Portfolio / May Wang

712 Seward

Project Description

712 Seward is an adaptive reuse project of an existing 1920s building - the open interior, updated detailing, and straightforward exterior nestled in lush planting builds off the local vernacular to re-figure functional space as comfortable, habitable space.

Designed to house post-production and creative tenants in the film industry, the building offers specific areas for editing, screening, and post-production work, while also providing flexible zones for open office and communal activity.

The central atrium and stair make up the node around which the building’s circulation and program are organized. The stair is the social hinge that connects the workspaces, roof gardens, and building services. As it wraps the atrium, the twisting stair defines the space, accentuating the central node and directing movement through the building.

9514 Towne Centre

Project Description

Embedded in San Diego’s landscape, 9514 TCD takes advantage of the site’s existing topography and open space to locate and integrate itself into its surroundings. Designed to support life-science users, the deep landscape buffers and the city’s temperate climate frame attractive amenities that can also support contemporary creative offices.

The project is in San Diego’s “Hub of Innovation”, a neighborhood that has earned its name with its extensive science and research community. The two-story building is planned and designed to support laboratory uses through an open and flexible plan with perimeter columns, deep bays, 16-foot floor to floors, and high-load, vibration-resistant floors. The high floors promote tall 12’-0” windows to provide exceptional office daylighting across the deep office bays.

Personal Contribution

• Lobby and Restroom design

• Produced renderings, plans, and diagrams for regular client presentations

• Selected furniture, finishes, and fixtures for client review

Undisclosed: Seattle Tower

Project Description

As part of a multi-tower development in downtown Seattle, Otherworks was responsible for the design of a 420’ mixed-use commercial office building facing a public plaza and the terminus of a streetcar rail line.

The building’s floorplates reflect the site’s unique trapezoidal shape, and the building facade scallops inward as the tower approaches the top of its 420’ height. Multi-level decks are created by cutting through strategically located corners of the tower to allow expansive views across the city.

In collaboration with facade optimization and engineering consultants, Otherworks developed a glass sawtooth facade system that could accommodate the curved geometries of the tower, minimize unique conditions of panelization, and meet rigorous environmental performance requirements.

Personal Contribution

• Tower Massing Studies and Development in Rhino and Grasshopper

• Ground Floor, Roof Deck, and Plaza Studies

• Facade Development and Articulation Studies

• Coordination with Facade Engineers and Optimization Consultant

• Design Modeling, Documentation, and Rendering

• Model coordination with Project Architects

Facade Articulation Studies

Las Palmas

Project Description

The Las Palmas project is a series of seven buildings: five existing bowstring truss buildings, on the east side of Las Palmas Avenue, facing a new 80,000 sf office building and an additional existing structure across the street.

These series of buildings were conceived as a post-production and creative office campus, able to be subdivided into few or many tenants. The goal for each building was to relate to others on the campus, yet retain an individual identity. Thus the formal language of the existing bowstring truss buildings informed the shape of the new building (1151 Las Palmas), with a double arc roof and curved sawtooth profile.

At 80,000 sf, 1151 Las Palmas anchors the project, stitching the campus together with a cross-site connection between street-facing plazas and a communal courtyard. The configuration of the buildings on campus with surrounding open space supports flexible programming arrangements for the contemporary production workplace.

Personal Contribution

• Massing and Facade Articulation Studies

• Adaptive Reuse and Renovation Studies

• Parking and Building Space Planning

• Groundscape Design

• Retail Design

• Lobby and Restroom Design

• Coordination with Project and Landscape Architects

• Design Modeling, Documentation, and Rendering

• Coordinated and Compiled Site Planning Review Submittal

Within 1151 Las Palmas, a series of blended interior/exterior spaces are strategically integrated vertically and horizontally through the building. The placement of the central building core, connected to these terraces, maximizes building tenant flexibility without compromising daylit open floor planning, access to outdoor space, and security. The east-west passage, traversing the building site from Las Palmas Ave. to McCadden Pl, as well as the exterior stair in the central courtyard grants outdoor access to each of the building’s tenants.

NoMA Station

Project Description

NoMA Station, named for the historic building on site currently serving a federal government office, is slated to be a multi-family residential, mixeduse development providing over 1,200 residential units, 40,000sf of retail, and 760 parking spaces.

With the expected market and demographic growth of the immediate neighborhood, the project’s parking basement, podium, and residential buildings are planned to be developed over two distinct building phases. Each of the project’s four buildings had a different unit type ratio and unit square footage target depending on their sequence in the phasing and projected target market.

Personal Contribution

• Massing and Facade Articulation Studies

• Building Code and Zoning Research

• Parking and Building Space Planning

• Unit Planning and Calculations

• Groundscape Design

• Coordination with Civil Engineers

• Design Modeling, Documentation, and Rendering for Client and Coordination Meetings

BUILDING 1A TYPICAL FLOOR LAYOUT

Post-Production Tenant Feasibility Study

Project Description

Otherworks conducted a series of space planning and feasibility studies for a potential Hollywood writer/ director leasing an adaptive reuse creative office space. Spanning 2-4 existing buildings, the post-production studio would include editing suites, production offices, screening rooms, as well as communal creative office space and amenities. Program adjacencies were carefully considered given the acoustical isolation requirements, privacy concerns, and production workflow preferences of the client.

