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2025 Study Architecture Student Showcase - Part X

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Architecture tells a story. The capstones and theses highlighted in Part X of the 2025 Study Architecture Student Showcase use texture, material, and spatial configuration as visual narratives. From short films to renderings, each project uses a unique medium of storytelling. The displayed work ranges from memorials inspired by speculative fiction and design interventions using augmented reality to exhibitions on womanhood and visualizations of poetry.
Scroll down for a closer look!

Thread by Thread by Emily Dross, B.Arch ’25
Ball State University | Advisor: James F. Kerestes

“Thread by Thread” is a short film, created as part of the course Cinematic Environments: Uncanny AI, explores hybridized architectural conditions through a speculative and surreal lens. Set in a richly imagined built environment, the narrative unfolds through the movements and interactions of fluffy, stuffed animal-like creatures—anthropomorphic figures that serve as both inhabitants and interpreters of the space. These soft-bodied protagonists navigate a world that oscillates between the familiar and the uncanny, offering a playful yet critical reflection on contemporary architectural and environmental issues.

The project operates within the “fuzzy space” between realism and speculation, where exaggerated materials, textures, and spatial configurations provoke questions about the future of the built environment. By merging whimsical imagery with architectural inquiry, the film engages themes of technological transformation and post-Anthropocene speculation. The soft, plush inhabitants stand in stark contrast to the often rigid, industrial aesthetic of traditional architectural spaces—suggesting alternative, more empathetic ways of occupying and designing environments.

Through visual storytelling, “Thread by Thread” reflects a critical position on how architecture might respond to pressing global concerns while embracing unconventional narratives and mediums. Ultimately, the film is a provocative gesture—one that reimagines the role of architecture in shaping not only physical space but also cultural and emotional landscapes. It invites viewers to question the boundaries of architectural representation and consider the value of softness, fantasy, and hybridity in the discourse of design.

Instagram: @em.dross, @jameskerestes

Echoes of the Land: A Pilgrimage of Wilderness and Spirit by Andrea Frank, M.Arch ‘25
North Dakota State University | Advisor: Stephen Wischer

This thesis explores how architecture can bridge humanity and the natural world, restoring a connection eroded by technology, overconsumption, and distraction. While cities offer curated encounters with nature, they cannot replace the deep peace found in wilderness. This connection is essential to humanity’s survival. If humanity fails to understand its relationship with the environment and engage with it responsibly, it jeopardizes the ecological balance of the world and humanity’s own existence.

Architecture, once in dialogue with nature, now often serves function, spectacle, or profit. This work reimagines architecture as a mediator that fosters kinship with the earth through a threefold approach: a pilgrimage across city, edge, and wilderness; poetic uncovering of ancient site stories; and sensory engagement with the four classical elements. In doing so, architecture becomes a vessel for atmosphere, memory, and meaning, guiding individuals to a deeper awareness of themselves and their world.

This project received an AIA Medal for Academic Excellence.

Instagram: @andrea.frank10

A Place for Pilgrimage by Andy Packwood, B.S. in Architecture ’25
University of Virginia | Advisor: Peter Waldman

The project synthesizes two years of fascination for and research into the climate-threatened coastal community of Tangier, speculating as to what will ultimately happen to rural, low-income American communities in the wake of inevitable sea level rise. My interest lay not in the proposal of any sort of savior infrastructural solution, not in the proposal of a managed retreat plan, nor in the design of a mainland relocation for displaced refugee residents. I chose to develop a memorialized destination that could still exist on the island long after its ridges have turned to marsh, its homes have been barged away, and normally perceived connotations of inhabitability have all but vanished. I chose to create “A Place for Pilgrimage”, inspired by my own pilgrimage of El Camino de Santiago this past March.

Simply put, the proposal is an adaptive reuse of the tallest structure on Tangier: its water tower. Adding a spiraling staircase and pushing the structure fifty years into the unknown, the design creates a single space in the sky through the removal of half of the tower’s upper dome. The approach is incredibly important; much of the final pin-up focused on rendering this pilgrimage step by step. Starting from the dock of the mainland resettlement, looking out into the Chesapeake Bay, a line of buoys trails towards the horizon. A bird soars toward the tower in the distance, the vestiges of marsh poking out of the water. Cameron Evans, current vice mayor and young watermen of the Island, embarks as this future pilgrim by skiff. He carries with him a gravestone; many cemeteries on the Island are often inundated by tidal flooding, and residents must move these tombs to higher ground, again and again.

What I have proposed is a final resting place, safe from the heights of sea level rise. A place for generations to visit, to bring tokens of remembrance, to occupy overnight, or to even continue their trade as watermen. Up within the dome of the water tower is a cenotaph for the people, memories, culture, history, and beauty of Tangier. We will need one.

This project was awarded High Honors for Thesis.

Ephemeral Spaces — Presence and Absence by Robin Xiao, B.S. in Architecture ’25
University of Virginia | Advisor: Peter Waldman

This thesis explores how architecture can emerge from the debris of the everyday to construct a space of ritual and transition—between life and death, presence and absence, memory and forgetting. 

Situated in the post-industrial landscape of Skaramangas, Athens, the project transforms three abandoned military interchange tunnels into a procession of ephemeral architecture: a crematorium, a columbarium, and spaces for reflection, and spaces of pause/entry/exit. 

Through a series of five conceptual models, material fragments—broken light bulbs, candles, metal tubing, computer chips, wood scraps—become instruments of spatial inquiry, offering alternative ways to think about temporality, transformation, and the sacred. Each model gives rise to a set of sectional drawings, collaged with elemental forces—earth, fire, air, water—revealing a layered architecture of transition. 

The resulting proposal is not a fixed structure, but a choreography of spaces that invite the living to move with the dead, through tunnels repurposed as thresholds. This work situates ephemerality not as loss, but as an architectural condition of becoming—an act of spatial murmuration shaped by light, material residue, and memory in motion.

This project received High Honors for Undergraduate Thesis.

Instagram: @robinxiaostudio

MOVING FUTURES VERTICAL SCHOOL by Alex Hoover & Zach Izzo, M.Arch ’25
University at Buffalo | Advisor: Jin Young Song

Located in Songdo, Seoul, our project reimagines the typical Korean private educational institutions, known as Hagwon, by prioritizing spatial flexibility and community engagement. Traditional Hagwons often feature cramped, efficiency-driven classrooms. However, research shows that children learn better in environments with diverse spatial qualities—high ceilings, minimal partitions, vibrant colors, and flexible layouts. To address this, we designed a highly adaptable building with movable interior and exterior components. Each main floor features partition walls on ceiling-mounted tracks, allowing spaces to transform easily—from small study rooms to large lecture halls or art galleries. This system ensures both spatial diversity for students and long-term adaptability for future tenants or programs. 

The facade similarly emphasizes flexibility, offering a reinterpretation of Korea’s dense, intrusive urban signage. The three-layer facade system integrates architecture, community identity, and student expression. The outer layer consists of LED media panels and sun-shading devices, configurable to display student artwork or community visuals, establishing the building as a neighborhood landmark. The second layer features sliding perforated metal signage panels, subtly blending information with the architecture rather than overwhelming it. The innermost layer wraps the social stair, visible from both adjacent streets, inviting public interaction and showcasing movement within the building. Smaller panels provide localized signage, such as floor numbers and bulletin boards. Together, the dynamic facade and transformable interior create a learning environment that fosters both community visibility and spatial flexibility, promoting a more engaging, human-centered educational experience.

The project was selected for the Cram Urbanism and Vertical Learning Space International symposium

Instagram: @_alex_hoover, @jinyoung___song  

The Market of Joy by Shefa Quazi, M.ArchD ’25
Oxford Brookes University | Advisors: Toby Smith, Alexandra Lacatusu, Toby Shew, Charles Parrack

In a world dominated by seamless digital consumption, where screens dictate desires and algorithms predict movement, The Covered Market in Oxford becomes a site of rebellion—a place where reality is glitched, distorted, and reclaimed from commercial control. Instead of a polished, hyper-commercial spectacle designed to guide users into predictable behaviors, the proposed series of interventions hijack the mechanics of digital consumerism and turns them against themselves to exaggerate them into a physical, pseudo-reality. Attempting to readminister the loss currency of joy.

