Coming out of the pandemic, many young professionals are feeling disconnected and lonely. They have found it difficult to establish community and genuine friendships with others in their post-college life and in new cities.. SILO is an interdisciplinary professional connection program. The system builds community between newly-hired young professionals across the city through shared in-person experiences based around activities and interests.. Made in collaboration with Bonnie Castleberry and Erin Kean. Work for the project included conducting user research, coding insights and project alignment on MURAL, iterating solutions, and validating through user testing for further refinement.

Coming out of the pandemic, many young professionals are feeling disconnected and lonely. They have found it difficult to establish community and genuine friendships with others in their post-college life and in new cities.. SILO is an interdisciplinary professional connection program. The system builds community between newly-hired young professionals across the city through shared in-person experiences based around activities and interests.. Made in collaboration with Bonnie Castleberry and Erin Kean. Work for the project included conducting user research, coding insights and project alignment on MURAL, iterating solutions, and validating through user testing for further refinement.

food insecurity, rural arkansas, food desert, working with young black entrepreneur who grew up and is moving back into community, looking to community revitilize, nearest grocery is walmart 40 minutes away, disinvestment in rural communities, draw connection to CIRD? extension of rural capacity building work, where we are is schematic while they do more of their fundraising, layout concept is simple flow, more emphasis on cafe space because that is a need in the community, cafe coomponent is a thing communities need, is a gathering space and is why we have incorporated seating, outdoor is additional seating-meeting and also loval vendor and artisan display

food insecurity, rural arkansas, food desert, working with young black entrepreneur who grew up and is moving back into community, looking to community revitilize, nearest grocery is walmart 40 minutes away, disinvestment in rural communities, draw connection to CIRD? extension of rural capacity building work, where we are is schematic while they do more of their fundraising, layout concept is simple flow, more emphasis on cafe space because that is a need in the community, cafe coomponent is a thing communities need, is a gathering space and is why we have incorporated seating, outdoor is additional seating-meeting and also loval vendor and artisan display

Located on a 400-acre high-elevation nature preserve located in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, Experience Learning serves as an outdoor wilderness retreat and campsite for visitors to Spruce Knob. Through collaboration with the Woodlands Development Group, our team was brought in to help expand the services and facilities of the campgrounds to better accommodate guests and future visioning of the organization. Our team toured the site and met with local staff and Board of Trustee members to align the goals, strategies, and development plans of the organization. A site audit report was drafted to offer improvements on bettering the visitor experience‍

Located on a 400-acre high-elevation nature preserve located in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, Experience Learning serves as an outdoor wilderness retreat and campsite for visitors to Spruce Knob. Through collaboration with the Woodlands Development Group, our team was brought in to help expand the services and facilities of the campgrounds to better accommodate guests and future visioning of the organization. Our team toured the site and met with local staff and Board of Trustee members to align the goals, strategies, and development plans of the organization. A site audit report was drafted to offer improvements on bettering the visitor experience‍

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library stands in the heart of Downtown DC as a gathering and support space for DC residents to enrich and nourish their lives and minds. Recently renovated, the library looks to provide residents with services and tools needed to transform lives and to build and support communities throughout the District of Columbia. As a designer at To Be Done (TBD), I worked on the design and fabricating of a modular retail space that showcases the work of local makers, artists, and library exhibitions, as well as creating a space for gathering and relaxing. The retail units are movable to best suit the needs of the library and local vendors, offering a solution that integrates display, commerce, and play.‍

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library stands in the heart of Downtown DC as a gathering and support space for DC residents to enrich and nourish their lives and minds. Recently renovated, the library looks to provide residents with services and tools needed to transform lives and to build and support communities throughout the District of Columbia. As a designer at To Be Done (TBD), I worked on the design and fabricating of a modular retail space that showcases the work of local makers, artists, and library exhibitions, as well as creating a space for gathering and relaxing. The retail units are movable to best suit the needs of the library and local vendors, offering a solution that integrates display, commerce, and play.‍

Tucked into the beautiful rural mountainscapes of West Virginia, The Billy Motel and Bar offers a retro-modern respite for travelers and locals alike. This project was kindly supported by The Woodlands Development Group and the Monongahela National Forest Small Business Initiative. Having reached its capacity limits due to successful growth and greater numbers of visitors wanting to escape cities and into the outdoors, The Billy Motel looks to expand its services and amenities to guests. The motel aims to be a home away from home for guests, as well as a space for travelers and locals to meet, wind down or reboot on top of the mountain. A master plan lays out a growth plan, expanding dining, adding additional rooms, spaces for large events, and exterior spaces connecting visitors to the outdoors.

