Yan Vince Mutesa's Portfolio

YAN VINCE MUTESA Architectural Designer portfolio| Parsons 22

Resume

About me

Experience

I’m a 24 year old conceptual and visual designer from Rwanda and Canada. I was trained as an architectural designer and have since worked in several firms to complete conceptual design (CD) in pitches for clients. In my free time I draw and visualize alternative built environments (www.creationsareblue.com).

JAKLITSCH/GARDNER ARCHITECTS - Architectural Designer (April 2023 - Jun 2024)

Education

Rafael De Cardenas - Design Intern (July 2022 - August 2022) Adjaye Associates - Design Intern (Jun 2021- Aug 2022)

High School

Skills

University

- Midjourney - 3ds Max - Vray - Rhino - Enscape - Sketchup

- St Georges School (Vancouver, CA)

- Parsons School of Design Major: Archiectural Design Grade: Honors

Contact Email: mutesa.yan@gmail.com Phone: +1 (917) 528 4406

- Adobe Illustrator - Adobe Photoshop - Adobe Indesign - Figma - Hand drafting - Model making

Ukrainian Village

ents

Table of contents • Professional Academic

Philadelphia Contemporary Museum

Blue Sign

ents

ents

Suggestive Architecture • •

Jazz Reach Music Program Typologies as Systems

Ukrainian Village In response to the tragedy occurring in Ukraine, I tackled the challenge of optimizing their space in the city of New York to host refugees and foster more community engagement. For this purpose, I chose a singular block in the Ukrainian village of Manhattan (7th St & 2nd Ave) and used it as an example to emphasize how the existing infrastructure could be used to host additional housing and third spaces nurturing community.

*Diagram of current occupation

Third space Social Justice Corners Community Building

Community Dialogue & Leadership Churches & Archives Social Justice Corners

Structural support for additional housing

FAR (sq ft) 5 303

6 029

17 264

6 448

5 476

6 311

11 924

8 507

35 819

5 705

7 408

5 710

7 294

6 226

5 480

7 017

5 480

6 117

3 504

13 837

4 000

13 837

4 748

10 920

3 488

10 920

4 719

10 092

8 920

4 016

7 864

10 230

9 810

5 299

9 635

9 325

9 438

7 711

9 438

6 792

10 860

9 425

10 488

9 425 10 785 11 500

Tools: Rhino, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Phyiscal Model Making

7th St

1st Ave

Community Synagogue Remaining Symbol of the Middle Collegiate Church Evolving Social Justice Space

Assessing the dimensions and parameters of built infrastructure using variables such as floor area ratios (FAR) and topography lines allowed me to distinguish where new programs could be situated.

Lower buildings could benefit from additional support from trusses to ensure structural integrity needed for construction of new housing.

Philadelphia Contemporary Museum At the core of our team’s approach in designing the Philadelphia Contemporary Museum was the principle that design should foster conversation. In search for what typology defines the birth of meaningful dialogue the shape of a semicircle came to mind. Such a form allows for gatherings to occur in a natural manner and it is the starting point for our way of communicating. Synthesizing this form into systems throughout our design allowed us to remain consistent in emphasis on conversation and gathering throughout our design.

Tools: Rhino, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Enscape

Blue Sign Aiming to promote and market my collection of paintings illustrating a unique story, in March of 2024 I organized an art exhibition named “Blue sign”. The series of paintings exhibited follow a child traveling far from home to attend an academy of architects, along this journey the child is met with tremendous challenges rewiring his sense of space and structure. The purpose of the exhibit was to communicate what my brand and story was about. I organized the show independently and worked with my friends to bring this vision to life.

For more information please head to www.creationsareblue.com

Looking for a place to host this exhibition, the primary criteria was to align with the brand by finding a room that would compliment the colors implemented in the works. Additionally, it had to be very visually accessible to visitors nearby hence why I chose this location greeting you with floor to ceiling glass panels. The cloth on the ceiling installed by my peers and I was meant to foster a feeling of intimacy with the audience visiting the works.

Tools: Physical modeling, Rhino, Adobe Illustrator

Jazz Reach Music Program Designing the proposal for Jazz Reach in Catskill NY was an opportunity to make a statement on the community’s landscape. My role was to visualize how the Barn-like design would sit on the hill our client was envisioning situating his program on. In completing such a task I fulfiled our client’s to pursue a specific set of materials primarily centered around the use of wood cladding both inside and outside.

Following our meeting with the client I used a few key words and references he mentioned to start formulating a prompt that would cater to his needs. Such a process allowed me to get closer to his vision.

