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Sidra Smith

Painting Paris 01

Winter 2025 - Graduate Themed Environment Integration Studio Group Project

Painting Paris is a two-level tracked dark ride attraction that immerses guests in 1872 Paris, a city emerging from war and ready to rebuild. Developed from assigned “seeds”: exhibition (setting), adventure (genre), and the Pont Neuf (painting), the story follows Edmund Renoir, brother of the famed painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, as he recruits guests to help his brother finish his masterpiece before sunset.

Blending themes of hope, rebirth, and renewal, the attraction takes guests from shadowy alleys through winding streets, adrenaline-filled ride sequences, and interactive show scenes. The journey ends in a luminous museum exhibition, where the finished painting is revealed with guests subtly featured in the artwork using generative technology.This project was developed in a team of three, with my contributions focused on concept collage design, storytelling, ride vehicle design, and area development.

Revit, Rhino, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator

Example Scene Breakdown - Scene 4: Floating in

Story: The story continues after the backwards “drop” into the river below. This scene floats guests down the Seine river under the bridge.

Emotions: Light Disgust from dirty water, Humor, thrill

Show elements:

-Scenic: Starts looking over a bridge alongside the audio of an animatronic family. The practical set will consist of the physical bridge and screens will create the horizon.

-Sound: dialogue, background audio, water “splash”

-Special FX: Water will splash guests as they float through the scene

-Lighting: bright daylight

-Ride system: tracked ride system allows for oscillating movement that mimics the feeling of floating

Show Palette

River

Pont Neuf, Paris 1872, Pierre Auguste Renoir

Area Development Concept

The Interchange 02

The Interchange is a mixed-use development that transforms a neglected urban site into a vibrant hub of connection and community in downtown Naples. Anchored by the historic Naples Depot Museum, the project creates a seamless dialogue between past and present, public and private, movement and pause. Two public parks — one streetside, one elevated — are linked by a new gallery that acts as a portal between them, inviting exploration and interaction.

Revit, Enscape, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator

Axonometric

Sculpture Garden on Podium

East Elevation

The Legend of Boggy Peak 03

Summer 2025 - Graduate Themed Environment Integration Studio Group Project

At Camp Boggy Creek, children with serious illnesses are invited to a place of healing, wonder, and possibility. This project reimagines the camp’s zipline as an experiential rite of passage inspired by our book, “The Legend of Boggy Peak,” which is about a mystical mountain that grants the gift of flight to Florida’s endangered wildlife.

Campers begin in the Nesting Phase, selecting spirit animals and crafting talismans that guide and protect them. They embark on the Ascent, climbing paths designed for all abilities that celebrate teamwork, courage, and perseverance. From the Flight, ziplines and slides let them embrace freedom, soaring safely while discovering the thrill of letting go. Finally, in Landing & Reflection, campers leave personal mementos and reflect on their journey, carrying the lessons of bravery, empathy, and connection into the world beyond the mountain.

Every detail, from shaded rest areas to accessible pathways, is designed to nurture confidence, spark wonder, and honor each camper’s unique journey. Developed in a team of three, my contributions focused on storytelling, site development, and designing an experience that balances magic, adventure, and care.

Revit, Rhino, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator

A long time ago, before there were roads or fences, there was a mountain in Florida. Not a hill, not a bump in the land, but a real mountain.

They say it rose from the ground like a secret that wanted to be remembered. Long ago, this place had been under the ocean. The coral and shells were pressed into stone, and over time, the land slowly pushed upward, even higher than the tallest tree. In the sunlight, it sparkled with tiny pieces of shell and bone, as if the water had left a part of itself behind.

At first, the animals didn’t understand it. The mountain wasn’t on any map and it wasn’t a place that they had ever visited before. But somehow, it called to them. Some came to rest, some came because they were curious, and some came because they were searching. Searching for healing, for courage, or even for something they couldn’t name.

The Monarch Butterfly came next. She said the mountain shimmered like her chrysalis, tough on the outside, and full of change on the inside. She found glowing tunnels inside the rock, lit by moss and shaped by time.

The first to tell the story were the birds. The Bald Eagle flew higher than anyone. He said the mountain reached all the way to the clouds. Once, a storm tore his wings, and he had to climb the mountain using only his talons. When he reached the top, his wings came back stronger and wiser.

“It’s not the wind that lifts you,” he said. “The mountain teaches you how to fly.”

The Florida Panther didn’t believe in stories. He believed in quiet, and at the top of the mountain it was so still that he could hear his own heartbeat. He went up the mountain as a Panther, but he came down with a story of his own.

