This architecture portfolio explores how architecture can foster a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world. It showcases projects addressing themes such as decolonization, tackling Philadelphia’s food crisis, reimagining existing buildings for the future, and designing resilient spaces like the “Tidal” research facility, which integrates human and ecological needs. The portfolio aims to provoke new ideas and perspectives on how architecture can drive social change, promote equity, and positively impact both society and the environment.
THE CORBIN RESIDENCE
STUDIO 601 LED BY HINA JAMELLE
The Corbin Residence is a home for creativity. The building is mixed use , a split between an art gallery and apartment units. Every artist wants the chance to experience the creative culture of New York City but for many this isn’t feasible due to the cost of living in NYC. The Corbin residence allows artists to experience New York The apartments are available to artists at a subsidized rate In exchange for their artistic contribution to the Corbin gallery and the fidi community. This project will open Fidi and New York City to a demographic of people who would never get the chance to live in this area otherwise. The ground level is a display for the artwork , a moment for commuters, visitors and the artists to see their works displayed publicly. The lower levels are used for creating. Artists are given studio spaces , for making , places to teach , and talk about art. The goal of the Corbin Residence is to enrich and assert the existing artistic presence of lower Manhattan. This project speculates on how the existing corbin building can be reimagined for the future.
INDIGENIOUS LAND
STUDIO 601 LED BY HINA JAMELLE
ELEVATION
The elevation highlights the new formation, organized through a series of vertical elements. This design preserves nearly all of the Corbin Building’s original windows.
BROADWAY JOHN ST
STUDIO 601 LED BY HINA JAMELLE
RESIDENTIAL PLAN
The floor plan includes a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. Each floor features shared artist studios located near the right egress, fostering a sense of community and encouraging creative collaboration.
ACCESSIBLE UNIT
8TH FLOOR
ART GALLERY AND MAKING SPACES
The Corbin Residence is situated in the Financial District, a neighborhood renowned for its rich collection of public art installations by artists like Noguchi, Jean Dubuffet, and Mark di Suvero. This residence aims to highlight and celebrate the area’s existing artwork. Through the MTA’s Art and Design initiative, the artistic energy of the neighborhood seamlessly extends into the Fulton Center and flows into our gallery and working spaces, creating a cohesive cultural experience.
FULTON CENTER SUBWAY
SKY REFLECTOR NET/ MTA ARTS & DESIGN
STUDIO 601 LED BY HINA JAMELLE
GROW CAHLLOWHILL
STUDIO 601 LED BY EZIO BLASETTI
“Across the Philly region, one out of every 10 households doesn’t have access to affordable, healthy food on a consistent basis, according to 2020 data. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers these households “food insecure.” Almost 250,000 people in Philly lack access to nutritious food to live a healthy life.”
Low income areas outside of center city and university city have a hard time getting access to affordable , healthy food. In these areas known as “Food Deserts”, “shoppers typically seek to navigate the convenience stores, dollar stores and low-end grocery stores that sell food that lack nutritional value.” According to a study by Philadelphia’s Department of Health, those who live in North Philly, as opposed to Center City, have a decreased life expectancy of nearly 20 years .
Callowhill is the key to addressing food insecurity that affects lower income neighborhoods within Philadelphia. GrowCallowhill is a trigger for Callowhill to become the main source of fresh food production and distribution for the city of Philadelphia, giving it an identity of a crucial food district that improves the lives of struggling Philadelphians. The project takes advantage of indoor vertical farming and food distribution centers created by a system of pavillions attaching to rail park.
PHILLY 2023
STUDIO 502 LED BY EZIO BLASSETI
FOOD PRODUCTION + DISTRIBUTION
“Vertical farming is the process of growing crops vertically to maximize space, usually in a controlled indoor environment. This method results in high crop yields, allows for year-round food production in any climate, and enables farms to focus on goals ranging from food safety to quality.” This indoor method is extremely efficient, some vertical farms “are 100 times more productive on the same footprint of land than a traditional farm.”
DNA TO FORM
The pavilion forms were inspired by AI scans of plants, roots, and tree trunks. These scans were converted into 3D objects by transforming pixel data into voxels, resulting in structures that represent the physical essence of plant DNA at various scales.
Vertical Farm Pavillion
STUDIO 502 LED BY EZIO BLASSETI
STRUCTURE / CALCULATED STRESSES
After generating the form through AI scans, the next step was to determine the pavilion’s structural framework. This study identified areas requiring support and reinforcement, shaping the nest-like structural pattern of the pavilions.
THE HANDSHAKE
STUDIO 501
LED BY DANIELLE WILLEMS
DECOLONIZATION
This PMA and Boathouse extension was developed through the lens of decolonization. In high school I was able to work at an art gallery in the east village called Kenkeleba house. The gallery was run by my mentor and renowned artist Joe Overstreet, his mission was to make a space to give underrepresented artists of color who were overlooked by mainstream art institutions a space to show their work. The gallery also placed emphasis on education and teaching art history by giving jobs to public school students in the city. There are very few spaces like this in the country that have significance.
INDIGENIOUS LAND
A big symptom of colonization is land ownership. The PMA is built on the land of the Lenape people. The museum understands this and has a statement of acknowledgement.
The Lenape people were forcefully removed from their territory, there is a claim that the land was purchased from them but, The Lenape people didn’t believe in land ownership, In fact they believe living in harmony with nature.The Handshake addresses this injustice in multiple ways through design.
RESPONSIVE ART PROGRAM
Trying to embody the ethos of Mr. Overstreet, My project “The Handshake’’ is a critique on the colonial foundation the museum is built on. Rather than display and curate artwork taken from other cultures the handshake decolonizes the museum by giving local artists a space for their work to be curated in hopes of nurturing up and coming artists of philly.
