Portfolio // Spring 2025 by Shiza Chaudhary

Shiza Chaudhary

Portfolio

Masters of Architecture

Spring 2025

Master of Architecture ‘25

School of Architecture

University of Virginia

kbp3fq@virginia.edu

Living Structures

01 O’Hill Center for Visiting Scholars: Architecture as a Sanctuary

Professor:

Kyle Schumann

Year: Fall 2022

Category: Academic

This project proposes a center for visiting scholars at Observatory Hill site. Through a series of experiments in materials, concepts and form, the core idea of this space has morphed into an inquiry in soft architecture. The project advances the basic ideas taken from analysis of the painting, as seen in images on the right.

The painting is analyzed as interaction of two main systems- the grid extracted from the forest and the fabric, representing the form of mountains in landscape. The final model is the most developed version of these systems.

The schematic program is carved into the thick walls continuing as edges. The walls sewn into the fabric, are the result of combining the two aforementioned systems. This project explores this combination in an atypical language of soft architecture. The thick walls juxtapose with the voids, represented as courtyards and the main big courtyard carved out of the land for an immersive experience for all visitors. The final model remains a work in progress.

Intellectual Allies- In addition to Li Gonghian’s “Winter Landscape”, The Contemporary Art Center in Cordoba, Skara Brae Prehistoric Village, and Mohenjo Daro were immensely influential case studies.

Li Gonghian’s “Winter Landscape”

Architecture as Connector

Professor: Devin Dobrowolski

Year: Spring 2023

Category: Academic

Residential neighborhood of Bronzeville, Chicago.

This project proposes a library within an urban plaza on 43rd Street in the historic neighborhood of Bronzeville. By introducing a vibrant public plaza, this library and cultural center aim to provide a vital resource for the community by creating a dynamic, inclusive, and accessible space. This project promotes literacy, art education and cultural engagement by cultivating spaces for a variety of services and resources. The project offers a diverse collection of books, multimedia materials, digital resources, workshop spaces, classes and events that promote social engagement as well as personal enrichment.

Residential neighborhood of Bronzeville, Chicago.

Exploded Axonometric highlighting structure

03 Sylvan Scrapple: An Exhibit Columbus Project

Professors: Katie MacDonald and Kyle Schumann

Year: Summer 2023

Category: Student Research Assistantship

Sylvan Scrapple draws parallels between construction and food waste. The name comes from congealed scrapple, also known as Pennsylvania Dutch name Pannhaas, a dish made from scraps of pork meats, cornmeal and trimmings. The installation is centered around a fifteen feet dining table, the top of which contains construction waste: bricks, wood, glass and scraps, set in resin. The other pieces are curated along a line composition tresspassing the planter on site.

This project was completed by Assistant Professors at UVA, Katie MacDonald and Kyle Schumann, with research team in August, 2023. The project is part of the annual Exhibit Columbus, ‘Public by Design’ themed cycle, featuring nationally selected groups of artists, designers, architects and landscape architects.

Awards:

- AIA National Small Project Award, 2024

- AIA Virginia Design Awards: Honor Award in Small Project

- AIA Indiana Design Awards, Citation Awards in Nontraditonal projects

- Dezeen Awards, Longlist in Installation Design

- The Architect’s Newspaper, Best in Digital Fabrication: Honorable Mention, 2023

04 Live/Work Harbor:

Revitalizing the Brooklyn Waterfront

Professor: Esther Lorenz

Studio Partner: Olivia McGeough

Year: Fall 2023

Category: Academic

Situated at the historic core of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, our project pays homage to the past while shaping a dynamic future. The site features two invaluable cultural anchors: the iconic Agger Fish building and the adjacent dry dock, both witnesses to the Yard’s shipbuilding legacy. These anchors inspired our design, which seamlessly integrates with the urban fabric and introduces a circular landscape for cultural retention.

In carefully raising residential zones above a framed courtyard, our massing strategy preserves the physical link between Agger Fish and the dry dock. Within the Agger Fish building, the legacy of creativity and culture continues. It remains a dynamic hub for creative displays, concerts, debates, and a plethora of artistic expressions.

This space preserves its status as a cultural icon, a place where artists and innovators find a platform to contribute to the rich tapestry of the community. Simultaneously, the adjacent dry dock undergoes a transformation into a natural amphitheater, breathing new life into its historical significance. Here, cultural programming takes center stage, with opportunities for interactive exhibitions, film screenings, and fashion shows. The dry dock becomes a dynamic space for both witnessing and actively participating in cultural events, adding a vibrant layer to the community’s cultural tapestry.

