Brian Roberts is a fourth-year Architecture major studying the preservation and documentation of historic buildings with Dr. Danielle Willkens. 

How long have you been an undergraduate researcher at Georgia Tech?

My experience researching began with the Building for Equity and Sustainability Vertically Integrated Program (VIP) in the fall of 2023. I continued researching in summer 2024 when I participated in the Architectonics study abroad program in Greece and Italy and am now working with Dr. Danielle Willkens in my senior year.

How did you get involved with undergraduate research?

Tech’s commitment to sustainability in research and practice was a major factor for my decision to apply here. I carried that interest through to the summer of 2023 when I was offered an internship through SCoRE. I connected with many students and faculty who encouraged me to participate in the VIP. I did, and it brought me closer to the SCoRE administration and connected me with many of Tech’s community partners. My current method of research began in the Architectonics program. It offers students a library of research options including documenting buildings, understanding logics behind their organization, and preserving artifacts digitally. I chose to work with photogrammetry and documentation of historic spaces, focusing on a space belonging to Michelangelo’s grandnephew. Dr. Willkens assisted me in crafting a 3D model of Casa Buonarroti’s studiolo by taking hundreds of photos and feeding them through photogrammetry software. Having made a detailed model so easily intrigued me. I appreciated the ease at which you could document a space in such a detailed way and the different methods you could work with that model to tell a story. I have continued researching in summer 2025 under Dr. Willkens, localizing my work with photogrammetry. I am happy to combine that community-focused aspect of the VIP with historical research to understand and communicate the legacy of Auburn Avenue.

What are you working on?

Atlanta’s rich history includes the legacy of Sweet Auburn, one of the most economically influential neighborhoods in the state of Georgia between the 1850s and 1970s. I am studying the history of the street with a focus on 229 Auburn Avenue Northeast, an old branch of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. The narrative of the street matters now as a lot of it has been lost to time. I am aiming to present the history with a projection-mapped story, one ideally projected on to 229 Auburn Ave. itself. This summer, I’ve been projecting tests on a smaller mock-up of the 229 Auburn Ave. With projection-mapping, 3D objects become unique canvases for storytelling. I’ve been working in Adobe After Effects to develop a visual narrative that would transform the building into a maquette of the past belonging to the whole of Sweet Auburn. Projecting this story onto the building should easily communicate the complex story to passersby.

What is your favorite thing about research/researching?

I appreciate the storytelling found in research. While searching through sources, you find many experts providing a straight-forward, unbiased account, but even in their words they can’t eliminate a sense of personality, both in themselves and their area of expertise. A mountain of care must go into framing history in an accurate and considerate way, but I find the small area left for expression to be the most interesting component. When we look at the past as a story to tell, the framing of the characters and settings can entirely change the reception of that story. I’m honored and excited to focus on the story of Sweet Auburn through and experience as immersive as projection mapping.

What are your future plans and how has research influenced them?

I came to Georgia Tech wanting to focus on building a sustainable architecture, yet I had no idea what that would entail. Through my research, I’ve found community development to be the most important aspect of sustainability (to me). I aim to work at a firm focusing on historic preservation and adaptive reuse. Researching within the Building for Equity and Sustainability VIP and investigating Sweet Auburn has introduced me to the importance of community in architecture. I know I want to connect the weight of the past to the development of communities.