Tucked into the beautiful rural mountainscapes of West Virginia, The Billy Motel and Bar offers a retro-modern respite for travelers and locals alike. This project was kindly supported by The Woodlands Development Group and the Monongahela National Forest Small Business Initiative. Having reached its capacity limits due to successful growth and greater numbers of visitors wanting to escape cities and into the outdoors, The Billy Motel looks to expand its services and amenities to guests. The motel aims to be a home away from home for guests, as well as a space for travelers and locals to meet, wind down or reboot on top of the mountain. A master plan lays out a growth plan, expanding dining, adding additional rooms, spaces for large events, and exterior spaces connecting visitors to the outdoors.

The Pueblo of Laguna is a traditional Native American community. Through a local design workshop, CIRD worked with the Pueblo to begin planning the Laguna Main Street project, an economic revitalization project along historic Route 66 where it passes through the reservation. The Main Street area concept may also include the development of community health buildings, housing, and outdoor spaces for physical activity, such as walking trails. The CIRD workshop, focused on the vendor market - an 80,000 square foot site for an arts and crafts/food/farmer’s market facility - is the first project for the Laguna Main Street revitalization. The Pueblo is collaborating with CIRD and the NM Frontier and Native American Community Initiative on the project.‍

The Pueblo of Laguna is a traditional Native American community. Through a local design workshop, CIRD worked with the Pueblo to begin planning the Laguna Main Street project, an economic revitalization project along historic Route 66 where it passes through the reservation. The Main Street area concept may also include the development of community health buildings, housing, and outdoor spaces for physical activity, such as walking trails. The CIRD workshop, focused on the vendor market - an 80,000 square foot site for an arts and crafts/food/farmer’s market facility - is the first project for the Laguna Main Street revitalization. The Pueblo is collaborating with CIRD and the NM Frontier and Native American Community Initiative on the project.‍

“Passage: Reflections on Time & Space,” a series of site-specific installations at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens moved visitors to reflect on the passage of time – specifically the last 18 months – and the importance of green space in communities as a place of respite and resource. Using mirrors and locally sourced logs, the installation juxtaposed the synthetic and natural beauty of the Gardens to offer visitors a newfound appreciation for green space. The use of mirrored glass implied a passageway into a world more focused on the outdoors and our connection with it, offering an escape for visitors.The exhibit also included an opportunity for visitors to engage with the art and offer reflections on the art pieces.

“Passage: Reflections on Time & Space,” a series of site-specific installations at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens moved visitors to reflect on the passage of time – specifically the last 18 months – and the importance of green space in communities as a place of respite and resource. Using mirrors and locally sourced logs, the installation juxtaposed the synthetic and natural beauty of the Gardens to offer visitors a newfound appreciation for green space. The use of mirrored glass implied a passageway into a world more focused on the outdoors and our connection with it, offering an escape for visitors.The exhibit also included an opportunity for visitors to engage with the art and offer reflections on the art pieces.

The Natural Resource Defence Council (NRDC) is a non-profit international environmental advocacy group working to safeguard the earth- its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. TBD was tasked with creating design concepts for an expansion of their DC Office.TBD’s concepts synthesize NRDC’s mission, its sustainable operations goals, and need to safely reintroduce the workforce back into the shared workspace in a post-COVID world. Incorporating natural, antimicrobial, and sound-dampening materials, the proposed design concepts break down the space into programmatic blocks to improve acoustics, support healthy airflow and minimized contact through thoughtful circulation.

The Natural Resource Defence Council (NRDC) is a non-profit international environmental advocacy group working to safeguard the earth- its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. TBD was tasked with creating design concepts for an expansion of their DC Office.TBD’s concepts synthesize NRDC’s mission, its sustainable operations goals, and need to safely reintroduce the workforce back into the shared workspace in a post-COVID world. Incorporating natural, antimicrobial, and sound-dampening materials, the proposed design concepts break down the space into programmatic blocks to improve acoustics, support healthy airflow and minimized contact through thoughtful circulation.

In partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Housing Assistance Council, “There is More Work to Be Done” is a celebration of the work and impact of the struggle for equitable, affordable, and stronger communities in rural America, both past and present, inspired by the work of George “Elfie” Ballis (1925 - 2010)...

In partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Housing Assistance Council, “There is More Work to Be Done” is a celebration of the work and impact of the struggle for equitable, affordable, and stronger communities in rural America, both past and present, inspired by the work of George “Elfie” Ballis (1925 - 2010)...

Spearheaded by Empower DC and local members of the Ivy City neighborhood, “Fix Crummell Now” is a movement to re-open the historic Alexander Crummell School building as a community center. Crummell, a historic landmark, was built in 1911 to serve Black children in segregated Washington. The school has been vacant, boarded and fenced off from the community it once served for more than 40 years. To contribute to the local grassroots movement, a workshopping session was held during a community block party to assess the needs of the community from a Crummell community center with a “counting beans” activity and to-scale site model with programmatic pieces. Completed while working at To Be Done Studio.

Spearheaded by Empower DC and local members of the Ivy City neighborhood, “Fix Crummell Now” is a movement to re-open the historic Alexander Crummell School building as a community center. Crummell, a historic landmark, was built in 1911 to serve Black children in segregated Washington. The school has been vacant, boarded and fenced off from the community it once served for more than 40 years. To contribute to the local grassroots movement, a workshopping session was held during a community block party to assess the needs of the community from a Crummell community center with a “counting beans” activity and to-scale site model with programmatic pieces. Completed while working at To Be Done Studio.

Alluminare is a ten-piece collection that explores how fashion can exist outside the spotlight through the incorporation of resin with textiles to create wearables that reflect a hard softness and transform in emphasis. The collection is an inquiry into materiality, hybrid textiles, and viewer experience.

Alluminare is a ten-piece collection that explores how fashion can exist outside the spotlight through the incorporation of resin with textiles to create wearables that reflect a hard softness and transform in emphasis. The collection is an inquiry into materiality, hybrid textiles, and viewer experience.

As part of the 2018-2019 Burdett Assistantship, the project showcases the power of water to sculpt landscapes in the context of the rivers of Pittsburgh. The project documents the evolution of Pittsburgh’s rivers in relation to urban development as it evolved from a manufacturing hub into a knowledge city by exposing latent connections through historical and architectural analysis. Research trips were organized to study and document different conditions along the review: mouth, confluence, and bifurcation. Research was curated for a public exhibition as part of the city’s monthly Unblurred Gallery Crawl, featuring collages, videos, interviews, and historic records. The opening event featured live painting of a topographic model of Pittsburgh to encourage public interaction. Many residents had never considered the wider reaches of the three rivers, and almost none had ever seen the entire city of Pittsburgh from a three-dimensional topographic view. The culmination of the research project was the fabrication of a 1/300-scale topographic map of Pittsburgh to take the place of an outdated Nolli Map on Carnegie Mellon’s campus. Made in collaboration with Gargi Lagvankar.

As part of the 2018-2019 Burdett Assistantship, the project showcases the power of water to sculpt landscapes in the context of the rivers of Pittsburgh. The project documents the evolution of Pittsburgh’s rivers in relation to urban development as it evolved from a manufacturing hub into a knowledge city by exposing latent connections through historical and architectural analysis. Research trips were organized to study and document different conditions along the review: mouth, confluence, and bifurcation. Research was curated for a public exhibition as part of the city’s monthly Unblurred Gallery Crawl, featuring collages, videos, interviews, and historic records. The opening event featured live painting of a topographic model of Pittsburgh to encourage public interaction. Many residents had never considered the wider reaches of the three rivers, and almost none had ever seen the entire city of Pittsburgh from a three-dimensional topographic view. The culmination of the research project was the fabrication of a 1/300-scale topographic map of Pittsburgh to take the place of an outdated Nolli Map on Carnegie Mellon’s campus. Made in collaboration with Gargi Lagvankar.

