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2024 Study Architecture Student Showcase - Part XIV

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Architecture plays a large role in the restoration and preservation of buildings. The projects featured in Part XIV of the 2024 Study Architecture Student Showcase focus on revitalizing spaces. 

Today, we look at various sites, including areas impacted by natural disasters, former industrial zones, federal buildings, and more. Each project blends old and new, demonstrating the ability to recover and reclaim using architecture and design.

Reclaiming Antakya: Post Disaster Community Recovery for Resilient Futures by Zeynep Dila Demircan, M. Arch ‘24
University of Maryland | Advisor: Ken Filler

The earthquakes that struck Southwestern Turkey and Northern Syria in February 2023 caused extensive damage, ranking among Turkey’s worst disasters in its history. The city of Antakya, especially, suffered severe destruction in its center, resulting in significant losses of lives, culture, and history.

This thesis presents a comprehensive plan to recover and reclaim Antakya’s center, enhancing community resilience through proactive design strategies. It focuses on a specific urban block, a key commercial, residential, and administrative hub across the Asi River and the historical district. The proposal outlines a multi-phased approach to transform this urban block, starting from the post-disaster period and concluding with its complete redevelopment. The phases include recovery, reclamation, reconstruction, and reconnection.

For the recovery phase, temporary shelter and gathering spaces are provided for residents within the grove area existing on the site, while efforts to engage stakeholders in the recovery process begin. Reclamation involves reforming the cleared area based on existing and new street systems, integrating new public streets and courtyards that make up the green infrastructure. Reconstruction involves rebuilding the site in smaller blocks, starting from the middle section and expanding to the upper and lower sections. The reconnection phase focuses on finalizing building blocks and reintegrating them into the larger context. 

This includes the creation of a new urban plaza and the introduction of programs aimed at fostering cultural and social resilience, as well as commemorating the earthquake through a memorial space within a community center. The proposal introduces two main building types: The Block, a mixed-use structure with a courtyard for residents, and The Hub, a community center featuring public spaces, a museum, gathering areas, and studios for local crafts practices.

In essence, this thesis aims to not only reconstruct Antakya’s physical infrastructure but also to cultivate resilient communities through place-making strategies. It endeavors to revitalize cultural and social life while fostering trust and collaboration, ultimately laying the groundwork for a robust and resilient future.

This project won the UMD Architecture Thesis – Director’s Award and the ARCC 2023-2024 King Student Medal for Excellence in Architectural + Environmental Design Research.

The Topographical Reactivation by Yanbo Zhu, M. Arch ’24
University of Waterloo | Advisors: Mohamad Araji & Shiyu Wei

Community Center Design at Kitchener

This design features three keywords: nature, history, and topography.

  1. NATURE: The site is located in the center of Kitchener, with the expansive Victoria Park to the south. However, due to roadways and parking areas interrupting the flow, it’s challenging for this landscape to permeate the site effectively. Simultaneously, with a site area of 15,000 square meters and a required building area of only 1,500 square meters according to the project brief, the strategy involves integrating small-scale structures with the landscape to address the issue of the site’s excessive scale.
  2. HISTORY: Within the site, there is an abandoned Charles bus terminal, with its main hall building well-preserved, but the historical elements of its platforms, bus lanes, and connecting corridors are poorly maintained. In the design, preserving the original waiting hall while removing other elements yet continuing its multi-linear spatial configuration is a critical historical stance.
  3. TOPOGRAPHY: On the eastern side of the site, there is an elevation difference of nearly four meters. In the design, a planted roof is utilized to seamlessly connect, allowing individuals to enter the building from the roof. Simultaneously, the height difference is employed to create outdoor stepped activity areas or sloped gardens. Additionally, to respect historical architecture, a partial sunken approach is employed in spaces like the art gallery and lecture hall, forming various topographical experiences.

This project won the Edward Allen BTES Award and the Second Prize SOPREMA Award. 

Instagram: @yanbo_zhu

Amending the Capitol by Garrett Krueger, M. Arch ‘24
Virginia Tech | Advisors: Susan Piedmont-Palladino, Paul Emmons & Scott Archer

The United States Capitol Building has long been an iconic symbol of the American government and democracy worldwide. Despite this, the United States has had many major events since 1892, and the Capitol has not had any representation of those events.

One example of stalled symbols of change is the number of representatives in the House. Since 1913, the House of Representatives in Congress has had 435 representatives, despite the population more than tripling since then. Many have had the idea to increase this number and expand the House. This idea gives an opportunity to design a new, larger chamber for the House to meet in. This thesis proposes a new chamber to redefine the architecture of the Capitol Building and symbolize the century of history that has yet to be represented in the Capitol.

The idea of making a new expansion to the iconic Capitol Building comes with challenges. This thesis was done amid historic turmoil and record lows in productivity in the House. This thesis also begs the question of whether the building that Congress meets in can be part of the solution. The House Chamber, when completed, had no electric lighting, let alone C-SPAN cameras and smartphones in every lawmaker’s pocket. This new extension aims to provide Congress with a workplace designed to address the difficulties it faces in keeping itself in order. As a whole, this thesis is about the idea of representing change. The nature of a democratic government is one of changing ideas and laws, and this project seeks to have the Capitol Building embody that aspect. Thomas Jefferson himself is known for saying rejecting change is like “requiring a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when he was a boy.” Congress needs a new coat. 

This project won the WAAC Crystal Award. 

Instagram: @vt_waac

Life, Death, and the Eternal Recurrence of Architecture by Geri Roa Kim & Kelvin Hu, B. Arch ’24
Pratt Institute | Advisors: Adam Elstein, Frank Gesualdi & Ashley Simone

Life, Death, and the Eternal Recurrence of Architecture proposes building anew as a form of preservation. Situated along the Arakawa River Island in Tokyo, this project is a story of a building that has grown over time since 1946. The building undergoes successive replication and revision every few years, each edition is built next to its predecessor, eventually becoming an endless, linear, horizontal skyscraper that constantly reinvents itself through time. 

This architectural approach, rooted in preservation, provides a tangible way to experience changes that normally unfold over centuries. Architecture, then, becomes a device to register time.

This project won the Best Degree Project of 2023/2024.

Instagram: @g.eroaii, @kelv.hu

Unbound Beirut: Reimagining Boundaries & Transforming Realities by Sima Fayad, B. Arch ’24
American University of Beirut | Advisor: Makram Al Kadi

This architectural thesis culminates in transforming Beirut’s iconic dome, The Egg, located in Solidere, into a multifaceted public space. It seamlessly integrates medical, educational, and cultural uses through a harmonious fusion of virtual and physical elements. This design transcends Solidere’s boundaries, fostering interaction among diverse user groups within a dynamic environment. Symbolizing Beirut’s resilience and revival, The Egg blends history with a vibrant future, redefining spatial inhabitation by bridging physical and virtual realms.

