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CONTENTS
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LATTC Design / Media Arts Building
Mount Wilson Scientist Retreat
Santa Ana Multi-Family Housing
Los Angeles Trade Technical College Design / Media Arts Building
Los Angeles, California
Fall 2024 / Professor Sarah Lorenzen
Interim Winner / 2025 CASH Awards Entry
In Collaboration With Benjamin Kittaka
Located on the corner of the Los Angeles Trade Techincal College campus in the heart of downtown, the site of the project presented an interesting challenge in how confront the unique urban conditions where the campus resides. How do we for example address security? Given that all students are commuters, How do we make sure that students actually feel comfortable, and want to stay on campus longer?
Given its placement on the corner Washington Boulevard and South Grand Avenue, the initial massing was positioned to address its standing as the threshold to the urban edge. The building could be desribed as an L-Shape, opening towards the heart of the campus and housing a much needed area of greenery, seating, and otherwise usable public space.
The use of exterior circulation, along with the combination of outdoor lounge areas and the extensive use of glass results in a sense of porosity in the project. Furthermore, the use of exposed structure as a facade element creates a layering-effect, negotiating between the interior of the building with the public space itself.
Being that it is a fashion building, the project houses a runway which caps off the plaza on the basement floor. This idea is furthered by having the exterior circulation facing the project to be seen from the plaza. In this way, the circulation and the continued movement of the students up and down it are a sort of dynamic facade
Beyond this circulation, an effort was made to make sure of the presence of social spaces that are linked with circulation across the whole project. Labs and learning spaces are enclosed by glazing to create a sense of visibility. Essentially, the goal was to make sure that students had as many opportunities to interact with each other
Conceptually, the project can be thought of as a stitching of two volumes, one taller and more transparent, and the other shorter and more solid, combined with a sunken incline. Each volume houses either Fashion or Visual Communication program, while the incline manifests into a sunken plaza with amphitheater seating and greenspace.
Central Exhibition Space
At the intersection of the two massing volumes lies a 4-story tall exhibition complex. Meant as both a space to present student work as well as a gathering and social space linking the two schools, The result is a network of platforms housing installations and stairs hovering over a larger open area capable of holding performances or lectures.
Significant effort was made to make sure of the presence of social spaces that are linked with circulation across the whole project. Labs and learning spaces are enclosed by glazing to create a sense of visibility Essentially, the goal was to make sure that students had as many opportunities to interact with each other. Fashion labs (below), were purposely made with an open plan, double-height ceilings, and plenty of access to the outdoor, in order to create the flexibility needed in creative studio environments.
Mount Wilson Scientist Retreat
Los Angeles, California
Fall 2023 / Professor Roberto Sheinberg
Meant as an excercise to develop further skill concerning structure, building systems, as well as knowledge of appilcable codes, the Mt. Wilson Observatory Project gave the oppourtunity to create a scheme that would serve as a retreat and simultaneously as research facility for a crew of scientists.
The main concept of the project is maximizing views of the landscape, through the creation of dramatic cantilevers on all sides. This presents itself as a stacking of trusses supported by a main core, which houses vertical circulation. Furthermore, program needs dictate that each of these stacks correspond with public and private
The facade combines the exposed steel truss structure with metal mesh panels, producing a system that allows for substantial glazing to be used, while still controlling solar gain. The glazing and mesh create a greater sense of depth into the project.
The project’s form is influenced by the separation of public and private programatic spaces into three floors, and further delineated into wings based on the intended user. These floors were developed to be trusses stacked onto each other, creating cantilever moments on all four sides supported by a structural “core” that also contains egress circulation. These cantilevers seek to better connect the project with it’s site, resulting in dramatic oppourtunities to view the San Gabriel Valley which Mt. Wilson looks over, as well as the historically important telescope perched on its peak.
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The division of program, and thus their placement on the three floors of the project are determined by privacy and accessability needs. Moreover, a central tenet of this division lies behind the idea of separation though “wings”, which are connected by a core that links all floors. The ground floor, open to the outdoors, houses publics functions. The second floor contains labs and offices, which face towards the valley, while neccesary supervisor facilities are placed on the opposite wing. The third floor contains spaces for researchers and guests. Beyond bedrooms and bathrooms, a communal kitchen and dining room is situated in the “core”. Operable glass doors lead to exterior roof patios, the larger of which faces the San Gabriel Valley and acts as an observation deck
As a part of our initial studies, students were tasked to develop study models that investigate the impact of structure given certain design requirements. To the left is the “cantilever”, and below is the “bridge”. These ideas would become the basis for our retreat design.
Beyond this, the students were asked to provide a sensible layout of structure, as well as calculating member sizing.
In order to deal with the long cantilevers, the project proposes a vierendeel truss structural core, with oversized members to hold the trusses that it supports.
For this project, in terms of structure, the idea was to embrace it, therefore, the steel structure is exposed, and combined with a metal mesh, was developed into a skeleton and membrane facade.
Santa Ana Multi-Family Housing
Santa Ana, California
Spring 2024 / Professor Lyannie Tran
In Collaboration With Mylie Vuong, Jessica Guo
This scheme, being a part of a masterplan centered around the mission of bringing together a diverse multi-generaltional collective, specificially targets young adults and professionals. In contrast to what most understand as the standard apartment experience in american multi-family housing, the concept of the design revolves around the idea of co-living. That is, the design, is developed through the lense of not only allowing, but encouraging the interaction between residents.
Formally, the project is honest and direct. Two massings, which house the units, surround a singular massing containing community-oriented program, which include community kitchen and dining spaces, as well as common rooms and study spaces. Equally important, the main egress and circulation aspects, as well as functions such as trash and laundry are encased in this massing.
Exterior circulation not only informs how residents move around the buildings, but also act as the main facade. The circulation is purposely made wide enough to act as both a walkway and space where residents can have conversations with neighbors, place tables and chairs, or grow plants in. The metal mesh facade controls solar gain, acts as guardrails, and creates a third measure of porosity to add to combination of stacked volumes and planes. The roof of the project houses additional outdoor access through roof terraces as well as a central community garden.
With its orientation on the site and the surrounding urban fabric, the scheme and the surrounding promenade are meant to welcome and serve the residents of Santa Ana. The ground floor houses a marketplace meant to house small local businesses, a coworking/cafe, as well as a hydroponic farm and food bank. The goal of the mixed-use aspect of the project was to link community-driven program with the residents of the whole masterplan, who comprise a diverse set of demographics and age groups.
Units for the scheme are modest but efficent, providing more than ample daylighting and outdoor access through the use of balconies, which look in towards the central building. The circulation around the unit is meant be circular, and a wall, which houses the kitchenette, acts as the threshold between public and private spaces.
Specific care was taken to sufficently refine details and assemblies. “Chunks” were created in order to visualize the construction of facades, walls, roofs, etc. Furthermore, these were created concurrently with wall sections, in order to enure of their effectiveness.
