Stoll Architecture Portfolio

thinking...

to answer the question of why

Architecture is the practice of enriching the human body; at its most basic level, it is shelter; at its most advanced, it is poetry. The role of the Architect is then to relate the community and the individual. I believe in the social role of architecture in the collaboration that creates it, and in the dwelling that follows it. Buildings must then be designed with people in mind, adding value to their site and meaning to the lives of their inhabitants. As John Hedjuk writes,

“It is essential that the Architect create works that are thought-provoking, sense-provoking, and ultimately life-provoking. Or more precisely, life-giving, to what appears to be at first inanimate materials. The Architect enters into the social contract in the deepest sense.”

By meaningfully engaging with context, use, technology, and community, one can push the role of architecture to life-giving, creating structures that embody beauty, utility, and clarity.

FRAME 01 NOBIS

a careful balancing of context, elevating architecture from profane to sacred.

an examination of architecture as a metabolic, a machine for giving back

FRAME 01 NOBIS

benedictian guestouse

a careful balance of context, shaping architecture from the profane to the sacred.

Des Moines, Iowa

Paul Mankins, FAIA

ARCH 302

2025

studio instructor location collaborators

Alexandria Krenz

Tyler Klene

Neal Stoll

Constructing the Ineffable: what separates the sacred from the profane, what differentiates a motel from a Benedictine Guesthouse. Throughout the design process, context controlled this project, rasing a critical question: how do we design a contemporary space for an historical organization that serves the public all while maintaining a relationship with the architectural giants we stand in the shadow of?

The answer was to create something humble and humanistic, a building that complements its surroundings, not competes, a space for safety and centering, Nobis: the latin phrase meaning for us. Using the idea of a geode, a thick rocky facade draws people to look within towards a naturally colorful courtyard rooted in monastic tradition. Inside, the guestrooms are hospitable, not luxurious, with crafted built-in benches, bookshelves, and desks nestled within the thickness of the walls, underscoring the building’s scholarly purpose. A small operable window in each room allows natural cross-ventilation with the courtyard. Above the lobby is the meditation space, a prominent feature visible from the street. It subtly expresses the building’s spiritual nature, creating an alluring experience as visitors explore the guesthouse’s interior. Once they find their way inside, light gently diffuses through the brick screen, inspiring awe while cementing the building as a contemporary sacred space for Des Moines.

Situated at the corner of 7th and High St in Des Moines Nobis is neighbor to the historic St. Ambrose Cathedral as well as the Catholic Pastoral Center designed by Mies Van Der Rohe and the Mies Block designed by BNIM. This tension of comercial and sacred spaces is resolved by the guesthouse.’s parti

The thin profile of the guesthouse maximizes the courtyard’s space, allowing ample light and ventilation. The first floor houses public space and offices, while the second floor is lined with guest rooms. The third floor is home to larger family suites, public parlors, and the meditation room, which frames the library and lobby. Guest rooms are accommodating, with plenty of storage designed for extended stays, whether for a Mies scholar or someone in immediate need of shelter. Part of what distinguishes a guesthouse from a hotel is that it operates at a level of charity a Marriott couldn’t afford.

Both the dining room and multipurpose space open to the courtyard, creating a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces that can be used during warm weather to create large reception areas for weddings and various church events. During the spring, the trees are alive with bursts of color, marking the beginning of Easter.

FRAME 02 SOW

biome bank

an examination of architecture as a metabolic, a machine for giving back

location

Ames, Iowa

instructor

Ayo Inyanalu

Rod Kruse, FAIA, LEED, AP

studio

ARCH 401 2025

collaborators

Brandon Shell

Neal Stoll

The Midwest is most often portrayed as wide, open, and classically empty. There are traces, apparitions, X-rays, and figments of former existence, but that life, whatever it was, it’s gone now. Fly over it, don’t think about it, it’s vast, it’s nothing. Whatever it was, it’s gone now.

Following the passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, the Midwest began its trajectory toward becoming a machine of production. Tens of thousands of acres drained, cleared, emptied, and transformed. What started as Homesteaders huddled in Prairie Sod Houses, embedded deep in the ground, quickly transitioned into soring grain silos rising out of the gridscape. Today, only 0.01% of Iowa’s native prairie remains; 95% of its wetlands have been erased. Much of the surviving native understory has been mismanaged, Munn Woods being just one example.

