Malav Mehta 2024 Portfolio

portfolio of

malav mehta

“

my hope was that when I failed, if I failed, I’d fail quickly, so I’d have enough time, enough years, to implement all the hard-won lessons.

- Phil Knight

I II III

PERFORMANCE OF MEMORY spring 2024 pages 4-15

THE MARKETPLACE fall 2020

pages 16-29

MALCOLM X HEIGHTS fall 2022

pages 30-43

4 | Performance of Memory

I

PERFORMANCE OF MEMORY ARCH 5210 - Comprehensive Design Studio Professor Jonathan Levine

the center stone of Boston’s vibrant Upham’s Corner neighborhood, the Strand is a 20th century theater with a bright past and an uncertain future. two additions on either side of the Strand would serve as programmatic and financial buttresses linked by a new, looped circulation pattern. in returning patrons to the Strand, these additions reactivate the theater and provide space for exhibition, reflection, and community.

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6 | Performance of Memory

“memory, which is kind of this blend of history and a little bit of emotion.”

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8 | Performance of Memory

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10 | Performance of Memory

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A B D

C

E

F

G

I

J

H

1'

K L M

2'-4" 1'-3"

N

1'-5"

14'-11"

12'-7"

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S

8” x 8” timber column 4” Solera wall panel Solera wall tie glazing tie back single-glazed wall panel cross-bracing slot 2” x 8” wood blocking 1/2” finish floor c-channel thermal insulation timber floor joist timber floor beam ceiling suspension unit suspended wood ceiling wood trim boards + drip cap 2” x 10” wood blocking concrete foundation foundation superior wall foundation insulation

12 | Performance of Memory

O P

Q S 1'

R

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14 | Performance of Memory

not all mind-expanding substances are illegal.

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16 | The Marketplace

II

THE MARKETPLACE

ARCH 2130 - Site, Space & Program Professor Ang Li

“free to all” are the words emblazoned onto Charles McKim’s iconic Boston Public Library branch in Copley Square. by providing two of Boston’s most historic neighborhoods with their first BPL branch, this library seeks to further the goal of accessbility through the addition of a unique flavor of social infrastructure meant to bring together the many communities that exist here.

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in lieu of an all-in-one library, this project decentralizes the library program to span the site and offer a curatable experience

18 | The Marketplace

a field of columns occupy the inbetween spaces of the site to host a marketplace that draws users deeper into the oddly shaped site

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20 | The Marketplace

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22 | The Marketplace

inspired by the variety of buntings found around Chinatown, the changeable roof panels and 12’ bays enable the different possibilities for the marketplace

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24 | The Marketplace

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building 1: defining diocletian window that allows light to stream into all central floors; reading areas pushed to the periphery of the floor plate to take advantage of this passive lighting system

building 2: variated palladian window that treats all three segments equally - segments span the height of the facade bringing ample light into both the performance & quiet-reading spaces 26 | The Marketplace

the leather district: developing a responsive formal language nearly-homogenous in its brick buildings and Richardsonian elements, the neighborhood commands an adherence to the historic formal elements that define its charm

building 3: storefront that characterizes the cafe within as a welcoming space to sit, breathe, and engage with surrounding neighborhood ARCH 2130

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28 | The Marketplace

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30 | Malcolm X Heights

III

MALCOLM X HEIGHTS ARCH 3170 - Urbanism Studio

Professor Marie Law Adams

two large parking lots in Mission Hill present a unique opportunity to provide much needed housing to a neighborhood that visibly bears the scars of 20th century urban renewal. to begin to right these wrongs, this project calls on both the legacy of civil-rights leader Malcolm X and benefits of middle-density/mixed use development to tailor the living experience to a diverse range of residents.

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prelude: race & ethnicity in Boston the storied history of the racially & ethnically diverse Mission Hill neighborhood requires a contextual look at the city as well as a focus on the African American voices that have made the area the rich & vibrant place that it is today.

32 | Malcolm X Heights

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urban design framework

circulation avenues:

34 | Malcolm X Heights

pedestrian corridor

vehicle corridor

How Malcolm Learned To Read [excerpt]

by Clint Smith

“

Malcolm, I, too, have tried to inscribe my way to something new. Have tried to use writing as a way to leave behind the man I wasn’t proud to be.

Now, sometimes it feels like these words are all I have.

Sometimes I forget who I was before these words, before these stages, before the applause from strangers, before being asked about things I didn’t know.

Malcolm, could you have ever imagined what this dictionary would make of you? Do you remember who you were before you picked up the pen?

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diagrammatic axon

program types:

36 | Malcolm X Heights

residential

retail

community

office

architects & planners are charged with deciding the character of the spaces in which we live. when we are allowed into ways of life that already exist we cannot underestimate what the lines on our pages will make of them we cannot allow ourselves to forget what they were before we picked up our pens

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compression of walkways from the greenway into the courtyard signals a semipublic gathering space for residences of the building

larger frontage areas can provide businesses with spillover patio space to serve as a public extension of the sidewalk

ground floor of the rowhouse type is fully given over to smaller-scale, local-oriented retail experiences

corner building types can introduce a corner store to the neighborhood, allowing it to serve as socially versatile urban condition 38 | Malcolm X Heights

chamferred building corner can increase sidewalk visibility and allow ample space for informal, spontaneous interactions to occur amongst neighbors

circ.

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community spaces offices

small-scale/services

medium-scale retail

40 | Malcolm X Heights

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42 | Malcolm X Heights

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Malav Mehta | 2024