Philippe Hempel Portfolio 25

PORTFOLIO philippe hempel

2025

selected works

preface My path into architecture has been anything but straightforward, shaped by environmental advocacy, a drive to be a role model for my younger sister, and the pandemic’s stark reminder of how profoundly the spaces around us shape daily life. Early on, my interest in environmental protection revealed that the built environment does more than reflect our values. It actively influences how we live, care for one another, and engage with the world. Seeking to translate that awareness into something tangible, I began experimenting with digital tools like AutoCAD in high school, discovering architecture as a medium through which ideas, ethics, and imagination could take form. This perspective deepened while pursuing my associate degree at Collin College, where I learned that meaningful design begins with listening to site, context, and community, a mindset that ultimately led me to the University of Virginia.

At UVA, architecture has become inseparable from my engagement in public service and leadership. Through roles that extend beyond the studio, I have learned that many of the questions architecture grapples with are negotiated just as powerfully through representation, policy, and collective decision making as through form alone. A study abroad experience in Greece fundamentally reshaped my understanding of the discipline, revealing architecture not as an end product, but as a cultural residue of values, systems, and ways of living that extend far beyond any single building.

As a result, I no longer approach architecture as a belief in singular solutions or transformative objects. Instead, I see each project as an ethical position and a reflection of my values, shaped as much by my experiences in leadership and service as by design itself. The work in this portfolio represents that evolution.

Architecture, for me, has become a medium for inquiry, critique, and expression, allowing me to test ideas, question systems, and articulate a philosophy of care, responsibility, and engagement that extends well beyond the page.

Philippe Hempel

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the civic transformer adaptive reuse, urban infill, large-scale model fabrication, structures, renders, ethical design, narrative storytelling

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centennial frontier

systems thinking, sustainability strategies, typology's, site analysis, drawings, renders, community design

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people’s park and our pavilion renders, landscape architecture, model fabrication, community engagement, drawings, narrative storytelling

2025 aia virginia prize entry competition, 37 hours, axon, architectural drawings, render, historical and community research, narrative storytelling

casa malaparte reimagined historical and film research, renovation, digital fabrication, architectural drawings, narrative storytelling

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forager’s hike pavilion

site analysis, architectural drawings, model fabrication, collage render, narrative storytelling

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black morel collage + container research, collage, product design, sketching, informative, storytelling

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the civic transformer washington D.C. keywords view full boards password: “civicmodel-25”

adaptive reuse, urban infill, large-scale model fabrication, structures, renders, ethical design, narrative storytelling

software used rhino enscape adobe illustrator procreate

when fall 2025

curriculum Foundation Studio IV: Spatial Democracy

professor / mentor

The site is the former PEPCO Substation 25, constructed in 1930 during a period of rapid growth in Washington, D.C., alongside the development of the Adams Morgan neighborhood. This expansion, shaped by immigration and diverse global influences, produced a culturally rich yet locally scaled community and marked a spatial transition from L’Enfant’s orthogonal city grid to the more organic street patterns following the northern topography.

Responding to a prompt centered on democracy and diplomacy, the project adopts a small-scale, adaptive reuse strategy rooted in the realities of Adams Morgan. Rather than accommodating large external audiences, the intervention prioritizes a neutral, citizen-owned space for local gathering, informed by the adjacent Marie Reed Community Center and the area’s lack of non-institutional civic spaces. Long closed off from public access, the site is reimagined through the removal of barriers and the introduction of a people-centered landscape aligned with the original infrastructural footprint.

Minimal architectural interventions transform the substation from a site of electrical output into one of civic output. Three sequential spaces—an archive, a discussion hall, and a cantilevered gallery—support the processes of information, dialogue, and display. Together, landscape and architecture symbolically and programmatically democratize space, fostering diplomacy among people, the built environment, and nature.

Luis Pancorbo the civic transformer | adaptive reuse

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adaptive reuse | the civic transformer

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the civic transformer | adaptive reuse

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adaptive reuse | the civic transformer

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the civic transformer | adaptive reuse

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adaptive reuse | the civic transformer

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Symbolically, the architecture frames diplomacy through moments of contrast, negotiation, and exposure.

Reflection pools are placed in direct dialogue with the site’s electrical infrastructure, establishing a conversation between water and electricity.

The complete liberation of the site, which stood closed to the public for nearly a century, marks a broader dialogue between past utility and present civic life and, more importantly, the democratization of access.

Within the gallery, occupants are positioned at a threshold, simultaneously engaging the interior and the surrounding neighborhood through the preserved skin of the substation, creating tension between enclosure and openness.

