Others Structural Design and Analysis, Virtual Reality, Laser Cutting, Physical Model Making
Transcend to the Ground
Kharkiv Freedom Square Revival
2024 Fall Professional Smartbuild Design LLC
Public Square
@Kharkiv, Ukraine
Main Tasks:
Design Concept
Digital Modeling
2D Drawings
#Rhino #Enscape
#Photoshop #Illustrator
A Square for the People
Without proper zoning, the vast expanse of Freedom Square fails to foster a safe, welcoming, and engaging public space for daily activities. To address this issue, we propose transforming the entire square into an elevated, pedestrian-only green space. This design incorporates underground parking to separate vehicle circulation from pedestrian areas, preserving the square’s beautiful urban landscape. We also introduce new urban furniture with integrated lighting features to support a variety of public activities, enhancing the identity and vibrancy of this renewed space.
2. Feature Landscaping & Performing Stage
4. Sunken Courtyard & Underground Entry
3. Urban Furniture & Permeable Pavement
1. Existing Plaza
5. Regional Administrative Building
Connection & Continuity
The Regional Administration Building features a rigid spatial layout, and its current entrance is uninviting to citizens. To cultivate greater public engagement, a new underground passage has been introduced, enhancing the connection between Freedom Square and the building. At the entrance of this passage is "Vse Dlya Peremogy," a private organization dedicated to facilitating discussions about ongoing conflicts, which serves as the new entry point to the Regional Administration Building. Additionally, new public programs have been incorporated into the building, transforming the structure into a more accessible and inclusive space for the people.
Transparency & Openness
Transparency, openness, and the value of democracy are central to this project. With these principles in mind, two key strategies were implemented in the adaptive reuse of the Regional Administration Building. First, the main council chamber was relocated to the exterior courtyard on the first floor, integrated with the new landscape design to create a distinctive and accessible space. This transformation invites public participation and engagement with the activities held in the chamber. Second, part of the existing roof structure was replaced with glass panels and operable skylights. This not only brings abundant daylight into the top floor but also provides natural ventilation, effectively addressing summer heat.
Performing Stage
Skating Rink
Circular Ramp (Vse Dlya Peremogy Lobby)
Urban Furniture (Street Lights) Pavilion
Feature Landscaping (Seating Area)
Existing Plaza
Underground Parking Lot
Permeable Paving (Rainwater Collection)
Sunken Garden (Underground Entry to Regional Administration Building)
Underground Passage (Public Gallery)
Urban Furniture (Street Lights)
Pavilion
Sunken Garden (Underground Entry)
Photovoltaic (PV) Panels
Operable Sliding Skylights
Glass Panels
Standing Seam Metal Roof
Enhanced Lateral Bracing
Existing Wood Trusses
Opened Ceiling
Regional Administration Building - 6F
Regional Administration Building - Courtyard & Council Chamber
The Horizontal Park
Blending in with Nature
A primary goal of the project is to achieve visual harmony with the coastal landscape, blending organically with the shoreline to minimize environmental impact. Therefore, the design draws inspiration from the traditional forms of the existing worker’s cottages and incorporates locally sourced stone materials. Additionally, the concept of a sunken plaza has been introduced as the public entrance to the new extension. This feature not only creates a seamless transition that invites the public but also ensures the building height remains consistent with the original ferry office.
Gradient Transition
The fritted pattern on the glass facade of the extension takes inspiration from the stacking of slate stones, featuring a transparent gradient specifically designed to meet the varying privacy needs of each program. Additionally, the ground level of the interior spaces lowers gradually to ensure sufficient ceiling height throughout. In summary, the new ferry office embodies a sustainable architectural approach, harmonizing functionality and aesthetics to enhance both the island’s identity and the visitor experience.
