When an opportunity was presented to redesign the school computer lab, Columbus St. Francis DeSales High School’s Advanced Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) teacher Kim Gattis knew who she wanted to ask for assistance: Noah Frazier.
The high school senior embraced the opportunity to sharpen his spatial design skills and directly impact students’ daily experiences. The main goal: improve accessibility and increase visibility.
To bring the vision to life, Frazier used SketchUp, a digital modeling software. He had experience using the software since his freshman year. After four years, he continued to discover new features during the program’s evolution.
Alongside digital tools, Noah relied on scaled paper cutouts to experiment with furniture arrangements—proving that traditional, hands-on methods can play an important role in effective design.
What began as a single redesign captured the attention of the school’s teachers. It led to a second project, reimagining the layout of classroom 116.
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In addition to redesigning classrooms, Frazier worked on his advanced CADD independent study project, choosing something, he said, “that had depth and real-world relevance.”
He was inspired by a sophomore-year assignment designing shipping container homes for areas devastated by fires.
He became interested in “situational” architecture, a design approach responding directly to specific conditions, such as a place, moment or social context. It can be described as architecture shaped by a situation.
“To emulate this, I researched many different types of communities experiencing housing crises,” Frazier said.
“After careful consideration, I ultimately decided upon the flood-stricken communities near Jackson, Kentucky. I thought that the proximity to my own state and community would aid in my understanding of the situation.”
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The year-long focus involves designing a smaller, affordable home with renewable resources in a flood-prone zone. Frazier will create plans for flood-mitigation strategies, such as flood vents, working within a self-imposed budget for land, materials and hypothetical labor costs.
The project requires planning, budgeting and problem-solving—skills that mirror realities of professional architectural work. Frazier saw firsthand how thoughtful design can influence accessibility, safety and sustainability.
He said he plans to pursue architecture in college and continue demonstrating that designing with purpose means using creativity, not simply to build structures, but build solutions.