A public installation at Ultra Low Res Studio, the works mimics the emotional interaction that can be experienced when children play with a cup and string telephone. Two separate partitions house participants while providing a sense of enclosure to create a comfortable space to have a dialogue within. The verbal interaction between two drives a projection that is dependent on the length of the conversation. Through this, the installation enables people to have an intimate chat that can simultaneously inform a space, affecting the mood and atmosphere of the area between the partitions. Made in collaboration with Chloe Desaulles, Wonjae Kim, Jingyang Liu, and Sujan Das Shrestha.‍

A public installation at Ultra Low Res Studio, the works mimics the emotional interaction that can be experienced when children play with a cup and string telephone. Two separate partitions house participants while providing a sense of enclosure to create a comfortable space to have a dialogue within. The verbal interaction between two drives a projection that is dependent on the length of the conversation. Through this, the installation enables people to have an intimate chat that can simultaneously inform a space, affecting the mood and atmosphere of the area between the partitions. Made in collaboration with Chloe Desaulles, Wonjae Kim, Jingyang Liu, and Sujan Das Shrestha.‍

As an experimental architecture studio situated in a museum, Low Relief explores material cultures of architectural deceit through historical research, hands-on material play, and blending physical plaster artifacts with hybrid media forms to augment viewer experience and perception. Our group was forced to think about design communication through the lens of exhibit design to continually process work for public dissemination for all audiences. The final full-scale product was exhibited in the Hall of Sculpture of the Carnegie Museum of Art, as part of a public event celebrating the efforts of the studio and the work of the museum's Hall of Architecture. Made in collaboration with Samson Liu, Lim Xin Hui, and Hang Wang.‍

As an experimental architecture studio situated in a museum, Low Relief explores material cultures of architectural deceit through historical research, hands-on material play, and blending physical plaster artifacts with hybrid media forms to augment viewer experience and perception. Our group was forced to think about design communication through the lens of exhibit design to continually process work for public dissemination for all audiences. The final full-scale product was exhibited in the Hall of Sculpture of the Carnegie Museum of Art, as part of a public event celebrating the efforts of the studio and the work of the museum's Hall of Architecture. Made in collaboration with Samson Liu, Lim Xin Hui, and Hang Wang.‍

As an introduction to architectural robotic fabrication systems, we were tasked to design and fabricate three cement panels whose surface geometry would be created by robotic hot wire cutting. We selected to proceed with our third iteration, due to coding and robotic limitations at the time and had to alter our design to create new robotic toolpaths. The originally angular geometric form resulted in a wavy, undulating surface due to the nature of how the geometries were divided, highlighting the differences in analog and robotic fabrication which was one of the most important takeaways of this project. Made in collaboration with Gargi Lagvankar, Rachel Muse, and Lim Xin Hui.‍

As an introduction to architectural robotic fabrication systems, we were tasked to design and fabricate three cement panels whose surface geometry would be created by robotic hot wire cutting. We selected to proceed with our third iteration, due to coding and robotic limitations at the time and had to alter our design to create new robotic toolpaths. The originally angular geometric form resulted in a wavy, undulating surface due to the nature of how the geometries were divided, highlighting the differences in analog and robotic fabrication which was one of the most important takeaways of this project. Made in collaboration with Gargi Lagvankar, Rachel Muse, and Lim Xin Hui.‍

Combining the ancient Japanese traditions of Udukuri and Tsugaru Laquer, ColoRing features the wood’s grain while offering its uneven surface colored. Simple wooden pieces are brushed, painted, and then sanded to highlight the natural grain pattern, and then combined to form a staggering long bench supported by a wooden trunk underneath. Taking inspiration from traditional Japanese aesthetics of wooden pieces balanced in a natural context, the work showcases experimentation with the technique through different combinations of colors and layers on each of the pieces. The work was designed and constructed during a workshop under the guidance of Jo Nagasaka. ​ Video of the workshop here.‍

Combining the ancient Japanese traditions of Udukuri and Tsugaru Laquer, ColoRing features the wood’s grain while offering its uneven surface colored. Simple wooden pieces are brushed, painted, and then sanded to highlight the natural grain pattern, and then combined to form a staggering long bench supported by a wooden trunk underneath. Taking inspiration from traditional Japanese aesthetics of wooden pieces balanced in a natural context, the work showcases experimentation with the technique through different combinations of colors and layers on each of the pieces. The work was designed and constructed during a workshop under the guidance of Jo Nagasaka. ​ Video of the workshop here.‍