The market transforms into a disruptive, anti-brand arcade—a physical and augmented experience that interrupts, unsettles, and reawakens users to the absurdity of algorithm-driven life. Augmented Reality, typically a tool for corporate control (filters, tracking, gamified shopping), is instead repurposed to create moments of détournement, where the commercial is undermined, and participation leads not to consumption, but to adding weight to reality and human interaction. Overall revaluing the High Street as a whole. 

Instead of guiding users toward consumption, the market becomes a disobedient space, forcing engagement away from passive scrolling and toward critical awareness of spectacle itself. The interactions don’t feed an algorithm—they break it. The market is no longer a relic of pre-digital commerce but a living, evolving site of resistance against digital saturation and corporate control.

This project received the Oxford Brookes University Reginald W. Cave Award.

Instagram: @sheevz_q, @oxarch

The Inner Mechanism by Jared Roberts, M.Arch ’25
Lawrence Technological University | Advisor: Masataka Yoshikawa

This project sees the physical model and 2D illustration of the hypothetical device abstracted to create architectural forms and spaces. The form derives itself from the concepts dealt with in the inner mechanisms and particularly information storage. The “nested” nature of digital information storage (i.e., nested file folders on a computer) translates to nested architectural forms that sometimes exist within or even overlap other parts of the model. Another concept was that of information’s changes and persistence over time. The form is constructed like a timeline that exists in all three dimensions, inspired by the flow map of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, which charts various different variables including location, population, time, events and more about Napoleon’s Russian campaign. In the same way, the timeline is a two-dimensional visual representation of information gathered about events in history; this model is a three-dimensional representation of the information gathered and stored by the hypothetical device. 

Instagram: @masataka.yoshikawa

Echoes of Home by Zuha Arab Sabbagh & Rana Abdelhadi, B.Arch ’25
American University of Sharjah | Advisor: Gregory Thomas Spaw

‘Echoes of Home’ responds broadly to displacement in our globalised world. Specifically, on the generational displacement of Syrians. Centralised on the intimate and underappreciated labour of homemaking, the project acts as a recognition and celebration of Womanhood as a discipline. It is designed to mark the story of displacement – building and rebuilding – into an inconstant world. The project tentatively approaches the need to capture the complicated ephemerality in our modern understanding of what ‘home’ is.

In designing a secondary residence-exhibition, the studio deployed the renaissance phenomenon of the cabinet of curiosities to challenge us to create spatially charged architecture focused on the exhibition of artifacts. We selected fictitious clients, curated a selection of curiosities to display, picked a suitable site, and decided the extent of distinction between the residence and the exhibition.

Designing a residence required an examination of the notion of ‘home’. Historically, ‘home’ has been explored as a vehicle for living and, with the rise of modernism, critiqued as performative. The programs selected recognise the labour of homemaking and extend to capture the performance of hosting and the pleasure of gathering. ‘Home’ has consistently been placed in women’s domain. The practice of homemaking falls under the discipline of Womanhood. The project adheres to the practice and rejects criticism, accommodating for it spatially. The kitchen, game room, bathing space, bedrooms, bathrooms, and guest room all double as exhibition spaces. The integrated spaces create opportunities for gathering and hakawayti (storytelling). Homes tell a story of past, present and future, and the project acts as a natural extension.

Encouraged to design spaces from the inside out, the client and narrative guided design decisions. The Characters: a mother, daughter and grandmother, based on Syrian women in our vicinity, emphasise the generational distinctions in modes of displacement: immigrant, diaspora and refugee. The clients’ stories resemble those of many diasporas. 

Instagram: @gregoryspaw

An Anchor in Time: A Dwelling Reflecting the Interplay of Time and Space by Salma Hani Mubarak Ali, B.Arch ’25
American University of Sharjah | Advisor: Gregory Thomas Spaw

In the vast stillness of the desert, this residence becomes a compass of time—a place where shifting sands echo the dance of the stars, grounding life within the endless drift of the cosmos. The design emerges from the client’s collection of astrological instruments, shaping spatial arrangements that enhance functionality and interaction. Objects inform the layout, with dedicated areas that invite exploration and observation. Strategic openings frame views of the night sky and desert, enriching the experience of celestial observation. This residence serves as both a home and an observatory, fostering a profound connection to the cosmos while celebrating the beauty of time and change. (Text: Salma Hani Mubarak Ali)

Cabinet of Curiosities: Exploring the Ensemble (aka, house of the collector) is an option studio utilizing the 16th-century-18th-century phenomenon of the Cabinet of Curiosities or Wunderkammers (wonder-rooms) as a point of departure to explore the exhibition of ensembles of artifacts with the goal of creating spatially charged architecture.

Working as individuals or in pairs, students had the opportunity to curate their own collection of curiosities and develop a novel architectural language to facilitate the display of the exquisite objects. Associated with the collection was a real or imagined client that served to further drive a generated domestic program. With the scale of the overall proposals being purposely manageable, students had the opportunity to focus on developing architectural assemblies that directly engage with issues of materiality, connections, and details. As such, physical and digital models were heavily employed as tools to study the interplay of elements at a series of scales

This project won the RIBA Gulf: Future Architects 2024 Overall Best Model Award.

Click here to learn more.

 Instagram: @salma.hani.ali, @gregoryspaw

Evermore: A Cemetery For The City by Mo Karnes, B.Arch ’25
Mississippi State University | Advisors: Jassen Callender, David Buege, Aaron White, Mark Vaughan & David Perkes

My uncle died less than two years before I was born. I never met him, but his death is only an obstacle in my ability to know him. Chris was an artist and poet who left behind many things for me to know him by, including a poem entitled Evermore, written during his struggle with AIDS. The meditation is: 

I will walk unlonely,

Holding me up

As I begin to fall,

You Lead the way

And sometimes follow.

Our passage now is

Evermore.

(To be repeated, Unending).

To be ‘unlonely’ is a profound response to the impending, seeming loneliness that is death. Loneliness for those dying and those left behind. Chris’s poem is not just a meditation for himself, but for those struggling with loss. As a dying man, Chris places himself shoulder to shoulder with the reader; their journey is one and the same.

“Evermore: A Cemetery For The City” is a small cemetery complex adjacent to the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Downtown Jackson, Mississippi. The complex comprises a crematorium, vertical columbarium, and chapel. The site is rectangular, bound on all sides by concrete walls with only one threshold for entry. Two masses seemingly float behind the concrete boundary walls that veil them, the smaller chapel and the larger columbarium. Both stoic in form, they disguise the intricacies hidden in the interiors of their masses.  

The ambition of this project is to integrate the awareness of mortality into the city, while supplying architectural means to confront it. This awareness is not a means of oppression, but an attempt to convey the gift that is life. This cemetery is intended to be a public space where inhabitants can experience the city with citizens who came before them, inducing a relationship with the past, generating an appreciation of those who came before, and propelling the city forward with the intent to befriend and mentor the future.  

This project received the CDFL Capstone Studio Travel Award. 

Instagram: @mo.karnes, @jassencallender

IMAGINATIVE REALITY: INVENTION OF SYNERGISTIC NARRATIVES by Chey Isiguzo, M.Arch ’25
Toronto Metropolitan University | Advisor: Lisa Landrum

Imagination is both an act and a familiar, safe space, evoking nostalgic feelings rooted in our reality. 

This space can become unfamiliar when cultural expressions changes, leading to multifaceted identities and undeveloped narratives. This dynamic contributes to cultural conflict and highlights the juxtaposition of traditional and contemporary African architectural narratives. As a space, imagination can generate narrative 

characters and elements by creating synergistic stories that incorporate traditional craftsmanship into contemporary African architecture. The imaginative process consists of three components. Imagining while thinking is an act that uses mental images from memories, dreams, fantasies, or visions to create one’s reality. Imagining while making is the act of craftsmanship used to speculate the distinction between traditional and contemporary architectural narratives through the lens of cultural expressions. Imagining while drawing is an act of translation by utilizing narrative characters—building elements like windows and doors—to dissect fragments of both traditional and contemporary architecture to find new narratives. 

These narrative characters work alongside structural elements, such as walls, roofs, layouts, courtyards, and compounds, to convey new stories that showcase materials and design techniques rooted in Igbo craftsmanship. To develop synergistic narratives, one can explore the evolution of traditional African craftsmanship, particularly within Igbo culture, across ancestral, post-colonial, and contemporary contexts. This exploration reveals how the architectural narratives of traditional and contemporary styles are increasingly distinct. Consequently, this imaginative space becomes a reality that examines the relationship between what is real and what is envisioned through architectural craftsmanship.

