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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

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

Example Scene Breakdown - Scene 4: Floating in River

Pont Neuf, Paris 1872, Pierre Auguste Renoir

Area Development Concept

All Scenes Collage

The Interchange 02

The Interchange is a mixed-use development in downtown Naples focused on fostering community while protecting the historical Naples Depot Museum. Sited on previously developed land, it leverages existing infrastructure to reduce environmental impacts and fit seamlessly into the historic context. The site selection prioritizes walkability and transit access to a variety of uses, such as shopping, dining, and recreation, supporting public health and reducing carbon emissions. These strategies strengthen the resilience of the community while ensuring the project’s positive impact on the health of occupants and the environment.

Revit, Enscape, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator

Axonometric

Sculpture Garden on Podium

The Center of the Universe 03

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 05

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 06

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 projects 4 & 5). 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

Ground Floor Plan

Two Plan

Three Plan

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 08

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

North Elevation

South Elevation

Roof Detail

Flower Cube 09

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.

Rhino 7, Adobe Photoshop

In Bloom 10

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.