CatherineYang
Portfolio 2025
Cornell B.Arch 2027
AcademicsEmployment History
Architectural Intern, Archi-Union Architects
Jul 2024 - Aug 2024
Shanghai, China
• Concept Design: Played a key role in the conceptual design phases for an observation tower and an of昀椀ce building, integrating AI and parametric design techniques to explore innovative architectural solutions.
• Project Drawings and Graphics: Developed drawings including plans, elevations, exploded axonometrics, and renderings for several signi昀椀cant projects.
Editor, The Architectural Society of China, Institution of Interior Design
Aug 2024 - Oct 2024
Shenzhen, China
• Led and actively contributed to the hands-on design of a 100-page bi-monthly publication (Issues NO.029-NO.030).
Honors & Awards
Edwin A. Seipp Prize
Cornell AAP · Sep 2024
Awarded to four students out of approximately 60 in the year who demonstrated exceptional performance in a design assignment.
Red Dot Award Winner
Red Dot GmbH & Co. · Jul 2021
Product design concept “The Root Bags” was awarded the Red Dot Award: Design Concept among a total of 4,110 entries from around the world.
2024 NOMA Barbara G. Laurie Student Design
Competition Third Place (Collaborative)
NOMA · Nov 2024
The Cornell NOMAS team's project, Mending the Divide: A Needle, A Thread, and a Future Woven, rede昀椀nes the role of transit infrastructure to address the "Highway to Nowhere" in West Baltimore with the creation of a dynamic transit hub.
CATHERINE YANG
+1 (607) 319-1239
cqy2@cornell.edu
Cornell University, College of Architecture Art and Planning
Ithaca, NY
Bachelor of Architecture, May 2027
Current Third Year Student
Cumulative GPA: 3.88
Dean's list 5 semesters
Grasshopper
AutoCAD
Blender
Python Coding
Stable Diffusion: ComfyUI, Comfy3D
Generative AI as a Design Tool
TouchDesigner
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Lightroom
Wood, paper, and rockite model making
Laser cutting
3D printing
CNC Milling
Languages Skills
English Chinese Rhino
Game Development Projects
A Cosmic Cram Session (2024) https://superkleta1.itch.io/cosmic-cram-session
In Touch (2023) https://staaarw.itch.io/in-touch
Studio 5
The Garden Table
Studio 4
The Ithaca Library
Electives
Dynamic Imprints
Studio 2
Rice Cook House
Media Representation
Dinner Table
Studio 3
A House for Rest
Interlooping
Structural Systems
Multifunctional Service Center of Liuba Mountain
by Shulin Architectural Design
The Root Bags Independent
B.Arch Studio 5
Oct 2024 - Dec 2024
Collaborated with a partner on the overall concept and design development. Contributed equally to the production of physical models and digital visualizations.
This incremental housing project in Trumansburg draws inspiration from the EDA Housing megastructure, reinterpreting its approach to unit clustering and hierarchies of public and private spaces. Responding to existing gridlines on-site, we arranged units into clusters that create a variety of void spaces, fostering community interaction and supporting different degrees of publicity.
Through collaborative construction of the communal spaces guided by the framework, the project fosters a sense of ownership, strengthens community ties, and supports elderly health.
Intergenerational Housing
Trumansburg Housing Project NEXUS
promenade
connection on the urban scale void connection between clusters
balconyparticipatory design connection between buildingsconnection on the humen scale
At the urban scale, the project bridges downtown Trumansburg with a nearby manufactured housing park through a promenade of in-between spaces that encourage movement and social connection.
At the cluster scale, public areas are shaped by negative space, acting as gathering nodes for interaction.
On a human scale, a modular wooden framework serves as both a structural and communal element, allowing residents to program spaces 昀氀exibly while promoting intergenerational engagement.
Phase 1 of the project consists of 85 units, primarily a mix of studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and threebedroom apartments on the second 昀氀oor, with senior living paired with student housing on the ground 昀氀oor.