At its core, this thesis explores the intersection of physical and virtual spaces, emphasizing the enduring significance of tangible structures while delving into the growing realm of digital environments. It investigates how architects can utilize digital technology to craft emotionally and socially resonant spaces that transcend traditional boundaries. Envisioning a future where architecture integrates seamlessly with digital elements, the study challenges architects to reimagine spatial design.

The introduction lays the foundation by recognizing the pivotal role of physical spaces in our spatial understanding, positioning the thesis at the confluence of the tangible and intangible. As digital technologies increasingly influence our physical reality, this thesis calls on architects to incorporate digital elements such as virtual reality and internet connectivity into their designs. It highlights how these once futuristic concepts are now essential tools for creating visually striking, functional, and socially impactful architectural spaces. 

The thesis examines the redevelopment of Beirut’s downtown area, specifically focusing on The Egg, a striking dome in the Solidere district. This site symbolizes Beirut’s resilience and revival post-war, embodying the city’s enduring spirit while highlighting the economic barriers that modern urban landscapes can create. The Egg stands as a testament to Beirut’s cultural heritage, illustrating how architecture can blend the past with a vibrant future, bridging physical and virtual realms to redefine our concept of inhabiting space.

Instagram: @ard_aub

PENINSULAR PAPER CO. by Chase Dietrich, B.S. Arch ’24
Lawrence Technological University | Advisor: Masataka Yoshikawa

The project, PENINSULAR PAPER CO., began with an in-depth site analysis. The design was initially inspired by the natural gathering spots surrounding the existing building. This project aims to renovate and expand the existing structure, guided by the logic of these natural gathering points and the acute angles they form. The contemporary vision for the building’s renovation leverages these convergent points, ensuring the new design seamlessly integrates with the environment while enhancing functionality and aesthetic appeal. By focusing on these natural elements, the project promises a harmonious blend of old and new, creating a revitalized space that respects its historical context and serves modern needs.

This project won the Lawrence Technological University Chair’s Award.

Instagram: @chase.a.dietrich, @masataka.yoshikawa

Steamtown Revival by Mason Ramsey, James Gentilesco & Dalton Metzger, B. Arch ’24
Marywood University | Advisors: Jodi La Coe & James Eckler

The Joseph Biden Presidential Library uses various design concepts to best represent our president’s values. Green walls, aquaponics, water reuse, and bioswales all work together to visually demonstrate President Biden’s environmental priorities. These are new concepts for the proposed site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, currently occupied by the Steamtown Mall, a development that only hurt the economy and environment of the city, as Jane Jacobs argued. The entire site is to be replaced with biking and walking trails to best integrate the cityscape with nature. Inside this presidential library, one may visit Biden’s museum collection, browse through his personal selection of books, and even request access to presidential archives in this new landmark in a regrowing city.

Instagram: @ramsey_architecture, @gentilesco_architecture, @jodilacoe

“Navigating Uncertainty” in Lebanon by Karly Abou Dib, B. Arch ’24
American University of Beirut | Advisors: Trevor Ryan Patt & Rana Haddad

“Navigating Uncertainty” embarks on a detailed exploration of oil terminals, delving into their structural intricacies and temporal dimensions. By examining the historical significance, contemporary functionalities, and future uncertainties of these terminals, the study unfolds a narrative that seeks to craft a transformative blueprint for their decommissioning and sustainable future.

At the heart of this exploration is the concept of transforming challenges into opportunities for innovation through human collaboration. The uncertainty surrounding oil terminals is reimagined as a productive force, driving the evolution of a resilient and environmentally conscious infrastructure. The study proposes a shift from impermeable industrial containers to porous courtyards or “voids” that invite nature to reclaim and transform these spaces. This transformation symbolizes a transition from industrial to ecological, where past structures are enveloped by greenery and become communal spaces that foster biodiversity and community interaction.

Strategically designed “solids” are introduced within these voids, serving as eco-friendly program holders that benefit the environment. These solids house activities such as labs and workshops, green markets, and human energy-powered gyms, directly engage with and enhance their natural surroundings. The design and proportion of these solids vary based on their environmental impact, with programs that have a significant positive effect on nature occupying more prominent spaces.

The interface between the new solids and the voids is filled with community engagement opportunities and pathways that foster educational and cultural experiences. Visitors navigate through these transformed spaces, engaging with layers of information and activity that promote a deeper understanding of sustainability and its impact. This dynamic environment educates and inspires, cultivating a greener mindset among its visitors.

The project transforms an industrial site into a vibrant green space through the development of a porous wetland. This wetland enhances social well-being, supports biodiversity, and aids in natural water treatment and flood mitigation. It serves as an educational hub promoting environmental sustainability and highlights the role of wetlands in urban ecosystems. By integrating water into the site, the wetland mitigates flood risks and improves urban microclimates, showcasing how industrial areas can be reclaimed by nature

Instagram: @ard_aub

Global Educational Center for IT Specialists and Migrants in Istanbul by Anatolii Savoskin, Diploma in Strategic Interior Design / Private Master Degree ’24
IE University | Advisor: Elvira Munoz

For my graduate project, I tackled the challenges faced by skilled migrants, drawing from my own experience and that of friends worldwide. Using design tools, I aimed to provide solutions by identifying a real client in crisis and repurposing an underused building. Researching the client’s needs and challenges was pivotal in shaping our design strategy. We chose a historic building in central European Istanbul, strategically located near public amenities and transportation hubs to cater to our target audience: migrants with IT backgrounds. Detailed user mapping helped to understand their expectations and needs. My design concept focused on four key elements: an Al educational center, a rebranding campaign for Blackberry, integration of multicultural design elements reflecting migrants’ cultures, and a transition from classical to modern styles throughout the building’s floors.
Instagram: @iearchdesign, @anatolii_savoskin

Extending The Patchwork | The Pier by Jillian Sproul & Olivia Nunn, M. Arch ’24
Toronto Metropolitan University | Advisors: Joey Giaimo & Julia Jamrozik

Located in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, a tourist beach town, the project proposes an extension of the current pier providing opportunities for vendor expansion. The new pier proposal is achieved through the implementation of subtractive and additive heritage strategies. It provides locals with the agency to expand their business onto the structural modules that will aggregate as needed based on future growth, extending the existing vendor and architectural patchwork. The existing main pavilion has been opened up as a midpoint for resting and [eating]. The newly designed end pavilion embraces the past entertainment values of the site, showcasing live performances and expansive views out to the water. The form of the performance structure is shifted to align with the main street of the town, inviting visitors to adventure through the entirety of the pier, especially during sunset, when sun rays reflect off of the metallic panels. The two-storey performance pavilion is accessible with the feature ramp leading tourists on a journey separated from the busy vendor stalls. The total pier addition allows the current architectural and vendor patchwork to be valued as a key component to the pier’s long-standing success since 1899.