Our site is indicative of its wider context: a landscape suffering from an ecological imbalance. A long-standing history of human activity has taken its toll, as evidenced by its degraded water, invasive species, litter, abandoned structures, and dying canopy. A small part of a larger whole, the site is not empty, but emptied, degraded of the two essential resources to sustain life: soil and water. Conservation is then of the utmost importance, a facility that redirects and condenses human activity into a living case study: a place that will stand the test of time to promote growth for the site a beyond.

Sow is a Biome Bank, a new typology dedicated to the preservation, education, and distribution of Iowa’s native ecosystems. Above ground, A burnt barn-like pavilion hosts community spaces while offering panoramic views of the site. Below ground, exposition space educates visitors on the prairies, wetlands, and woodlands that comprise Iowa’s landscape, all while echoing the vast network of prairie dog tunnels found across the Midwest. At the heart of Sow is the Seed Vault, a safe collection of native species surrounded by thick, dirty concrete walls. This seed vault is accompanied by a lab dedicated to further research and understanding of Iowa biomes, promoting a promising future amidst America’s changing climate and conditions. Extending out of the hill are greenhouses, each one representing a separate biome. These greenhouses are operable in all seasons, fostering growth that spills out into the site, Ames, Iowa, and the entire American Midwest.

Located on a brown site in Ames, Iowa. The land is marked by human activity. What was once a native oak savannah was later replaced by Munn Woods in 1930. After the construction of West Bend Drive, the landscape was shattered, creating the isolated site seen today. Long since abandoned and mismanaged, understanding the site’s past, present, and future as well as its place in the larger context can foster the understanding necessary for remediation.

Our site su ers from an inbalance of ecology, a long withstanding history of human history of human activity has take its toll on the site... a small part of a larger whole, the site is indicative of its wider context, a landscape the is not empty, but instead emptied, degraded of the two essential resources to sustain life: soil and water

XLLM S

ECOLOGICAL ISLAND

Landscape fragmentation has produce ecological “islands” disturbed patches of land that are not representative of their larger ecosystem

COLD STORAGE

RESEARCH + DEVELOPMENT

INCUBATE +GERMINATE

SORT + PLANT

GREENHOUSE

SITE AMES IOWA THE MIDWEST

native species are planted on site, creating a living case study residents and students are instructed on native plant care and invited to take seeds home Farms are assisted in installing riparian buffer strips, reducing erosion.

Slowly, the archipelago of ecological islands is connected. Water quality improves, soil loss is reduced, and new habitats are formed for endangered species, shifting the embalance through a metabolic machine.

ISOLATE + AUTOCLAVE

DRYING + CLEANING

STORAGE + DILUTE

By restoring Iowa’s three main native ecosystems: prairies, wetlands, and woodlands, the site becomes a living case study for remediation across the Midwest. The placement of these biomes is not random but carefully selected for the site’s benefit. To the south east, prairies are restored where prexisting plant density is low, requiring little labor while preventing soil erosion into the ravine. At the southwest corner, wetlands are placed where the tree canopy is dying, mitigating flooding and improving water filtration. The North side then remains intact as native woodland, providing habitat for wildlife and increasing privacy in the residential zone.

study models made

The materiality of the building draws on the Iowa landscape, the Burning is required to maintain the prairie. A simple wooden framing system is employed, echoing the many barns scattered across the Midwest, which so often fall into disrepair. Underground, dirty concrete is used to take advantage of its thermal mass, reducing the energy required to keep the seed vault at the necessary cold temperature.

The pavilion’s framing system uses a two-way structural bay to distribute forces evenly across the perfect square form.

The Greenhouse’s framing system uses double-paned glazing to retain heat during the cold, operable winter months. During the summer, an operable vent into to roof’s parapet cools off the glass and drains excess water from condensation. A rigid one-way structural bay then holds the rectilinear form together.