Site Analysis

Vertical Circulation diagram highlighting public, mixed, and private

Site Circulation corridors and supporting programs

Site Anaylsis: Urban Grid

Site Anaylsis: Building Footprints

Site Anaylsis: 2050 Floodline

Sequence Diagram of Massing Strategies

Massing: Circulation Diagram

Ground Circulation Diagram

Sequence Diagram of Massing Strategies

Unit Typologies

Typical Residential Plan

Longitudinal Section through Shop- and Townhouses

Longitudinal Section of Agger Fish Content Production and Artist Studios

Cross Section of Agger Fish highlighting addition

Key View of Research Core

Key View of Recording Studios and Sound Labs

Key View of Maker Spaces and Fabrication Labs

Key View of Agger Fish Content Production and Artists

05 Boyle Heights Arts and Wellness Center: Rethinking the Urbanity of LA

Professor: Manuel Bailo

Year: Spring 2024

Category: Academic

This project is nestled within the vibrant heart of Mariachi Plaza, where the lively intersection of S Boyle Ave and 1st St sets the stage. Embraced by the bustling arteries of LA’s notorious traffic, the site occupies a pivotal position, ensconced within the triangle formed by surrounding highways. Seeking to breathe new life into Mariachi Plaza, the project endeavors to expand public space, particularly towards the medical center. Inspired by on-site observations, including ambient noise, stark signage, traffic exposure, and a dearth of shaded retreats, the project’s essence takes shape.

The architectural form manifests as a single-story structure, rooted to the ground on the northern side, while suspended at its southern extremity. Drawing visitors into its embrace, the design carves out an extended plaza, a sanctuary distinct from the bustling main square. This below ground-level oasis is thoughtfully curated for communal gatherings, tranquil respites, and seamless access to the arts studios perched above. Hovering gracefully above the plaza, the floating volume is dedicated to exhibiting textile craftsmanship, and vibrant murals. Adorned with walls primed for vibrant murals and textile exhibitions, this elevated space adds a dynamic layer to the project’s narrative, inviting both contemplation and creativity.

Left: Exploded Axon

Site Plan

View of the Plaza from the Wellness Center

Plaza

Yoga Studio

Textile Workshop

Kitchen

Ceramics Studio

Wellness Center

Yoga Studio

06 Sheets and Slabs: A Mindful Materiality Project

Professors: Katie MacDonald and Kyle Schumann

Year: Spring 2024

Category: Research

Does isolation of material play a role in our perception of experienced space?

In this research project two identical pods, of different materials are constructed. One pod is designed with biophilic or natural wood materials and the other is constructed of off-the-shelf building materials, such as drywall. Designed as testing chambers for psychological and neurological research on normative and biomaterial environments, material composition is primary while form is secondary and archetypal, drawing from universal geometries.

The control, Sheets, is clad in drywall, while its doppleganger, Slabs, scribes live edge slabs into meandering field of grains and curves.

The architecture department, environmental psychology and neuroscience professors, along with graudate students designed and organized this project. No windows were added to eliminate views to the outside world, so the material of enclosure is all one experiences.

This study was conducted at Gilmer Hall on campus, where students participated in the collection of data.

Awards: - 2024 SARA National Design Award

07 Biophilic Toolkit: Urban Strategies for Local Biodiversity

Professor: Mona El Khafif

Year: Fall 2024

Project Partners: Vasudha Chakrovarty // Julia MacNelly

Category: Academic // Urban Design

-Reducelight pollutionfrom dusktodawn -Closeblindswhen indoorlightsareon -Grownativeplants

-Checkfornestsbefore itschimneycleaning, nestsillegaltoremove withbabiesdampers-Closechimney toreduce-noisepollution

-Makewindows

-Keepdomesticcats indoors-Turno

onopeningsAdvocatecavesnearpollutionnoiseandlightLimit-mothsonfeedbatsasdeforestationagainst -Plantnative plantspecies -Reduceuseof pesticides -Leaveparts oflawn unmowed fencesforAdvocate-+ crossings:wildlife roadreduce mortality keeptosafeNot-as homeatpets -Advocateforriparian streambu ersof 100-300' -Checklawnsbeforemowing-Reduceheavyequipmentuse nearstreams

"shedusingAvoidtraps" usingfromRefrainforscouttodrones locateorbucks antlers

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responsiblyvehiclesUsebeddingdeeraround

This project proposes urban strategies that prepare charlottesville to join the network of the Biophilic cities. Data from local organizations such as the Virginia Wildlife Center and VDOT is collected to map roadkills and overall collisions. These maps are utilized to select sites and locations of interest for the potential urban strategies as interventions. This project proposes a biophilic toolkit that allows locals to implement change at a community scale. The kit features strategies ranging from using a migration calender to activism for a safe landbridge crossing on Route 64, the local highway. It provides a catalog of straightforward applications of strategies such as ecofriendly lighting, makeshift signage, and chimney maintenance for the safety of critters and all non humans, and to make Charlottesville a biophilic town.

