Alum’s 3D Model Highlights Georgia State’s Downtown Footprint

ATLANTA - Two years after completing his interior design degree, Peter Huesemann-Odom (M.F.A. '24) returned to Georgia State to complete a new project.

Huesemann-Odom's architectural model of downtown Atlanta, showcasing Georgia State's footprint within the city, is now on display in the university's main administrative building, Centennial Hall.

The model builds on the experience he gained completing his master's thesis, which included a 3D-printed model of a smaller area of downtown, concentrated around Hurt Park and Georgia State's Arts & Humanities Building. Titled "The New College of the Arts," the thesis demonstrated a possible reconfiguration for the college that would consolidate its facilities into a walkable, visually pleasing and functional space overlooking the park.

"I wanted all the different disciplines in the College of the Arts to be concentrated together," he said. "I'm inspired by European architecture, and my idea was visibility and to showcase the arts to everyone."

While presenting his thesis in 2024, Huesemann-Odom's work caught the attention of some of Georgia State's top leaders, including President M. Brian Blake, Executive Vice President and COO L. Jared Abramson and then-Vice President for Facilities Ramesh Vakamudi.

"They asked if I could build a similar model, but one showing Georgia State's presence in a larger area of downtown Atlanta," he said. "My hope is that people don't just see a collection of buildings, they see how Georgia State is woven into downtown. I wasn't trying to create a miniature city. I wanted to design a communication tool that helps people understand that relationship."

After several rounds of test prints to find the right balance of scale, level of detail and print quality, and after more than a year and a half of 3D printing work, the model is finished and on display at Georgia State's Centennial Hall, which houses the university's Welcome Center and is home base for regular tours for visitors and prospective students and their families.

Displayed on a movable platform about 5-and-a-half-feet square - small enough that two people on opposite sides can still have a comfortable conversation - the model presents iconic structures that make up the Atlanta skyline as miniature white and blue buildings. The Georgia State facilities, from the Urban Life Building's six cylindrical brick columns to the towering 25 Park Place building overlooking Woodruff Park, are printed in Georgia State Blue. The rest of Atlanta, from the SkyView Atlanta Ferris wheel near Centennial Olympic Park to the distinctly stair-stepped Georgia-Pacific tower, is printed in stark white.

"We decided not to represent the topography because we wanted the model to function more as a diagram than a literal miniature of the city. Keeping everything on one plane makes it much easier to understand how Georgia State relates to the surrounding downtown," Huesemann-Odom said.

The model buildings are printed on discrete platforms, representing the city blocks where they're located, so they can be removed and reprinted as the city's and Georgia State's footprints change over time. The block south of Hurt Park, for example, reflects the recent removal of Sparks Hall, Georgia State's first purpose-built building. The project is making way for an expanded greenspace known as the Panther Quad that will connect the existing Campus Greenway across Gilmer Street to Hurt Park.

Huesemann-Odom said he used online resources, aerial imagery and site visits to photograph buildings to make sure their proportions and defining architectural characteristics were represented.

"This model perfectly captures Georgia State's unique position within Atlanta's vibrant, diverse and dynamic downtown core," Abramson said. "Having this display positioned near a high-traffic area like our Welcome Center where hundreds of visitors a week can view it, discuss it and understand where Georgia State fits into the city is invaluable. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a 3D representation you can walk around, get close to and view from all angles is worth thousands more."

Huesemann-Odom said the model project is consistent with his professional work as co-founder and chief design officer of Dixon Rye, the Atlanta-based interior design studio and showroom he leads with his husband, Bradley Odom. Their work has received national recognition, including Peter Huesemann-Odom being named the recipient of the 2023 Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship, their home being featured in Architectural Digest and Dixon Rye being recognized by Veranda as one of the 27 most beautiful designer-owned shops in the world in 2024.

"The campus model represents an intersection of our practice in design, craftsmanship and storytelling through the built environment," he said.

While installing the model pieces one day in mid-July, unpacking each tiny city block from protective wrapping and following a labeled diagram to place them on the platform in the right location, he said it was the first time he was taking in the full view of it.

"It's the first time I've seen the entire model fully assembled, and it really changes your perspective of the city," he said. "Cities are always evolving, so I designed the model as a collection of individual city blocks that can evolve alongside the campus over time. It's incredibly rewarding to know that something I created will continue to serve the university and hopefully spark curiosity for many years."

- Top and bottom photos by William Davis (B.A. '11)