Soffit
X-Village 2025
Main Tasks: Design
2D Drawings
Renderings
Cohabitation
Plaza of the Nest
Builders
2023 Winter Academic
University of Michigan
Collectives Studio
Group Project with Yi Xia, Yinghe Yi
Instructors: Craig Borum
Claudia Wigger
Main Tasks:
Design Concept
2D Drawings
Physical Models
Collective Housing
@Detroit, MI
#Rhino #Photoshop
#Illustrator
#Model Making
An Inviting Community
The project is a collective housing project designed for the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. The housing complex features various unit types catering to the needs of different groups, including families, elders, and single residents. Beyond accommodating humans, the project also serves as a habitat for native and migrating birds throughout the year. With the aim of promoting engagement between humans and fostering a connection between humans and nature, the housing project incorporates adaptable spaces, green zones, and collaborative public programs.
The Community Plaza
Housing - Families
Housing - Elders
Diverse Residents
The massing strategy for this project prioritizes accessibility from both the riverside and the surrounding neighborhood. By tilting the building’s mass at diagonal angles, we ensured openness and connectivity on both sides of the site. The building footprint was kept minimal, creating a larger, continuous zone dedicated solely to gathering and public use. We want to design a neighborhood that accommodates not only humans but also provides habitats for native and migratory birds year-round. To achieve this, several tower structures are strategically scattered throughout the site, specifically designed as bird habitats. These towers incorporate modular boxes that serve as birdhouses, offering resting spaces for the visitors. While some towers are integrated into human circulation routes, others remain exclusively accessible to birds.
Flexible Units
The design of the housing units draws inspiration from our precedent studies including the Yokohama Residence and the Neppert Garden. We applied the idea of adaptable spaces in which people can decide whether to share their spaces with others or not. Our mechanics include sliding doors and rotating doors that can divide spaces in a flexible way for the residents to operate by themselves. Our facade system has two layers, including the inner HPL panel facade, and the outer wooden stripe facade that provide sufficient shading for the interior spaces. Our buildings mainly utilized the system of wood framing structure since we believe it suits the best with our design strategies and low rise buildings.
Acoustic
Gypsum Board (Ceiling)
Concrete Foundation
The Stone
Adoption
#Rhino #Enscape #Photoshop #Illustrator
Assembly
Methods
Examining common types of stone construction waste, including blue stones, marbles, and limestones, raises the question of how to 'adopt' them after their initial use. Even when damaged, how can they be repurposed for construction? With this concept in mind, these stone materials are categorized into two groups: reuse and repair. Various assembly methods are then presented as potential solutions to address this question.
Assembly Methods for Stone Material Waste
Granite
Marble
Concrete Lintel
Flagstone Lava Stone Blue Stone Limestone
A Drive-through Gallery
Displaying the idea of 'reusing,' four stone structures are built across the site using chosen assembly methods, with a circulation that passes under them. Consequently, a drive-through gallery is established, merging the experience of driving and visiting. People can engage with these structures either in their vehicles or in person.
A. The Blue Stone Shelter (Method 1)
B. The Gabian Land (Method 2)
C. The Stone Arch Tunnel (Method 3)
D. The Lintel Playground (Method 4)
Community Engagement
Utilizing the spaces of the existing buildings at the location, a repair hub has been established, dedicated to the process of 'repairing.' The hub includes a workshop that invites designers to repair and produce stone products for the gift shop and create art for the galleries to display. Members of the community can also participate in stone repairing activities at the hub. In addition to accommodating vehicles, the center also welcomes other types of visitors, such as bicycles and pedestrians. Bike racks and pedestrian zones are incorporated into the center's design, offering diverse and engaging experiences.
The Blue Stone Shelter
The Gabian Land
The Stone Arch Tunnel
The Lintel Playground
The Cater House
2021 Fall
Academic
University of Michigan
Form Studio
Instructor: Yoijairo Lomeli
Residential
@Conceptual Site
#Rhino #Illustrator
#Model Making
Form Operation
Starting with the manipulation of forms, the Cater House explores the possibility of redefining spatial relationships and creating new living conditions. The house aims to accommodate the family of the chairperson within an imagined collaborative community while dedicating itself to the goal of 'catering' to the people through the invention of new programs, seeking ways to break the norms of traditional residential spaces. The form of the house derives from three repeating systems: semi-circles, diagonal lines, and horizontal lines. The intersection of these patterns generates different types of spaces, each providing a certain level of openness to serve various purposes. These spaces can be categorized into ‘individual,’ ‘communal,’ or ‘passage.’
