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2024 Study Architecture Student Showcase - Part IV

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Infrastructure is the central theme covered in Part IV of the 2024 Study Architecture Student Showcase. Defined as “the facilities and systems that serve a community,” infrastructure can range from public transportation to roadways.

Today’s featured projects look at existing infrastructure and use design solutions to improve conditions. Examples include creating opportunities for connection between surrounding areas, reimaging exclusionary foundations to support upward mobility, developing comprehensive building codes, and promoting sustainability.

Suburbia As the Anti-Society: Why We Need a Suburban Architectural Rebellion by Megan Kaminski, M. Arch ‘24
Lawrence Technological University | Advisor: Scott Shall

There needs to be a Suburban Rebellion in architecture. Suburbs were originally built for a white middle class and continue to be built for a white middle class, even as suburbs begin to change and evolve socioeconomically. The conditions of which are a prevailing continuation of a dependency on automobiles, zoning, and infrastructure that becomes dangerous limitations as the flow of suburban sprawl moves income and investment farther and farther away, causing an equal sprawl of suburban decay in its wake.

Existing suburbs should be reimagined by reusing decaying or underused conditions by the community, in spite of harmful regulations that have been institutionalized since the 1950s, to rewrite them.

To investigate this, I propose to design a methodology for how future suburbs can be designed by people/the community as well as detailing how existing conditions can be reused in order to achieve this.

Instagram: @scott_shall

Post-Infrastructure: Structure as Site by Hilal Kobrosly, B. Arch ’24
American University of Beirut | Advisors: Carla Aramouny & Sinan Hassan

The concept behind this project is an exploration of how infrastructure, in this case, the columns of the Mdayrej bridge, can undergo a profound transformation, transcending their utilitarian purpose to become integral elements in a new architectural narrative. By interweaving a performance hall and a hotel into the existing columns, this endeavor challenges conventional notions of these structures as purely functional, highlighting their potential as generators of space and meaning.

The project’s design engages with the history of architectural evolution, drawing inspiration from the Cordoba Mosque’s expansion stages. Much like how the mosque’s structure evolved over time while maintaining its essence, this project seeks to evolve the bridge’s columns, blurring the lines between pre-existing and newly constructed elements. This approach introduces a sense of continuity and harmony to the site, where the boundaries between old and new become indistinct.

As one enters the parking area, the experience unfolds progressively. The scale shift from the vast field of columns to the more confined performance hall is reminiscent of a journey through architectural time and space. It is as if one is moving through layers of history and design, gradually immersing themselves in the evolving narrative of the project.

In the context of the performance hall, the design draws inspiration from ancient Greek theaters, where integration with the natural landscape was paramount. Here, the topography lines of the site plan effortlessly lead to a niche beneath the eastern columns of the bridge, forming a natural amphitheater. 

The roof overhead serves as the only enclosure needed, allowing the audience to connect intimately with both the landscape and the columns. In this setting, the columns cease to be mere structural elements; they become performers themselves, adding a dynamic dimension to the grand hall’s ambiance.

Moving on to the hotel, it occupies a floating strip, gracefully positioned above the performance hall’s roof. Along the western columns of the bridge, the project’s field condition undergoes a transformation. 

The columns, now experienced at a more intimate scale, transcend their load-bearing role to become intricate surfaces. This shift in perspective challenges preconceived notions about the relationship between structure and space, highlighting how architecture can breathe new life into utilitarian elements.

Instagram: @ard_aub

Turnpike Beef by Ray Wincko, M. Arch ‘24
University of Florida | Advisors: Charlie Hailey & Bradley Walters

Turnpike Beef is a design project that synthesizes the inherent relationships amongst underlying infrastructural systems, the subliminal qualities of the banal, and a bucolic Floridian landscape. Florida is notorious for fantastical manufactured environments like the neon nightmares of Miami or the fabricated magical kingdoms of Orlando. Turnpike Beef suggests that the systems of infrastructure that stitch these urban centers hold a more accurate perspective of what this landscape beholds. Arguably the most overlooked component of infrastructure that, in its absence and introduction, has contributed to the development of Florida is the fence.

Through the analysis and invigoration of the fence, Turnpike Beef aims to envision how “fence” as an architectural tool can catalyze and shift the manner in which citizens perceive and interact with infrastructure, banal space, and the in-between of the Florida landscape. Once the idea of the fence surpasses its normally understood role of line and boundary, it acquires a greater set of roles as a spatial mediator, raconteur, and witness to the environment. The fence is most often interacted with while traversing between destinations at high speeds which demands a regional scale of response. Along with a regional response, a more impactful aspect of infrastructural interaction is that in a time of intimate and reflective pause or rather, rest.