Instagram: @sumisi000, @ucisi_studios, @tmu_archgrad

When I’m Sixty-Four: Flourishing at Falkland by George Mannix, M.ArchD ’25
Oxford Brookes School of Architecture | Advisors: Melissa Kinnear & Alex Towler

This project proposes a “therapeutic cooperative” that reimagines later life as a time for purpose, legacy, and connection. Designed for people aged 64 and over, the initiative creates a living environment where older adults can flourish by sharing life experiences with younger visitors while contributing to environmental and social regeneration. 

Central to the concept is the cohabitation of residents with Tamworth pigs, which serve both symbolic and ecological roles—facilitating intergenerational dialogue and promoting biodiversity through trophic rewilding.

Located at Kilgour, a Victorian farm steading on Scotland’s Falkland estate, the site carries historical significance and a past tied to pig-rearing and the celebration of endings. 

Accommodation includes accessible apartments, communal gardens, and a biodiversity-rich courtyard. Pigs will live in creatively built “Ad-Hog” styes using reclaimed materials. A chapel-like “Memory Archive” will hold personal stories of residents’ lives, offering a space for reflection and remembrance.

The project unfolds in three phases: first, clearing and revitalising the site with community involvement; second, welcoming the first residents and establishing the Memory Archive; and third, expanding the model across Scotland to transform abandoned steadings and boost natural regeneration.

Younger visitors, whom we have dubbed “biodiversity-backpackers,” can stay in on-site hostel lodgings, with the hope of fostering meaningful interaction between generations. Funding comes from elderly participants downsizing their homes, combined with national grants, giving them control over their later years.

Ultimately, this initiative responds to the growing issue of isolation among the elderly in Scotland. By embedding legacy, memory, and biocentric living into the design, it aims to help people see out their days with dignity whilst living with renewed purpose.

This project received the Ackroyd Lowrie Prize.

Instagram: @georgemannix, @ds3_obu

POLISH PAVILION – RIYADH EXPO 2030 by Oskar Karos, B.Sc. in Architecture ’25
University of the District of Columbia | Advisor: Golnar Ahmadi

Set in Riyadh for Expo 2030, the Polish Pavilion reinterprets the nation’s geography and ecological identity through architecture. Designed as a living map of Poland, the pavilion invites visitors to journey from the southern Tatra Mountains to the northern Baltic Sea, experiencing the country’s topography, climate, and innovation within one continuous landscape. The project explores how architecture can embody an entire nation’s ecosystem, transforming exhibition space into a self-sustaining organism.

Poland’s diverse terrain—from its rugged mountains to fertile plains and coastal winds—inspired a spatial narrative divided into eight regions. Each represents two neighboring voivodeships, blending their natural and technological identities: wind power in Pomorskie, hydropower in Warmińsko-Mazurskie, sustainable farming in Podlaskie, and smart urbanism in Mazowieckie, among others. 

Visitors move northward along a symbolic Vistula River, linking interactive installations that demonstrate Poland’s leadership in renewable energy, circular economy, and ecological stewardship. Constructed with steel, wood, stone, and glass, the pavilion merges material authenticity with sustainability. A closed water cycle system replicates natural evaporation and rainfall, powering greenery and regulating humidity. The accessible green roof offers shaded paths and aerial views of Poland’s “living topography,” blending innovation with environmental harmony.

Beyond a national exhibition, the pavilion is a statement of coexistence—between people and nature, culture and technology. It celebrates Poland not through static displays, but as a breathing ecosystem where every element, from water to wind, participates in a cycle of renewal.

Instagram: @Golnarahmadi

Stay tuned for Part XI!

2025 Study Architecture Student Showcase - Part IV

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Part IV of the 2025 Study Architecture Student Showcase spotlights architecture in public health. These student projects feature architectural responses to topics, including amputee rehabilitation, incarceration reform, sober living homes, and maternity care. By incorporating holistic, biophilic elements and utilizing various building typologies, each project fosters a supportive and healing environment based on a wide range of community needs.

Browse the projects below for more details!

Rehabilitation and Empowerment for Amputees by Bryan Feliciano-Torres, B.Arch ‘25
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico | Advisors: Manuel De Lemos-Zuazaga & Pedro A. Rosario-Torres

“R.E.F.A.” is about how architecture can help rehabilitate the lives of limbless people for both upper and lower limb amputations. The research aimed to explore better solutions for prosthetic patients’ recovery, from initial physical therapy until a full recovery. The project expanded on the typical prosthetic clinic program, with three main objectives:

– Prosthetic manufacture and physical rehabilitation for patient care

– Prosthetic research and development for scientific innovations

– Lodging program for traveling patients who seek quality care

Prosthetic patients require a series of training in order to achieve full control over their limb, especially for those who have been amputated for a long time. Not only do they have to go through the process of fitting and adjusting sockets, but they also train their muscle strength, resistance, and balance. This average time spans from one week to three weeks, depending on the patient’s capability and physical condition.

Most prosthetic clinics provide limited space with the essential programs: manufacture, socket fitting, and basic gait training. The patient is then encouraged to train outside on their own terms, only to return later to make changes if needed.

This research sees an opportunity to improve on this by providing all their needs in a single space. These programs are divided into zones:

– Prosthesis: Workshops, storage, and fitting areas

– Physical/Psychological therapy: Aquatic therapy, gym facilities, and therapists’ offices

– Public areas: Gait training, running track, commerce, and restaurant

– Research: Office spaces for rent, laboratories, and conference rooms

– Lodging: Extended stay rooms and lounge

Amputations are becoming more prevalent as time goes on, whether from incidents or diseases. Taking this into account, along with technological improvements, prosthetic clinics have to improve drastically in order to provide everything an amputee needs in order to live independently.

THE TRANSLUCENT FORTRESS by Owen Phillips, B.Arch ’25
Kennesaw State University | Advisor: Robin Puttock

THESIS QUESTION:

How can the architectural typology of women’s shelters be reimagined to more effectively provide support, safety, and healing for domestic violence victims in rural Homerville, Georgia?

DESIGN HYPOTHESIS:

The design of domestic violence shelters in Homerville, GA, can be improved by combining the warmness of a home, the freedom of a meadow, and the strength of a fortress to create comfortable, tranquil, and safe spaces that provide support, safety, and healing for the residents and staff inhabiting them.

SOLUTION:

The building typology of a women’s shelter will be reimagined to better apply to a modern stage using qualitative research from an architect-conducted survey that has been compared to similar existing research. This new typology will be tested on a site in Homerville, Georgia, to address the psychological and spatial needs of victims, the most important of these needs include the feeling of being protected (secure architecture), a sense of community (social spaces), access to medical assistance (operating/examination rooms), and appropriate design to accommodate living spaces for both women and/or their children (Eastman et al, 2007). Construction of this project must be efficient and cost-effective as to not diminish the already limited financial resources available to public services, but still secure enough to provide a safe space for rural victims of domestic violence.

METHODOLOGY:

Research for this thesis will be broken up into multiple different sections. To give the architect a better understanding of the victim’s condition and needs, surveys and interviews were conducted during the summer of 2024 at women’s shelters in rural Georgia with both the residents and shelter staff, and literature reviews were done to compare collected data with similar research. This provided an updated set of data to be used and compared with older information (pre-COVID-19). To determine the site for the project, mapping was used to locate a site in Georgia with the least access to domestic violence crisis centers. Finally, construction methods and building design will be studied through precedents that share the scope of being low-cost, remote, secure, and inhabitant-friendly design for the purpose of applying efficient design methods.

Click here to learn more.

This project was a finalist for the ARCC King Student Medal.

Instagram: @owen_p02, @robinzputtock

REIMAGINING RECOVERY: The Role of Architecture in Sobriety by Teagan Littleton, B.Arch ’25
Kennesaw State University | Advisor: Robin Puttock

This thesis explores the design of a sober living house in Atlanta, focusing on integrating choice architecture and biophilic design to enhance the mental well-being of its residents. Choice architecture, a concept rooted in behavioral economics, aims to influence decision-making by altering the environment (Thaler & Sunstein, 2010). Biophilic design seeks to connect occupants with nature to improve overall health and well-being (Terrapin, 2014). The design of the sober living house incorporates elements such as natural light, green spaces, and views of nature to create a sense of calmness and connection to the environment. Choice architecture is applied through the layout and design of the space to encourage positive behaviors and discourage relapse triggers. Through the integration of these design principles, the sober living house aims to create a supportive and healing environment for individuals in recovery, promoting long-term sobriety and well-being.

