ACADEMICUNREAL ENGINE
From a young age Marbella Vasquez Farach was especially enthralled by things that could be perceive with several senses—materials that were pleasant to see, smell, and touch. She soon realized that architecture allowed her to make the most of the exploration of different medias and how they relate to the senses. The texture of concrete, the smell of wood, the sound of steel, and the sight of patterns and geometric figures were all impregnated into her senses, and she was thrilled to be taught to relate to them and place them harmoniously in different surroundings.
Today, her professional goal is to design and create valuable architectural spaces at different scales while using multi-disciplinary approaches. The different digital tools and software systems she learned at SCI-Arc M.Arch II Program allow her to explore, research, materialize and control new designs. As a Costa Rican, the young architect has a strong desire to be exposed to the latest and most impactful international trends, innovations and methods in architecture in order to be able to contribute the society, the community and her home country at large.
Thesis Project for the Degree of Master of Architecture SCI-Arc, Summer 2023
My thesis proposes a definition of ‘home’ as a set of psychological needs rather than mere programmatic satisfaction, needs that go beyond shelter and functionality. Exploring the concept of home through three key categories: Self, Connection and Transition. These categories provide a framework for understanding the psychological aspects of a home which both shape and mirror cultural values, social dynamics, and individual identities.
By manipulating the material, social, and ephemeral attributes of the home, this approach seeks to liberate living spaces from singular functions or emotions, creating ever-changing environments that explore the infinite diversity within our living spaces.
As someone born and raised in Costa Rica, I was compelled to explore the notion of “home” within the confines of my homeland. In a small town just two hours away from Costa Rica’s capital city, lies Bajos del Toro a valley nested between mountains and surrounded by an abundance of water. Many of the local families own land with a natural attraction such as a river, swimming holes or waterfalls. Gradually embracing tourism, locals open their homes to daily visitors, mostly Costa Ricans seeking an escape from the city to immerse themselves in nature. With little formal tourism infrastructure, the local’s homes become impromptu “visitor centers”.
Once a traditional Costa Rican house, that when you entered through the front door, you discover its interiors in a logical progression.
Presently, this house has been deconstructed and expanded to accommodate the new needs of its occupants and rather than possessing a singular manner of encounter, it presents numerous access points, and eliminates the hierarchies of spaces and functions within the house.
This way the home as a whole is used equally in time and is not determined by its programmatic functionality. It depends on who you are and how you desire to engage with the home and the categories that define it: self, connection and transition.
The ‘Self’ category centers on intimacy, introspection, and nurturing feelings of security and comfort, fostering a sense of belonging. It encompasses lighting, decoration, objects, and surfaces, extending beyond traditional architectural boundaries.
‘Connection’ represents expansiveness and freedom, bridging domestic activities like food preparation with broader external experiences. From tranquil family rituals, it transitions into lively hosting scenarios, adapting to the space’s mood influenced by ongoing events.
‘Transition’ blurs the line between public and private spaces, integrating home, work, and nature. The home’s story is intertwined with the surrounding landscape, including a nearby river and waterfall explored during Miguel’s daily tours.
The categories: self, connection and transition are held together by its subjects, in this case Miguel, his wife Martha and the daily visitors. As individuals and as a cohesive entity, they collectively define what the home is today. This cultivates an enriched understanding of ‘home’ rooted in our collective human experience, acknowledging both universal threads and diverse cultural narratives that together shape our perceptions of living spaces. Of home.
Instructor_ Andrea Cadioli Visual Studies II
Spring 2022
“alter|Nature” explores the codependency of physical, digital, and biological elements in bio-diverse environments. It redefines objects in the Anthropocene era, collapsing spatial organizations and power structures. The project aims to create Trans-Habitats where organic and inorganic elements find ecological logics. Through the exploration of nature’s ceaseless morphogenic modulations, “alter|Nature” delves into the aesthetics of events and rituals.
Arrangements were generated using scripts and procedural design, simulating ecologies through stills and perspectives. 3D objects modeled in ZBrush were transferred to Unreal Engine for real-time simulations. The compositions were then reorganized as landscapes, resulting in interactive playgrounds enriched with procedural sounds and machine vision. Digital materials were synthesized and reconstructed as Physical Based Rendering materials, exploring the boundary between familiar and uncanny, digital and physical legibility.