Lower Level Floor Plan

Key:

1. Exhibition Hall

2. Seed Vault

3. Labratory

4. O ices

5.Greenhouse (Woodlands)

6. Greenhouse (Prarie)

7.Greenhouse (Wetlands)

8.Restroom

9.Back of House

10. Mechanical

Upper Level Floor Plan

1.Lobby

2. Kitchen

3. Cafeteria

4. Loading Dock

5.Confrence Room

6.Restroom

7.Overlook Garden

FRAME 02 RUBY

Ames, Iowa

instructor

Bosuk Hur

Ulrike Passe

Virginia Melnyk

studio

ARCH 348 2025

collaborators

Andrew Harness

Evan Reincke

Neal Stoll

The College of Designs is diagnosed with two fatal flaws: a lack of shading and a lack of natural airflow. With that in mind, the idea was to design a new facade for the south and north elevations that not only creates visual depth but adds sustainable dimensionality, providing a useful and beautiful solution that honors the site and the life of design students. Looking to David Chipperfield for inspiration, we created glass panels with perforated copper inlays, letting light into the space while maintaining privacy. This allows for dramatic floorto-ceiling views of the surrounding landscape. At night, artificial lighting systems put the studios on full display, creating an enticing latenight environment. Unlike the Des Moines Public Library, these are not flat panels, insead opting for a saw tooth design. On one angle of the sawtooth is the glass panel, while on the other is a small operable window facing the prevailing wind, allowing for cross ventilation. Both these strategies address the College of Design’s biggest problems with extreme efficiency, reducing energy costs and carbon emissions while providing ample light. Across the glass are randomized muntins, echoing the board-formed concrete of the original facade, preserving the character of what came before while reinventing it for a new generation of designers.

South elevation and approach

Two unique conditions attach to the new facade. The first is flush with the original floor slab and connected with a channel and brackets.

The second condition is a cantilever, creating the depth necessary for the sawtooth. The cantilever extends two feet from the original slab and is held together by plate and L anchors.

FRAME 04 KILN

personal project

workspace renovation for Gigi’s playhouse currated for clients needs

West Des Moines, Iowa

Gigi’s Playhouse Des Moines

2020 - 2021

independent eagle scout project collaborators

Neal Stoll

special thanks location

to my family and friends who helped me get where I needed to go

Conditions of the workroom, in sharp contrast to the importance of the work

Gigi’s Playhouse is an organization that focuses on the achievement and empowerment of those with Down Syndrome. Spanning 58 locations across the United States, Gigi’s Playhouse delivers free educational and career-based services for individuals with Down Syndrome, their families, and the local community.

The primary way Gigi’s Playhouse keeps its incredible services free is through the sale of glass artwork made by participants in the program. The glass art program is crucial, not only financially, but also as an activity for the participants and an example of what they are capable of.

In 2020, I contacted Gig’s Playhouse asking if they had any potential projects for me as I was required to complete a community-based project for my Eagle Scout. They cited their glass room as being in a state of disrepair. Their workbench was falling apart due to water damage, and glass was constantly breaking as it was being moved across the room. To address these issues, I designed and built two improved workstations to best suit the client’s needs. I funded the project by soliciting donations in my local community and came out under budget. The additional funds were donated to Gigi’s Playhouse.

Throughout the process, I learned how to design for a client, design to address a specific site, manage client relationships and correspondence, design within a fixed budget, oversee a project from conception to reality, and manage a construction crew. It was these lessons which taught me all phases of the design process: Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, and Construction Administration. This project marked my first honest endeavor into the design world and has been at the heart of my work ever since. It was the moment I fell in love with design and laid the foundation for my interests and approaches in architecture

The glass cart is detachable from the primary workspace, allowing easy transportation across the room and preventing potential breakage while reducing back strain from constant lifting. The cart’s material is PVC board, which prevents the glass from scratching and reduces the weight. A power strip is then hidden under the workspace, allowing multiple tools to be used at once. The shelving uses a flexible bracket system that adapts to future needs at Gigi’s playhouse.

A second workstation was then added on the right side of the room, creating a triangular workflow and doubling usable space. To accommodate this, the existing cabinets were raised. Mounted underneath the cabinet is a lighting system designed for glasswork. Multiple lighting conditions allow ideal light for working with different colors of glass. Since the installation of Gigi’s Playhouse, they said their way of working has completely changed, with safer conditions for themselves and their students.