Click here for a closer look.

This project was selected as a Thesis Semi-Finalist (Top 20 of 90+).

Instagram: @teagan.littleton02, @robinzputtock

KOSOVO BORDER-BASED MENTAL HEALTH RECOVERY PROGRAM Healing Across Borders: Addressing Trauma and PTSD at Entry Points by Fisnik Kraki, B.Arch ’25
New York Institute of Technology | Advisor: Jonathan Block Friedman

The program leverages landlocked Kosovo’s border crossings as transitional spaces, turning points for individuals struggling with post-war trauma, PTSD, and mental health challenges. Each border will host a Trauma Recovery Hub, blending accessibility, symbolism, and practicality. These hubs will act as the first step toward healing, offering both immediate care and pathways for long-term recovery. Services provided include emergency counseling, psychological evaluations, and individual/group therapy.

The architecture offers a poetic transformation for both individual returnees and the country as a whole. Local materials and cultural elements provide familiarity and safety. A spectrum of enclosures, from narrow passageways to wide open spaces enhance healing gardens, quiet zones, and reflection halls. Tailored programs support displaced individuals, war survivors, PTSD therapy for civilians, and ex-combatants. 

Each mountainous entry portal provides a sequence of three multi-week healing experiences in carefully wrought architectural responses to both the inner needs of the struggling returnees and the power of each succeeding resonant landscape. The progression of section relationships highlights the potential for group and individual personality reintegration.

The new group first finds a shared lodge perched on a cliffside lookout above a rushing mountain stream. Here are paths for private walks, but also shared meals, as well as group therapy sessions.  

Then the group moves to more gently rolling hillsides, where now the cohort breaks into smaller subgroups who share modest “family houses” as they re-learn how to interact together, and with the other “families” in a more dispersed community setting. A spillway and small dam provides a lake for beginning to embrace a return to self-awareness. 

For the third and last month, each person in the group finds their own dwelling for the hard work of private meditation, complete with eating, sleeping, a fireplace, and physical exercise spaces, and a garden for them to contribute to the collective needs for food production. The site is flat, with a small pond of still water at its center as a geographical eco-environmental mirror for the soul as they look beyond healing, seeking purpose, meaning, and new horizons. 

This project received the Chair Design Award, awarded by the department chairs and faculty of the School of Architecture and Design to a graduate who has achieved distinction in architectural design.

How Can Facilities Contribute to the Mental Health of Cancer Patients and Their Families Within Their Treatment in Architecture? by Nelson L. Quirindongo-Rodríguez, B.Arch ’25
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico | Advisors: Pedro A. Rosario-Torres & Pilarín Ferrer-Viscasillas

Cancer is one of the main public health crises in Puerto Rico, with more than 303,000 people diagnosed in 2020. This disease not only affects the body, but also profoundly alters the emotional and mental health of patients and their families. Emotions such as fear, anxiety, sadness, and uncertainty constantly accompany the oncological process, and often do not receive the necessary treatment or attention.

This work proposes a comprehensive and humane approach to cancer, recognizing the importance of mental health at all stages of treatment. The incorporation of interdisciplinary strategies is key, including therapeutic architecture and connection with nature. In particular, it highlights the value of biophilia, a movement that recognizes the innate link between humans and nature.

The design of spaces that integrate natural elements such as gardens, natural light, and cross ventilation can significantly contribute to reducing stress, improving mood, and fostering resilience in patients. This includes views of the sea, for example, which offer a multisensory experience that calms the mind, relieves tension, and promotes introspection and hope.

In addition to treating cancer clinically, it is necessary to address emotional suffering in a conscious and compassionate manner. The physical environment plays an active role in this process, and by including biophilic elements and visual or direct access to nature, a more complete healing environment can be created.

In conclusion, coping with cancer requires a holistic approach that combines medicine, mental health, and design. In this way, not only is the disease combated, but the person is accompanied in a process of deep, dignified, and hopeful healing.

Instagram: @nlqr.arch

Addressing the Shortage of the Veterinarian Profession in Puerto Rico and Its Effect on Animal Care by Alejandra M. Quiñones-Velázquez, B.Arch ’25
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico | Advisors: Jesús O. García-Beauchamp & Pedro A. Rosario-Torres

Veterinarians play a crucial role in taking care of animal health and welfare, public health, environmental protection, food safety, and medical research. However, a global shortage of veterinarians has emerged, exacerbated by increased pet ownership and insufficient capacity to train professionals. Puerto Rico only has 300 veterinarians, facing a shortage outside the metropolitan area, where the center of the island lacks veterinary services. With over 643,000 households owning pets, this scarcity has tangible consequences for animal welfare and public health.

This research proposes an integrated architectural solution: a comprehensive veterinary education and care facility in Mayagüez, strategically located near the former zoo and a natural lake. The site was chosen for its potential for growth, semi-isolated setting, zoning compliance, and opportunity to merge architecture with nature. The proposed facility houses a veterinary school, research laboratories, a clinic for small and large animals, equine stables, and on-site housing for students and faculty. Designed to meet American Veterinary Medical Association accreditation standards, the center will allow students to complete their training locally and expand access to quality veterinary care across Puerto Rico.

Design strategies focus includes segregation of species, articulation of the landscape to foster connection and interaction, connection of spaces with nature, and noise control. Design thinking in the site is organized around a central axis and a lake that forms the heart of the project—creating an articulated space where landscape and built environment interact harmoniously. Outdoor areas will serve as peaceful, shaded environments for interaction and learning, while architectural consistency across buildings ensures a cohesive and professional atmosphere.

By combining education, clinical care, and research in one facility, the veterinarian shortage will be addressed, creating a new generation of professionals and enhancing animal and community well-being in Puerto Rico.

Click here to learn more. 

This project was nominated for the Francisco Luis Porrata-Doria Medal for Excellence in Design.

Instagram: @alemar1347

Building Wellness: Integrating Nature and Design to Prevent Diabetes by Daniela M. Ruiz-Rosado, B.Arch ’25
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico | Advisors: Pedro A. Rosario-Torres & Pilarín Ferrer-Viscasillas

Diabetes is one of the most pressing public health issues in Puerto Rico, where nearly half a million people live with the disease—equivalent to one in every six residents. Type 2 diabetes, in particular, is closely linked to lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity and poor nutrition. This research explores how architecture can become a proactive tool in the prevention of this chronic illness by promoting healthy behaviors in the built environment.

This project proposes the Integral Diabetes Prevention Center, located in Río Piedras, within the grounds of Hospital Auxilio Mutuo and adjacent to the University of Puerto Rico’s Sports Complex. The selected site offers a strategic opportunity to serve two target populations: young adults between the ages of 15 and 28, who are at a key stage for adopting preventative habits, and diabetic patients in need of ongoing care and wellness support.

The architectural strategy is rooted in the promotion of an active lifestyle through design. The program includes student residences, extended-stay units for patients, a wellness center with a gym, medical consultation areas, educational spaces, and health-focused commercial areas. A central plaza connects the hospital and the sports complex, acting not only as a circulation node but as a social and interactive public space that fosters movement and community engagement.

The design encourages physical activity through accessible, walkable, and open layouts while also integrating green areas that support mental and physical well-being. By embedding health education, fitness, and healthcare into the spatial experience, the project aims to create an environment that not only treats but actively prevents illness. This research demonstrates how architecture can serve as a catalyst for healthier communities by shaping behaviors and daily routines through intentional, health-centered design.

This project was nominated for the Francisco Luis Porrata-Doria Medal for Excellence in Design

Instagram: @druizrosado00

Birthplace – proposal for an alongside birthing place in Hackney, UK by Sophie Martin, M.ArchD ’25
Oxford Brookes University | Advisor: Francesco Proto

This project seeks to create spaces to support and celebrate birth as a rite of passage, through the development of a new paradigm in maternity care: a worked example of a design for an alongside birthing place for physiological birth in a fragment of natural setting, with views to natural landscapes of water, sky, and moon. Birthing places surrounded by natural/human-scale materials of reed and brick, in urban surroundings close to a hospital.