Personal Contribution

• Existing Building Evaluation

• Programming and Adjacency Studies

• Space Planning

• Diagrams, Drawings, Modeling, Rendering

San Francisco Flower Mart

Project Description

As the historic San Francisco Flower Market makes its new home in Potrero Hill, the new Flower Mart Project at 6th and Brannan builds upon its industrious legacy and fulfills the site’s new role as an urban mixed-use center.

The new Flower Mart Project will encompass 2 million sqft of creative office space, 100,000 sqft of retail/ market hall, and 40,000 sqft of public open space, linked to the surrounding community and embedded in the Central SoMa Plan.

The project is composed of three main elements: the Blocks Building, the Market Hall, and the Gateway Building. The overall form and articulation of each building has been tuned to actualize distinct program typologies.

Personal Contribution

• Assisted with DD Documentation in Revit including building elevations, sections, and wall module types

• Retail and groundscape design studies

• Facade modeling and articulation studies

Project Description

Sited on a narrow, saddle-shaped property along the north edge of the Los Angeles State Historic Park, the Buena Vista project undertook several challenges at once: to provide neighborhood-serving retail and public open space connected to adjacent Chinatown, minimize obstruction of sensitive neighbors’ views, and provide more than 900 apartment units.

The result is a development split between two sides of the site. The bulk of the project’s area sits on a podium providing access to parking, retail, commercial office space, and apartments. To minimize obstructing the views of the surrounding neighborhoods toward downtown, the project’s remaining number of living units are concentrated in two high-rise towers at opposite ends of the site.

Semi-enclosed courtyards along the southern edge of the project provide public open space, additional retail and live/work opportunities, as well as a visual connection to the Historic Park and Downtown Los Angeles beyond.

Personal Contribution

• Project modelling, diagramming, and rendering

• Space planning

• Facade studies and modeling

• Unit planning

Canyon House

Project Description

The Canyon House is a rebuild of a family residence destroyed by the 2018 Woolsey Fire. Under the jurisdiction of the Coastal Development Zone, the new residence balances the siting and area restrictions for rebuild projects with the programmatic desires of the client.

By unfolding and consolidating the L-shaped footprint of the previous residence, the new plan improves fire access around the site, maintains a larger clear radius from the site’s protected oak tree, and increases the house’s distance from the ridgeline.

Personal Contribution

• Project Massing, articulation, and finish studies

• Preparation of city planning review exhibits for fire rebuild

• Space planning

• Project modeling, diagramming, and rendering

View of Back Deck

View Towards

Palm Springs Park

Project Description

Palm Springs Downtown Park is a 1.54acre public park that draws inspiration from the landscapes and canyons surrounding the city. The architecture components of the project include the public restroomsand police substation building, with a shotcrete-finished form that relates to the geologically-inspired seating and water feature within the park. A stage canopy in the Theater zone of the park echoes the layered effect of palm fronds with its modular composition and perforated aluminum panels.

Personal Contribution

• Design and detailing of substation building and stage canopy

• Coordination with structural engineers and concrete fabricators on customized shotcrete building finish

• Project documentation from Schematic Design to Construction Documents

• Produced presentations for city client and community review

Undisclosed: San Diego Office Competition

Project Description

As part of an invited competition, Otherworks developed a proposal for a new urban center in a developing neighborhood. Spanning two blocks, the project is situated at the junction of existing mid-rise residential and future residential tower development. Flexibility and optionality for both the owner and the future tenant are key to the workplace design strategy of the project. Adaptable to both single and multi-tenant configurations, the project is designed to function at all scales.

The West block forms a gateway to the site, creating a mid-block passage to connect to the local public transit station. The East block bookends the project. Tower plates create opportunities for opening up the ground plane, and a series of decks wrap strategically located amenity levels. In the event that the owner opts to introduce a residential program, a position at the northeast corner of the building has been configured to receive the tower.

Personal Contribution

• Massing and Facade articulation studies

• Project modelling, diagramming, drawing, and rendering for client review and competition

• Groundscape, retail, and food hall planning and design

East and West Blocks

The West block forms the gateway to the site, while the East block becomes the bookend of the project.

Plaza and Courtyards

Bisecting the Western block, a midblock passage connects to the trolley line while maintaining a sense of seperation. A plaza at the corner of 13th and E St is the anchor public space of the project.

Office Towers

Tower plates create opportunities for opening up the ground plane. Positioned on opposing corners of the site, the major towers maintain viewplanes outward.

Deck Connections

A series of decks wrap the upper office plates and are tied to strategically located amenity levels.

Residential Tower

In the event that the owner opts to introduce a residential program, a position at the corner of 13th and Broadway has been configured to receive the tower.