The physical model utilizes three types of wood to visualize the architectural patchwork of the current pier and the proposed extension. The burnt maple represents existing components of the pier, while the cherry represents existing components that have undergone renovations. This is contrasted with the basswood that represents the proposed patchwork extension.

Instagram: @jilliansproul, @olivianunn14

Reshaping Red Hook: Creative Placemaking and Connective Infrastructure. by Matthew Tepper, B.S. Architecture ’24
University of Virginia | Advisor: Mona El Khafif

From a manufacturing and transporting port to a refined and vibrant community hub, the masterplan analyzes the demand to unify the Red Hook, Brooklyn neighborhood to its adjacent post-industrialized, underutilized waterfront. It looks at a series of 19th-century waterfront warehouses as a symbolic reference to its connection with shipping and connectivity within the New York Harbor and a dilapidated water’s edge to activate opportunities for public engagement and hospitable, engaging programming. 

Red Hook, named by the Dutch in the 17th century, references its red clay soil and brick construction methods, as well as its jutting peninsula forming into the Upper New York Bay. In the late 19th century, Red Hook was the busiest freight port in the world, serving as the center of the city’s cotton trade. Later on, with the rise of Robert Moses, the Gowanus Expressway and the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel were built in the 1940s, followed by the first federally funded public housing projects in New York City. While Red Hook’s socioeconomic status declined due to a decline in maritime trade and employment access, its economic outlook is rising again as new businesses, artists, and artisans are beginning to bring vitality.

The program explores indoor, outdoor, and interstitial moments as means for a creative ecosystem, expanding a sense of connectivity through the Cobble Hill Tunnel within neighborhood bounds. The Cobble Hill Tunnel, the oldest tunnel in New York City, was rediscovered in the 1990s after being inactive for over 120 years in Downtown Brooklyn. It was imagined to stretch to Red Hook but was never fulfilled. In reimagining the existing lack of public infrastructure within Red Hook, this physical and symbolic representation would allow for connectivity across Red Hook while recognizing the neighborhood’s rich history. 

Forming an experiential approach to this connectivity aims to foster and maintain local, community-driven growth. The proposal intends to re-establish the water’s edge with a realignment of the existing Red Hook gridded organization and shift vehicular traffic to prioritize pedestrian experiences and modes of public transportation. To enable economic incentives for development, existing two-story warehouse buildings will expand upon their mass-timber structure as an extension of contemporary mass-timber building codes to provide a relationship between working and living environments. The existing parking lot will transform into Red Hook’s public square to support local artists, and a central amphitheater will serve as the concluding nexus of the tunnel. These transversal relationships can ensure dialogue between above- and below-ground environments as a new typology for untapped programming and real estate investment.

Instagram: @mattportfolio, @aschool_uva

Fluid Landscape: A Speculation on Edge by Marla Stephens, M. Arch ’24
University of Florida | Advisors: Charlie Hailey & Jeff Carney

Architecture for a Fluid Landscape: A Speculation on Edge, addresses the ephemeral nature of dwelling on Florida’s coastal edge. This project aims to unearth Florida’s fluid strata to resurface a forgotten timeline of architectural ruins and stories lost at sea and to reinterpret future coastal habitation for an accreting landscape. Using Wilbur-by-the-Sea and Cape Canaveral, Florida as stations for witnessing and recording the evolution of an edge, this project will begin to negotiate the nature of impermanence and symbiosis of architecture along the shore. 

As time passes, layers of stories, artifacts, ecologies, and technologies are embedded within the anthropogenic landscape. Is time as fluid as the littoral edge? Is there a way to work between the layers, to establish a permanent marker of change, to record the unfolding of time on an uncertain edge? Time moves quicker and shorter here, each day is a different coast. On the edge, change is felt at a more alarming rate. Here we bear witness to the ecological impact we have made; impacts which are felt slowly, suddenly, or all at once. Can architecture make us notice more? Notice the imprint of a seashell along the shore, and the fluttering of the saturated sand made by a sand flea hiding beneath the surface; to the detrimental effects of toxic runoff which tarnishes the shore with a nauseating green film, and the infrastructural damage inflicted by hurricanes and rising tides. We must notice more, to slow down time once again and decelerate our current path towards exponential degradation, to restore Mother Nature’s natural procession.

This project will collect and unearth objects and stories found along the fluid landscape while using the Florida Houses of Refuge as a generative part for testing markers on the coast. The Houses of Refuge were ten stations along the east coast of Florida constructed for the sole purpose of saving the lives of shipwrecked persons, yet they evolved into much more. This project uses the forgotten coast of Chester Shoal as a proving ground for ever-evolving iterations of stations that witness the transformations of an ephemeral landscape.

Instagram: @charlie.hailey, @marla.stephens

Conservatory of Theater: A Spot Light in the User by John M. Campis-Bobe, B. Arch ’24
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico | Advisor: Pedro A. Rosario-Torres

The decline of performing arts in contemporary culture can be attributed to a lack of cultural identity. Historically, theater served as a platform for societal reflection and discussion of political and sociocultural issues. Today, this art form has lost its prominence in many countries, necessitating a revival to inspire a new generation. To address this, the project employs the concept of a perfect prism to contrast its surroundings, highlighting the performance space as a vital expression of cultural identity.

Located in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, near the urban train’s last station, the project identifies existing entities and highlights those proposed for improvement. By linking the urban core, it establishes a new theatrical district with an axis running from the town hall through Marti Street to the Theater Conservatory. The conservatory’s design incorporates six strategies from modern theater culture, seamlessly integrated into the urban context, emphasizing both external and internal engagement. Its purpose is to create a series of encounters between performances and spectators, inviting exploration and contemplation throughout the city. For example, urban niches carve fenestration within each façade, showcasing rehearsal rooms, foyers, and terraces to residents and visitors passing by. The black box theater is cantilevered from the building façade, marking the culmination of the theatrical district axis. Inside, there are adaptable spaces for various scenarios that aren’t restricted by a fixed arrangement. This expands on the versatility to reconfigure to the constant changes in our contemporary culture. To improve the user experience and accessibility, an elevated urban plaza is created, bridging the conservatory with the surrounding urban fabric and inviting community interaction. Due to the tropical climate, sustainable features include natural ventilation on all floors, permeable pavement, solar panels, and an underground cistern for water storage.