The gallery’s cantilever and exposed structural system make forces visible and legible, while screens designed for plant growth extend this democratic gesture to nature by allowing vegetation to occupy and transform the architecture over time.

the civic transformer | adaptive reuse

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adaptive reuse | the civic transformer

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centennial frontier richmond, VA keywords view full board password: “systemstyp25”

systems thinking, sustainability strategies, typology's, site analysis, drawings, renders, community design

software used rhino enscape adobe illustrator procreate

when spring 2025

curriculum Foundation Studio III: Housing Matters

Located just south of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in the historic Museum District and positioned between row houses, apartments, and civic institutions, the narrow 350-by-80-foot lot serves as a tight but rich spatial opportunity. The site lies adjacent to the 77 Grove Avenue bus stop with direct access to Virginia Commonwealth University, and rests within walking distance of the culturally significant North Arthur Ashe Boulevard.

Proposed nearly a century after the area’s residential boom, The Centennial Frontier explores how the double-loaded corridor typology can be reimagined to respond to evolving needs of sustainability, creative community, and architectural continuity. Aimed at students, hybrid workers, and artists, the project offers a fresh yet contextually grounded model for urban living. Shared spaces, street activation, and a sculptural park pavilion all converge to shape a new cultural and environmental node in the Museum District.

professor / mentor Stacy Scott centennial frontier | systems thinking

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systems thinking | centennial frontier

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Facade Balcony Structure Section

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Units Section 1/12” = 1-0”

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Site Elevation in Urban Context

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Detail A: Facade Structure

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East Elevation

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West Elevation

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West Section 1/12” = 1-0”

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Site Center Section in Ubran Context 1/12” = 1-0”

Summer Wind

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Winter Wind Performance space sloped to collect rainwater Summer Heat Gradient

Winter Heat Gradient

Detail B: Light Well

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Pavilion Elevation 25

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Pavilion Axon 25

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systems thinking | centennial frontier

portfolio | philippe hempel

story Rooted in the tension between preservation and progression, The Centennial Frontier draws inspiration from the Museum District’s layered history; its streetcar past, cultural institutions, and evolving demographics.

Materially, the design contrasts modern forms with a palette that builds on tradition where white stucco, wood, and translucent plastic are juxtaposed by brick as a symbolic thread to the past.

The sculptural park pavilion gestures to modernist expression and civic memory, while the architecture embraces openness, rhythm, and density to create a forwardthinking yet contextually grounded intervention in which every element was conceived to foster connection—between eras, environments, and people.

Oxford Residential College’s

East German DDR Blocks

Halen Estate

Tate Modern

Bauhaus Movement

New Architecture School (NAS)

The Dell

Lloyd’s Building

APROP

Museum District Townhouses

Sanborn Map of Block Centers

Rounds Pavilion

Oxford, England 1250’s

Deutsche Demokratik Republik 1950s - 1980s

Berne, Switzerland 1961 /// Atelier 5

London, England 2000 /// Herzog & De Meuron

Germany, then Global 1920s - 1950s

Siegen, Germany 2024 /// Gustav Düsing

Charlottesville, VA 2003

London, England 1978 /// Richard Rogers & Partners

Barcelona, Spain 2019 /// Yaiza Terré + Straddle3 + Eulia Arkitektura

Richmond, VA 1920s - 1940s

Richmond, VA 1920s - 1940s

Lake Forest, IL 2014 /// Molly Hunker + Greg Corso

centennial frontier | systems thinking

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systems Sustainability is integral to the project’s design, balancing passive and active strategies.

Rainwater is harvested to support landscaping and feed an evaporative cooling pond, while vertical light wells enable natural ventilation. A recycled double-skin facade adapts to Richmond’s seasonal extremes, capturing warmth in the winter and expelling heat in the summer. All of these features ensure comfort and energy efficiency year-round.

4. Natural Ventilation

1. Roof Collection

2. Exterior Irrigation

3. Evaporative Cooling

Diagram B: Building Water Cycle

A: Private Units

Winter B: Communal Spaces

Diagram D: Winter Conditions C: Circulation Balconies Horizontal Vertical

Summer

Diagram C: Seasonal Wind Patterns Diagram E: Summer Conditions

Diagram A: Resident Spaces & Circulation

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systems thinking | centennial frontier

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floorplans The layout leverages a double-loaded corridor to maximize density while introducing light wells and breaks that offer relief, ventilation, and spatial interest. Units are designed with flexibility in mind, serving students and creatives who value adaptive live/work conditions.