Food Production
The kitchen of the house is situated at the backside of the building, connecting to the prep room and buffet on one side, and the community garden on the other. This configuration forms a food production chain, serving as a link between the food source and the pedestrian zone. Community residents can visit the house to obtain free food. Additionally, the third floor functions as an open-roof garden, offering another food source and a resting area for the people in the area.
A Gathering Device
Surrounded by the pedestrian area, the public market, and the community garden, the Cater House plays an important role in gathering and distributing food resources, bringing people together from these areas. Despite its original purpose as private housing, the house also features a small library, a workshop, and exhibition spaces, inviting small groups of people to engage in various activities. Additionally, with multiple openings at the top, sunlight is gathered and introduced into these communal interior areas.
Long Section
Operation "NINGEN"
Bless from the Terra Incognita
2023 Fall
Academic
University of Michigan
Proposition Studio
Instructor: Perry Kulper
Farming System
@Antarctica
#Rhino #V-Ray
#Photoshop #Illustrator
#Sketchfab #Midjourney
Research Stations in Antarctica
In response to the challenging environmental conditions in Antarctica, research stations from various countries have independently conducted experiments in indoor farming, implementing technologies such as hydroponics and aeroponics. These agricultural experiments serve as analogies to the possibilities of space agriculture. However, these stations have generated waste that, over time, begins to pollute the pristine land in the region, becoming a major environmental concern.
Operation 'NINGEN' is a resource-providing system designed to address the scarcity of accessible food crops for research stations situated in Antarctica, while exploring possible solutions to tackle pollution caused by human activity. Simultaneously, it investigates the potential to extend its resource provision on a global scale, representing the ultimate protocol for humanity's protection.
Chrono-Hybrids
To address these challenges, two types of motherships, the Pioneer and the Caregiver, have been created. Each is assigned a specific task, with the Pioneer engaging in agriculture production and the Caregiver focusing on trash recycling. Additionally, a curated list of navigating characters, known as 'chrono-hybrids,' has been developed as well. Residing in the motherships, these chronohybrids perform various daily tasks to support their respective motherships. Together, they form an imaginative ecosystem that interacts symbiotically with humans, facilitating the exchange of resources among them.
Agriculture & Trash Recycling
The motherships and the chrono-hybrids establish a circulation for various types of resources. The Pioneer produces agricultural crops, including tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuces, using indoor farming technology. These food resources are subsequently supplied to the research stations. Conversely, the Caregiver removes trash from the research stations in exchange. The recyclable plastics are then extracted from the waste, transformed into construction materials, and await delivery to the wider world.
A Research Facility
The operation also aims to capitalize on this opportunity by establishing a collective intelligence hub—a think tank that invites researchers worldwide to exchange valuable information on technology in indoor farming, self-supporting energy, and trash cleaning. Meanwhile, considerations for food preservation and resource management during apocalyptic situations are also taken into account. These objectives lead to the implementation of essential programs on the motherships, including the laboratory, the energy rooms, and the seed bank.
The Seed Bank
Case Study
US Embassy in Iraq (1955)
Academic / University of Michigan / Institution / 2022 Fall
Instructor: Julia McMorrough
#Rhino #Photoshop #Illustrator
The Last Shelter
Academic / University of Michigan / Thesis / 2024 Winter
The Horror Academy
Academic / University of Michigan / Representation / 2022 Fall Instructor: Thom Moran
Instructor: Jose Sanchez, Ishan Pal Singh
#Unity
#Rhino #V-Ray #Enscape #Photoshop
Academic / University of Michigan / Proposition / 2023 Fall
Academic / University of Michigan / Proposition / 2023 Fall