Focusing on creating an atmosphere to support physiological birth, a route of pavilions to mark each stage in the rite of passage is proposed, using metaphors from popular culture to drive the design. These pavilions will incorporate references to the cycles of the moon to mark the profound transformation of the birthing woman from maiden to mother, and offer a connection between the woman to her place in the cosmos at this liminal time.

The task is a fundamental one: to investigate the effects of form and space on childbirth, families and caregivers. How can the rite that is giving birth once again play a richer central role in communities with a myriad positive outcomes? The incentives to explore this approach would also lead to cost savings – ditch an outdated focus on infection control – pregnancy is not a disease in and of itself. The rates of Cesarean birth and obstetric interventions could drop, and money would be saved if there were a greater proportion of physiological births. (But not through imposing some vaginal birth doctrine from on high, but as a symptom of women and midwives feeling well supported by the place).  

This is not a panacea – wonderful spaces will not impact directly upon staffing levels, maternity budget, political agenda and outdated non evidence based hospital protocol – but begin to give women and midwives a sense of value in their experience, sense of occasion, sense of the gravity of the greatest physiological event for our species, coming as the finale of the greatest feat of human endurance, is an event worth marking. What a fantastic space this would be. 

Instagram: @studio_malmaison, @oxfordschoolofarchitecture

Shelter for Homeless Children in a Farm in Waimānalo by Jessica Aellen, M.Arch ’25
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | Advisor: Yasushi Ishida

This project proposes a mixed-use residential and therapeutic shelter for homeless youth ages 14 to 24, located on a farm in Waimānalo, Oʻahu. It supports RYSE, a nonprofit organization serving youth experiencing homelessness in Hawaiʻi, where rates are among the highest in the U.S. Many of these teenagers face mental health challenges, and this project aims to provide not just shelter, but healing, dignity, and connection to nature.

The building is designed for a small community and blends with the surrounding farmland through soft, horizontal forms that echo the nearby mountain landscape. It includes therapy and gathering spaces, private rooms, communal kitchens, and outdoor areas that support reflection and social connection.

Key features include a raised outdoor terrace, curving interior corridors that promote privacy and comfort, and the use of natural materials such as wood-fiber insulation. The structure is made of lightweight metal framing and wood components, chosen to reduce environmental impact and allow flexibility in construction.

The architecture prioritizes openness, safety, and well-being through passive design and biophilic principles. By fostering both physical and emotional healing, this project demonstrates how architecture can play a meaningful role in helping vulnerable youth reconnect with themselves, with others, and with the land.

This project received recognition at the Hawai‘i Architectural Foundation (HAF) Awards. 

Instagram: @yasushi_ishida_arc

Center of Hope by Arushi Singhal, M.Arch ’25
Boston Architectural College | Advisors: Russel Feldman & Ian F. Taberner

“The Center for Hope” explores how architecture can serve as a catalyst for emotional and psychological healing in the context of palliative cancer care. Situated overlooking the Jamaica Pond in Boston, the healing center merges the therapeutic qualities of nature with innovative design to support patients, their families, and caregivers. Unlike traditional hospital environments that prioritize clinical and programmatic efficiency, the project focuses on creating spaces that evoke hope, foster introspection, and build community. The central idea of this thesis is to investigate how architecture transcends physical form to influence emotional resilience. Grounded in phenomenology, the project investigates how spatial layouts, material tactility, light, and biophilic elements contribute to the healing process.

A hybrid program of contemplative spaces, therapy rooms, community courtyards, and meditative gardens, these spaces are designed to accommodate a diversity of needs and emotional states, offering agency to users through choice and comfort. Importantly, the center opens itself to the neighborhood—welcoming local residents to participate in communal activities, wellness events, or moments of pause along their daily routes. This act of inclusion not only normalizes the presence of illness within the city but transforms the Center into a reciprocal civic gesture—an anchor of care that gives back to its urban surroundings. As part of Boston’s Emerald Necklace, the design becomes a threshold between healthcare and everyday life, offering both a contemplative refuge and a socially engaged urban insertion.

This project received “Commends for Thesis.”

Transformative Architecture for Incarceration Reform by Methusela C. Mulenga, M.Arch ’25
Boston Architectural College | Advisors: Ralph Jackson & Ian F. Taberner

This thesis explores the potential of architecture to facilitate transformative reforms within the incarceration system through human-centric design strategies, specifically focusing on youth demographics. It highlights the pressing need for intervention, as many young individuals are often held for non-criminal offenses or are awaiting trial. By examining the unique challenges faced by these youths, the project envisions architectural spaces that promote hope and healing, allowing for improved mental health and a sense of purpose while they transition back to society. To underpin this exploration, the research begins by analyzing statistics regarding youth incarceration. By identifying this specific population, the thesis emphasizes the importance of integrating appropriate resources and technology within the building typology. It argues that providing detained individuals with educational tools and a supportive environment can significantly enhance their mental well-being and self-improvement opportunities, ultimately aiding their reintegration efforts.

The design approach prioritizes essential elements such as natural light, access to nature, privacy, and educational opportunities that contribute to an environment conducive to healing. The thesis outlines architectural interventions that incorporate calming colors, recreational spaces, and vocational training facilities, proposing that these features can prepare youths for successful reintegration while reducing the risk of homelessness. The goal is to create welcoming and inclusive transition spaces that foster community connection and emotional support. 

Lastly, the thesis investigates global prison systems, defining “transition spaces” as environments that improve the experience of those incarcerated. It emphasizes the significance of architectural design reforms that promote rehabilitation and community connections while addressing safety and well-being for both inmates and staff. By proposing a building typology that is accessible and connected to the community, this research aims to demonstrate how thoughtful architectural considerations can reshape the landscape of incarceration into spaces that offer a renewed sense of belonging and purpose for youth in transition.

This project received “Commends for Thesis.”

In Between by Polina Korolkova, M.Arch ’25
Washington University in St. Louis | Advisor: Julie Bauer

“In Between” is a holistic housing and education project designed specifically for young mothers and pregnant teens navigating a transitional moment in life—in between adolescence and adulthood, dependency and independence, challenge and potential. The project aims to provide not only shelter, but dignity, stability, and opportunity through architecture that nurtures growth and support.

The program integrates residential units with an educational facility and community services, creating a safe and empowering environment. The school component, located on the ground floor, features multiple accessible entrances to accommodate daily routines with strollers, caregivers, and young children. Classrooms, counseling rooms, and communal kitchens are woven into the educational wing, ensuring support extends beyond academics to life skills and wellness.

Above, modular housing units made from precast Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) offer sustainable, warm, and efficient living. Each unit includes a private balcony, natural daylight, and a small courtyard connection—spaces that support healing, reflection, and parenting. Flexibility in the module layout allows for varying family sizes and future adaptability.

Shared gardens, childcare areas, and lounges are dispersed across the site to create a soft rhythm of private and communal life. These in-between spaces encourage informal connections, peer support, and a sense of belonging—turning a temporary stay into a place of pride and transformation.

Structurally, the project employs a hybrid system: the concrete ground floor provides acoustic isolation and structural strength for the learning and gathering areas, while the lightweight CLT units above minimize embodied carbon and construction disruption. The material palette is intentionally soft, natural, and restorative, echoing the project’s core values.

In Between is not just a building—it is a framework for second chances, built with care, strength, and the belief that architecture can be a partner in healing and growth.

This project received the Book Award.

Instagram: @k.poli.na, @julie.e.bauer

Return to Earth, End of Life Care in Northern St. Louis by Hannah Grau, M.Arch ’25
Washington University in St. Louis | Advisor: Julie Bauer

Research in Northern St. Louis reveals a need for palliative and end-of-life care. The project proposes a place [where] those who are at the end stages of life may experience tranquility, celebration, remembrance, spirituality, and a connection with nature. In this program, domestic-scale housing is an active departure from medical room typologies, instead inviting warmth, comfort, rest, respite, and space. Outside of the residential grain of the program, there are spaces to gather, celebrate, commemorate, pray, meditate, nap, bathe, sit in the sun, feel the air, and be surrounded by caregivers and loved ones. The space is accessible, welcoming, and easy to navigate. It is situated along the Mississippi River and looks to bring back communal retreat by creating public garden spaces of memorium, celebration, and gathering. The materiality, textures, nourishment, and outdoor observance will provide connections with nature, connections with memory, and connections with healing. Focusing on the small moments of high-touch, high-interaction, and deep rest, the space will offer permeating peace in both the built and unbuilt environments.

