Extension
Fall 2023
CRITIC:
Marcel Erminy TEAM:
Samantha Guzman CONTRIBUTIONS:
design, research, digital modeling, drawings, structural design + details, systems considerations
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY VISITOR CENTER
This proposal for the Texas A&M Visitor Center located on the campus in College Station, Texas is designed through the sequential order of the visitor program, with moments of coalescence with the student body. The approach is a celebration of public usage and flexibility of spaces which allow for integration of visitor, staff, and student programs within one singular building.
A dual-plaza approach encompassing a sunken plaza and semi-private outdoor space enables further extension of program out onto campus, creating a sense of inclusion for visitors. Meanwhile, glulam structure creates spaces which seldom interrupted.
Axon | Visitor Center Site Orientation + Plaza Scope
Site Map | Pedestrian, Bike, and Public Transport on Texas A&M Campus
Zoom | Visitor + Student Program Intersection
Section
Bifold Doors
Detail | Seat Riser Systems + Wall Section Detail | Auditorium Mechanical Room
Connection
Isolated Section | Auditorium + Mechanical Space
Detail | Glulam Column-Girder Connection
The front entry to the Visitor Center is shaded by the overhang of the upper floors, demarcating main access and creating a transition from exterior to interior. A facade of vertical wood slats is a unifying skin enveloping each level. These slats not only provide visual interest, but are louvers which conceal the necessary access hatches to fresh air for the three mechanical rooms that service the four levels of the Visitor Center. Operable windows allow for natural ventilation and the ability to customize the environment to the user’s liking, an especially key component of the offices located on the ground and top floors.
Mobile Public Care
Fall 2024
CRITIC:
Mobile Public Care for Pier 45 centers on addressing food insecurity and social reintegration for formerly incarcerated individuals working in park maintenance through the Doe Fund. At the heart of this initiative is an 8.5 x 20-foot mobile breakroom trailer, which can be transported by the Doe Fund’s Ford vans. This trailer functions as a micronized food pantry and collective fridge, providing essential resources for those in need.
The Mobile Public Care unit serves as a framework for engagement during a critical transitional period, emphasizing the humanity behind maintenance work and facilitating connections between workers and the broader community.
MOBILE BREAKROOM AT PIER 45 IN NYC
Andrea Chiney
Keystone Graphic | Engage, Destigmatize, and Empower to Fight Recidivism
Formerly incarcerated people are twice as likely to experience food insecurity.
Formerly General incarcerated population
Source: Alexander Testa and Dylan B. Jacks (2019.) Food Insecruity Among Formerly Incarcerated Adults
Transportation Graphic | The Doe Fund’s Anti-Recidivism Efforts
Research Drawing | How Frozen Spinach impacts the American Diet
Mobile Public Care features foldable walls and furniture that allow for flexibility and space maximization. This expandable structure creates a multifunctional space where maintenance workers can prepare meals, store food, and engage in social activities extending outward to the surrounding community.
Section | Providing a Breakroom for Office-less Work
Happy Birthday, Maya!
Emphasis on the interior conditions seen within the 170-square-foot intervention led to the decision to use movable walls; these walls allow for a high range of customization within the space even when fully enclosed. Fold-down furniture provides a comfortable, covered space for workers to enjoy their meals, while built-in casework allows for the integration of a shelfstable food pantry within the mobile structure.
By enabling the unit to serve various locations—from City Hall to Washington Square Park and back to Pier 45—the mobile design effectively addresses the high rates of food insecurity among formerly incarcerated individuals.
Vignette | A Block Party in Washington Square Park
Vignette | Meet the Team Social Hour at City Hall
RainVeil NYC
Fall 2024
CRITIC: Andrea Chiney TEAM: Patrick Rodriguez
CONTRIBUTIONS: design, research, digital modeling, drawings, renders, physical model
RAINWATER COLLECTION PAVILLION
Located in City Hall Park, NYC, RainVeil seeks a functional and educational connection to the rain, providing shelter from the elements while filtering rainwater for consumption and mist from underground cisterns for evaporative cooling. It addresses site issues of runoff and lack of shading elements while acting as a social activation hub within the park.
People can visually trace the water’s path, offering a close-up view of the natural filtration process and its contribution to the lush, resilient landscape.
RainVeil underscores the importance of ecological responsibility in urban spaces, illustrating how architecture can act as both a tool for climate adaptation and a medium for public education. By transforming rain into a visible and tangible resource, the project fosters a deeper appreciation for water’s lifesustaining role and invites reflection on our shared connection to natural cycles.
Site Plan | Urban Context
Section | Revealing the Water System
Floor Plan | Shading Provided by Overhead Canopy
The In-Between
Fall 2022
CLIENT:
The Salvation Army
CRITIC:
Tyrene Calvesbert TEAM: Leah Thaxton + Andrea Hinojosa
CONTRIBUTIONS:
design, research, digital modeling, drawings, physical model
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
In this redesign of Bryan-College Station Salvation Army campus, the approach is a multifaceted front: creating spaces which are suitable to serve a variety of individuals while also seeking to provide a housing solution for a vulnerable population looking to rebuild and reinforce their life skills.
