SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE | B.ARCH
Phone: 1+(203)313-1131
Email: mianasta@syr.edu
This project is a community wellness center with the main program of a bathhouse, that immerses visitors into the surrounding environment, while preserving the native plants and ecosystems in Clay. The building is made up of three main volumes-- the largest of which contains the temperate pool-- but there is also a series of more intimate baths at different temperatures. The slant of the roof directs focus to large windows, which look directly out to the gardens, pond and surrounding forest.
I created a second ground through elevated platforms that branch out from a central, horizontal axis into the landscape. It leads to more organic pathways which wind around the pond and lead visitors down towards the milkweed garden where the forest opens up into a field.
The other programs include a steam room lofted above the temperate pool, a lounge, change and washrooms, spas, and small outdoor pools within the boardwalk.
When analyzing the site, I looked at population growth, public and private green spaces, and the evolution of recreation areas. Clay itself is characterized by its agricultural history, but I investigated how it shifted from small, self-sufficient farming communities to a more suburban area as families moved from the city of Syracuse. The interplay between conversation and development drove the intent of the bathhouse project, by trying to connect visitors with nature, and simultaneously provide the facilities for relaxation
The common milkweed plant is native to the Wilderness Retreat site in Clay, NY. These diagrams depict the plant’s life cycle, relationship to wind, annual behavior, and interaction with other species. The milkweed garden in the bathhouse project will become a space for monarch butterflies to flourish in the summer months, which are essential for pollination.
This project hybridizes a system of intervention, and its interaction with the ground. While the ground I designed is unique, it takes inspiration from the canyon landform, through striation and spread to create layers and gaps in the topography. The ramps can be seen as an extension of the ground, which aim to maintain continuity across the landscape. The ramp typologies investigate hypothetical modes of circulation across the manipulated ground.
EXTENSION OF GROUND
CHUNK DIAGRAM
GROUND MANIPULATION
GROUND MANIPULATION
SPREAD & STRIATION
SPREAD & STRIATION
SYSTEM-GROUND CONSTRUCT HYBRID MODEL & ABSTRACTED LANDFORM
chipboard, nails, thread, bristol
This case study dissects the component parts of the guest house, looking at its modular structure, communal versus private spaces within the building, and direct/indirect sunlight. The project is designed to meet the needs of a collective group, with the ability to adapt and transform over time, while promoting an interactive and community-centric experience for visitors across the globe.
I referred back to the precedent study of the Koyasan Guest House, and its linear frame structure, which I used as the basis for this design. I transformed the frame to accommodate a collective body, and then translated the idea of communal and private space through its expansion and compression. The initial shapes used to define the structure were derived from the spatial envelope of a single body undergoing two separate motions.
The building was developed from a series of geometries that directly respond to the Armory square site, specifically the wall of the neighboring building and the creek walk. It consists of three volumes that define the building in both plan and section. The first volume with the entrance is mainly reserved for larger public spaces— including the lobby, library, gallery, and an outdoor balconies that capture views of the creek below. The opposite side of the hostel contains the majority of the residence spaces and private areas, including single bedrooms, 6-person dorms, bathrooms, and small lounges. The middle atrium is essentially a glass box— entirely reserved for circulation, that connects the public areas to the private ones and brings light to the space. The mirroring geometries throughout the building reflects the function of the volumes as residences and public spaces, while also attempting to frame views on both sides of the hostel and ultimately create the building’s facade.
REI KAWAKUBO|COMME des GARÇONS|AUTUMN/WINTER 2016-17
UNFOLDED GARMENT|REI KAWAKUBO|COMME des GARÇONS 18TH CENTURY PUNK, LOOK 4 - AUTUMN/WINTER 2016–17
This project adapts the qualities of the previous architecture and garmnet case studies, specifically the rigid frame of the Eames House and the exaggerated silohuette of the CDG look. The tectonic system consists of gridded columns and a "skin" facade that is offset from the building's footprint. The interior and partition walls curve inside the grid to divide up the different programs including a studio space on the 3rd level and an open exhibition space on the 2nd floor for pop-up fashion shows and clothing markets. The construct takes advantage of open spaces in the wrapper to immerse students into the surrounding city.
The city of Calabar immediately surrounding Government Hill is filled with historical sites, attractions, and learning centers which share the history and evolution of the region. While these sites become an important part of daily life in present day Calabar and draw in visitors, they do not fully capture the essence of the local cultural space due their historical influence of colonialism in Nigeria. The proposal for the fashion school will serve and benefit the community through embracing the culture and creativity of locals. By providing the frameworks for existing community lifestyles to persist— they can then be re-imagined by the community as they continue to evolve, through pop-up informal clothing markets where local designers can be highlighted. Given the tropical region of the site, the frameworks will also allow for native plants to entangle and flourish to enrich the educational experience of the school as students are immersed in nature.
1. Residence lobby
2. Tea Room
3. Restrooms
4. Library
5. Mechanical
4’ 16’ 2’8’ 1/8”=1’-0
floors alternate between workspaces and residences
balsa wood sticks, plywood, metal screening, bristol, chipboard