Building off of previous master planning work from Phase One, To Be Done Studio refined the design work for proposed Workforce Housing development sites in Davis, West Virginia.Generously supported by Rural LISC and Enterprise Community Partners, as well as Woodlands Development Group and Tucker County Economic Development Authority, the development responds to situated views, regional climate concerns, and the routines and activities of local residents. ​ Site Two was picked for further development due to its accessibility to site infrastructure and easy potential for future expansion.‍

Building off of previous master planning work from Phase One, To Be Done Studio refined the design work for proposed Workforce Housing development sites in Davis, West Virginia.Generously supported by Rural LISC and Enterprise Community Partners, as well as Woodlands Development Group and Tucker County Economic Development Authority, the development responds to situated views, regional climate concerns, and the routines and activities of local residents. ​ Site Two was picked for further development due to its accessibility to site infrastructure and easy potential for future expansion.‍

Tasked with creating a structure that would provide shading and seating for Carnegie Mellon’s Carnival weekend, the first-ever School of Architecture Pavilion showcases the dedication, creativity, and ingenuity of its students to the wider campus community. The pavilion features a perforated plywood facade embedded with LEDs, and makes use of old solid core wood doors by stripping them of their old veneer and embedding a glow-in-the-dark resin design. Interior and exterior elements included tables, stools, and benches for visitors. After the event, parts of the Pavilion were re-used to create furniture pieces. Made with a team of 30 students alongside 2 fellow co-leads.

Tasked with creating a structure that would provide shading and seating for Carnegie Mellon’s Carnival weekend, the first-ever School of Architecture Pavilion showcases the dedication, creativity, and ingenuity of its students to the wider campus community. The pavilion features a perforated plywood facade embedded with LEDs, and makes use of old solid core wood doors by stripping them of their old veneer and embedding a glow-in-the-dark resin design. Interior and exterior elements included tables, stools, and benches for visitors. After the event, parts of the Pavilion were re-used to create furniture pieces. Made with a team of 30 students alongside 2 fellow co-leads.

Fun. Playful. Hip. Today. Future. With and beyond the times. Chroma breathes life into the sterilized environment of the streets through the usage of color and transparency. Cut. Heated. Stretched. Layered. Woven. Perforated. Acrylic takes on a new life beyond its two-dimensionality as it encompasses the figure and its clothes, transforming from an element on fabric to its own textile. Rigid structures drip over forms, bending fluorescent matter to the wearer’s will. Artistic. Crisp. Empowered. Effortless. Fearless. Accentuating confidence and augmenting the body, Chroma is true eye candy. Watch the show here.‍

Fun. Playful. Hip. Today. Future. With and beyond the times. Chroma breathes life into the sterilized environment of the streets through the usage of color and transparency. Cut. Heated. Stretched. Layered. Woven. Perforated. Acrylic takes on a new life beyond its two-dimensionality as it encompasses the figure and its clothes, transforming from an element on fabric to its own textile. Rigid structures drip over forms, bending fluorescent matter to the wearer’s will. Artistic. Crisp. Empowered. Effortless. Fearless. Accentuating confidence and augmenting the body, Chroma is true eye candy. Watch the show here.‍

Located along the edge of the Ohio River on a post-industrial island, the Water Lab serves to increase awareness about river ecology and the city’s history. The building is seamlessly divided into a Welcome-Reception area, Gallery spaces, and private usage and administration, and hangs over the water to connect the mainland with the surrounding river. While playing with indoor-outdoor space through its metal fin facade, the main body of the building is made of fabric-cast concrete, which breathes a new life into the material so that it will respond uniquely to the passage of time. Made in collaboration with Stephanie Smid.

Located along the edge of the Ohio River on a post-industrial island, the Water Lab serves to increase awareness about river ecology and the city’s history. The building is seamlessly divided into a Welcome-Reception area, Gallery spaces, and private usage and administration, and hangs over the water to connect the mainland with the surrounding river. While playing with indoor-outdoor space through its metal fin facade, the main body of the building is made of fabric-cast concrete, which breathes a new life into the material so that it will respond uniquely to the passage of time. Made in collaboration with Stephanie Smid.