In search of tying narrative and conditional threads between infrastructural landscape and seemingly regular program, this study proposes a set of interventions that utilize the “fence” as a tool for synthesizing and charging spatial, political, and cultural relationships. The intervention, programmatically, is a reinterpretation of a contemporary staple of American travel, the rest stop. A  generally disregarded, temporal experience along our routes, the rest stops of Florida’s state highway system are designed to operate as efficient exchanges of north and south-bound travelers with little regard for its infrastructural context or the often-enriched historical landscape that surrounds them. Through ceremonial defecation, boiled peanuts, trucker showers, and billboard propaganda, this project connects the individual with infrastructural traces and the forgotten celebration of the subsided program.

Instagram: @charlie.hailey, @r_winky

Central EJE de Movilidad Turística Tequisquiapan by Axel Josua Nogales Bernal, B. Arch ’24
Universidad Anáhuac Querétaro | Advisor: Jorge Javier

This project was born as an integral mobility strategy for the state of Querétaro, as well as from the need to connect the city of Tequisquiapan with the rest of the magical towns in the region.

The proposal is inserted in the periphery of the urban area, in order to integrate different local transports and make it easier to move around.

The building, a structural integration of uniform columns that link the large concrete roof through subtle arches, divides the public part from the private part, expanding the uses, in order to have internal plazas and open spaces and thus achieve a great amplitude for the transit and boarding of the bus users.

This project won the 2024 AIA Triangle Student Design Award.

Instagram: @axelnogales, @ajnb_arq, @arqwave, @arquitectura_anahuac

Exclusionary Infrastructure & Displacement: A Study on Architectural Mobility by Elisa Castañeda & Luke Murray, B. Arch ’24
Mississippi State University | Advisors: Jassen Callender, David Perkes, Mark Vaughan & Aaron White

Jackson, Mississippi, is a unique place, the capital of the most low-income state in the Nation, the Blackest major city in the United States per capita, and a city whose history is translated through its infrastructure and built landscape. While the implementation of policies and regulations are directly in view as forms of disenfranchisement in marginalized communities, public infrastructure, urban planning, and the built environment are not often recognized as forms of regulation. The placement of highways, railroads, walls, and more, have had profound effects on the organization of different racial demographic groups within the city of Jackson – these patterns are still pervasive today.

The above implicates exclusionary infrastructure, defined here as the placement and construction of built works that hinder accessibility between communities, resulting in systemic disinvestment and social plight. 

This proposal aims to examine how these factors – and their historical, social, and political contexts – have resulted in inequity at multiple scales. And furthermore, leverage that research to better understand how architecture can be a form of liberation rather than control in a city and a state that fails to reconcile under the weight of its own history.

What follows, is our research and conclusions on how architectural design skills can be used to illustrate how we might begin to break down exclusionary infrastructure and create collective autonomies over spaces that may seem divisive. To argue that physical divides can become points for connection. 

Through this analysis, we were able to identify what public infrastructure in the built environment had the most negative impacts within the Jackson community. Out of this came the Illinois Central Railroad as the site for a theoretical design intervention. In many instances, the track represents a literal earthen wall through the city that separates lower-income black communities from more fluent white-centric communities. The mission of the design intervention is to provide spaces to connect, while also contributing to social mobility among local stakeholders. This brought about a new re-imagining and reinvention of how we perceive train tracks as an occupyable space. One with broad reach and the ability to adjust to changing needs, both in programming and location.

This project won the CDFL Capstone Studio Travel Award.

Instagram: @elisa_castaneda, @chimichurrimurray, @jassencallender

Emerging Connections: Renetworking Formal and Informal Public Space by Hoi Ting Chan & Nicole Giella, M. Arch ’24
New York Institute of Technology | Advisors: Marcella Del Signore & Evan Shieh

“Emerging Connections: Renetworking Formal and Informal Public Space” focuses on adaptive reuse to revitalize mono-use infrastructure and reclaim underutilized public spaces in São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro. The project aims to enhance the local social infrastructure by extending its reach and promoting both formal and informal community interactions. A detailed analysis of the neighborhood’s existing connectivity and functional drivers informed the creation of a spatial matrix that seamlessly integrates current conditions with new opportunities for social engagement. In line with Rio’s goal of zero transport emissions by 2050, the design prioritizes pedestrian-friendly environments, reducing dependence on private vehicles.

The chosen site is characterized by intersecting boundaries, including a canal, a ground highway, an elevated highway, and the adjacent underutilized land. The intervention is executed in three phases: Phase One transforms ground-level highway lanes next to the canal into a pedestrian-friendly urban park, making the canal a central public space. Phase Two introduces a new community center on the adjacent underutilized land, enhancing local social infrastructure. Phase Three converts the elevated highway into a dynamic network for social exchange, with spaces dedicated to educational activities and formal gatherings.

Nodes play a critical role in the design, shaping areas for both formal and informal social activities. At the highway level, formal nodes, including a library, café, and lecture hall, are accessed through various paths to provide distinct user experiences. On the ground level, informal nodes are strategically placed around and above the canal, integrated with pedestrian pathways. Informal nodes accommodate street vendors, crucial to Rio’s vibrant social fabric, offering adaptable spaces that support formal events and accommodate temporary uses.