The final model reveals the axis that unifies the new theatrical district and an alternative route from the train station, designed to enhance pedestrian access. By integrating urban connectivity, cultural engagement, and sustainable design elements, the conservatory sets a new standard for functionality and environmental stewardship, marking a transformative icon for new cultural expression. 


Instagram: @johncampiss

Archi-eulogy: Negotiating Ruination in the Urban Void by Glory Nasr, B. Arch ’24
American University of Beirut | Advisor: Sinan Hassan

In a dense alleyway of a residential suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, lies a neighbourhood-sized construction site, halted at the excavation stage. Where once stood the Laziza Factory, the first brewery in the Levant that was demolished in 2017, remains a 20-meter-deep manufactured chasm, vestiges of the unfinished construction of a high-end, Starchitect-made residential project. The chasm resembles a tomb with no capstone, a tomb for the demolished brewery and the immaterialized lofts, but more importantly for the notion of architecture as a practice above the human realms of economic crisis. The result is an absurd condition caught between architecture, geology, and ruin. 

With this urban condition as the site of the project, Archi-eulogy stands as a manifesto 

critiquing the method with which we build, developing an architecture that is inherently one of nonarchitecture. Building on the image of the site as an urban tomb, Archi-Eulogy proposes the acceptance of death through a lowering of a literal and metaphorical capstone onto the construction site over a 100-year cycle, corresponding to the average lifespan of a building. The capstone houses an art gallery and archival space, preserving the memory of the original brewery. Each height above the street level corresponds to a year, creating a geological stratification of the building height. As the capstone descends 0.5 cm a week 

for a century, matter accumulates and decumulates in the pit. The pit houses a parking space on the upper two floors, while the bottom three floors are left as public space for the residents of the neighbourhood. Once the capstone closes and the excavation is remediated, the project enters its second phase, becoming a curated ruin-scape, allowing for informal uses of the public park. Finally, hundreds of years into the future, archaeologists descend into the pit through its towers, exhuming the archaeological body buried in the tomb. By literally and metaphorically closing the urban tomb, the project aims to remediate the violence the unfinished construction inflicted on the neighborhood. 

This project was the 2nd Prize Winner of the Areen Projects Award for Excellence in Architecture and won the Dean’s Award for Creative Achievement.

Instagram: @ard_aub

Stay tuned for Part XV!

2024 Study Architecture Student Showcase - Part VIII

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Part VIII of the 2024 Study Architecture Student Showcase features student work that incorporates the needs and experiences of marginalized groups. Each project provides design solutions to create safer, accessible, and empowering conditions for women, immigrants, racial minorities, the unhoused, and the queer community. Scroll down to browse the award-winning student work!

Architecture & Gender: Women in Río Piedras by Denelys Olivo-Nieves, M. Arch ‘24
University of Puerto Rico | Advisors: Omayra Rivera Crespo, Jose R. Coleman-Davis, Maria Helena Luengo & Blanquita Calzada

The development of urban projects in Puerto Rico, particularly in the Río Piedras community, reveals a disconnection of the needs and experiences of women. The research focuses on how the lack of inclusion of the gender perspective in architectural design has led to the creation of environments that do not adequately consider these needs. It proposes the conscious incorporation of women’s experiences in the design process, highlighting the importance of recognizing the differences in experiences between men and women while studying their routines and habits in an urban setting. The research identifies common challenges faced by women in the built environment, such as the lack of connecting spaces in their daily routes, affecting their well-being in urban areas. Based on interviews and the formulation of urban connectivity, concrete actions are suggested to create safer and more accessible spaces.

International examples of policies that promote the consideration of women in urban design serve as references to further support the importance of women’s spaces. Inclusive and women-centered projects can inspire significant improvements in architectural development towards a more inclusive and sustainable future. In summary, the research highlights how the inclusion of the gender perspective in urban design not only improves the quality of life for women but also enriches the urban experience for the entire community, promoting more equitable, inclusive, and socially connected cities. The project encompasses all the research on women in Río Piedras and their needs as members of a community and urban area to develop a project that meets the criteria for them to thrive. It was designed in a woman-empowered and commercially owned area to connect to the existing activity of Río Piedras, ensuring that women are considered an integral part of the design.

Instagram: @picheanina, @uprarchitecture

Fractal Forma by Phoebe Lam & Julia Cheung, M. Arch ’24
University of Pennsylvania | Advisor: Simon Kim

The creation of Fractal Forma is kindled by the underrepresented females in the architecture industry. Our structure draws inspiration from the groundbreaking work of female architects whose contributions have often been overshadowed by their male counterparts. By bringing their designs out of the shadows and into the spotlight, we aim to shed light on the diversity and innovation within architecture, while honoring the often-unrecognized talents of minority architects. Through this pavilion, we strive to create a space where their legacies are celebrated and their stories are told, fostering inclusivity and representation within the architectural community.

In architecture, opportunities and recognition are unevenly distributed. Some architects gain access to prestigious projects and resources, while others face barriers due to race, gender, socioeconomic status, and location, hindering their advancement.

Architects have the power to bridge divides, challenge norms, and create spaces that foster unity and understanding. By embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion in their practice, architects can begin to mend the fractures within their profession and contribute to a more cohesive and equitable society. Collaboration across disciplines, active engagement with marginalized communities, and a commitment to ethical and socially responsible design are important steps towards achieving this goal.

Instagram: @phoebel.arch, @_juliaarch

Arrival Village by Jarin Hoque, B. Arch ‘24
University of Waterloo | Advisor: Adrian Blackwell

As one of the most populated, diverse cities in Canada, Brampton has faced a rapid shift in population due to the pull factors presented by Canada’s Immigration Policies, resulting in increasing demands for housing. As an essential location for hosting immigrants and racialized minorities in Canada, Brampton must pertain to its residents and newcomers. Arrival Village is based on the book Arrival City by Doug Saunders, formulating a community in which residents are provided with education, resources, [and] flexible living options, in order to step towards a sustainable social and economic life. Made from cross-laminated timber, the transitional home seeks to provide a social and economic entry mechanism for the diverse communities that continue to immigrate, as well as current citizens who require housing facilities while transitioning towards long-term housing.

With a shared-ownership governance structure with affordable rates, residents are given the opportunity to learn, grow and transition into a new place. Facilities include rooftop greenhouses, counselling, therapy, job training, a community kitchen and a lounge that acts as a community-oriented learning center for newcomers who are learning English through gardening, cooking and classes. The programs and services are a collaboration with the nearby church, in which connections to volunteers for their community outreach programs exist. This residence provides opportunities for long-lasting stability to form a thriving community, in an environmentally friendly manner.