Communal areas including study lounges, galleries, and rooftop gathering spaces interweave with residential circulation, blurring the lines between public and private while promoting daily encounters and collaboration.

Roof Plan

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Third-Floor Plan

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3-Room Unit Plan | 1,289 sqft.

Single ADA Unit Plan | 498 sqft.

3-Room Unit Section

Single ADA Unit Section

2-Room ADA Unit Plan | 1,093 sqft.

Single ADA-XL Unit Plan | 645 sqft.

2-Room ADAUnit Section

Single ADA-XL Unit Section

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Site Plan

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systems thinking | centennial frontier

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people’s park and our pavilion

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charlottesville, VA keywords view full board password: “peoplepark24”

renders, landscape architecture, model fabrication, community engagement, drawings, narrative storytelling

software used rhino enscape procreate adobe illustrator

when fall 2024

curriculum Foundation Studio II: Responsive Space

professor / mentor Elgin Cleckley people’s park and our pavilion | park + pavilion

For nearly a century, the site has mirrored Charlottesville's evolving history and the influence of individuals. In 1928, residential houses transformed into a park dedicated to commemorating Robert E. Lee, with every tree and pathway pointing to a singular statue at its center.

Following the 2017 Unite the Right Rally and the statue's removal, the site became a blank slate—a visual void longing to be brought back to life.

The reimagined People's Park is a bold design made up of a series of interconnected spaces and pavilion flowing naturally with the newly sculpted landscape. The layout fosters unity and dissolves hierarchies.

It’s the interconnectedness that allows people to become both participants and observers and for the park to act as a backdrop for us to come together, reconnect, learn from one another, and, even if just for a moment, live like children again.

People’s Park honors our complex past but looks forward with hope and unity, and I truly believe the park can once again become the vibrant heart of Charlottesville—a public space that this time unites us all.

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park + pavilion | people’s park and our pavilion

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project context

The site is situated just north of the Downtown Mall, surrounded by civic buildings including the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, Historical Society, the Haven, the Garage, Churches, and a residential area.

Near the site is the historic Jefferson School. Constructed in 1926, it served as the first school for black children in Charlotteville and sat in the heart of Vinegar Hills. In 2013, it underwent significant renovations revitalizing both its indoor and outdoor spaces, and setting a precedent for significant change of public spaces in the community.

project development

people’s park and our pavilion | park + pavilion

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inside the pavilion

site plan 1

park grounding

Beside the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, this space serves as a moment of pause before entering the park.

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mindful gardens

A series of intimate spaces separated by trees and elevated above active areas, ideal for small groups to participate in contained activities with solid shelves, benches, and concrete floor fit for chalk.

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the bowl

At the heart of the park is an expansive lawn, recessed into the topography creating a flat soft surface that is ideal for recreational sports or simply relaxing.

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our pavilion

Beside former statue’s location, offset to say that it isn’t the central point, and cladded with a variety of reflective tiles in which everyone can see themselves as one part of the park’s ongoing narrative.

Its form resembling growth and inspired by the nearby mountains features a juxtaposed inviting and open hybrid outdoor space, complimented by kitchen and bathroom facilities.

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garage steps

Facing “The Garage,” a local performance hot-spot, steps provide seating.

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micro amphitheater

Recessed inside the bowl’s infill, and strategically oriented away from the apartments, this space is perfect for gatherings, holiday event’s, or reflecting over the park.

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park + pavilion | people’s park and our pavilion

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people’s park and our pavilion | park + pavilion

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girl in wheelchair prepares breakfast during early morning.

small gatherings take place around the mini amphitheater.

our Pavilion as a lantern for families on Halloween.

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park + pavilion | people’s park and our pavilion

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model

Grounding

Mindful Gardens

The Bowl

Our Pavilion

Garage Stairs

Mini-Amphitheater

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park + pavilion | people’s park and our pavilion

portfolio | philippe hempel

2025 aia virginia prize entry

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alexandria, VA keywords view entry password: “aiarestroom25”

competition, 37 hours, drawings, research, context, community, public restrooms, public park, narrative

software used rhino twinmotion adobe illustrator

when spring 2025

curriculum

Each year, students across Virginia’s public architecture programs compete in a prestigious weekend design contest. The brief is released at 5:00 PM on Friday night and projects are due by 9:00 AM Monday morning.

In 2025, the brief called for a design intervention at the King Street-Old Town Station in Old-Town Alexandria. The station and adjacent bus hub had recently undergone renovations but lacked public restrooms, and students were asked to design restroom additions with varying criteria in mind.

