MAY SEFFAR PORTFOLIO 2026 (3)

PoRt FolIO ART & ARCHITECTURE

MAY SEFFAR

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TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION

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MAISON ESMERALDA

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CASA LLUM

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THE HANGING CITY

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THE OASIS

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PLAÇA DEL SORTIDOR

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MOSQUE OF CORDOBA THESIS

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INDEPENDENT STUDENT WORK

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A SNEAK PEAK OF MY MIND

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Driven by a passion for creating spaces that balance functionality, context, and experience, my work explores projects across multiple scales, from urban analysis, residential design to high-rise architecture and historical research. Combining technical precision with creative thinking. This portfolio reflects my academic journey, design process, and commitment to developing my work that responds thoughtfully to people and place.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Architecture Intern SWECO, Aarhus, Denmark 2025

Co-President, Vision For Hope Project A nonprofit initiative providing eyeglasses to underserved children in Morocco by coordinating fundraising efforts 2024

UCLA TeenArch Institute 2023

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Maison Esmeralda Design Studio 1

Situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the pinecovered hills of the Garraf massif, Sitges offers a landscape defined by light, climate, and the relationship between public and private space. This project responds to that context by creating a quiet retreat centered around a courtyard that brings light, air, and nature into the heart of the home. Blurring the boundary between interior and garden, the house embraces the Mediterranean way of living through open, continuous spaces, natural illumination, and a strong connection to its surroundings.

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SITE PLAN

UP-SIDE VIEW

Situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the pine-covered hills of the Garraf massif, Sitges offers a landscape defined by light, climate, and the relationship between public and private space. This project responds to that context by creating a quiet retreat centered around a courtyard that brings light, air, and nature into the heart of the home. Blurring the boundary between interior and garden, the house embraces the Mediterranean way of living through open, continuous spaces, natural illumination, and a strong connection to its surroundings.

F L O R A & FA U N A SEGMENT 8 HARMONY THROUGH SIMPLICITY

E L E VAT I O N 1

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14.00 m 2.00 m

2.00 m

2.00 m

2.00 m

2.00 m

2.00 m

3.00 m

3.00 m

3.00 m

3.00 m

15.00 m

9.00 m

3.00 m

2.00 m

8.00 m

SECTION 1 1/100

SECTION 2 1/100

SECTION 3 1/100

INSIDE REFERENCE IMAGE

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OUTSIDE REFERENCE IMAGE

The entire project rests on a timber frame — a grid of posts and beams that makes the structural logic visible, honest, and warm. Wood is not a finish here; it is the architecture itself. It weathers with the Mediterranean salt air, ages with the house, and carries the memory of the forest into the domestic space. Solid, renewable, and direct — the material reflects the clarity of the plan it suppor ts.

CONSTRUCTION DETAIL

The central cour tyard is enclosed by a steel-and-glass roof structure, thermally isolated from the main frame. The glazed panels are openable on the nor th and south sides to allow cross-ventilation in summer; in winter, the closed configuration creates a passive solar buffer that reduces heating demand in the adjacent rooms.

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Casa Llum Design Studio 1

Designed for a family in Sitges, Casa Llum explores architecture as a place of retreat, inspired by the spatial principles of traditional Asian design. Rather than focusing on grand gestures, the project is defined by a sequence of calm, intimate spaces where water, vegetation, and filtered light shape the daily experience of the home.

The 180 m² single-storey residence is organized around a series of landscaped patios that introduce daylight deep into the plan while creating moments of pause between public and private functions. These open-air pockets establish visual continuity throughout the house, allowing every primary space to maintain a direct relationship with nature. At its heart, a koi pond serves as a contemplative focal point, reinforcing the home's atmosphere of balance and serenity while drawing inspiration from Japanese gardens, where water symbolizes harmony and renewal.

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WIDEFRAME OUTSIDE VIEW IMAGE

FLOORPLAN 2m

6m

0m

2m

3m

3m

2m

2m

1m

17 m

2m

12 m

2m

3m

5m

5m

2m

5m

The layout is organized into three distinct zones: social, private, and professional. The home features an open-plan living area, two bedrooms, a master suite, and a series of landscaped patios that bring natural light into every space.

A separate home practice with its own entrance and reception ensures privacy for the family while providing independent access for patients.

