Barnard College, Columbia University M.Arch 1 Candidate
My journey in architecture is deeply shaped by my multicultural background and personal experiences growing up in both the United States and Peru. From a young age, I was captivated by the architecture of my family’s home in Callao, Peru, where multigenerational living created a dynamic, interconnected space that fostered spontaneity and community.
Through my portfolio, I aim to demonstrate my commitment to exploring themes such as affordable construction, cultural preservation, and human-centered design, with the goal of designing spaces that, like my family’s home, cultivate a sense of belonging and foster meaningful relationships.
Koivwvia : Re-imagining Aspres through Community-Led Design
Advanced Architectural Research & Design Studio
Instructor: Karen Fairbanks
Team: Max Graves, Noa Greenwell, and Danielle Eregie
Site: Aspres, Strovolos iii, Cyprus
Contribution: Overall project coordination, design development, 3D digital model, collages, and drawings for everything related to the community assembly.
Built for internal refugees with no public investment in social infrastructure, the Apres settlement poses questions about permanence, material resilience, and the dynamics of internal movement. The aim of our proposal is to provide a framework for community-driven transformation, addressing boundaries between private and public, and redefining ownership thresholds.
Consisting of variable sites scattered through Aspres, the project is anchored in a “community assembly” located on the south-western edge of the neighborhood--currently home to a nearly vacant mall. It is designed to preserve the businesses, serve as a community archive, provide a space for the discussion of community maintenance matters, and host other civic/social events for residents. There is currently no existing space designated to collect the histories of the refugees living in Aspres and information is primarily found through first person encounters.
Preliminary design sketches & site observations
Community Assembly: Native Species Garden Rooftop
Roof Plan
Second Level Plan Ground Level Plan
Longitudinal Section of the Community Assembly
Proposed Site Interventions
1: Neighborhood Library interior
Satellite 2: Conversation Pit and Expanded Playground In collaboration with Max
Satellite 3: Refurbished Basketball Courts and Playground In collaboration with Max
Satellite 4: Urban Gardens In collaboration with Max
View of spaces between businesses and the assemby hall.
The Green Thumb
Advanced Architectural Research & Design Studio
Instructor: Karen Fairbanks
Team: Noa Greenwell
Site: Kofinou Reception Center, Cyprus
Contribution: Overall project coordination, design development, 3D digital models, post production of open-air classroom drawings, and all collages..
Asylum seekers residing in Cyprus’ reception centers, where they typically wait nine months for work permits, face unique challenges to integrate within the country’s workforce. Our program addresses these needs by focusing on sectors identified by the Cypriot government as critical for asylum immigration while incorporating an adaptable urban garden. The proposed site is Kofinou, though the concept can be applied to various locations.
Portable containers form the foundation of this design, offering flexible site configurations. Modular crates serve multiple functions as garden pots, storage units, and seating when closed. The Green Thumb not only introduces safe kitchens and classrooms into the reception center ecosystem but also fosters collaboration through its versatile design, enabling endless uses and innovative solutions.
Preliminary design sketches
Map of Immigrant Reception Centers in Cyprus Potential Deployment Schemes A: OPEN-AIR CLASSROOM
A: Open Air Classroom
B: Communal Kitchen In collaboration with Noa
Containers deployed at the Kofinou Reception Center
Generative Proposals for the Miami Dade Lake Belt
KoDA Studio Internship, Summer Academic Research
Supervisor: Wesley Kean
Site: The Lake Belt, Miami, Florida
Contribution: All drawings, concepts, research, and the project proposal were developed by me under the supervision of Wesley Kean, who reviewed my research progress weekly.
This project investigates Miami-Dade’s Urban Development Boundary (UDB) and the Lake Belt District, where limestone quarrying has transformed the landscape into deep, groundwaterflooded lakes and fragmented wetlands. These quarry lakes, situated near critical wellfields that supply over 90% of Miami-Dade’s public water, pose ecological risks that the project aims to address through rehabilitation and the reconnection of natural and urban systems.