Catherine Yang
Phase
Phase Two of the project addresses two extreme hypothetical scenarios: one envisions a senior-only community, focusing on low density, transparency, and public spaces to enhance well-being, while the other imagines a population boom with intergenerational living, emphasizing increased density through incremental housing.
Aging PopulationPopulation Increase
In this hypothetical future of extreme population aging, where everyone is over 65, we addressed the needs of senior communities by carving away building volumes to create spacious public areas and reduce density. Increased porosity and transparency enhance visual connections, fostering openness and social interaction. This design promotes the well-being of seniors by balancing private living spaces with communal areas that encourage engagement and connectivity.
In this hypothetical future of extreme population increase, with a focus on intergenerational living, we responded by extending units using the existing wooden frameworks to increase density while fostering connections between age groups. This approach emphasizes shared spaces and facilities that promote interaction and support between generations, creating a vibrant and inclusive community environment.
Architectural Intervention ThE GardEN TablE
An Intergenerational
Living Surface
B.Arch Studio 5
Oct 2024
Individual Work
This architectural intervention is an intergenerational space that brings a community garden accessible to everyone, especially the senior population in Trumansburg. It acts as a catalyst for connection across generations.
Trumansburg has an aging population, with a median age exceeding 50. Despite this demographic trend, the town has a notably low density of nursing facilities and accessible public spaces. A case study of the existing public spaces designed for senior activities reveals a recurring lack of diversity and inclusivity.
Integrative Design Studio
ThE IThaca lIbrary
B.Arch Studio 4
Jan 2024 - May 2024
Individual Work
This design studio began with a given site, a precedent study, and a designated structural system, aimed at creating a net-zero library near downtown Ithaca that fully complies with ADA and 昀椀re regulations.
Catherine Yang
Environmental studies, including diurnal temperature and wind and sun patterns, informed passive design strategies for optimal solar gain and shading to enhance energy ef昀椀ciency.
Precedent analysis guided the typology and form, employing a “pinching” action along site setbacks in昀氀uenced by surrounding greenery. This method not only shapes the building’s form but also divides program spaces and directs views from the interior. This pinching strategy is adapted to further de昀椀ne the library’s spatial organization and openness.
With a glulam material system, the design emphasizes the strength and versatility of glulam posts and beams.
Catherine Yang
Environmental Design Strategies Diagram Section
Axonometric
A signi昀椀cant sectional change isolates the site from the main road, reducing direct access from downtown Ithaca’s busiest street.The project’s layout is centered on a main circulation axis with a ramp descending from the isolated main road, forming an outdoor bridge that serves as a transitional space to the contrasting environment.
Strategic openings, created through pinching, frame views and integrate natural light, while the pinching effect extends to the roof, channeling rain and snow runoff and introducing skylights for addtional daylight and ventilation throughout the library.
Detailed Wall Section
Elective - Arti昀椀cial Assemblies
dyNamIc ImprINTS
B.Arch Elective
Aug 2024 - Dec 2024
Collaborated with a partner on the overall concept and design development. Contributed equally to the production of physical models and digital visualizations.
We began our process by recording a person interacting with a chair to capture the dynamics of their movement. This raw data was then processed in TouchDesigner using techniques such as motion tracking and edge detection to abstract the movements into simpli昀椀ed 2D patterns. These patterns serve as a visual representation of the interaction, distilling the complexity of the motion into a dynamic and engaging form that highlights the relationship between the body and the object.
Catherine Yang
The abstracted 2D patterns generated in TouchDesigner are then fed into Stable Di昀昀usion with ControlNets, allowing the patterns to be reinterpreted into imaginative 3D forms. These reinterpreted images are subsequently processed in Comfy3D to be modeled. The 昀椀nal result is an installation that embodies the interplay between movement and stillness, capturing the essence of time, the human body, and its interaction with objects.