Resiliency measures include expanding the canal’s edges to prevent flooding and incorporating green infrastructure to improve air quality and address climate change. These interventions make São Cristóvão’s limited green space, previously dominated by a single park, more accessible. By focusing on implementing these strategies at the city’s boundary intersections, the project enables multi-directional and multi-level growth, enhancing public social interactions, and elevating the quality of life for Rio’s residents.

Instagram: @ngiella_, @virginiacht, @marcelladelsi, @ev07

Beyond Disaster Relief by Jean-Paul Abi Awad, M. Arch ’24
Boston Architectural College | Advisors: Ian F. Taberner, AIA & Asli Baran

This thesis explores how architects respond to disasters by designing urban spaces and architecture. The thesis has two perspectives: the immediate response to crises, which involves the design of temporary shelters and essential infrastructure, and future-proofing designs to prepare for potential crises by incorporating resilience, flexibility, and adaptability. 

The thesis aims to demonstrate architecture’s role in responding to and mitigating the effects of crises and how designers can create more resilient and adaptive spaces for the future.

The project aims to create a center to study and address the root causes of crises, develop comprehensive building codes and regulations, and conduct research. The project will engage with various stakeholders to promote collaboration and coordination in addressing crises and will be a hub for knowledge sharing and collaboration in the region.

This project received the M. Arch Thesis Commends.

Connecting Assets: towards an integrated city by foot. by Shreya Sanghvi & Tanaya Gawade, MS. Architecture in Urban Design ’24
New York Institute of Technology | Advisors: Jeannette Sordi & Jeffrey Raven

The São Cristóvão neighbourhood, often seen as an isolated island due to its perceived disconnection from surrounding areas, is on the brink of transformation. Our vision is to redefine this area, overcoming its barriers and enhancing connectivity to key landmarks like the market, bio park, and harbour. This initiative presents a unique opportunity for São Cristóvão to become a beacon of sustainable urban development, influencing the design of city blocks, open spaces, transit systems, and bicycle networks, thus revitalizing the entire region. Central to this strategy is the implementation of a major pedestrian-friendly system. Dismantling the invisible barriers that fragment the neighbourhood requires establishing a porous pedestrian network. This network will enable the seamless movement of people and facilities, fostering integration and accessibility throughout the area. By prioritizing walkable infrastructure, such as lively streets, plazas, neighbourhood parks, and green spaces, we can ensure safe and convenient passage between the neighbourhood and the harbour.

Moreover, innovative elements like elevated walkways and bridges will provide new dimensions of connectivity, further integrating São Cristóvão with its surroundings. The inclusion of blue and green infrastructure is pivotal, as it not only enhances connectivity but also addresses pressing climate issues. Green corridors and water management systems will create a resilient and inviting environment for residents and commuters alike.

Our strategy aims to breathe new life into São Cristóvão, making it a model of urban revitalization. By prioritizing pedestrian mobility and sustainability, we can transform this neighbourhood into a vibrant, interconnected community. This approach will not only improve the quality of life for current residents but also attract new visitors and businesses, driving economic growth and fostering a sense of community pride. Together, we can turn São Cristóvão into a thriving urban oasis, leading the way in sustainable urban development.

This project won the Black Spectacles, Spectacular Studio Awards, 2024

Instagram: @_shreya_sanghvi, @tana_yeahhh, @jeffrey.raven, @jeannettesordi

TerraCrux by Joseph Kim, B. Arch ’24
University of Southern California | Advisor: Eric Haas

The ceaseless interplay between human and natural forces focuses on the errors of our inventions and reminds us of nature’s everlasting presence. However, our efforts have left divisions in its realm, forcing the equilibrium to kneel to our errors. As our infrastructure falters, we will ensure that natural pathways resurface, interweaving with the very essence of our dominion. With the passage of time, aided by us, nature will thread through our past errors, restoring balance through its own fruition. Within the I-5 and CA-14 corridors, an error reveals an opportunity. This space will not only establish a new pathway but also create a sanctuary for wildlife.

Tapestry of tomorrow: weaving culture, commerce and community by Anushka Naik & Manogna Sai Padi, Ms. Architecture in Urban Design ’24
New York Institute of Technology | Advisors: Jeannette Sordi & Jeffrey Raven

In the bustling heart of Rio de Janeiro lies São Cristóvão, an industrial zone awaiting transformation into a sustainable, mixed-use area by 2050 through our visionary project, “TAPESTRY OF TOMORROW”. This endeavor aims to seamlessly integrate industrial and residential spaces, enhancing accessibility, connectivity, and harmony within the community.

