ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS
WUNDERKAMMER. GRADUATE DESIGN 2 | SPRING 2019
Based on performances by French theater company Royal de Luxe, the programmatic core of this project revolves around the movements of massive, 50’ tall marionettes. These giants are typically moved and operated by crane, with precise movements and rotations of limbs/features via simple cable and pulley systems. Because of the shear size and weight of these marionettes, up to 30+ people are required to make the walking of these gargantuan humanoids as seamless as possible.
The fragment itself is located on the threshold between street and facility. From street level, one’s view is framed on the lower portion of the marionette’s body, purposely blocking view of the cables suspending the construction. One begins by winding up through a series of nested exhibitions focusing on individual components of the marionettes. The central nave of the giant then imposes itself upon the semi-closed exhibit spaces, and opens up to a pinched moment nearly 40’ in the air. At this moment, you are staring into the eyes of the giant.
HEARTH. DESIGN 6 | SPRING 2017
Charleston, South Carolina is home to many diverse backgrounds nested within a larger historical context. The people of Charleston have taken it upon themselves to make their marks on the city through the use of color, texture, and material. In the central gallery space lays a massive, curved wall that forms an edge that orients the grand stair towards the three enormous furnaces. While the stair is heavily grounded, an inclined bridge suspends from the ceiling and delicately touches the sky.
As one walks along the street, they are attracted to the three large furnaces reaching for the sky and are able to witness the glow of their flames through a thin, weaving screen surrounding the building. Pushing back part of the building allows for a public courtyard while allowing direct view to the inner gallery space. As they enter the sliding facade, they are greeted by a glowing ring of fire under each furnace and are invited to wander around the gallery before heading upstairs to view how the pieces are formed.
SKIN. DESIGN 5 | FALL 2016
Located in Sweetwater Wetlands in Gainesville, Florida, the goal of this project was to maximize view through architectural promenade while creating interesting light and experiential conditions through texture and perforated surfaces. The form of the observation tower was dictated by proximity to specific moments of the surrounding landscape, with the closest being lake, then wetland, and finally canal directing naturally filtered water away from the site. The idea of framing view is what dictated the placement of crucial moments of pause. As one approaches the structure they are greeted by foliage filtering light onto the ground and exterior surfaces. The construction responds to the trees as sacred objects, getting close enough to view but preventing direct access to touch.
Multiple layers of skin allow for light to seep through in order to blend the idea of interior and exterior without being overwhelmed by either. These external surfaces are placed just within human reach while floating beyond the structure itself in order to maintain a sense of delicacy that reflects its surrounding landscape
WORKSHOP. DESIGN 5 | FALL 2016
This project is based around the idea of craft and focuses on the details just as much as the whole. By analyzing the production of individually crafted wooden oars, I was able to identify the gestures of shaping the layered woods into one finished product. I then constructed a detail joint that is able to hold oars vertically at life scale. The materials were natural red cedar and steel attached entirely via mechanical fasteners. I did not want the design of the detail to distract from the oars themselves but to pull them away from the wall and highlight the dynamic qualities of an oar moving through the water.
Located in Shell Mound, FL (near Cedar Key, FL), the site lays untouched by human construction but is highly populated as a kayaking and boating destination. With the idea of layered ground conditions in mind, the goal was to run against the grain of the landscape and transition through forest, mound, sand, marsh, and water. Programmatically, one approaches through the floating exhibit space that acts as a center for education where people are given information on the history of oar making. As one progresses, they descend to the lower level to be flooded by light; similar to the action of an oar descending into the water. As they approach the water they are welcomed to look into the workshop where oars are being made by a skilled craftsman. Finally they launch from the dock and test the oars themselves. 
RECIPROCITY. DESIGN 3 | FALL 2015
Inspiration for this project came from the interaction between elephant and human. The idea of framed view became influential in the design in order to direct attention to the animal and allow for an intimate experience between the two. The project quickly became an investigation of a moment rather than a design of a complete structure. As human is directed through the construction, they weave between tight spaces that frame itinerary and view of the elephant. At any given point, spectator could be looking up, down, or be on eye level with the elephant. These are justified by their proximity to the elephant along with what it is doing; whether entertaining or resting.