Key interventions include a research facility integrating floating wetlands to regenerate wildlife, a Wellfield Loop transforming restricted wellfield areas into car-free recreational corridors, and a Doral Boulevard Extension blending ecological restoration, recreation, and outdoor art. The pilot programs, selected based on unique site conditions like quarry lakes and wellfields, form a flexible matrix of interventions that reimagine the Lake Belt as a resilient ecological infrastructure, restoring wetlands, protecting water resources, and raising public awareness of Miami-Dade’s vital water systems.
Preliminary research sketches and drone images taken on site.
Callout C: Doral Boulevard Extension
A three-mile road in the northwest wellfield is now a vehicle-free greenway, promoting wellfield awareness and nature appreciation.
Paved paths become a car-free Doral Boulevard extension featuring an open-air art exhibit, while shallow straits improve water and wildlife flow between quarry lakes.
Callout A: The Center for Wetland Research
Stream Connection
Rock-pit lakes connect via a man-made stream to promote flow across lakes.
Doral Boulevard
Extended Bridge made over site of former road.
Floating Wetlands
Extended Littoral Zone
Pedestrian Path
Bike Paths
Pavilions
Water fountains, shaded seating, natural ventilation.
Elevated Walkways
Callout B: The Wellfield Loop
Proximity to Urban Density Wellfield Protection Gradient
Lake Belt Key Plan
Proposed
Community Engagement
Wildlife Habitability
Natural Landscapes
Water Flow
Degree of Intervention
Sand and Gravel Supplier
Existing
Community Engagement
Wildlife Habitability
Natural Landscapes
Water Flow
Research Facility
Elevated Walkways
Floating Wetlands
Wetland Connection into Urban Areas
Eugenia B.Thomas K-8 Center, Doral Meadow Park
Regenerate quarry lake through regular observation and maintenance of wetlands.
Relocate the facility to the following quarry lake once wetlands have established a satisfactory level of self-sufficiency.
Extended Littoral Zone
Shallow areas promote vascular plant life, a sign of wetland integrity.
Floating Wetland Maintenance
Provided by FIU researchers, staff, and students.
Floating Wetlands
Promote wildlife regeneration further into the former rock pit.
Program pods move, but the solar-powered trestle supports will Remain to continue to monitoring water quality and provide additional filtration.
Elevated walkways to enter and exit the faciity.
FIU Wetland Ecosystems Research Facility
Classrooms, laboratories, wildlife viewing areas, library, short term residences, administration,dining areas, and assembly hall.
The National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD.
Callout A: Center for Wetland Research
H20 IRCAM Center
Instructors: Thomas Demonchaux, Antoine Santiard, Marcos G. Rojo
This temporary, water-filled installation within the Centre Pompidou façade explores the concept of “water-balloon” slabs, responding to applied pressure and creating dynamic, shifting forms. Inspired by the rhythmic pulse of a beating heart, the H20 Center’s design incorporates a system of flowing water. Its program is shaped by the museum’s proximity to a daycare, a Serge Gainsbourg exhibition, and the IRCAM Center, a hub for music research.
The first level offers short-term housing for week-long IRCAM fellowships, with access via an existing elevator to the museum. The second level features semi-enclosed music practice rooms, or niches, insulated by water-filled EFTE walls. The top level is dedicated to an Adventure Playground, drawing from the H20 Center’s unique materiality, where reconfigured walls and fluid spaces encourage exploration and play, immersing visitors in the evolving, interactive nature of the installation.
Inspiration Sketch
Columbia GSAPP Paris Studio
Site: Paris, France
Plan-O-Metric Topography
Relationship to Daycare and Music exposition
First floor plan
The first floor houses a shortterm stay studio and a public intermediary space.
Second floor plan
Stairwell 1 leads to music rooms insulated by water-filled EFTE walls, also accessible via the glass “caterpillar.”