This project received a Book Award.

Instagram: @grauhannah, @julie.e.bauer

RE-ENTRY RE-IMAGINED, Transitional Housing & Support for Previously Incarcerated Young Men by Abigail Fonville, M.Arch ’25
Washington University in St. Louis | Advisor: Julie Bauer

“They said it was a revolving door. But I always asked, did anyone ever take the time to figure out why the door kept revolving?” —Ta’janette Sconyers, Former St. Louis Juvenile Detention Center Employee

A transitional housing proposal designed to support young men, ages 12 to 21, as they transition from juvenile detention toward self-sufficient adulthood. The program spans four buildings and offers a campus-like setting that maximizes the site’s potential, encouraging daily movement and fresh air, luxuries absent in the St. Louis Juvenile Detention facility. At its core, the program focuses on housing. Residents live in minimally furnished units that promote a sense of ownership and autonomy over their space. These units are organized into pods of 2 to 4 individuals, each sharing a communal living space that encourages connection and support. Beyond housing, the campus includes a woodshop and a training kitchen where participants gain hands-on experience and develop practical skills for future employment. Located in the Grand Arts neighborhood, a vibrant mix of cultural, commercial, and residential activity, “Re-entry Reimagined” emphasizes the importance of being a part of the community for a successful reintegration. For young men who have served their time and have nowhere else to go, this is a place to call home.

This project won the Widmann Prize. 

Instagram: @bigail_fonville, @julie.e.bauer

Stay tuned for Part V!

2025 Study Architecture Student Showcase - Part III

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Today’s installment of the 2025 Study Architecture Student Showcase highlights innovation in technology and artificial intelligence (AI). In Part III, we look at senior projects that reimagine how technology can transform architectural practices, human experiences, sustainability, and design workflows. You may find yourself asking: What happens when AI is used as a co-designer? 

From smart cities in Puerto Rico to augmented reality, each project will broaden your perspective on the capabilities of technology in design. 

Browse the projects below!

Urban Metamorphosis: Smart Cities Resignifying Spaces by Ramón L. Meléndez-García, B.Arch ‘25
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico | Advisors: Pedro A. Rosario-Torres & Juan C. Santiago-Colón

This research investigates the urban regeneration of Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, through the strategic implementation of smart city principles adapted to local needs. In response to widespread physical, social, and economic decay—evident in abandoned lots, deteriorated infrastructure, and declining public life—the study proposes a multidimensional framework that reimagines the urban fabric through technological innovation, sustainable development, and architectural intervention.

Departing from mainstream smart city models centered solely on digital efficiency, this study develops a localized smart city theory that combines cultural identity, community participation, and advanced technologies. The proposal includes the integration of smart housing, cultural and educational hubs with augmented reality capabilities, green infrastructure, efficient public transportation, and urban data nodes to improve services and connectivity. Core technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data are utilized to inform urban planning decisions, support sustainability, and foster civic engagement.

Río Piedras is positioned as a prototype for urban acupuncture, where vacant and underused parcels are reactivated as strategic anchors for community life, innovation, and economic growth. The intervention emphasizes not only technological transformation but also the importance of contextual design—bridging the gap between historic architecture and contemporary urban needs.

By transforming obsolete spaces into adaptive smart infrastructures, the project demonstrates how urban regeneration can be achieved through a balance of innovation and local identity. This research presents a replicable smart city model for Latin American contexts, focused on equitable access to services, environmental responsibility, and inclusive urban development.

Ultimately, the study reframes smart cities as people-centered ecosystems, where technology, space, and society coalesce to create resilient, livable, and forward-looking urban environments.

Fold Me a Path: An Experience of Fractured Flow by Farah Swilam, M.ArchD ’25
Oxford Brookes University | Advisors: Adam Holloway, Elliot Krause & Deniz Topcuoglu

Distortion:

This project explores how fractured geometry and pattern-based aggregation can be reimagined through artificial intelligence to generate new kinds of human experiences in architecture. At its core is the idea of distortion—reshaping familiar systems like Islamic pattern growth and crystallographic expansion through AI to produce forms that feel intuitive yet unfamiliar.

Crystallization:

Inspired by how crystals grow—from a single point to complex geometries—the architecture builds on repetition, branching, and fracture. These logics were first tested physically and digitally, then handed over to AI as a co-designer. Trained on sketches, models, and prompts around fragmented patterns and public infrastructure, the AI generated outputs that became provocations, not solutions.

Narrative:

The result is a prefabricated ferry terminal on Istanbul’s Golden Horn waterfront—where infrastructure becomes a spatial narrative. Modular units cluster and grow across a path, shifting in orientation and size to guide a fractured journey from land to water, compression to openness.

Behavior:

AI simulations shaped the plan by mapping how curiosity, comfort, and pressure influence movement. These behavioral zones structured flows for tourists and commuters, varying path widths and densities to create both fast transitions and moments of pause.

Shell:

Externally, the terminal’s form draws from a library of AI-generated crystal geometries—clustered, mirrored, and oriented to respond to light, program, and views. The fragmented skin filters shadow and light, echoing Istanbul’s energy while remaining grounded in geometric order.

Assembly:

Constructed from prefabricated timber shells and CNC-milled panels, the structure sits lightly on steel piers over water. Brass cladding reflects the city’s historic palette. Passive strategies like cross-ventilation and rainwater harvesting are integrated into the system, and prefabrication minimizes urban disruption.

Resonance:

Ultimately, “Fold Me a Path” is a proposal for architecture that listens—guided by AI, rooted in culture, and attuned to human experience.

Instagram: @acciofxra7_, @holloway_arch

Gastro-Genesis by Dana Otoom, B.Arch ’25
American University in Dubai | Advisor: José Antonio Carrillo

Exploring the intersection of architecture, gastronomy, and parametric design through the creation of edible objectiles-geometrically-driven food forms that act as catalysts for designing an entire multisensory dining experience. Drawing from the theories of Bernard Cache, Greg Lynn, and Patrik Schumacher, the project translates infinite variability into spatial and experiential diversity. Each objectile is generated through a parametric algorithm based on flavor perception, sensory attributes, and contextual cues such as temperature, aroma, and emotional response. The edible forms define not only the food but also influence the design of cutlery, furniture, spatial layout, and user journey within a dining environment. Set in the UAE, the project culminates in a metabolically inspired spatial sequence that mirrors digestion, transitioning from urban farming to sensory labs, with the buffer zone acting as a sensory terrain of sweet, rounded objectiles to ease entry and exit.

Click here for a closer look.

Instagram: @danaaotoom, @d.otoom, @j.carrilloandrada

Biosphere by Shrilaxmi Nair, Sharanya Mathrudev & Parth Solanki, M.Arch ’25
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Advisor: Yun Kyu Yi

The landscape of architectural design is rapidly evolving with advances in 3D modeling, rendering software, and, more recently, artificial intelligence (AI). While tools like Stable Diffusion, DALL·E, and Midjourney have transformed illustration by allowing users to generate images from text prompts, architecture is now seeing its own set of AI tools tailored for design professionals. These tools can assist in generating building forms, interior styles, façade systems, and code-compliant floor plans, while also supporting layout optimization. As these tools become more powerful and accessible, they are beginning to reshape how architects approach the design process.

This shift is prompting reflection within architectural practice: Should traditional skills like manual representation and code literacy remain central, or should designers explore how to engage critically and creatively with AI? Rather than replacing the designer, AI has the potential to enhance creativity and support more thoughtful, design-driven decision-making.

This project explored the role of AI not simply as a visualization tool, but as an active collaborator in the design process. The work focused on three key phases where AI tools were integrated into schematic design: Concept Development, Concept Actualization, and Objective-Based Form Finding. Through this exploration, the project aimed to understand how AI can shape design workflows, support ideation, and open new directions for architectural thinking and practice.

This project is inspired by Jeju Island, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The design celebrates Earth, Air, and Water through architecture that blends with nature. Earth|Terra, the tower, reflects the volcanic rock found in Jeju and represents it through biomimicry and sustainability. Air|Zephyr, the bridge, flows seamlessly between land and water, evoking balance and calm. Water|Octo, inspired by Jeju’s Haenyo divers, serves as a cultural immersion center and coral observatory, honoring resilience and ecological harmony.

