In 2032, small but significant steps were taken to reform the United States’ immigration system. Immigration and Customs Enforcement–or ICE–has been abolished, and although this was a major step towards abolishing militarization and violence in the immigration system, it only turned back the system to a time before the war on terrorism. The stigma and social barriers that resulted from the war on terrorism remain. With increasing migration from destabilized countries and increasing political polarization, immigrants still face a plethora of issues after crossing the US borders. La Primera Etapa, or “The First Stage”, is a medical and community center dedicated to helping undocumented immigrants take their next steps in the United States. The facility responds to the direct needs of undocumented people or any victim of the immigration system to help them pave their way toward a life of autonomy and self-
reliance. The facility opens an invitation to collective action and community involvement by incorporating spaces for education and political organizing. Health and wellness are central goals of La Primera Etapa, with medical facilities focusing on women’s health and children’s health. The space is designed in response to the atrocious conditions undocumented women often face during their journey to the United States. While the clinic responds to health needs, La Primera Etapa goes on to provide services such as housing, career services, legal aid, and various workshops.This facility is meant to accommodate people who don’t have a family or home based in the United States and are in need of a first direction or stepping stone. Its program is designed to accommodate people who are staying for various amounts of time: a few hours, a day, or a few weeks.
The proposed site, situated in North Laredo on El Pico Road, is isolated from the rest of the city to provide a private and secure environment to people attending the clinic. Although separate from the rest of Laredo, it is no more than a 20 minute drive to the nearest hospital, hotel, and shopping center. The site is about 25 minutes from Laredo’s various food banks, legal aid, and other types of aid.
In this studio we were challenged with understanding Austin’s urban fabric by looking to the past to inform the future. Austin’s 1928 City Plan involved severing the connection between Downtown and East Austin by constructing a highway, I-35. The highway acted as a border between desirable and undesirable land. It was also used as a form of segregation being that East Austin’s population mostly included Black and Latinx people. The highway is a physical barrier that speaks volumes about Austin’s attitude towards historically underinvested communities.
The Bridge strategy involves closing up this wound that is past due for healing. Our larger strategy is to focus on making Austin a healthy city, both physically and emotionally. We did this by focusing on creating a space for the Eastside that offers both resources
and opportunities to reclaim an area that has been long underinvested and gentrified. With this, Bridge will address issues that need direct and immediate action through specific tactics such as: creating both visual and physical connections between the east and west sides, offering resources for historically vulnerable communities, eliminating I-35, and encouraging public transit rail use, as well as implementing green roof and wall systems and green spaces to improve environmental quality. Within our proposal, we include both lowincome housing as well as spaces for commercial and municipal use that will allow these vulnerable populations not only more access to resources but also a safe place to live. Our end goal is to increase the quality of life for all residents of Austin through greenery and environmental changes while paying special attention to the needs of the underinvested Austinites.
The studio was tasked with creating various maps that highlighted different conditions involving the effects of I-35. These visualizers made clear the impacts of the highway and allowed us to observe relationships between East and Downtown Austin. Done in collaboration with Kaley Polk and Aya Wen.
Exploded axon of Bridge running from Cesar Chavez to 12th Street, including pedestrian walkways, bike paths, and a light rail. Bridge’s porous ground level reintroduces a connection between Downtown and East Austin.
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Fall 2020 | 3rd Year
The Center for Analogue Architecture in the Anthropocene (CAAA) Otzi Research Facility goes beyond creating a space of discovery: it is a community. Located in the Alps of Austria, the facility is meant to house and provide a comfortable laboratory space for scientists studying the 5,300 year old mummy, Otzi. Moreover, the space is designed to encourage comfortable living and socializing, especially since it’s an isolated location.
The different layers, distinguished by material density, provide comfort and privacy while opening up views to the
vast Alps. The top-down approach to the design creates a cluster of spaces that mimic a mountain range and draw down towards Otzi. The form of the facility pays homage to a traditional Alpine hut. The CAAA Otzi Research Facility comes together in a series of modulated spaces that allow residents to feel a sense of prospect when needed and refuge when desired. Comfort, warmth and privacy played a large role in the use of celosia style wooden blocks. The facility’s circulation gives residents the ability to move around the building as if they were descending the Alps.
The Exploded Axon Demonstrates modularity, ramping, and celosia style wood blocks.
The research facility has a stronger separation between work and life. The organization of the space involves the continuous ramp, descending from housing down to the research lab.
The descent of the CAAA Otzi Research Facility follows its program from most private to most public. Starting at the entrance, the highest point of the facility, is the researcher’s housing. The lowest point, and the point closest to Otzi the Ice Man, is the research laboratory where much collaboration and interaction will take place.
In this studio we approached design in a more conceptual, poetic, and metaphorical manner by exploring different emotions and translating them into the built environment. The phenomenological aspect of architecture played a large role in how we moved our design forward. We were asked to begin our design by choosing an artist and using their work as a starting point to creating spaces that felt very emotional. These emotion-based designs are inspired by personal memories and artwork of
Alex Grey. The final project takes place in a speculative world where humans are able to live forever. We were asked to create a space for the people who are ready to end their journey on Earth and move to the great beyond. It’s a memorial that allows a person to reflect on their own life, memories, and the meaning of being a human. It’s a space for reflection and meditation which uses light, earth, water (and its sound) to guide the user towards a peaceful ending.