Built-in a rural village in the Ashanti Region, Weft is a design-build project that tests the possibilities, adaptability, and sustainability of earthen construction through the experimentation of “earth-crete,” a mixture of sand, gravel, earth, cement, and water. The building includes a waiting area for incoming patients, a doctor's room and check-in, two patient rooms, as well as a bathroom with an attached water collection system. The project was constructed over the span of 2.5 months with the aid of 17 volunteers and 8 local workers. As a volunteer, I aided in the construction of the clinic for 6 weeks, material testing, organization, and purchasing of materials, as well as in the landscape and furniture design.‍

Built-in a rural village in the Ashanti Region, Weft is a design-build project that tests the possibilities, adaptability, and sustainability of earthen construction through the experimentation of “earth-crete,” a mixture of sand, gravel, earth, cement, and water. The building includes a waiting area for incoming patients, a doctor's room and check-in, two patient rooms, as well as a bathroom with an attached water collection system. The project was constructed over the span of 2.5 months with the aid of 17 volunteers and 8 local workers. As a volunteer, I aided in the construction of the clinic for 6 weeks, material testing, organization, and purchasing of materials, as well as in the landscape and furniture design.‍

E·pod rethinks the basis of a shelter through the dissection of its basic form, experience, and function. Serving as both a teaching center and camping shelter, the project combines aspects of community gathering, sharing, and individual reflection centered around celestial observation. The shelter is broken down into a hangar and mobile sleeping pods, both wrapped with an outer layer of metal decking. Inspired by the tracks of the decking, the pods utilize the rails to take advantage of adjustable spatial configurations and varying views to the sky for inhabitants. Third-place winner of the Epic Metals Design Competition, and made in collaboration with Kelly Li.

E·pod rethinks the basis of a shelter through the dissection of its basic form, experience, and function. Serving as both a teaching center and camping shelter, the project combines aspects of community gathering, sharing, and individual reflection centered around celestial observation. The shelter is broken down into a hangar and mobile sleeping pods, both wrapped with an outer layer of metal decking. Inspired by the tracks of the decking, the pods utilize the rails to take advantage of adjustable spatial configurations and varying views to the sky for inhabitants. Third-place winner of the Epic Metals Design Competition, and made in collaboration with Kelly Li.

Skin tackles issues of fabrication, customization, and democratization through the development of a multi-unit drop ceiling system. As a space with an already low ceiling height, the design considers the various activity and materials coming through the lab, fire safety regulations, and adaptability over time. Various row designs were modeled, plasma cut, bent, attached, and installed on a track to allow for multiple configurations. With 10 different configurations across 48 rows in a hallway that changes in width, over 500 pieces were fabricated and installed during a 2-month span. Made in collaboration with Timothy Khalifa and Jakob Uhlenhopp, under Jeremy Ficca.​‍

Skin tackles issues of fabrication, customization, and democratization through the development of a multi-unit drop ceiling system. As a space with an already low ceiling height, the design considers the various activity and materials coming through the lab, fire safety regulations, and adaptability over time. Various row designs were modeled, plasma cut, bent, attached, and installed on a track to allow for multiple configurations. With 10 different configurations across 48 rows in a hallway that changes in width, over 500 pieces were fabricated and installed during a 2-month span. Made in collaboration with Timothy Khalifa and Jakob Uhlenhopp, under Jeremy Ficca.​‍

The school’s design bridges neighborhood divides by organizing the program into private zones of specific school facilities and public zones designed to be accessible for use by the community, including a project resource center and maker space. The entry of the school also allows the two zones of the building to be operated independently of each other. The design of balconies, openings, and green roofs reinforce the connection between the building and the community, aids in solar shading and water collection, helps the school become a device for learning, and also showcase the learning and life happening within the school to the outside community.‍

The school’s design bridges neighborhood divides by organizing the program into private zones of specific school facilities and public zones designed to be accessible for use by the community, including a project resource center and maker space. The entry of the school also allows the two zones of the building to be operated independently of each other. The design of balconies, openings, and green roofs reinforce the connection between the building and the community, aids in solar shading and water collection, helps the school become a device for learning, and also showcase the learning and life happening within the school to the outside community.‍

Originating from the Latin word destruam meaning break down, de·struo takes inspiration from concrete’s materiality and uses rockite and plaster to create casted forms that explore the deterioration of geometry. Through a transition from man-made shapes to more natural flows, this line tests the limits of casting and blurs the line between construction and fashion. By incorporating the usage of techniques ranging from digital modeling software and scripting to laser cutting and vacuum forming, unique geometries were crafted to create molds for casted forms. The collection showcases the inevitable transition from geometric and pristine to burned, cracked, and ruined to bring forth beauty from the rubble.