Our approach prioritizes sustainability, considering the long-term impacts on environmental conservation, economic prosperity, social equity, and urban well-being. To realize our vision, we meticulously analyze the site, dividing it into a grid to address challenges such as flooding, waste management, and heat stress. This granular examination allows us to tailor solutions that ensure neighborhood resilience and sustainability. Our design serves as a versatile blueprint, capable of adapting to diverse urban problems in São Cristóvão and beyond. By understanding each location’s unique characteristics and issues, our strategies can be scaled and transferred, contributing to broader sustainable urban development initiatives.

It emphasizes green infrastructure, renewable energy sources, and mixed-use development to create a resilient urban environment. Incorporating elements like green roofs, rain gardens, and permeable pavements enables effective stormwater management and reduces urban heat island effects. The utilization of solar and wind power, coupled with energy-efficient building systems, underscores our commitment to sustainability. Additionally, our project fosters community engagement and economic growth through carefully designed public spaces and innovation hubs.

Furthermore, “TAPESTRY OF TOMORROW” celebrates São Cristóvão’s rich cultural heritage, blending history with modernity. By preserving the area’s cultural identity while embracing innovative design and technology, we aim to create a vibrant neighborhood that honors its past and embraces a sustainable future. This project epitomizes a holistic approach to urban revitalization, weaving a tapestry of sustainable, innovative, and culturally vibrant communities for generations to come.

Instagram: @anushkanaik12, @manogna_s_padi, @jeffrey.raven, @jeannettesordi

Stay tuned for Part V!

2024 Study Architecture Student Showcase - Part I

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Welcome to the 2024 Study Architecture Student Showcase!

Over the summer, we called on architecture school faculty from across the globe to nominate graduating students whose work exemplifies excellence in architectural education. The submitted work reflects the various skills and concepts taught in architecture schools while inspiring future architecture students. With the Fall semester in full swing, we are excited to share these outstanding projects with you over the next few months.

These projects will focus on topics ranging from climate change and revitalization to public health and housing. Tune in every Tuesday and Thursday for a new installment focused on a specific topic.

Today’s showcase features projects that are centered around technology. As the world continues to make technological advances, architecture must adapt. Technology can benefit architecture in many ways, as demonstrated by the projects below. From AI and VR to robotics and other digital tools, these projects highlight opportunities to utilize technology as an avenue for innovation and construction.

Nexus by Angela Hanna, M. Arch ’24
Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) | Advisor: Louis Hachem

In the dynamic landscape of modern education, “NEXUS” underscores USEK’s unwavering commitment to excellence in education, envisioning a state-of-the-art, smart headquarters that serves as a global hub of interconnected learning.

The Faculty of Robotics and AI represents technological advancements. The iconic dome houses the main auditorium for global educational events, and the surrounding ring encapsulates research laboratories. Innovative features such as dynamic partitions and a revolving stage enhance flexibility, while holographic technology dissolves physical boundaries, fostering a network of knowledge exchange. Sustainability is a cornerstone of the Nexus, employing passive and active methods to reduce energy consumption. Welcome to Nexus, where Architecture, AI and Nature align.

Instagram: @angela.h_, @usekschoolofarchitecture

Architronics: Utilizing Virtual Reality in Architectural Pedagogy by Dean Lambros, B. Arch ’24
Kennesaw State University | Advisor: Robin Puttock

This research is about integrating the recent advancements in VR technology as a way to ‘playtest’ and design in architectural pedagogy. To better gauge the interest in VR and prove the need for VR integration, surveys were conducted among students and faculty within KSU’s College of Architecture and Construction Management (CACM).

A ‘site analysis’ was then conducted within surrounding firms in the greater Atlanta area, leading to precedent studies of local firms that use VR in their practice. By utilizing the firms’ advancements, this shed new light on how VR could be implemented into architectural pedagogy, and why it hasn’t been incorporated into the curriculum yet.

This then led to an analysis of four architectural metrics: light, form, tectonics, and program. Each of these metrics were analyzed in VR through case studies that best exemplify their features. Doing so allowed for a more immersive and concise design approach, which explored new ways to collaborate and critique, and help obtain a better sense of scale within each space.

To compare the architectural design process between traditional pedagogy and VR-tailored pedagogy, a research study was performed on a test group of 14 first-year students implemented in the spring semester 2024 accelerated program. They performed a small-scale design project where half utilized VR-centric design and the other half utilized traditional design. The students were critiqued based on the four metrics previously analyzed by qualified jurors, which revealed that the VR design group outperformed the traditional group by 20%, as well as getting twice as high of a score in the ‘program’ metric.

This research, performed within KSU’s College of Architecture and Construction Management, was utilized to propose a 2nd-year Studio course centered around these findings. This comparative analysis on VR pedagogy versus traditional design justifies the need to move towards a more immersive construction industry.

This project was recognized as a Thesis Competition Finalist.

