West Monument Street is located in Baltimore, Maryland. The location is urban and has private residential buildings intermixed with retail and institutions. The site is along the same street as several houses and across the street from the Maryland Historical Society. A few blocks over, there is a performing arts school.
There are no green spaces in the immediate surrounding area. There are a few trees lining the sidewalks. There are several small parking lots on the block where the site is located and the surrounding blocks. Public transit stops are along major roads but there appears to be no stops on the block where the site is located.
208 WEST MONUMENT STREET APARTMENTS
Baltimore has many opportunities for the young professional. The area is the location for University of Maryland’s graduate campus, which means there are new graduates every single year. There are plenty of law, medical, and other professional practices that would attract new graduates. With that in mind, I focused on designing an apartment building that appealed to the young professional. I put a large emphasis on privacy in each unity while providing ample amount of public space for gathering and connecting with other people.
Brick is a dominant material used in the neighborhood. Most of the buildings on the block have a Queen Anne style of architecture. I wanted to design the façade to match the rest of the neighborhood.
The apartment building features a light stone on the first floor to separate it from the other buildings on the block. It also creates a visual separation between the public activity on the ground level and the private units above. The second floor and up are predominately red brick and feature repetitive windows that resemble the Queen Anne Style.
The South façade is the primary view from West Monument Street. The West façade is on Tyson Street, which is not a main road and doesn’t have sidewalks for pedestrians.
THE LAYOUT
I took inspiration from the Casa Rustici. The Casa Rustici is an apartment building built in Milan, Italy in 1933. It was designed by architects Pietro Lingeri and Giuseppe Terragni. The Casa Rustici is almost like two apartment buildings split in half with a courtyard running through the middle. The units face away from each other to create privacy. The Courtyard gives the residents sunlight and outdoor spaces.
The West Monument Street site is facing south which provides good sunlight. I wanted to maximize the natural light from the south in my design. The apartment units are aggregated around the edge creating a “C” shape. The East side of the apartment building is located on a parti-wall, which can limit options to put additional apartment units.
I cut out the center of the building on the East side, similarly to the Casa Rustici, to increase the amount of light entering the building. The space becomes a courtyard that can increase light and provide the residents with public space.
STUDY - CASA RUSTICI
CUT
The courtyard is an open bright space where residents can go outside and relax with other people. The surrounding area doesn’t have green space so this area will give the residents scenery. The courtyard is located opposite of the units to allow for privacy and low sound pollution. The courtyard itself is a bright space and it also brightens up the hallways on each floor.
COURTYARD
The courtyard provides the residents with an outdoor space. It’s private for the residents but open to all the people living in the building. It’s a space to lounge around in and bring in more light to the building. By having a open space in the building, the residents have connection to each other while still having separation from their individual apartments.
208 WEST MONUMENT STREET MUSIC SCHOOL
Baltimore is known for the arts. The arts create community and that was an important consideration when I designed the music school. The music school will be a space for community on each level that connects throughout the building. The institute will consist of a music store, café, teaching classrooms, and an auditorium.
I wanted the music school to have a major contrast from the neighborhood’s Queen Anne style. I went with a bold modern façade to draw attention to the building and encourage people to enter. The façade features black stone and large light stone columns. The windows on the second floor travel up to the third floor to create an illusion of one grand space. It also lets more light into the building on the south side.
Precedent study sketch of McGill Music School
THE LAYOUT
The floors are designed to increase privacy upwards. The ground level features the music store and the Café up front. It allows more access to public foot traffic. The second level is for performances and a lounge space. The third level is for classes.
There are large windows on the south side to maximize the light coming in to the space. Although each floor would be getting large amounts of light, the light is limited to each floor. Cutting out the center allows for light to flow from the top of the building down to the bottom. It also connects the public spaces on each floor together as one public space.
Precedent study sketch of McGill Music School
PARALLEL USE OF LIGHT
The apartment building is a private space. It is intended primarily for those who live in the building. The music school is a mix of public and private. The first level is public, the second level is both public and private, and the third level is private.
