the broader community—celebrating individuality within a unified whole.
RECEPTION
PRIVATE OFFICE
WORKSTATIONS
CLIENT PRESENTATION ROOM
TEAM MEETING ROOM
HUDDLE ROOM
LACTATION ROOM
WELLNESS ROOM
PRODUCTION + RESOURCE CENTER
PHONE ROOM
WORK CAFE
CLIENT DISPLAYS
IN-BETWEEN SPACES
MONUMENTAL STAIR
POP-UP SPACE
RESTROOMS
ELEVATORS
zoning diagrams
block diagrams
the custom 2” lighting fixture on levels 6 and 7 draws inspiration from the winding chicago river, creating an organic line that links programmatic zones and guides movement through the space. modular 6-foot sections follow repeated river segments, subtly adjusted to navigate structural and mep elements, establishing a continuous, intuitive wayfinding experience.
river inspired lighting fixture - a means of wayfinding
workspaces - looking northeast
workspaces + offices - axonometrics
pop-up space
perspective looking southeast
modular display details for the pop-up space illustrate how a series of repeatable units could be built and deployed.
skills applied / illustrator, laser cutting, model making, photography, photoshop,rhinosceros, sketching
fayetteville / 2025
in-house furniture concept
this project explores how a small-scale object can embody the material ethos, precision, and pedagogical values of the anthony timberlands center. designed as a functional anchor within the facility’s auditorium space, it serves as both a working tool and a demonstration of the building’s fabrication capabilities. its softened, curved form contrasts the atc’s rigid geometry, creating a humanizing focal point that celebrates wood, process, and craft. through this merging of technology and making, the lectern distills the building’s core values of material honesty, experimentation, and learning into a single, cohesive object.
timber support elements laminated
the final concept is defined by three interlocking masses that unify into a strong, grounded form, which employs a class 2 lever system for ease of movement.
front side elevation (nts)
built from cnc-milled lvl and reclaimed clt dunnage, the lectern uses sustainable, resource-aware construction. exposed joinery and clear assembly logic make its structure and tolerances legible. balancing digital milling with hand-finished detailing, it reflects the hybrid workflows of the udbs studio and atc shop.
rear side elevation (nts)
side elevation (nts)
atc lectern model
oblique elevation
