This work is from my first semester studio in the University of Southern California’s Master of Architecture program.

From an initial pattern, a two-dimensional graphic was developed.  This graphic was then expanded to occupy three sides of a cube.  The two-dimensional patterns informed the creation of a three-dimensional spatial matrix, first made by hand then modeled in Rhino.

From sections through the Rhino digital model, a new spatial matrix was developed that continued the weaving of strips.  The sections created a spatial framework which is encapsulated by woven strips and then dissolves into the interwoven elements.

After cutting sections through the Rhino digital model, the next step in the process was to laser cut paper sections.  These sections showed both the woven process of creating the spaces as well as the space itself, through the careful decomposition of the surrounding board.

With each step in the process, another element of structure required another layer of deformation to strengthen the single-ply museum board.  This strengthening can be seen in the twisting of each laser cut section as it is placed into the base.

The bird feeder required research on the bird – the house sparrow – as well as the site conditions – the rail of the bridge.

The exploration of creating a space in wood – that would function both on the scale of a trash can for people and as a feeder for the house sparrows – was based on an inquiry into how wood can bend to reach required lengths between members.

The major program concept of the bird feeder was the reallocation  of (human) waste as (bird) food while making feeding a spectacle.  The form was also designed to have a clear site relationship to the railing, as well as the trees and the stairs beyond the railing.  Finally, the form was largely an exploration of the flexibility of wood in bending along the grain.

For this project, we were given the opportunity to add an accessory program to the given program of a neighborhood council center.  I studied both vertical garden precedents and landscape conditions in urban environments in the process of designing a garden to integrate into the community center.

The major concept for the project was the introduction and integration of a garden landscape into the built environment.  I integrated the landscape both as a ground plane which travels through the building as well as a vertical garden façade which wraps around the building.

The building can be accessed from the sidewalk, from the parking lot, or from the second floor from the community garden. The single-story space below the community garden houses the neighborhood council office, while the double-story space serves as both a meeting room and a workshop area. The second story allows for overflow from the meeting room as well as vertical greenhouse workshop areas.  This area connects back to the exterior community garden plots. The building takes advantage of its low point at the edge of a largely impervious site by employing detention basins and water filtration tanks to collect and clean runoff water. The photovoltaic grid at the top of the building twists to angle south.