The Handshake redefines the given program; Instead of an extension of the PMAs collection, The building will include a rotating gallery , a contemporary gallery and a staff gallery.
STUDIO 501 LED BY DANIELLE WILLEMS
DECOLONIZATION
Colonialism not only removed The Lenape from their territory but their innovations using nature were completely ignored. The Lenape used the wigwam style of dwelling to house their families. The structure used local wood to create a structural frame then used bark and straw to enclose the structure.
To pay homage to the Lenape innovation, the tectonicity of the ribbon matches the structure of the wigwam at a larger scale. This structure will be susceptible to plants growing onto it, allowing nature to mesh with the building itself.
The land behind our site was originally a body of water, Water Works used to pump water for the city has been built over , and through the lens of the lenape tribe that is a crime on nature.
To honor the Lenape I’m bringing back the water into the back of the project and naming it the Lenape reservoir giving the tribe a physical presence on the site.
The landscape of the site becomes a place for native plants and crops to be grown. Aquatic plants such as Wild Celery can also thrive due to the new body of water being reintroduced.
Plants are encouraged to grow on the facade blending nature and architecture together
Boating is more accessible due to the new Lenape Reservoir
ART PROGRAM LAYERS
The Rotating Gallery will be curated by (city of philly) The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. They take submissions from artists all over philly and try to give them funding they are committed to making art more accessible. The handshake will give them a physical space that they can always curate local artists. This will give more people opportunities.
The Contemporary Gallery will serve to highlight specific artists from Philly, who have been overlooked, or up and coming. This space is to give these artists their own show for an extended amount of time.
The Staff Gallery is dedicated to the PMA staff allowing them to curate their own art work, and express their voices with creative freedom. This will allow in-house talent to shine but also help to restore a broken relationship between PMA and its staff.
Across the ribbon there are education vessels, Here there is space for making artwork. In addition students will learn how to archive artwork, the students will continuously work on a growing archive of the artwork revolving in and out of The Handshake.
MAKING/ARCHIVE
BOATHOUSE
STAFF GALLERY
READING/WRITING
CONTEMPORARY GALLERY
ROTATING GALLERY
TIDAL
STUDIO 602 LED BY RICAHRD GARBER
Project Partner: Joyce Zhang
TIDAL is a NOAA research facility located in the dynamic, ever-changing environment of Sandy Hook, New Jersey—a region prone to severe flooding and high winds that reshape its landscape and threaten local ecosystems. This project seeks to provide NOAA researchers with a state-of-the-art facility while demonstrating how architecture can foster resilience, equity, and coexistence between human activity and the natural environment.
Guided by Morton’s Ecological Thought, the design embraces interconnectedness and mutual respect between humans and nature. The concept of the “mesh,” which illustrates the intricate web of ecological relationships, informs every aspect of the project, ensuring a positive ripple effect on the local ecosystem.
TIDAL challenges the traditional, human-centric approach to architecture by prioritizing equity between human and non-human needs. The facility not only serves as a hub for NOAA’s vital research but also promotes the health and resilience of Sandy Hook’s local ecology. By rethinking architecture’s role in the environment, TIDAL demonstrates how design can be a force for inclusivity and ecological harmony, aligning with the portfolio’s vision of creating a more equitable and sustainable future.
GARBER
ORGANIZATION + FLOODING
Promoting Ecological Resilience:
TIDAL incorporates a breakwater component attached to the building to provide enhanced protection against natural elements, particularly severe flooding and violent winds, which are characteristic of the Sandy Hook, New Jersey area. Given the site’s location within a severe flood zone with surge wave potentials reaching up to 10 feet above sea level, the breakwater serves as a crucial barrier that dissipates the energy of incoming waves, reducing their impact on the building and the surrounding environment.
The breakwater also plays a vital role in promoting ecological resilience. By mitigating the force of waves, it helps to prevent coastal erosion and protect the delicate ecosystems that thrive along the shoreline. This component aligns with TIDAL’s mission to foster a harmonious relationship between human activities and the natural environment, ensuring that both can coexist sustainably.
STUDIO 602 LED BY RICHARD GARBER
PRECAST ELEMENTS
Strength and Durability:
TIDAL is constructed using precast concrete components because this material offers the strength and durability necessary to withstand the strong winds characteristic of the Sandy Hook, New Jersey area. Precast concrete is highly resistant to environmental stressors, including severe weather conditions, making it an ideal choice for a structure located in a flood zone with potential surge waves and violent winds. The material’s robustness ensures that the building can maintain its integrity and functionality in the face of extreme natural elements.
STUDIO
LED BY RICHARD GARBER
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
The floor plan for TIDAL thoughtfully separates the public and research areas to ensure both accessibility and efficiency. On the right side of the building, we have designated spaces open to the public, including classrooms, lecture halls, kitchen, and eating areas. These facilities are designed to foster community engagement and provide educational opportunities for visitors.
The left side of the building is dedicated exclusively to NOAA research activities. This section includes state-of-the-art wet labs, chemistry labs, and a lighting-controlled aquarium, all essential for conducting advanced scientific research. This separation ensures that both public and research functions can operate optimally without interference.
Floor Plan for TIDAL - (drawn in collaboration with Joyce Zhang)
STUDIO 602 LED BY RICHARD GARBER
RESEARCH SECTION
The TIDAL building’s research section emphasizes sustainable and functional design. A green wall facade, with an advanced irrigation system, improves air quality, insulation, and conserves water via rainwater collection. A floor-to-ceiling NOAA research aquarium provides a transparent, controlled environment for marine life studies. Durable precast concrete panels and steel reinforcements ensure structural resilience, while interior spaces feature research labs and efficient circulation to support NOAA’s objectives. The design balances functionality with environmental harmony.