In an effort to capture the experience of being near such a large animal, I sought to accentuate the reverberance of its movement in order to feel the ground shake and to hold its voice within the structure itself. This was done by examining the joint that holds the elephant and by capturing its sound in a hollow mass that both orients us towards it and echoes its voice throughout.
RESSONÀNCIA. DESIGN 7 | FALL 2017
In collaboration with Ana McIntosh.
An area with a vibrant cultural heritage, the neighborhood of El Raval is home to many museums, art centers, and cultural centers. The site of the residential building sits on the corner of Av. De las Drasanes and Carrer Nou de la Rambla, in an area serving tourists wandering from the main street La Rambla in the North as well as the local population. The project seeks to embrace and encourage the arts culture of the neighborhood by providing a lively music venue on the ground floor that is accessible to the public. In response to the greenery running east and west, the building opens to movement on the ground floor to engage the existing park space. The main performance area is directed toward the park, activating it as a place where people gather to talk, listen to music, or observe the existing Roman ruins below. On the other side, it serves the café space, where people can enjoy live music from an interior space.
People walking along the northwest facade can look down into the performance space and across to the park, piquing their curiosity, and inviting them to explore the space beneath. Green strategies such as solar chimneys and green roofs provide for ventilation and water collection to serve the apartment residents in the floors above.
The building facade is comprised of a skin made of fixed louvres oriented to block the harsh light of morning and evening, to allow sun from the south, and to provide privacy for the residents While the center of the building is open and inviting to the public, the building is heavily anchored to the ground on the southwestern face, where most of the building residents enter. This residential lobby on the ground floor is shared with flexible practice rooms that support the primary performance space. People walking along the street have the chance to catch glimpses of these spaces through vertical windows and to hear music coming from the open clerestory windows.OCULI (PART 1). GRADUATE DESIGN 1 | FALL 2018
OCULI (PART 2). GRADUATE DESIGN 1 | FALL 2018
ENTHRALLMENT. GRADUATE DESIGN 2 | SPRING 2019
Located just north of the Free Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the program acts as an extension of the existing library’s collection to exhibit its rare books to the public while also protecting them from the elements. Given that modern trends are moving away from spending ample amounts of time inside reading in favor of faster, more interactive experiences, it is important to consider how the idea of ‘library’ evolves in response. The proposal for this site thus not only allots the necessary square footage to hold more volumes of text, but also introduces a new program focused on the idea of performance.
An interactive theater would be placed within three massive volumes, weaving spatial itinerary to allow individual scenes to take place and the audience to move around the performers freely. Not only does this allow the audience to experience the stories at their own pace, but also transports them into the middle of a scene/set rather than merely looking at it like in typical theater organizations. After researching the significance of certain authors within the city of Philadelphia, it was decided that the interactive theaters would be based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, and the book collections would be limited to horror, detective, or science fiction, all of which were pioneered by Poe.
Upon entry, one is placed in between the three volumes that comprise the interactive theater. These larger interstitial spaces would house an abundance of reading material via general stacks, and one is invited to wander around various artifacts relating to Poe. The main atrium not only showcases event and performance spaces, but also highlights primary vertical circulation. Multiple communicative staircases interact within their immediate ground/wall conditions, either carving, extending, or pulling away from these surfaces and masses. While people are invited and enticed by specific architectural elements, ultimately it is their choice as to how they will interact with the artifacts and text.
The three massive volumes would be given operative terms to describe their relations to their larger contexts. These words are: anchoring, puncturing, and embedding (arranged south to north, respectively), and would hold, interrupt, and lie within the primary structure. While two of the three boxes hover above the ground and are immediately inaccessible, the third box (anchoring) houses a ballroom on its first floor and an open stage oriented towards fixed seating on the second level and out onto the artifact/general stack space below, allowing music or speech to be heard from a large portion of the overall construction.
The role of materiality here is primarily to express tectonic languages of the skin in contrast to the seemingly massive theater volumes. Perforated corten steel panels comprise the outer skin, while the drop ceiling consists of steel panels with handwriting, presumably Poe’s, cut out. These screens provide an edge that is comfortable to the occupant, while simultaneously letting in light and hinting at elements that lie further beyond. This layered system filters small amounts of indirect light, creating comfort for the occupant without harming the collections.