11 BACKYEARD VIEW IMAGE

OUTSIDE VIEW IMAGE

SECTION 1/100

E L E VAT I O N 1 / 1 0 0

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12 COLORED FLOORPLAN

F R O N T E L E VAT I O M

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The Hanging City Design Studio 0

The Hanging City, situated in Parc de Glòries, Barcelona, is a 73-storey residential tower rising approximately 220 metres and accommodating 642 apartments. Oriented towards Glòries Park and the Mediterranean Sea, the tower shields its residences from the surrounding traffic while maximizing views, daylight, and natural ventilation. Its alternating floor plates create a distinctive puzzle-like façade, generating private terraces, reducing solar gain, and giving the building a dynamic architectural identity.

The project is organized around a C-shaped podium that anchors the tower and accommodates public amenities including a shopping mall, restaurants, a fountain plaza, and a wellness centre with a gym. Above the podium, the residential tower tapers inward to create a more slender profile, improving structural efficiency while reducing its visual impact on the skyline. A reinforced concrete core combined with perimeter columns provides lateral stability for the 220 m structure, while the upper levels culminate in an exclusive residents' rooftop lounge and swimming pool overlooking Barcelona, completing the transition from vibrant public spaces at ground level to private living above.

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ELEVATION

RESIDENCIAL LOUNGE VIEW IMAGE

RESIDENCIAL POOL VIEW IMAGE

R E L AT I O N S H I P W I T H T H E C I T Y A N D P U B L I C F L O O R S IMAGE

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SECTION

Ground Floor

First Floor B

220 m

Tower enterence Comercial Space (GF) Comercial Space (GF) Food Court Wellness Center Restaurants

A PA RT M E N T O U T S I D E WIDFRAME VIEW

A

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GROUND FLOORPLAN 1/500

FIRST FLOORPLAN 1/500

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A P PA RT M E N T F L O O R P L A N 15

2.93

3.89

3.08

2.9 1

FLOOR “C” 1/500

2.31

FLOOR “B” 1/500

4.10

FLOOR “A” 1/500

3.08

1.55

5.42

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The Oasis

Design Studio 0

Situated in Parc de Glòries, Barcelona, The Oasis is a 300 unit residential mat building inspired by the branching structure of trees, translating their organic rhythm into a modular architectural form. The stepped massing reduces overshadowing, maximizes natural daylight, and creates generous terraces that extend each dwelling into the surrounding landscape while maintaining a strong visual connection with the park.

The building is constructed with a reinforced concrete structural frame, providing durability and flexibility for the residential layout. A façade of glass, exposed concrete, and natural stone creates a contemporary yet timeless expression, while deep balconies act as passive shading devices that improve thermal comfort.

Elevated on concrete pilotis, the ground level remains open and permeable, allowing green spaces and pedestrian movement to flow beneath the building, reinforcing its relationship with the public park and creating a light, floating architectural presence.

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WIDEFRAME OUTSIDE VIEW IMAGE

L O N G I T U D A N A L S E C T I O N A - A’

16 SECTION OF GROUPING SYSTEM

3.39

0.10

1.60

A PA RT E M E N T F L O O R P L A N

3.27

1 .2 ∅7

3.67

1.51

1.86

0.49

1.31

1.93

1.14

1.22

0.20

0.20

0.18

0.08

0.73

0.83

0.80

7.38

0.10

GROUND FLOORPLAN

A’A

FLOORPLAN 01-05

A’A

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Plaça Del Sortidor Urbanisim 1

Located in Barcelona's Poble-sec neighborhood, Plaça del Sortidor is a historic public square that acts as a central gathering space, connecting residential buildings, local businesses, and community facilities. This project is an urban tissue study that examines how the existing city fabric is organized through the analysis of land division, building typologies, density, circulation, occupancy, and the relationship between public and private spaces. By understanding these urban patterns and spatial hierarchies, the study highlights how the square contributes to the social and physical structure of the neighborhood, demonstrating the importance of context, accessibility, and human-scale design in shaping successful public spaces.

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The plan and sections analyse the spatial composition of Plaça del Sortidor, illustrating the relationship between buildings, streets, vegetation, and public space. Through these drawings, I examined changes in level, the distribution of urban furniture and trees, pedestrian circulation, and the proportions of the square to understand how its physical form shapes movement, visibility, and the overall user experience.