Instagram: @robinzputtock,

Building Trust: Maintenance and Care for Autonomous Vehicles by Dear Liu, James Vadasz & Catherine Yu, BS (Bachelor of Science in Architecture) ‘24
Washington University in St. Louis | Advisor: Constance Vale

This multi-modal transit hub proposes a new AV transportation and maintenance center for people to learn about and experience the latest technology. To further publicize the use of AV, our building deliberately displays the acts of maintenance through material choices, apertures, and curated spatial sequences. As a result, we imagine the building welcoming anyone passing by as a place of efficiency, comfort, and wonder. 

Our design focuses on aperture and pushes it to the extreme. What if the ground floor was a multitude of portals that led one to their desired stops and lifted the building up? How can the mere use of a singular element not only segment spaces both above and below but also provide the necessary structural support for the building? 

This project was collected for the Washington University in St. Louis Student Work Publication, Approach.

Instagram: @dearliuweihang, @de_architects_, @jamesvadasz2, @catherineyu.qh, @constancevale, @washu.architecture

CITY IN POCKET, Level up TODAY! by Rachana Charate, M. Arch (Urban Design) ’24
R V College of Architecture | Advisors: Anup Naik & U. S. Maiya

This exploratory thesis looks at creating a people- and market-friendly urban environment by synthesizing AI computational analysis and generation to increase the efficiency and quality of architecture and urban design.

Cities are complex environments in which multiple factors play a role in shaping a liveable neighbourhood. The cities consist of many distinct data sets and stakeholders. The city development process is single-handed and static. The crafting and timely updating of zoning regulations represent a constant challenge for municipal governments, more so when said regulations attempt to guarantee that goals of liveable parameters are met and an equitable urban experience is ensured. Traditional standards and practices for a city continue to function and evolve, largely based on historical patterns and outdated workflows and are no longer adequate.

The current process for the design of an urban realm typically involves a team of architects, designers and planners that conceive a handful of schemes based on zoning requirements manually or with the help of CAD software. They may intend for the plan to achieve a set of performance goals (sociability, economic, environmental, etc.), but quantitative analysis is rarely conducted early and consistently through the design process. This makes it difficult to understand the full range of approaches that are possible on a site and the relative performance of each scheme. In order to best accommodate rapid urbanization while making cities more liveable, and equitable, designers must utilize quantitative tools to make informed decisions about their designs. Computational analysis and generative design techniques have been successfully used at the building scale to test numerous designs and quantify their performance, but are challenging to apply at the urban scale due to increased computational expense, difficulty in limiting inputs, and more stakeholders involved in the process. The purpose of this project is to introduce a methodology for AI generative models, capable of evaluating performance goals based on the information available at each step of the development and communicating the impacts on those goals of any decisions regarding land use, density and form, etc.

The City in Pocket proposes AI computational and generation, where the real and virtual are constructed as part of the same urban fabric, which will allow a re-thinking of long-established fundamental architecture and urban design values. It will contain an ever-accumulating amount of content, expanding infinitely, layer on layer. New media and the network-facilitated distribution will turn more people into both consumers and creators. While individuals may create and publish content, multi-authored channels will be created. The tool space is location-based, users can create 2D and 3D geo-tagged maps, reports, photographs, paths, zones, spatial data and recommendations, giving order and meaning to the city. An open framework of AI will allow anybody to freely contribute to the city and will breach the gaps between different areas, departments, expertise, and the general public and increase efficiency and quality.

Instagram: @_charate_, @usmaiya.design

Bespoke Moon by Austin White, B. Arch ’24
Kennesaw State University | Advisor: Jeffrey Collins

Welcome to Bespoke Moon, the next high-tech, component-based system that allows architects and designers to fully immerse themselves in design once again.

Designers grow up nurturing a passion for design, then eventually attend school to hone their skills. However, bringing these designs to life in the built environment involves a lot of tedious work and time to ensure safety, structural integrity, and compliance with codes. With that in mind, I aim to transform our traditional processes.

Bespoke Moon’s component-based system utilizes 3D-printed, prefabricated steel components that lock, seal, stack, and interlock in a unique way, allowing them to connect with one another and incorporate structure. These connections enable the components to withstand all weather and climate conditions in the future, potentially an extraterrestrial environment, reflecting an industrial outer-space aesthetic.

This high-tech component system is powered by Bespoke Moon’s new AI, which assists in generating these components, allowing architects and designers to focus solely on design. Moreover, the components generated from other designs provide an opportunity to create a library of Bespoke Moon components. This enables reuse in various ways in new designs across a variety of scales. The ultimate goal of this high-tech, component-based system is to allow architects and designers to dive back into design, as they were taught and born to do, by integrating artificial intelligence to revolutionize conventional construction and design processes in modern architecture.

This project was awarded third place in the KSU Architecture Thesis Competition 2024.