This project won the OAA Exceptional Leadership Through Design Excellence Prize: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Truth & Reconciliation ’23

Instagram: @jarin.hoque

QUEER(+AR) Fostering Healthy Queer Communities Through Augmented-Reality-Infused Hybridized Event Spaces by James Brosius, M. Arch ’24
Lawrence Technological University | Advisor: Scott Shall

In the aftermath of the 2020 pandemic, the dynamics of queer space have undergone a profound shift, with conventional physical queer spaces shifting to digital forums. This transition, exacerbated by anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rising heteronormative ideals of the United States suburban landscape, has compelled the queer community to embrace an almost exclusively online presence. This shift has left an outstanding amount of the community in the dark with very minimal physical space left to exist as their true self, begging to return to some form of anchored physicality for connection. To comprehend and contextualize this discussion of queer space’s current issue, drawing reference to the idea of “event-spaces,” (Bernard Tschumi, 1994-2010) helps to understand this shift in the nature of queer space. Event space ideals help navigate the conversation around the challenges and opportunities presented by this new paradigm, emphasizing the adoption of event spaces as queer spaces going forward.

The transition to online platforms appears as a reaction in accordance with event-space concepts – as queer space can happen anywhere now instead of holding noteworthy scenes for assemblage. This shift has simultaneously challenged the sense of community and connection, specifically in the suburban context. Due to this shift, these specific queer communities have been left in a state of isolation and uncertainty. Being online completely challenges community mental health, well-being, and identity, especially when constant discrimination forces a community to reside there (Abreu, R. L., et al., 2023)(Graham, M., et al., 2023).

As both dwindled physical and fully digital environments have shown to not keep queer communities together without issue, this investigation proposes the idea of hybridized environments to ignite a new form of connection to make up for the downfalls of each respectively. Recognizing the historical proclivity for the queer community to adopt new technologies for refuge in hostile environments such as heteronormative suburbia, hybridized environments aided by new and emerging tech aligns well with the nature of evolving queer space, with the potential of founding healthy queer communities in the long run (Miles, 2018)(Human Rights Campaign, 2023). To investigate this concern, this thesis will test the implementation of augmented reality in existing fully-physical spaces that used to be queer as an ingredient in the manifestation of post-Covid queer space, acting as a promising avenue for insight into how to re-ignite queer connections and community.

Instagram: @jb_arch_design, @scott_shall

HomeWith by Grant Wolfe & Caleb Dreibelbis, B. Arch ’24
University of Nebraska – Lincoln | Advisor: Zeb Lund

Shadowed by negative connotations throughout the years, the homeless population in Lincoln has been shunned into the darker recesses of our community to face complex and often severe issues on their own. It is often associated with negative stereotypes that perpetuate the cycle of poverty and social exclusion. To combat these stereotypes, we need to look at new and innovative ways to tackle the issue of those facing homelessness. One such way is to use architecture in a non-traditional permanent transitional housing program. 

The program would provide permanent transitional housing designed to be more than just a place to sleep. The housing would be designed with the needs of homeless individuals and families in mind, with features such as communal living spaces, workshops, gardens, and places for social interaction. This would help to create a sense of community and belonging, which is essential to overcoming the negative stereotypes associated with those experiencing homelessness. 

To accomplish this feat there had to be a lot of calculated decisions and attention to the smallest of details to make sure the space was created with the people experiencing homelessness in mind. Organic massing plays a large role in our exterior providing maximum natural sunlight into key spaces while organizing the design in a path-finding mindset to add to the meditative requirements needed for trauma-informed design. The curvature experienced on the interior and exterior looks to minimize the triggers that are often associated with harsh interactions of the built environment. 

Stay tuned for Part IX!

2024 Study Architecture Student Showcase - Part VI

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In Part VI of the 2024 Study Architecture Student Showcase, we take a look at projects that address various agricultural concepts. For these projects, agriculture is much more than just farmland. From agrotourism and community-centered food banks to using Twitch streaming to cultivate a transparent farming process, viewers are encouraged to expand their thinking about what agriculture encompasses. Scroll down to browse the award-winning projects!

Seed to Seed by Elyssa Hines, Bachelor of Science in Architecture ‘24
Washington University in St. Louis | Advisor: Zahra Safaverdi

Within Garden City, Kansas, industrial agriculture is the bones of the community: the land is dedicated to farming and much of the population works directly with industrial agriculture. While sustaining human life, this drains Garden City’s ecosystem. To name a few examples, the watershed is shrinking, soil health is decreasing, and the better part of four years has been spent in drought. Legislation to allow for positive environmental action is unclear, misleading, or both, resulting in no progress. This creates a need for a place-based community resource such as Seed to Seed.

Seed to Seed is a live-work research institute that explores the life process of crops in the arid grassland with the intention of redesigning the farming process. It merges typical laboratory work with collaboration in other fields and in-situ work with the farmers who will implement the community’s findings. Within the spirit of collaboration and transparency, researchers will use the streaming services Twitch and Nebula to live stream their work within the lab and create curated content to share with researchers globally. Seed to Seed weaves seamlessly between the need for transparency regarding agricultural practices in Garden City and the larger system of sharing knowledge globally, not only through digital practices, but also with academic, industry, and government partners at a variety of scales.

The institute is designed around the circulation of inhabitants physically and digitally. Physical reality is organized around inhabitants’ interactions and deliberation between public and private. Digital reality is designed through what is visible to the streaming services and curated content. The curated content’s audience is Nebula, and they interact with Seed to Seed through 360° cameras. These cameras are within spaces the in-person public cannot access, but the digital audience has a full view of these spaces. Twitch content is streamed using immobile cameras in public spaces that constantly have people moving through them, becoming dynamic through what is within the camera frame. All cameras ensure that the inner workings of Seed to Seed are transparent to all audiences, encouraging everyone to work towards a reimagined farming process.

This project was featured in Washington University in St. Louis’s Year End Show.

Instagram: @elyssa.lyssa.lys

Suspending Urban Farm by Kai Chen & Qiuxiao Tang, M. Arch ’24
University of Pennsylvania | Advisor: Simon Kim

“Suspending” is emblematic of the project’s essence—representing the delicate balance between innovation and tradition, the elevation of community aspirations, and the support extended to those in need. It encapsulates the project’s endeavor to uplift and sustain. Both metaphorically and literally, as it seeks to suspend not just the structures of agriculture and art within its bounds, but also the collective hopes and dreams of a diverse community. The aim is to ensure they are nurtured and allowed to thrive amidst the urban expanse of New York.