Strategies for a Suburban Context

PARKS

Ragged Mountain

Chris Greene Lake

Darden Towe

Ivy Creek Walnut Creek

Biscuit Run Park

NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

BOBCATS

EASTERN BUMBLE BEE

NORTHERN CARDINAL

WILDLIFE CORRIDORS

EASTERN BLUEBIRDS

WOOD TURTLES

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Biologists + Conservationists

EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL

EASTERN PAINTED TURLTES WHITE

HABITATS

Habitat Management Tree Preservation

EASTERN BOX TURTLES

Ragged Mountain

Ivy Creek

Virginia Wildlife Corridor Action Plan

ECOSYSYSTEMS

Biodiversity rooted in Native Plants

Aquatic Life

ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS

Water Supply Resources

Mountain Protection Areas

Riparian Buffers

Rural Historic Districts

Land Conservation

Moores Creek Farm

Logwood Park

Urban Context

08 Living Structures: Elevating Community of Red Hook

Professor: Mona El Khafif

Studio

Partner: Lysette Velazquez

Year: Fall 2024

Category: Academic // Urban Design

This project responds to the paradigm shifts and the landswap in the productive city of Red Hook, NY. In May 2024, the mayor Eric Adams announed a comprehensive plan to rebuild three piers on this waterfront. The key component of this plan is one of the largest landswaps in US history between Port Authortiy of New York and New Jersey. To revitalize the historically industrial waterfront, this project responds to the comprehensive plan by proposing rezoning of the lots to mixed use development, which includes housing, community spaces, courtyards, local businesses and maritime education center, run by “Portside“, of Red Hook, with the ultimate goal of a vibrant community. This project challenges the idea of living on the waterfront, it shifts from living on water to living with water. The housing is lifted above ground for floodability and provides storage for seasonal boats, kayaks and other means of using water.

As flooding represents a threat in this community due to their history with Sandy in 2012, the flooding in the future is projected to increase and provides an opportunity to innovate the housing structures.

Embracing the state of constant evolution through interaction of organisms with environment, this project reinterprets living of structures as systems that co-exist with the environmental factors: water, ecology and the historical imprint of the industrial past.

What does it mean to live with water, ecology, industry and the inevitable development of the area? This project brings groundwork, habitability, occupancy and an evalutated idea of “Living Structures“. A vision plan that provides connectivity through the identified gateways and anchors, zoning, clustering housing into half block, green corridors as well as a soft edge, is proposed.

Undeveloped Marshlands

POPULATION

Thomas Willet Cornelius Van Steenwyk Abraham de Peyster

The Dutch established Red Hook, as an early Brooklyn settlement, inhabitted by Lenape (Sassaina) people who are forced out.

The Dutch named it “Roode Hoek”, which translates into Red Hook, due to its reddish soil and peninsula’s shape that juts into the East River.

EVENTS

1698, a King’s County Census including Brooklyn, showed half Dutch settlers, the other half Europeans and African American slaves. 1000 5000 10,000 King’s County Population- 2,017

George Washington ordered the building of Fort Deﬁance for Revolutionary War prep.

The NYC Ratzer Map was created by Bernard Ratzer, a British Army Ofﬁcer.

Battle of Brooklyn HeightsThe invasion of Brooklyn by the British.

INDUSTRY

James Duane DeWitt Clinton W F. Havemeyer

Invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney, revolutionizing the cotton industry.

Slavery abolished after two centuries.

William basin, extension 135 piers

The street grid was mapped out as Brooklyn became a city.

Flooding caused by hurricane. Heavily impacted undeveloped Red Hook. Signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Bales of cotton in a lighter boat docked next to the Stores caught ﬁre and spread to the piers from ships.

Grading of land, connecting Atlantic Basin to mainland. Atlantic Basin completed by Colonel Daniel Richard.

1870s-1910 King Cotton Era

The Great Depression

WWII- Fall of Shipping 10,665 10,659 10,228

William L Strong

9,918

Michael Bloomberg Fernando Wood Robert Moses

William Beard built Eerie basin, a man made extension of the harbor, and 135 acre home to protected piers and docks.

Dredging of Bay Ridge and Red Hook Channels by US Army Corps of Engineers.

Rise of Maritime Trade.

NY Warehousing Stores building caught ﬁre burning over 8,000 bales of cotton.

Red Hook becomes the busiest freight port in the world.

Panama Canal led to increased trade between Europe and USA, boosting industry in Red Hook.

New York Dock Company purchased a signiﬁcant chunk of the waterfront

Construction of the Gowanus Expressway cut Red Hook off the rest of Brooklyn.

Public Housing Development completed in Red Hook. Total 2,545 apartments, one of the largest public housing projects in the country.

John Lindsay Ed Koch Rudy Giuliani

Economic decline, high crime and “white ﬂight”.

Hurricane Donna hit NY, ﬂooding Red Hook.

Shipping container invented.

Decline of shipping industry as ports containerization moves to NJ.

Ikea opened its store at the former Ship Yard, after 6 years of controversy.

Art MigrationKentler International Drawing Space was founded.

Amazon and Tesla purchase warehouses.

Hurricane Sandy caused devastating ﬂoods.

Red Hook Stores built by W. Beard and Robinson.

Robert A. Van Wyck Fiorello La Guardia Robert F. Wagner

Bill de Blasio Eric Adams