Operative Approaches: Potential in Limits in Design Process by Chantal Shahmooradian, M. Arch ’24
Toronto Metropolitan University | Advisors: Carlo Parente (Supervisor), Kate Myers (Second Reader) & John Cirka (Program Representative)

In the realm of architecture, limits are often perceived as obstacles, however, this research reimagines them as powerful catalysts for creativity. By embracing constraints and leveraging operative approaches– with structured systems revealing a comprehensive array of possibilities within project limitations– architects can unlock new depths of innovation within the design process. This research explores the transformative potential of working within limits, through the use of a variety of tools such as drawing, digital media, AI, and physical models to illustrate how constraints can inspire inventive solutions.

The thesis advocates for a holistic view of design tools, not merely as means of production but as active agents in the creative process. It demonstrates how models and drawing techniques can shape design outcomes from the earliest stages, fostering a dynamic and iterative approach. Through the use of exercises that implement transforming physical models, with chosen limits, the study underscores the critical role of limits in defining problem spaces and guiding the creative journey.

A key focus is the distinction between given constraints and those chosen by designers, showcasing the architect’s skill in navigating these boundaries. The research highlights heuristic reasoning’s impact on design decisions, balancing the benefits of guided problem-solving with an awareness of cognitive biases. Visual explorations with the use of dynamic physical models with limits demonstrate the potential of these approaches as key pedagogical tools which can enhance the way designers and architects approach design problems, fostering innovative design thinking strategies.

Operative approaches are explored through physical models inspired by 3D puzzles, which serve as inspiration for problem-solving methodologies within defined limits in the design research. These models reveal the rich spatial possibilities that emerge within set constraints, offering new avenues for creative exploration that exist within the limits.

By showcasing a series of innovative design solutions derived from these explorations, the thesis illustrates how constraints can be harnessed as opportunities rather than hindrances. This approach not only enhances architectural creativity but also provides meaningful insights and outcomes, demonstrating the profound potential of limits in the design process.

Instagram: @chantal_shah, @dastorontomet, @tmu_archgrad

Cadences of Being: Architecture for the Living by Anna Kosichenko, M. Arch ’24
Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)| Advisors: Paul Floerke (Supervisor) | Stanislav Jurcovic (Second Reader) | Carlo Parente (Program Rep)

Architecture is an artifact frozen in time, a physical ‘time stamp’ – an object that reflects its environment and values. While such physical ‘time stamps’ define our relationship with mortality, it begs the question: “What is the future role of burial architecture in the realm of living?”

‘Funeral Machine’ is a conceptual representation of current outdated, mechanized and costly burial practices are centred on the efficiency of the process rather than the experience of users, facilitating further physical and metaphysical disconnect between life and death.

New technologies for sustainable dying provide an opportunity to reform the ritual of mourning and use the built form to redefine culture’s relationship with mortality and grief. The proposal provides a space for grieving in a city, crafting architecture that values human-centred experience and shines a light on death as part of life.

Instagram: @enot_sosna5, @tmu_archgrad

The Architecture Factory by Steven Fallon, M. Arch ’24
Boston Architectural College | Advisor: Sam Landay, AIA

The Architecture Factory contemplates craftsmanship in the context of contemporary architecture and re-imagines the role of the Architect in a new age of digital design and construction. Standing amidst the global housing and climate crises, the project asks how we can utilize robotics to not only advance construction and design efficiency but also enter a new age of design that is built upon excellence in the craft of building.  

The ideas of this thesis are represented through the design of a factory on the site of a previous machine shop on the waterfront of East Boston, Massachusetts. Inside, a new studio space takes hold, where architecture comes to life in the form of physical construction, a craft that is taught and learned, experimented with, and refined. No longer would architecture be represented just by drawings, but by physical and material representations of the designer’s imagination, built directly in the studio. Wielding the powers of the robot and computer to their advantage, here, the robot becomes a prosthetic arm and extension of the architect, while the architecture transcends from concepts and representations into physical, tangible creations.

The project first delves into the fabrication and construction methods of our future homes. It then examines the design and construction of the factory itself, considering the human interaction with the building process and asking how we can bring light to the processes that build the world around us. Robots construct their own factory and provide humans the space to observe the performance of construction from a distance. Architects serve as maestros of a robotic symphony, guiding these machines and orchestrating a performance of precision and efficiency-driven construction, resulting in an architecture that is founded in the fundamental elements of architecture – material, craft, and construction.

This project was awarded Commendations: Master of Theis Excellence – Architecture. 

Instagram: @stevenfallon7

Stay tuned for Part II!

2023 Study Architecture Student Showcase - Part XVI

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Welcome to Part XVI of the Study Architecture Student Showcase! Today, we explore the narrative of “othering” as it relates to architecture. The highlighted student work revisits norms by applying computational methodologies to the design process, positioning a tent city in an industrial zone, reimagining modernization without demanding the complete erasure of urban communities, and more. Read on for more information.

Alleviating Othering Spaces, AI Analysis, and Form in Negril, Jamaica by Caelyn Ford, Bachelor of Science in Architecture ‘23
Boston Architectural College | Advisor: Robert C. Anderson

Nothing will change until we acknowledge two truths about ourselves and the built environment; that architecture reflects, reaffirms, and legitimizes narratives of a society that ‘others’ and defines an individual’s role in society, begetting ‘othering spaces.’