In this studio, we propose to design a vertical farm to grow and equitably distribute fresh food to those in need, while also serving as a cultural promotion platform. It will not only cultivate and provide culturally varied foods but also host performances and productions from diverse nationalities, addressing food security and celebrating global cultural heritage. Efforts to combat food insecurity will be enhanced by a diverse fair-pay workforce aiding any group in need, overcoming language barriers, and ensuring accessible, culturally relevant food. Situated in Seneca Village, this project pays tribute to its historical roots, provides a haven for the needy, promotes cultural diversity, and bolsters the tourism economy, aligning with New York’s commitment to equity and inclusivity.

Instagram: @yohey.kim, @kaichen.architecture, @qiuxiaot

Revitalizing an Industry: Jute and Communal Empowerment, Bangladesh by Iana Ishrat, B.S. Architecture ‘24
University of Virginia | Advisors: Peter Waldman & WG Clark

The fibrous plant jute has an important history in Bangladesh. The once-thriving industry has seen closure and difficulties in recent years. But the high demand for plastic alternatives has rekindled interest in the natural fiber that plastic helped replace. 

This project uses architecture and design to revitalize an abandoned jute mill to establish a place of living-working space that can help the surrounding communities. Inspired by the communal traditions around rice cultivation, the project reimagines the arduous process of jute milling as a communal activity to create spaces that can inspire community and traditions around the production of jute products. 

The expansive and repetitive colonial-era factory invokes ideas of mass production. These structures are broken up strategically with alleys and courtyards to allow spaces that reflect a more human-scale work environment. 

The construction consists of two key parts. The first is a visitor center that can help educate the population about the important history of jute and its potential in the future. The second is the renovation of the factory and the construction of the central communal workspace. This area includes a mosque, library, office spaces, Bath house, indoor-outdoor workspaces and courtyard with a water-pool. The Mosque at the center of the site helps establish the factory as a central hub for the surrounding prominently Muslim population.

A small brick kiln is also established on site. This will provide material for the renovation and construction of the factory. With time, parts of the farmland surrounding the factory will be used for other crops like rice and vegetables to provide food for the workers. Some of this land will also be distributed among workers. They can utilize the brick from the kiln for any construction needs in their new communities. This initiative will help foster a sense of ownership and community building among the workforce.

Overall, the project seeks to revitalize the legacy of jute while empowering the local communities who play a vital role in its revival.

This project received the 2024 Exceptional Thesis Project accolade at the University of Virginia.

Instagram: @yana_ishrat, @aschool_uva

The Seed: A New Farming System that Bridges Urban and Rural Areas by Ziheng Li, M. Arch ’24
SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design)| Advisors: Andrea Bertassi, Aaron Wilner & David Gobel

The project is set in a broad expanse of land in Chengdu, a city characterized by its basin topography and predominantly cloudy weather. Addressing the challenges of rural depopulation, declining farmland, and the appeal of urban migration, the goal of this thesis is to create a new type of farming system that incorporates both traditional and modern farming techniques while also adding additional characteristics to help farmers gain revenue and close the urban-rural divide, preserving cultural heritage while enhancing sustainability. The design integrates residential modules with farming units, creating a cohesive and interactive community space that fosters rural culture within an urban context and contributes to urban food production. This system can grow and expand between urban and rural areas.

Instagram: @henoao_li, @andre_bertassi

A Framework for Regeneration by Lyric Barnik, Bachelor of Architectural Studies ’24
University of Waterloo | Advisor: Jaliya Fonseka

The Cambridge Food Bank is a 1,500sm food bank that integrates social services, food processing facilities, and community spaces. It is in Cambridge, Ontario with a continental climate that is relatively cold and temperate, with significant precipitation. The site, a contaminated brownfield with light-industrial infrastructure, was given to the Food Bank as a potential location for their new facilities. The proposed design explores a compact envelope, incorporating a pre-existing warehouse building and readapting the site into a communal greenspace. The design explores the regenerative multiplicity of food housed within a robust architectural framework.

The food bank sits at this unique intersection of food and community, partaking in duties of both production and social enrichment. The question underpinning this project begins by asking: How can the act of food heal us? How can the act of eating, making, shaping, growing, studying, and sharing food help to regenerate the body, community and land? The act of food is multi-faceted and its modes of expression are in constant flux. Thus, the proposed food bank looks at creating a set of infrastructures that can nurture this regeneration in whatever form it takes in the future.

The architectural manifestation of these guiding principles relies upon a reciprocal exchange between landscape, building and community. The site is divided using the physical and social forces of the site and a matrix of programs are formed, with the food bank radiating from the center of the grid. With a regenerative and circular landscape strategy in mind, the proposed programs study how new energy can be collected, old energy can be reused and long-term growth can be accommodated. In addition to traditional plot urban farming, alternative agricultural systems like a permaculture food forest, a livestock farm and a bio-filtration pond are proposed. The architectural concept proposes a compact square enclosure structured with a robust mass timber column grid, decoupled from the wall assembly. Four porches are created, establishing an interstitial zone between outside and inside as a lightweight shading canopy. A regular saw-tooth structure rests upon the timber frame, spanning across the entire building providing solar energy, collecting rainwater, and dispensing soft daylighting year-round. The spacious grid allows for programmatic flexibility, placing activities with a public appeal along the perimeter to best use the porches.

This project won the Soprema Award. 

Instagram: @lyriclmiracl

Centro de Agroturismo by Montserrat Sánchez Villaseñor, B. Arch ’24
Universidad Anáhuac Querétaro | Advisors: Patricia Cutiño & Jorge Javier

The focus of the Agrotourism Centre is primarily on the cultivation of wheat as a raw material. Integrating the whole process, from the sowing and harvesting of the wheat to the production of high-quality flour and the elaboration of artisan bread. The latter, characterised by its unique particularities rooted in the local culture, with the aim of becoming a true emblem that identifies and distinguishes Tejocote. 

A crucial element of this project is the integration of tourism in each of the production stages. The aim is to generate controlled and sustainable tourism in a decisive and strategic manner. The primary objective is that the main beneficiaries will be the inhabitants of Tejocote, who will experience a significant boost to their local economy thanks to the economic spillover from this agrotourism model. 

This centre not only offers an authentic and educational experience for visitors, but also contributes to the economic development and strengthening of the cultural identity of Tejocote.