Summer 2023
This course focuses on real-time simulations using Unreal Engine, with Blender for modeling and ChatGPT for generating machine part descriptions. Students create a dynamic world featuring a fictional ecological machine, explore game technologies for innovative drawing and modeling, and develop an open-ended storytelling approach. They also craft a dynamic system for the machine, inspired by System Dynamics and game design principles
The AquaHarvest Water Collector is an eco-friendly machine that efficiently harvests, purifies, and stores water from the air using condensation and filtration techniques. Integrated with renewable energy and smart sensors, it enhances efficiency and promotes sustainability while addressing water scarcity and minimizing environmental impact. These ecological machines offer an alternative water source, operate in diverse climates, and empower communities to generate their water supply, reducing reliance on centralized systems.
Art Direction_ William Virgil & Majeda Alhinai SCI-Arc Gallery
Summer 2022
Intentionally Opaque presents a largescale, sculptural labyrinth installation, “a space of otherness simultaneously physical and mental, an analogy for life,” through which visitors can navigate. In the installation, the walls of the labyrinth, formed by individual puzzle pieces slotted together, were digitally sculpted to create highly detailed and precisely crafted curves and ripples to mimic the smooth and sinuous surface of the brain.
The analogy and literalness of a labyrinth kept coming up for Virgil through discussions around mental health and self-awareness. “Labyrinths are portals to another world,” he continues. “When we are in our minds, we are in another world. We express this sentiment in our desire to create a body of work that exemplifies ‘otherness’ in the physical world—walking the labyrinth is symbolic of understanding oneself. Intentionally Opaque is an area where one can retreat to reset. It’s a journey that retraces our commitment to us, where the end is the beginning of a new path, and the beginning culminates a journey.”
While formed by oversized, individually unique puzzle pieces, it is not a maze or a puzzle to be solved. “Instead,” says Virgil, “it is a path to meaning to be experienced. The labyrinth places us in a realm to explore imagination, its muted opaque walls give space to those who need it.”
I’ve translated this intriguing concept into a tangible experience within Unreal Engine. Here, I’ve created a collection of immersive virtual realms that enable users to engage with the labyrinth and its distinctive puzzle components. My endeavor serves as a seamless fusion of art and technology, beckoning participants to embark on a profound voyage of self-exploration within a captivating digital environment. (Text description provided by SCI-Arc)
The first two virtual worlds faithfully replicate the gallery space housing the labyrinth installation, meticulously capturing the atmosphere and ambiance of the physical gallery. As visitors explore these recreated environments, they are transported into the very essence of the gallery itself.
The remaining three virtual worlds, on the other hand, offer a different dimension to the experience. They present the individual puzzle pieces that make up the labyrinth. Navigating these virtual representations, you can closely examine the intricate details and unique characteristics of each puzzle piece.
In the first puzzle environment, a serene, misty landscape in vibrant green surrounds visitors, creating a deep sense of calm and inner strength.
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Transitioning to the second environment, a dusky, dawn-like atmosphere of blues and clouds prompts heightened consciousness with a touch of intriguing delusion, blurring the lines between reality and imagination.
Lastly, the third environment bathes visitors in a dreamy palette of purple and pink, evoking emotions like regret and doubt. This virtual journey encourages introspection and self-exploration.
These digital realms extend the gallery’s artistic vision, offering a diverse exploration of the labyrinth’s impact on the human psyche.
Instructor_ Herwig Baumgartner
Partner_ Kyle Zufra
2GBX Design Studio
SCI-Arc, Spring 2022
2GBX engages in a comprehensive building project while asking some foundational disciplinary questions: what is the form of contemporary participation to the construction of scientific knowledge? How can we design an architecture that facilitates a network of stakeholders and allows them to work together? Can architecture promote awareness and active communication regarding technological investments? Specifically, how can a BIO-TECH facility act more like a parliament of negotiations?
The Biotech lab explores temperature and circulatory systems using cacti, creating a new biosphere between the building and the ground. Water storage and support structures hang from the lab spaces, some touching the ground while others float above. Objects beneath the lab spaces blur the line between lab and ground, merging organic and inorganic qualities. The lab spaces include wet and dry microclimate zones. Cacti act as a water storage system, resilient to temperature fluctuations and integrated into the building’s structure.
The water from the cacti is further extrapolated into the building system. Circulated through channels to the frozen iceberg, the flooded landscape, and microclimate zones on the interior of the lab, creating a renewable circulatory system that is always operating throughout the building.
At the center of the site the water is collected in a stepwell. Above, an iceberg centralizes the building. The iceberg creates a beacon that visually represents climate and environment issues that are actively being discussed within the parliament. This core is surveilling and monitoring the process of freezing and thawing. The parliament core is creating a new space for ecological optimization, exchange of policy and ideas, and new environment where nature is looking back at the human.
ACADEMICUNREAL ENGINE