Instagram: @shrilaxmi_nair, @sharanya__2000, @iamparthsolanki, @ral_isoa

Embrace – Performative Connections by  Alejandro Arizpe, Stephanie Balbin, Javier Fano, Emily Guerrero, Erica Herrera, Kevin Linton, Raul Montalvo, Danny Murray, Ricardo Reyes, Sarah Staten, Gustavo Tirado, Jennifer Villarreal & John Zerda, B.Arch ’25
University of Texas at San Antonio | Advisor: Armando Araiza

At its core, architecture is a choreography of connections. In this advanced research studio, students explored assembly not as an afterthought, but as the generative principle for design. Through a semester-long investigation, they studied how different elements, digital, material, and structural, come together to form performative wholes.

The studio began with an in-depth analysis of joints and bonding methods across disciplines and histories, treating the connection itself as both an aesthetic and structural act. From laser-cut prototypes to iterative digital models, each student developed a speculative connection system, refined through hands-on experimentation.

These efforts converged in the fabrication of a full-scale, inhabitable prototype. Built collaboratively and rapidly deployed, the final installation tested how a single connection logic could drive formal, spatial, and assembly decisions. With no hierarchy between part and whole, the project revealed how connection is not just a means of construction, it’s a way of thinking, making, and inhabiting space.

Instagram: @armando_araiza

The Waterscape: UNDERGRADUATE LIBRARY by  Kay Hau, Yogitha Reddi & Taylor Solomon, M.Arch ’25
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Advisor: Yun Kyu Yi

Architectural design is undergoing a major transformation with advancements in 3D modeling, rendering software, and, more recently, artificial intelligence (AI). Tools like Stable Diffusion, DALL·E, and Midjourney have revolutionized illustration by enabling users to generate visuals from text prompts. Now, architecture is seeing the emergence of AI tools specifically developed for design professionals. These tools assist in generating building forms, interior designs, façade systems, and code-compliant floor plans, while also optimizing layouts. As they become increasingly powerful and accessible, AI technologies are redefining how architects approach the design process.

This evolution is sparking important questions within architectural practice: Should traditional skills like hand drawing and code literacy still hold central importance, or should designers embrace new ways to engage critically and creatively with AI? Rather than replacing the designer, AI has the potential to amplify creativity and encourage more thoughtful, design-driven decisions.

This project investigated the role of AI not just as a tool for visualization, but as a true collaborator in the design process. It focused on three key stages where AI was incorporated into schematic design: Concept Development, Concept Actualization, and Objective-Based Form Finding. The goal was to explore how AI can influence design workflows, spark new ideas, and open up innovative directions for architectural thought and practice.

“The Waterscape” reimagines the UIUC Undergraduate Library site through three central ideas: Nexus, Senses, and Encapsulation. Drawing inspiration from the library’s legacy as a communal space, the design emphasizes sensory experiences—sight, sound, and touch—while maintaining the site’s natural environment and uncovering its hidden subterranean layers. Using AI tools such as ComfyUI, Neural Network, and DeepGaze, the design team explored form-making approaches that maximize daylight and collect water efficiently. The result is a passive cooling system that activates and unifies the three-tiered space.

This project received an Honorable Mention for the Ratio Prize, Spring 2025.

Instagram: @kaylhau, @ral_isoa

Sculpted Time by Layla Danelle Neira, B.Arch ’25
New Jersey Institute of Technology | Advisor: Andrzej Zarzycki

Project Description:

“Sculpted Time” is an augmented reality (AR) project designed to deepen community engagement with the large stone sculptures on NJIT’s campus. Despite their scale and presence, I noticed many students and visitors pass by them without knowing their significance. I wanted to create an experience that reintroduces these sculptures in a more dynamic and relatable way—inviting people to reflect on the tension between the permanence of stone and the fleeting nature of the technology these sculptures represent.

The project is ultimately an application where users can scan a sculpture and have immersive AR experiences that engage multiple senses. Through context-aware environments and storytelling, “Sculpted Time” aims to transform how we engage with public art on campus and rethink our role in an age of rapid technological change—especially within the context of NJIT, where many of us are preparing for careers in tech-driven fields.

Methodology:

This was my first time working with AR technology beyond social media filters, so much of the early stages were marked by experimentation and guidance from my studio professor, Andrzej Zarzycki. I developed the project using tools such as Unity for building the immersive AR environments, Kiri Engine for photogrammetry and 3D modeling, and Vuforia for marker-based AR tracking.

Since the final outcome was a functioning app prototype, I also had to learn and apply UI/UX design principles to ensure the experience was both user-friendly and intuitive. Designing the interface and user interactions became just as important as developing the AR content itself. This part of the process felt more familiar to me since my background in architecture helped me approach spatial planning, visual hierarchy, and user flow with confidence.

Click here for a closer look.

This project was recognized at NJIT’s Dana Knox Research Showcase, 2025.

Instagram: @laylan981, @andrzejzarzycki

Tame Your Mushroom by Tova Gold, M.Arch ’25
New York Institute of Technology | Advisor: Sandra Manninger

“How To Train Your Mushroom- Fungal Computation, Toward Sustainable Biocomputing in Architecture”

This research explores fungal bioelectricity as a foundation for sustainable, living computational systems with potential applications in architecture. Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushrooms) exhibit stimulus-responsive electrical activity analogous to neural computation. While traditionally studied for ecological roles, fungal mycelium demonstrates capacities for memory, adaptive behavior, and environmental sensing, positioning it as a viable substrate for biologically embedded computation within architectural systems.

Controlled experiments involved embedding electrodes into living fungal colonies to record voltage fluctuations under mechanical pressure, light exposure, and thermal stimuli. Time-series features from these electrical signals were processed and analyzed using convolutional neural networks to classify stimulus types. Preliminary results indicate distinct waveform patterns associated with different environmental inputs, suggesting that fungal networks encode information through structured bioelectrical signaling.

These findings highlight the potential of mycelium as a living sensor network capable of integration into architectural assemblies. Responsive to light, heat, mechanical stress, or air quality, fungal materials offer a pathway to architectural systems that adapt in real time to their environment. Unlike conventional computing systems, fungal substrates require minimal energy input, operate at ambient temperatures, and are biodegradable—aligning with goals of ecological design and regenerative material practices.

In architecture, fungal biocomputing implies a shift from inert, passive materials toward active, sensing infrastructures. Mycelium may serve not only as a sustainable building component but also as a medium for distributed computation, enabling novel forms of environmental interactivity and feedback. Moreover, fungal information processing—distributed, embodied, and chemically mediated—resonates with emerging paradigms in architecture that reject centralized control in favor of non-linear, rhizomatic systems.

By combining fungal electrophysiology, machine learning, and computational design, this research redefines the role of material intelligence in architecture and proposes a future in which built environments are both materially and computationally alive.

Instagram: @sandramanninger_studio

Stay tuned for Part III!

2025 Study Architecture Student Showcase - Part II

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From red mud and recycled maritime rope to steel and the luffa plant, the projects featured in Part II of the 2025 Study Architecture Student Showcase explore various elements of materiality. These projects look at building materials as more than just elements of construction; they investigate how materials impact a building’s background, structure, and spatial storytelling.

Read on for a closer look.

A Field for the Passerby by Skye Nieves, B.Arch ‘25
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Advisor: Ryosuke Imaeda

Architecture is typically designed to serve and house its participants. Whether emphasizing function or aesthetics, the experience of space is central to design intent. We are immediately aware of materials, forms, and environments as hallmarks of good architecture. But what if architecture is designed to recede from our attention, perhaps to the degree that we become oblivious of its existence? This project explores a close yet passive relationship between architecture and passersby.

To understand this, two sources were studied: Human Centrism, emphasizing people as central to spatial experience; and Thomas Struth’s works, which remove people from scenes to expose their broader community. Between these approaches lies the passerby’s view. They acknowledge architecture without engaging deeply. This uninterestedness seems to lack lively relationships; nevertheless, it gradually becomes a design tool, where misfits in scale, material, and environments capture oddities. The scenes are not theatrical, but reveal strange moments in their daily experience.