Instagram: @arqwave, @arquitectura_anahuac

Red Mountain Pavilion by Daniel Icaza Milson, M.Arch ’24
University of Texas at Austin | Advisor: Nichole Wiedemann

With support of El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association, Tonkawa Tribe and Blackland Collaborative, this studio focused on Milam County, Texas, which straddles the Blackland Prairie and Post Oak Savanah traversed by three rivers –Brazos River ((Río de los Brazos de Dios), Little River and San Gabriel River– flowing to the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to the Camino Real, the area is punctuated by settlements including the Rancheria Grande, Spanish Missions and Freedom Colonies. The area is a place of convergence, connecting diverse peoples (and places) for over 10,000 years.

The Brazos River and its tributaries define the undulating, verdant landscape that surrounds Red Mountain, a sacred mountain for the Tonkawa tribe. These lands are still plentiful today – supporting the farms and ranches of Milam County. Embracing the economy and ubiquity of prefabricated metal structures, the Red Mountain Pavilion is arranged so that the visitor is reoriented from the restored Blackland Prairie and Little River toward Red Mountain, the origin of the Tonkawa. The building is staggered so that the landscape completes the experience of the visitors.

Instagram: @nicholewiedemann, @dash.ing.dash

Aloha Permaliving: Bridging People, Flora and Fauna by Chris Caracena, B. Arch ’24
Cal Poly University – Pomona | Advisor: Pablo La Roche

This permaliving project in Hilo, Hawaii, promotes sustainable and symbiotic agricultural living in the  Hilo Community, by integrating agricultural practices that coexist with the local flora, fauna and residents, the project creates an environment where ecological balance and human well-being go hand in hand addressing food security issues in Hawaii. This affordable housing project creates a sustainable and interconnected ecosystem that thrives on agricultural abundance and collective well-being. 

Instagram: @pmlaroche

Beetecture: Connection between Bees and Architecture by Yaimi L. Cartagena-Santiago, B. Arch ’24
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico | Advisor: Pedro A. Rosario-Torres

Throughout history, architecture has primarily focused on solving problems related to humans; however, humans consistently overlook the fact that they are part of a much larger world than themselves. In the current context, there is a steady increase in bee mortality worldwide. Various media outlets have attempted to draw attention to this issue, but the efforts of environmentalists, journalists, and a political minority have not generated a strong enough impact to effectively address this phenomenon. The purpose of the APIC (Apiculture Production and Investigative Center) project is to develop an architectural proposal that addresses the challenges faced by apiculture, focusing primarily on the devaluation of this practice and its impact on the scarcity of agricultural production.

The project’s location is the municipality of Hatillo, in the north coast of Puerto Rico. Currently, there is the Puerto Rico Institute of Beekeeping Education, Research, and Development (Hatillo School of Beekeeping), which offers theoretical and practical courses in beekeeping management. The place in turn offers a balance between tropical and subtropical climates, allowing for versatile beekeeping and the possibility of collecting beehive products for much of the year.

The APIC project, as a proposal, is based on the integration of various architectural programs. The main objective of the project is to bring together in a single facility all the activities related to beekeeping, which are currently very fragmented. This installation offers the opportunity to address the challenge of reconnecting architecture with nature. The project aims to maintain the bee population through responsible beekeeping practices, monitor and safeguard the pollination service for multi-floral agriculture, limit damage caused by pests and diseases to ensure bee safety, provide accessibility to the public encourage community sensitivity, and guarantee and promote the future of the local beekeeping industry. Social programs that can be developed within the facilities are proposed to integrate society into the beekeeping culture. The programs are classified into four general zones: beekeeping education, beekeeping production, apitourism, and apitherapy. In conclusion, this project represents a commitment to sustainability, biodiversity, and environmental consciousness while emphasizing the vital importance of bees in our delicate ecological balance.

Instagram: @yaimilizz

Río Verde & Parques del Río Verde Corridor by Hector Michael Miranda Sanchez, M. Arch ’24
University of Puerto Rico | Advisors: Omayra Rivera Crespo & Jose R Coleman-Davis

The sustainable Río Verde project consists of three buildings and a floating greenhouse interconnected through an agora and bridges, with a prominent focus on mixed-use. Most of its space program was determined based on the needs of the community. For instance, the Zoology department at UPRRP required a herbarium, laboratory, and storage space. Similarly, the Río Piedras community needed a place to promote their farmers’ market (agromercado). These spaces were provided, connecting the entire community system while preserving existing green systems. On the other hand, this project also introduces new urban and social public spaces. Additionally, the site borders two green areas: the University of Puerto Rico and the Plaza de la Convalecencia. As a result, the ecological corridor Parques del Río Verde is proposed, integrating directly with the proposed building. Its purpose is to implement a new green system in the urban area of Río Piedras, improving environmental conditions in a highly urbanized and paved city while serving as a bridge between other existing green systems. Furthermore, Río Verde and its corridor aim to promote biodiversity, sustainable and resilient elements, and integration with community agriculture, cultural and economic activities, visual landscapes, and the pre-existing urban fabric of Río Piedras. Ultimately, this project aspires to be an exemplary reference in sustainability, offering a solution within the green construction industry to address the current environmental crisis and mitigate accumulated impacts over the years in Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Instagram: @mike_mird, @uprarchitecture

Stay tuned for Part VII!

2020 Student Thesis Showcase - Part III

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We are back with week three of the 2020 Student Thesis Showcase featuring five more projects from schools across the US and Canada! This week’s projects explore topics including memory and “homeness,” rebuilding vernacular architecture in Puerto Rico, material explorations to tell the history of lynching, violence in architecture, and repurposing space and materials for new activities. Check back on August 14 for the next group of projects. Make sure to check out Part I and Part II of this series!

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Ancestral House: Memory Home by Karishma Susan Kurian, M.Arch ’20
University of Minnesota / Advisors: Patrick Lynch and Daniela Sandler
Awarded a 2020 Richard Morrill Final Project Award

A house, as it is now, is a container of memory over time. An ancestral house is no different except that it is a plural typology which exists in parallel realities of time and memory. An ancestral house is an autobiographical container. The narrations collected across three generations in my ancestral house in Kerala, India, revealed not just tangible realities but, more certainly, the validity of intangible realities of memories – spaces over time to uncover the meaning of “homeness” within a house. In my time collecting stories and narrations of my ancestral house, a mere recollection of the events that transpired in the house instigated a conversation of the home and the self from the narrators. The act of recalling memories transformed and reconstituted the self. Across all the narrations what was predominantly evident was the recollection of objects within the narrations and the memories of spaces. Objects are attributed to the memory of home and the people that make it a home. Hence, a list of nine objects was created and each object became a portal to access memories that were once lost. The project discusses the study of architectural memory over time explored through narrative speculation. The result is a “Memory House” that transcends the physical known realities of the world into the memory realm of the ancestral house. A question that led itself to the memory realm was: How does memory lend itself to the physical manifestation of the house?

