#ModelMakers: Dania Morelli

Welcome back to #ModelMakers! Today, we’re highlighting Diya Karthic — a fourth-year student at Tulane University. Scroll down to learn more about Diya’s work!

Name: Diya Karthic

School: Tulane University

Degree Program: Bachelor of Architecture, 5-Year Program

Year in School: Fourth Year

Describe Your Design Style: My design style prioritizes Variation and Interaction. Variation is what makes spaces memorable. A large room feels larger when you enter it through a small hallway. This kind of interaction and juxtaposition aligns with programming and sequencing, and can be emphasized with lighting and materiality. Experiential architecture is at the root of all my design choices.

Share a Project You’re Proud of:

A project I’m proud of is Veil + Void, a material innovation center in downtown New Orleans. During the design process, I focused on the different types of clients the project attracted and what their experience would be like as different users of the building.

The proposal is split into three sections: Entry, Axis, and Active Programming. These align with the three types of users: Visitors, Public, and Research Fellows. The entry space welcomes visitors off the busy boulevard, into a compressed space that then opens into a large atrium that houses a café and leads up to gallery and library spaces.

The Axis space is a central circular courtyard that extends up through the entire form, welcoming the public off the street onto a circular courtyard space.

This courtyard space, depending on the specific use case, can serve as an exterior material yard for research fellows. The active programming for these fellows also includes a high bay fabrication space and apartments.

This project is designed for the changing and evolving nature of spaces; it welcomes the City of New Orleans to inspire and be a part of the innovation taking place.

What Inspires You?

For me, nothing parallels walking through a project and being able to physically understand the choices that were made. From ceiling height, glazing choices, building orientation, and material selection, it is so much easier to make these decisions after feeling the impact of every decision.

What’s Your Student Superpower?

I think my student superpower is iteration. As my time with a project continues, I like to look at it from different angles and add new layers of information. I believe that at completion, this makes my proposals feel more well-rounded and thought out.

You can find Diya on Instagram: @diyakarthicarch_

Interested in being featured? Email studyarchitecturedotcom@gmail.com for more details!

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#ModelMakers: Diya Karthic

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#ModelMakers: Diya Karthic

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