Tools: Midjourney & Photoshop Prompt reference: https://s.mj.run/GOHoHlAUljY https://s.mj.run/WMfVdjpDTWU Rule of Thirds, Late afternoon, Natural Light, Eye-level, Minimalist Barn house, Barn + house, Exterior View, Wood, prairies, housing, structures, Neutral, natural, Tall grass, in the distance, Upstate New York, USA, Modern, Housing --ar 16:9 --v 5

Typologies as Systems I developed an interest in natural and vernacular typologies after learning about the capacities of AI rendering tools. My frustrations with the time it cost for designers to model complex infrastructure in order to render something special were instantly alleviated. As a starting point for study I picked a unique kind of fungus, the “Turkey Tail” mushroom which presents interesting shading properties for the built environment and started iterating designs from there. A collection of different expressions of form allows me to identify unique typologies and utilize them as systems for design.

Prompt - futuristic, organic, vernacular, curvilinear,interior,minimal restaurant, African people, afro, blue terracotta clay, arches, tall coffered navy blue ceilings, blue stucco, curved glass, frosted glass, lush prairie landscape, virginia creeper, artificial lighting, blue ivy, lush blue botanicals, plant, succulents, all blue environment, foggy, dusty --ar 16:19 --V5

Tools: Midjourney, Adobe Photoshop

Mr Bigutsion residence

tents

Table of contents Professional

tents

Community Music Works

• Academic

Red Hook interventions

tents

Suggestive architecture

tents

Mr Bigutsion’s Residence Home for a retired rythm an blues artist Softwares: Rhino, 3ds max - Vray, Adobe illustrator Softwares

Bow River

The design process involved understanding how to merge Mr Bigutsion’s needs with the site’s environmental context

Winter

W

N

N

N

Winter Sun Path

Summer Sun Path

Bearspaw Calgary

Wind speed

Summer

Being aware of the direction of the winds, my initiative was to respond with curves increasing the aerodynamic qualities of the house. Majority of the winds were known to come from the west in the winter so I sheltered the balcony by curving the extension of the second floor which also creates overhangs.

TEMPERATURE

Primary Entry

Artistic Archive

Thermal Profile

Miguel Bigutsion is a 65 year old retired rythm and blues artist. Upon meeting Mr Bigutsion his first instinct was to share a page from his diary.

As a creative he mentioned being more productive in sheltered cool spaces and more relaxed in warm ones. Throughout his artistic journey he discussed how the best music came from unpredictable encounters so he never chose to keep his process linear. Knowing these details I designed a hierarchy of rooms based of temperture and gemoetric fluidity.

Kitchen Bathroom

Living Room

Recording Room

Bedroom

tents

7

3

8

Washroom

Bathroom

Recording room

4

Living Room

UP

Gathering room

15’

1

DN

Main Entry Bedroom & Yoga room

6

5

Balcony

2

Kitchen

Second Floor

First Floor

Ground floor 32’

ing Winter Sunlight

1. Main EntryGuest 2. Kitchen 3. Washroom 4. Living room

Second floor

12’ Inside

Circulation Diagrams Concrete Thermal Mass

5. Gathering room 6. Bedroom & Yoga room 7. Recording room

Close Friend

Taking advantage of the environmental context meant allowing Mr R = 0.97 + (6 x 0.08) + (3.17x 13) + 0 = 42.66

Bigustion to reduce some of his energy consumption. For instance, Floor (R/inch): 0.97 due to the summer and winter sun paths around the site I chose to use Below grade (R/inch): 0 concrete as a thermal mass to mitigate the abundance of heat from sunConcrete (R/inch): 0.08 Fiberglass (R/inch): 3.17 light.

30’- 4 1/2”

Mr Bigutsion

DN

DN

DN

N

East Elevation

North Elevation

West Elevation

Community Music Works Brooklyn|New York Located in Rhode Island Providence is a youth program named “Community Music Works” it is geared towards music learning and celebration. The leaders of the educational program sought to expand in Brooklyn New York near Fort Greene Park. Upon meeting the client the main concerns expressed were yhr lack of exposure to sunlight and outdoor performing space. Working from such conversations the initial approach was to tackle how to enhance the experience of learning instruments in different indoor and outdoor spaces

Red Hook Urban Intervention

Softwares Revit Sketchup 3ds max - Vray Adobe illustrator

Exploring sheltered open spaces facing different parts of the community.

Merging Non-human life with outdoor gathering atmospheres and rooms.

Creating interactive passage with nature through non-rectilinear walkway.

The Red Hook urban intervention is a conceptual project geared towards activating the empty lots present in the infamous Brooklyn neighborhood. The emphasis on the typologies developed for this project is mostly highlighting the possibilities for humans to gain more interaction with the present wild life in the surrounding green spaces. Such relationships are developed through community gathering of small retail & restaurant businesses stimulating the circulation of people.

Red Hook Map

Suggestive Architecture Suggestive Architecture is a series of atmospheres I developed to inform conceptual possibilities. This series involves outdoor and indoor spaces defining what it means to be shelterd or exposed.

Paper Models Inclosure

Threshold

Passage

Envelope