Portfolio 2025 Pooja Desai by pooja-desai

PORTFOLIO POOJA DESAI

EMANCIPATION TRAIL CENTER

A MISSION TO NURTURE OCCUPANTS’ CULTURE AND CURIOSITY + TO UPLIFT THE THIRD WARD COMMUNITY

LOCATION PROGRAM THIRD WARD, HOUSTON, TX CULTURAL CENTER & MUSEUM

*GROUP PROJECT IN COLLABORATION WITH MORGAN MENDENHALL

SITE

The building stands across the street from Emancipation Park, a culturally charged site in Third Ward, and is designed to connect heavily to the park.

FINAL SITE OF THE EMANCIPATION TRAIL

This cultural center is an addition to the Emancipation National Historic Trail, which starts in Galveston and continues with many sites in Houston, culminating at the Emancipation Trail Center. The building is designed with the intention to educate about the creation of the trail, remember the experiences and celebrate the culture of the Black community, and to create a safe community space for Third Ward residents.

FocalPoints

The public programs are concentrated toward the south side of the building to connect with the park, while private programs such as offices are designed to be on the north side of the building. The building is “protected” on either side with an entrance sector to the east and a private sector to the back. The focal points are offerings to the public as welcoming areas into the building.

THIRD

RAINSCREEN LOG CABIN

The African American tradition of quilting lives in the exterior represent safety: the log cabin and the flying geese. The inspiration from the buildings of Emancipation Park.

SUNSCREEN FLYING GEESE

exterior cladding and the screen system. Both patterns

The colors of the terracotta rainscreen panels take

I BIODEGRADE IN 3 TO 6 MONTHS I BIODEGRADE 3 TO 6 MONTHS

AN ARCHITECTURAL PERSPECTIVE ON AN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN PROJECT

LOCATION PROGRAM THIRD WARD, HOUSTON, TX

BIODEGRADABLE ACTIVATOR OF GREEN SPACES & COMMUNITY

*INDIVIDUAL PROJECT

Along with many areas in Houston, the Greater Third Ward is in a food desert and a danger to residents and represents a missed opportunity to activate green spaces the vacant lots in Third Ward with no plans to build on them soon. The strategy of for a safer and greener Third Ward community, and reclaim the community for its

Food Desert*

Low Income/Low Access Parks

VACANT LOTS IN THIRD WARD

has a lack of access to parks. The abundance of vacant lots in the area poses spaces in the neighborhood. The Midtown Redevelopment Authority owns many of this project is to activate vacant lots with programs of “playing” and “growing” members.

Vacant Lots Schools Existing Parks Main Road/METRO Routes

The Play-and-Grow Box allows play to lead the way to gardening, and brings communities one step closer to self-sustainability. Instructions are written into the sides of the box and the materials biodegrade in 3 to 6 months. The Spring Box and Fall Box contain different seeds (vegetables, herbs, and native wildlflowers) according to Houston’s growing seasons. With this simple design, the vacant lots of Third Ward are given life and residents are able to engage with nature.

Sleeve: for structure and seed paper storage

Section

Compost Breakdown: (underground) 1/2” wide holes for worms

Paper

Biodegrades in 3-6 months

Paper

Biodegrades in 2-6 weeks

Biodegrades in 6-8 months

Seed paper is provided on the top with origami instructions. Once the paper is used up and the plants have started to grow, the box is ready to be used as a compost bin. The bottom of the box is perforated with 1/2” wide holes to allow for worms to come in and break down the compost, adding nutrients into the surrounding soil.

Compost

Cardboard

Hemp

Seed

Cardboard

FOR URBAN GARDENING IN HOUSTON

Radish Turnip

Cilantro

Gulf Coast Penstemon

Texas Lantana Parsley

Cabbage

Green Beans*

Okra Squash

Oregano

Rosemary Autumn Sage

Eastern Purple

Coneflower

Black-eyed Susan

GROW

Instructions are written into the box flaps with accompanying visuals of how to fold the origami, how to take care of the plants, and what to compost. The respective seed is written into each paper.