That which can be physically confirmed is often prioritized over its cognitive counterpart. Design solely for the corporeal, neglecting the cognitive, is a lie of pretended humanism within the architecture profession. The thesis aims to develop a tool that expands the

capabilities of inclusive design to transform perceptual understandings of the self and ‘other’ by analyzing architecture through a neuro-phenomenological lens. This endeavor is two-fold: design for the mind and design for the other.

The thesis project investigates means of alleviating ‘spatial othering’ by quantitatively studying the building’s behavioral and emotional effect on its users to equalize the cognitive experience. Cognitive-Informed Design in architecture presents an opportunity to create paradigm shifts by applying computational methodologies to the design process. Recognizing the need for a system to connect with the end users efficiently during the design process, the potential of web-based VR, AI-generated eye tracking, brain mapping software, and biosensors was explored in this thesis to develop the design criteria.

This project was selected as the Best of Bachelor of Science degree project.

Urban Refuge: Assisting in the Development of Tent Communities Through Modular and Trauma Sensitive Design by Peter Hope, M. Arch ‘23
Academy of Art University School of Architecture | Advisor: Eric Reeder

Homelessness in the United States is a problem that disproportionately affects California. According to the World Population Review, the homeless population in California is 161.5 thousand; that is 16x more homeless people than the national average of 11.4 thousand. It is suffice to say that the issue of homelessness is not going away any time soon. Of all the cities in the United States, three of the cities with the highest homeless population exist in the Bay Area. San Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco account for 10% of the homeless population of the entire state.

The objective of this thesis is to find ways to create better spaces of refuge for the unhoused residents of Oakland, who currently call tent cities home. Tent cities are one way that the unhoused communities organize themselves. Tent cities can pop up anywhere, from highway medians to the side of the road. The selected site for this project is inhabited by a fledgling tent city that has not quite found an organizational rhythm as others in Oakland have. It is also positioned in an industrial zone which presents opportunities for city sanctioning, should the project be successful.

Instagram: @ericreeder.architect, @_peterhope

Kalunitas by Alex Jauregui, Alex Lopez, Armando Torres, Ayah Milbes, Bailey Campbell, Chris Rosenbaum, Francisco Ramos, Hannah Gonzalez, Huda Shahid, Joshua Arriaga, Josue Garay, Justin Mai, Kavi Patel, Lucio Castro, Macey Mendoza, Sarah Trevino, Sophia Cruz, Valentin Torres, and Xavier Zamora, B.Arch ‘23
University of Texas at San Antonio | Advisor: Armando Araiza

An installation that illustrates the movement of people to San Antonio throughout the past 300 years and beyond. The word “kal” derives from the indigenous language of the Coahuiltecans meaning “come together” and “unitas” being the Latin word for “unity.” Kalunitas expresses the convergence between four of the founding cultures that have made the San Antonio region one of the most diverse in the United States.

Instagram: @conetic_studio

The Shar(e)d: Community Resilience Through Shared Spaces by Yiting Chen, M.Arch ‘23
University of Southern California | Advisor: Amy Murphy

Cities’ growth and evolution can pressure existing communities by changing the urban landscape, as seen in the Shard in London, where the construction of a glass skyscraper risks displacing the economically poor and working class. Such development doesn’t necessarily bring true social progress to the neighborhoods. A large area of glass introduced in the neighborhood almost put a death sentence on the community. This trend can be observed in many communities near central business districts.

Is there another way towards modernization without demanding complete erasure?

How can the elements of the Shard be recombined into the urban landscape in a more sensitive gesture?

How can the use of glass be more about the place and the people?

This project focuses on the development of public and shared spaces in GangxiaVillage. The synergy of public spaces can be infused into this super-dense neighborhood to ensure that the benefits of progress and development are shared fairly.

The glass will bring active changes and connections while preserving the special urban fabrics and characters of the neighborhood. A network and system of resources will be introduced to serve the residents, and this network is expected to expand and evolve when future needs arise.

This project received the USC Master of Architecture Distinction in Directed Design Research.

Instagram: @sallychenyt, @amy_murphy143

See you next week for the next installment of the Student Showcase!

2023 Study Architecture Student Showcase - Part XI

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Welcome back to another week of the Study Architecture Student Showcase! In Week XI, we highlight student projects that use space as an avenue to create equitable community resources. From neighborhood civic buildings to multi-faceted housing units, this week’s featured projects address bridging societal gaps and emphasize the importance of creating opportunities for social interaction and dialogue between diverse communities. By taking a look at the projects below, you will learn how each student project proposes a space that promotes inclusivity and fosters community connections.

