My Work

The task of the Global Research Studio was to identify an unterutilized urban space in order to increase user activity and improve connectivity within the city. Pier 11 is one of the major existing ferry dock terminals located in Manhattan, New York. The proposal exhibits a two story multi-functional pier that separates the ferry docks from the several amenities and activities located on the ground level. The two-story structure allows for a more efficient departure and arrival system. The several amenities onsite include bars, seating and gathering spaces, and a central corridor with shops and eateries enclosed by perforated metal panels. On the adjacent South Street, FDR Drive is elevated above and creates a physically barrier between the water-front and the Wall Street District. Ramps are strategically placed to provide direct access for pedestrians on South Street as well as crossing over FDR Drive and connecting to Wall Street and Gouverneur Lane.

Working within Chuao, Venezuela, our group was tasked with restoring a fragment of the city within an existing parcel system. Our team collaborated to create a new center of activity for the residents of Chuao. The proposal exhbits multi-functional buidlings with offices, restaurants, and retail located on the first two stories of every building with affordable housing units on the floors above. New pedestrian oriented streets have been implemented to provide more access for the community.  The extension of urban corridors into the site creates a greater connection and continuity within the Chuao district.

The aim for this project was to create a gateway into the community. This was achieved by transforming the experience of the existing streets and bridges through the implementation of green spaces and public activities. The goal for the initial site proposal was to sew la urbina and the slums of petare norte together through these spaces. The existing bridge was extended to allow walking paths and a public market space for local residents. Two buildings that bookend the bridge include an existing train station and new amenities including workshops that can teach residents important life skills including, sewing, gardening and educational classes. Other amenities implemented on the site are shops and eateries, along with cultural and sports facilities.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, there is a rich history of brick facades. The goal of the project was to incorporate this language into the design while also creating a destination where you could explore, create, and share ideas. The undulating surface defines the public and private spaces behind. The building is constructed out of steel frame with a steel column grid maxed at 30-foot intervals. The program of the building aligns between the column grid to allow more open spaces. The building itself has two wings connected through a central atrium. The program, concept, and system work together to create a whole.

In initiating our urban design, we focused on analyzing existing site conditions within the adjacent urban fabric. The replication of the existing Border Street within our site, as well as extending urban corridors onto the site with the intent of guiding pedestrians towards the waterfront and public beaches. A harbor walk wraps the entire waterfront and resolves back into the existing sidewalk with portal entries into the site where the principal organizing axis meets the harbor walk. In designing the waterfront, the analysis of the anticipated impact of rising sea levels allowed the collaboration of each beach and waterfront to the extent of which the buildings occupy.

The project emerges from identifying the need for low maintenance green spaces. This resulted in the adoption of the wild meadow as a type of green space that could be implemented throughout the site. The planting scheme emerged from a careful study of topography and site run-off. The elegance of the project lies in which this same logic informs the tectonic components.