Visit https://www.aiava.org/prize/ for more information and to access the 2025 and previous design briefs as well.

independent project

2025 aia virginia prize entry | competition

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competition | 2025 aia virginia prize entry

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research King-Street Old Town Station is a vital entry point into Old Town Alexandria. Its mix of concrete surfaces lined with trees, the gap between the rail station and bus hub, and notably underutilized bike racks all signal opportunities for an improved narrative and functionality. Additionally, the site’s centrality between hotels, stores, and restaurants to the East and a residential neighborhood to the West means it plays a dual role in serving both visitors and locals alike.

Old Town Alexandria’s history dates back to the mid 1700s, when it emerged along the Potomac River as a hub of trade and industry. Its grid and row-house architecture embody a narrative of commerce, community, and connectivity. The overarching design goal formed to provide a public restroom that both meets a crucial need but also reflects Alexandria’s long standing hospitality and fluid connection to the river.

Diagram highlighting surrounding building sizes indicating residential and commercial zones implying duality of site and importance for locals.

intervention The form of the proposed restroom mirrors the Potomac’s flow and draws on Alexandria’s row-house grid. The design features a duet of stalls and a duet of ADA-accessible restrooms, all open-air above for natural ventilation and security. A central stone-basin sink pays homage to river stones and encourages communal engagement.

Adjacent to the restroom is a seating area covered by a metal-framed frosted-glass roof that diffuses harsh sunlight, offers privacy, and nods to the crossing of rail and bus lines.

Continuing is a simple wall and sparse trees that form a blank canvas for local art, extending a symbolic welcome to visitors. Across the path is a small play area, safely enclosed behind a low wall, with a wooden boat recalling Alexandria’s trade past and inspiring imaginative play.

2025 aia virginia prize entry | competition

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Noted bike-rack utilization during virtual site visit.

philippe hempel | portfolio

Since the proposed restrooms will take up what formerly was space for bike racks, these will be relocated under the rail station and in shelter.

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competition | 2025 aia virginia prize entry

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custodial service room

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built-in rest seating

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two exterior stalls

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mural and gathering spot

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two ADA-accessible bathrooms

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rest bench

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central stone-basin sink

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boat-themed play platform

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The blank wall beside the restrooms and behind the sparse trees can be decorated by local artists and discovered by locals and tourists alike.

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competition | 2025 aia virginia prize entry

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casa malaparte reimagined island of capri, italy keywords view full board password: “malaparte25”

historical and film research, renovation, digital fabrication, architectural drawings, narrative storytelling

This project involved researching a house featured in a movie and drawing connections to make meaningful changes to its narrative.

software used rhino adobe illustrator

when spring 2025

curriculum Foundation Studio III: Housing Matters

professor / mentor Stacy Scott

casa malaparte reimagined | historical intervention

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historical intervention | casa malaparte reimagined

portfolio | philippe hempel

historical context of the house Casa Malaparte, conceived in 1937 by the Italian writer Curzio Malaparte on the island of Capri, quickly became an icon of modern Italian architecture. Malaparte dismissed architect Adalberto Libera and built the house with local bricklayers, ensuring every detail reflected his isolationist lifestyle and obsession with work. Completed in 1943 during World War II, the home’s minimal amenities reinforced its role as a solitary workspace rather than a warm dwelling or backdrop of “life.”

symbolism in le mépris Jean-Luc Godard’s film Le Mépris features Casa Malaparte as the final site of a crumbling marriage. Like Malaparte, the character Paul prioritizes his professional ambitions over personal connections, and the house’s stark, work-focused layout underscores the distance growing between him and Camille. Casa Malaparte thus becomes both a metaphorical and literal stage for their inevitable separation.

casa malaparte reimagined | historical intervention

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historical intervention | casa malaparte reimagined

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the intervention Restructured Balance: Important domestic spaces such as the kitchen and dining area have been moved to the top floor, reversing the original hierarchy that placed work above everyday life. A dedicated studio near the entrance now keeps professional activities contained at the threshold, promoting a more balanced relationship between work and home.

Human Scale: A once-vast, 1,326-square-foot networking-focused living room has been subdivided into progressively smaller social areas. Each space encourages closer interaction by offering a more intimate setting, thus countering the original sense of vastness and isolation.

Curated Views: The emphasis on views has been refined to prioritize quality over quantity.

The most iconic picture-window from Le Mépris remains but is now situated in a smaller, more intimate room, while other spaces employ variably scaled windows to prevent visual overload and embody true significance to each framed scene. Additionally, a new outdoor space further draws nature inside, strengthening the house’s connection to its dramatic surroundings.