The proposal works to bridge the gap between the needs of the residential individuals and their impact on the programmatic design of institutional built space of the Salvation Army in Bryan. A program derived from levels of occupancy deeply considers the types of program and participants at the core of its design, aiming to serve rather than shape.
1/8 Scale Physical Model
ANALYZING THE IN-BETWEEN
The proposal explores the delicate relationship between containment and levels of privacy. This calls for a deeper consideration of in-between spaces as more than just a conveyor from built space to built space.
Variations in ground treatment incorporate greenspace on a scale that is manageable to The Salvation Army as an institution, but also provides recreational opportunities within the site. Outdoor pathways tie the structures together through a common axis and transport corridors. Overlapping striated overhangs achieved through wood planks offer shade and visual value to the project. Reorientation of the chapel and the addition of an expansive foyer allows consideration as a potential wedding venue.
LIVING IN-BETWEEN
Units are designed to accommodate up to 4 individuals in the ADA and Typical Units and up to 6 individuals in the Swing Units, which can unlock an additional bedroom to either unit. All units feature a private outdoor patio. Shared commodities include a laundry room on either floor and a workroom with computers on the ground floor.
ACTIVATING THE IN-BETWEEN
The brick wrapper is a method of exploring containment between the offset of the built walls, while also being respectful of the privacy which is desired in varying levels by different individuals and types of occupants. Program extensions include a semi-private staff courtyard space and a fully contained outdoor play area that is an offshoot of the chapel nursery.
Program Extension Vignette| Playground Contained By Wrapper
Brick Detail | Wrapper Diagram
Program Extension Vignette | Chapel Reorientation
Section BB | Offices + Chapel
Section Zoom | Interstitial Space Activation
EXPANDING INTO THE IN-BETWEEN
Flexibility within spaces supports present occupants and allows The Salvation Army to expand their capacity to serve their neighbors. The design decisions were not confined to only the built spaces but were drawn outside into the in between areas. In creating recreation spaces, areas with varying degrees of social integration, exacted points of entry, and security without ostracism from the rest of the community, The Salvation Army and those they serve were provided not only with basic needs but moments to grow individually in areas of their life unique to each individual, in a safe environment.
Program Extension Vignette | Food Pantry Community Expansion
Program Extension Vignette | Flexible Activity Space
Section Zoom | Overhangs Providing Shade Between Buildings
Vertical Garden
Spring 2023
CRITIC:
Miguel Roldan
PARTNERS:
Kate Holbrook
CONTRIBUTIONS: design, research, digital model, drawings, renders
COMMUNITY GREENSPACE
Located in the site of the former Abaceria Market in Gràcia, our proposal presents a multi-leveled vertical garden to address the lack of public green areas in the context of Barcelona’s urban environment. Occupying one third of the original site, the footprint of this garden responds to the density of the context and grows vertically in order to liberate the ground level for circulation and the purposes of the neighbors. Additionally, the lush vegetation present in this vertical garden is a means to sequester carbon in one of the largest heat traps in the city. Besides its sustainable impact, this vertical garden is where neighbors can congregate and contribute to the green life of Gràcia while exploring their own personal connection with nature.
Serra de Collserola
1 5 4 6 2
Serra de Collserola
SITE - GRÀCIA FORMER ABACERIA MARKET
SITE - GRÀCIA FORMER ABACERIA MARKET
8 3 7
- 0.05 hectare footprint - 6 different levels of gardens
- neighborhood context - nearest public garden is 2.1 km away (appr. 30 minute walk) - central location within Barcelona
Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
PUBLIC GARDENS of BARCELONA
1. Parc de Cervantes [4 ha]
2. Laberint d'Horta [9 ha]
3. Parc de la Ciutadella [17.5 ha]
4. Jardins de la Tamarita [2 ha]
5. Pedralbes Palace Gardens [7 ha]
6. Jardines de Portolá [6 ha]
7. Poblenou Central Parc [5.5 ha]
8. Montjuïc [20 ha]
1. Parc de Cervantes [4 ha] 2. Laberint d'Horta [9 ha] 3. Parc de la Ciutadella [17.5 ha]
Jardins de la Tamarita [2 ha] 5. Pedralbes Palace Gardens [7 ha] 6. Jardines de Portolá [6 ha]
ha] PUBLIC GARDENS of BARCELONA
VERTICAL GARDEN SITE
POTENTIAL LOCATIONS for VERTICAL GARDENS
MAJOR CIRCULATION
NETWORK PATH
VERTICAL GARDEN SITE
- 0.05 hectare footprint - 6 different levels of gardens - neighborhood context - nearest public garden is 2.1 km away (appr. 30 minute walk) - central location within Barcelona
POTENTIAL LOCATIONS for VERTICAL GARDENS
MAINTAINING THE PLAZA
Vertical Garden heeds the plea of the Gracia neighbors to foster a space to gather, recreate, and experience fellowship. Connecting major streets, a primarily open ground condition with green spaces for lounge and sport which are shaded by the gardens overhead comprise the plaza level.
Community Flower Garden
Vignette | Learning Garden
Capillary irrigation delivers water from the cistern stores across each level, enabling native flora to be cultivated in the heart of the neighborhood.
Axonometric | Systems + Garden Diagram
Diagram | Native Plants + Produce
Thank you.