Center for Tolerance by Rebecca Dejenie, B.Arch‘23
The Boston Architectural College | Advisors: Peter Martin and Robert Gillig

This design imagines the Roxbury Crossing station as a free station as it becomes a new node for the city of Boston. The Center for Tolerance is a civic building that would allow different activities from music studios, makerspaces, food court, material exchange library, multi-purpose classrooms, exhibits, offices, studios, therapy clinics, and meditation spaces, to gardens with seats to encourage users to sit and converse with one another. As the site is located on the border of two neighborhoods, it will provide a spatial bridge for people from different backgrounds to come together to heal. This building will be used as a resource for all – especially those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. This building is a representation of what equity in the built environment can look like.

This project was awarded the Best of B. Arch Degree Project 2023.

Dis-Luxury from Luxury: Inequality Brought by Consumerism and Luxury Reimagining by Eduardo A. Caraballo-Arroyo B.Arch ‘23
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico | Advisors: Pedro A. Rosario-Torres, Luis V. Badillo-Lozano & Manuel De Lemos-Zuazaga

In Curitiba, Brazil, an architectural project is reimagining luxury and addressing social division to foster a community that values inclusivity, sustainability, and social equity. By challenging the pursuit of material wealth and status, this project aims to create an inclusive society where individuals feel fulfilled and valued. The project recognizes that luxury is often associated with abundance and comfort but can lead to marginalization, inequality, scarcity, and disconnection within communities. In a capitalist and consumerist society, luxury is marketed as an asset of ease and comfort, perpetuating social divisions and excluding those who cannot afford it. To address this problem, the architectural project seeks to interconnect both ends of the wealth spectrum through spaces that foster communication, action, and self-development.

The objective is to design an urban-social space that combines the rewards and necessities derived from luxury. This space offers physiological resources, developmental opportunities, a sense of belonging, and luxurious experiences, becoming a social equalizer and a support system for the community. By emphasizing the emotions associated with luxury, such as power, confidence, security, and contemplation/enjoyment, the project creates spaces for interactions and community communication. Elements such as small-scale farming, community/cultural integration, open spaces for social and community activities, and emancipatory and cultural educational spaces are included in the program. The project also aims to reduce limitations by embracing degrowth and minimalist systems.

The main strategy revolves around luxury as an emotional reaction. Luxury consumption triggers psychological responses associated with trust, power, contentment, and security. The architectural design incorporates pathways and axes that lead towards focus areas, lifting the first level and creating porous volumes to enhance openness and connection. Strategically positioned openings offer views towards the focus areas, creating voids and spaces that provide experiential and spatial experiences. By implementing this design, the project aims to address luxury inequality, foster social cohesion, and create spaces that promote inclusivity, equal access to resources, and a sense of well-being for all members of society. Through its transformative power, this project challenges conventional notions of luxury and redefines its role in creating a more connected and equitable world.

Instagram: @_eaca23

Kordilyera Vernacular Inspired Interpretive Center in Paradise Hills, San Diego by Greco Cosente, B. Arch ‘23
NewSchool of Architecture and Design |Advisor: Raúl Díaz

With historical and cultural aspects of Paradise Hills being mainly single-family dwellings from the 1950s and its relation to the military, specifically the navy, a demographic group of the Filipino population has emerged throughout the years. Generic designs of suburban parks do not cater to the needs of the current population. In an attempt to advance green space, park designs drawing from culture with the architectural language of pavilions are explored. The project caters to bridging the gap between community park design and Filipino residents through a Kordilyera-inspired Interpretive Center in Paradise Hills, San Diego; A reinstitution of cultural identity for U.S.-born Filipino-Americans.

The project was awarded the Outstanding Design Award – Degree Project.

U Belong: A New Live/Work Housing Prototype by Jada Rezac and Margaret Phillips, M. Arch ‘23
Kansas State University |Advisor: Zhan Chen – Assistant Professor

The current housing crisis in the US challenges architecture to address a critical need while presenting the opportunity to propose new solutions. The studio, titled: In With the New, operates as a laboratory in which to explore innovative possibilities for multi-family living. Students design new models that reframe housing as a multi-faceted domain, able to navigate various scenarios and support diverse communities.

Jada and Margaret’s project responds to the evolving needs of contemporary living by integrating residential units and workspaces. The project uses a calibrated arrangement of U-shaped modules to create new possibilities for both living and working.

The unit clusters maintain a high degree of porosity, which allows more access to natural light and promotes cross ventilation. These considerations enhance human comfort and productivity while presenting an innovative strategy for improving the overall health of its inhabitants.

The relationship between living and working units and their arrangement also seeks to alleviate social isolation. The units are grouped into smaller neighborhoods, fostering familiarity and more meaningful social interactions. Communal spaces within these neighborhoods and intersecting circulation paths also help build a stronger sense of community within a large complex.

The project was nominated for the Nominated for the Heintzelman Prize at Kansas State University.

Instagram: @jadarezac ; @margaret_rose_phillips ; @studiozhan

See you next week for the next installment of the Student Showcase!