Kitchen: The house now features a tradition-inspired Italian kitchen that merges seamlessly with the dining area, establishing a warm, communal heart of the home.

casa malaparte reimagined | historical intervention

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historical intervention | casa malaparte reimagined

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historical intervention | casa malaparte reimagined

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forager’s hike pavilion riverview park charlottesville, VA keywords view full board password: “foragerhike24”

site analysis, architectural drawings, model fabrication, collage render, narrative storytelling

software used rhino adobe illustrator

when fall 2024

curriculum Foundation Studio II: Responsive Space

The Forager’s Hike is an architectural intervention on a slim site along the Rivanna River, located near Riverview park in Charlottesville, Virginia. The purpose of the intervention, informed by the Black Morel mushroom, was to provide an experience for active foragers and passerbys alike, where individuals or groups can go on a short journey of discovery to an overlook pavilion all the while learning about the site’s preconditions, history, and reflecting upon nature.

The result of careful design considerations is not merely a structure to seek shelter in, but rather an experience that builds upon the site’s contexts, the ideas of foraging and discovery, the Black Morel mushroom, and unites one with nature providing new perspectives to the site and surrounding area.

professor / mentor Elgin Cleckley

forager’s hike pavilion | pavilion

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pavilion | forager’s hike pavilion

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project location

One of the most fun features of the site was the presence of a particularly large boulder formation.

site analysis

In addition to the site’s steep slope, there were many trees and dense vegetation. In the design process, I explored wheelchair accessibility and emphasized preserving the existing trees to maintain the soil stability provided by their roots.

forager’s hike pavilion | pavilion

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site context

preparation PREPARATION BA

CONSUMPTION

consumption

PRESERVATION

preservation B

IDENTIFI CATION identification

site plan

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pavilion | forager’s hike pavilion

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section A | arrival hike

section B | pavilion interior

The architecture accomplishes the project’s goals through a variety of thoroughly developed and particular uses of space, material, color, use of light, and structure. As you climb the steps up the steep hill, the weaving path mirroring the natural contours of a Black Morel Mushroom’s cap narrows to a single orange wooden tower made of the wood of local trees—its color an ode to the Black Morel's ripeness. Passing under the tower, your view is framed to a tree that sits on the hill, emphasizing the duality of what was and what has become, and the forest preconditions of the site and mushroom’s need for wood. The facade of the pavilion features kiln-burnt glazed tiles made from locally sourced clay, the same kind used to construct the nearby Woolen Mills. Wooden slats beside the entrance lead the viewer's eyes down the hill to reflect on the journey up and prepare for the continued journey within the pavilion. Entering the pavilion, you begin in a cave-like and dense space that gradually opens up to a panoramic view. Along this journey of discovery where lightness means enlightenment, you find a space to store items, identify with the Black Morel Mushroom, and prepare food or a snack. In the center is enclosed a single rock and a tree, once again the preconditions, but also an aggregate of nature and an emphasis of the persistence of life. At the end of the journey is a wooden bench to sit, eat, and reflect one more time. Additionally, the roof is designed to provide shade in the hotter evenings, enhance the audibility of rain, and when it rains, flood the courtyard as a symbolic gesture to the river’s floodplains, also visible from the pavilion.

forager’s hike pavilion | pavilion

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creek view of structure

entry view of materiality

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forager’s hike pavilion | pavilion

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pavilion | forager’s hike pavilion

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black morel collage + container

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charlottesville, VA keywords view full collage password: “blackmorel24”

research, collage, product design, sketching, informative, storytelling

software used adobe illustrator

when fall 2024

curriculum Foundation Studio II: Responsive Space

professor / mentor Elgin Cleckley

black morel collage + container | research

To start the project off, I selected the Black Morel mushroom—a native forgeable edible in Virginia. The goal was to produce a collage that tells the narrative of the mushroom, and to then use this narrative to inform a container that can be used by foragers when gathering the mushroom. I emphasized the timeline of the mushroom, it’s social significance being a coveted delicacy that marks the beginning of spring, and its beautiful colors where as it ripens, it goes through orange hues before settling in a charred appearance.

The container reflects what I learned about the mushroom and is a multi-use product that aids in the identification process (the black morel is hollow and the container has a rod that differentiates it from it’s poisonous and solid counterpart), acts as a means of building community (multiple of the containers, each being quite small, can be distributed to a larger group and reconnected by strings once gathering completes), and highlights the mushroom’s vibrancy (the rod acts also as a light that shines through the semi-translucent fungus and transforms the container into a lantern).

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research | black morel collage + container

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research | black morel collage + container

Philippe Hempel linkedin.com/in/philippehempel/