Located on 5th and Baylor Street, Oasis Market + Greenhouse is in Austin’s prime location for urbanization and the development of its famous skyline. As the city’s population rapidly grows, so will the need for food. Oasis provides fresh and local food by creating a space for local vendors to sell their produce. Along with vendors, Oasis has 3 greenhouses which strategically grow produce year-round using aeroponic, aquaponic, and hydroponic systems. This net zero site is unique for its “off the grid” capabilities by utilizing water catchment systems, solar power and the reusing of waste. The train located on the south side of the site is meant to give access to residents who live outside of downtown, specifically in East Austin. Oasis’ horizontality acts as a break in the city’s fabric as it increasingly grows vertically. Its openness, accessibility, and familiarity
creates a calm space that is inviting to all Austinites, who deserve to purchase fresh, affordable food.
The layout of the Oasis is meant to encourage visitors to meander throughout the space and guide them to visit many of the different vendors. The market includes large overhead canopies and breeze screens that provide shade and the dappling of light. Visitors are encouraged to be curious about the products they consume.
Placing the greenhouse adjacent to the market acts as an education tool and allows visitors to be able to see exactly where their food is coming from. Another form of user involvements includes the demo kitchen where visitors can view the processing room and participate in cooking the food grown just rooms away.
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Gulf Coast DesignLab is the first longrunning ecologically-based program which centers ecological literacy and environmental activism through design. This studio allows students to experience a personal and hands-on approach to design through its designbuild aspect in which students are expected to meet with clients during the process. For fall 2022, our studio was tasked with designing a multiuse outdoor educational space for the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto, located in Galveston, Texas. Our clients asked for a multi-use space that could accommodate both bird watching and stargazing.
Through our research of Girl Scout activities, we chose to make our design accommodate a wide range of badge opportunities by making every aspect of the project serve multiple functions. Some of these opportunities that Nest offers include: a space for performances, bird watching, gardening, star gazing, outdoor art making, etc.
We were able to do this by keeping a space that was flexible programmatically, to open its usage up. The usages range from focusing/ watching to gathering/interacting to gazing/relaxing. Our formal approach to the program was balancing the user’s ability to both gather & nest in as well as gaze out. The goal of flexibility and balance pushed us to think about architecture in a more dynamic and comprehensive manner and over time we learned how to approach the problem from every angle.
The studio encouraged collaborative design and was uniquely challenging in that we had to constantly remind ourselves that every decision we made needed to be within budget and buildable. Other considerations we took into account were sourcing and transportation. Nest’s primary goal is improving the Girl Scout’s relationship and knowledge of the nature surrounding them.
Material selection was one of the biggest challenges of the project since we had to consider cost and whether it was local or not. Another consideration that went into the design and material section was its resistance to heavy rains being that Galveston Island lines the Gulf Coast. We intentionally choose perforated metal for the birdhide screen since we knew the rain would leave a beautiful orange rust. Our Dragonfly gardens are meant to shape the space as well as prevent mosquitos–one of the dragonfly’s main food sources. The types of plants we used and their placements were also very intentional. Different plant sizes allowed us to frame or block views. Our green wall (consisting of the Jasmine vine on layers of metal mesh) is meant to block views to the Girl Scout bunk house and road, guiding the attention out to the meadow. Some of the plants include Gulf Muhly, Mexican Feather Grass, Meadow Sage, and Texas Purple Wistera.
Nest is designed to allow water and winds to flow through it. Porosity was a huge intention for the project since it had to be hurricane proof. Everything on site was done by Gulf Coast DesignLab from staking to welding to landscaping. We poured concrete as well as cut perforated metal. Assembly took a total of 15 days.
Urban Farm Stand. Spring 2019. The project was first thought about as the “space in between” a wall. This space is created by expanding and contracting the wall, creating a space to socialize, work, buy, and pick vegetables. The farmstand’s program ascends as the spaces become more public.
Edible Plant Center. Fall 2019. This project used an operational approach to develop the form based on a set of rules. Space is created through the intersection and interlocking of vertical and horizontal planes that slide into each other and shift, creating varying levels that open and close. The space serves as an educational tool for communities to observe and be involved with the food they are consuming.
Life Memorial. Spring 2020. The first phase of the Life Memorial project was to understand space from an emotional and phenomenological perspective. We did this by selecting emotions that would transform into spaces. The models and art shown here represent fear (first four photos) and surprise (last three photos). It was an effective and creative way to expand how we approached design.
2200 Pearl St. Austin, TX, 78705
I’m a fifth-year undergraduate student studying at The University of Texas School of Architecture. Some of my passions involve community building, which I’m able to pursue with my experience in (Re)claiming Memories and Gulf Coast DesignLab. My extensive work history in the service industry coupled with the Design Futures Forum has provided me with interpersonal skills, time management skills, and team building experiences. My interests include restoration and designing to serve the community.
The University of Texas at Austin
Bachelor of Architecture | 2018 - 2023
Kelly Grossman Architects
Intern | Summer 2022 | Renders and drawings using Revit, Photoshop, and Sketchup
Chris Cobb Architecture
Intern | Summer 2021 | Physical model builder
(Re)Claiming Memories Research Lab
Designer | Fall 2022 | Designed and built a bird hide and star gazing space for Girl Scouts of San Jacinto in Galveston, Texas
Undergraduate Architecture Student Council Officer
Mentorship Program Coordinator | Fall 2021-Spring 2022 |
Vote on campus policies, discuss school issues & events, and plan mentor/mentee program
Chili’s Restaurant
Server | 2019-2021 | Waited and bussed tables
Orange Theory Fitness
Receptionist and Sales Associate | 2018 | Sold memberships, signed members in, cleaned fitness studio
Design Futures Forum
Selected Participant | Summer 2021 | Leadership development convening, focusing on community engaged-design
Canidae Collective Mutual Aid Collective, Laredo TX | 2020-2022 | Providing aid & supplies to Laredoans in need, particularly femmes and the LGBTQIA+ community
Rhinoceros 3D Photoshop InDesign Illustrator
Sketchup
Model Making
Revit Enscape AutoCAD ArcGIS