The apartment and music school are different types of spaces but they both utilize light similarly. Both buildings cut out a portion of space to draw in light and create a common area. Light is an important part of any type of space. Different types of spaces can use light in the same way to connect people and create community.
floating through space
acrylic paint on 24 x 36 canvas
natural beauty
acrylic paint on18 x 24 canvas
Artificial
colored pencil on 9 x 12 sketch paper
1000 Year Rainstorm Strikes
Twice in Two Year
Historic Ellicott City, located in Maryland, has been devastated by major flooding in 2016 and 2018. Historic Ellicott City has been home to many small businesses and unfortunately those small businesses have had to rebuild multiple times because of the severe flooding over the years.
Program
Go with the Flow
This civic center project seeks to change how the people of Ellicott City experience water. The building uses the movement of water to celebrate the arts. Local artists can showcase their work in the gallery spaces. Guests visiting the gallery get to support artists/ small business owners just like before the severe flooding.
Paved Areas
Cascade
Water is present throughout the building allowing for visitors and artists to have an immersive experience in the spaces. The water features not only acts as an experience but, they are also used to collect rainwater that can be reused with in the building. When it rains, the pools fill up and the waterfalls down into a large rainwater collection pool.
Site Flooding Pattern
Sponge
GROUND LEVEL
The Tree House - Wellness Center
Introduction
The site occupies lot 19 of block 577 in Manhattan, situated between 13th and 14th Streets and 5th and 6th Avenue. The project’s focus was to develop a program that caters to the needs of my university (The New School). I chose to specifically focus on students. Most students at the university are studying art or design. While art and design do not have right or wrong ideas, there is always room for im provement or better ideas, often leading to students overworking themselves, especially in design spaces.
Many students, including myself, find relief by taking breaks in nearby public spac es such as Washington or Union Square Park. While these spaces are excellent, believe the university should prioritize students’ well-be ing by providing dedicated health spaces.
chose to design a wellness center that aims to integrate mental and physical health, recognizing the importance of both in building and maintaining overall well-being. I achieved this through biophilic design, incorporating mass timber and drawing inspiration from the form of trees. The concept involves creating a playful and calming environment, leading me to the idea of a ‘tree house’—a place where people can be active while also enjoying an in timate space above their daily world.
Concept Sketches 13th Street 14th Street
Level 1
The 13th and 14th street entrances facilitate easy movement for students throughout the building, with a few available public spaces such as: a physical therapy suite, athletic store, and café. On 14th street, students benefit from a teaching kitchen and commuter locker area, promoting cooking skills and providing storage for commuters. The 13th street entrance features a prominent orb showcasing the basement’s multi-purpose basketball court and weight training area, enhancing visibility and light in the lower level.
Level 2
The commuter lounge exists on level 2 and a mezzanine level above it. The lounge is designed to give commuter students a sense of place on campus. The running track, on 13th street looks down to the ground level and allows more light to enter down to the basement level.
Level 3
The therapy suite and pool, though on opposite sides, both immerse students in nature. The pool area, accessed through the locker rooms, features lush vegetation and natural light filtering through the ceiling and south-facing curtain wall, creating a serene atmosphere with improved air quality. In warmer months, the curtain wall system can open, blending indoor and outdoor spaces. On the other side, the therapy suite envelops students in nature with a giant green wall, offering a secure, cocoon like entrance to the health office. Counseling offices include cozy window nooks for patients to comfortably share their thoughts with their therapist.
Entrance to Therapy Suite
Level 4 and 5
The swimming pool’s roof, designed to mimic water movement, forms a tree-like canopy over the building. An intensive green roof doubles as an elevated student hangout, reducing city noise. Wooden seating on the 14th street side offers shade, curving up and over benches. On level 4 below, meditation pods allow students a private space to look up at the sky, providing an urban escape.