More animals followed: the Sandhill Crane, who wanted to sing in a place where no one could echo back. The Eastern Indigo Snake, who slid between the roots and said the mountain had a heartbeat. The Manatee, who had only known the water but dreamed of touching the sky. Even the Little Blue Heron, who climbed higher and higher, then left behind a single feather in the wind and took off without looking back.

chanceThemountaindoesn’tjustgivewings.Itgivesyoua togrow.Itasksyoutotry.Ithelpsyoubelieve. swampIt’ssaidthatifyoueverseefogcurlingthroughthe whenthere’snowind,orspotaglimmerof thatshellunderthemoss,orhearawhisperinyourbones Calledsays“Goup,”you’vebeencalled.Calledtoclimb. tochange.Calledtofly.BecauseBoggyPeak It’sisn’tjustamountain.It’sachallenge.It’samemory. apromise. Andit’swaiting.

Then came the Keepers. No one knows exactly who they are. Some say they’re made of coral and mist. Some say they’re the memories of the sea. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is what they guard.

Each one said the same thing in a different way. The mountain gives the gift of flight, but only after you climb it. You have to find your own path. No one carries you. No one pushes you. And no one is the same when they return.

Site Map

Zipline Tower Section

The Center of the Universe

Fall 2024 - Graduate Architecture Studio

Sited in Sarasota, Florida, this project focuses on creating a support building for the Sarasota Art Museum while also servicing the Galloway’s Furniture Showroom. Galloway’s was designed in 1959 by architect Victor Lundy and is a symbol of the architecture style so prevalent in Sarasota.

The form and placement of the three addition buildings was derived from both the circumference and the beam divisions of Galloway’s. Using this circular “grid”, a system was created that places Galloway’s at the center of view from anywhere in the addition. The concrete forms are clad in a black perforated metal to enhance opacity from a distance, while still allowing for uninterrupted views of Galloway’s from inside the addition buildings.

Revit, Enscape, Adobe Illustrator

Conference Room

Courtyard

Back Entry

Courtyard

House of Looming Cables

Inspired by the historical resistance of Luddites and Neoluddites against the effects of industrialization in the nineteenth-century textile industry and subsequent twenty-first-century technology industry, this project challenges the prevailing narrative of endless technological expansion while encouraging critical reflection on the true costs of our digital dependence. Combining a centuries-old practice of weaving with the pressing issue of electronic waste e-waste advocates for a more mindful awareness of our digital footprint. Sited in Santee Alley, Los Angeles, this permanent installation is surrounded by the booming commerce and constant energy of the fashion district.

Rhino 7, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator Site Plan

Winter 2024 - Undergraduate Architecture Studio Drop

Loom

Isometric of Building + Vignettes

Forest Collective 06

Winter 2023 - Undergraduate Architecture Studio

Nestled in a community woodland preserve in Ann Arbor lies a building where people of all ages can enjoy the benefits of nature while partaking in the arts. The Forest Collective features community spaces for classes, rehearsals, and other public gatherings, as well as individual artistic endeavors. Its proximity to a public walking trail allows for multiple access points. Intimate pavilions scattered throughout the surrounding forest invite creative use during warmer months.

Music Spaces

Community Spaces

Art Spaces

Rhino 7, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

Cafe outside Theater

The Butterfly House 07

Fall 2022 - Undergraduate Architecture Studio

The Butterfly House seeks to blur the lines of human control over creatures in captivity. This project serves as the culmination of findings from a semester-long study of the Binh House (see Project 7). Power dynamics are flipped and human inhabitants become the exhibit for butterflies. Private moments are made visible, creating a new sense of vulnerability.

7, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Laser Cutter, Zund Cutter

Rhino

Study models of human circulation and relationships to nature in the Binh House

Binh House Study and Addition

Fall 2022 - Undergraduate Architecture Studio

The Binh House, built by VTN Architects in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, features visibility throughout the house from every direction. The structure was built for a multigenerational family and demanded a connectivity among all family members. Additionally, the house prioritized connections to nature and was designed with many exterior and interior gardens. The project was done as a team of three, all participating equally.

This swing space was designed for an ‘add a room’ assignment for the Binh House. Redefining the constraints of a room, the space is not enclosed and offers direct access to the outdoors. With a large, swinging radius and a mirrored floor to reflect the open sky above, the user experiences

Rhino 7, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Laser Cutter, Zund Cutter

Section Cut with Swing Path

Community Center

Summer 2023 - Cornwell Architects Intern

Community Center for the Grand Traverse Band of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians in Traverse City, Michigan. Features include a large event space, a conference room, eight offices, and a large deck.

Revit, Adobe Photoshop

Ground Floor Plan

North Elevation

Roof Detail

Flower Cube 10

Fall 2021 - Studio

Take a vivid journey into the feeling of an opulent garden. Trimmed bushes and trellises emphasize the formality, while large shapes in nonsensical positions highlight the playfulness of the environment.

In

Bloom 11

Winter 2022 - Art Studio

Emulating blooming flowers, this sculpture abstractly plays with shape and light to create bulbs of color. Layering shades of purple on one another provide a unique sense of depth.