Architecture Portfolio by Stefenie Lai

Architecture Portfolio

STEFENIE LAI

ARCHITECTURAL PORTFOLIO / 2025

ASSEMBLAGE the end at the beginning of the water

Nyiyaparli Cultural and Repatriation Centre

HICKSON ROAD

Watery Mud

Washpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Watery Mud was developed out of a series of design charrettes that examined at how lines, patterns, and figures in a picture could be used to make designs. The programme was a 10,000 square foot childcare facility for women and children, opted to locate in Dhaka, Bangladesh—a city that is increasingly hosting climate refugees.

This project examined the potential of mud and bamboo construction, the interaction between a building and the earth, and the varying levels of the water table. The concept was that mud, a substance that decomposes naturally and hence necessitates ongoing maintenance, could be a tool for collectivity and participatory design.

Many climate refugees from South Bangladesh have settled in Washpur (most of whom are women and children). The chosen location engages the shoreline and is surrounded by ad hoc and unofficial settlements. The facility would serve as a venue for educating women and kids so they can create a sustainable future.

Section: 2020

Section: 2030

Section: 2040

392 Crown Street, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

A sketch in Lawrence Halprin’s notepad served as the basis for this endeavour. He characterised the road as a notion... as a sensory experience in his sketch. The site, which is located at 392 Crown Street, is on a boundary that separates Yale from communities that are primarily low-income, African-American, and Latinx. Conceptually, the design is influenced by the choreographic ideals of Anna Halprin, a dancer who used movement, art, and direct experiences with nature to rehabilitate patients who were near the end of their lives. The goal of the way is to integrate into one’s daily activities so that bodies can come back, roam, and wander anytime they like.