In this project, we look at the possibility of visualizing the temporal plurality of “home-ness” in the ancestral house and the chance for reconciliation, wherein this list of nine objects is storing memory.

A peek into the narrations lends a unique perspective of the ancestral house that reveals the ideas of memory, home, time, and the self. In that respect, there is an existence of the ancestral house which is beyond the known realm.

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Block to Block by Krizia B Medero Padilla, M.Arch ‘20 on Instagram @livenchanted
University of Minnesota / Advisor: Dzenita Hadziomerovic
Awarded a 2020 Richard Morrill Final Project Award

“Block to Block” is interested in rebuilding spaces that represent a decolonized architectural identity in the island of Puerto Rico.

The praise of colonial architecture casts a shadow on other architectural languages including the Puerto Rican vernacular way of building. The physical spaces lost after recent natural disasters were mainly vernacular homes, which are not considered “Capital A Architecture,” yet are the center of many Puerto Rican lives and their cultural identities. Prescribed top-down solutions for rebuilding the lost homes would impose a way of building that would take away from the vernacular origins and the peoples’ agency over the development of their built environment.

This project proposes an affordable methodology for rebuilding homes. The concrete debris left over after the earthquakes will be the primary material to create new construction blocks. These units will then be utilized by those who have lost their homes as the building blocks for the reconstruction of their own spaces; maintaining the agency that inhabitants of rural areas have always had over their built environment.

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Transcendence by Phuong ‘Karen’ Tran, Tia Calhoun, Montana Ray, and Morgan Lee, M.Arch ‘20
Georgia Institute of Technology / Advisor: Vernelle A. A. Noel / Studio: Lightweight Textile Pavilions: Shaping Stories and Experience through Architecture and Digital Media 

“Transcendence,” is a lightweight pavilion that explores architecture and digital media as a medium for educating and advocating for social justice. The pavilion utilizes sensory experiences from digital media, and physical experiences from architecture, to help users understand and interact with the history of lynching.

Our team conducted a series of experiments that utilize diverse techniques for lightweight pavilions. The experiments involved wire-bending techniques, textile manipulations, minimal surfaces, tensile surfaces and structures, string sculptures, and machine manipulation. 

For one of the machine experiments, we created frameworks of multiple planar surfaces to manipulate the fabric and spatial structure within. These planar surfaces had holes arranged in a grid-like pattern and were tested at multiple intervals at multiple control points. The second type of machine involves metal frameworks with wire-bending techniques to create an independent structure to which tensile fabrics and strings are attached. Inspired from Frei Otto’s soap work, the third type is composed of planar surfaces made up of contractible rods that stretch and compress the tensile fabric. The fourth type is inspired by Frei Otto’s “Thinking in Models” exhibition, in which we used stakes at multiple control points to pin and suspend the fabric, creating an organic structure. The final construction was most related to the second type, the independent wire-bending framework, in which the textiles created spatial experiences within a metal frame. We chose this machine because of its independent nature and its ability to move to various locations and further inform others of the history of lynching.

From the multiple experiments, we learned about the behaviors of different fabrics in various states and how the fabric, and the formwork, can control the spatial structure within to create an immersive experience. Through the act of learning by doing, we understood the various materials’ behaviors and their given responses to certain stresses and certain manipulations. The studies further informed us of the spatial relationships and technical relationships of textile to textile, textile to structure, structure to structure, textile to the ground, and structure to the ground. The investigations of the multiple, diverse machines helped us understand the various formworks and spatial languages. Ultimately, through our understanding of the materials’ behaviors, their different configurations, and the diverse machines, we were able to generate multiple moments along our pavilion’s promenade to tell a story.

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Darkness Encountered in Light by Nicholas Frayne, M.Arch ’20 @nffrayne
University of Waterloo / Advisors: Dereck Revington (primary) and Robert Jan Van Pelt
Also published: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/15466

Today, ideologies of hate and division are having something of a resurgence, despite our common cries of “never again.” We can trace these divisive identities from our archaic sacrificial rituals, through the horror of colonialism, and into the genocides of the modern age – apparently violence is here to stay. While there is generosity, compassion, and empathy that surfaces alongside this destruction, it seems to be swept aside all too readily in favor of division, blame, and separation. It is in this context that I ask what role our presentations of societal violence play in the emergence of such divisive ideologies. 

Drawing on the work of Girard, Kristeva, and Arendt (amongst others), I argue that our presentations of past atrocities should focus on the presence of violence within our familiar, normative realms. As a form of creative expression, architecture can work to actively undermine divisive cultural ideologies that justify atrocity by reframing how we relate to extreme societal violence. Through three global studies of memorial architecture, I show how architecture works to inform our sense of who we are as an experiential continuum, working through existing understandings of the world. My written and crafted analyses explore how stories, and methods of storytelling, can reveal the violence within normalcy, potentially destabilizing our conceptions of our “norm.”

By presenting violence without space for improvisation, architects risk obscuring our ability to see others within ourselves, limiting our understanding of humanity. An embrace of uncertainty carries the potential for a future that affirms life, a future where divisive ideologies are acknowledged as illusory remnants of a more violent past, no longer dominant in our visions of the world we all share. It is my hope that through refocusing how architecture enables violence, we can better guard against the incendiary ideologies that justify it.

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PROJECT SCARAB: Smart Walk of Seattle by Kyle Goodyear, M.Arch ’20
University of Idaho / Advisor: Hala Barakat

In ancient Egypt, the scarab beetle was considered a symbol of rebirth and the restoration of life. The scarab takes something of little use, like dung, and repurposes it to serve as sustenance and a mobile incubator for its young and food. For a city, “PROJECT SCARAB” takes parking lots and unused air space and transforms them into areas for recreation, living, and food. 

With the rapid changes taking place within our society “PROJECT SCARAB” is an experiment of what could be done to repurpose old parts of a city towards the agglomeration of people living and working within the city. Creating a system like this could improve walkability by providing new parks and public spaces, while allowing a higher density to form overtime throughout the chosen city. 

The project’s system will take a city and locate areas with either underutilized and/or rapidly changing conditions around the site. Then, the system would respond to existing and planned walking infrastructure and turn these spaces into new nodes connected by said infrastructure. The new nodes would react to mass transit nodes that provide users with an extended range of travel without needing a personal vehicle. The nodes would be reactionary to the needs of certain parts of the city for different kinds of programming from living to food production.

Part I | Part II