ORIGAMIHOW-TO Usetheseedpapertomakeanairplane,craneorbutterfly! Tossthemaroundthelotandwatchplantsandflowersgrow.

or fall season!

PLANTING

- Tear paper to separate

HOW-TO

plant individually. pests. frequently until the plant in the spring

- Always check under plants for pests.

- When first planting, water frequently

germinates. - Plant seeds 1-2” deep. Some of these plants can be grown

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and plant individually.

PLANTING HOW-TO

Some of these plants can be grown in the spring or fall season!

- Tear paper to separate seeds and plant individually.

- Always check under plants for pests.

- When first planting, water frequently until the plant germinates.

- Plant seeds 1-2” deep.

once a week.

ORIGAMI HOW-TO

apertomakeanairplane,craneorbutterfly!

Usetheseedpapertomakeanairplane,crane

Usetheseedpapertomakeanairplane,craneorbutterfly! Tossthemaroundthelotandwatchplantsandflowersgrow.

GREENSPOINT AFFORDABLE HOUSING

A RESPONSE TO FLOODING IN HOUSTON AND LACK OF AFFORDABLE AND SAFE HOUSING

LOCATION PROGRAM GREENSPOINT, HOUSTON, TX

AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMPLEX & MASTER PLAN

*GROUP STUDIO RESEARCH & INDIVIDUAL DESIGN

Many Greenspoint residents are disproportionately affected by Houston flooding because many units and homes were built in the floodway. Susan Roger’s Spring 2023 ARCH 5500 studio collectively compiled census demographics and map-based research on Greenspoint to find the optimal sites to relocate these homes and determine where to place new affordable housing to meet housing demand.

GREENSPOINT

Families with Children

Mixed demographics: Different family types and ages create a more diverse and supportive communityi.e. an older, retired couple can look after a single mother’s child while she gets groceries

Eyes on the street: With lines of visibility from the front and back of homes, members of the community can look out for one another

Couples with No Children

Seniors

Single parents Families with children Families with children

PRODUCE FARM + SOLAR FARM

PARK PROPOSAL

CEMETERY

Green Space Proposal Parks Basins Housing Schools

100 Year Floodplain

500 Year Floodplain

Floodway

In a group of three, a large scale section of north Greenspoint was redesigned to provide access to green spaces and public transit, resolve the food desert, and increase affordable housing units. Each team member focused on a different section of the collective site.

This affordable housing project prioritizes diverse and multigenerational households, challenging the assumption that most households are nuclear families. A cohesive and walkable community is designed through shared courtyards and amenities, a central farmer’s market, and pocket parks.

FARMER’S MARKET CONNECTED TO FARM THREE AXES: 1.

Connects farmer’s market to farm Connects to main park of the whole site Connects to transit and rest of Greenspoint

ROOF DECK

512 units reside in this housing complex with pocket parks throughout. The parks feature a soccer field in the center, basketball courts, tennis courts, gazebos, and picnic benches. A farmer’s market runs through the middle, connecting the north and south sections of the complex.

FARMER’S MARKET

POCKET

POCKET PARK

PARK

The units feature 1 bed-1 bath (128), 2 bed-1 and 2-bath (256), and 3 bed-2 bath (128) to accommodate different family types and sizes.

STREET POCKET PARK BIKE LANE

FARMER’S MARKET

NORTHEAST HOUSTON: ASSET MAPPING

AND PRIORITY SETTING

An asset mapping and priority setting process funded by the Houston Economic Growth Collaborative for four Northeast Houston communities: Kashmere Gardens and Trinity/Houston Gardens, Eastex Jensen, and Settegast. The team created asset maps to identify community resources, developed relationship charts to highlight connections within the community and any gaps that need to be addressed, and facilitated meetings to foster discussion and build a lasting community network.

