Urban Design Portfolio

REBECCA JOHN Urban Design Portfolio Selected Works 2020-2025

A Future Collective – Sea Ranch, California

Selected Works 2020 -2025

Our studio reimagines Sea Ranch with a masterplan inspired by hobbit homes, emphasizing natural materials, landscape integration, and community-driven design. Using generative tools, we created housing loops that follow the site’s topography, forming open courtyards and fire-resilient zones. These strategies foster social interaction while deepening the connection between residents and the surrounding environment.

Sustainable Laundry Room After researching fast fashion’s impact in Panipat, India, I designed a closed-loop laundry machine that recycles textiles by shredding them, mixing them with mycelium, and composting them into soil. This system reduces landfill strain and promotes sustainable textile recycling.

The project includes a laundromat that invites public participation in this cycle.

The Material Ecologies of Mycelium This fellowship exhibition explores the full life cycle of mycelium as a biodegradable material increasingly popular in sustainable design.

By focusing on furniture-scale objects, the project examines sourcing, labor, and production through both industrial and small-scale methods. Interactive displays and handmade prototypes encourage visitors to question what makes materials or processes truly sustainable.

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Multi Faith Center – Houston Street, New York City

Multi Faith Center A transformation through collaging three rituals and three precedents, this volume is comprised of the following: Thai Buddhist Prayer Hall combined with the Women Led Prayer Ritual, Single Domed Mosque combined with the Water Purification Ritual, and the Tempietto combined with the Harvard Die-In Ritual.

Each volume separates all the rituals in their own space to perform at their designated time, yet they are easily seen through the circulation paths at several points. Through the cantilevering space inside the courtyard which views people down below, to the spiraling ramp that extends in the middle to view below and across two other rituals; these are viewing destinations. Additionally, there is access to the public pool from the inside and the outside which also leads to the outdoor seating areas around all three entrances/exits.

Nanji Han River – Seoul, South Korea This project analyzes the Nanji Han River in Seoul and proposes an environmentally friendly bridge dedicated to walking and bicycling.

It improves community access to the water and supports local fishermen and markets. The design helps build a local community while maintaining ecological integrity along the river.

Selected Works 2020 -2025

This project transforms ritual spaces by collaging three rituals and three precedents into a single volume. It combines a Thai Buddhist Prayer Hall with a Women-Led Prayer Ritual, a Single-Domed Mosque with a Water Purification Ritual, and the Tempietto with the Harvard Die-In Ritual. The design merges these elements to create an inclusive urban space for collective spiritual experience.

Reston Masterplan – Virginia This project studies a masterplan for Reston, Virginia, through the lens of carbon form and city-scale accessibility. It examines how neighborhoods thrive through bicycle and walking paths rather than dependence on motor vehicles. The updated plan promotes mixed-use, walkable living centered around education, recreation, and neighborhood connections.

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Fire liability diagram

Floor plans of detail model

Site plan with context

Final rendering of proposal 01

Exploded axonometric unit plan

Section detail model render

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Fire defense masterplan

A Future Collective - Sea Ranch, California

University of California of Los Angeles, MSAUD

Urban Strategy Studio - Spring 2025 - Group Project

Fire liability diagram

Final rendering of proposal 02

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University of California of Los Angeles, MSAUD

Urban Strategy Studio - Spring 2025 - Group Project

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, B Arch

Environments I - Fall 2020 - Individual Project Axonometric and Section Rendering of Final Iteration of Machine in a Programmatic Space

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Sustainable Laundry Room

Rendering of Final Machine Iteration and Details

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The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, B Arch

Environments I - Fall 2020 - Individual Project

Photos Taken at Exhibition

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The Material Ecologies of Mycelium The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, B Arch

Benjamin Menschel Fellowship - Summer 2022 - Spring 2023 - Collaborative Research Project

Benjamin Menschel Fellowship - Summer 2022 - Spring 2023 - Collaborative Research Project

Exhibition Installation Photos

Renderings of the Material Assembly

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, B Arch

Exhibition Installation Photos

Exhibition Installation Photos

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Section cut with site context

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Ground floor plancut with site context

Second floor plancut with site context

Section cut with site context

Multi Faith Center - Houston Street, New York City

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, B Arch

Design II - Fall 2020 - Individual Project

Axonometric drawing of site context

Collaged sections process

Final volumetric transformation

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, B Arch

Design II - Fall 2020 - Individual Project

Collaged plans process

Rendering with final proposal with site context

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Design IV - Spring 2023 - Individual Project

Site plan with site context

Rendering with bridge proposal

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Nanji Han River - Seoul, South Korea

Grid process design

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, B Arch

Rendering with bridge and site context and section detail

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The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, B Arch

Design IV - Spring 2023 - Individual Project

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, B Arch

Environments II - Spring 2021 - Group Project

Relationship between ethnicity and home typologies

Zoomed out map for commute times located from Reston, Virginia to important locations

Commercial and Business areas in relation to bicycle, walking, and car paths

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Masterplan Carbon Analysis - Reston, Virginia

Typologies of homes in relation to street paths and highways

schools village center lakes apartments single family town homes town center district unnatural parks parks town center business center motorways

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, B Arch

Environments II - Spring 2021 - Group Project

apartments single family homes townhomes motorways

Mixed-used spaces in relation to street paths and highways

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THANK YOU TAKE CARE

instagram: @aud.becca

website: issuu.com/biobecca

benjamin menschel fellowship archived catalog