Venice Beach Gateway

This was the first studio in the UCLA Masters Architecture program and was intended as a formal introduction to architecture through the medium of paper folding. The first half of studio was spent exploring form with physical paper models. I focused on continuous curved folds and their ability to form structure and define space while avoiding impossible double-curved geometries.

We then adapted our forms to a public restroom facility to be placed along the Venice beach strip. My goal for the site was to link the city street to the beach with the facility as a gateway between, and created an arch by cutting the middle out of a folded S form. The building further integrates into the landscape with a raised path and bridge within the arch and a perpendicular tunnel cutting down into the landscape beneath it.

Tenka house started as a project for my senior industrial design studio working with Cass Community Housing to develop affordable tiny houses for local low income residents. I initially was inspired by cold Detroit winters to make a greenhouse design. After graduating, I further developed the project into a prefab system of container modules that could be configured in a variety of orientations and sizes. The project evaluates housing through a product design lens and takes cues from modern product aesthetics and simplicity: clean hidden fastener design large rounds and chamfers. The pile foundation removes the need for extensive site work and allows the house to float above the landscape with minimal impact.