NEW YORK CITY, NYIT
FALL 2023
FACULTY: CRYSTAL EKSI
Strand Hub is a play on the name of “Nostrand” Avenue, the avenue the site is located on. Seen throughout the building is the prominent “S” strand curve that becomes the driving force for the design. The building is spread across three buildings using the adjacent buildings’ air rights to provide enough space to bring the community together at this hub.
Families, adults, children, and the elderly are welcome to join and experience the public library workspaces or the community and indoor playroom built close to their homes. Residents have the opportunity to appreciate the amenities and accessible rooftop garden to grow their very own fruits and vegetables.
In addition, the building provides environmental systems to support the underserved community of Bedford Stuyvesant. Experimenting with a green wall and grey water system, it recycles used water in the building to water the green wall and benefits the community by lessening rates of air pollution. The water wall in the outdoor study area collects rainwater to use for the rooftop garden while providing a peaceful ambiance.
Restoring the community by bringing more activity to the streets, the goal is to provide multi-generational and senior affordable housing to support families through evolving times at the Strand Hub.
HISTORY
HISTORY
BEDFORD & STUYVESANT VILLAGES JOIN: BED-STUY BEDFORD ATTRACTED OLD NEW ENGLAND & NEW YORK FAMILIES. WHILE STUYVESANT HEIGHTS HAD NEW MONEY RICH FAMILIES
DUTCH SETTLEMENT:
1600S: BROOKLYN WAS A FARMING VILLAGE ORIGINALLY NAMED BREUCKELEN. WHEN THE BRITISH TOOK OVER BROOKLYN, BLACK SLAVES CAME TO WORK ON THESE FARMS. AS THE FARMLAND GREW, MORE IMMIGRANTS LOOKING FOR WORK AND TO ESCAPE THEIR COUNTRIES CAME TO WORK.
A & MAJOR TUR IN BROOKLYN. MANY FROM HARLEM
BROOKLYN IN BET
CRIME & VIOLANCE
1980S: DRUGS, GANGS & VIOLENCE WAS HIGH DUE TO RACIAL BIAS AND TENSION. THE ERA ALSO INSPIRED SOME OF POP CULTURES GREATEST TALENTS.
& C TRAINLINE TURNING POINT MANY RESIDENTS HARLEM MIGRATED TO IN SERACH FOR JOBS AND BETTER HOUSING
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT NOW: BED-STUY IS STILL HOME TO A RICH HISTORY AND DIVERSE CULTURE, MAKING IT A STRONG COMMUNITY.
ZONING DISTRICT: R6B
-FAR: 3.0
-Maxium Height = 50-55 ft
-Quality Housing regulations allows for 5 story
ELDERLY SPACE
1 Bedroom 6 TYPES
UNIT LAYOUT DESIGNS:
STUDIOS INCLUDE BALCONIES, ONE BEDROOMS INCLUDE A BOOK NOOK & THREE BEDROOMS INCLUDE AN INDOOR BALCONY.
3 Bedroom 3 TYPES
SECTION 2
SCALE: 1/16”
SECTION 1
SCALE: 1/16”
FINAL MODEL
SCALE: 3/32”
UN(DRESSING)
NEW YORK CITY, NYIT
SPRING 2022
FACULTY: ROBERTO DESEDA
Delightful Utopia is a conceptual bathhouse design based on form extractions from the painting Two Bottles by Le Corbusier. The project exercises the use of extracting shapes that develop into three-dimensional vessel structures. The vessels go through a series of transformations such as extrude, loft, and twist to create dynamic forms that will act as individual spaces for the bathhouse.
While creating the forms, light played a crucial role in the experience of a user walking through the vessels. This led to the creation of a screen development from cut paper folding studies. During this process, optimizing light in the vessels and playing with the patterns of light was the focus of the study.
A final selection of vessels was made to create a delightful bathhouse experience. These vessels along with the program drove the design of the “Vessel Narrative Section” showcasing how a user would walk through the spaces inside Delightful Utopia. The final selection of vessels was then carved from an imaginary cubical site on the mountainside. The design move for the entrance location at the middle of the cube allows the users to explore the top opening of the site and within the vessels while viewing the spaces inside before entering. This draws attention and excitement towards the users in the hope of leaving them feeling a sense of delight.
9AM
12PM
3PM
6AM - 6PM
NEW YORK CITY, NYIT
FALL 2021
FACULTY: JOHANA MONROY
Tree House is a conceptual house that experiments with Japanese joinery to understand the relationship between how a user interacts with space. Learning how to develop a spatial design that fits the needs of a designated user was the goal of the project.
The selection of the halved joint was the motive for the forms seen in Tree House. While experimenting with creating different iterations of halved joints, jointing and disjointing the joints was a crucial step in the process. Disjointing allowed opportunities for light and or built-in storage spaces within the house.
After assessing the possibilities of the joints, a selection of a specific user was chosen to design for. The user was analyzed based on their rest and work rituals to develop spatial joints specifically designed for the body of the user and the motions they would go through to get into their rituals.
Enclosures focused on structure, planar, and detail systems finalized the design of Tree House to enhance the functionality and lighting provided for the rituals.
NEW YORK CITY, FSSA 2020
FACULTY: SACHA TWAROG
MATERIAL: PLASTRUCT STYRENE SHEETS, BONDENE AND RUBBER CEMENT, PAPERCLIPS, AND FOAM CORE
Distorted Reflection is an homage to Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright. Instead of Wright’s intent of bringing nature into the home, a contemporary twist of the building was established by stripping the environment from this work completely. This reveals how without the inhabitants of humans and nature, the structure would have no purpose.
NEW YORK CITY, FSSA
2020
FACULTY: SACHA TWAROG
MATERIAL: PLASTRUCT STYRENE SHEETS, BONDENE AND RUBBER
CEMENT, MODEL GRASS, VELLUM PAPER, AND FOAM CORE
Tetris displays how unordinary forms can create a space. The interlocking sections from top to bottom represent the idea of creating a habitable space while manifesting how Tetris blocks fit together. Terraces were later included to act as open spaces at different levels for larger gathering locations or vantage points. Tetris was an experimental concept of an attempt at developing a spatial design using abnormal forms.
NEW YORK CITY, FSSA 2020
FACULTY: SACHA TWAROG
MATERIAL: GRAPHITE AND BLACK MARKER ON BRISTOL PAPER
Book of Japan exhibits illustrations of several iconic locations in Japan. The Sky Tree, Tokyo Station, Asakusa, Shibuya Crossing, Nakagin Capsule Tower, Cocoon Tower, and Kobe Tower are all popular tourist destinations. In the likelihood that these locations will change as the years progress, the Book of Japan is a tribute to these iconic landmarks and highlights my desire to visit these sites one day.
NEW YORK CITY, FSSA
2019
FACULTY: SACHA TWAROG
MATERIAL: GRAPHITE ON BRISTOL PAPER
Yellow Crane Towers is a collage of Chinese architecture portraying the misinterpretation of curved roofs. The Yellow Crane Tower based in Wuhan, China (located at the top center) is the focal point of the piece with restaurants mimicking its architectural design branching out from it. As this curved roofing element gained popularity among the Chinese, many restaurants began using it to attract tourists instead of understanding its original purpose, to ward off evil spirits.