Can Lis Operational Diagram
Study Models
B.Arch Studio 2
Jan 2023 - May 2023 Individual Work
Drawing inspiration from a formal analysis of a regional precedent, the turf house, and a contemporary counterpart, Can Lis by Jørn Utzon, this project delves into the dynamic grid con昀椀gurations of both designs, with a particular emphasis on the notion of intersection. Through conceptual exploration, the project evolved into the design of a cookhouse tailored for Teochew cuisine, renowned for its extensive use of rice as a primary ingredient. The design approach prioritized the utilization of intersections to craft spatial moments that seamlessly connect various programmatic elements, fostering interesting experiences in relation to the site.
Turf House Operational Diagram
Circulation DiagramProgram Diagram
Cuisine Diagram
Turf House and Can Lis rIcE cook hoUSE
Catherine Yang
Axonometric
Cross Section
Elevation Plan
Long Section
Media Representation
B.Arch Representation 2
Jan 2023 - May 2023
Individual Work
The three drawings depict a dinner table before, during, and after the dinner took place. Dinner serves as a focal point for interpersonal connections, where conversations 昀氀ow and relationships deepen amidst shared experiences and culinary delights. In the 昀椀rst drawing, the table is set, pristine and expectant, hinting at the anticipation preceding the gathering. Utensils are meticulously arranged, awaiting the arrival of guests. Dynamic lines illustrate the moving paths of culinary delights, suggesting lively guest engagement and animated conversation. Finally, the third drawing captures the aftermath—a tableau of lingering memories.
Catherine Yang
B.Arch Studio 3
Sep 2023 - Dec 2023
Individual Work
The design started through the exploration of six individual spaces as classi昀椀ed by their designated programs - eating, sleeping, studying, cooking, showering, gathering.
I transformed the boundaries of these spaces to design the ideal conditions for the type of resting that happen in each type of spaces.
This collage illustrates the six spaces along with their unique spatial characteristics, encompassing considerations such as lighting conditions and their integration with the site. A continuous performative surface, facilitating various forms of rest, is prominently featured within the composition.
I initiated the process by establishing the orthogonal structural grid, allocating programs based on considerations of circulation, accessibility, and sunlight. Then I introduced the second system, the performative surfaces serving as a continuous thread woven through the structural grid. These wooden surfaces alter the 昀氀oors, ceilings, and frame views. The adjacent spaces start to change and interact with each other through these surfaces.
The purpose is to dictate the resting conditions of each space. It frames the views, creates surfaces to rest on, and modulates the amount of natural light for each type of resting.
These surfaces extend beyond the the house and respond to the site. They frame the historical smokestack as a prominent and observable element in the exterior environment, integrating it into the living experience.
Ground Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
Axonometric
Sectional
B.Arch Studio 3
Aug 2023 - Sep 2023
Individual Work
The chair centers on two interconnected curves and orthogonal planes informed by a 3D translation of my signature from a previous assignment. These curves are designed to facilitate two distinct interactions with the human body: one curve envelops the sitter, while the other provides a surface for seating. Unlike conventional chairs that dictate a speci昀椀c way of sitting, this project allows users to explore the implied spaces within the intersecting planes, aligning with the concepts explored in my signature sculpture, inviting users to engage with the chair in a dynamic and personalized manner.
Catherine Yang
Model
UlTIfUNcTIoNal
B.Arch Structural Systems 2 Aug 2023 - Dec 2023
Collaborative work in a team of 3
Structural
m
SErvIcE cENTEr of lIUba moUNTaIN
by ShUlIN archITEcTUral dESIGN
Jun 2020 - Aug 2020
Collaborative work with a partner, led design concept, development, and representation
This set of bag designs is created to allow consumer customization which converts a single piece of textile into three different bag designs. The two sets are developed from a square and a rectangle with side lengths in a ratio of 1:2, featuring triangular modulus with hypothenuse √2 and √5 times the base, respectively.