S E C T I O N A _ A’ 1 / 2 5 0

-21m

17.5m-

-17.5m

14m-

-14m

10.5m-

-10.5m

7m-

-7m

4m-

-4m

4%

Section A-A’

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SECTION B_B’ 1/250

21m-

17.5m-

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14m-

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10.5m-

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Section B-B’

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Mosque Of Cordoba Thesis History of Art and Architecture

The Transformation of the Mezquita of Córdoba explored how architecture evolves alongside changing political, religious, and cultural identities. Through historical research, analytical drawings, and a sectional model, I examined the transformation of the Great Mosque into a Christian cathedral, analysing how successive interventions altered its spatial organization, structure, ornamentation, and function while preserving much of its original Islamic fabric. The thesis investigated how architecture can simultaneously retain its historical identity and adapt to new social and ideological contexts, demonstrating the Mosque–Cathedral as a unique architectural record of over a thousand years of cultural transformation.

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A R C H D E TA I L V I S U A L

The sectional model was developed to explore the transformation of the Mezquita of Córdoba and the relationship between its Islamic and Christian architectural interventions. The cutaway exposes the spatial organization, structural rhythm, and layered evolution of the monument, allowing the coexistence of both architectural identities to be understood in a single view. To enhance the level of detail, I also recreated the Retablo Mayor, highlighting one of the cathedral's most significant artistic and liturgical elements.

E L E VAT I O N

MODEL 1/250

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The Eyes We Borrow Independent Student Work

Medium: Oil Paint on canvas Size: 42 x 29.2 cm canvas “The eyes we borrow” explores the idea that the way we perceive ourselves is rarely formed in isolation. The act of inserting a contact lens serves as a metaphor for the influences that shape our perspective, our experiences, insecurities, relationships, and the expectations of society.

Although a contact lens is designed to improve vision, it also symbolizes the invisible filters through which we interpret ourselves and the world around us. The painting invites viewers to question whether the way they see themselves is truly their own or a reflection of the perspectives they have unconsciously adopted.

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Laced In Lies

Independent Student Work

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Medium: 3 framed photos of edited SFX art.

Size: Whitewood, framed A4 printed images.

Intention: This series represents how beauty standards affect us mentally and physically, using the corset as an example since it creates an unhealthy image and norms for women.

I intend to spread the message that we should unlearn, unleash the weight of those standards, and realize that we are beautiful on our own. The series expresses the story of a suffering woman trying to fit in who finally accepts that changing how she looks only hurts her. Which later leads her to open the tight corset and release herself.

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“Bas” Couture

Independent Student Work

Medium: Garments made out of Plaster, Trash bag, gloves, Mesh Fabric, Sewing Kits, Newspaper Size: 175 cm Mannequin The piece stands as a stark commentary on the unsustainable practices within the fashion industry. Crafted from materials such as plaster, trash bags, and newspaper, the garments draped over the mannequin bring the conversation about waste in fashion to the forefront. The incorporation of gloves highlights the oft-ignored plight of underage laborers toiling in unsafe conditions to produce garments. The newspaper, symbolizing suppressed news about the industry's malpractices, is veiled by mesh fabric, representing the incessant overshadowing of critical issues by the latest fast fashion trends. This artwork serves as a compelling call to acknowledge and address the hidden costs of contemporary fashion.

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Unleashing Perfectionism Independent Student Work

Medium: Photography Taken on Canon EOS Rebel T5 Size: 42 x 29.2 cm x 2 The photography captures the emotional tension between discipline and self-acceptance. Through the contrasting poses of the dancers, the photographs illustrate the journey from self-doubt and relentless perfectionism to confidence and artistic freedom. The series suggests that growth comes not from achieving perfection, but from embracing vulnerability and the beauty of the creative process.

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Beauty 4 Sale

Independent Student Work

Medium: Packaged sculpted clay Size: 18cm x 12.5cm x 3cm (each) The intention of this piece is exposing the commercialized plastic surgery industry influenced by social media. I created sculptures of exaggerated noses and plumped lips to represent the commodified beauty ideals. These sculptures will be presented provocatively on a styrofoam meat tray, wrapped in plastic with intentional green "mold spots" resembling supermarket packaging. This symbolizes the objectification and devaluation of beauty as a product for sale. A printed tag labeling the sculptures as "expired" emphasizes their transient nature. The artwork prompts critical reflection on the unsustainable pursuit of artificial beauty.