COMMUNITY DESIGN

Community Design Resource Center

PORT HOUSTON: VISIONING WORKSHOPS

Collaborated with the Port of Houston on their initiative to give back to communities affected by Port activities. To inform where Port funding should be put first, the team organized survey responses and led visioning workshops to assess what the communities’ priorities are. The team also facilitated community meetings, and built upon what was discussed.

COLUMBIA TAP TRAIL PLAN

Assisted in formatting and layout of the Housing and Economic Opportunity Plan for the Columbia Tap Trail Plan, and became familiar with the landscape of commercial, retail, residential, and vacant lots in the Third Ward.

HOLLY HALL HARVEST: SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY GARDEN

Led the design phase of a community garden project for the Holly Hall senior living complex; conducted research into ADA and senior accessible community gardens, created numerous iterations that included phases, and compiled a final booklet to be presented to the Holly Hall board.

OFFICE TO HOUSING: GREENSPOINT AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The project explored transforming Greenspoint’s surplus of vacant office buildings into affordable housing to address the many housing units built within floodplains. The team conducted feasibility studies, grouped optimal buildings into campus-like focus areas, and designed potential floor plans for multi-family residential housing, calculating unit counts, pricing, and development costs to present to potential funders and investors. Walkability, public transit access, and nearby amenities were key priorities in the proposals.

ARISE COLLECTIVE

In collaboration with Eliza Redmann and David Wilson Stitching Stories is a 25-foot-long prison awareness quilt, crocheted by women incarcerated at North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women. This public art installation seeks to encapsulate the project into a more permanent form. The quilt squares will be translated into three-dimensional Folded Poetry and mosaics. The exhibit will initially be showcased in a custom-built shipping container, allowing it to be moved to different locations.

UC DAVIS COLLEGE - 48X COMPLEX ART

In collaboration with Shane Allbritton A suspended sculptural piece in UC Davis’s newest college on campus; heat-formed polycarbonate “birds” suspended from the ceiling on cables to create the form of a bird flock

3/32” Airplane Cable and Heatformed Polycarbonate “Bird”

VENABLE MEMORIAL PARK PROPOSAL

In collaboration with Re:site Studio

The Dr. H. Phillip Venable Memorial Park challenges the perpetuation of racial residential segregation. Rededicated in 2021, the park was developed in the late 1950s after the Venable’s property was taken by eminent domain when they refused to sell it to their white neighbors, and later the City of Creve Coeur. Centering around his career as an opthamologist, the concept conveys something that was invisible is now exposed and transparent.

Colored Glass

1” Deep Wall

Cylinder diameters vary from 4” to 12”

4” x 4” Steel Framing

1/4” Steel Cylinder with Inner Gasket

DAYTON MEMORIAL PROPOSAL

In collaboration with Re:site Studio

On August 4, 2019, nine individuals were killed and nearly thirty-seven injured during a mass shooting in the Oregon District of Dayton, Ohio. The city took on the motto Dayton Strong with the symbol of a diamond, which this project uses as inspiration for the form of the memorial sculpture.

HEALIX

In collaboration with Shane Allbritton

Located in Bridgerland Technical College - Health Sciences Building in Logan, Utah “Healix” is a sculptural piece featuring thousands of sea glass pieces suspended from the ceiling in two spirals. The team saw the process through from design ideation to fabrication methodology to installation.

Designed for Toca Madera Houston, this “bird’s nest” creates a natural escape away from the adjacent bustling Allen Parkway for a peaceful dining experience. The team had to ensure a modular structure for easy transport and install on the cramped site. This was a new type of project for the studio so different structures and installation methods were tested, and the team was in constant communication with the building architects, landscape team, and fabrication team.

TOCA MADERA

WRIGHT-CASTRO RESIDENCE

A garage apartment for the clients’ visiting family

CRESTWOOD RESIDENCE

Overlooking the Hogg Bird Sanctuary in Houston’s Memorial Park, the clients want to add a deck to their existing house to experience the surrounding nature in an intimate way right outside their home. The site rests on a hill so the team had to work with the elevation change.