Third floor plan
Stairwell 2 brings visitors to the Adventure Playground.
“Water-Balloon” Slab Details
Metamorphosis Garden
Environments and Mediation Studio
Instructor: Lindsay Graham
Site: 111th St. and Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY
A site analysis of the Community Garden on 111th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, along with interviews with visitors, revealed a need for better-organized seating, concelead tool storage, and expanded planting areas. The redesign transforms the garden’s perimeter into a multifunctional space that acts as both a protective barrier from the urban environment and a hub for seating, shade, and vertical gardens.
The shape-shifting planes create habitable spaces, such as public seating, private nooks, and street connections, all while preserving existing trees. These planes seamlessly convert into seating that extends onto the street, inviting the public into the garden. Metamorphosis uses stacked planes that subtly evolve with each iteration, offering a dynamic, adaptable design that responds to user needs.
Preliminary design sketches
Site Analysis
Existing
Proposed Site Plan
1’ : 1/8” Scale Model
The shape shifting planes form a number of habitable spaces:
Public Seating
Street Connection
Private Nooks
Wall Topography
Sound Sculptures
Systems & Materials Studio
Instructor: Diana Cristobal
Site: St. Paul’s Chapel, Columbia University
Environments & Mediation Studio
Instructor: Lindsay Graham
Over two semesters, our introductory studios emphasized material experimentation and user experience in three-dimensional space. I developed a series of sound sculptures exploring tensile strength and user interaction, selecting three projects that highlight my craft, form exploration, and modelmaking process. The physical models acted as iterative sketches, allowing me to test ideas, refine forms, and directly inform the design process before any digital drawings were produced.
Project A explores knots and weaving techniques to create a layered tunnel that carries sound. Project B builds on this concept by using the tensile strength of scaffolding and rope to stabilize the structure. Project C focuses on St. Paul’s Chapel and its exposure to the Venturi effect caused by the adjacent tunnel. Using paper on a site replica, the design employs rope to apply tensile pressure, shaping the form and creating a bond between the existing architecture and the intervention. By translating the intensifying wind patterns exiting the Law Bridge overpass into sound, the sculpture alludes to the chapel’s role as a space
Preliminary design sketches
Tunnel Vision Basswood,and yarn on foam.
Human-scale guitar
Basswood, felt, elastic string, and butterboard on foam.
The Three Flutes Bristol Paper, yarn, and butterboard on foam.
Multi-Media Drawings
Basic Drawing Studio
Instructor: Naomi R. Safran-Hon
Sketching is a key part of my design process, used for exploration and documenting my surroundings. I always carry a little black sketchbook, where I include sketches, annotations, observations, and collected flora to capture the essence of each site. My sketchbook layout uses a layered approach, combining textures and information through techniques such as embroidering trace paper, stitching fabric, and weaving narratives with red thread over printed spreads.
During my senior year, I further developed my skills in perspective and figure drawing through a dedicated drawing studio. Over the semester, I produced a range of works, including abstract and realistic landscapes, culminating in a final project titled “Fashion of Excess,” which critically explored themes of fast fashion and consumerism through a four-piece series.
Left: 116th and Broadway
18” x 24” charcoal on bristol
Right: Fabric of Excess
Four pieces, each 18” x 24” charcoal on bristol
Urban Conundrum Exploration of New York City’s chaotic environments.
x 24” Ink and pastel on bristol.
During the 2020 pandemic, I began creating jewelry inspired by my lifelong connection to the ocean and the beauty of pearls in Hawaiian adornments. What started as a passion project—using my mother’s broken pearl necklace and my dad’s pliers to bring it back to life—quickly grew as friends began requesting pieces of their own.
Materials like Tahitian pearls, keshi pearls, labradorite, tourmaline, gold-fill chains, and sterling silver became the foundation of my designs. Every piece is handmade by me in small batches, and I handle all aspects of the business, from photography and marketing to sales. What began during lockdown has since grown into a thriving small jewelry business.
