Prof. JT Bachman
Prof. Esther Lorenz
Waste removal processes are some of the most complex yet unseen aspects of urban life. Conveyor belts symbolize this modern, mysterious process of transport, sorting, and elimination. Using the morphology of a conveyor belt, this project takes the hidden processes of waste removal and lifts it into the New York City skyline announcing this process as both necessary to sustaining a healthy city, while also being overdue for a critical evaluation.
This proposal is a creative re-use hub meant to combat New York City’s millions of tons of waste. The hub focuses on large scale industrial waste (ex. reactors, turbines, printing presses) that weigh tons and require unusual provisions for movement through such a dense urban site.
Once these waste materials are processed by artists in residence in the various fabrication spaces on site, they are transformed into sculpture and installation and displayed in gallery spaces that stretch and contort to house whatever unorthodox art may appear.
Divisions between the public, artists, and waste are intentionally blurred to unearth the traditionally hidden cycles of waste as well as demystify the process of art making. This sentiment manifests itself internally with overlapping circulation paths between artists, public, and waste, but also from the street as the building’s façade becomes increasingly transparent for spaces of material movement and art fabrication.
Mapping 14th street as a transect of Manhattan through a layering of historic data showed Broadway to be a pivotal vein of the city before the English and even the Dutch imposed their logics over the island.
Understanding Broadway and the ensuing Union Square through a history of passage and congregation informed the project’s approach to opacity and display. The facade facing west selectively opens itself to reveal waste objects and art to Union Square.
Belt
Light
Facade Opacity
Structure
16th Street: Loading
Interior Gantry: Disassembly / Spectacle
Spring 2023 | Richmond, VA | Ester Lorenz
Enveloping and Inverting is a housing project just north of Richmond’s Museum District. Richmond’s semi-dense urban fabric creates many challenges but ultimately, drives the design. This project experiments with habitat as it pertains to humans but also considers our nonhuman neighbors, particularly Virginia’s native birds. In interfacing with Richmond’s diverse urban fabric as well as interrogating our relationship to natural and domestic space, Enveloping and Inverting facilitates connection across all scales.
The site of this project is on the cusp of two very different conditions. Ecology to the south is dense, tree-filled, and intrusive. Ecology to the north is either manicured or non-existent. Living conditions to the south are fine grain and interconnected. Living conditions to the north are either massive, non-contextual, or non-existent. What separates these two conditions? The perpetually active Broad Street.
This project looks to mediate these two conditions across the two street fronts. The northern parcel, fronting Broad St. is a public forum suspended in greenery to shelter inhabitants from vehicular traffic. The southern parcel, fronting the quieter Grace St. has housing to accommodate various cultures, ages, and understandings of family. While the northern end is suspended or contained in greenery, the southern end surrounds greenery to create a quiet courtyard more in line with the residential south.
Foundation Studio II: Rural Assemblies
Fall 2022 | Charlottesville, VA | Clayton Strange
Riparian Traverse is a learning center, sample collection facility, home, and a landscape intervention all meant to serve the whimsical forager. This forager who lives a life closely adjusted to the Rivanna river spends much of their time traversing the diverse riparian landscapes
This project looks to honor the various spatial experiences of the river ecosystem. Impassible densities, winding forested tunnels, frames of jagged branches, and of course the expanse of the river. The combination of apertures and choreographed movement recreates the various visual conditions of the river and the expansive balconies and towering compressed stairwells imitate the non visual, spatial experience.
Landscape Intervention Model
Resident Services Intern
Summer 2023 | Charlottesville, VA
The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority (CRHA) is a public housing authority dedicated to building and preserving affordable housing in Charlottesville, VA.
Working at the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority (CRHA) was incredibly influential in my arc as a designer. At CRHA, my skill set grew beyond design for the sake of aesthetics toward design in service of community. Through facilitating resident-led redevelopment workshops, I learned the nuts and bolts of community engaged design, and strengthened my radical listening and humble communication skills.
Design work at CRHA included T-Shirts, flyers, and banners. Much of my time was spent planning of the 26th annual Westhaven Community Day, a celebration of Westhaven, Charlottesville’s oldest and largest public housing site. This organizing included creating graphic schedules and flyer communications for the public and press.
(Photos courtesy of Juliette Martin)
Alex Glick | University of Virginia | C/O 2025