The primary material is red mud, a toxic byproduct from the Bayer Process, accumulating near Salasel Castle in Khuzestan, Iran. Though dangerous, the separation of the material into iron and mud yields safe, structural mortar to build mosques, found every 300 feet in the region. On-site, mosque and red mud coexist without interaction. Purification happens behind the mosque, where worshippers focus inward, unaware of the background process.

Arched rooms separate prayers by a red wall that appears to flow. A tower looms, disconnected yet watchful. A central fountain runs smoothly, while the dome traps viscous mud; its true thickness unknown until touched. While prayers and materials exist inside to produce tensions, the everyday street remains as if nothing occurs. From the traces of doors, to vents and weep holes, subtle indications recede from the visions of passersby.

This project studies architecture as a background. It does not call attention to itself, yet it serves participants every day. And just like our daily habits, the material is processed slowly and consistently, from the alarming toxicity to the state we can gently touch. Perceived only in passing by observers, this architecture gains its meaning to serve the culture and environment in the field. 

This project won the RPI: Harriet R. Peck Prize (Best Solution in a Thesis Project in Architecture Design).

Instagram: @nieves_090, @ryoimaeda 

Fiber Locs by Chantal Celis, B.Arch ’25
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Advisor: Ryosuke Imaeda

Architecture is a composite of elements and experiences. Structural logic grounds it, while layers of history accumulate on façades, transforming into cultural ornamentation. Yet, a closer look at columns reveals a tension between structural function and cultural continuity. Columns are placed as part of a larger framing, while separately, they are adorned with crafted ornaments. Their evident independence, however, suggests the possibility of being reimagined into a tangible yet strange dialogue. Raising the question: what if a column, rather than serving only a structural role, could be intentionally crafted with finer materials until it attains a newfound integrity?

This project investigates the reengineering of a column through the use of finer materials, viewing columns as inherent constructs where the process of arranging materials evolves into a structural form. Using recycled maritime rope from the Mersey River, this design ideology aims to reveal a strange domain between stability and delicacy, amalgamation and ornamentation, embedding culture and environment into the process of making. The six-foot column uses hairdressing techniques similar to loc crocheting. While the ropes in the physical model were not sourced directly from the Mersey River, it offered a full-scale test of the material’s capacity and structural potential. The strands vary in length, yet each one interlocks with the next. This system of knotting creates structural integrity without the use of adhesives.

The thesis explores the process and dialogue of making fibers operate structurally and aesthetically, supported by the processes embedded within the building. With no use of blueprint, but with the involvement of local craftsmanship, the material itself begins and participates in the formation of building parts, from the product scale to the transformation of the building itself. Its cultural and environmental essence is expressed through the ambiguous appearance of the column. 

This project was nominated for the RPI Peck Prize.

Instagram: @architecturecc, @ryoimaeda 

The Luffa Commons by Muzzammil Taufik, M.ArchD ’25
Oxford Brookes University | Advisors: Jason Coleman & Mickey Kloihofer

Through the material examination of the luffa plant, which reveals its inherent translucency, layered tectures, and light-filtering properties, this project aims to re-establish a connection between humans and nature.

The design reflects the village-like character of Stoke Newington, London’s heritage, by incorporating natural shapes into the architectural language.

The end effect is a tactile and atmospheric space where light, form, and natural materials combine to create a revitalised feeling of community based on ecology and location.

Instagram: @muzzammiltaufik, @oxarch, @ds4.oxarch

ETHICAL STEEL- A SUSTAINABLE AND NONFORCED LABOR DESIGN APPROACH by Evelyn Palafox & Natalie Sipes, B.Arch ’25
University of Houston | Advisors: Asmaa Olwi, Gabriel Monteleone, Gaston Noriega & Emilia Migali

This project aims to utilize steel in alternative ways through architectural design, by emphasizing sustainability and safety. Our primary goal was to reshape the way steel, a fundamental part of our built environment, functions, but taking on a more ethical and green approach. We began studying the life cycle of steel, from ore to steel, and the process of fabrication to create the world we see today. Researching and studying steel manufacturing and fabrication facilities allowed us to have a deeper understanding of the material’s capabilities, work conditions, and processes, which enabled us to create a design that minimizes work hazards and leaves little to no waste after construction. 

This design explores a near one-point perspective view and its effect on space and those who interact with it. Our device uses steel forms that elongate the view rather than converge it. The view that was captured leads straight to the heart of our University, where festivals and pop-ups occur. The steps invite people in, guiding them to interact with the device and allowing the audience to explore different views from varying heights. We left the device uncoated to allow the steel to leave traces of oxidation from those who have interacted with the design. During fabrication, we used plasma cutting machines and press brakes to cut and bend the sheet metal, utilizing each sheet to its fullest, reducing waste. This process also reduced the emissions and energy that would have otherwise been consumed if the device had been fully welded. The components were assembled with a bolt and wedging system that allowed for quick, safe construction and future adaptability. The device now serves as a viewing point, capturing a nature reserve near the steel fabrication facility. 

Instagram: @nataliesipess, @evepalafox, @olwiasmaa, @gm.baag, @gaston.baag, @estudio.baag

Fractions by GJ Hartsfield, Allan Rangel & Nicholas Santiago, B.Arch ’25
University of Houston | Advisors: Asmaa Olwi, Gabriel Monteleone, Gaston Noriega & Emilia Migali

Fractions is an exploratory architectural device inspired by the materiality of galvanized steel. The device aims to reveal hidden landscapes of steel fabrication, distribution, and waste. As a material, steel is ubiquitous and resilient. Our group focused on these aspects of the material by sourcing building elements, which are usually thin, hidden, or otherwise mask other functions of architecture. We also wanted to focus on the galvanized finish for its ability to fracture reflections into a mosaic.

The frame of the structure is constructed of EMT, tubing used for protecting electrical wiring in buildings, and sourced from a local supplier in Houston. The panels are galvanized steel flashing, used on most commercial buildings, and donated by a local Houston contractor. The fasteners holding everything together are sourced from a small business in South Carolina, which manufactures in the same state. The assemblage requires a framed window and nets two effects. One: the distortion of the outside landscape through the curved sheets placed to reflect specific views. The intention of this is to riff on the fractured, complex, and overlapping nature of the steel sector. Two: diffusion of light provides a new relationship between the user and the window space. No longer a “day/night” relationship between direct light and shadow, but instead a diffused effect similar to tree canopies. Conceptual, practical, and radically simple, the project uses a framed view to expose landscapes outside our immediate view. 

Instagram: @gj_harts_architecture, @ajr.arch, @nikkosvn, @olwiasmaa, @gm.baag, @gaston.baag, @estudio.baag

Building With Bricolage – BRICO and the Art of Reassembly: Building from What Remains – Reuse, Recovery, and Reimagination by Macintyre Schnell, M.Arch ’25
University of Southern California | Advisor: Sascha Delz

Building with Bricolage reimagines adaptive reuse as an active, regenerative process – one that is as much about creative material transformation as it is about collective social empowerment. This thesis proposes a framework where architecture is built not from scratch, but from what already exists: disassembled, deteriorated, and often overlooked structures are carefully taken apart, salvaged, and reassembled into new spatial forms. The resulting architecture is a collage—layered, expressive, and materially honest—where imperfections are not concealed, but celebrated. The visible seams, textures, and traces of former lives become part of the building’s identity, allowing it to tell a rich story of transformation. Rather than limiting adaptive reuse to historically conserved buildings, Building with Bricolage embraces the potential of “non-conservable” structures, reclaiming their materials for renewed construction on the same site. This process not only reduces waste and promotes sustainability, but also fosters hands-on skill-building in deconstruction, reassembly, and low-carbon construction practices. 

In partnership with the adjacent LA Trade and Technical College (LATTC), the project becomes a living classroom—integrating vocational training, experimentation, and community workshops to expand educational curricula and empower local labor. At its core, this framework positions architecture as a participatory act—shaped not only by materials, but by the people who inhabit, maintain, and co-create it. The proposed BRICO co-operative mirrors the material logic of bricolage: a diverse collective of residents and stakeholders, much like the varied components of the building itself, come together to form a unified, resilient whole. In doing so, Building with Bricolage regenerates more than buildings – it rebuilds the social fabric of the city through shared authorship, mutual care, and spatial storytelling. 

Instagram: @coop_urbanism

Stay tuned for Part III!