Originating from the Latin word destruam meaning break down, de·struo takes inspiration from concrete’s materiality and uses rockite and plaster to create casted forms that explore the deterioration of geometry. Through a transition from man-made shapes to more natural flows, this line tests the limits of casting and blurs the line between construction and fashion. By incorporating the usage of techniques ranging from digital modeling software and scripting to laser cutting and vacuum forming, unique geometries were crafted to create molds for casted forms. The collection showcases the inevitable transition from geometric and pristine to burned, cracked, and ruined to bring forth beauty from the rubble.

Located along the Allegheny River, the project explores the intersection of a living Ecomachine with commuter housing to implement Parametric design and establish a new adaptable morphology. Through studies of the area, the idea of the Riparian Zone was explored on various scales ranging from nutrient cycles and plant root structures to the larger ecosystem at play. The project meanders water into the site to take full advantage of the Riparian Zone’s benefits, and by creating a system of sub-basins for water filtration and collection, housing is integrated into the landscape and woven into the natural flows of the riparian system. Made in collaboration with Miranda Ford.‍

Located along the Allegheny River, the project explores the intersection of a living Ecomachine with commuter housing to implement Parametric design and establish a new adaptable morphology. Through studies of the area, the idea of the Riparian Zone was explored on various scales ranging from nutrient cycles and plant root structures to the larger ecosystem at play. The project meanders water into the site to take full advantage of the Riparian Zone’s benefits, and by creating a system of sub-basins for water filtration and collection, housing is integrated into the landscape and woven into the natural flows of the riparian system. Made in collaboration with Miranda Ford.‍

Inspired by the reflection of the dead white trees along the lake’s edge, the project aims to create an “ideal space." The work is a symbol for many things; a place you wish to be in, a place to transport yourself to, a place to spark your imagination, a place to defy what is deemed possible, and much more. Constructed in the span of a week, the work is more than simply a house floating in the water, or even more than an ideal space; it is a space that challenges the notion of space itself. Made in collaboration with Sal Ahmed, Ari Diaz, Clara Kern, Scott Lin, Anna Lotova, Nathan Loyrette, Robert Schnyder, and Carlos Suarez, under Noe Duchafour-Lawrence.‍

Inspired by the reflection of the dead white trees along the lake’s edge, the project aims to create an “ideal space." The work is a symbol for many things; a place you wish to be in, a place to transport yourself to, a place to spark your imagination, a place to defy what is deemed possible, and much more. Constructed in the span of a week, the work is more than simply a house floating in the water, or even more than an ideal space; it is a space that challenges the notion of space itself. Made in collaboration with Sal Ahmed, Ari Diaz, Clara Kern, Scott Lin, Anna Lotova, Nathan Loyrette, Robert Schnyder, and Carlos Suarez, under Noe Duchafour-Lawrence.‍

Tasked by Grow Pittsburgh to design a cold frame to help prolong the growing season of a garden bed, Kukua uses a deterioration of the hexagonal form to allow for easy access to the bed for both kids and teachers for educational plant instruction. The hoop house allows room for easy watering and harvesting of plants and is easily collapsable. Primarily made of conduit pipe and shrink-wrap plastic, the design-build project also included the creation of a construction drawing set for current and future users of the cold frame. Made in collaboration with Jennifer Chen, Kerrian France, Jack Fogel, Elizabeth Levy, and Kelly Li.‍

Tasked by Grow Pittsburgh to design a cold frame to help prolong the growing season of a garden bed, Kukua uses a deterioration of the hexagonal form to allow for easy access to the bed for both kids and teachers for educational plant instruction. The hoop house allows room for easy watering and harvesting of plants and is easily collapsable. Primarily made of conduit pipe and shrink-wrap plastic, the design-build project also included the creation of a construction drawing set for current and future users of the cold frame. Made in collaboration with Jennifer Chen, Kerrian France, Jack Fogel, Elizabeth Levy, and Kelly Li.‍